* From Decatur…
As several in the crowd began to jeer the governor for potential cuts to state services, the governor noted his office has tried to make concessions to Democrats in the House but said he’s focused on the passage of five pieces of reform in return for the passage of a budget before it ends June 30.
Those included items he has spent months discussing, from the need to lower property taxes, scale back workers’ compensation expenses, institute tort reform and have term limits for lawmakers.
“They’re stonewalling us,” Rauner said about Democrats in Springfield. “They’re pretending that they’re negotiating, and they’re not.”
That’s helpful.
* Tribune…
Not everybody sweating it out at the midday event was buying Rauner’s argument. Renee McAfee and Annie Yarbary, child care workers whose clients rely on state subsidies, waved signs opposing Rauner’s agenda and shouted out as he delivered his speech and took questions from reporters.
“We need this budget passed. We need for you, Madigan, Cullerton, whoever, to get it together,” Yarbary told Rauner during a chat after the event. “Quit fighting over there like 2-year-olds and stand up for the people of Illinois.”
“Well said, I agree,” Rauner replied.
* The governor said they should contact their legislators…
Rauner: I agree with you. And you’ll help, help me, just these are–
Yarbary: What do you want me to help you with?
Rauner: Ask your senator and ask your representative–
Yarbary: I already have, I’ve talked to Senator Manar and I’ve talked to Sue Scherer–
Rauner: What did they say?
Yarbary: They’re saying that we need to find revenue.
The governor soundlessly chuckled.
Rauner: All they want to do is force a tax hike, then we’re all going to lose in the long run.
* Many thanks to my pal Hannah Meisel at WILL for the raw audio of the complete exchange…
*** UPDATE 1 *** The governor travels to districts represented by Democratic Sen. John Sullivan and HDem Mike Smiddy today…
Daily Public Schedule: Thursday, June 11, 2015
What: Governor Discusses the Turnaround Agenda’s Impact on Adams County
Where: Peter’s Heating and Air Conditioning
4520 Broadway St., Quincy
Date: Thursday, June 11, 2015
Time: 11:30 a.m.
What: Governor Discusses the Turnaround Agenda’s Impact on the Quad Cities
Where: Tennant Truck Lines, Inc.
20812 E. 550 St., Colona
Date: Thursday, June 11, 2015
Time: 3:15 p.m.
*** UPDATE 2 *** A familiar pattern is developing. From the IL GOP…
A Time for Choosing
It’s time for Sen. John Sullivan to stand up for taxpayers instead of President Cullerton and Speaker Madigan
Last week, Democrats in Springfield passed a budget with a $4 billion hole. Last year, they passed a budget that was unbalanced by $1.6 billion. The Democrats controlled by House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton reject reform and pass unbalanced budgets.
After more than 80 years in power, Mike Madigan and John Cullerton wield unmatched power over legislators. Sen. John Sullivan claims to represent Western Illinois, but he is controlled by the heavy hand of John Cullerton and Mike Madigan. They have given Sen. Sullivan more than $1,000,000 to reward his blind loyalty.
It’s time for Sullivan to stand up for Western Illinois taxpayers instead of his Chicago bosses Madigan & Cullerton.
John Sullivan
Sullivan has taken $1,037,820 from Madigan, Cullerton and committees they control. (Illinois Board of Elections, Accessed 6/10/2015)
The budget constructed by Madigan and Cullerton for FY2015 was unbalanced by $1.6 billion. “Illinois lawmakers moved Monday to plug a gaping $1.6 billion hole in this year’s state budget after weeks of tense negotiations between a Republican governor and Democratic-led Legislature over authority to transfer funds as money runs out for social programs such as subsidized day care. (”Illinois House Passes Plan To Fill State’s $1.6 Billion Budget Hole,” The Associated Press, 3/24/2015)
Sullivan voted to pass Madigan and Cullerton’s unbalanced FY2015 budget. (Illinois General Assembly Records, Accessed 6/10/2015)
The budget constructed by Madigan and Cullerton for FY2016 is unbalanced by more than $3 billion. “House Democrats worked into the evening Tuesday to push through major parts of a new budget they acknowledge is at least $3 billion short in an effort to force new Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to eventually go along with a tax increase to fill the deficit.” (Monique Garcia and Kim Geiger, “Illinois Democrats Push Ahead With Budget That’s $3 Billion Short,” Chicago Tribune, 5/26/2015)
Sullivan voted to pass Madigan and Cullerton’s unbalanced FY2016 budget bills. (Illinois General Assembly Records, Accessed 6/10/2015)
*** UPDATE 3 *** Another one…
A Time for Choosing
It’s time for Rep. Mike Smiddy to stand up for taxpayers instead of
Speaker Madigan
Last week, Democrats in Springfield passed a budget with a $4 billion hole. Last year, they passed a budget that was unbalanced by $1.6 billion. The Democrats controlled by House Speaker Mike Madigan reject reform and pass unbalanced budgets.
After more than 80 years in power, Mike Madigan wields unmatched power over his House members. Rep. Mike Smiddy may claim to represent ordinary Illinoisans, but he is actually controlled by the heavy hand of Mike Madigan. Speaker Madigan has given Smiddy over $250,000 to reward his blind loyalty.
It’s time for Smiddy to stand up for Illinois taxpayers instead of his Chicago boss Mike Madigan.
Mike Smiddy
Smiddy has taken $257,549 from Madigan and committees he controls. (Illinois Board of Elections, Accessed 6/10/2015)
The budget constructed by Madigan for FY2015 was unbalanced by $1.6 billion. “Illinois lawmakers moved Monday to plug a gaping $1.6 billion hole in this year’s state budget after weeks of tense negotiations between a Republican governor and Democratic-led Legislature over authority to transfer funds as money runs out for social programs such as subsidized day care. (”Illinois House Passes Plan To Fill State’s $1.6 Billion Budget Hole,” The Associated Press, 3/24/2015)
Smiddy voted to pass Madigan’s unbalanced FY2015 budget. (Illinois General Assembly Records, Accessed 6/10/2015)
The budget constructed by Madigan for FY2016 is unbalanced by more than $3 billion. “House Democrats worked into the evening Tuesday to push through major parts of a new budget they acknowledge is at least $3 billion short in an effort to force new Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner to eventually go along with a tax increase to fill the deficit.” (Monique Garcia and Kim Geiger, “Illinois Democrats Push Ahead With Budget That’s $3 Billion Short,” Chicago Tribune, 5/26/2015)
Smiddy voted to pass Madigan’s unbalanced FY2016 budget bills. (Illinois General Assembly Records, Accessed 6/10/2015)
- Name Withheld - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:44 am:
Sue Scherer is not perhaps the sharpest knife in Madidan’s drawer, so I can understand a little why Rauner chuckled.
