35 Comments - Chris Widger - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:05 am: ==next year’s Tax Day will be even worse== That’d be some impressive sorcery if Pritzker could change 2018 taxes before taking office in 2019. - Ron - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:07 am: Just how high does JB want our taxes? - Iggy - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:12 am: Good question Ron. If he ever does release his progressive brackets its sure going to be fun for him to recover in the suburbs. - Louis G. Atsaves - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:14 am: The JB plan: Increased spending and increased taxes to continue the plan to increase spending. Oh, I should substitute the word spending with investing. Then substitute taxes with revenue. That should make everyone feel better. - Ron - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:14 am: Iggy, that’s right. I hope JB knows the the median family income in metro Chicago is $84,600. - uhhuh - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:18 am: Yep. It will be horrible for JB when over 90% of taxpayers realize they’ll get a tax cut under his plan. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:18 am: Bruce Rauner has decided the best way to approach higher education is to starve higher education in Illinois, forcing the closures of universities, and decisions that trustees know are tough, when Bruce Rauner wants the university closed… passively. Note: Diana and Bruce Rauner have a dormitory and library bearing the Rauner name at Dartmouth… but wants schools like SIUC or EIU… WIU… closed. The RaunerS support higher education, just not Illinois higher education. - Ron - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:20 am: uhhuh, has JB released a plan? - uhhuh - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:24 am: Ron, you know the answer to that question. If he had, this spin about tax increases on everyone would look silly. It’s too bad the election is tomorrow and not in November. Be patient. The reality is that there are models out there that show it is possible to cut taxes for over 90% and still raise a couple billion. Enjoy the silence while you can. - Ron - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:25 am: What models? - Ron - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:26 am: I wonder how much JB will pay? - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:31 am: JB knows cuts are necessary but refuses to specify any, Does he think higher ed in Illinois is being run efficiently and is not top heavy with overlapping bureaucrats? in fact he is proposing more spending on Higher Ed and all kinds of other programs, but not specifying where the money will come from to pay for everything, even though we have not had a balanced budget for 18 years and record debt. He is prioritizing keeping the unions happy by giving them everything they are asking for and then leaving whatever crumbs are left over in the budget for the rest of Illinois - ajjacksson - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:33 am: It is sad to have someone who makes well over $300,000 a year constantly complaining about taxes, and about pensions to be paid to people who for the most part make substantially less than half of that. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:35 am: JB has polling and a referendum vote to support progressive taxation. He appears to have the humility to deal with his faults and imperfections, unlike Rauner, who said he’d do his destructive first term all over again. Pritzker should accept Rauner’s attacks as a challenge, for both to pay a higher state income tax. We must shift the state and local tax burden more onto Pritzker, Rauner and those who are well-off but weep propaganda tears about how terrible Illinois is. We need to do this to protect our public servants from having to face cuts like the type Rauner is fighting to impose upon many thousands of employees. It’s just basic fairness. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:38 am: Ron: Please stop wasting our time until you actually have anything informative to say. Or, are you just a political staffer for Rauner? - DuPage - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:46 am: @- ajjacksson - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:33 am: ===It is sad to have someone who makes well over $300,000 a year constantly complaining about taxes, and about pensions to be paid to people who for the most part make substantially less than half of that.=== A lot of public employees make half of half of that or even less. - Signal and Noise - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 11:47 am: Does the Rauner camp really think the “money in off shore accounts and rips toilets out” gets them from here to November? It’s a medium hit at best, you’re already a rich dude with off shore money and mansions and tax loopholes of your own. And oh, btw, you wrecked the state. If this is the plan, they are dead from jump street. - Sands - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 12:04 pm: -If he had, this spin about tax increases on everyone would look silly- It’s impossible to increase taxes on people over $200,000 while lowering taxes for the “middle class” while increasing spending and paying down bills. It’s not possible. - People Over Parties - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 12:13 pm: ===And oh, btw, you wrecked the state.