84 Comments - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:35 pm: Dear GOP GA… Before y’all are “Red”, make sure you know the Governor is really going to Veto. … … Seriously. - Anon221 - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:36 pm: Are we then going to see Rauner try to pull a Groundhog Day on K-12 again? /s - Norseman - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:40 pm: Well duh. - winners and losers - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:40 pm: Amendment 2 to SB 2048 $700 million Equity Grant plus current funding for almost all other items - with funding mechanism so no school district would receive less money next school year. - unspun - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:45 pm: Dear House GOP: Your fearless, self-anointed leader Sandack encouraged you all today to push back against your leadership. Take his advice before voting no and encourage your leaders to negotiate a budget. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:49 pm: The GA should have passed Rauner’s unbalanced budget to see if he would sign that. - Tone - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:51 pm: Madigan is just trolling now. - burbanite - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 5:59 pm: Its the biggest phoniest phony unbalanced budget. Oh my. - Wensicia - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:02 pm: Madigan’s shot across the bow. Rauner predictably responds. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:04 pm: ===the biggest unbalanced budget in Illinois history — the Governor will veto the bill.=== What, did the Rauner Press Shop final stop quoting Linus Van Pelt? “Of all the Phony budgets in Illinois, this budget is the Phoniest Phony!” Comical. At least this quote sounds… thoughtful(?) - TOTM - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:07 pm: “From a senior administration official” and “the biggest unbalanced budget in Illinois history”, are very odd and disturbing together. This administration has misrepresented everything from phone calls, to votes, to budget proposals. The proposed budget is likely unbalanced, but the flair for the dramatic is so contrived that it is embarrassing. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:19 pm: As he should. Who knows what is in there? - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:21 pm: “The proposed budget is likely unbalanced” I nominate that for the understatement of the year When is the last time we had a balanced budget according to truth in accounting? - PENSIONS ARE OFF LIMITS - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:25 pm: This may well be the only shot at funding K-12. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:33 pm: The intrigue will be what type of veto. If Rauner zeros out everything except education and sends it back, the GA must come up with a balanced budget before July 1 or everything except education loses all funding until they do so. If the GA overrides Rauner they become responsible for another out-of-balance budget and now own the tax increase necessary to pay for their budget. If Rauner vetoes it entirely, then this mess rolls on just as it has all year. - Fred - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:35 pm: $7.1 billion is $970 for every adult between 20 and 65 years old. If Rauner is eventually going to sign off on tax increases covering most of the deficit, he is going to need to show his voters that he got something for it. Not just spending cuts, but some change in the patterns that got us here. I have a hard time seeing the room for a deal. (not one side’s capitulation, but a deal) Anybody? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:36 pm: Madigan will have the “Red” votes on all kinds of stuff… Madigan will have Rauner’s Veto too… Just like last year. Governors own vetoes, they always do. Then again, Rauner could double-cross the Raunerites again. That would be… fun? Not the way to run a railroad. - South Illinoisian - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:41 pm: Rauner wouldn’t sign a balanced budget without his poison pill turnaround agenda included. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:43 pm: $500,000 appropriated from the Hazardous Waste Research Fund to the University of Illinois for its ordinary and contingent expenses? $130,000 to the Susan G Komen Foundation, which netted $242,239,060 in donations last year? Cuts to homeless youth funding? - Mouthy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:44 pm: K-12 will get funded and everything else won’t meaning we are back to square one.. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:45 pm: “Meep… … Meep?” - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 6:49 pm: Hmm seems like one of his agencies wants funding. http://www.sj-r.com/news/20160525/capital-development-board-director-asked-builders-to-lobby-lawmakers?rssfeed=true - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:01 pm: FKA, I don’t have a dog in this race, but I believe that $$ for the UI is the State’s share of the otherwise Fire Service Institute, which has done yeoman work over the years in firemens’ training, safety education, and research. Don’t know if that makes it better, but it’s not a cash dump into the Central Administration. - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:01 pm: ===the biggest unbalanced budget in Illinois history=== I mean, that’s pretty easy to say after failing to fulfill the constitutional duty of introducing a budget. - wordslinger - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:02 pm: –While GOMB will need time to comb through a 500 page bill no one has ever seen before, …— Wouldn’t their time best be used in drafting and proposing the governor’s own responsible and balanced budget? Why this chronic lack of initiative? It’s actually part of the job description, as found in the Constitution. –When is the last time we had a balanced budget according to truth in accounting? – No time like the present. The governor promised to shake things up. A proposed balanced spending and revenue plan, would be just that. Best of all, Madigan can’t stop him from doing it. Put it out for all the people to see and shake things up. What’s he waiting for? He’s had the job for some time now. By the way, Truth in Accounting is the proper name of a group, not an accounting concept. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:02 pm: “*otherwise self-funded” - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:02 pm: Ron Sandack wants to be collegial… … as he tweets a picture of a colleague playing Candy Crush.. Oh Owl, “who” are you trying to fool? “Who?” - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:06 pm: The HGOP has three options… Red. Yellow. Green. Do they trust Rauner, or do they trust their Instincts. Vote Accordingly, “Raunerites”… Hope for the best from Rauner? Right. Exactly right. - Say something - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:19 pm: Why don’t you knuckleheads say something constructive, especially this OW guy, instead of just wanting to see yourself say anything. You guys just don’t get it. OK…….go ahead and delete it. I guess I am not a TEAM player. - I got it - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:23 pm: This site does not want anything negative about Madigan. Say it and have it deleted. This is a simple site. - Anony - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:23 pm: Willy @7:02…. answer, people who don’t read this blog. There’s a lot of them….. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:27 pm: Victims of their own hang ups… Bill passes with “63″… Not veto-proof… Governor Rauner, you control the fate. - Norseman - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:29 pm: A laughable ending to another bill in this farsical 2 years - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:30 pm: ===You guys just don’t get it.=== What is there to get, it’s a budget bill way out of whack forcing a bystanding governor to do something, and owning his own choice for an override probably won’t be possible. A double-cross is possible, but I digress… What am I missing? - Eiuprof - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:44 pm: My guess is that this budget is simply designed to weaken Rauner’s hand in the negotiations over the next few days. If he doesn’t find a deal with Madigan then he will have to veto again. My guess is that Madigan will now meet and demand even more to get a real deal. He thinks Rauner will break. This is a stunt, not the real deal. On a good note, the end of the year games have begun in earnest. This is the beginning not the end of the serious part. - Skirmisher - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:44 pm: Any Governor deserving of the office would veto a bill like this. Markham knows it and is counting on it. I hope Rained has the guts for it. - cgo75 - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:57 pm: Is there anything really negative to say about Madigan? He’s as close to a political genius as I’ve ever seen. - Person 8 - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 7:58 pm: To me this seems like a play right out of Rauners own playboy with AFSCME. Madigan puts out a huge budget, then he’ll take a couple little thing off here or there, eventually calling out Rauner as someone who is negotiating in bad faith when he doesn’t come off his turnaround items. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 8:01 pm: - Person 8 - The Executive of this state, by the constitution, has incredible powers. The House is now requiring this governor… to use them. - Person 8 - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 8:07 pm: OW Ahh, yeah I got that. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 8:11 pm: - Person 8 - The bill passed. Where’s the taking on or off going on? If anything, this bill, all alone, is a last and final for Rauner to use his constitutional powers. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 8:27 pm: Arthur Andersen - gracias! That is some relief. There was no time to review all 500 pages that quickly, so things like that stand out but leave no time to clarify. Unfortunately, this turned into a farce. Just as it was intended to be with a surprise 500 page budget almost no one has had time to review or consult with stakeholders on. - Michelle Flaherty - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 8:40 pm: So he’ll sign it if it turn out to not be the most unbalanced budget in Illinois history? - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 8:45 pm: 2010 balanced with borrowing 2011 pushed $1 Bill in unpaid bills into 2012 2014 out of balance budget 2015 out of balance budget There is a constant through all of those budgets, and it is not Rauner. Sheesh, the GA can’t pass a balanced budget even with a Dem governor and a tax increase! - crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 8:59 pm: ==$7.1 billion is $970 for every adult between 20 and 65 years old.