* Lots of staffers were dealing with petition challenges today, so while comments are technically closed I’ll still be taking votes on our Golden Horseshoe awards for best House Dem and GOP campaign staffers. If you missed the festivities, feel free to post a comment in the thread. Your comment will be held in the moderation queue, but I can still see all moderated comments and will wait until Monday to make a decision.
* A hearty congratulations to Andy Raucci on being elected Speaker of the Third House yesterday. I wanted to be there for the annual luncheon, but couldn’t make it.
* Greg Hinz totaled up the new tax cut package. After listing the corporate breaks, he gets to the cuts for individuals, which were added to make the big corporate tax cuts passable…
The exemption on the Illinois estate tax will double to $4 million. Estimated annual cost in fiscal 2014 is $62 million. […]
Senate Democrats estimate that doubling the state’s earned-income tax credit to 10% of salary will cost the treasury $110 million a year.
Bumping the personal exemption on the state’s individual income tax up $50 to $1,050 will cost another $20 million or so, I hear. But the exemption now also will be indexed to inflation, so the ultimate cost is much, much larger.
Add all of this together and, by my count, you’re something north of $344 million in fiscal 2014 — not counting the 10 tax credits that are being extended. That’s not quite the $800-plus-million Christmas tree that originally was proposed. But it sure is bigger than a bonsai evergreen.
I suppose it could’ve been worse. But none of these breaks are affordable right now. I’ve never been held up by a masked gunman, but I’m starting to get an inkling of what it feels like.
…Adding… Factor in the “extra” $250 million from the expiration of an accelerated federal tax credit and it’s about $100 million a year. Still a lot. And that $250 mil would’ve come in handy for paying old bills. But, whatever, we’re stuck.
* Meanwhile, Senate President John Cullerton appeared with Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel at an event on the city’s Southeast Side today to tout a big new green space initiative. But Cullerton wanted to talk about a different kind of green…
“Governor, this might be a little off topic,” Cullerton said at the event on the far South side. “I don’t know if we can see any eagles here, but we definitely can see the Hammond casino. Which reminds me, you and I and the mayor need to work on bringing a casino to Chicago so that… Illinois gamblers spend their money in Illinois, not Indiana.”
The comments drew a roar of laughter from attendees, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been pushing for a Chicago casino.
Quinn’s face turned a tad red, but he appeared to take the ribbing in stride.
“I want to thank John for his targeted remarks,” Quinn responded.
He later dodged questions about the status of gambling negotiations, taking advantage of Emanuel’s suggestion that he turn attention to the young granddaughter of Rep. Mary Flowers, who had held the child throughout the event.
* Gov. Pat Quinn appeared on Jonathon Brandmeier’s WGN Radio show this morning. Brandmeier loves him some Pat Quinn. And Quinn was the loosest I’ve ever heard him. He started by deftly ad-libbing through some ad copy and seemed to have a splendid time throughout the entire show. If you do nothing else today, listen to this…
That’s the Pat Quinn I used to know. More like this, please.
* This next one is not so funny. Apparently, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough is unaware that Rod Blagojevich’s jury convicted him on 17 counts this past June. The host of Morning Joe kept repeating a blatant falsehood on national TV yesterday.
“The jury was deadlocked on all but one count,” Scarborough said, referring to Blagojevich as “my friend.”
“A 14-year sentence for something that the state, really, had trouble proving, is so excessive.”
That was the first trial, Joe. There’s been another trial since then. Maybe you didn’t notice. It was in all the papers.
“Put a mark on his name, send him to jail for a year or so,” Scarborough suggested. “This is total BS, total BS,” he said.
Yeah, perhaps if he’d just been convicted of lying to the FBI, a year would’ve been enough. But he was convicted of 17 charges this year, plus the FBI lying charge. That’s less than a year per charge.
A Fox News producer called me a while ago to invite me on some show or another.
“I don’t do cable,” I said. He acted like he’d never heard of such a thing. This is national news, he said. You’ll be seen all over the country. “Forget it,” I said. “I do Public Television and that’s about it.” He was so baffled that he was speechless, so I hung up on him.