- Name Withheld - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:45 am:
Heh - says the guy who can’t spell.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:46 am:
Rauner slips up every once in a while and goes back to pretending that he doesn’t want and will not sign a tax increase.
The Frat Boys need to remind him it’s June 2015, not June 2014.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:48 am:
Rauner is not good on his feet on dealing with his new constituents.
Now this “Blame Democrats” bit from Rauner, the Tribune, even @StatehouseChick, it sounds really swell with a microphone in hand, or behind the ink of a newspaper, but people, when you haveta talk to the people, it rings hollow as a response to direct questioning.
This all has the possibility of backfiring, just because talk is cheap, and cheaper with a tired message.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:48 am:
Thanks for posting Rich! This is the exchange that I referenced in a post on an earlier thread. Very powerful image that he will struggle to over come with many in the electorate.
- AC - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:51 am:
A whole lot of journalists were shown up by a child care worker. This either means that journalists aren’t doing their job, or someone who specializes in child care was uniquely qualified in dealing with the governor.
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:51 am:
“The governor soundlessly chuckled.” Is this a game to him? Besides hating unions, what are his real thoughts - real goals?
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:53 am:
Comes a time when the middles class can not afford to pay increased taxes for welfare programs. The middle class is decreasing in size thanks to the high taxes, and people are leaving the state, due to the high cost of living in Illinois.
- Robert the Bruce - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:53 am:
How does one soundlessly chuckle?
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:55 am:
Rauner has said repeatedly he’d discuss new revenue in exchange for certain reform. “New revenue” is going to cost “existing businesses” more, and they’re not going to go along with it without something that could offset those extra costs. But Madigan and unions refuse to listen to that second part, the stop listening at “new revenue”. Until that changes, nothing will get done.
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:55 am:
I think his sole goal is to brain-wash the public into believing what he says is right. He believes if he says the same thing over and over again, people will start believing his line of bull. The unions educate their people, and that is why he doesn’t like them.
- RunBikeSwim - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:55 am:
This audio is fantastic! Gov. Rauner needs to learn how to spar without talking points as the only words that come out of his mouth. The quote from the mother that she didn’t bring her children out in the heat to debate is great! I would have loved to see Gov. Rauner’s face during this and his body language.
- Anonin' - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:00 am:
Let’s have a QOTD — How do we make TeamBungle understand that once the legislature considers your non budget ideas, you try to persuade, threaten, rent,etc. and FAIL you move on to governing?
Since we know The Bungler in Chief does not know how to claim victory, but we think the superstars should be able to figure it out
It is a bit like bein’ on the subprime bank board in Atlanta, leadin’ the nation in going broke first, givin’e CEO big cash bonus, give workers gift cards and declarin’ it was a successful investment.
You can do it big guy.
t
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:01 am:
“Until that changes, nothing will get done.” In other words, Rauner refuses to compromise. Got it.
- NewWestSuburbanGOP'er - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:01 am:
Just Madigan and Cullerton ? How about all those GOP members who have been there for years?
Please help me… We working on them…. blah, blah, blah,… I agree…. blah, blah, blah..
Stay involved…. Blech!
- Blah - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:01 am:
I wonder if Rauner has ever had a real conversation with a common person, ya know, without using talking points. He could have asked her about herself, thanking her for her work, etc. But instead he turned to talking points which don’t help her or answer her question.
Even Blago could have played this better.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:01 am:
—
How does one soundlessly chuckle?
—
It’s one of his ticks. Notice that more uncomfortable he is, the more he smiles and the more he blinks.
It doesn’t mean much except discomfort — but it’s a tell. And one that he obviously doesn’t know he has.
He’d be a fish in a poker game. A shark — or multiple sharks — would eat him up.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:03 am:
=It’s one of his ticks. Notice that more uncomfortable he is, the more he smiles and the more he blinks.=
And it is a powerful image. He is uncomfortable when confronted by the average Joe that isn’t buying what he is selling. Probably why he does it so rarely.
- Just Me - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:04 am:
I must admit, whenever I hear a House or Senate Democrat talk all they say is that the State needs more revenue.
- A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:05 am:
He did fine with this. He let this lady talk until she made her point and was patient and kind with her. These exchanges almost always get cut off or walked away from. Give her some credit. She’s not just some random person. She was well prepared and pretty well spoken. I thought this was a pretty good exchange.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:06 am:
This is almost certainly a woman who is already predisposed towards liberal goals, but the fact that her local legislators have more credibility with her than the Governor demonstrates the difficulty of winning people over without localizing the message. “Madigan sucks!” while true, isn’t going to cut it.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:06 am:
==
“Until that changes, nothing will get done.” In other words, Rauner refuses to compromise. Got it.==
So, in your world, starting from a position that you don’t want any new revenue, but moving to a position where you would agree to new revenue with certain reforms is not compromising….and demanding new revenue, period, and not budging towards anything the other side believes is meaningful reform is compromise. Got it.
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:08 am:
=He did fine with this=
I saw the full exchange, he looked foolish. Madigan would have as well.
- MrJM - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:08 am:
But haven’t we been repeatedly assured that Rauner’s bunkum was playing well with “ordinary folks”?
– MrJM
- Langhorne - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:09 am:
There are a lot of annies and renees out there. They wont be swayed by tv ads, negative or otherwise.
Rauner never wanted legislative success during session. No bills properly introduced. Stalling w secret meetings. Repub caucuses blocked out to be irrelevant nonparticipants. Name calling. Setting the stage to blame others when he drives the state over the cliff. His only real goal is to destroy unions–state workers, teachers, local govt, private employees. Shutdown, lockout, let her rip til the dems capitulate and the repubs go along.
- walker - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:10 am:
It’s a strange message to sell:
“I need the help of all the families in the state … to call your legislators and ask them to pass term limits.” — as an answer for how to make sure funding is available for key social services two weeks from now.
Rauner’s fiscal needs are immediate. His solutions are long term. Some, like Term Limits and remapping, have no certain fiscal even long term.
How many of the audience will see right through that answer?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:12 am:
To the Update,
Rauner has no intention to compromise. The train has left the station, it better, the campaign has left the Mansion.
Governors own things, the budget crisis is one of those.
The crisis creates leverage will empower the super-majority Dems to inflict massive damage to the GOP GA.
If you are the 67; every day your landlord is campaigning, realize all those “no taxes” pledges will have a blemish. It’s real, it’s goin’ to happen.
If you are a GOP GA Raunerite, which is all of you, you went too far, you shoulda been the ones to be independent to help the governor navigate, not be his enabler.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:13 am:
“the other side believes is meaningful” (Thank you for not saying “phony” or “sham” btw.) Therein lies the rub. If the one side decides the only “meaningful” budge is full capitulation, then you’re still refusing to compromise.