== Good thing that’s not the way revenue works… But then what’s your point? - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 9:11 pm: I have no sympathy for Rauner. Rep. Lang was right- you have to include the fact that spending is occurring because of court orders, of which the administration is doing nothing about. You are appropriating pretty much a two year budget now. This falls on Rauner, quit trying to manipulate the legislature already and pass a budget. - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 9:17 pm: Rauner has the ability to reduce spending in the bill. For once, chop up the parts you don’t like and start to pay the bills. - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 9:20 pm: == This site does not want anything negative about Madigan. Say it and have it deleted. This is a simple site. == Then you haven’t been paying attention to anything I’ve written the last 4 or 5 years … not to mention a number of other commentators. - Saluki Matt - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 9:48 pm: This doesn’t even seem like Madigan is serious about a budget at this point. He seems to be solely waging war against Bruce Rauner, and the rest of the State be damned. How can these ‘leaders’ sleep at night? - lost in the weeds - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 9:59 pm: When does Illinois revert to a US territory with an appointed governor, for failing to properly operate a state using its budget authority given to the elected officials by the people’s constitution and the election by the people? Do the taxpayers favor no appropriations decided by the its elected representatives? Do the taxpayers want the courts to continue to unconstitutionally appropriate spending? The function of an elected government is to determine taxation and spending. When will this be done? Tired of waiting. Civics seems so long ago and forgotten. - Dandy Edward - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:00 pm: Just read the Chicago Tribune in the editorial section. As it states Mike Madigan is the problem since he will not negotiate with the governor. The simple solution to fix this whole mess is tax increases, budget cuts and Gov. Rauner reform agenda of state government and work comp etc. With out Rauner reform agenda we solve nothing. - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:07 pm: Rep Cassidy, you are a hero. Bless you. May more members on both sides follow your lead, and may we soon get off this train to nowhere. Hopefully Republicans and Democrats follow your suggestions as you help this state return to a functional government. - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:12 pm: You do not push for non-budget items and manufacture a crisis to get reforms that no one is going to agree upon. There is a huge difference between being a wholly owned subsidiary of someone and being independent of the Executive branch. The votes are not there… - Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:16 pm: ==I have no sympathy for Rauner. Rep. Lang was right- you have to include the fact that spending is occurring because of court orders, of which the administration is doing nothing about. You are appropriating pretty much a two year budget now. This falls on Rauner, quit trying to manipulate the legislature already and pass a budget.== Lang, and you, are completely disingenuous and/or clueless about these consent decrees. Consent decrees entered into by the previous 2 administrations. - Four cents - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:16 pm: I think a lot of this goes back to trust. I understand the frustration with Madigan and this play. I do. But I also recognize all the nonsense the governor has played too. All the press conferences, all the bashing, all of it. And then yesterday bills are introduced by Ragano that incorporate aspects of the TA without revenue and it is my understanding without some of the negotiated bipartisan compromises. The biggest kicker was the demand that the TA bills be passed first and signed into law and then, and only then, will revenue be discussed. In my mind, it still shows an immense lack of trust. It started with the over the top commercials the governor ran calling the heads of parties he had to work with silly names. So it’s all circles depending on where you start as to who is to blame and it comes back to a lack of trust. Really sad - wordslinger - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:18 pm: –The simple solution to fix this whole mess is tax increases, budget cuts and Gov. Rauner reform agenda of state government and work comp etc. With out Rauner reform agenda we solve nothing.