I hate cable news.
* SEIU held a demonstration outside CME’s headquarters this week asking people to please, pretty please donate their spare change to the rich…
Clever.
* And, finally, Rod and George sing the Illinois Song…
* Kathleen at the Globe was the clear favorite for best bartender. Commenter “47th Ward” summed her up best…
I’m going with Kathleen at the Globe too. She’s been there a long time, so long that I can’t think of the Globe without thinking of her. They are synonymous in my mind. I’m not a regular by any stretch of the imagination, but she always remembers me and my drink of choice is ready before I even get a seat.
* Runner-up is Adam at the No Name Bar. Here’s the nomination from commenter “dave”…
Nicest guy in the world. He also knows a ton about a ton which makes him awesome to talk about anything from sports to history. He also pours a decent drink. And makes decent popcorn.
They are both excellent bartenders, but Kathleen is a marvel. We may have to change the name of this particular award or she’ll win it every year.
* There weren’t as many nominations for best server, probably because people have much closer relationships with their bartenders. I’m awarding this year’s prize to Rhonda Merritt at Sportsman’s…
She’s a hard worker, personable, doesn’t take any crap from anyone, great sense of humor.
* Best campaign staffer - Illinois House Democrats
* Best campaign staffer - Illinois House Republicans
Make extra sure to explain your nominations, folks. I can’t tell you enough how important that is. I don’t even pay attention to nominations which just include names. If you can’t take the time to defend your nomination, I won’t take the time to read it.
As part of the [legislative tax cut deal] there’s a part pushed by Democrats that gives some relief for the working poor, too.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego has opposed an increase in those credits, saying the package should be about jobs, not entitlements. And Republican opposition to that part of the plan was at least partly behind its overall failure a couple weeks ago.
But an observer who’s been watching this closely passed along the vote from 2000, when the Illinois earned income tax credit was originally approved. Cross voted yes, as did everyone else in the House, by a 117-0 margin.
Cross spokeswoman Sara Wojcicki Jimenez says Cross still supports the idea of the credit philosophically. But …
“He does not believe we can afford to expand the program at this time,” she said.
I received the same roll call. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers, even though the Senate was controlled by Republicans in 2000. It was signed into law by a Republican governor. Click here to see the House roll call. The Senate roll call is here.
The approach to separate the business tax breaks from the ones affecting individual taxpayers still faces opposition from the joint chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, state Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood).
Davis believes the earned income tax credit that Bradley wants to raise from 5 percent to 10 percent should increase to as high as 15 percent, though the south suburban lawmaker stressed that is his personal position and not a Black Caucus stance.
“It’s going to be an all-Democratic bill,” Davis said, referring to the legislation that will contain the earned income tax credit and standard exemption increases. “If there’s absolutely not going to be Republicans, and they know that walking in the door, why can’t we as Democrats pass a higher earned income tax credit to help more individuals?”
* Then again, one of the reporters for that story Tweeted this last night…
It sure looks like the CME package is gonna happen. Majority Leader Currie told me tonight she sees it passing.
Currie sponsored the amendment with the EITC upgrade and indexing the personal exemption to inflation. Instead of three bills, they’ll have two. One for mainly corporate taxes and one for personal taxes. More…
With the separation, “It looks like there’s the basis for agreement,” said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.
While there is some reluctance to confer tax breaks on corporate behemoths that threaten to leave, “the reality is that everyone feels like we’re over a barrel,” she said. “It may be bad public policy … but as long as there’s an opportunity for blackmail and poaching, the proposition is difficult to say ‘no’ to.”
The House Republicans put together a chart on the corporate tax provisions. Click here to read it.
Lawmakers may be less willing to vote “no” when facing a specific question: Do you support this particular tax incentive for businesses? Should poor families get a break on their tax bill?
“We have a better chance of passing it this way,” said Rep. John Bradley of Marion, the lead negotiator for House Democrats. “If somebody was reluctant to vote for one piece or another, they would have the option of not voting on one of the pieces.”
