19 Comments - Chris - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 12:31 pm: Of course they aren’t. They can’t be. Their proposals *both* require raising the income tax ASAP after the election. Their proposals *both* call for more education funding, when the budget *with the 5% income tax* doesn’t allow for it. Both of ‘em are … not telling the whole truth about the future budget realities. It’s just a matter of who you think is lying less, and whose actual priorities you like more. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 12:38 pm: Bingo. As usual, Professor Redfield nails it. It is tiresome listening to those on both sides who complain the other guy is running on “distractions” and “magic dust” when they are both doing so. - Peoria guy - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 12:38 pm: ^^^Both of ‘em are … not telling the whole truth about the future budget realities. It’s just a matter of who you think is lying less, and whose actual priorities you like more.^^^ Spot on - wordslilnger - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 12:40 pm: Earlier in the year, Quinn pushed for keeping income tax rates as is. He presented a doomsday budget. That seems upfront. - Peoria guy - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 12:44 pm: Yeah, Quinn is definitely lying less about budgetary matters. - Anon III - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 12:58 pm: Years ago, I had a conversation with my Committeeman, who was also a State legislator. I said, “When I was a kid, they ran this State on a three per cent sales tax, a personal property tax, excise taxes, and no income tax. Now we have an eight percent sales tax (I think then) and an income tax (three per cent at the time, not five). How come we can’t do with what we had?” He said that we did a lot more, particularly citing Medicaid. Total FY2013 General Funds expenditures were $35.2 Billion. The two biggest slices of the pie are Healthcare & Family Services – 19% and Education, including higher education – 25%. I think that the State is just spending a lot more money in constant dollars than decades ago. Anybody seen any studies of constant dollar comparisons of year to year State spending? - AlabamaShake - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 1:04 pm: I respect Redfield, but he’s wrong about Quinn lying. Quinn has (as required by law) given very specific and detailed plans on what he wants to do with the budget. No one can pretend that he hasn’t. Sure, he’s not going to put out a campaign ad that says, “I want to raise your taxes so that I can fund government services, but even with that could still be forced to cut some budget lines.” But he has been specific and detailed. Rauner, on the other hand, is absolutely lying about his plan that simply doesn’t add up. This is what we know about Rauner’s “plan”: - He wants to raise sales taxes - He wants to raise the income tax (and phase it down instead of going down immediately - no details on phase down) - He wants to increase education spending (no details on how, and no response to the one plan out there (SB16) that reforms IL’s education funding formula) - He wants to increase DD institution spending (despite that not aligning with any trends nationally) - He wants to increase infrastructure spending (no details on revenue source, or what infrastructure) - He wants to continue to implement Medicaid reforms that have already been implemented by the Quinn admin - He wants to magically find (again, with no details), $500M in savings at CMS - A guy... - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 1:10 pm: Sometimes it’s just better to leave a quotable where it is…like today. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 1:14 pm: ===Sometimes it’s just better to leave a quotable where it is…like today.=== Unless “your guy” wants to lower property taxes, lower the income tax, after raising it with a Democratic GA, raise funding for education, for infrastructure, and is about $3-$6 billion off in balancing spending versus revenue… Then you want to just leave it there - Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 1:26 pm: Insert “politician” in lieu of “teenager” and the linked clip says it all. http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=AeR3hvhrOlY - zatoichi - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 1:28 pm: I seem to recall Quinn having two budgets - a doomsday and one that maintained 5%, both with significant details. Rauner has passed out some ideas with no details. What is the real tax and budget story if both of them are wrong? Seems many organizations who do work with the state (and employ a couple hundred thousand people would like to know) while people paying those taxes would be kinda interested in what is the realistic alternative. - Formerly Known As... - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 1:35 pm: Think it’s safer to stick with Professor Redfield on this one over the Raunerbots and Quinnites. - Dee Lay - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 2:00 pm: When is Professor Redfield moderating a debate? Please? - steve schnorf - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 2:01 pm: III, well, using your example the state sales tax is down to 5% - Anyone Remember - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 2:46 pm: Anon III Try http://ctbaonline.org/sites/default/files/reports/ctbaonline.org/node/add/repository-report/1390515899/IB_2014.01.23_State%20Spending.pdf - SAP - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 3:08 pm: III It’s not accurate to say that we ran the state on a 3% income tax etc. when pension payments were being shorted or skipped and other obligations were not being met. Much of the reason taxes are so much higher now is to pay off old bills. - Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 3:31 pm: Norseman, isn’t Judge Judy chair of “Judges for Oswego Willy for Governor?” - Norseman - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 3:41 pm: AA - We’re negotiating the logistics for the press conference. She may even bring the 3 judges from the new show she’s producing, Hot Bench. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 16, 14 @ 4:12 pm: - Norseman -, I got the draft in email, make sure you invite the Columbia reporter kids, and schedule a sit-down with Curtis Lawrence the campaign will give them 15 minutes alone for questions. Thanks. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.