138 Comments - Sigh - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:09 pm: This is a pretty poorly written release. I would have expected more. - Nick Name - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:09 pm: Deep, cleansing breaths, Gov. Gaslight. - MSIX - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:09 pm: A simple “Thank You” would have sufficed. - leb - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:10 pm: Is he losing touch with reality? - Blue Bayou - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:10 pm: Shorter Rauner: They saved me from myself, but I’ll be back to inflict more damage real soon. - Ole' Nelson - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:11 pm: The words of an irrelevant man. - Huh? - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:12 pm: Illinois must fight for change that will … create a brighter future.” This will occur in November 2018 when a new governor is elected. - Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:12 pm: You know better but still you persist. They simply voted for YOUR 4.95% tax rate. Your Tier 3 pension plan. More than your budget cuts. In short, they voted largely for your bill. - flynn - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:13 pm: what i heard was boo hoo waah didnt get my way - Pot calling kettle - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:13 pm: Does this mean Gov. Rauner will use his executive powers to cut as much spending as possible? I bet he could save a lot of money rooting our waste, fraud, and abuse. - Ron - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:14 pm: Well said Governor. - 360 Degree TurnAround - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:14 pm: Ole’ Nelson stole my line. Governor Irrelevant. He is quite simply a placeholder at this point. - facts are stubborn things - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:15 pm: Gov. Rauner the curtain has been pulled away. - Nikolas Name - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:15 pm: Maybe he’ll get mad, take his ball, and go home. - Ron - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:15 pm: Illinois will soon have the highest state and local tax burden in the nation with the most highly protected public workforce. Don’t be surprised when the census shows Illinois losing population faster than any state in the union over the next decade. - IRLJ - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:17 pm: Crocodile tears. He has a Plan B, Because…Madigan… But no doubt he lost this one, and Madigan won. - Hexagon - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:17 pm: Today, someone else did his job, starting to account for his spending and refusal to cut or raise taxes. It helps him to get this budget with the veto that let’s him appeal to the anti-tax base. But, I think he’s come up WAY short in this whole fight. Madigan took him apart (not a huge fan, but I appreciate the technique), esp since Rauner wouldn’t accept a small win. Illinois, of course, suffered the most. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:17 pm: Tonight he weeps into his Carhart. And sleeps on the couch. Ouch. - Ratso Rizzo - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:18 pm: We already have term limits…which Rauner will discover during the 2018 election. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:21 pm: Ron still believes. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:21 pm: Dear ILGOP, “The Perfect 10″ saved the state while Rauner continues to destroy it. With “The Perfect 10″. If you primary them, you are not the GOP, just say you’re Raunerites and be done with the phony GOP posing. - A Jack - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:21 pm: Thank you Governor Lame Duck. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:21 pm: Hexagon, the real suffering for private sector Illinois is just beginning. - RNUG - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:21 pm: To the GOP and Dem members who were brave enough to do what was necessary, if you represent my district (and at least one of you does), you will have my vote in the next election. - Pelonski - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:22 pm: What’s Rauner going to do if Madigan suddenly leaves office (he is in his 70’s)? His entire message is focused on that windmill. - The Captain - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:22 pm: To the update: wow. - Lamont - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:22 pm: Very weak statement. Generic and bland. - Macbeth - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:23 pm: Rauner. Dude. You better stop campaigning and start governing. You’ve got a mess to fix. You made the mess. Now you need to fix it. You. Need. To. Fix. It. And, yeah: term limits? Property tax freeze? That ain’t fixin’, friend. That’s campaignin’. Cripes. - JS Mill - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:23 pm: So the governor admitted he didn’t cut enough in his budget? I am sure even Ron thinks that is a bizzare narrative. - Anon221 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:25 pm: So ILGOP, when’s the next big Rauner Buck drop??? /s - Cheryl 44 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:27 pm: Illinois will soon have the highest state and local tax burden in the nation with the most highly protected public workforce. And thank goodness for that. - pawn - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:27 pm: Whatevs, Governor Junk. - Last Bull Moose - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:27 pm: Each Director is supposed to cut their department GRF spending by 5%. Good luck managing that process. I used to know DCFS well. They could not cut GRF 5% without violating court orders or statutes. And most expenditures had Federal matching funds. The new Acting Director starts in hole. And DCFS goes into the new budget year in good shape compared to other Human Services agencies. They have been protected by consent decrees. They will need to adjust those consent decrees to stay within budget. - cover - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:28 pm: Rule Number 1: Madigan wins. Rule Number 2: See Rule Number 1. