* We’ll look at the responses to the governor’s press conference yesterday in a separate post. Let’s start with Reuters…
Republican Governor Bruce Rauner of Illinois accused Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan of personally profiting from the “status quo” as the two leaders fought over the state’s budget crisis.
“Mike Madigan is making millions — millions — from his law firm, from high property taxes,” Rauner said. “Right now, the insiders, the political class, is winning and hard-working families, taxpayers, small-business owners and homeowners, they’re losing and they’re leaving.”
* Erickson…
Rauner amped up his criticism of the Democratic leaders, who said both of the lawyers make money off their tax law practices which is a “conflict of interest.” He said the speaker makes “millions” of dollars off of high property taxes and Cullerton makes his “wealth” off of “government inside deals.”
* Finke…
However, Rauner said later that the defeated [property tax freeze] legislation lacked “the single most important reform” in the property tax issue — allowing local governments to ignore the state’s prevailing wage requirement on public works projects and also allowing them to restrict the issues that are subject to collective bargaining with public employee unions such as insurance benefits and privatizing some work.
“My concern is there is not a real sincere focus on controlling costs in local government and getting control in the long term,” Rauner said at a news conference at the Executive Mansion. “Here’s the critical thing we are proposing: We want local voters to control what gets bargained. It empowers local voters.” […]
Rauner said a bill that had a property tax freeze without the collective bargaining and prevailing wage proposals wasn’t real reform.
“Having no real reform and then declaring victory is the way we’ve gotten into the mess we’re in,” Rauner said.
* Sun-Times…
[Gov. Rauner] called debate on the issue in the Legislature a “general, vague discussion and more commentary.”
“Our property taxes — it’s not debatable — that they are punishing our homeowners, punishing our small business owners, punishing Illinois’ competitiveness, causing us to lose jobs, causing family incomes in Illinois to be lower than they should be,” Rauner said. “It’s our biggest tax problem. That’s not debatable and for the Senate to spend time today debating or wondering how important property taxes are or how big a problem they are, that’s a waste of time.”
* Tribune…
Following a pattern that has consumed much of the session since early May, Democrats publicly took apart a Rauner proposal to freeze property taxes while setting themselves up to argue in the coming weeks that they had extended an olive branch of compromise.
Rauner, meanwhile, dismissed the activity as a “waste of time,” saying Democrats were not serious about negotiating a deal because their two legislative leaders work at law firms that make money contesting property tax bills. […]
“The ideas on the table didn’t include what really matters, I’ll say that,” Rauner told reporters at a news conference he convened outside the governor’s mansion. The union provisions, which Rauner refers to as “local control of government costs,” are “the single most important thing,” Rauner said. […]
“They [Madigan and Cullerton] have a fundamental conflict of interest with the taxpayers, with homeowners, small business owners in the state,” Rauner said. “We recognize that conflict of interest and we’ve got to talk candidly about the challenges that are in front of us.”
* WCIA…
“The cronies, the patronage workers, the bureaucrats, the government insiders. They’re doing well under Speaker Madigan,” he said. “Speaker Madigan is making millions of dollars from the status quo in Illinois.”
* AP…
Rauner says he’s compromised too, reducing his “turnaround agenda” to five points, with fair legislative remapping and restrictions on civil-liability lawsuits rounding out the plan.
“They’ve refused to have real negotiations on specific issues in those five bills,” Rauner told reporters outside the Executive Mansion as the House debated the tax measure. […]
Asked why he won’t accept the stand-alone tax freeze, take credit, and continue working on the tangential issues, the governor rejected the idea as an ultimately hurtful victory.
“That’s how we get in the mess we’re in,” Rauner said. “We can’t afford to nibble around the edges with very, very, minor, short-term things that don’t change the long-term trajectory of the state and then declare victory. That would be a failure of the people of Illinois.”
The governor’s full press conference is on BlueRoomStream’s site. Click here to watch.
