* Freshman Sen. Paul Schimpf (R-Waterloo) was interviewed on Will Stephens’ WXAN Radio program this week about the Senate’s attempts to negotiate a grand bargain…
The voters expect us to work together and compromise. That doesn’t mean sell out our principles. That doesn’t mean do a bad deal.
But at the same time, anything that’s going to pass is going to require Democratic votes to pass. So, the other side is gonna weigh in. There’s going to have to be some compromise.
We’re not trying to put together something that is perfect as if Paul Schimpf were king and I could dictate, or even if the governor could dictate everything he wants. It’s gonna have to have Democratic votes to pass, so there is going to have to be some compromise.
And that’s something where I’ve been a little bit disappointed with some of the groups like the Illinois Policy Institute. I don’t think their proposals are realistic, in terms of they’re not something that would get any votes from the other side.
And also… they’re proposing shifting the burden to the local municipalities. You as the mayor of Murphysboro certainly know that Murphysboro needs some state aid. The cuts that the Illinois Policy Institute is advocating would really cripple some of our local municipalities. […]
I appreciate everybody’s input, but I think the reality is we cannot get ourselves out of this hole that we’ve been digging for two decades just by spending cuts alone. I’m gonna insist there be spending cuts, but I don’t think that’s going to get us out of it just on those alone.
* The “Institute” has been targeting Republican Senators for several days with Facebook ads like this one and some GOP members aren’t amused…
* Meanwhile, this is one of their latest column submissions that appeared in the Alton Telegraph…
Take the Local Government Distributive Fund, or LGDF. This state fund is made up of $1.3 billion in income tax money that the state hands out to local governments with no strings attached.
Local leaders say this money is used to help keep property taxes low. But that argument doesn’t hold water in a state with the highest property taxes in the nation.
They also say it’s a pillar of basic services such as public safety. That’s a convenient excuse. In reality, this money enables reckless spending habits propped up by the state. Practices such as pension spiking, sick leave accumulation and pension “pickups” are rampant in the Land of Lincoln.
Money from the LGDF also enables local governments to pay the state-mandated prevailing wage for work on public projects. The costs this requirement entails are astonishing. […]
And yet, most Republicans still won’t touch programs like the LGDF. Doing so requires taking on the mayors, township supervisors, highway commissioners, park district officials and legions of others who have staked their hopes on multibillion-dollar tax hikes as a way out of the budget mess.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:30 am:
===We’re not trying to put together something that is perfect as if Paul Schimpf were king===
Don’t go 3rd Person. Ugh.
- WTF - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:35 am:
OW:
He gets gets no points for standing up to IPI?
- hot chocolate - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:41 am:
No wonder this is such an expensive hobby for Bruce. On one hand he spends a million or so getting Schimpf elected and on the other he’s paying for allies in their own party to savage Paul as a tax-and-spender.
- Oh Boy - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:42 am:
IPI - badgering their way to irrelevance. Or further into irrelevance.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:43 am:
===And that’s something where I’ve been a little bit disappointed with some of the groups like the Illinois Policy Institute. I don’t think their proposals are realistic, in terms of they’re not something that would get any votes from the other side.
And also… they’re proposing shifting the burden to the local municipalities. You as the mayor of Murphysboro certainly know that Murphysboro needs some state aid. The cuts that the Illinois Policy Institute is advocating would really cripple some of our local municipalities. […]===
This is thoughtful to process and to what is being tried in the Senate with both sides finding that common ground and looking for a good “30″ and a good budget.
- Crosstab - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:45 am:
I live in Schimpf’s district and he knocked on my door. No posse, no helpers, just him. I was really impressed with his honesty. My politics lean to the left but I found him to a moderate guy who is willing to compromise. That’s a rare breed in politics.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:45 am:
- WYF -
Thanks for…
1) waiting for a though besides my first blush
2) not recognizing that the 3rd person silliness isn’t a great way to seem selfless.
Your patience is underwhelming.
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:47 am:
Good for you Senator Schimpf. Nice to see some refreshing commonsense and backbone. Keep it up. Stay brave. I have a feeling you’re about to be targeted by your “friends.”
- Been there, done that - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:49 am:
I really wish people like IPI would come off their pedestals and travel around the state and see what is going on outside their little bubble. Most municipalities in my area are struggling to stay afloat. Our local mayor makes less than $200 a month and aldermen less than $75 a month - none are eligible for pensions. NO ONE is getting rich working for their local municipality around here. I would love to see IPI come down south and “take on” the mayors, village presidents, aldermen and township folks. They have no clue what is going on outside of Cook and the Collars.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:51 am:
–IPI - badgering their way to irrelevance. Or further into irrelevance.–
They’re not irrelevant; they’re backed by Boss/Bank Rauner and are doing his dirty work, at his bidding, intimidating Republicans.
If Rauner didn’t want them doing it, he could shut down the threats in a New York minute.
- Gooner - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:52 am:
I find the local government spending referenced by the Telegraph to be completely boggling.
State taxes people and then just distributes it to do as they please?
Why not let the municipalities tax their constituents and pay for it?
It is one thing to support poor areas, but it seems like the State is simply a tax collection agency.
