16 Comments - Niles Township - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 9:15 am: Simon’s video was OK, but not nearly among his best work. - The Shadow - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 9:23 am: While we are spoiled by his music video esc style, this video tells a decent story of what’s going on. - Amuzing Myself - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 9:26 am: It tells a decent story of what’s going on if you’re on the side of the tax-eaters rather than the taxpayers. - Bring Back Boone's - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 9:26 am: Isn’t that the musical score from Gladiator? - Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 9:46 am: Pretty tough to make a campaign video out of a very difficult issue, I think Simon did a great job. - downstate hack - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 10:04 am: About the IEA appearance, considering the obviously pro Quinn venue, I was surprised Sen Brady did as well as he did. Also I am constantly astounded that the press and everyone allows Quinn to keep calling his proposal a 1% increase in income tax. It is an extra 1% on the current rate or a 40% increase. It may be needed and justified and the Republicans have no plan at all, but let’s be open and honest with the voters. Oops, I forgot this is Illinois.. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 10:06 am: Amuzing, I wonder if I’m a tax-eater or a taxpayer? I pay taxes, but send my kids to public schools, use the roads, CTA, rely on the police, etc? Are there those who pay taxes and do not avail themselves of any government funded services at all? - Nortsider - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 10:10 am: All Brady has to do is to show the video put out by Jack Roser showing 94 of the top 100 pensions in Illinois belong to teachers! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OiUjo7hi-dU Watch this video and tell me that we need to raise taxes 33% (not 1%) There are Drivers Ed teachers earning over 100 grand! The top pension I believe goes to a School superintendant who will make Half a million a year at the end of her pension and starts at ove 150,000 a yaer with full medical. Stop the It’s for the children stuff its time we relook at this system and scrap it. - 2010 - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 10:21 am: The video was typical pro-tax proproganda. Scare people with teacher lay-offs versus cutting/freezing administrator salaries, cutting home ec or bandminton or telling the unions “no” for once. The line were Pat is for “education,” who isn’t? And the fact of the matter is, the state may increase the income tax but there is absolutely no guarantee that it’s going to fill the education hole. It will go into to GRF and be spent elsewhere. - PFK - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 10:31 am: The IEA invites two candidates with dysfunctional economic plans that don’t really adequately fund education to have a little debate. Yet the candidate who supports real education funding reform is not even invited. Only in Illinois politics. - Rich Miller - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 10:32 am: ===Only in Illinois politics. === Yeah, right. I’m sure every NEA state org is inviting third party candidates to participate in their debates. - cflly - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 11:08 am: downstate hack: I don’t think it’s fair to accuse Quinn of duplicity on this. Referring to it as a 33%-40% increase is algebraically accurate, but in a 30-second soundbite, that unfailingly conjures the idea of the tax rate going from 2% to 42% (which would represent a 2,100% increase). I think he’s justly expressing the raise in terms of the way people think about these things (myself included). As for the video, I think, at a meta-level, it stands a chance of helping the campaigns standing with women. First, education is a strong issue with mothers, etc. and secondly a lot of the imagery and testimonials in the video could potentially produce some sympathetic reactions from women voters. So yes, while not Avatar, I thnk the video is pretty strong. - Bill - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 11:27 am: Word, You are definitely an eater! - Amuzing Myself - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 12:00 pm: Slinger, I think you know very well what a “tax-eater” is. If not, I’m somewhat astonished. We all use state an federal services, but we don’t all rely SOLELY on taxpayer funding for our “industry” and livelihood. - YNM - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 1:37 pm: Amuzing, using that definition, then you would consider our those serving in our military tax eaters as well? - zatoichi - Wednesday, Mar 24, 10 @ 6:52 pm: Guess those road contractors, teachers, bridge builders, state parks, cops, fire, all tax-eaters? Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.