58 Comments - Rabid - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:02 am: Following the govenor around bating cleanup - illinoised - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 5:06 am: I have been saying same thing for months. It is obvious. - Hottot - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 5:37 am: The state debt is up 6 times what it was since he became governor. His income in 2015 tripled. How much money is he making off the state’s debt? He’s shown no desire to pass a balanced budget, he will not produce one for consideration, and Illinois is going down the drain, but his personal income is rising. His companies have to be buying the state’s debt! - Bruce (No, not him) - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 6:19 am: I can’t disagree. - Tired Teacher - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 6:34 am: Afraid I agree also. So very sad; our beautiful state is being done such harm . - Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 7:44 am: Debt is up 6 times? To 1.2 trillion? Rauner is investing is the State’s debt through his blind trust? Quite a scoop you have uncovered or completely fabricated - Ed Higher - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:01 am: In other breaking news, dog bites man. Water found to be wet. - Jose Abreu's last homer - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:16 am: I really thought she was going to disagree with other democrats this time. - Seats - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:23 am: Jose Abreu - if there was a subject she should go against them on this wouldn’t be the one. The Gov is intentionally ruining this state. - Ahoy! - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:30 am: –“He has shown for two years that he doesn’t want to compromise.”– The biggest problem is that if you just read the quote, you don’t know if someone is talking about Madigan or Rauner. After you know who said it, you know who they are talking about. Someone can say the same thing about both men and both people might be right. - Markus - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:37 am: “The impasse is the most intentionally vicious act ever committed by this state government on its own people. Period.” RM - AnonymousOne - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:39 am: That’s been the plan. This did not happen by accident. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:48 am: If you like to make the case Rauner wants a budget and it’s another actor preventing a budget… … you have to explain the following; Rauner said often, publicly, in speech on the House floor… The budget was a Senate “thing” and wanted A Grand Compromise… Rauner continued to stall the process, forcing Leader Radogno to “keep going”, even beyond possible agreements, big and small Rauner then, himself, personally, blew up Radogno’s first Grand Bargain attempt. Oh, and please explain how you know more than Radogno who said Rauner blew it up. After all that… explain Grand Bargain II, and the continued stallinb by Rauner. Explain Rauner not allowing votes for Version II that would, if passed, would in actuality force Madigan’s hand… oh, and… … and.. explain the robocalls and “touring” that run counter to Rauner being supportive of any compromise that. Explain ALL that away… If ya can’t, then don’t waste your time typing. - P. - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:53 am: Yeah but he did all that “applaudin.” - JPC - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:53 am: I’m curious to hear Lucky Pierre defend the Governor rather than attempt to deflect criticism of him. Let’s here an affirmative case for the Governor’s behavior. - JS Mill - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:57 am: @JPC- That’s nice but you are wasting your time. LP doesn’t work with things like facts or he would explain why the governor hasn’t submitted a balanced budget to the ILGA. Might be a nice starting point. - Anonymous - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 8:59 am: Strange how Mendoza will move up in the world of politics and one day be a Senator while Madigans daughter will not because Madigan see’s his daughter as Ana threat to him and his power - Lucky Pierre - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:03 am: The Governor cannot sign a budget if the co equal legislative branch does not pass one through both chambers and send it to him. JPC will you criticize the legislature for failing to pass a balanced budget again as has been their history over many years - JPC - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:05 am: @Lucky Pierre The Governor has not proposed a balanced budget. He is supposed to. That’s his job. Is this not the case? - Montrose - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:10 am: Lucky - The Governor has also said he won’t sign a budget - any budget - unless his non-budget demands are met. If he was willing to focus on on just budget issues, a balanced budget could reach his desk. - Demoralized - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:12 am: Lucky: You are the king of deflections. You’re right. The Governor can’t pass a budget on his own. The Governor CAN, however, submit a balanced budget, which he has not done. That is a valid criticism. Perhaps you should try honesty instead of deflection. - titan - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:12 am: Lucky Pierre - You failed to explain the reasoning behind getting his party’s people to pull away from the deal in the Senate so as to prevent the passage of Grand Bargain I. - Anon - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:12 am: What a great time to be a big corporate vendor earnin’ 9% on all your state contracts. It’s good to be friends with Bruce. - Former Hillrod - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:13 am: LP Answer this if you can. Since the governor has not proposed a balanced budget how can the legislature pass it? - IllinoisBoi - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:16 am: ==The Governor CAN, however, submit a balanced budget, which he has not done.