“Some warn” of catastrophe
Monday, Jun 19, 2017 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I have to admit I’m getting a kick out of the Illinois Policy Institute’s response to the “Capitol Compromise.” From their news service…
Lawmakers will be back for a special session next week and on the table will be a proposal backed by leading Republicans to increase taxes by $5 billion. Some warn that would lead to a continued exodus of Illinois residents and businesses and could backfire politically.
Because lawmakers blew through the May 31 deadline to pass a budget with a simple majority, it now takes a three-fifths vote in both chambers to pass legislation, including a budget. That means for a tax hike plan to pass the House, only four Republican “yes” votes are needed to reach that threshold if all Democrats are on board. […]
State Rep. Jeanne Ives, R-Wheaton, said she will not be one of those “yes” votes.
“We need a budget that spends only what we take in and we need to give the governor full authority to realign and redo all of the programs under the state’s umbrella and spend what we take in,” Ives said, adding that she’s disappointed by GOP leadership for being willing to exchange a tax increase for some reforms she said don’t go far enough. […]
Jason Lee, owner of Springfield-based New Age Tattoos, said last month that piling taxes on his industry and his income is more of the same.
“We’re not the upper class, we’re the middle class, and the middle class always gets our neck stepped on and I think that’s just a commonality in the state of Illinois,” Lee said. […]
Ives said she’s worried the proposed temporary tax increases will lead to continued outmigration of businesses and citizens.
She also has a warning for her fellow Republicans.
House Speaker “Mike Madigan may just very well call their bluff and make Republicans look like they just capitulated to a $5 billion tax increase,” Ives said.
- illinoised - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:13 am:
Fodder for Rauner’s base, the uninformed.
- PJ - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:13 am:
Famed economist Jeanne Ives noting that “we should only spend what we take in”. Of course, what we take in is totally arbitrary and subject to change based on tax rates, so…
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:16 am:
Which would be more delicious?
Ives playing along with the sham that IPI is “really, honestly, truly” upset with a deal…
… or that Ives is utterly clueless to what is at play with IPI making sure Rauner’s base is fired up and is also left-handedly warning her colleagues what’s really wanted which isn’t a deal.
I’d like to think Ives knows she’s part of the sham, but if Ives isn’t in on the gag, oh man, how fun is it she thinks this all is real.
- My New Handle - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:18 am:
Only four Repubs needed if all Dems on board for tax increase… and if not all Dems on board, that changes the narrative. Repubs forced to increase taxes because of reckless Dem spending. Rauner once again victimized and whining about it. I wonder if that ad has a draft script already.
- Hamlet's Ghost - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:20 am:
Only four Repubs needed if all Dems on board for tax increase…
And that is why there should be NO IL House Dems on board for a tax increase unless there are at least 30 IL house GOP votes for the tax increase.
Ergo . . .
No tax increase and no budget
- Driveby - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:22 am:
What part of it are you getting a kick out of? I think INN is now doing a great job on the basic nuts and bolts news important to taxpayers. Yes, it’s through a different prism than most media, but that’s because it’s the right prism.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:25 am:
===Only four Repubs needed if all Dems on board for tax increase===
(Sigh)
So, here’s what you and Raunerites want;
Pass, “as is”, the Raunerite budget thru the House.
After doing so, y’all want EVERY Dem to vote to pass the Denocratically sponsored tax increase, with only including 4 House Raunerites…
… so all cuts are carried by Dems, the increase for taxes to pay for all these Raunerite bills is a Dem vehicle, with all Dem votes… and Rauner will applaud the budget, slam the taxes to PAY for the budget, and give cover with additional ads that applaud Raunerism and slams the Dems voting to pay for Raunerism budget.
And you can’t see why this won’t work?
Yikes.
- JS Mill - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:25 am:
Ok “Jeanne”, please tell the class where to cut $19 billion from next years budget? That would pay the current backlog of bills and offset the annual budget deficit.
Good luck with that.
- RNUG - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:25 am:
Not going to happen until Rauner wants a deal and puts the votes on it. Right now, Rauner’s actions say he doesn’t want a deal.
- @MisterJayEm - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:25 am:
“we need to give the governor full authority to realign and redo all of the programs under the state’s umbrella”
If Ms. Ives is so eager to abdicate the duties and responsibilities of her co-equal branch of Illinois government, she should simply resign.
– MrJM
- A Jack - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:26 am:
The Speaker will likely require a few more than four Republican votes on a tax increase. In fact I would instruct the Democrats not to put a single vote on it until there are ten Republican yes votes on the board.
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:29 am:
If Leader Durkin is remotely honest or sincere in his pushing for the Rauner budget he’d have GOP sponsors for the required tax increase(s) and guarantee 30 HGOP votes for the revenue vehicle.
Why won’t Leader Durkin?
- Oswego Willy - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:41 am:
===What part of it are you getting a kick out of?===
This, maybe?