…Adding… WICS…
“The governments belong to the local voters and the taxpayers. They don’t belong to the special interest groups that work for the government or that are inside government. The governments have got to be responsive and owned by local voters and local taxpayers. That’s what our bill does. It empowers local voters,” said Gov. Rauner.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:03 am:
Well, at least now I know why he won’t take “Yes” for an answer. ‘Cause all he cares about is hurting the unions.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:05 am:
It’s always been about the unions — and that’s it.
Even when he clammed up during the campaign and pretended like he had no agenda.
That was his agenda. He just wouldn’t say it. If he did, he wouldn’t have been elected.
- Commonsense in Illinois - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:07 am:
I read where some of the Governor’s staff were pooh-poohing the vitriol suggesting he was simply off the talking points. Don’t they know the Governor IS the talking point? I don’t know how or who can talk this guy off the cliff, but he really needs to start acting like the Chief Executive of the fifth largest state, and not a disciple of Grover Norquist.
- Nick Name - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:09 am:
Remember back when Quinn unilaterally withheld contractually mandated raises from bargaining unit members, and then signed legislation to remove most PSA1s from the bargaining unit?
Yeah, good times…
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:10 am:
Well, give him some credit, the words “Phony” and “Sham” did not appear once in that post.
- History Prof - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:10 am:
But doesn’t Rauner live in a class house? How did HE make his money? What does the opposition research look like there? In an era of declining wages in real terms we had a speculative bubble led by investment bankers like Rauner, didn’t we? And isn’t that closer to the truth about why we are in this mess? And now Rauner wants to blame our troubles on Unions, and in effect, excessive wages? Help me out.
If we are reduced to ad hominem arguments already, why not go on the attack?
- x ace - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:10 am:
Smooth Delivery of a Blatant Intellectually Dishonest Message
- Observer - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:11 am:
There is no doubt that Madigan and Cullerton are pulling political demonstrations of power in their hearings and votes on the Rauner agenda items. But it does seem to demonstrate potentially what happens when bills are broken down into single subjects.
The Single Subject Rule has been noted more for the breach of the rule than to the courts enforcing it. Perhaps that is the nature of democracy, but this is a potential lesson in what happens when the GA can vote on a single question without the give and take of multiple topics in a single bill.
- Bedbug - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:12 am:
It would be interesting to see how many folks are thinking about moving out of Illinois or out of their home town and to a different location in Illinois. With Trulia.com and Realtor.com its very easy to at least look at a different town or state. If a lot more people are looking, I would say that’s a bad sign because they are paying much closer attention to the State’s fiscal crisis than in the past. It would be interesting to see where people are looking to move both in and out of Illinois. That said, I’m not sure how many folks will actually move because of the State’s dysfunction. It may take tax hikes and cuts to services to compel them to put up a “for sale” sign.
- Anonin' - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:12 am:
Capt Fax
Ya missed the Bloomberg opus which raced onto the internet at 3:11 P.M. — seconds after the presser — to rip Madigan and link it to the failed Tribbie series on the law firm. Amazin’ recall.
Not only does this episode undermine the TeamBungle claim that they don’t want to pull a Newt and shutdown the government, but it makes them 0 for “ever” on credibility
Guessin’ this stunt pushed Goldberg out of first place in the “most embarrassing Rauner Rodeo Roundup monment - 2015″ But who gets credit Mr Shrimp, LT or the BVR himself? Questions questions.
- steve schnorf - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:13 am:
With no intent to become the official interpreter, it seems to me pretty obvious what the Governor is saying on this issue: a property tax freeze could harm local governments if they are not also given tools to control their costs, in this case prevailing wage and the costs of union contracts. Therefor, the former without the latter is a no-go. Agree with it or not, the combining of the issues has a rationale.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:14 am:
“You know all that good stuff like acting like an adult by Nuding and Purvis said, you just ruined it”.