The other advantage is that one part could pass even if the other fails. It’s not all-or-nothing. The risk, however, is that neither will pass when the House convenes Monday.
The Senate has already approved a version of entire package. A spokesman said President John Cullerton has no objection to the idea of voting again on separate pieces when it meets on Tuesday.
If the House doesn’t pass both of those bills, it’s doubtful there will be any Senate action.
Sears said it was encouraged lawmakers were “returning to Springfield to consider a package that will help us remain an Illinois company.”
The agreement is bad news for other states that have been wooing the Illinois companies. Ohio made a pitch for Sears, while CME officials recently met with the mayor of Indianapolis about potentially relocating to the city.
The agreement also will “lessen the tax burden on our family farmers and small businesses,” Cross said.
* Ousted Alderman Lands State Job: Months after voters on the Northwest Side bounced him from the City Council, former Ald. John Rice has found a job in the administration of a fellow 36th Ward Democrat—Gov. Pat Quinn.
There’s no real mystery to understanding Rod Blagojevich.
He was, and still is, a failed wannabe gangster.
Not a real gangster who pops caps in people’s behinds. Blagojevich tried to model himself on movie gangsters.
The guy even quoted a character from “The Godfather, Part 11” during a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly.
“This is the business we’ve chosen,” said an angry Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone in that classic film that just about everyone in politics has studied beginning to end.
Blagojevich once said the very same thing during a State of the State address.
His flashy, expensive clothes, his gigantic posse, his brash swagger all point to the wannabe gangster type. I mean, the man is broke but he still had a driver take him to court every day? That’s gangster if I ever saw it.
The thing is, Blagojevich was never much good at the gangster role.
Sure, he had most of the theatrics down, but aside from firing a bunch of helpless state workers without the proper political connections, he was a failure right down the line.
Blagojevich declared war on House Speaker Michael Madigan when he was still in the Illinois House. By 2007, all hell had broken loose. This was supposed to be his Michael Corleone moment, when he would wipe out all his enemies in one fell swoop.
Instead, the fight lasted two years and ended with a paranoid and deranged Blagojevich caught on FBI wiretaps plotting ways he could leverage Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat to get himself appointed to a Cabinet post, or a cushy job making big bucks or raking in tons of campaign contributions from U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Madigan’s obvious desire to pursue impeachment charges and Obama’s rise to the nation’s top job had finally collapsed Blagojevich’s insane belief that he was the one destined for the White House, and he didn’t handle it well.
Remember his enraged rant when he discovered his job approval rating had sunk to 13 percent?
“I f—ing busted my a– and p-ssed people off and gave your grandmother a free f—ing ride on a bus. OK? I gave your f—ing baby a chance to have health care. I fought every one of those —holes including every special interest out there. … And what do I get for that? Only 13 percent of y’all out there think I’m doing a good job. So f–k all of you!”
When I heard that, I immediately thought of another rant by a failed wannabe movie gangster, Fredo Corleone.
“I’m your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over!” Fredo screamed at Michael Corleone.
“That’s the way Pop wanted it,” Michael calmly responded.
“It ain’t the way I wanted it!” Fredo shouted back. “I can handle things! I’m smart! Not like everybody says, like dumb. I’m smart and I want respect!”
Fredo’s life ended not long afterward, shot in the back of the head at sundown while fishing with a “family” friend. Blagojevich’s political life ended not long after his rant was recorded, arrested by FBI agents at his home one morning before sunrise.
Like Fredo, Blagojevich was far too interested in the flashy life to take care of business, though both were convinced they were destined for greatness. Fredo’s botched shortcut up the family tree by helping a rival gangster try to kill his own brother undid him.
Blagojevich’s illegal shortcuts resulted in a 14-year prison sentence and permanent infamy.
So, maybe the former governor can console himself with the fact that he’s still alive.
Ryan is now serving his sentence of more than six years at a federal prison camp in Terre Haute, Ind., where he lives in dorm-style housing.