- Todd Gak - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:15 am:
==He did fine with this.==
Yep. Much more kind than I would have been. From her own mouth, not interested in anything but one-way criticism and ad hominems. I’m sure we’d all be so charitable after being told there will be no debate and to stop acting like a 2-year old. Another tired exercise of someone with seemingly no concept or interest in the major structural problems in Illinois belting out the same refrain:
“We need our money”
And Shoe Searer agrees!
- Austin Blvd - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:16 am:
Saw a clip on a TV station of Rep. Bill Mitchell at the Decatur event, apparently introducing Rauner. Isn’t that the same rep who stood on the House floor that he was not going to vote for Rauner’s RTW legislation when it comes to the floor for a vote?
A charade I tell you.
- Centennial - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:17 am:
I’m getting really confused by this. Doesn’t the Governor have something to DO! I don’t mean to sound naive, but aren’t there some daily tasks, meetings, etc that the Governor of a complex and diverse state like Illinois, has to do on a daily basis. How on Earth does he have time to, essentially, be on a perpetual campaign road show. I just don’t get it.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:18 am:
== If the one side decides the only “meaningful” budge is full capitulation, then you’re still refusing to compromise.==
Compromise is a two way street. One side wants additional revenue. The other side wants reform. Only one side has moved towards offering a way for the other to get what they want, and that side ain’t Madigan’s.
- A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:18 am:
=== Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:06 am:
This is almost certainly a woman who is already predisposed towards liberal goals, but the fact that her local legislators have more credibility with her than the Governor….” ====
C’mon Ars. This lady was well informed and very well spoken, but couldn’t even pronounce the State Reps name correctly with two attempts. She’s not that tuned into them.
- Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:20 am:
Rauner has compromised and will raise revenue with a few reforms. I’d that so unreasonable? The GA will not compromise and just wants a tax increase with no reforms.
There is a lot of low hanging fruit for reform to make Illinois more competitive.
- Joe M - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:20 am:
Perhaps if the Governor would have dropped more “ings” in the first part of his speech before he took questions, he would have had the entire crowd won over. and wouldn’t have had to field any questions like that. Plus it was probably too hot for him to wear his Carnhart jacket.
- X-prof - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:22 am:
@Anonymous The middle class and the working poor in this state are paying higher tax rates to support the top 1%. See http://www.itep.org/whopays/states/illinois.php for the facts. Your premise is bogus.
- District 96 Voter - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:23 am:
Rep. Scherer is not calling for new revenues. Yarbary was lied to apparently.
http://www.wmay.com/2015/06/03/scherer-voted-for-unbalanced-budget-but-wont-support-tax-hikes-to-pay-for-it/
- Arizona Bob - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:23 am:
@OW
I’m just curious. You keep saying that Rauner “owns” this. I’d be interested in knowing what, in your opinion, obligations and responsibilities Madigan and Cullerton have in this Budget fiasco.
I apologize if you’ve already mentioned this recently in your hundreds of posts. I read as many of your posts as I can, but I still miss a lot.
- Norseman - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:23 am:
What do you want the little people to tell their legislators gov? Please pass legislation to enable school districts to freeze or even reduce teacher pay and decrease benefits. Tell them that your local police officers or firemen shouldn’t have the right to ask for more pay and reasonable benefits. Tell them that the people investigating child abuse don’t need to be represented in addressing work conditions. Tell them that it’s ok for public workers not to have pay increases for 9 years. Tell them that you do not want property tax relief unless unions are eviscerated.
Tell them that you want them that it’s ok not to pass a budget until they pass limits on lawsuits to help people who have wronged others to limit their costs.
That’s what this gov wants in exchange for agreeing to a reasonable budget.
Problem is that the frat boys expect the public to know this is their mission from the harangue being hurled at the “Chicago machine.”
- AC - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:24 am:
Will find the people he needs to negotiate with at trucking or heating & air conditioning firms? If the intent is to rally the troops in support of his agenda, what specific legislation should his suppoters ask their legislators to support? Are people really supposed to voice their support for vague concepts or ideas?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:24 am:
= I’m sure we’d all be so charitable after being told there will be no debate and to stop acting like a 2-year old.=
I guess wouldn’t be concerned since, unlike our so called leaders, I have not been acting like a two-year old
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:24 am:
Governor, How does term limits balance the budget? Does eliminating social services balance the budget?
- BMAN - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:25 am:
Wow! That recording shows you don’t have to be a billionaire to make sensible comments.
- Mama - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:26 am:
Governor, we need to stop playing games with people’s lives, and start working on a real budget deal.
- Austin Blvd - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:28 am:
“Compromise is a two way street. One side wants additional revenue. The other side wants reform. Only one side has moved towards offering a way for the other to get what they want, and that side ain’t Madigan’s.”
Now that’s a funny post.
- A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:29 am:
Ma, I think we’re on different sides and agree. Hmmm.
- Juice - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:29 am:
Anonymous, one side does not want revenue. That side can do basic math, that even under the Governor’s own budget proposal, he needs three billion more in revenue. That’s why it’s not compromising. The Dems are living somewhere near reality (though still passing unbalanced budgets), and the other side is living in some sort or term limitin’, voter empowerin’ fantasy land.
- walker - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:29 am:
Todd Gak: Don’t you find it strange that the answer to a person’s question about a short term fiscal need, is to tell them to ask their legislators to vote for Term Limits?
How is that supposed to work in a constituent’s mind?
Why not just ask your legislators to agree on a spending plan?
To give Rauner his due, this has been his continual position. He has consistently sacrificed immediate fiscal agreements for longer term restructure items, which don’t impact the 2016 budget.
He wasn’t avoiding the question.
- Todd Gak - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:30 am:
==Rep. Scherer is not calling for new revenues.==
Only on the rich. But they’re not real people.
Clearly $4B in waste will not be found and eradicated in the next few months, so what’s she thinking? These weren’t make believe resolutions on what the state’s needs are, they’re spending bills. Real ones. And if she thinks there is billions worth of waste in state govt, which is ostensibly part of the $36B in spending proposed, why is she voting for that?
Never change Sue.
- AnonymousOne - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:31 am:
Anonymous at 9:53
Who says everything has to be paid by the middle class? I get it that the middle class is full of hard workers who take responsibility, but there are people with far more resources who can be tapped. Look around. The middle class doesn’t have to do everything!
Didn’t the referendum in November about taxing millionaires speak about a middle class who need some help and relief in paying?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:31 am:
- Norseman -, restaurant quality.
To that,
Rauner wants the ease to control the Legislature, but won’t make it “clear” to his own end game because some things the voters just aren’t behind.
