Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar » Promises, promises
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax      Advertise Here      About     Exclusive Subscriber Content     Updated Posts    Contact Rich Miller
CapitolFax.com
To subscribe to Capitol Fax, click here.
Promises, promises

Friday, Apr 27, 2018 - Posted by Rich Miller

* JB Pritzker is on a three-day “Unite for the Middle Class” tour. He stopped in Rockford and East Moline yesterday

As governor, Mr. Pritzker said he also will work to pass a capital bill to fund infrastructure across the state.

“Illinois has gone almost a decade without infrastructure investment,” Mr. Pritzker said. “It’s past time we had a capital bill in the state and we built up our infrastructure again. We are the supply-chain hub of the nation. We can only maintain that status if we invest in our roads, bridges and waterways.

“We are going to continue to build on that when I’m governor. We’ve got to have a capital bill that’s going to rebuild our infrastructure to a place where people want to come back to Illinois and build up jobs.”

* I asked the Pritzker campaign how he intends to pay for his plan. I was referred to Pritzker’s website where I found this

My plan will leverage as much federal money as possible to bring significant investment to our surface, rail, water, broadband and community infrastructure. It is time to imagine what Illinois can be in the 21st century and get this done.

Um, isn’t President Trump demanding an 80 percent state and local match for his mythical infrastructure plan?

* So, I suppose it’s back to Pritzker’s only revenue proposal: a progressive income tax. Considering all the spending promises he’s making, that’ll have to be huge.

Candidate Rauner touted his support of infrastructure spending without identifying a funding source. And Gov. Rauner has since talked often about passing a capital bill and hasn’t really ever said how he’ll pay for it.

George Ryan promised he’d do a capital bill without a tax hike during his campaign. He passed a capital bill, but he paid for it by hiking liquor taxes and vehicle license fees. Gov. Quinn passed a capital bill not long after being sworn into office, and taxes were imposed on candy to pay for part of that program.

Putting a progressive income tax on the ballot is not going to be easy because of GOP opposition and some Democratic reluctance. Passing it won’t be a simple matter, either. Infrastructure upgrades cost real money. And they have to be paid for with real money. Magic fairy dust doesn’t actually exist. /rant

       

17 Comments
  1. - Concerned Dem - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:56 pm:

    And winning campaigns don’t seem to exist without magic fair dust.


  2. - Blue Bayou - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:58 pm:

    Legalize pot on the CO model and implement a real progressive income tax, plus an overhaul of corporate taxes.

    That’s a start.

    But even if he does a fraction of that, he’ll be far ahead of the disaster currently in the job and his two predecessors.


  3. - Lucky Pierre - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:58 pm:

    JB thinks he will get more Federal money by relentlessly bashing President Trump.

    He is not selective in his outrage on issues, it is universal.

    You catch more files with honey than vinegar JB.

    I think we need a JB o meter to follow him around that adds up all of the new spending he has proposed on top of the increased pension payments Illinois will be making


  4. - Rich Miller - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:00 pm:

    ===You catch more files with honey than vinegar JB.===

    Dude, you are just about the least self-aware person I’ve ever encountered.


  5. - Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:02 pm:

    ===You catch more files with honey than vinegar===

    When will Rauner come out and support Trump?

    ===You catch more files with honey than vinegar===

    … so calling Dems corrupt… is that bitter honey or sweet vinegar?


  6. - Chris Widger - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:12 pm:

    ===You catch more files with honey than vinegar JB.===

    I learned a while back that this isn’t actually true; you catch more flies with vinegar than with honey. Wild, right?


  7. - wordslinger - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:15 pm:

    You can’t count on the federales. They’re blowing up the deficit in a low unemployment economy.


  8. - Just Me - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:25 pm:

    Reminds me of Blago: lots of great spending without any new taxes on “real” people.


  9. - Anonymous - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:26 pm:

    @wordslinger: Well, just over half of them are, anyway…


  10. - City Zen - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:46 pm:

    JB’s plan sounds more like a pyramid scheme.


