At least our primary is in March
Monday, Feb 8, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Pennsylvania also doesn’t have a budget yet. They have a Democratic governor with a Republican GA, the mirror opposite of Illinois…
Similarly, in Pennsylvania, court orders have kept some money flowing to social services and helped ease pressure. This is much different from budget stalemates past, said McLaughlin.
“It used to be, when you didn’t have a budget, nobody got paid, no checks went out. It was ugly, but also an enormous amount of pressure,” he said.
On Thursday, Illinois Comptroller Leslie Munger said spending mandated by consent decrees and court orders on social services could cost Illinois up to $1.2 billion more than the previous year by July.
But, in both states, observers say the lawmakers will likely not do anything too controversial to resolve the crisis until after the primary elections. For Pennsylvania, that’s not until April 26. In Illinois, it’s March 15.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 12:09 pm:
“Because… 42 Days difference”
To the Post,
I remember state employees getting paid because Rauner, in the end, knew his employees wanted to get paid too.
The courts following the law, Rauner never counted on that. Payments need to be made.
The Dunkin and McCann races, the Raunerite v Republican primaries, March might clear the deck of where the voters are, today, and what next November and next January will look like, with or without Dunkin, with or without McCann, and with or without Raunerite members of all stripes coming back.
- One to the Dome - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 12:10 pm:
Rich, PA Gov budget address is tomorrow. Wonder if Illinois will be taking notes on how to explain to the public how to go into the next fiscal year without a budget.
- GA Watcher - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 12:13 pm:
You know how politicians like to place friendly wagers when the teams from their cities/states are playing for a championship? Maybe the Governors and four legislative leaders from IL and PA should wager on which state resolves their budget impasse first.
- Dome Gnome - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 12:14 pm:
“March might clear the deck of where the voters are, today, and what next November and next January will look like, with or without Dunkin, with or without McCann, and with or without Raunerite members of all stripes coming back.”
Agreed. March will prognosticate.
- AC - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 12:17 pm:
The local primaries seem like more of a democracy. There are no superdelegates, crazy caucuses with results determined by coin toss, and an individual vote is more likely to influence the outcome. With everything going on locally, it would seem counterproductive to focus on the national races.
- UIC Guy - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 1:08 pm:
Well maybe it will be late March. It’s sad that this now seems, if anything, an optimistic scenario. I didn’t write it down at the time, but I remember there was a time when the smart money was saying maybe September or October, and then a time when it seemed to be saying in January, when the legislative rules change. And now mid-March. Well I guess I have to hope so.
- Honeybear - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 2:12 pm:
Primary is March, logjam breaks in Nov.
- Amalia - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 3:03 pm:
PA also has that wild trial of their AG….have not been following so perhaps over…but it’s the actual AG on trial. it’s quite a situation in that state!
- Earnest - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 3:18 pm:
>It used to be, when you didn’t have a budget, nobody got paid, no checks went out. It was ugly, but also an enormous amount of pressure,” he said.
If that had been the case here, I think we would have ended up much better off.
- Blue dog dem - Monday, Feb 8, 16 @ 7:34 pm:
Yes Honeybear I believe you correct. After the Nov. election, I truly believe there will be some Democratic legislators that throw the Union movement under the proverbial bus. There will be a couple senators and reps that will have had enough and will call it quits after that next term expires. I hope to be wrong, but the RAUN Man knows how weak our long term resolve is.