“It’s better to complain about the process than argue his points within the structure of governing.”
That is what is troubling.
- LINK - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:32 am:
AC at 9:51.
I concur and suggest that a Question of the Day could be for suggested questions the Press are not asking but could and should be asking.
Maybe five Questions of the Day with one for the,Governor and another for each of the four leaders.
Just a suggestion…
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:32 am:
== I must admit, whenever I hear a House or Senate Democrat talk all they say is that the State needs more revenue. ==
- Just Me -,
Rauner’s own proposed budget needs between $3B and $4B of new revenue or $2.2B of skipped pension payments, $0.8B of phony health insurance savings that just has to be paid the following year, and other smaller stuff that will be cost shifted to the next fiscal year.
That should tell you something … like maybe the State has a revenue problem.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:33 am:
Ms. Yarbary exercised her right to express frustration and angst in a fair, even-keeled manner. Some protesters can learn a thing or two from her tact.
Everyone has a right to express a concern. What would people on this blog say if a suburbanite bends the Governor’s ear and begs for property tax relief? I would hope they shower that person with the same love and support we all seem to provide for people like Ms. Yarbary. I actually wish more taxpayers would do that and help shine the light on their concerns as well.
Rep. Scherer is talking out of both side of her mouth. She voted for an out-of-whack budget but refuses to support a tax increase? So her district/capitol staffer basically lied.
So that no one thinks my last point was a fib:
http://www.wmay.com/2015/06/03/scherer-voted-for-unbalanced-budget-but-wont-support-tax-hikes-to-pay-for-it/
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:34 am:
==This lady was well informed and very well spoken, but couldn’t even pronounce the State Reps name correctly with two attempts. She’s not that tuned into them.==
Yes, and she nonetheless cites their reasoning favorably. Again, she’s in a position in her life/career where she’s probably very receptive to such reasoning. But the fact remains, she’s taking the word of her state legislators, even though she may not be overly familiar with them, very seriously, and the Governor’s very skeptically. That speaks to a very serious challenge to the “Madigan sucks!” message.
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:35 am:
OW said “The crisis creates leverage will empower the super-majority Dems to inflict massive damage to the GOP GA.”
Maybe, but from the email I get from my suburban Dem state senator, I’d say a lot of Dems are worried about being seen as taxing their constituents in order to bail out Chicago, even schoolkids. A lot of people kinda like that boost they got in their paycheck this January - not so sure the Democrats want to own taking it away and then some. And how many swing districts are there in this gerrymandered state anyway?
- Arizona Bob - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:35 am:
@NORSEMAN
You tell them that there’s a limited amount of resources available, and we need to wisely spend what we have, and no more until we have control of the growth of government expense.
You tell them that we need, in this time of financial crisis, concentrate on “needs” and forgo “wants”, at least in the short term.
You tell them that we should minimize the pension costs as much as we can within constitutional requirements, and that ignoring this responsibility makes the problem grow exponentially.
You tell them that we need to seriously reform who funds public pensions. Pension funding in Illinois needs to be part of the compensation package rather than funded by third parties, and this requires that the responsibility has to shift to those public groups that create the problems through unfairly high salaries and costly “spiking” to increase pensions far more than employee and employer contributions deserve.
You tell them that Illinois can no longer afford to fund our public education system a level 18% above the national average per pupil, and that we need to provide the means to local schools to freeze increased compensation to get it to affordable levels. If some school communities want to overspend as a luxury, it should be their problem to come up with the cash, not hard pressed state taxpayers.
You tell them that you understand that their expenses are no less critical than those of the government bureaucracy, and that government bureaucrats and crooked pols taking food off their tables to serve their political base is a LAST resort, not the first one to sustain the dysfunctional spending practices in Springfield.
Pretty simple message. I think it would resonate with everyone not feeding at the government trough.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:36 am:
==Who says everything has to be paid by the middle class? I get it that the middle class is full of hard workers who take responsibility, but there are people with far more resources who can be tapped. Look around. The middle class doesn’t have to do everything!
Didn’t the referendum in November about taxing millionaires speak about a middle class who need some help and relief in paying==
So Rauner should only concern himself with immediate concerns and not long term reform, and the solution to that is to implement a tax plan that would require a constitutional amendment, that could not take affect until years from now and in no way address this years budget shortfall..,or next years???
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:36 am:
Rauner’s approval rating is sinking like a stone.
- burbanite - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:38 am:
Since she is in child care maybe he should bring her in. She sounded like a superstar…
- Roland the Headless Thompson Gunner - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:40 am:
And he’s still dropping his Gs. Good ‘ol Bruce — just a regular guy from Dartmouth.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:41 am:
==Rauner’s approval rating is sinking like a stone.==
I see no evidence of that. It dropped pretty well in his first three months or so, but the last two polls I saw made it look like it had stabilized.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:42 am:
“Only one side has moved” in a meaningful way?
- A Jack - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:46 am:
I wonder if he will start avoiding Decatur after that exchange.
He seems to make speeches over there every other week. Is he more enamored with Staleys’ smell or ADM’s safety record?
- 18th - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:47 am:
Hey Rich, you might want to fix your update. Quincy is represented by House Republican Randy Frese.
- Juice - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:51 am:
A Jack, the Governor probably saw The Informant and wanted in on some of that Andreas action.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:52 am:
My politicians are a cop and a fire fighter that cashed your checks for there full pensions. They will here from the voters.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:52 am:
18th - but it’s still repped by Senator Sullivan in the Senate.
- challengerrt - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:53 am:
Is everyone hearing what he is saying? I can bet you that if Rauner got everything he wanted he would definitely raise taxes, just because he got what “HE” wanted! Compromise means you give a little, I give a little, but no Rauner wants it all,meaning hurting unions locally, or he won’t give anything. Think about it.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:57 am:
== but no Rauner wants it all,==
You mean, besides many of his initial demands he’s withdrawn?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:01 am:
= What would people on this blog say if a suburbanite bends the Governor’s ear and begs for property tax relief?=
That has happened plenty, the bending of the Governor’s ear on property tax in the burbs and everywhere else. I would love to see property tax relief. I would love to be able to lower our tax levy, that would mean the state is meeting it’s resp[responsibility.
PTELL will not make that happen. On the contrary, we will maintain the current rates.
An increase in school funding by the state would likely require a revenue increase. That means the politicians would have to do the dirty work of increasing taxes versus pushing that to the local level. The state politicians D’s and R’s alike) have been increasing taxes for years, but their hand has been less visible because they are forcing it to happen at the local level.
- walker - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:04 am:
==One side wants additional revenue. The other side wants reform.==
It is funny that anyone who can read and do arithmetic, and is informed on the budget proposals, still believes this spin.
