* Press release…
Senate Republican Leader-Designee Bill Brady (R-Bloomington) offered the following reaction after the Illinois Senate voted to override the Governor’s veto of a budget passed with a permanent income tax hike and no substantial reforms.
“I want to acknowledge the bipartisan participation that this chamber has seen over the last few months, and compliment colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their work. It’s regrettable that I stand today not able to support this package because it is incomplete. We need a comprehensive solution for this state. We’ve negotiated in good faith, but I regret to say, that we have not come to a conclusion on that solution.
“We still need to address the high property taxes in Illinois, and the burden on they place on people and job creators in this state. We still need to address workplace reforms that will bring jobs to and keep jobs in Illinois. We need to address government consolidation and education funding reform. I regret that I cannot support a comprehensive package today, but I hope, and trust, that we will be able to come together and complete our work soon.”
- ??? - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:24 pm:
And you figured the best way to do that was for you and Durkin to blow off the leaders’ meeting?
- Impasse Casualty - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:25 pm:
I don’t think anyone disagrees with Brady. This budget was absolutely necessary given the consequences and shouldn’t be viewed as a sudden obstacle for reform.
- Blue Bayou - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:26 pm:
Shorter Brady: Though we’re saved by the Dems passing bills and overriding the Gov to save the state, I’ll oppose governance because I don’t believe in it.
As usual, the ILGOP: All the benefits of a working gov’t and civil society with none of the work and sacrifice.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:27 pm:
Nice words. But as we’ve seen in that chamber, the final word on “good-faith” negotiatin’ belongs to Gov. Lucy.
Pullin’ the ball back again and again ain’t good-faith. Ask Sen. Radogno.
- Macbeth - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:30 pm:
Here’s the thing Brady (and Rauner): you’re not gonna get these done without a budget. The state needs to move on while you haggle over the partisan tweaks. You can’t leverage the state — hold higher ed hostage — while you move the goalposts and pretend like the moved goalposts are the most important thing ever. It’s not.
Get a budget. Talk about reforms. In that order.
- Fax Machine - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:30 pm:
The Governor does still have some leverage because of the need for Evidence based school funding - so he can demand some kind of property tax freeze or consolidations in order to sign it.
In fact, the best case for him politically would be to have a freeze that requires referendums in November 2018 to renew. Also have consolidation referendums in November 2018. That way he’ll gin up the GOP turnout to vote for him too.
- Macbeth - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:32 pm:
BTW — My understanding was that Rauner and Brady were business whizzes. This seems not to be the case. Show me a startup — or any company — that lacks a budget.
And then show me when that same company — or startup — failed. Not being a business whiz like Rauner, I’d guess that the time to startup to the time to failure for any business venture lacking a budget is … well, pretty darn short.
- Scamp640 - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:32 pm:
@ Blue Bayou. I completely agree. Republicans like Brady want something for nothing. They are the true welfare queens. They want to fare well, but at other’s expense. They want roads, schools, health care, and a military, but they don’t want to personally pay the taxes that are necessary to build and maintain the foundation of our society.
- Anon - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:41 pm:
The amazing conclusion to this multi-year budget war is that Rauner completely miscalculated his leverage. He could have supported the grand bargain, but instead held out for more. Now he gets nothing.
- Dandy Edwardwhat you need - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:42 pm:
What you need to understand is that Mike and John do not want reform. They got us into this mess. Now we get zero reform on pensions, school funding, property taxes and workers comp. The Republicans that voted for this voted for the politicians instead of the people. Plus we bail out Chicago Schools. As long as Mike and John control things there will not be any refore. There will be another income tax increase after the next election from Mike and John.
- cdog - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:43 pm:
Scamp, how can dozens of other states provide those things for cents on an Illinois dollar?
What flavor is that kool-aid, and how much did you pay for it?
- RNUG - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:46 pm:
== We still need to address the high property taxes in Illinois, and the burden on they place on people and job creators in this state. ==
So, Senator Brady, when are you introducing a state income tax hike dedicated for full school funding replacement of the school district’s property tax levy?
Since school district levies are around 70% or greater of the entire property tax bill, that is the only way to reduce people’s property taxes.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:47 pm:
After fighting to keep the state on its course directly into the sun, now with the crisis averted it’s time to work together on the R reform agenda? Yeah let’s get right on that never.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:48 pm:
== but instead held out for more. Now he gets nothing. ==
Pretty much the story of his administration.
The one thing he did get is lots of fodder for campaign ads.
- Wensicia - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:52 pm:
At least Brady phrases his disappointment politely. He can start by giving the governor a lesson in appropriate discourse with said colleagues.
- Dome Gnome - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:54 pm:
I already miss Radogno.
- Annonin' - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:55 pm:
Hard to believe NoTaxBill would display his very nimble mind on full display this quickly. But the GOPies got what they ….asked for?