It’s so blatantly obvious when Rauner goes off the reservation, and so crystal clear when he knows it.
Example?
The continual dinging, personally, Madigan and Cullerton, then in the very next breath the “I want to work together” meme that totally flies in the face of the rancor Rauner brings to the relationship.
If Bruce Rauner has no time or thinks so ill of Michael Madigan and John Cullerton, then the three men can figure that part out.
The Governor must respect the Speaker and President, or at the lowest denominator, the “Office of…” both.
This is an amateurish way to govern with personal overtures that maybe Griffin and Uihlein might all say to each other in angst.
That’s not governing to say all Rauner said at the mansion.
To that, I complimented Rauner and his Crew for having the 2nd to last Presser at the mansion; it was symbolic, “I’m here” on his turf.
This time, it wasn’t even a faux “Rose Garden” image. It was a man, in his bunker, coming out, lobbing grenades, and then slinking back waiting for the return volley from the Capitol.
Then Madigan took to a podium.
I see no end game in contradicting yourself, governor, in the same paragraph. If it makes Rauner and Crew “feel good”, ok, now how about the governing part?
Rauner needs… needs… 71 and 36. Rauner has 47 and 20, and note to the GOP GA, you ALL will vote for new revenue. It’s malpractice if Cullerton and MJM don’t require it. All those “anti-tax” records, they all crash. They do. You’re owned.
So, hope the governor feels better, ’cause, indeed, all that good that was trying to bloom, you wrecked it yesterday.
It’s a new day, do better. There’s still time.
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:17 am:
==Rauner has 47 and 20==
Does he?
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:17 am:
The Governor continues to hang himself even when he gets one of his legislative goals within sight of accomplishment. Instead of scoring a win for his administration and party, he rejects it because he won’t take anything less than the opposing party giving him an unconditional victory.
Even when he hasn’t earned that victory.
Even when a majority of citizens don’t want it either.
Mr. Rauner continues showing Illinoisans that he is not the candidate they thought they elected eight months ago. He continues sacrificing them to pressure all the other constitutionally-elected officials into acquiescing to his own demands. Bruce Rauner keeps showing everyone that he has a personal vendetta that won’t be satisfied until everyone bows down to him.
Not accepting the property tax freeze is a huge loss, especially for Bruce Rauner. He looks like someone who cannot be your friend, even when you do much of what he demands.
- Tired of it All - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:18 am:
Was just wondering, how much money did Gov. Rauner make managing a portion of the State Pension monies? Just askin
- Worth It - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:18 am:
Once again Steve Schnorf hits the nail on the head.
- Arizona Bob - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:19 am:
Rauner is the first Gov I can recall who’s seriously addressing the featherbedding and wasteful and useless cost mandates coming from Sprngfield, and addressing real problems of reforming the cost side of government in Illinois.
We need to prohibit public employee strikes like 41 other states have been wise enough to get done and end the “Prevailing wage” boondoggle.
When will we hear the Dem side of the debate concerning why we should force schools to pay far above average for less work through prevailing wage and why it’s in the best interests of the students and taxpayers to prohibit teacher strikes?
That debate would be kinda like debating the positives of catching cholera…
- Skeptic - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:20 am:
“Agree with it or not, the combining of the issues has a rationale.” Can’t disagree with that. But “All or nothing” isn’t compromise either.
- Phenomynous - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:20 am:
I think there should be a “steve schnorf” commenter award for reasoned responses.
- Austin Blvd - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:21 am:
Would be interesting to know who comprised Rauner’s “kitchen cabinet” members are. Griffin? Zell? Kochs?
Who is keeping him propped up? Who is whisperingin his ear, “You’ve got to hold your ground with these lousy Democrats. Don’t let up.” Edgar?
Which multi-millionaires is he talking to, inviting to the mansion, etc?
Whose airplane is flying him back and forth?