Rauner’s own budget, using his own numbers and written statements, requires increased tax revenue to balance. Rauner simply cannot admit that fact publicly.
Rauner needs new tax revenues, and both he and the Dems know it, but he has to find a way to blame the Dems as much possible.
Yes, Rauner wants long term reforms. They might well be worth fighting for.
But to constantly repeat that he’s simply trying to “exchange his reforms with the tax increases the Dems want” is laughable. That’s one reason there is an impasse.
- horse w/ no name - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:05 am:
“They’re saying that we need to find revenue”
Does anybody disagree with that? Does Rauner think we don’t need revenue? Ok, Governor, what’s your plan then? Because term limits and tort reform don’t balance the budget.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:06 am:
“You mean, besides many of his initial demands he’s withdrawn?” So that leads to the next question: Is dropping a demand that was DOA before it was even made actually a compromise?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:09 am:
=My politicians are a cop and a fire fighter that cashed your checks for there full pensions=
As if it was wrong to work for many years, contribute to the pensions system like clock work, and then actually COLLECT the pension?
So..you leave earned money on the table? Mighty nice of you to do that /s
- DuPage Dave - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:13 am:
Someone needs to remind Rauner that he is the governor. He won the election. His name is on the letterhead. So stop campaigning, please!
- Lottie O'Neill - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:16 am:
The woman in this audio is a better-informed, more effective debater than Rauner. Period.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:16 am:
JS Mill - hence why I noted the other day and why I continue to hold out hold that Rev. Meeks can talk the Governor into adopting his plan. Nothing against Senator Manar, but Rev. Meeks plan is what I believe to be the best option. Of course, if Senator Barickman and Senator Manar can combine forces and pass the combo of funding reform and a proration fix, then that would be a decent substitution.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:17 am:
When the governor goes after police and firefighter pensions the voters will get behind him not all barnyard animals are equal.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:20 am:
To UpdateX2,
zzzzzzzzzz.
Please. At least try to make done of these useless press releases sound more like 2015 and less like 1996
The 80 years in power, c’mon, is this the absolute “best” tgar can be churned out?
Lazy, tired talking points, in a cookie-cutter frame.
Awful.
- Mouthy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:23 am:
Help me, Help me, Help me, Help me, from the campaigning governor…Annie Yarbary was the focused on the seriousness of the situation…
- Norseman - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:23 am:
Pretty simple message Bob, but you took 7 paragraphs to impart it.
Here’s simple:
Government BAD; Rauner GOOD.
And this moves the ball forward how?
- Joe M - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:24 am:
The Governor constantly singling out individual Democrats to chastise is counter-productive. He eventually needs the same folks he is chastising to work with him to pass a budget.
Perhaps the Governor should read up more about the balance of power between the Governor and the General Assembly and the Judicial. He should also take a look at How A Bill Becomes a Law in Illinois.
http://www.ilga.gov/commission/lis/98bill_law.pdf
There is no section in that chart that lists demonizing members of the other party as part of the process to pass a law in Illinois.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:27 am:
===I’d say a lot of Dems are worried about being seen as taxing their constituents in order to bail out Chicago, even schoolkids.===
Remember;
MJM and Cullerton will demand, not request, demand 67 GOP “green” lights for cover for Dems votes that will fill the 71 and 36.
Once Rauner decides the budget needs passing, and hangs all 67 out to dry, MJM and Cullerton will protect their Tier 1s, and those Tier 1s will run against these votes.
Pretty easy.
- walker - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:27 am:
==“You mean, besides many of his initial demands he’s withdrawn?”==
Pease keep up. They are no longer withdrawn.
Rauner said he dropped “all but two of five” demands 48 hours before end of session. But since they were combinations of the original eight, (e.g tort reform combined with workers’ comp, and tax freeze combined with prevailing wage) it’s a bit hard to sort out. He seems to have actually cut eight to four.
Good. Looked like a compromise. But too late in the session to get an agreed budget.
And now? He took it all back. The “compromise” statement appears to have been “take it right now or it’s gone.”
Term Limits is top of his list in speeches, remapping has come back. It looks like we are officially back to the original eight turnaround items, at least in Rauner’s public statements.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:29 am:
Rauner doesn’t understand that folks in Quincy have a fairly strong feeling for Chicago. They don’t mind — and they go there often. That’s why the Amtrak from Quincy through Galesburg to Chicago is always packed — twice daily.
Go figure.
- ash - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:33 am:
“Anonymous”, please tell us who you really are. You increasingly sound like either a Rauner staff member or an IPI plant…
- Trey56 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:33 am:
@Arizona Bob
Tell Rauner already to quit trying to pay people off people already. You tell him that we need to seriously reform who funds TIF districts. Pension funding in Illinois is apart of the compensation package. Just because one creates jobs does not mean they pay a living wage. This requires a responsibility that has to shift to those in the private groups that create the problems by forcing people on welfare roles to sustain their business model through unfairly high salaries and costly “spiking” in their salaries which don’t increase pay for middle class workers. Who are you to dictate what is fair and what isn’t when you don’t even live in this state and pay taxes here to begin with? Are you still living in the Horse and Buggie era?
- AnonymousOne - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:36 am:
Anonymous @10:36
It’d be real interesting to know where the money that was stolen from the pension funds was spent( since this is such a huge part of our debt). Obviously we have had a revenue problem if workers had to be shorted their retirement savings to pay for other things. What are those other things? Where did it go? It’s already been determined that if the pension funds had not been used as a piggy bank for decades on end the funds would be funded at well into the 80% area. IMRF has never been raided and is over 90% funded. Obviously if everyone follows the plan, db plans are the best deal for taxpayers. Our legislature didn’t do that. Where did the money go? Maybe those places need to be looked at as unsustainable if a tax increase to repay the debt can’t happen. If we can’t pay/don’t want to pay for those programs, then maybe they shouldn’t exist. The screaming will start about programs that are non-negotiable. Understood. Then we (someone!) needs to pay for these things. Adults understand that you have to pay for things you need/want.
- Downstate - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:38 am:
Innocent question……
What in the Madigan/Cullerton budget pointed to their acknowledgement that Illinois has to make a fundamental shift in spending?
They were trusted with a tax increase three years ago, but the hole has only gotten bigger?
My point is that we’ve tried a tax increase, but that didn’t seem to reduce the deficit.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:41 am:
Downstate, you choose to be ignorant. The numbers don’t lie and you can find them easily if you wish.
- Trey56 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:48 am:
@ Anonymous
My politicians are former teachers, business owners, disabled individuals, and veterans. It’s easy to pit people against one another because “they put their life on the line”. There is a huge difference between manufactured crises and actual emergencies. I scratch my head when Rauner supposedly supports term limits at the state level but not at the federal level because they “have a different mission.”