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:28 pm: Lol Cheryl, how much more of my money do you want? - wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:29 pm: –“I am extremely troubled by the decision of 10 Republicans to again stand with Mike Madigan.– I’d suggest you take off your shoes and those of two of your closest friends and learn how to count to 60, Einstein. You want a GOP civil war, Jeff Davis? That’s your role as chairman of the party of Lincoln? It’s amazing that a brilliant figure such as yourself couldn’t sell the ROI on the governor’s personal agenda on its merits over the last two years. Who has the Book of Secrets, anyway? No worries, I imagine your payday checks cleared. It’s like the punchline to the old joke: we’ve established what you are, now we’re just arguing price. - Norseman - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:29 pm: We’ll be suffering for years because the damage done by Rauner and his GOP enablers. This could have been worse if not for the courage of the 11 GOP legislators who did what was necessary rather than what was politically expedient. This won’t be appreciated by the public who despise taxes as well as cuts. (See Brian Mackey’s 16 tweet thread that exquisitely pointed out this sad situation.) Thank you. - so... - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:29 pm: ==We already have term limits…which Rauner will discover during the 2018 election.== Wanna bet? - The Dude Abides - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:32 pm: In November 2018 this irrelevant Governor will be term limited. He vetoed the entire budget. He didn’t use the Amendatory Veto because he would then “own” the items that he cut. He refuses to take any responsibility for anything. He’s wearing the wrong hat serving as Governor of a state. He could become the only Governor to never sign a budget. I hope the GOP members who have been accepting his checks and serve as his puppets go down with him next November. - Ducky LaMoore - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:33 pm: @cover Seems like the governor should have tried to work with him instead of demonize him, eh? - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:35 pm: “Illinois will soon have the highest state and local tax burden in the nation with the most highly protected public workforce.” No, we won’t. As of 2017, Illinois is ranked 9th in the state and local tax burden on residents. https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494/ - LibertyvilleNick - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:38 pm: Until the next hike. It never stops and a few pork projects assured for good measure. Check LinkedIn sometime to see the former members and candidates with phoney jobs at the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity. You want a soft landing if you lose and only Madigan can assure it - Langhorne - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:39 pm: R, dont like the result? You had 700+ days to do better. 30. 60. 36. 71. The GA didnt fail. You did. Doesnt seem like you are winning to me - peon - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:39 pm: This statement is weak tea. Good luck running on that message. Personally I am grateful there is a temporary reprieve in the harm to social services. When you ask for the steering wheel and get it, don’t complain that you can’t do anything. A sailor shouldn’t complain about the sea. - Thoughts Matter - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:40 pm: Nobody forced the Governor to spend at 2015 levels when there was no budget, he did that on his own Mr. Schneider. The voters are a fickle bunch. My GOP rep and senator voted per your wishes. I will never vote for them again. - so... - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:40 pm: ==In November 2018 this irrelevant Governor will be term limited.== Wanna bet? - Mike Royko - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:41 pm: Anonymous at 5:35pm. Illinois will be in the top 5 after the tax increase by my back of the envelope calculation. In the lower half of states spending per capita. not a good combo. - Lamont - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:42 pm: I’m extremely interested in a progressive tax swap with a property tax deduction. That, and perhaps taxing some retirement income and financial transactions taxes, could help pay off the pension debt while providing more funding for education and infrastructure. Legalizing marijuana and authorizing more casinos could lead to additional funding. - Hexagon - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:43 pm: Anonymous 5:21 You are sorely mistaken if you think not having a budget and running up the kind of debt we’ve incurred wasn’t far worse for the private sector than a tax increase. THe Chicago Commercial Club said that pretty clearly. In fact, they called for a bigger increase. Biz likes roads and schools it turns out. - wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:44 pm: Rauner makes some half-baked points for a disinterested, impotent observer from afar. You know, if the guy really wants to get involved, he should run for governor. It’s a very powerful office in Illinois. - Lamont - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:46 pm: Rauners statement is the kind of statement that appears on a blog. Not a whole lotta red meat there. - Chris W - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:46 pm: Rauner just won re-election - Chris W - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:49 pm: Ask Pritzker about Superior Bank. Enjoy your little win today Madigan. Trump won, and will