This just in…
Thursday, Jul 9, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 12:50 pm - I told subscribers about this already, but Rep. Roger Eddy is Tweeting from inside a meeting with Downstate lawmakers and Gov. Pat Quinn and just Tweeted this…
The Governor is here and says he will sign the capital bill on Monday.
That’s true.
* 1:39 pm - Another Tweet from Rep. Eddy inside the meeting with Quinn…
Gov. Quinn says he will present his specific plan for economic stabilization & recovery in drafted language tomorrow.
24 minutes ago from web
Not sure what the heck that means yet.
* 2:03 pm - From a press release…
The Illinois State Legislature’s $375 million revenue estimate from a new tax on video gaming is at least $165 million too low, according to a new study of other states with legalized video gaming machines. Citing this new data, Illinois’ hospitality industry again called on Governor Quinn to veto the proposed alcohol tax hike, saying that the legislature’s under-accounted for windfall would more than cover any alcohol tax gains.
“Each extra dollar of revenue from gaming represents one more reason not to punish the state’s struggling hospitality industry through higher alcohol taxes,” said Distilled Spirits Council Vice President Dale Szyndrowski, who noted that Illinois’ hospitality industry has already lost over 18,700 jobs in the past year due to the recession. “A tax on alcohol hurts the restaurant, hotel and tourism industries and will destroy thousands more jobs among those least able to afford it.”
The new study, conducted by Arduin, Laffer & Moore Econometrics (ALME), found that based on the experiences of other states that have legalized video gaming, the Illinois State Legislature’s $375 million revenue estimate is far too conservative. ALME estimated that the average revenue experience from other states could justify revenues of at least $540 million – or, a $165 million tax revenue windfall for the state of Illinois. The report found revenue forecasts could be as high as $1.7 billion.
Another point that could be made is, why not use the “extra” revenue for more projects or to balance the state budget?
…Adding… Here’s the study.
* 2:31 pm - The Tribune starts to catch up…
State lawmakers who met privately with Gov. Pat Quinn today said he told them he now plans to sign a $29 billion statewide construction bill next week.
If he does, it would mark the latest change of heart for Quinn, who has been criticized by fellow Democrats for flip-flopping as politicians try to come up with a solution for Illinois’ latest budget impasse. Quinn previously has tied signing the construction bill into law to a budget deal.
- OneMan - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 12:57 pm:
The Governor has said all sorts of things lately…
- springpatch - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 12:59 pm:
so whats that mean…. will there still be an income tax raise and state employee layoffs…..
- Stooges - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 12:59 pm:
If the governor says it, that’s one thing, but if Rich says, count on it.
- OneMan - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:00 pm:
It isn’t Rich I have the dobuts about…
- CircularFiringSquad - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:01 pm:
Man the Roger Eddy is great. He should be a statewide candidate…who dowa hw back for AG?
- Ghost - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:06 pm:
I beleive we are startiong to see the emrgence of some better played strategy from Quinn. i.e. to me it looks like he is starting to get a feel for the job and is working to line up the issues and supporters.
- Levois - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:08 pm:
Should we bet money on it?
- wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:10 pm:
Well, he says that now.
Is he getting anything for this? That’s kind of how horsetrading works.
- HoosierDaddy - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:11 pm:
Not sure what your post says, let alone what it means, Circular. But Eddy has a lot of cred in Southern Illinois. A GOP governor could do a lot worse than have him as LG candidate and promise to put him in charge of education reform. He’s a teacher, not a lawyer, so AG is out.
- erstwhilesteve - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:13 pm:
Please don’t encourage Roger E. to leave the legislature - IMO he is an invaluable civilizing influence both on the floor and in the committee rooms.
- Vanessa - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:18 pm:
Is this the bill with all the pork — oops! members’ initiatives–both sides of the aisle?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:21 pm:
Vanessa, you mean all those grants awarded to your member organizations?
Just sayin…
- Princess - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:25 pm:
Do we get video of the press availability after the meeting?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:26 pm:
Probably not. Working on my Sun-Times column and have no intern.