– Perhaps you could add a little more substance, or any at all, in regards to the real-world quantifiable benefits of the “reform agenda, etc.” as you put it. If it’s as critical as you say, the numbers must just jump off the page. Why continue to keep it a secret? - Frui34 - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:31 pm: @ Anonymous - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:16 pm Consent decrees were entered into even before Thompson was governor for a variety of reasons. Rauner can find a way out of them. When he came into office he was already promoting Chapter 9 bankruptcy and wanting to shut down the state. You talk about being disingenuous? I suggest you learn state history for once. - Frui34 - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:33 pm: @ wordslinger Why not make these meeting groups public? Have a court reporter at each one also- make the truth come out. - Jorge - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:35 pm: This governor is a laughing stock. Madigan is no saint but until Rauner there were budgets. Balanced budgets in this state have never occurred. That’s a fact back to Thompson. Look up pension holidays if you disagree. What’s the benefit of the reach errr, I mean turn around agenda? As a bedrock poster here notes we’re still waiting on the details. Is Mulder going to be sent in to find the numbers? - gg - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:36 pm: Wordslinger +1 How many times must we ask? - Formerly Known As... - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 10:54 pm: Reps Cassidy, Drury, Franks, Kiwofit, Nekritz and Sente all deserve respect and credit for their logic and leadership today. Even Rep Smiddy for voting Pass and Dunkin . Thank you, as a citizen of this state. You offer hope that other leaders will step up and bridge the gap of this childish impasse. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 11:02 pm: Wordslinger perhaps you may want to listen to the CEO of Caterpillar (and numerous others)who said workers compensation reform is necessary before they would even consider building a new factory in Illinois. With the highest unemployment nation that should jump off the page. Or we could just listen to some guy with a slide rule and a pocket protector who never hired a guy in his life what he thinks we should do. - Jorge - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 11:06 pm: LP, in the age of numbers and readily available information. Where’s the savings at? Pocket protectors is the best you got. How Lambda Lambda Lambda of you. - RNUG - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 11:18 pm: == When he came into office he was already promoting Chapter 9 bankruptcy and wanting to shut down the state. == You DO realize states can’t take bankruptcy? And in Illinois, neither can cities or other government entities. - PENSIONS ARE OFF LIMITS - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 11:45 pm: Please veto the entire bill Mr. Rauner. Please do. I beg of you, veto the whole shebang. - Headed to the exit - Wednesday, May 25, 16 @ 11:50 pm: At crazy bleeding heart 8:59 If you want to impute the proposed budget deficit by the population, it seems you’re excluding the corporate tax base, such a simple mistake. May as well exclude them, be a pity if they had skin in the game when it comes to income tax. - wordslinger - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 6:58 am: == Or we could just listen to some guy with a slide rule and a pocket protector who never hired a guy in his life what he thinks we should do.– LOL, LP, I take that “slide rule” dig means you’re down on the use of fancy book-learnin’ mathematics when it comes to establishing the benefits of fiscal or economic policies. You’re of the school of chanting the same mantra-like-phrases over and over in the belief that certain actions will mysteriously produce beneficial results, without any evidence to support it. That, mon frere, is the definition of a cult. When it comes to fiscal and economic policy, I’ll stick with the slide rule. And CAT is expanding in Peoria. It was in all the papers. The governor was there and thought it was swell. http://www.pjstar.com/article/20150220/NEWS/150229983 - Lucky Pierre - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 7:34 am: Nice dodge Wordslinger I don’t see a lot of manufacturing going on in an office building. You sound like a guy who believes the forecasts that Obamacare will cut the deficit - Dome Gnome - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 7:48 am: It’s going to be a L-O-N-G week, isn’t it? - Anonymous - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 7:54 am: With a budget like this, maybe Madigan could use some of that fancy book learnin’ mathematics. These same old tricks are repetitive, tired, and harmful to the state, to the tune of $140+ billion in debt. - Pawn - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 7:54 am: Lucky Pierre, all we are pointing out is the missing return on investment calculations that Rauner should have, that justify his strategy of blowing up the state. If he is such a great businessman, surely he would have this in quantifiable form, not just in ideology. It would be nice, if after nearly 18 months into his term, he would be willing to persuade us all with facts and figures, and not just assertions. Because on the other hand, the facts and figures about the destruction of the human services infrastructure, and the declining enrollment numbers at several Illinois higher education institutions are pretty clear. - Anon - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:09 am: Governor, we elected you to make the necessary changes to turn this state around. It’s obvious that the other side isn’t