win again in 2020 with a good economy. - Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:50 pm: Hey Tim, That’s some great threatenin’ of those renegades. I’m gonna be werkin’ to get you some more dollahs to primary these Madigan stooges. Love, Bruce - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:51 pm: ===Rauner just won re-election=== Rauner sits at 35% approval, 58% disapproval, not one signed budget, not one signed document for his agencies or agenda funding. What has Rauner done? Rauner even failed to stop a tax increases, lol - Jocko - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:51 pm: ==His tax-and-spend plan is not balanced== Bruce and the Superstars can list the cuts, find the W/F/A, and show us how to live at 3.0% rate any time they like. Speaking of waste, how about auditing DoIT, firing your deputies, and telling us what the 23 Munger hires actually do? - ste_with_a_v_en - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:51 pm: “As of 2017, Illinois is ranked 9th in the state and local tax burden on residents.” Oh well then, I guess everything is fine. - wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:53 pm: –Rauner just won re-election– Good for him. To what end? Sending selfies of where he had breakfast? The dam has broken. A bipartisan super-majority has shown they will buck him on the big issues. If you were paying attention,you must have observed that there were bipartisan votes in reserve on the override. In the American model of a democratic republic, where does the executive go when it has lost 2/3 of the legislature? Chuck-E-Cheese? - Real - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:53 pm: To the people saying Rauner won re-election lets see what people say when he vetos the$15 minimum wage. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:54 pm: ===Trump won, and will win again=== He lost Illinois by 17 points, mental giant. - Fax Machine - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:56 pm: Governor Gaslight is perfect. He’s going to spin this to come out as the blameless hero. Too bad the general public has no idea what the term gaslight means. - Chris W - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:58 pm: Rich , so Illinois decided the 2016 POTUS election? - Fax Machine - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:58 pm: We’re not out of the woods yet. Schools aren’t going to open unless Rauner gets some kind of incentive to sign SB1 (like a property tax freeze) or the Dems can get 4 of the 10 rebel Republicans to overturn that veto too. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:59 pm: ===Illinois decided the 2016 POTUS election?=== When a candidate for Illinois governor it needs to carry Mississippi, let me know. - Earnest - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 5:59 pm: Putting a vote on a tax hike or a spending cut is an unpopular thing. Thank you so much to those in both the House and Senate who voted for this. Illinois has desperately needed the structural change of a permanent tax increase and also spending reductions for a very, very long time. I am truly grateful to you all. I continue to believe this was the single best thing Illinois could do to improve our overall economic climate. There’s tons more we can do and great debates to be had. I hope this is simply the beginning of bipartisan governing and improving our state. Now I”m going on a news fast and will remain optimistic until tomorrow. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:00 pm: ===so Illinois decided the=== You truly are brilliant. A veritable mastermind. Illinois races are won or lost in… think for a second now… Illinois. - Chris W - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:00 pm: Madigan blew it. Rauner wins re-election and has a seat at the next redistricting battle - Real - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:00 pm: Fax Machine If schools don’t open it will be all on Rauner. - Chris W - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:01 pm: Sorry Rich, I did not realize we only spoke Illinois politics here. My mistake - Move On - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:02 pm: 32% permanent tax hike will force a future hike? I would agree if it had been temporary…. - Chris W - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:02 pm: Real, taxes were just passed. Dems said this was we needed to avoid junk status. Democrats own this - Morty - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:04 pm: “never-ending tragic trail of tax hikes” The new sequel to Oregon Trail - Eight Zero - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:08 pm: How long until Governor Rauner gets SB 1? - LibertyvilleNick - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:08 pm: I like Rauner purely as a counter culture to Madigan. - Fax Machine - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:08 pm: I think the main reason this helps Rauner is because he’s now in a position to have fun with this election. And that will show on tje campaign trail, in debates, commercials, etc. - GOP Extremist - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:09 pm: =Dems said this was we needed= So did Mrs. Rauner, so?? - Morty - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:16 pm: ‘’“As of 2017, Illinois is ranked 9th in the state and local tax burden on residents.” Oh well then, I guess everything is fine.” No, but we are the 6th largets stae with the 5th largest economy in the union. I think we have the 18th largest economy in the world. The sky is obviously falling! If people want to pretend Illinois is a small/poor state, I guess that’s their choice - wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:16 pm: “never-ending tragic trail of tax hikes” Perhaps the next time the Frat Boys are down at the Ohio River they might want to educate themselves on the Trail of Tears. I’m sure they are blazin’ a trail from the Gold Coast and Lincoln Park down to Little Egypt, and are respectful and learned of state history. Unlike the “tragic trail of tax hikes,” the Trail of Tears was truly tragic, a real thing, and not just the lazy babblin’ of ignorant sycophants, phonin’ it in, waitin’ for payday. - Prairie Dog - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:17 pm: While a Republican, I have yet to understand, in any concievable way, how the Governor planned on solving this financial crisis without an increase in income taxes. Isn’t it true that he agreed to 4.95% in the Grand Bargain? That is what he got and he owns it, too. There is footage of him saying that.You know the Democrats will run it in commercials. I think that will negate a lot strategically. - wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:20 pm: –I like Rauner purely as a counter culture to Madigan.