57 Comments - Bourbonrich - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:41 am: Have to love the concept of “I can’t do what I promised but it’s not my fault, it’s someone else stopping me.” This will not be a pretty spring session in Springfield for anyone reliant on services from the State of Illinois. - OneMan - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:43 am: So he is pulling a Jim Thompson… Glad I didn’t lie to my neighbors when I said he was going to do that… - Aldyth - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:45 am: Dillard, that is the dumbest thing I’ve heard anyone say in a long time. Given that I try to keep abreast of Illinois politics, that’s quite an accomplishment. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:50 am: Here is where the Press Shop earns their pay… Rauner spent months and months saying lower taxes, higher education spending… Now…with all Rauner’s acumen onindy and saying the “phony” budget he called out after being the Nominee…now…an epiphany occurs… The Press Shop need to convince, not the voters, the Press covering the Principle that Rauner was “fooled” and is capable of understanding governent finances and was kinda-sorta paying attention to the past 6 years of fiscal issues. Starting January 12th till there is a budget, a passed and signed budget, Rauner will be hounded by the Press that gave him a pass… - the Other Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:50 am: Dillard’s advice puts politics above policy. Unless Rauner presents a plan that lowers taxes and increases spending on education (while capping property taxes), he has no one to blame but himself for making a dumb campaign promise. - bored now - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:53 am: i thought all he had to do was to apply his management skills to government to keep his promises??? the fact that he never outlined his plans for how he would lower taxes while simultaneously increasing education spending undermines his shock at the real situation. it’s not far worse than he thought because HE NEVER THOUGHT ABOUT IT ENOUGH… - DuPage - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:53 am: Rauner knew all along his promises could not be kept. Any third grader could see the numbers did not add up. - Cassandra - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:59 am: So, if Rauner ends up having to raise taxes, was he lying during the campaign or did he simply not understand the state budget and the organization of state government with its preponderance of fixed costs. Neither option is auspicious for the middle class taxpayers who could be his real victims here. Could Rauner be a repeat of Quinn when it comes to apportioning “shared sacrifice,” it being still rather easy for politicians, regardless of party, to target the middle class, despite all the press angst about middle class economic stagnation. - Dee Lay - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 8:59 am: “….says the state’s finances are far worse than he was led to believe” What? I’m sorry, but did you even take a cursory glance at the Illinois budget? Where are the editorials exclaiming “C’mon Man!” - Knee Jerk - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:03 am: How many lies does he get before the statehouse press start calling out the trend? I will fix the state’s finances. I’ve spoken to Madigan and Cullerton (election night). The state’s finances are worse than I thought (he was the only one surprised by this). The drinking game is going to get dangerous quickly. - Jorge - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:04 am: The Carharrt will finally get a little dirty. - Langhorne - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:06 am: We CAN lower taxes and increase spending. Simply pass a law reducing the income tax by a half or quarter percent per year for four years or so. This works….as long as you start at 5%. Since the tax was at 5% quite recently, it’s not really an increase, it’s a return to normal. Right? Right? I am getting dizzy - Bogey Golfer - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:09 am: Dillard is just mentoring Rauner on that time-honored tradition……reassign blame. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:12 am: Silly quote from Dillard. He knows as well as anyone that in Illinois the sitting governor gets the credit or blame for the good or the bad, fair or unfair. Same as it ever was. There will be many more silly quotes in fhe coming weeks as the Rauner crew makes the long walk from the dishonesty of campaigning to the reality of governing. - Gooner - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:17 am: Sen. Dillard’s strategy is likely to work. Many IL voters think that we can reduce taxes and raise spending on a long list of items if we simply cut a few lazy state workers. That’s the existing narrative. If Rauner claims “I tried to do that but Democrats stopped me” he’s likely to get the support of voters, without regard to reality. - UIC Guy - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:20 am: Because arithmetic is a Democratic invention? - Arizona Bob - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:24 am: You CAN cut taxes and increase education funding