- F.T. - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:21 am:
Madigan and Cullerton deserve heat for their legal work, no doubt. But did anyone ask Rauner during the press conference if he too benifited from “insider government deals” given the millions he’s made off of investing public employee pension funds? He got oodles of pension investment business out of Pennsylvania after making 300k in contributions to the governor. He owned a company that employed Stuart Levin to lobby for pension business in Illinois. It doesn’t get any more “insider” than that.
Any reporters ask him about that yesterday, or did they just record his talking points?
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:22 am:
- Arsenal -,
He told them so. They ARE his…
Love to see McSweeney vote no and the number is 70 in the House.
I’ve said it, still 100% mean it; it’s beyond critical to have autonomous GOP caucuses. This is why.
Both Democratic leaders will require full GOP support. Yikes to those who turn on Rauner.
- Crispy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:23 am:
=”But doesn’t Rauner live in a glass house? How did HE make his money?”=
This. This is why the continual personal attacks are so mystifying; looking at his business record, BVR lives in a veritable Crystal Cathedral. Why invite more scrutiny by making it so personal?
- Anonymous - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:24 am:
Rich -
Isn’t that first link to Bloomberg?
- Bill White - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:25 am:
@ steve schnorf
Prevailing wage doesn’t apply to teachers, does it?
- downstate government - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:26 am:
Can someone tell me how freezing local government and schools levies will balance the State of Illinois Budget? The turnout in most local elections is very low but the voters can vote the rascals out unlike most House and Senate district seats.
- William - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:26 am:
Finally!!
- Arsenal - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:27 am:
==He told them so.==
Yeah, I know. I just suspect there’s 1-2- no more than that!- who don’t perceive the danger he’s put them in, and might still defy him on the right issue. For example, I can’t see Ray Poe voting to end prevailing wage/limit collective bargaining.
- Are Ya Kiddin' Me? - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:28 am:
Didn’t another Gov. try the Madigan makes money from the system attack?
HMMM, yes I think it was Blago.
In an identical scenario, Blago screamed I’m the smartest guy in the room, I know what’s best for everybody and Madigan makes money from the system.
Per Yogi Berra….It’s starting to look like Deja Vu all over again.
- VanillaMan - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:29 am:
This event was a critical win for Madigan and Cullerton. It exposes Rauner as a man incapable of compromise and watching the Governor attack the Speaker of the House and Senate Majority Leader just buries the last of any credibility Rauner may have actually had left.
Today, a question arises, “Who can work with such a overbearing, demanding and insulting man?” Rauner has given his opposition ammunition yesterday. Now, it is their turn to use it on him.
- Rich Miller - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:33 am:
===Who is keeping him propped up? Who is whisperingin his ear===
lol
Bruce Rauner is Bruce Rauner. Stop blaming others.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:34 am:
- Arsenal -,
Please know I totally agree with your logic. The rub is Rauner. He told the 67 he runs them now. Everyone found out the GOP GA is run now by Rauner, and all those “yellow” lights show that too.
When the time comes to be “green”, it won’t be Rauner giving dispensation. It now becomes Madigan and Cullerton to give it.
The Democratic leaders, after yesterday and nearly 2 years of continual attacks, personal attacks, it now 67. It would be impossible for both leaders to give any GOP Raunerite a pass and then try to get a Dem Mushroom to sign on.
“McSweeney gets a pass, and you want me ‘green’ Speaker?”
No way. It’s 47 and 20 now. Hopefully the GOP Caucuses know that.
Much respect.
- steve schnorf - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:36 am:
No, Bill. but it applies to construction projects such as building, expanding or remodeling school buildings
- Out Here In The Middle - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:38 am:
What a wonderful spot we are in! The “political class” and the “1%” lobbing bombs at each other. Each trying to force a crisis that they can blame on the other. And regardless of which ‘class’ wins, the rest of us don’t gain a thing.