– LOL, huh? What is the Rauner “counter-culture” to Madigan? Baggy pants? Meat on Friday? Taco Bell for lunch? - Anon221 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:24 pm: wordslinger- Actually the Trail of Desth went right through Springfield, and it was before the Trail of Tears. http://www.waymarking.com/waymarks/WMJDMJ_Potawatomi_Trail_of_Death_Springfield_IL Thus ends my history lesson for the day:) - Anon221 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:25 pm: Trail of Death not Desth. Fat fingers:( - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:25 pm: - Anon221 - Bud, “Shorter url”? - Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:27 pm: ===Until the next hike. It never stops=== With today’s vote, the income tax rate has been raised three times in the past 28 years and lowered once. - Anon221 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:31 pm: Sorry OW. I’m on my phone and it’s cut and paste ain’t the best. I pinkie promise I’ll use tiny url more:) - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:31 pm: Does Mrs Rauner still think Bruce is still in HappyLand? What a weird, bizarre fantasy world these billionaires live. If money is no object, and think it can force others to bend to their will, today may give pause. Or not. What we do know by now, is money can’t by political competence or success. - LisaC - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:34 pm: Mrs. Rauner is secretly doing the happy dance. I guess now the Gov can’t say that he has won at everything he has ever done. - anon2 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:34 pm: This budget doesn’t “do enough,” claims Raunerand his minions. Would they have supported a budget that raised more revenue, or cut school funding? - Captain Ed Smith - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:35 pm: Governor take the victory lap. You have a budget. It cuts more than you proposed. It taxes less than you proposed. Manage this budget, control this budget, make it yours. Pay off those bills and make the case for a repeal. Do your job! - pete - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:36 pm: If trump lost Illinois by 17 points how in the world did that so called governor Rauner get elected? - wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:37 pm: ===Until the next hike. It never stops=== With today’s vote, the income tax rate has been raised three times in the past 28 years and lowered once.– LOL. Some of the people, all of the time…. - pete - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:38 pm: I bet the Russians had something to do with it - Prairie Dog - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:39 pm: Now that the Governor has additional revenue and being the financial whiz that he is, then it should be extremely easy for him to demonstrate his financial prowess. I’m sure that in 6 to 12 months Illinois will be the envy of the nation, we can totally eliminate the income tax altogether and, finally, there will be such a national furor for him to become our next President that Trump will not run again and that the Democrats will not field a candidate. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:41 pm: ===If trump lost=== If? - anon2 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:41 pm: If raising the rate to 4.95% is supposed to devastate the economy, why didn’t that happen when the rate was 5.0%? - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:43 pm: anon2, Tell that to Pat Quinn - Anon - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:47 pm: This will be the first in a long line of tax hikes. Even if state spending doesn’t increase one dollar for the next decade we will need many billions more in revenue just to pay for the yearly pension increases as the boomers really start retiring. What are the chances that spending stays stagnant outside of pensions? Non-existent. The math is what it is. 5% income tax doesn’t even balance the budget now, much less when the pension bills really come rolling in. That doesn’t even consider schools or the increased borrowing costs we are going to face when we inevitably hit junk status. Any politician in Springfield that thinks today was a win or courageous had might as well find another line of work considering the pain that is coming down the pike. If any semblance of a recession hits baton down the hatches. - Dutch 3001 - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 6:56 pm: Like most people Rauner apparently never read “Moby Dick” all the way through. If he had, he’d have found out the whale wins in the end. Somebody should have leant him a copy of the movie and maybe we could have been spared the last three years. - So Blue Democrat - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:00 pm: I want to thank the 10 Republicans who had the courage to override the Governor’s veto. - Mike Cirrincione - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:08 pm: @morty: Oh, and by the way. The big city up North also has a nice supply of fresh water, too. That helps. - GA Watcher - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:08 pm: Too bad he’s got more money than God because given his record so far, Governor Rauner would be ripe for a primary challenger. - Lucky Pierre - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:09 pm: Anonymous at 5:35 “Illinois will soon have the highest state and local tax burden in the nation with the most highly protected public workforce.” No, we won’t. As of 2017, Illinois is ranked 9th in the state and local tax burden on residents. Not sure what to make of Wallethub this study from them says Illinois has the highest total tax burden (14.7% of an average middle class income) in America before today https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-states-to-be-a-taxpayer/2416/ - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:36 pm: Great PR win for Rauner, Dems own a 32% permanent tax increase - Life in IL - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:39 pm: Increasing the revenue without some fixes to the pension plan is irresponsible. Any of the public unions complaining about this budget deal? If they aren’t it was not a good deal for Illinois tax payers. - Realist - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:46 pm: Can’t believe I’m going to say this, but throughout this debacle I only gained more respect for George Ryan. - Oswego Willy - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 7:58 pm: ===Great PR win for Rauner, Dems own a 32% permanent tax increase=== Rauner has zero budgets. Not so great PR. - KV - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 8:03 pm: Bruce Rauner is not a billionaire. He is vastly wealthy, but not in the billions. - Quiet Sage - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 8:16 pm: The New Illinois World War I has ended like the first WWI, with a victory by a coalition of established powers (which was not a complete rout) after years of stalemate, immense and long-lasting damage, a tearing of the old order, and a sequel clearly still in store. The time frame was a little shorter, two-and-a-half years compared to over four. - BoBob - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 8:34 pm: Well done, Democrats. Rauner is irrelevant and a loser, just like Trump. Thanks for doing your job and passing a budget. - Jim o - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 8:44 pm: I find it jaw dropping amazing that this group a few columns ago was make great ado about 32 or 1.2 tax Rate change. Now the phrase ‘32% permanent income tax hike’ is being repeated without thought even though incorrect, deceitful, and a lie. Tax is the pennies, or $ or nickels and dime I take from my pocket and give to a government. A tax rate is the multiplier used to determine the pennies, nickels, dimes. The 32% applies to the Rate, to the tax. This is one awesome example of the Rove - Luntz languages gymnastics. The deceit is done. The false message is loose. It is virtually impossible to kill the incorrect info now that released. GOP will be repeating that single deceitful phrase endlessly. - Quiet Sage - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 8:51 pm: New Illinois World War continued– An outside cataclysm (the Russian Revolution) and the entry of another great power (the United States) catalyzed an end to World War I. Analogously, an imminent outside cataclysm (the devaluation of Illinois to junk bond status) and the entry into the conflict of great outside powers (bond rating firms and the great financial institutions they represented) catalyzed an end to the Illinois political war. - Harry O - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:02 pm: In other breaking news: After over 700 days we finally have white smoke indicating a budget from the Vatican. - Collusionconfusion - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:03 pm: I’m so confused…did Putin want the override or not?? - Morty - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:14 pm: -Bruce Rauner is not a billionaire. He is vastly wealthy, but not in the billions. Yet - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:16 pm: Jim o, I see math is not your strong suit. - Morty - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:23 pm: ‘After all we have accomplished together, it is astonishing that these legislators would now turn their backs on taxpayers across the state’ Really? What was it that you accomplished? These are the people that claim Madigan only cares about his personal power and they admit to….only caring about their party gaining power - wordslinger - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:24 pm: QS, your WWI analogy is hilariously, way forced. That is, unless Rauner resigns and flees to Holland, MI, there is a Paris, IL peace conference and Griff and Uiehlein are forced to pay reparations, I don’t think a Sanguinetti Republic is in the offing. - Anon - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:25 pm: Knowing we are going to need another rate increase in probably 2-3 years to keep up with the budget I wonder if we will start to see more incremental moves upwards on a regular basis instead of a 1-2% at a time like this time. Realistically within the next decade it is highly likely the income tax rate is going to have to increase to probably at least 8-9% to keep the state solvent as the pension retirements really kick in. We will also be dealing with a significant increase in interest cost as well as we have to keep borrowing at junk level rates. Knowing these big tax increases are inevitable given the math facing this state would it maybe make more sense to start increasing rates say a .5% a year until we hit 8-9 to make them less draconian? There is no denying that more increases are coming (and soon) so wouldn’t it make more sense politically to do more smaller ones than one big one where we jump 2-3% at once? We could hold spending static for the next 5 years and just the yearly increase in