- Vanessa - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:27 pm:
I don’t have member organizations. I just want confirmation to the notion that even when there’s no money, someone always gets money.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:29 pm:
Inartfully worded. Those organizations that your council supports are many of the same groups that are receiving these alleged “pork” project grants.
- Pot calling kettle - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:37 pm:
Of course there is money. No one ever said there wasn’t. There just isn’t as much coming in as has been going out. That’s what a deficit is.
I’m fascinated that most people expect the “other” expenditures to be cut because those are the places where money is wasted, while the money that benefits them is clearly money well spent and no cuts can afford to be made.
Maybe Rich should ban the use of the word “pork” since it just means spending that is not valued by the person assigning the term.
- Commonsense in Illinois - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:39 pm:
Almost an hour later…so what has the Governor told the next group?
- Chi Gal - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:40 pm:
Maybe if Reps like Eddy spent more time doing his job and less time twittering in meetings, we’d have a budget. Everyone wants to be “cool,” well how about putting down your PDA and figuring out the budget situation Eddy, that is what we are paying you for.
- Princess - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:45 pm:
I respectfully disagree Chi Gal, lots of people waiting for ‘news’ and I would suspect most sending it out are able to do several things at once. Many been waiting for this bill.
- Who Else Goes Down - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:49 pm:
Isn’t Eddy just talking about the economic recovery commission that Cross put a statement out about earlier in the week?
- Will County Woman - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:55 pm:
the governor is trying to right the ship and look like keader (you see that sun times). after all he just got his “incumbents advantage” yesterday.
now he gonna START doing a lot of things he did not want to do before yesterday. lol!!!!!!!!!!!!
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:57 pm:
@ChiGirl Nah. I want my elected officials to Twitter. I go to Twitter now for most of the “real-time” stories.
What I don’t want is a bunch of old guys and gals who are technophobic and who refuse to update on a timely.
Tweeting takes only seconds, and it’s critical to keep the info flowing.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:58 pm:
Chi Gal, that was a truly pointless comment.
- Downstate weed chewing hick - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:59 pm:
Dont feel bad about not knowing yet what the Governor means. He probably doesnt know what it means yet, either. I hope now that he is the Governor, he isnt driving anymore. He has trouble picking a lane.
- Will County Woman - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 1:59 pm:
keader = leader
ooops!
- Been There - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:00 pm:
Chi Gal, I take it you are just laying near the pool today while you are busy blogging and not at work. My estimate of the amount of time it took Roger to write both of those twits is about 10 to 15 seconds. Somebody could take more time for a coughing fit, to go to the bathroom or even to take notes or God forbid, go have a cigarette. Do have a problem when someone does these things while working?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:06 pm:
Also, Chi Gal, thanks to Eddy, I was able to make it public that the guv was planning to sign the capital bill. You should thank him, unless you’re a subscriber, then you already knew.
- Thinking - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:07 pm:
I’m ok with the capital bill, but doesn’t signing it just give more ammunition to the social service agencies getting cut. They can just pull individual pork looking projects out of the cap bill and say that the Gov. can find money for this silly looking project or that one, but can’t find it for their sympathetic social service program.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:11 pm:
===more ammunition to the social service agencies getting cut. They can just pull individual pork looking projects out of the cap bill and say===
Maybe, but a whole lot of those agencies get project money out of the capital bill.
- Chi Gal - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:13 pm:
Rich, I respectfully disagree, if one is allowed to do so. How many employers or managers would condone tweeting while sitting in a meeting? Eddy and the others need to grow a pair, put down the PDAs and make the difficult decisions we are paying them to make. Hanging people out to dry for weeks and months is a disgrace. They all need to start acting like adults. Just because his tweets give you something to post mid-day, I don’t think my disgust with his behavior is pointless.
-Been There- Wish I was at the pool! Cleaning the oven instead. But that pool idea sounds really good!
- A Citizen - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:13 pm:
Just remember, Quinn was for Flipping before he was for Flopping.