going to work with you to get this done. It’s also fairly obvious that you stand little chance of being elected to a second term. PLEASE stop beating around the bush on the changes that you want made. Do whatever is in your power to make them happen and own it! We need this madness to end. - Anonymous - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:12 am: The current, unchanged trajectory of Illinois is blowing up the state. It would be nice if, after nearly 18 months of saying no to every potential reform or improvement presented, Mike Madigan offered something other than the same tired demands for business as usual and running imbalanced budgets. - Formerly Known as Frenchie M - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:14 am: — Governor, we elected you to make the necessary changes to turn this state around. — Well, some of us did. Others didn’t. Remember this sobering statistic: for every one vote cast for Rauner, one was cast for Quinn. That’s not exactly a mandate. Rauner won, but just barely. So there’s a sizable chunk of “us” that didn’t vote for him. - Lucky Pierre - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:21 am: Rauner 50.2% Vs Quinn 46.2% in a deep blue state my slide rule says these numbers are not equal - burbanite - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:22 am: The current, unchanged trajectory of Illinois is blowing up the state. It would be nice if, after nearly 18 months of saying no to every potential appropriation or budget presented, Governor Rauner offered something other than the same tired demands for “pro-business reforms” with no actual numbers to establish the benefit, like maybe, he could present a balanced budget himself to the legislature as the Constitution requires. Better. I don’t think any one believes that the budget passed yesterday in the house is going to be the actual budget. But it is a budget, and the Governor does have the power of line item veto. The Governor does not want to own his choices, he wants everyone else to. He needs to do his job. - Grandson of Man - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:24 am: “It would be nice if, after nearly 18 months of saying no to every potential reform or improvement presented, Mike Madigan offered something other than the same tired demands for business as usual and running imbalanced budgets” Madigan is willing to do a property tax freeze and more workers comp reform. The governor is still campaigning on his TA items that as some pointed out here–in a scathing way–have not been justified with numbers. Not only that, the votes are apparently not there. - wordslinger - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:27 am: LP, I’m pretty sure that those who construct office buildings and those that work within them are covered by workers comp. CAT could locate its headquarters anywhere in the world, could it not? But as Oberhelman said in the link I provided for you (that’s an example of supporting evidence, in case you’re wondering), “we’re here to stay in Peoria. Our long-term future is here.” Seriously, LP, don’t you feel a little silly chanting every day for policies that you admit you can’t justify fiscally or economically in any quantifiable manner? And sneering even at the call for any quantifiable evidence, with anti-knowledge digs about “slide rulers” and “pocket protectors?” You’re in over your head, kid. If you want to sell it like a big boy, bring the goods. - RNUG - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:29 am: In some ways, Rauner is playing example you the same game as Madigan, except Rauner is being more extreme and refusing to own any of his own actions or decisions. This makes perfect sense IF your goal is re-elected. This is insanity if your goal is to achieve doable reforms. After a year and a half, about all we’ve managed to establish is that Rauner lied when he said he could take the arrows and about balancing the budget without a tax increase. - RNUG - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:33 am: Rauner is playing EXACTLY… not example you. Have no idea where that came from. - Anonymous - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:35 am: LP, do not allow the personal attacks and derision of some to get under your skin. That is how people ‘argue’ when they know they are on the losing end of a discussion. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:43 am: ” - Anonymous - ” Pick a name, then we can just mock your lacking. - Lucky Pierre - Every day you continue your ignorance to what is refuted when it comes to your talking points drivel. You feign shock, you argue vagueness and you fake an open mind while “looking” for answers. She you have something better than Rauner destroying higher ed and social services for decimating unions as the ROI, make that case. - RNUG - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:44 am: - Anonymous - & - LP - If you want to be taken seriously here, bring data to the table. When it comes to fiscal issues, facts matter. This isn’t a philosophy class; show your work … - Mike Cirrincione - Thursday, May 26, 16 @ 8:53 am: Well since Bruce has never submitted his Constitutionally Mandated Balanced Budget, per the Constitution of the State of Illinois…Mike Madigan needs to be the adult in the room and submit one. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.