by really taking the hatchet to other spending buckets, but that doesn’t mean it’s prudent. The GA has had since 2011 to make spending and structural financial reforms to create a sustainable financial plan based upon the approved tax rates, but they refused to do so. As long as they have the tax increase “crutch” they will refuse to do so. Time to act like adults, Springfield. You know how much you have to spend. Figure out the way to spend it, and no more, in the best interests of the people of Illinois. - MikeMacD - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:25 am: Who or what led Mr. Rauner to believe what he believed? Why did he follow? - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:30 am: ==You CAN cut taxes and increase education funding by really taking the hatchet to other spending buckets, == Care to identify those spending buckets Bob? Because if you are going to cut taxes AND raise education spending you are making the amount you have to cut even larger. That means totally decimating things like Medicaid, DHS programs, Corrections. Which one of those services do you not want to provide anymore? - Demoralized - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:32 am: ==You CAN cut taxes and increase education funding by really taking the hatchet to other spending buckets,== You do know that doing that would make the problem even worse don’t you? You do know that the items that would have to be cut SIGNIFICANTLY are Corrections and Medicaid and DHS. I know you live in a fantasy land where you think we can accomplish all of this by cutting “waste, fraud and abuse” but you are full of crap if you believe that. These cuts are going to have real consequences. If you are ok throwing people off of Medicaid and raising the inmate to staff ratio to absurd levels at prisons then by all means do it. Because that’s what you will have to do. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:38 am: Rauner was quoted quite a bit on the budget when it was first passed in May. He seemed to know what was going on then. He clammed up about it when reporters tried to pin him down on what he proposed to do about it as governor. - vibes - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:48 am: Nice opening for Rauner to propose eliminating RTA now to save money. Or making the Chair a gubernatorial appointment. - Northsider - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:48 am: Our governor-elect is in good company. Capt. Renault was shocked to learn that gambling was going on. - A guy - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:48 am: This should be music to the ears of folks who depend on the state for their livelihood. He either makes dramatic cuts, probably far too deep. Or he makes some adjustments to revenue with a good understanding with the people that things are in tougher shape. To come up with a comprehensive approach to dig out of the hole and try and get ahead of it, it will require some extra effort. They budgeted for half a year. It’s not that hard to get. - wak - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:49 am: The cuts that would need to be made to Corrections, Medicaid and DHS would not only have a huge human cost but a significant economic impact in lost jobs and the subsequent loss of consumer spending. - Tom Joad - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:52 am: It seems that Dillard gave the same advice to Governor Thompson when Dillard was Chief of Staff many years ago. - Jeeves the Cat - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 9:57 am: The verbal gymnastics of “I didn’t know what I was saying to get elected wasn’t true at all because I didn’t know what I was talking about because, you know, OTHER people and stuff!” will get a lot tougher starting next week. Then again, will any editorial board in the state that went overboard on the “what we really need is someone who knows nothing about state government in charge of state government” argument now strain itself trying to point out that maybe that wasn’t the best qualifier for the job applicant? (Sun-Times?) Doubtful. Welcome to the era of hammer other people on responsibility and shake-off personal accountability. - ZC - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:01 am: The IL pension clause is keeping Rauner from delivering on his campaign commitments (and the Court’s interpretation of it). He can rail at Democrats all he likes but I don’t think the clause will be intimidated. - 47th Ward - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:05 am: When asked to respond to Dillard’s comments, aides for Rauner said he was traveling out of state and could not be reached for comment Tuesday but said to ask again on Saturday so they can teach Leslie Munger how the political pros handle the statewide political press corps. - walker - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:06 am: Dillard is surely holding some resentments about Rauner’s campaign against him. Perhaps his remark was facetious. If anyone knows that Rauner was evading the realities of the budget for campaign purposes, it is Dillard. - Cassandra - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:09 am: I don’t know about DHS or Medicaid, but there are savings to