== Not only CAN he, but according to the state constitution, he MUST. - Deft Wing - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:16 am: –”The Governor has not proposed a balanced budget. He is supposed to. That’s his job. Is this not the case?”– It is the case. Each and every budget proposed by Rauner has been unbalanced. And so were Quinn’s & Blago’s; exactly none of which were adopted by the Legislature. None of them. So, do you really want to get parroting that inane talking point? Does Rauner’s failure to propose a truly balanced excuse the Legislature from doing … anything? C’mon, get real. Mendoza’s statement may well be correct … for BOTH Rauner & Madigan. The politics now (and for 2 years prior between these combatants) is a blood sport. It is all about the next election, to hell with Illinois. Which is why people and businesses are leaving in droves. The “winner” of this battle has a ridiculous clean-up job ahead. - RNUG - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:22 am: The Governor can also lobby to put IGOP votes on a budget instead of pulling votes off of it. - HangingOn - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:22 am: Let us simplify. Rauner is the cake baker who never sent the cake to the Icers and is complaining that he hasn’t gotten the iced cake back to finish decorating. How can they ice a cake that has not been given to them? And how can people not see that there is no cake to ice and keep blaming the Icers? I’m starting to think I shouldn’t have skipped breakfast this morning… - JS Mill - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:23 am: The governor’s failure rate on proposing a balanced budget is 100%. That is total failure. The ILGA has passed more than one balanced budget, many in reality, but even one is better then Rauner’s abject failure to do his job as articulated in the Illinois Constitution. Kind of like LP’s ability to answer the question. - Demoralized - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:27 am: There should be no other priorities for anyone other than passing a budget. Term limits don’t matter. Property tax freezes don’t matter. Redistricting doesn’t matter. None of those things get the bill backlog paid down or prevent a downgrade to junk status. To continue to insist on making them part of the conversation now is just irresponsible. Accomplish something for crying out loud. - Facts are stubborn things - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:33 am: Mom has said almost daily that the number one problem facing Illinois is lack of a budget, and that he pledges to work cooperatively and professionals with the gov. Gov. Rauner has said almost daily that the number one problem facing Illinois is property taxes, workers comp and term limits, and that Madigan is the whole problem with our state. Quite a contrast. Mjm has a proven record of passing budgets with many different governors, of both parties. - Facts are stubborn things - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:34 am: Mjm has said almost daily………….. - Echo The Bunnyman - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:35 am: Bottom line, they all are to blame. They all are part of the solution. No matter what anyone says, not one of the factions get a pass. The Governor has a duty he has not fulfilled. A simple solution for him to “win” this stalemate. Propose a budget. One that “fixes the broken system”. Until then, he has no credibility. My hope is, he will present something so “inline” to our fiscal mess, it will be a wake up call to the other side. Or, he wants to drive us into oblivion and have the Feds do the heavy lifting. There’s no other outcome in my warped thinking. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:37 am: ===So, do you really want to get parroting that inane talking point? Does Rauner’s failure to propose a truly balanced excuse the Legislature from doing … anything? C’mon, get real.