“I think INN is now doing a great job on the basic nuts and bolts phoniness important flat out foolishly embarrass people whom call themselves ‘taxpayers’. Yes, it’s through a different prism than most media, but that’s because it’s a disingenuous prism to the reality of the phony Rauner”?
Maybe that’s exactly why I’m amused. lol
- cdog - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 9:58 am:
Free advice.
Dems need to double-down on exposing the hypocrisy of the missing revenue bill from the GOP “budget.”
And, the media needs to educated the public about the same; GOP “budget” is incomplete with out a revenue bill.
Beyond that and from a different angle, I still don’t understand the cognitive dissonance of Dems being so afraid to unilaterally pass a revenue bill.
Am I wrong to associate Dems with higher taxes and bigger government, and GOP with lower taxes and smaller government? We all know whether we lean towards preferring donkeys or elephants.
I know this is elementary but by each group not being true to their base political philosophies they send signals that they are purposely contradicting their platforms. I’ve come to the conclusion that the leaders from both sides are just a bunch of lying losers.
Smoke ‘em out and expose their hypocrisy.
- IRLJ - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 10:01 am:
A sad day in the news biz when there’s a partisan group pretending to practice Journalism, and the only sources they can find are fringe types like Jeanne Ives and a guy who runs a tatoo parlor. Joe Walsh couldn’t be reached for comment?
- Free Set of Steak Knives - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 10:32 am:
=== for a tax hike plan to pass the House, only four Republican “yes” votes are needed ===
LOLOL
Try 41.
Forty-one, Richard Goldberg.
XLI in Roman, if you prefer, Leader Durkin.
You coulda had a 50-50 deal before June 1.
Forcing the bill to require 11 more votes was your choice.
Demanding $1 billion in new cuts? Also your decision.
If you think the public out to pay more in taxes while getting less in return, then put up the votes for your plan.
Suggesting 4 votes for a tax hike you stood up at a press conference and demanded is laughable.
- Anonymous - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 10:35 am:
Tax his land, Tax his bed, Tax the table At which he’s fed.
Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes Are the rule.
Tax his work, Tax his pay, He works for peanuts Anyway!
Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat.
Tax his ties, Tax his shirt, Tax his work, Tax his dirt.
Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think.
Tax his cigars, Tax his beers, If he cries, then tax his tears.
Tax his car, Tax his gas, Find other ways To tax his ass.
Tax all he has Then let him know, That you won’t be done till he has no dough.
When he screams and hollers Then tax him more,
Tax him till he’s good and sore.
Then tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in Which he’s laid.
Put these words Upon his tomb, ‘Taxes drove me to my doom.. . ‘
When he’s gone, Do not relax, Its time to apply The inheritance tax.
- EVanstonian - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 10:38 am:
@cdog, some people lean donkey because they want the government out of their friend’s bedrooms and marriage-definitions, some people lean elephant because they see elected donkeys under federal indictment who win re-election handily because they’re not even the most offensive race on the ticket.
Aggregating voters beliefs and intent is short-sighted.
- cdog - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 10:50 am:
That tax poem was AWESOME! So sad it’s mostly true.
“Aggregating voters beliefs and intent is short-sighted.” Isn’t that what polling is? I think you’re wrong about this.
I personally am more libertarian, constitutionally conservative, so my only choice these days is GOP. Stay out of my choices and I will stay out of yours, and quit expecting me to pay for craziness.
- DuPage - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 11:20 am:
Jeanne Ives has nothing to worry about. Her district is very strongly Republican. The Republicans could run a baloney sandwich and it would win the election.
- don the legend - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 11:29 am:
Every legislator (even Ives) knows tax increases are REQUIRED. No one should get to vote no on the revenue bills. 100% yes votes and the governor can go pound sand.
- titan - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 12:45 pm:
“We need a budget that spends only what we take in” is something that few people seriously dispute. The problem is that we’ve spent a lot of time spending more than we take in (and thus running up debt) and are faced with a choice of either (a) making monstrously draconian spending cuts (approaching the point of cutting just about everything except debt service) or (b) raising revenue (i.e. tax) levels significantly.
“and we need to give the governor full authority to realign and redo all of the programs under the state’s umbrella and spend what we take in” would be one way to do it, I suppose. But the Democratic GA majority is decidedly unlikely to grant such discretion. And if the Gov had actually wanted to make such cuts himslef, he could have done so (but didn’t) in a budget proposal of his own along the way. Draconian cuts are very unpopular.
People want a lot of government services, they just don’t want to pay for them. And trying to pander to that fact (over the last 50+ years) is why we’re where we are right now.
- Leslie K - Monday, Jun 19, 17 @ 1:23 pm:
Not one to pass up a chance to correct IPI: legislation doesn’t need 3/5s to pass after May 31. It needs 3/5s to have an effective date earlier than next June 1. But the budget would (hopefully?) be effective July 1 this year so, yes, the effect is the same.