But Blagojevich might expect a more harsh situation, at least at first. Inmates sentenced to more than 10 years are generally sent to secured prisons, said Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Edmond Ross. [Emphasis added.]
* In other news, Scooter has urged Blagojevich to game the system…
Scott Fawell, the former chief of staff of a different convicted governor, George Ryan, is offering a tip on how Rod Blagojevich can cut his lengthy 14-year sentence.
The former governor may be able to make a request with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to take part in a substance abuse program.
Fawell said that’s what he did before going into prison.
“What you do is say that in between the time you’re sentenced and the time you report, you just couldn’t stop drinking,” Fawell said.
It shaved time off of Fawell’s 78-month sentence he received for corruption that happened while he worked for Ryan. He went through a nine-month program in prison, then got six months off in a halfway house plus one year of credit for doing the program. That’s on top of time off for good behavior.
“I didn’t want to do it at first. I said: ‘I’m going to save a little shred of dignity,’ ” he said. “But it’s the only game in town. It’s the only way you can get time off” in the federal system.
* Related…
* VIDEO: Jackson: I Didn’t Know Blago Had a Brother
* One reason why Congressman Joe Walsh announced his candidacy last night in Chicago instead of in the new 8th District is that almost nobody is backing him. From the Daily Herald…
[Rival 8th CD Republican, DuPage Regional Superintendent of Education Darlene Ruscitti] is expected to receive the support of several members of the Illinois Republican delegation over Walsh — including Roskam, the GOP chief deputy whip and 6th District congressman, and 13th District Congresswoman Judy Biggert of Hinsdale.
I had heard that Peter Roskam had told Walsh he’d be working against him. Walsh denied the rumor yesterday, but if the Daily Herald is right, then Roskam will be on the other side of this primary.
Illinois GOP officials later revealed that before that meeting, Walsh and [US House Speaker John] Boehner had had a sit-down about the district switch.
[Jack] Roeser said he called Boehner to encourage that meeting and provide Walsh with a financial incentive for doing so. A few minutes into that conversation, he said, Boehner tapped him for a $50,000 donation.
* Boehner’s meeting then translated into NRCC support…
In running from the newly-drawn 8th, Walsh wanted and apparently got some national backing. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions said: “Joe Walsh gives Republicans the best opportunity to win the 8th District.”
Cue the “pay to play” howling in five… four… three…
*** UPDATE *** Roeser’s people say he contributed the $50K at a June Boehner fundraiser, during which there was no talk of the Walsh move. The meeting with Speaker Boehner in November did not involve talk of financial support.
* Walsh Changes Course, Announces Run In 8th: “We are at war in this country…I went (to Washington) to stop this president. I went to go to war. The media and neither political party get it.” Walsh called his fight a “revolution to get our country back.”
* I hate having to do it, but I’ve often warned my wife about speaking Arabic on her mobile phone in certain public places…
Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Scaggs is being held on $500,000 bond after he allegedly slashed the throat of a University of Illinois law school professor.
A witness tells police both the suspect and victim were seated in the waiting area of a train station in Champaign when the suspect jumped up and shouted “this is my country” and attacked the victim.
The attacker reportedly told police he thought the victim was Middle Eastern. […]
An assistant state’s attorney says he decided not to charge Scaggs with a hate crime because the other charges have stiffer penalties.
My wife is an Iraqi Christian, but some people don’t even know there is such a thing. To far too many people, all Arabs are Muslims and all Muslims are anti-American terrorists. I have been stunned over the years by the ignorance of many people I thought would know better.
Scaggs has been charged with attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery, alleging he slashed the throat of Anurudha Udeni Dhammika Dharmapala, 41, of Champaign at the Illinois Terminal on Wednesday morning. He is a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law specializing in law and economics, tax policy, public economy, and political economy.
Carle Foundation Hospital was not releasing information about his condition Thursday morning but Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Ziegler said he was told that Dharmapala sustained about a six-inch cut on his throat which bled profusely.