=== So, do you really want to ignore what Governors Edgar and Ryan say about finding 60 and 30, and understanding what can pass and what can’t? Get real. It’s about understanding how far governors can go and get 60 and 30 to get it. Now it’s 71 and 36, after Rauner blew up 2 Grand Bargains that could’ve put Madigan in the box, today. Why would Rauner blow up two opportunities to force Madigan’s hand. That doesn’t sound like a governor wanting a budget, lol “Get real!” - A Pox on Both Their Houses - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:40 am: While it is true that the Governor is tasked with preparing a budget under the Illinois Constitution, it is equally true that the General Assembly that is charged with appropriating funds and making expenditures. It is disingenuous to claim so often that without a blueprint, which in all likelihood is going to be disregarded, that carpenters and tradesmen cannot build something without an architect to provide instructions. - Deft Wing - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:41 am: Please. The “lack of a budget” isn’t the problem. The problem is Illinois spends WAY MORE than it has coming in. In fact, Illinois’ existing revenue sources is shrinking, now. People and businesses have had it and are voting with their feet. That shrinks the revenue base further. So all of you “we need a budget” people should start being honest and just say “we need a tax increase!” Because that’s what you mean. For my part, Rauner is right– reform is a must in this heaping pile of a cow-dung state. Just taxing more, which is what the Dems want — with Republican help — will not do it. - winners and losers - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:46 am: It should be hard to defend Rauner and/or the legislative leaders and/or legislators generally on the lack of a State budget. In search of a total win, we all lose. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 9:58 am: ===Please. The “lack of a budget” isn’t the problem…=== Ya, I’m gonna stop ya there. Bonding houses, social services, judges at multiple levels cite… the lack of a budget… is the problem. “Get real!” Your willful ignorance is noted. ===So all of you “we need a budget” people should start being honest and just say “we need a tax increase!” Because that’s what you mean.=== Your simpleton thought there… only works… if Raunerites can balance ANY budget without new revenues. The three grossly unbalanced, sham, phony Rauner budgets all required, not optional, revenues. “Get real!” ===For my part, Rauner is right– reform is a must in this heaping pile of a cow-dung state=== Your Raunerite solution measures out to 1.4% or $500+ million for an expected $23 billion in backlog bills. “Get Real!”, math is math, and Rauner has had years to show math, but hasn’t. Why? ===Just taxing more, which is what the Dems want — with Republican help — will not do it.=== How do you explain the Grand Bargain blow ups, and the pulling off of votes that Leader Radogno worked to secure to pass a budget? “No, I’ll wait, thanks” - DeseDemDose - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:00 am: Radogno Durkin, etc. etc. etc… All Illinois Republicans are responsbible for no budget, not just Lyin’ Rauner. - Abe - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:08 am: The state is better off insolvent now than later. The tax raises proposed by the Democrats will drive people out of the state faster than they are already leaving. Let’s rip this band-aid off - Get the traumatic fiscal distress over today rather than letting it linger for 20 years. The truth is that Illinois isn’t going to live up to the pension obligations whether we raise taxes or not. Better to get it all over with now. If you’re relying on a public pension or service, start retirement planning now for alternatives. - sonny chiss - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:09 am: Some may not believe it, but I vote Republican 95% of the time. I just have to say, OW is OWning the arguments on this blog, all day…everyday. It’s not even close and fun to read. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:18 am: - sonny chiss - Thank you for your kind words, sincerely. - OW ===The truth is that Illinois isn’t going to live up to the pension obligations whether we raise taxes or not.=== … and yet, Quinn made the payments, Rauner is making payments… Your comment only makes sense if payments aren’t made, not by arbitrary choice, but by not making these payments that have been made. - JPC - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:22 am: I’m still waiting for an affirmative defense of the 4.6 bil budget hole from Lucky Pierre and Deft Wing. - winners and losers - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:25 am: Excerpt from Letter to Editor, Tribune, 6/9/17: You then righteously insist on a balanced budget with no gimmicks, noting that there is a looming deficit of about $1 billion for next year. However, you mention nothing about how the budget is to be balanced. The situation that you describe results from years of gross underfunding of our public schools. I can think of three ways to balance the budget: 1. Get additional state aid for pensions and school operations. This is not likely to happen as long as Gov. Bruce Rauner works to sabotage such efforts by nixing added pension money with a poison pill pension reform mandate and withholding support for a new funding formula that is too helpful to CPS. 2. Lift the ceiling on CPS’ property tax rates to raise the needed billion, but this is very difficult when city property taxes have just been raised significantly. 