pension costs will mandate the need for more revenue, so there is really no avoiding tax increases. It is imperative that those in Springfield stop denying reality and try and get out in front of this with a long term plan. - Anonymous - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:42 pm: Anon9:25— your forecasted plan would decimate the Illinois economy. Indian, Wisconsin, Missouri and the TX and Florida’s would put you on retainer - Bigtwich - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:49 pm: Taxes are the price we pay for a civilized society. Oliver Wendell Holmes Jr. - Robert the 1st - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 9:55 pm: I love visiting Nashville. Or Naples FL for that matter. Both seem pretty civilized to me too. Of course both have taxes, just not income taxes. - ajjacksson - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 10:14 pm: Jim o–that’s what I was trying to say the other day. The number “32%” is deceitful. You said it far more clearly. Thank you. - Hal - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 10:22 pm: 32% is absolutely correct. Simple fact. - DeseDemDose - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 10:52 pm: Thank You Speaker Madigan for once again standing tall for the working man when the chips were down. Sleep well, I will. - Eight Zero - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 10:57 pm: Anon9:25-anyone who has followed the pension ramp since the Gov Edgar era knows that the “ramp” was structured precisely to delay–kick the can down the road–repayment to the pension funds. The power players at that time knew it wasn’t sustainable (much like a balloon mortgage). The only real fix to the pension ramp is to re-amortize the debt to level payments across the years (or decades) to do it like it should have been done back then. Only that will make the pension payments manageable. - XDNR - Thursday, Jul 6, 17 @ 11:22 pm: The outstanding irony of this is that Rauner had as Governor the power and constitutional duty to present balanced budgets, he didn’t. Earlier this year in committee hearings his Agency Directors were asked where they could make cuts and offered up none. And now after his deliberate destruction and demise resulting in 10’s of thousands losing their jobs,, social services agencies going under and the 100 plus thousand who rely on those services turned away, the accreditation and credit downgrades to higher ed and the thousands of jobs lost, and the states bond ratings in jeopardy of junk (which as tax payers we would pay for in higher interest rates). And this man and his frat boy administration have never been able to articulate and justify his economic reforms (with the immense damage they have cause) other than his dismal 1.4% roi. But yet he has the audacity to claim the GA’s “tax-and-spend plan is not balanced, does not cut enough spending or pay down enough debt, and does not help grow jobs or restore confidence in government” while he has done the exact opposite. The man is a failure at governance, diplomacy, compromise and tact. Fortunately, sane and rational minds prevailed. ,But he has His tax-and-spend plan is not balanced, does not cut enough spending or pay down enough debt, and does not help grow jobs or restore confidence in government. It proves how desperately we need real property tax relief and term limits - Rabid - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 1:30 am: Rauner prophesies his own demise , crises is opportunity. It only took mike one week to show him how it’s done - RNUG - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 1:51 am: == how in the world did that so called governor Rauner get elected? == The short answer is Rauner was not Wuinn, and 1 in 5 union workers abandoned Quinn. - Rabid - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 2:49 am: Clinging to properly tax and term limits, didn’t get you elected. You got elected on the promise of a balanced budget and lower income taxes - Rabid - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 3:13 am: Term limits and property taxes are not the reforms wall street is looking for poindexter - Vole - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 5:05 am: Raise taxes. Lower spending. Finally, some common sense to the consensus. Governor, how do you run against common sense without projection? - Oswego Willy - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 5:55 am: ===The short answer is Rauner was not Wuinn, and 1 in 5 union workers abandoned Quinn.=== It was 2 in 5, but you’re on it. - The Real Just Me - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 7:26 am: Governor to Durkin: “Can I get my money back?” - Rabid - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 7:39 am: Rauner signed the veto, and laid that golden fiddle on the ground at mikes feet - Anonymous - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 7:48 am: Repayment That’s the key word that says it all. No one is paying for bigger better pensions for retirees that worked for the public. We are repaying what was taken away from them in the first place. That is the plain and simple fact. - Concerned citizen - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 8:27 am: Rauner fought the good fight, But Madigan won again. He is just too powerful. God help the state of Illinois - Echo The Bunnyman - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 8:49 am: It’s a very bittersweet feeling. It’s what needed to be done, but the last time the raise was temporary, they just spent that. It’s not unreasonable to see both sides of this argument even though Madigan and Rauner are unreasonable. - DeseDemDose - Friday, Jul 7, 17 @ 8:59 am: I wonder how this failed override scenario will affect Rauners relationship with his top contributers such as the Koch brothers, Griffin, Zell, and Uhlein. Never forget whose pulling his strings. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.