- Dance Band on the Titanic - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:53 am:
If GOP legislators like Schimpf start standing up for their districts then Dan Proft is going to need to find a lot of drones to run in a lot GOP primaries.
- Rogue Roni - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:54 am:
Haha. Serves the Illinois GOP right. You’re keen to take his money but get upset when you start thinking for yourself. Vote how Rauner tells you or suffer the consequences. That’s the path you picked
- CCP Hostage - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:55 am:
What I can’t get over is that the general public still sees IPI as legitimate.
- Annonin' - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:56 am:
Never sure what offends the censors
SenShrimp or IPI stooge?
In either case the Senator will be on a hit list or two
- Out Here In The Middle - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:57 am:
All I could think was “This guy is proposing discussion and compromise? How did he ever become an Illinois legislator?”
- oldman - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:57 am:
The IPI has lost all credibility
- illini - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:59 am:
Reserving my final judgement on his tenure, but just maybe he is a worthy successor to Sen. Dave Luechtefeld.
- PJ - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 10:59 am:
Good for him. As someone who works on the liberal side of this, we have IPI-lite groups who are equally incapable of understanding compromise, or how politics works in a diverse democracy.
They’re just not buoyed by Daddy Warbucks’ millions, so they don’t have as big of a microphone to make fools of themselves as IPI does.
- Arsenal - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:06 am:
==What I can’t get over is that the general public still sees IPI as legitimate.==
The general public doesn’t see IPI at all.
- A guy - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:09 am:
==If Rauner didn’t want them doing it, he could shut down the threats in a New York minute.==
I think that NY minute is coming. Plenty of GOP members and supporters “are not amused”. There is a serious self correction warranted here. The nastiness about our Leader in the Senate is unacceptable. Schimpf makes a very important point. When everyone realizes this is the “only” deal out there that has gone anywhere, or even has a chance to go anywhere, some of these same critics will need to be putting their shoulders into passing the best compromise possible.
- The Real Just Me - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:16 am:
What the Senator said was good, but hasn’t there already been enough “discussion” and “compromise” resulting in the package of bills constituting the Senate Grand Bargain? When does the process of discussion and compromise end and one side or the other say this is our final, best and last offer? Take it or leave it? Hasn’t that critical point long since passed?
- Gruntled University Employee - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:18 am:
==It’s gonna have to have Democratic votes to pass, so there is going to have to be some compromise. ==
Somebody is acting like he’s in the Majority, someone needs to teach him how to count to at least 30.
- Roman - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:18 am:
Gee, I just can’t figure out why this “grand compromise” failed in the senate this week. Must be Madigan’s fault.
- NoGifts - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:20 am:
I like this because he did almost say out loud that “saving the state money” is not the same as “saving the citizens money.” The citizens will still have to pay the bill, whether they pay it to springfield, their own county, or their municipality.
- JB13 - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:34 am:
Schimpf seems like a sensible guy. You know, the kind you might get more of if the state’s legislative districts reflected geographical and demographic reality, rather than nakedly partisan gerrymandering.
- Chicago Cynic - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:40 am:
If GOP members don’t like it, they should call the governor. All he has to do is say the word and they’ll back off. Just witness what IPI said about the Rauner-backed Exelon deal that raises rates for all of their business allies. Nothing. Zilch. Nada. If the GOP has a complaint about IPI, they should take it up at the source: Bruce Rauner.
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 11:43 am:
With no snark whatsoever intended, (because I greatly respect Will’s bride-to-be) being reporter by day and Mayor by night would really give a person some interesting perspectives on what he sees in both roles.
- Johnny Justice - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 12:08 pm:
When the income tax was first enacted, a deal was struck: municipalities would not be able to levy an income tax, but would get a share of the state income tax. If the Rauner and the GOP now want to renege on that, they should give localities the power to enact their own income tax…fat chance of that happening!
- Blue dog dem - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 12:23 pm:
And i voted for this guy and Rauner. Wow.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 12:29 pm:
==If Rauner didn’t want them doing it, he could shut down the threats in a New York minute.==
I think that NY minute is coming. Plenty of GOP members and supporters “are not amused”. There is a serious self correction warranted here. The nastiness about our Leader in the Senate is unacceptable.–
Well, if Rauner does not shut down the IPI threats, I guess “GOP members and supporters” will know what he thinks of their opinions.
Seriously, what are you going to do about it? Where are you going to go? He’s the incumbent, the bank and the boss.
There’s a price to be paid for trading independence for money.
- wadeiea@yahoo.com - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 1:09 pm:
So state employees and teachers have to sacrifice but local municipalities don’t? Let’s all share the pain.
- downstate mayor - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 1:39 pm:
- Been there, done that -
Thank you!
Schimpf is a class act.
- Blue dog dem - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 1:51 pm:
Downstate mayor. What cuts are you proposing? What taxes are you wanting increased. Take a stand. Make it public.
- downstate mayor - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 2:58 pm:
- blue dog dem -
I don’t understand your comment. I was just thanking “BTDT” for understanding that us small municipalities do much for not a lot. I have also met Senator Schimpf a couple of times and my impressions were that he was a class guy.
I didn’t not comment on the compromise.
- A guy - Friday, Feb 10, 17 @ 4:51 pm:
==Seriously, what are you going to do about it? Where are you going to go?==
Stay tuned.