3. Make CPS balance its budget with available funds. This third option is the only one that Claypool can take on his own, but it would mean massive layoffs of teachers and support staff, resulting in enormous class sizes. Is this what you would have him do? Instead of taking potshots at Claypool for keeping schools open with barely adequate resources, how about coming up with some solutions to CPS’ budget crisis? You don’t like Claypool’s plan; so what’s yours? — Dennis Sweeney, Chicago - wordslinger - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:32 am: DW, “reform?” Could you be less specific? Sell it. What are you talking about? What’s the projected ROI? When will it cover the projected $23B backlog at the end of FY18? Will it begin to restore social services and higher ed? Two years in, and Rauner’s kiddie korps here are still spouting shallow catch phrases to cover their willful misanthropy. - Common Sense - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:42 am: Dennis Sweeney, A combination of 2 and 3. Other school districts in the state manage to balance their budgets. Chicago needs to shut up and fund theirs with new revenues or less expenses. If the Mayor had stood his ground and made the teachers fund their retirement accounts like many other schools in the state do, that would have helped. The fact of the matter is that no Illinois Democrat will stand up to labor and lawyers and tell them the gravy train is over. - Common Sense - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:43 am: Ms. Mendoza, Please tell us all how the Democrats in the House have attempted to compromise. We’ll sit down and wait for your answer, if you can get off the tight leash that Mr. Madigan has you on. - Anonymous - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:49 am: Lucky continues to live in an alternative reality. - Demoralized - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:55 am: ==The “lack of a budget” isn’t the problem== Really? Because I’m pretty sure the lack of a budget is THE problem. ==So all of you “we need a budget” people should start being honest and just say “we need a tax increase!”== I think we have. Most, if not all, of us around here have said we need additional revenue and cuts. Any plan that doesn’t include some sort of additional revenue isn’t a serious plan. - Demoralized - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 10:56 am: ==reform is a must== And please can we freaking stop with the “reform” mantra. If we want to change business as usual we can start by passing a budget. That would be a huge reform right there. None of the rest of it matters right now. - Inspector Gadget - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 11:03 am: -Common Sence- She also voted for every single tax increase that put us in this position. Tight leash more like a patronage employee you mean!!! - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 11:05 am: ===Tight leash more like a patronage employee you mean=== … and yet, it was a legal, contested election that Mendoza won. How do you reconcile that, lol - Mouthy - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 11:39 am: It appears that the only move to make to end this is not to fund K-12 schools until there’s a signed budget. Doubt that will happen. - Demoralized - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 11:44 am: ==for every single tax increase that put us in this position== Tax increases put is in the position? Not sure what logic you are using there. The expiration of the tax increase is what has partially led us to the position we are in now. - sharkette - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 12:16 pm: Comptroller ought to be focusing on her job to issue parables that are funded. Like Fund 304 she swooped - Trapped in the 'burbs - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 12:39 pm: Yesterday, Jim Edgar addressed our group at an educational seminar. He unequivocally said that the governor is responsible for passing a budget. He pointed out that every prior republican governor that had to work with Madigan was able to pass a budget. He knows a few things about governing this state. - MyTwoCents - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:30 pm: Deft Wing & others, saying that Democrats & commenters here are just tax hike & no reforms is simplistic. Wouldn’t SB1 be considered reform? Didn’t the Senate pass a whole group of “reform” bills? Aren’t certain Democrats advocating for marijuana legalization or a progressive income tax? What if a group of Democrats demanded a campaign finance bill be passed or else they wouldn’t vote for a budget and that bill called for: 1) a ban on elected officials serving as the head of a State political party 2) a limit on the amount of money that could be donated by any 1 individual, organization or PAC to a party, candidate or campaign committee to no more than 25% of the total funds raised in a year & spouses/children count for the individuals total Wouldn’t that bill be considered reform? Arguably couldn’t it do more to change the culture in Illinois than term limits? Obviously I recognize there may be Constitutional concerns with aspects of that idea but the point is anybody can point to anything and call it reform. “Reform” is a nebulous concept what Rauner & the GOP consider reform isn’t what the Democratic Party may consider as reform and that doesn’t exactly mean the Democratic members of the General Assembly are anti-reform. - walker - Friday, Jun 9, 17 @ 1:47 pm: DW: It also appears that we “need a budget” to get out from under court-mandates and cut expenses in ways both sides could agree with. The serious budget proposals were not that far apart on total spending, when you take out all the obvious fudge factors. No? This impasse has always been about two things: the Turnaround Agenda, and who will take heat for required tax increases. Not about the numbers themselves. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.