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:49 am:
“Rauner needs new tax revenues, and both he and the Dems know it, but he has to find a way to blame the Dems as much possible.”
He can scream and blame all he wants, as long as he does the right thing in the end and raises revenue. Democrats appear to be giving him mild workers comp reform. Madigan said he would do Medicaid cuts.
“Yes, Rauner wants long term reforms. They might well be worth fighting for.”
I want long-term reforms also, but I can’t get them now. It’s very frustrating sometimes, but we fight on. They are worth fighting for, but not in a way as to cause major fiscal disaster in the immediate future.
- CharlieKratos - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:51 am:
Questions of the day for BVR, MM, and TC would be a great idea. If we got a few people to ask them, and it became known where the questions came from…
- Norseman - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:58 am:
=== After more than 80 years in power … ===
I know time flies when you’re having fun, but I don’t believe I missed 45 years of Cullerton/Madigan leadership - not counting the 10 years of GOP leadership in the Senate. Alas, the frat boys have to EMBELLISH. Being truthful would get in the way of the narrative.
- Kodachrome - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 11:59 am:
So Willy, is $1,037,820 accurate? All I hear on this board is about how the GA GOP has been bought and paid for. If this is accurate, what exactly do you call Sullivan? I don’t see anything “cookie-cutter” about that argument. Isn’t funding of candidates by those in power what you are criticizing Rauner for? If Sullivan got $1,037,820 from D leadership, how is he not “bought and paid for”? In my view, they ALL are bought and paid for in this fashion, and so my frustration always comes with only one side being called out for it here. You can tell me all about how Rauner says he is against corruption and then buys legislators - I will keep telling you I am not his fan, but I am a fan of a fair solution to this impasse, and constantly attacking only one side for buying campaigns doesn’t help. It leads to corrupt bargains, no matter which side does it. I don’t get how you think R GAers are bought, but D GAers somehow are an autonomous group who vote their consciences.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:03 pm:
“Sullivan has taken $1,037,820 from Madigan, Cullerton and committees they control.” So you’re saying he shouldn’t be paid for committee work? And what work have the R’s done to earn their share of Rauner’s money?
- Trey56 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:08 pm:
@ Downstate,
Rauner needs to let us know where the time machine is and how he plans on repealing reality. You need to raise revenue to pay for critical needs like infrastructure, not his bottom line. Increasing the welfare roles is not cutting taxes.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:08 pm:
- Kodachrome -,
Is giving $400K to all GOP GA members hours before a House vote ok? If you say it’s fine, ok, I can live with that…
But why are so many checks still NOT deposited? Why?
Rauner is holding $20 million in actual dollars over the heads of the GOP GA.
Giving monies during a campaign, for campaigning is literally support.
Having $20 million in the bank and making clear to all 67 members they don’t want a $&@#% problem, or the $20 million takes you “out”, that is owning, especially with $400K put into play hours before a vote to stay “yellow” as Rauner demands.
Think of that;
You have $20 million to keep in line 2 Caucuses, you “sprinkle” $400K around, that some won’t even deposit yet, to reinforce “who” is in control.
If you can not see the difference in those movements, I can’t help you.
- Arsenal - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:11 pm:
==They were trusted with a tax increase three years ago, but the hole has only gotten bigger?==
The tax increase expired at the beginning of this year.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:14 pm:
- Kodachrome -
To the “voting”,
Look at the SSM and Conceal Carry roll calls.
Hmm.
- Juice - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:15 pm:
Kodachrome, has Sullivan received any of those dollars for specific votes on legislation? In terms of “tough votes” over the past few years, there was the tax increase, pension reform, marriage equality. How did Sullivan vote on all of those? That’s the difference, Rauner is buying votes, the Dem leadership isn’t.
- Ignorance Hunter - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:25 pm:
I guess my favorite line from the audio clip was when the woman arguing with Governor Rauner said, “we were told to get jobs.” Hmm. So you’re only working because you were told to. How about this — you have children that need to be cared for. How does one care for their children, you wake up every morning and go to work to provide for YOUR children. “We were told to get jobs”, get out of here with that.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:25 pm:
After listening to the audio, “Help” (Beatles) immediately starting running through the mental radio. Rauner playing the victim is priceless.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:32 pm:
Willy & Juice -
There is one vote in each Chamber that matters. In the House, it’s who you support for Speaker. In the Senate, it’s who you support for President. Everything after that is gravy.
I’m sure that then-Leader and eventual President Emil Jones, Jr. asked that pointed question to John Sullivan when he bought into the Senate Dems advertising and workers guarantee.
Senator Sullivan also votes for all spending bills put forth by President Cullerton and Senators Steans and Kotowski. Those are the votes that, in my mind, truly matter.
I like Senator Sullivan a lot. He’s a stand-up guy, and I’m only referencing him because of Kodachrome’s example. But he’s made the votes that have been asked of him.
- Trey56 - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 12:46 pm:
@Ignorance Hunter
Well if there is no one to take care of your kids, while you work your way up to be able to afford child care, your going to have a difficult time working and meeting your basic needs. Just set up work camps, repeal the child labor laws, and just bring your children to work with you right?
- Buzzie - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:06 pm:
Is anyone else tired about hearing about “all the people leaving Illinois”?
- Kodachrome - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:08 pm:
=Senator Sullivan also votes for all spending bills put forth by President Cullerton and Senators Steans and Kotowski. Those are the votes that, in my mind, truly matter. I like Senator Sullivan a lot. He’s a stand-up guy, and I’m only referencing him because of Kodachrome’s example. But he’s made the votes that have been asked of him=
Exactly. Willy, I have said, I am not disagreeing with you at all on the Rauner payments. I don’t agree with you that somehow you think that D GA members are not beholden to the leaders, and significantly beholden based on a reward/punishment system controlled by those leaders. It ain’t right with Rauner, and it ain’t right with them. And pointing out two specific votes doesn’t change it. It doesn’t mean they never are allowed to think for themselves, but don’t tell me that $1 mil isn’t buying that legislator. Come on now. If you can show me that the figure is inaccurate, I might think differently. Otherwise, he is bought and co-opted just the same, and in my view should be criticized as such just as much as the GOP GA. The one-sidedness of too many people on this issue, in my view, is a huge part of the problem. Until the actual voters on each side recognize their own faults, we are going nowhere. On this site, in this year, the huge majority of comments here are only attacking one side in this battle, and I think it is very counter-productive, especially with so many people here who are smart and informed. How you can see $1 million in payments to a legislator and be unwilling to attack him equally as being co-opted, sorry, I don’t get it.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:16 pm:
- Kodachrome -,
When Madigan or Cullerton get 71 and 39 members, all members to vote a certain way, specific to bills, and then reward with monies that the timing of said monies coordinate with… all 71… all 39… voting as conpletely instructed, as a Caucus, as a whole, then you have my attention.