=== Your outrage of this magnitude would have been much appreciated during the last 3 administrations. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 12:16 pm: ===Your outrage of this magnitude would have been much appreciated during the last 3 administrations.=== “Pat Quinn failed” “Bruce Rauner failed” Quinn was defeated, we’ll see how Rauner fares. - Stand Tall - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 12:37 pm: The Democrats raised taxes 32% on the backs of the working people if you didn’t notice. And cut the amount that they give back to local governments. Those are facts. Every tax and fee raised by Rahm in Chicago is on the backs of working people. The majority of working people will see a tax increase with Pritzker’s supposed progressive tax that is why it is not out there for everyone to see. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 12:41 pm: ===The majority of working people will see a tax increase with Pritzker’s supposed progressive tax that is why it is not out there for everyone to see.=== “Shake up Springfield Bring back Illinois” Vague works. Rauner is so badly under water, he’s losing by double digits to someone who is also already under water. Bruce Rauner failed. Rauner will use, if he signs, the 32% tax increase to balance his signed budget. What will the “Madigan Tax” chorus say… when Rauner signs that budget using that additional 32% tax increase to balance? - uhhuh - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:01 pm: Ron, Sands, Stnad Tall. Here’s some light reading for you. This is a solid example of how the fair tax could cut taxes for middle and low end taxpayers and still raise revenue. I don’t know what JB’s plan will be, but this shows a general formula. Lots of ways to tweak percentages and income cutoffs. http://www.ctbaonline.org/reports/case-creating-graduated-income-tax-illinois - Demoralized - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:26 pm: ==Does he think higher ed in Illinois is being run efficiently and is not top heavy with overlapping bureaucrats?== And the responsible solution is simply to starve the system of funding. That’s how you think we should make policy? Or perhaps the governor could actually govern and have a coherent policy plan to address the issues he and you would like addressed. But that would require the governor to, you know, actually do some governing. == and record debt.== Yeah. And the Governor has made that situation oh so much better. LP, if there’s one thing you’re consistent at it’s being dishonest. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:27 pm: ==The Democrats raised taxes 32% == Yeah. And it stunk. But it was necessary. Or were you happy with $16B in unpaid bills? - Dilemma - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:29 pm: The governor proposed the exact same tax increase long before it was passed. I still don’t understand why or how he can argue it was a tax increase he supported. - Dilemma - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:29 pm: I meant didn’t didn’t support. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:35 pm: ===JB knows cuts are necessary but refuses to specify any,=== LOL “Governor Rauner, his budget folks, agency heads, they know cuts are necessary but refused to specify any, for three years, and some after taking an oath in front of GA committees still refused to name one cut.” “Lucky Pierre”, You are purposely dishonest, as the fact I give above you have known about for months and months, and yet ignore it, daily, in hopes to fool whoever you’re tasked to fool. My challenge to you is this; Embrace that Rauner is the incumbent governor. Embrace ignorance like your premise above is really a Rauner failure already documented in committee hearings, for the record. If you can embrace your drivel in a framed truth that Rauner is the incumbent, has failed in your thoughts to want others to do what Rauner has failed at, and remember your continued attempts to forget why Rauner beat Quinn, as Quinn failed, then your comments can have weight… “JB knows cuts are necessary but refuses to specify any,” This is lazy, pathetic, and purposely ignorant to Rauner’s incumbency failures. Do better. - SSL - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:36 pm: Uhhuh, I appreciate the link provided. While others may debate the accuracy since it is a little dated, my concern would be a proposal that suggests taking top income tax rates to levels that would approach the highest in the nation. Illinois already has a high total tax burden due to real estate and sales taxes being relatively high. The proposal would justify people leaving the state in even higher numbers. Indiana beckons. It will be interesting to see if JB’s proposal is anywhere close to what is reflected in the study. - Lt Guv - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 1:49 pm: What a mature Gov. I wonder what costume he’s wearing. - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 2:57 pm: Please tell me how a responsible candidate in the Demcoratic party for Governor can retreat from the parties message of the past three years- “balanced approach of cuts and revenues” and move to much higher taxes on the wealthy and successful small businesses that will fund all kinds of new progressive spending and will