- One hand //ing - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:57 pm:
Bill: none of the compromises were ever good enough for you and Bruce, so now maybe nothing is all you get.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:59 pm:
== What you need to understand is that Mike and John do not want reform. ==
I wouldn’t go that far. They don’t want reform that devastates their core beliefs.
Remember, it was John who had Eric Madiar do an exhaustive study of the pension issue in order to try to make changes. Just because they didn’t find any loopholes doesn’t mean they weren’t looking for some.
And Mike has gone against one of his bases, government unions, multiple times. It was possible to split the unions off; Rauner managed that last election cycle. But Rauner’s ham-handedness drove the unions back to Mike.
- Piece of Work - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 3:59 pm:
RNUG, property tax bills in 186(Springfield) are about 62% and Chatham about 58%
- The Dude Abides - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:01 pm:
Yeah, he didn’t get his reforms but he gets to blame the Democrats. He passed on a 2 year property tax freeze and now his constituents get zero. He preferred the campaign fodder over helping out his subjects. That tells you something about who he is. Many of Rauner’s supporters will get hurt if his reforms are passed. They don’t realize it yet and hopefully they won’t have to see it first hand.
- JS Mill - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:02 pm:
Bill- “people and job creators”?
One of the dumbest pol comments yet.
Are “job creators” robots?
Bill Brady- off to a typical Raunerite start.
- hot chocolate - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:03 pm:
==“I want to acknowledge the bipartisan participation that this chamber has seen over the last few months, and compliment colleagues on both sides of the aisle for their work== unexpectedly kind words for the Republicans in the house and Senate that are courageous enough to save the state. Maybe he will be a different kinda Senate leader. /s
- Grand Avenue - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:10 pm:
So did they ever get around to officially voting Brady as Minority Leader? I had the stream on in the background and don’t remember that happening.
- Capitol View - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:11 pm:
Send a rose to Christine Radagno.
- Grand Avenue - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:12 pm:
When I see “Senate Republican Leader-Designee Bill Brady” that says to me they forgot that bit of official business today.
- Michelle Flaherty - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:21 pm:
So what you’re saying, leader-designee Brady, is you just need a little more time?
- wondering - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:22 pm:
I would respond to Brady with Rich Miller eloquence, “Bite Me”
- Scamp640 - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:22 pm:
@ Cdog. I guess it depends on what you want. Do you want Illinois to have good quality schools, good roads, and low poverty rates? Or do you want us to be Alabama?
This is my point. If you want good quality infrastructure, you have to pay for it.
I also recommend you take time to learn what the Midwest geography of taxation looks like. Illinois is not being crushed by taxes as you suggest.
I refer you to the Tax Foundation website on personal tax rates: https://taxfoundation.org/state-individual-income-tax-rates-and-brackets-2016/.
You will see the following rates for 2016:
Missouri: 6.0%
Iowa: 8.98%
Wisconsin: 7.65%
Kentucky: 6.0%
Illinois: 3.75% (maybe 4.95%)
Indiana: 3.3%
Even with the tax increase to 4.95%, the Illinois personal income tax rate is exceeded by every other neighboring state except Indiana.
If you would like to talk about corporate tax rates, please visit the Tax Foundation site again:
https://taxfoundation.org/state-corporate-income-tax-rates-brackets-2017/
Here you will also see that Illinois has a lower corporate income tax rate than Iowa and Wisconsin. Illinois is in the middle of the pack when it comes to corporate tax rates.
It is really the property tax issue that is worth noting. It is truly high and I have to pay it every year. I wish it was lower. And we can lower that if we could agree on how to fund K-12 school funding in this state.
To fully answer your question, my favorite flavor of kool-aid is fact-based. I can drink empirical fact-based data flavor all day long.
How about you? What is your favorite kool-aid? IPI-berry? Rauner-melon?
- The Real Just Me - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:29 pm:
Senator Brady, who is this we you refer to? The senate democrats and senator righter? They are the only we that did any worthwhile work.
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:31 pm:
Indiana’s 3.3 is deceptive. The State of indiana collects a county income tax which is passed through to fund local costs like county sheriffs, fire districts, local road maintenance and K- 12 schools. Indian income tax is more than 5%.
- Piece of Work - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:33 pm:
Scamp640, your argument has been attempted here many times. Check sales taxes, real estate taxes, gasoline taxes and cost of living in those other states. In another thread I showed the sales tax in St. Louis and Kansas Cuty in the mid 8’s. it is 10.25% in Chicago. Overall taxes are much higher in Illinois
- Anonymous - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:42 pm:
- wondering - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:22 pm:
I would respond to Brady with Rich Miller eloquence, “Bite Me”
Sycophancy is such an ugly quality.