Otherwise, it just ain’t the same.
Also, I’m sure there was a caucus meeting, with the HDems and the SDems, where the Leaders explicitly said, that monies are currently put aside unless the HDems and SDems attending vote exactly as the Leaders required.
Did I miss the reporting of that specific meeting?
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:26 pm:
Willy - I know that all 38 Senate Dems not named John J. Cullerton (and Leader Radogno) voted President Cullerton back into his post. I would assume the vote for Speaker was about the same.
That is the vote that matters to leadership.
- Kodachrome - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:26 pm:
Again, come on Willy. You know as well as I that plenty of Sens & Reps, particularly if they have elections coming up, get a pass from the leaders. Why? Because those guys don’t need 71 and 39. They need 60 and 30, and in the past have needed even less because they could get GOP votes by offering something in return. GOPers, meanwhile, for the past decade plus understand that they cannot get one single thing passed in the legislature that the leaders did not want passed. The GOP, on the other hand, because they are a minority vs. a veto-proof majority, have to stick together at this point to get anything done, or accept that they are there to keep seats warm. Once again, I am not supporting how Rauner does things with these payments, but I also understand that to try to break the control of the leaders, he has to keep his group together to get leverage.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:27 pm:
- Kodachrome -,
It breaks my heart. I love the legislature. I am a fan of both Durkin and Radogno. I love the legislative races most, and I pine for the times of Mark Beaubien and Maureen Murphy, of Bernie Pedersen and Rosemary Mulligan;
A diverse Caucus.
A majority Caucus.
Members that reflect their districts, and can be a Caucus with many ideas.
It WAS herding cats. That’s changed now. Rauner has said so.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:42 pm:
OW: Thing is, you don’t have to buy a cat. If you have a good home and a caring heart, you can adopt as many as you want…literally and metaphorically.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:43 pm:
(That said, get your literal cats literally spayed and neutered!)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:43 pm:
To UpdateX3,
(Insert my cut of “UpdateX2″ here, change time stamp, replace one snark for another. Paste. Hit “Say It!”)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 1:52 pm:
- Kodachrome -,
To make sure you don’t think I glossed over the 71/39 and 60/30 point, and protecting, and the “hang together” thoughts of a minority caucus…
At what cost is it that members can be placed into being part of the Raunerite takeover agenda that those members that walked on RTW instead of being “yellow” had to worry, not about the the district they represent being upset, but how it would effect their own relationship with the Governor.
That’s why that chain of events really upset me.
All good. I appreciate the back and forth. I’m still rooting for the 67. I hope they can spread their wings to help govern, not just be a literal chip in the game.
OW
- VanillaMan - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:02 pm:
Rauner: All they want to do is force a tax hike, then we’re all going to lose in the long run.
We have a governor blind to the reality that citizens are already losing in the short run. The long run is not affordable to people not earning enough to make it from paycheck to paycheck. The long run is a luxury to people who have been watching their children quickly growing up and through sub-par schools. The long run is something investors and venture capitalists enjoy.
We have a governor who doesn’t understand the short run. If you live in it - he believes that you have made a big mistake, and deserve becoming road kill in the long run.
His portfolio might be as rich as a Rockefeller, but Bruce Rauner’s administration would make Governor Rockefeller weep in fury.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:07 pm:
What I want to know is where is the Rauner smoking gun. Here’s a rich guy railing about money.
Someone has a smoking gun on Rauner — something that will top everything we’ve seen so far now and during the campaign.
Why are the Ds looking for that? Have they already found it?
You don’t become a billionaire without many, many skeletons.
- Arthur Andersen - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:07 pm:
Arizona Bob, stop with the Baloney about teachers and their pensions. I burnt half an hour last night giving you real hard facts from an objective source and you continue to ignore them.
In summary, the average teacher pension is $51k. New pensioners average $48k, the same average as FY2004. (There goes your spiking argument right down the crapper,) The average active teacher salary is $68.5k, unchanged since FY2012. Your mythical 240k classroom teacher (renting the yacht, remember?) does not exist.
Oh, and I recall that you haven’t answered my previous question-are you a recepient of a public pension benefit?
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:18 pm:
Macbeth - seriously? Do you remember some of the stuff that came out last year (during the end of the GOP primary and throughout most of the general election)? Not trying to be a jerk, but what exactly are you hoping gets dropped? Bad business deals? Lawsuits? Questions about his divorce from his first wife? Nursing home shenanigans? Been there, done that.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:27 pm:
—
Been there, done that.
—
And the “Fire Madigan” isn’t ‘been there done that?’
Seriously?
- Percival - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:32 pm:
All these people casually talking about “new revenue” might want to check with their own constituents first, and not the ones who are directly or indirectly reliant on State money. They are never going to get multiple billions out of just millionaires.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:33 pm:
Macbeth -
What does that have to do with unveiling a “smoking gun”? You seem to clamor for some massive bombshell to drop 7-8 months after Rauner was elected. What is the likelihood of that?
If the Dems wanna try and run the same Rauner oppo again, more power to them. I would bet that Governor Rauner will try a varied version of “Fire Madigan”. But he actually has the cash to push points.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 2:40 pm:
Percival - the millionaire’s tax is estimated to bring in $1 billion a year in additional tax revenue.
But your overall point is very valid, and it was especially spot-on in light of the Senate’s “committee of the whole”.
- Judgment Day (on the road) - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 3:41 pm:
Just to pass along a summary of conversation I had with somebody who gets their hands dirty every day dealing with state government:
1) If the State agencies/offices based in both Springfield and Chicago went out on strike, 85% of what they do wouldn’t be missed.
2) If it was the regional offices that went out, that would hurt almost immediately. Why? Because these days when you need answers, most of the talent that still exists is based out in the regional offices. That’s where you get answers.
3) There needs to be a real re-structuring of the departments - away from the old ‘hub and spoke’ model into a far more modern ’spider web’ model.
4) The local government operations types are saying you have to be really desperate to talk directly to Springfield and expect usable answers.
One of those little unanticipated side effects of Pat Quinn’s patronage push.
- A guy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:02 pm:
Macbeth, I think you should stay away from all guns, smoking, non-smoking, cap, squirt, flare, stun,staple or otherwise.