be had in Corrections if Illinois implements a more sane correctional policy, which does not rely heavily on locking up disproportionate numbers of young minority men for extended periods for nonviolent offenses. Of course,many good livings, public and private, are made from just that same policy, not to mention endless opportunities for Democratic and Republican politicians to pontificate about being “tough on crime.” - Stones - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:13 am: I believe in giving the new guy a chance but he’s sounding a little like Robert Redford in the last scene of “The Candidate” right now. - MrJM (@MisterJayEm) - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:15 am: After telling a chapel full of friends and family he would be faithful to his new wife through sickness and health, Johnny Newlywed now says his bride’s health is far worse than he was led to believe. It could be a way to give himself some wiggle room while pinning blame for unkept promises on the doctors who treated his wife. – MrJM - Del Clinkton - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:15 am: Increase education spending and pay for it with…. tax cuts. Start 2 wars and pay for them…. by cutting taxes! So did Bruce expand his death home, er I mean nursing home empire…willy nilly…without ensuring there was sufficient capital to pay for the expenses. Must be the new MBA. I say empty the prisons of pot smokers. At a cost of 20,000 plus a year…that would pay for a lot of education. - Davis - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:22 am: I think the reality of having to deliver a balanced budget - not the Democrats - might prevent him from delivering on his many, many promises. Pretending that the billionaire, financial wiz was unaware of Illinois’ well publicized budget issues during the campaign is not a good strategy. - 2 Cents... - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:23 am: Seriously, did anyone think he was going to keep his promises? Dillard didn’t need to tell Rauner how to deflect blame. That’s been Rauner’s business MO for years. - MrJM (@MisterJayEm) - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:24 am: “Johnny Newlywed needs to keep his vows to his wife,” best man Billy Buddy said. “And if he can’t keep of them, he needs to make it clear that it’s the doctors that are preventing him from doing so.” – MrJM - Bluefish - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:30 am: Six days ago the income tax dropped by 1.25%. The first paychecks with the lower rate will be issued within the next one-two weeks. People will notice the bump in pay. Raising the rate after those checks go out will also be noticed and seen as a tax increase. Window to make any adjustments is closing very soon. - Wordslinger - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:33 am: 47, I thought it was hilarious that the Tribbies actually printed “traveling out of state and couldn’t be reached for comment.” That explanation must have confused the heck out of their readers under 100. Maybe the Tribbies can send a letter by Pony Express to track her down on the Oregon Trail. - D.P.Gumby - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:34 am: Brucie is now Gov. Loosie Goosie w/ no clue. Like the dog who caught the car, he didn’t realize it had four wheels, not just the tire he chased! - anon - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:41 am: AZ Bob Did you change your mind on a tax hike since yesterday when you supported a temporary one? As far as reducing the prison population, that would require the legislature to reduce penalties in various crime statutes. Even Gov. Rauner would find it challenging to persuade many Republicans to go soft on crime. - Quizzical - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:45 am: Johnny Newlywed was not aware at the time he made his marriage vows that he would be working with Tina Temptress on a project that kept them in the office late several nights a week. - The obvious - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:49 am: It would be nice if all of these posters who think they know what Rauner is going to do or not do would wait until they see what he actually does or proposes to do. But then they would have even more time on their hands then they do now. - Hit or Miss - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 10:56 am: ===“And if he can’t deliver on all of them, he needs to make it clear that it’s the Democrats that are preventing him from doing so.”