- Don't Knock It - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:13 pm:
A Cap Bill will do a LOT of good in this state. Improvements to schools, roads, communities in general - hey it’s something good to come from our legislature and you can’t always say that!
- Abe's Ghost - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:13 pm:
All of this begs question that video gambling is regressive bad economic policy upon which to found state revenue just like booze tax increase and is just another duck and cover band aid to avoid actually addressing serious reform. Quinn may have been a lousy salesman for needed reform, but was at least starting in the correct direction.
- Cassandra - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:16 pm:
Maybe he will use the money from the video gaming to help plug up the hole caused by reducing the proposed corporate income tax increase from 7.2 to 6.0. Or (gasp) to help restore the orginal proposed personal exemption increase, the one he gave up in a hot minute when somebody whined.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:24 pm:
===How many employers or managers would condone tweeting while sitting in a meeting? ===
Eddy is not an employee. He is an elected public official informing the public about what is going on at a high-level meeting with the governor.
That would be a public service.
What part of that can’t you understand?
- Vanessa - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:31 pm:
Fair enough. Haven’t seen a full list, though, to compare. An up-to-date URL?
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:32 pm:
Is there an issue with getting this passed by a certain date or losing some federal matching funds? Or do I have this confused with something else?
- Chi Gal - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:49 pm:
Rich - I thought public officials worked for us… the taxpayers. And as a taxpayer, I expected (as probably many others) those who’s salaries I am paying, to have gotten serious about a budget and a lot of other things once Blago was gone. No, I’m not a state employee or one of the many that blog here daily, just one of the many home unemployed right now who is nothing but frustrated with our public officials — who do work for us (with work being a key verb.) But since they are acting like children, maybe we need to treat them like children — pay attention, put down your toys, work together, act responsibly — and then talk, tweet, grandstand, whatever, once the meeting is over! I guess we’ll just have to agree to disagree!
- Anonymous 45 - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:52 pm:
After Madigan’s announcement yesterday, Quinn can afford to be a bit more willing to trade chits with the GA…heaven forbid, but do I see a faint light at the end of this dark tunnel?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:53 pm:
You really have gone overboard now.
He was paying attention, ergo the tweet.
Secret meetings should be opened up more to the public, ergo the tweet. It’s called “transparency.”
Legislators work for taxpayers, ergo the tweet, so that taxpayers can see what’s going on.
As somebody else pointed out, it probably took him just a few seconds to post that tweet, so you’ve completely overreacted.
And you continue to do so.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:55 pm:
Also, I just got off the phone with Roger and encouraged him to Tweet more at meetings like this. He said he planned to do just that. Good for him.
- Chi Gal - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:57 pm:
Rich - I send you nothing but hugs and kisses. Just because we don’t agree doesn’t mean I’ve gone overboard. Hang in there and get some sleep! You provide a wonderful outlet for all of us to express all of our differing opinions. Thank you. xoxo
- Ted Kord - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 2:59 pm:
The Governor has a secret plan to fight inflation?
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:00 pm:
LOL
I always side with more public information. Especially about secret meetings. I’ve built an entire career on that stuff.
- Anonymous 45 - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:02 pm:
The legislators have been furious with Quinn for not signing the capitsl bill during the construction season…all I am saying is it can’t help but thaw the iceberg between them if he does what he said he’ll do next week…as far as tweeting legislators, bring it on!
- Louis G. Atsaves - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:07 pm:
So this means that our accidental Governor has three days to change his mind again on signing that bill? Or will that mean three changes of mind in three more days? Or will that mean . . .
Oh, never mind!
- Curious - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:09 pm:
Rich, any insights on this bill - HB4592 Sara Feigenholtz is the sponsor. The dems hurting social services yet again?
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:31 pm:
===
No, I’m not a state employee or one of the many that blog here daily, just one of the many home unemployed right now who is nothing but frustrated with our public officials — who do work for us (with work being a key verb.)
====
A public official tweeting information about critical public issues *is* working. I’m glad we’re starting to see more real-time tweeting going on.
There’s nothing childish about the tweet he issued or any of the tweets my local officials issue on a timely basis. I’m thankful when my village president lets me know there’s a power outage up the street and that the village is working with ComEd to fix it.