- Norseman - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:38 am:
=== This is why the continual personal attacks are so mystifying; looking at his business record, BVR lives in a veritable Crystal Cathedral. Why invite more scrutiny by making it so personal? ===
I don’t think he cares. He can spend enough money to try and convince people that he’s George Washington 2nd, savior of Illinois.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:42 am:
I’d like to know to what degree Edgar is pushing Rauner to do what Edgar did — to some extent — but perhaps *wished* to do but couldn’t vis-à-vis Madigan.
I’m guessing Edgar is far from the “wise old statesman” that he wants us to believe. At least when he’s talking to acolyte Rauner.
- Bluefish - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:48 am:
Steve - Freeze the property tax and there is very little money for construction projects for many units of government. Toss in bankruptcy and there goes the ability to borrow for projects via bonding.
Plus, to your earlier comment, the biggest continuously increasing cost to many municipalities is the actuarially required pension contributions which have tripled or more over the past decade.
- pundent - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:50 am:
Steve Schnorf - Put another way Rauner is so opposed to unions that he’s willing to reduce funding to local municipalities if it helps abolish them.
- pundent - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:55 am:
==Madigan and Cullerton deserve heat for their legal work, no doubt. But did anyone ask Rauner during the press conference if he too benifited from “insider government deals” given the millions he’s made off of investing public employee pension funds?==
The answer is “no” because who cares. The campaign is over and it’s time to govern. Six months we have to ask if the Governor is up to the task.
- Juvenal - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 10:56 am:
=== With no intent to become the official interpreter, it seems to me pretty obvious what the Governor is saying on this issue: a property tax freeze could harm local governments if they are not also given tools to control their costs, in this case prevailing wage and the costs of union contracts. Therefor, the former without the latter is a no-go. Agree with it or not, the combining of the issues has a rationale. ===
Schnorf, the units of local government don’t think it is rational. Last time I checked, they were overwhelmingly opposed.
- A guy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:05 am:
Juvy, they’d like a lot more local control and no unfunded state mandates on the local level. Most wouldn’t want to go on the record for RTW. It’s not going anywhere anyhow, and it’s been virtually dropped.
The poison pill for the locals was the distributive fund. That’s what kept them up at night.
- Earnest - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:05 am:
I have really appreciated Schnorf’s perspective since Rauner took office. Sometimes I struggle to separate the actual issue at hand from the whole Rauner-anti-union things and Madigan-status-quo things.
- Anonin' - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:13 am:
Mr/Ms Schnorf (aka Rauner appointee) there really is no balance between a tax freeze and the so call escape or union contracts. It may sound catchy — especially in the TeamBungle / 1%ers war room. but no where else.
- walker - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:13 am:
There is some logic to the joining of the prevailing wage and local union bargaining issues with any local tax feeeze — but the same argument could be made that:
the distributive fund agreement for local governments, certainly backing off Rauner’s budget proposal that they be cut in half, must be made prior or along with the tax freeze
the state school funding formula for the local school districts must be agreed upon prior to a tax freeze
any moving of future pension payments to local employers, must come along with a tax freeze
and on and on. They are all intertwined.
If you believe some things are necessary to make a tax freeze practical, make them clear to the public, put them in separate bills, and pass them.
Or after agreement with all leadership combine them and call it what it is, an omnibus local funding bill.
- A guy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:17 am:
===Or after agreement with all leadership combine them and call it what it is, an omnibus local funding bill.===
Hard to imagine any other way really.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:20 am:
It seems to me that buoys are being dropped for Rauner. His task is to spot them and take what he can in order to construct a deal.
I’m not sure why Rauner isn’t looking to close a deal. He seems to relish the fight — not the actual finished deal.
Which makes me once again why Rauner didn’t stay in the background and fund a candidate that could close? It’s vanity, I know — and that’s the issue.
- pundent - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:26 am:
== I’m not sure why Rauner isn’t looking to close a deal. He seems to relish the fight — not the actual finished deal. ==
Crisis creates leverage.