- Kippax Blue - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:42 pm:
If ever a phrase deserved banning, its “job creators”. Pffft. One of the most entrenched dog whistle phrases in the game.
- RNUG - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:43 pm:
== RNUG, property tax bills in 186(Springfield) are about 62% and Chatham about 58% ==
-Piece of Work-, I pay on 3 properties, two in Capitol and one in Woodside. When I add 186 and LLCC together, I get 68%, 68% and 72%.
- walker - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:48 pm:
Nice words Senator Brady.
Where were you yesterday? Today? Why not tomorrow? Please get to work, if you actually want movement on these outstanding issues.
- Scamp640 - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 4:48 pm:
@ Piece of Work. The argument still stands. By your reasoning, we could still raise the state income tax by a percentage point or two, still remain below other states, and lower local sales taxes.
And to reiterate, many of these sales taxes are a local decision. You need to compare apples to apples. Cdog’s initial argument was in relationship to what happened today regarding the state budget. The budget being discussed today was a state issue. Not a local issue.
To reiterate, I believe my argument still stands. You have to pay if you want good things. There is no such thing as a free lunch. For example, if you want good public universities, you have to pay for them. Illinois public universities are better than every other public university system found in neighboring states. Is that something you care about? Do you care about good quality infrastructure? Are you willing to pay for it? Or is that somebody else’s responsibility?
A pox on Grover Norquist and his ilk for convincing so many conservatives that they could have everything they wanted and also have lower taxes.
- Flapdoodle - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 5:23 pm:
Michelle Flaherty at 4:21 — Well played
- Norseman - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 5:37 pm:
Walker beat me to it. Got to show up to be in the game.
- zatoichi - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 7:58 pm:
Property assessment have huge differences simply based on where you live. My parent’s home in Proviso Township (west suburbs, Cook County) is valued at $150,000 with a 15% tax rate. 65% of their taxes go for schools. In my rural Central Illinois area, their home would be about $75,000. My home is valued about $140,000, taxed at 6.5% but if we were in the Proviso district it would sell for about $275,000 based on sales of similar homes in Zillow. Those Proviso taxes did not come from nowhere. They were local choices based on local costs, limited taxable properties, and local affordabilities. So freeze those tax rates. Will the state be there to cover those increasing school costs like the employee pensions the GA wants to move back to local districts? Or will they simply say cut costs regardless that it does to local property values when those same local schools start to deteriorate. Nothing comes free.
- Interested moderate - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 8:04 pm:
It seems to me the blame can be spread upon both parties. However, to enter the executive office and attempt to rule as a monarch is a flight of fancy. Don’t try to play us all for fools. Perhaps you should act like it is a democracy Mr. Rainer. It is this observers sincere hope that those of you whom we have entrusted with the well being of OUR state government will set aside personal agendas and hopes for a legacy and do the responsible work you were elected to do..
- Blue dog dem - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 9:06 pm:
Anyone know the over/under on how soon Illinois has to raise income taxes again?
- Arock - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 10:48 pm:
Scamp640 and the rest of the pro tax crowd- we are paying $7-8 billion a year for interest payment on the pension debt and have an unfunded retiree healthcare system brought to you by mainly the majority Democratic Party that has failed to fix any of these issues. We wouldn’t need a tax increase if these politicians had not promised what they couldn’t deliver with the tax structure that was in place at the time. They have consistently played games with the budget and as probably the case with this budget as well as past ones it probably is not truly a constitutionally balanced budget. We fought the King of England and won, it appears once again the average Illinois citizen has lost the battle to King Madigan.
- Glengarry - Tuesday, Jul 4, 17 @ 11:31 pm:
What does fighting the German king of England have to do with Madigan? He’s no saint but at least before Rauner there was always a budget. If you have a problem with pensions then you need to change the state constitution. This budget is lean and balanced.
- Ron - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 7:53 am:
Scamp, Illinois is top 5 for state and local tax burdens. Now we will be even higher. And we don’t have better government services than WI, IN, MO, etc.
- Ron - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 7:54 am:
Glengarry, Illinois hanst had a budget in decades.
- wordslinger - Wednesday, Jul 5, 17 @ 8:14 am:
–We fought the King of England and won–
I get it. You view yourself as a “revolutionary” rather than a reckless, destructive deadbeat. Probably feels better.
But over the last two years, Rauner and his bots have proven themselves to be rebels without a clue as they could never, in all that time, offer a rational, quantifiable argument as to any benefits to their ever-changing and obtuse “reforms” that justified their terrible cost.
Just repeating “structural reforms” over and over for two years ain’t a program. It’s a cult chant.
The rebels of 1776 fought against “taxation without representation.” Over the weekend, two thirds of Illinois elected reps. voted in tne GA to end the destruction wrought to serve one man’s ego.
That’s how it’s supposed to work, in the American democratic republic. Rauner is a governor, not a king.