This is the new face of public service — and I expect to see this more and more. If I don’t see it — and if the updates from my public officials aren’t timely and frequent — they’re not getting my vote.
Twitter is a critical component of the information infrastructure. So long as the tweets are informative — and even witty — I say go for it. Oddly enough, this kind of real-time info (paradoxically) puts a human face on some heretofore mysterious (to me, atleast) and traditionally “closed of” parts of public government.
Anyone who’s opposed to this doesn’t understand it — or understand the implications of getting info like this in real-time.
- BIG R.PH. - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:33 pm:
Spend, Spend, Spend, Spend, Spend.
So we can’t take care of the poor, disabled and most vulnerable but we can pay off the unions?
Where is the sense in this!!
- A Citizen - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:56 pm:
I don’t know about this Twitter thing - how about A Big Shout Out? To Tweet seems kinda like one of those light in the loafers things, they need to man up and send more and more info.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:57 pm:
AC, after years of being completely shut out, this twitter thing is becoming a very useful sunshine tool.
- A Citizen - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:58 pm:
Yep, but it has a funny handle.
- OneMan - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 3:58 pm:
On the video poker study. Some of the states they reference (all besides LA I think) don’t really have casino gaming like we do.
- Ill_will - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 5:27 pm:
Louis G:
I have to agree. By Monday who knows how many times the Gov will change his mind.
- Stoned Prophet - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 6:33 pm:
So now the governor will sign the capital bill but not ask for some of the revenue to go to saving state jobs and services for the poor. He was in the Capitol on June 23, 2009, advocating strongly for state workers and nonprofits. What did he do to try to get the legislators to cut state workers in on some of the revenue funds? Nothing that he discussed in public, apparently. Even a small slice of the capital bill would go toward saving state jobs and cause less reliance on an apparently-unpopular income tax increase.
Now the legislators want to raise service taxes, or hospitality taxes (haircuts, alcohol and such), as long as they’re tied to the capital bill. I don’t know about this, and I don’t mind making myself a fool, but aren’t the construction companies politically-connected? Damn the disconnected, apparently. The House, I believe, refused to call Sen. Meeks’ income tax increase bill for a vote on May 31, 2009. That bill also had hospitality tax increases.
Quinn said he wants a balanced budget and “shared sacrifice.” Why does he want the more-vulnerable to pay the price while he did not advocate for the shared rewards of a healthy revenue-generating bill?
What will be the final outcome? Will he get the income tax increase in the end, now that he gave his legislature opponents what they wanted? Even in this scenario, people will fall through the cracks, people who just got married, just had children and bought houses. People who I know who stand to lose their jobs. People who are twisting in the wind, wondering about their livelihoods. Layoff notices for state workers have already begun to go out, and there is great tension and sadness.
I wish some of these politicians would dispose of pretenses and just come out and say that state workers and the poor are less relevant, that they care more about lobbyists and powerful, connected interests.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 6:35 pm:
===Now the legislators want to raise service taxes, or hospitality taxes (haircuts, alcohol and such), as long as they’re tied to the capital bill.===
Where did you get the haircut tax?
- Stoned Prophet - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 6:57 pm:
I got the haircut tax from the Channel 2 link that’s at the top right of this page.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 7:04 pm:
They’re wrong.
- Stoned Prophet - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 7:13 pm:
It’s too bad that they’re wrong. They should know better. That’s seemingly small stuff compared to not cutting state workers a small slice of the rest of the capital gains bill. When I asked him at a town hall meeting, Sen. Silverstein smiled and acknowledged that capital gains revenue would not go to state agencies.
I just saw a video clip in which Governor Quinn was talking about the capital bill. He was saying something like Illinois can not afford unemployment. I guess he doesn’t mean state workers’ unemployment.
- Anon - Thursday, Jul 9, 09 @ 9:23 pm:
Rich regarding your stance on tweeting. You couldn’t be more wrong. Once a budget is reached than they can tweet all they want. For now put down the PDA (distractions) and get to work.