somehow have no negative effect on employment or further population loss of wealthy residents that fund that majority if what our state and local governments spend currently JB is telling them what they want to hear, not what they need to hear Illinois is broke and by virtue of the pension ramp getting broker, and requires drastic change in our business environment and state government, so we can convince taxpayers to stay hear and more people to move here to invest in Illinois - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 3:04 pm: “Governor Rauner, his budget folks, agency heads, they know cuts are necessary but refused to specify any, for three years, and some after taking an oath in front of GA committees still refused to name one cut.” “Lucky Pierre”, willfully dishonest? Pension reform AFSCME contract implemented property tax freeze government consolidation of record units of government in Illinois workers comp reform would save state and local government substantial money, ask Mayor Emmanuel change in prevailing wage from state to local control would save state and local government substantial money Yeah go ahead and try to claim the Governor has not proposed lowering state government spending and business and government reform with a straight face - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 3:18 pm: Hmm… ===At one of several similar hearings, state Senator Patricia Van Pelt of Chicago grilled Public Health director Nirav Shah. She asked if he could suggest cuts to help make up the shortfall, but Shah declined. VAN PELT: “So are you saying you can’t cut? I’m asking you for one cut. Can you give me one cut?” SHAH: “I’m not prepared to discuss any. It is worth noting that our proposed budget, as it stands, does contain several budgetary reductions.”=== Lets look at the “activity” and the “achievement”… LOL ===Pension reform=== No 60 in the House. It’s a want, Rauner doesn’t have the votes, Rauner has failed to put 60 on the stairs to embarrass Madigan to get this one done. ===AFSCME contract implemented=== Hasn’t been. Rauner has failed to negotiate in good faith with AFSCME… ===property tax freeze=== Failed. Failed when attached to prevailing wage and collective bargaining, the real reason for the phony, sham talking point. No 60/30. ===government consolidation of record units of government in Illinois=== What is the budgetary/monetary measure of real dollars… not anticipated phony dollars you “think” ===workers comp reform would save state and local government substantial money, ask Mayor Emmanuel=== “Would”… again, can’t find 60/30… Rauner fails again. ===change in prevailing wage from state to local control would save state and local government substantial money=== A want, measured at 1.4% or $550 million. Rauner wants Labor’s wages lower? … how does Rauner think lower wages for workers is “better”? ===Yeah go ahead and try to claim the Governor has not proposed=== Rauner has been governor three years… “Never mistake activity for achievement” - Coach Wooden. “What will be different in a second term?” Rauner’s failures, you catalog them well. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 3:27 pm: ===Please tell me how a responsible candidate in the Demcoratic party for Governor can retreat from the parties message of the past three years- “balanced approach of cuts and revenues” and move to much higher taxes on the wealthy and successful small businesses that will fund all kinds of new progressive spending and will somehow have no negative effect on employment or further population loss of wealthy residents that fund that majority if what our state and local governments spend currently=== “Bruce Rauner failed.” The rest of your absolute drivel ignores, again, the obvious. Bruce Rauner has not signed a full fiscal year budget, a weighing and measuring YOU want to compare to the Democratic nominee… Rauner has NO budget… none… nothing to say all you want… to compare to what Rauber has done. Nope. Again. Rauner is the incumbent. You should be upset Rauner can’t compare ALL you wavt with a Rauner Budget and the budgetary successes incumbents point to… so… you have nothing. ===Illinois is broke and by virtue of the pension ramp getting broker, and requires drastic change in our business environment and state government, so we can convince taxpayers to stay hear and more people to move here to invest in Illinois.=== … and it continues with Rauner’s three years of fiscal failure. You’re ignoring it, by also saying it’s still going on. What will be different in a Rauner second term? You’re admitting, it’s still going on. That’s Rauner failing. Today. - Grandson of Man - Tuesday, Apr 17, 18 @ 4:27 pm: I see that the ILGOP is pushing big propaganda again, that a progressive income tax will drive millionaires out of Illinois. One study shows that millionaires are the least likely to leave from high-tax states. Other data show strong economies and budget surpluses (Minnesota and California). But it’s okay for the ILGOP that the poor and working class shoulder a disproportionately-large share of the state and local tax burden through the flat tax. It’s okay that Rauner’s income can skyrocket but it’s hands-off with him. On the other hand, it’s okay to try to gouge the state’s public servants and shred their union protection. Nice Christian people, these. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.