- Kodachrome - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:15 pm:
= All good. I appreciate the back and forth. I’m still rooting for the 67. I hope they can spread their wings to help govern, not just be a literal chip in the game. =
Likewise, OW . . . Likewise
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 4:44 pm:
(Tips cap to - Kodachrome -)
- scott aster - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:05 pm:
Someone earlier in the day said what does Rauner want…..juat a level playing field for business and job growth so we get more revenu to pay for all the programs that have created in the last 40 years since Thompson reconized the unions. That was the beginning of the problems.
- Enviro - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 5:49 pm:
There is stonewalling going on by both sides, but the Democratic leaders are much better at this game.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:17 pm:
– just a level playing field so we can get more business and job growth–
Is that a gag?
Since January 2010, we’ve been in an era of record corporate profits, quarter after quarter, yet incomes across the board are stagnant or in decline.
Knocking down incomes is the solution to what problem, again?
The empty buzzwords used to sell this reactionary nonsense is like the chanting of a cult, immune to facts or reason.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:20 pm:
== He seems to make speeches over there every other week. Is he more enamored with Staleys’ smell or ADM’s safety record? ==
Probably Staley and ADM’s money.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:21 pm:
== They were trusted with a tax increase three years ago, but the hole has only gotten bigger? My point is that we’ve tried a tax increase, but that didn’t seem to reduce the deficit. ==
-downstate-, actually the mandated pension payments were being made and the backlog of bills were cut in half until the temporary increase was allowed to expire at Rauner’s request. To quote Rich: “use the Google”
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 6:58 pm:
It’s kind of tough to figure out where to post this since it touches on so many comments the last several days. Here’s hoping I don’t run afoul of any banned words …
Rauner was elected because he was perceived as someone who could run the State like a business and root all the waste / fraud / abuse instead of raising taxes. Maybe he should try doing some of that.
I’ve never denied there was some level of waste in government. That’s a simple fact; there is a level of waste in every private and public enterprise.
It’s the job of a good manager to minimize it. Admittedly, union work rules make it harder to manage those problems so some modification, not elimination, of the disciplinary process should be bargained for. Make it easier to fire the actual screw-ups; the union needs to quit protecting the incompetent.
And management level patronage dopes need to be able to be easily fired also, just for being idiots that make it harder to get a job done. But that doesn’t mean you need to trash both union and civil service protections.
Take a really close look at the deliverables for contracts, especially the personal services contracts. The big consulting firms will bid on the contracts and you think the State is going to get top level talent. Nope, most of the time you get, maybe, one or two top guys and the rest of the crew are mediocre at best and quite often trainees sent to learn their job at State expense. Stop that practice, require specific names and qualifications of the people working on the project, and get the quality of service the State is paying for. Put performance / penalty clauses in the contracts and enforce them. I did in my little corner of the world.
Bring in someone that really knows how to turn the screws during contact negotiations. Heck, for that matter, see if Tristano is available and have him review all the contracts before award; he knew how to do it.
Establish real metrics for the services being delivered. For example, don’t just measure the number of cases pushed through a given health/welfare system; measure the number of cases correctly decided and not appealed / overturned. And don’t make the measurement system so burdensome that you spend more time filling out those forms than you do delivering actual services.
Recognize that finding fraud in welfare systems costs money. From what I know of the workloads, you’re going to have to actually hire more people (permanently or on contract) to do proper investigations.
I could go on but you should get the general idea. Improving State government doesn’t mean stopping delivery of services, it means delivering the (presumably desired by the public) services in a better, more cost effective manner. And in some cases, where early intervention is shown to work, that is going to cost more money on the short term that will hopefully deliver savings in the long term.
Mr Rauner … the above is what you were elected to do in Illinois. Now do it! And if you do it well, you will be re-elected … and have a stepping stone to the White House.
- Anonymous - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 8:03 pm:
@RNUG
Apparently, Bruce Rauner’s reasons for running differ from the reasons folks had when they voted for him.
- Macbeth - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:05 pm:
—
Mr Rauner … the above is what you were elected to do in Illinois. Now do it!
—
Rauner could care less. He’s not a smart guy. He and his wife will move on — and not give one single thought to his four years as a Governor. It’s just one more thing to the rich people.
- fly on the wall - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 9:17 pm:
well said RNUG. In addition why is it acceptable that medicaid spending has more than doubled in the last 12 years and education spending is more or less flat. We have to face the facts that cuts need to happen. Are you telling me a 5% reduction across the board in spending will destroy the state? Organizations make these tough choices all the time and it is time our politicians quit living in fantasyland that there is endless funds available.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:21 pm:
== Are you telling me a 5% reduction across the board in spending will destroy the state? ==
- fly on the wall -,
Coming after three years of budget cuts by Quinn that were 10% and 11% (depending on the year), we probably are to the point where another across the board cut is going to hurt programs and people. Quinn already got most of the easy stuff.
While I believe it should be looked at, Medicaid is a Federal program that the State has limited control over. If you take the Fed money, you have to follow the Fed rules (unless you can get an experimental waiver to try something different) and deliver the services. The State has been trying, and partially succeeding, in transforming Medicaid from an emergency room service on demand type system into an HMO like preventative system … but it takes years to overcome a mindset that considers the ER the first and only medical resource and doesn’t understand or doesn’t care about the value of preventative care.
Re education, if we want to reduce property taxes and increase school funding, then the State has to step up and provide the primary funding level it is supposed to … and guess what, that requires additional taxes at the State level.
Any way you want to slice it, the services that Illinois citizens expect / want require more revenue than the Illinois state level tax system brings in.
- RNUG - Thursday, Jun 11, 15 @ 10:24 pm:
Anonymous -, - Macbeth -,
I concur … but every once in a while I just next to rant and vent like everyone else. And while I’ve gotten better at editing my posts to be shorter, Rich is kind enough to let me ramble on and on and on …
- Property of IDOC - Friday, Jun 12, 15 @ 4:34 am:
Here it is:
*Property tax freeze-benefits Rauner and his cohorts, allowing fewer tax$ paid on their billion$,
*Term limits-makes it easier to get their “puppet” candidate into office,
*Workman’s comp reform-ensures greater protections for the employer…because they are the employers,
*Redistricting-really gerrymandering, built to benefit the “agenda” of the billionaire horde,
*Ending unionization-allows for a lower paid workforce for himself and his owner/employer billionaire friends,
*Allowing the 5% income tax to expire- although,under the guise of “helping the little guy”, it likely saved them more the first week(day?) than I make in a year.
*Right to work zones (which have been tabled), will only benefit the owner/employer/fellow Koch conspirators, see Wisconsin’s #s.
None of his agenda items are about the State’s greater good, simply their bottom line. That is why he ran for office, that is why the voters were pawns. Fraud, sham, phony - what ever you call it…it is an unethical, immoral abuse of the the system.
Sigh…is this really what we want from our ” leader”?
I know it is not what he was elected to do.