36 Comments - Archiesmom - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:50 pm: After looking at the story below, I think first priority need to be a revenue stream, including a tax increase. - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:53 pm: Redistricting reform should not be a heavy lift because it is very popular with bipartisan majorities and both the house and senate passed separate bills. - RNUG - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:54 pm: Rauner is still operating in some alternate universe. The only thing the GA should be worrying about is passing a budget with both cuts and new revenue to balance. - @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:55 pm: “No one expects the Rauner Inquisition! Our chief priority is redistricting — economic reforms and redistricting! TWO chief priorities! Economic reforms, redistricting, and financial discipline! Er, among our chief priorities are: economic reforms, redistricting, financial discipline, and near fanatical devotion to pension reforms! Um, I’ll come in again…” – MrJM - Delimma - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:56 pm: Propose a balanced budget; debate the GA about the priorities; pass some version of that balanced budget you as governor proposed; and then, and ONLY then, do you do anything else. - Doug Simpson - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:57 pm: “Cuckoo” - Richard M. Daley - thunderspirit - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:57 pm: MrJM, touch ‘em all. That’s top quality. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:57 pm: Rauner Agenda first. The health, well-being, and the operations of the state of Illinois… Second. Vote Accordingly in 69 Days. - Huh? - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 1:58 pm: 1.4% is just telegraphing that his slash and burn agenda is still on the table along with more conditions, redistricting, term limits and pensions, before a budget and tax hike. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:02 pm: “Diana Rauner said its a good business decision by Bruce(?)” Don’t be fooled. The destruction for an Agenda is perfectly fine for the Rauners. They both are giving no quarter as they choose the business decision to quarter the state… at the cost of 1 in 13 Illinoisans… … so far. - MrJayEm -, you outdid yourself, and that’s saying something. OW - Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:04 pm: The man is absolutely crackers. - Winnin' - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:09 pm: …And a partridge in a pear tree. - Anon221 - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:15 pm: Rauner and Co. , LLC- The “leaders” in goalpost moves. - Joe M - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:16 pm: At least he didn’t say that his number one priority is to bust public unions. He may think that, but at least he didn’t say it. Maybe tomorrow with the start of the “strike” he will publicly make that his new number one priority! - SAP - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:17 pm: MrJM: I was thinking along the lines of that Spanish Inquisition routine, but you did it 10 times better than I could have hoped to. Bravo! - Lucky Pierre - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:23 pm: Why is this such a crazy idea? The current legislature is incapable of passing a budget with any financial discipline. They can’t even agree between the house and the senate. Rauner realizes we need legislative maps that reflect the true makeup of the state and not districts drawn to disenfranchise voters - Not It - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:25 pm: Sounds like “number one priority” is Rauner’s version of the “working day and night” slogan Quinn used all the time. - Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:39 pm: ===Why is this such a crazy idea?=== Is that a serious question? Why is redistricting more important than a budget? Okay. I will tell you why it is a crazy idea. Because, if we don’t get redistricting done, the state isn’t going to add 8 billion dollars to the backlog of bills. Versus not getting a balanced budget done, it will add 8 billion dollars to the backlog. Happy? - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:50 pm: It’s 60 and 30 Governor. Same as it ever was… same as it ever was. - Norseman - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 2:56 pm: Rauner is absolutely Trumpian. God help the state of Illinois. - Moe Berg - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:02 pm: Since he does not take governing seriously, he does not take care with what he says or worry about consistency. It’s just what he thinks he needs to say at the moment (there is another word for this kind of behavior). Many refuse to believe it, but whatever else he says, there are only two priorities: cut taxes and bust unions. I know he says he’s willing to raise taxes and he’s not anti-union. You’re free to take him at face value. Or, you may wish to consider the evidence piling up that suggests quite the opposite. - walker - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:05 pm: Rauner just said we need redistricting reform as our number one priority to rebuild the Illinois economy. Can anyone in their right minds defend that statement? It wouldn’t have any impact until fiscal 2023, and even then it’s impact on the state’s economy would be minuscule at the craziest best case. - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:07 pm: You make it look so easy MrJM. Well done. Again. - Norseman - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:20 pm: === Can anyone in their right minds defend that statement? === Walker, sanity doesn’t seem to be a concern in today’s politics. - d.p.gumby - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:22 pm: All righty, then. What will it be next week? - SOIL M - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:25 pm: Mr JM– well done sir. The only problem is now i have a mental picture of BR shuffling down the street in his robe muttering that those are all he needs - Whatever - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:28 pm: Good to see all those poor college students begging for MAP have gotten through to the Governor . . . - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:34 pm: Rauner is now directing ALJ’s in Dept of Revenue and Public Health to take on cases from Labor Board that are back logged. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:41 pm: ===The Governor says redistricting should be the number one priority of lawmakers when they return to Springfield after the election in November.=== I rate a budget as being the top priority for the GA. ===Rauner did say the second priority should be pension reform, after the Teachers Retirement System voted to lower their expected investment returns=== The TRS vote make the expected investment return more realistic. However, I feel that the 7% return rate is still too optimistic. I agree with Moodys, the State of Illinois needs to put much more than the $400 million per year that the recent TRS vote implies. Either something else needs to be cut from the budget or taxes need to be increased or both. If ‘pension reform’ means cutting pensions to existing and retired workers I forecast that only the lawyers that argue the case will be winners and the delay in paying for the promised pension will make the taxpayers losers. - James Knell - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:43 pm: Here we go again… tying things together that are hard enough on their own. - GlimmerGirl - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 3:46 pm: Read my lips, you need a budget! - Mama Retired - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 4:44 pm: Rauner only seems to care about election reforms so more Republicans can get elected, & pension reforms. Plus he wants to lower his property taxes. Mister JayEm, I don’t see anything about economic reforms. - G'Kar - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 4:57 pm: I just came back from a budget council meeting for our college. Based on the 27.9% funding we got for fiscal year 16 and the 45% funding we are promised for FY 17 (I say promised because none of it has arrived yet), we are looking at a 1 million dollar deficit at the end of the fiscal year with only a 10 day reserve in our operating funds by the end of FY 17. We used the MAP grant money to pay us back for paying the students’ grants for FY 16. If we don’t get MAP funding for 17 that is another half million hole in the budget. There is nothing left to cut. If we get no more state funding we will have to eliminate programs and terminate employees. These people are my friends and colleagues. They are real people who give back to their community in many, many ways. The concept that a re-map process is more important than the people who are being directly and indirectly affected by the starving of higher education and social services makes me ill. I am just on the committee, I am not the one who will have to make the final decisions if cuts come about. But, unlike Rauner, I can honestly say that I have already been losing sleep when I think of what may happen to my college. - peon - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 5:14 pm: CEO’s don’t need to be consistent - they need to be followed. - Last Bull Moose - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 6:06 pm: Where is his legislation? All else is just hot air. - Rabid - Wednesday, Aug 31, 16 @ 7:21 pm: Waiting till after the election to work things out, just like you did after the primary? Munger can show you how term limits workout Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.