Sincerely
Bruce
- Demoralized - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:28 am:
A guy:
RTW may have been dropped but he hasn’t dropped the Prevailing Wage nonsense. He needs to realize that anything with regard to unions isn’t going anywhere. It just isn’t.
- steve schnorf - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:39 am:
juvenal, of course many local governments are opposed to a property tax freeze, that’s certainly no great surprise. But, are you saying they are also opposed to having the ability to not pay prevailing wage and to limit what can be negotiated in union contracts? I doubt that, and at that point you are saying they are opposed to what will harm them and in favor of what might help them. Makes them a lot like most of the citizenry, wanting better services and lower taxes
- Agricola - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:39 am:
==With no intent to become the official interpreter, it seems to me pretty obvious what the Governor is saying on this issue: a property tax freeze could harm local governments if they are not also given tools to control their costs, in this case prevailing wage and the costs of union contracts. Therefor, the former without the latter is a no-go. Agree with it or not, the combining of the issues has a rationale. ==
Following on this observation (thanks for pulling it together!), yesterday, HB 691 gave the House the opportunity to put these ideas together in a single bill. Amendment #1, the property tax freeze, was adopted. Amendment #2, the prevailing wage and collective bargaining piece, received zero “yes” votes.
- Joe M - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:41 am:
==it seems to me pretty obvious what the Governor is saying on this issue: a property tax freeze could harm local governments if they are not also given tools to control their costs==
Since the vast majority of property tax dollars go to local education, a change in school funding is what needs to be addressed for there to be a property tax freeze. Union and prevailing wage issues are primarily political issues, not budget issues. Until the Governor starts worrying more about the State’s Constitutional responsibility to be the primary funder of education, and quits worrying about unions and prevailing wages, the property tax issue will not get solved.
- Juice - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:43 am:
Steve, my guess is the locals are not all that thrilled about the union contract piece. You’ve been involved in contract negotiations, imagine having to go through months of tough negotiations only to then have the wait for the next election before the contract can be formally ratified. That is no way to conduct business efficiently or effectively.
- steve schnorf - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:44 am:
anonin’, what do you mean by no balance? Financially, morally, or what? (By the way, Edgar appointee, Ryan appointee, Blagojevich appointee, Quinn appointee, and Ogilvie, Walker, and Thompson employee also)
- Langhorne - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:52 am:
you can dislike the individual, but should respect the office. rauner does not make that distinction. he is a bully. well, bully for him. he doesnt have the votes. he cant just order what he wants done. name calling does not add votes to any roll call.
now for my name calling: rauner is a low information idealogue, who believes he has a moral duty to minimize taxes, to the point of destruction of unions and governments. he is not playing the same game everyone else is. he is playing his version of it.
- Juice - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 11:57 am:
Langhorne, I disagree that he sees minimizing taxes as his moral duty. He is using the property tax freeze as nothing more than a red herring to get his anti-middle class agenda through. There is absolutely no reason for him to be pushing this “local control of collective bargaining” nonsense through other than the simple fact that he thinks teachers, police officers, firefighters and construction workers are making too much money. He said it himself that those changes were the most important part of the package, not the tax freeze.
- RNUG - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 12:12 pm:
As we’ve been saying for a while, watch what he does.
Everything Rauner has proposed has an anti-union poison pill buried in it somewhere. Once the poison pill is removed, he no longer cares about his proposal; the proposal was just there to leverage public acceptance of the poison pill.
- Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 12:17 pm:
===Everything Rauner has proposed has a anti-union poison pill buried in it somewhere. Once the poison pill is removed, he no longer cares about his proposal; the proposal was just there to leverage public acceptance of the poison pill.===
Ball game.
Keen observation. Sometimes what’s missing in a bill is more important than what the bill is trying to do.
Great “eyes” - RNUG -
- Sangamo Sam - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 12:17 pm:
I’m just a regular Joe with no political background, no political connections, but I follow this blog and other political news. I was on the fence about Governor Rauner. I cringed when he said he’d run the state like a business - I always do when a politician says that - but for a while I had some hope that he would do something about the state’s finances and help resolve the structural problems, like a good businessman would.