=== It looks to me that Dillard’s advice puts politics above mathematics yet again. - anon - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 11:16 am: When he was running against Rauner, didn’t Dillard say Rauner’s promises didn’t add up? - VanillaMan - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 11:27 am: Can some of you guys just stop trying to set up Rauner as a failure before he even gets sworn in? Our last few governors failed on their own without any need to set them up and then push them down. Two of them went down to the pokey, actually. When you guys diss the incoming governor, you look all hot, sweaty and desperate. He has four years. Chill. The expectation game is pure politics. If you don’t like Rauner lowering his expectations, don’t play along by raising them. - Sir Reel - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 11:31 am: I predict Rauner will do what he’s always done in his business job … cut his losses and move on to another deal. In this case, that means running for Governor in a state with better fiscal prospects. - PolPal56 - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 11:38 am: Rauner’s Fairy Tales Today’s Selection: The Emperor’s New Clothes Someone needs to inform him of the truth. - Bill White - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 11:48 am: = = = The expectation game is pure politics. If you don’t like Rauner lowering his expectations, don’t play along by raising them. = = = Well, yes. Everyone plays but some play better than others. The question is whether Bruce has game, or not. What was your point again? - Arizona Bob - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 12:28 pm: Guys, I didn’t say you SHOULD cut taxes and increase education spending, I just said you COULD. Personally, I think there’s more low-citizen impact cutting you can do in K-12 education and higher ed than in most departments. We need to reduce education subsidies so that the 26th best performing school system in the country isn’t costing 18% per student above national average to achieve those less than mediocre results, as is the case in Illinois according to the NAEP and NEA. We need to start asking the tough questions the educrats don’t care to discuss; what is “fair” teacher pay for Illinois teachers throughout the state, why don’t we have a single pay scale for teachers there? What is the appropriate level of benefit contributions that should be given to teachers and admins as part of their compensation? How much of the excessive staff pension obligation is due to excessive deals made by local districts, and how much of the cost should they pick up? How much are advanced degrees and experience over 7 years contributing to student outcomes, and why are we paying teachers so much more for these than their value to the students? How much difference does class size really make in student outcomes; does it make a difference in student outcomes if a HS class has 15, 20 or 23 students in it? These questions need to be discussed before adding another penny into state school funding, IMHO, but pols are too afraid to get the dialogue going. - Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 12:58 pm: So… Kirk’s advice for Rauner is to blame the democrats. Is he interviewing for a job with Fox News or something? Or is he in line to be Illinois’ Archie Bunker? - girllawyer - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 1:05 pm: Reality: a Democratic plot to thwart Gov. Rauner! - anon - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 1:22 pm: Bob: Your guy pledged to increase education spending. So your disagreement is with Rauner. - Skirmisher - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 1:34 pm: The people of this state were so desperate to see Blago removed that they were willing to accept even Quinn in his place. Now they were entirely wearied with Quinn’s ineffectiveness that they are willing to give even a guy like Rauner a try. I wish that wasn’t the pattern in Illinois, but it is what it is. For better or worse, we have to grit our teeth and see if anything positive can be made to come from this latest move of political desperation. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 1:44 pm: He may have set a new record. Usually the lies and schemes happen once in office. He hasn’t even been sworn in yet! I thought he was going to save us all? - Demoralized - Tuesday, Jan 6, 15 @ 2:04 pm: ==what is “fair” teacher pay == Once again Bob’s solution is to cut pay. I, for one, don’t think the teachers in my area get paid nearly enough. ==why don’t we have a single pay scale for teachers there== Well, Bob, ever heard of differences in cost of living. You want teachers in Chicago to be paid the same as teachers in Cairo? I mean if you do, ok. I’m sure the teacher in Cairo would love that. ==How much difference does class size really make in student outcomes== You may want your kid sitting in a class with 50 other kids but I don’t. == How much are advanced degrees and experience over 7 years contributing to student outcomes== Yeah, Bob, we certainly don’t want our teachers advancing their education. Wouldn’t want that. And if they do we shouldn’t pay them a dime more. Bob, you amaze me with your absolutely ignorant ideas when it comes to education. Your solution is to cut pay, cut funding, eviscerate pensions. Did I get that about right. Why do you hate teachers so bad Bob? Why? - Arizona Bob - Wednesday, Jan 7, 15 @ 9:33 am: @ anon =Bob: Your guy pledged to increase education spending. So your disagreement is with Rauner.= He wasn’t “my” guy. Ducey in Arizona is. I went to early Rauner meetings, and his lack of policy specificity and clarity kept me from contributing and working phones for him. I don’t oppose the guy. He just hasn’t given me anything on which to base support for him….yet. I still have investments and income in Illinois, so I’m a little more than an “interested observer”. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.