Now that he’s in office instead of using his strengths gathered from years as a successful businessman and work on fiscal issues, the “turnaround agenda” he insists on appears to me to fail to address the most basic fiscal issues, in spite of his insistence otherwise. He appears shrill, stubborn, and incapable of compromise.
The personal attacks on the Speaker Madigan and President Cullerton really turns me off, and I’m not a fan of Speaker Madigan. I was on his fumigation list and his pension plan forced my family to make irreversible decisions.
I’ve lost faith in the Governor. He’s not playing to his strengths as a businessman as we were lead to believe. Instead he’s demonizing the Speaker and the President and using his vast wealth to force compliance. He could have gone down a very different path and probably had some success by now.
It’s all very depressing to us regular Joe’s.
- east central - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 12:24 pm:
Steve,
How much of a percentage savings do you estimate for abolishing prevailing wages and how would this offset cuts to school districts and municipalities?
It seems that a fairly drastic cut of say 20% in workers’ wages would result in less than a 1% reduction the overall budget of districts/municipalities. This assumes wages are on average 25% of capital projects (I have seen 20-30% as a common range) and perhaps 15% of district and municipal budgets go on average toward capital projects or related debt (my quick check of budgets near me are in the 10-20% range for capital-related expenses).
20% of 25% of 15% is 0.7%
Please feel free to correct any errors on my part.
- Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 12:34 pm:
See you in August. Maybe September if they keep at it like this.
- Frenchie Mendoza - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 12:37 pm:
The Ds must have a smoking gun on Rauner — or something — that they can roll out or threaten to roll out. If they don’t — why not?
- Salty - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 1:53 pm:
He didn’t drop that many g’s.
- History Prof - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 2:56 pm:
Bravo East Central! Your analysis reveals what a tempest in a teapot this whole minimal government nonsense has become. It’s simply a matter of faith among many that government is too expensive. Yet we rarely if ever see any meaningful attempts to reduce costs, just one hokus pokus scheme after another. Hmmmmm. . . Wonder what that implies.
- A guy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 3:58 pm:
===The Ds must have a smoking gun on Rauner===
Whoa, hold on. Let me get some popcorn and Junior Mints. OK. Do tell.
- walker - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 4:14 pm:
Over time, a property tax freeze could easily cost the school districts more than they save with prevailing wage. Interesting thing about these arguments, is that the ideas often seem to trump the numbers.
That’s been a constant with the Turnaround Agenda items and the proposed Rauner budget — it doesn’t matter whether the numbers appear to work. The idea is the thing.
Wouldn’t that suggest more politician, and less business manager approach?
- 4_nubbs - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 5:23 pm:
Rauner had a chance to actually come up with ways to cut the budget. His first actions were not to reduce government but to expand it. He even payed his political appointees double that of Quinn’s.
How can anyone say that state workers should accept cuts if he is paying his appointees and staffers more than his predecessor two fold?
The pension crisis happened in the same manner. Senators, Representatives, and governors became eligible, then their staffers and appointees, then their successors and their staffers and appointees, and so on and so on. They don’t have to work but a fraction of the years that we do to qualify for a retirement.
I don’t see Rauner blaming them. I don’t see them facing any cuts, but instead it is the union state frontline employee who is to blame. We are the one’s in the crosshairs to take the cuts and burden when we are the ones who are playing by the rules.
- Call Me Crazy - Wednesday, Jun 10, 15 @ 8:03 pm:
You know I’ve had this in the back of my mind for awhile, but I left it there thinking I had to wrong. This needless and untimely personal attack against MJM and JC convinces me my instinct was right; Rauner DOES want it all to crash and burn. There will be no budget deal, no CBA for state workers and this guy WANTS this. I am floored!!!