  11. - Retired Educator - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:47 pm:

    Everyone knows the roads are terrible in Illinois. Don’t tell us the problem, tell us the solution. The only way you get improvements is to pay for them. The idea of saying we will work that out later, is a cop out We all know it will be expensive, go come up with real ideas on how it can be paid for. Rich is right Pixie Dust won’t pay the bills.


  12. - Pothole - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:50 pm:

    Remembering back to the Chicago Tonight debate, Pritzker (all candidates) kept their hands down when asked if they supported raising the gas tax. Everyone (state and federal) seems against this user-pays model labeling it either regressive or a tax increase.


  13. - Soapbox Derby - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:56 pm:

    The only thing worse than not having a Capital Bill is saying you’ll somehow “leverage as much federal money as possible” to pay for it.


  14. - Thomas Paine - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 3:04 pm:

    Rich,

    I don’t know that a progressive income tax flies as a revenue source for capital. I think you need a dedicated revenue stream.

    I do agree he needs a plan, I would be hesitant to spell out the revenue source too early, for a lot of reasons. First, the legislature is gonna have a lot of say in where the money comes from. Probably no one has more strong opinions about that than President Cullerton. He led on the candy tax, cigarette taxes, etc.

    Secondly, the sooner you say where you want the money to come fom, the sooner the opposition gets organizing to kill it.

    revis always the politics of it. Consumer taxes in particula aint popular.


  15. - VanillaMan - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 3:43 pm:

    Just keep running on the fact that he’s not Rauner and believes that state bills should be paid within 90 days.


  16. - Anonymous - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 3:49 pm:

    Legalization of marijuana may come sooner than we think. The government will rely on the revenue. I never understood why fireworks are not legal to sell here, and Indiana gets that revenue.


  17. - People Over Parties - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 3:59 pm:

    The fundamental problems of fiscal mismanagement continue to be ignored by this campaign. The focus instead appears to be on the idea of investment to revitalize the state. But that is such nonsense if fiscal issues are going to be ignored at the cost. It’s appearing to be more of the same policies and attitudes that got us into this mess in the first place.


Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.


* Reader comments closed for the weekend
* Isabel’s afternoon roundup
* The Waukegan City Clerk was railroaded
* Whatever happened, the city has a $40 million budget hole it didn't disclose until now
* Manar gives state agencies budget guidance: Cut, cut, cut
* Roundup: Ex-Chicago Ald. Danny Solis testifies in Madigan corruption trial
* Open thread
* Isabel’s morning briefing
* SUBSCRIBERS ONLY - Today's edition of Capitol Fax (use all CAPS in password)
* Live coverage
* Selected press releases (Live updates)
* Yesterday's stories

Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............

...............


Loading


Main Menu
Home
Illinois
YouTube
Pundit rankings
Obama
Subscriber Content
Durbin
Burris
Blagojevich Trial
Advertising
Updated Posts
Polls

Archives
November 2024
October 2024
September 2024
August 2024
July 2024
June 2024
May 2024
April 2024
March 2024
February 2024
January 2024
December 2023
November 2023
October 2023
September 2023
August 2023
July 2023
June 2023
May 2023
April 2023
March 2023
February 2023
January 2023
December 2022
November 2022
October 2022
September 2022
August 2022
July 2022
June 2022
May 2022
April 2022
March 2022
February 2022
January 2022
December 2021
November 2021
October 2021
September 2021
August 2021
July 2021
June 2021
May 2021
April 2021
March 2021
February 2021
January 2021
December 2020
November 2020
October 2020
September 2020
August 2020
July 2020
June 2020
May 2020
April 2020
March 2020
February 2020
January 2020
December 2019
November 2019
October 2019
September 2019
August 2019
July 2019
June 2019
May 2019
April 2019
March 2019
February 2019
January 2019
December 2018
November 2018
October 2018
September 2018
August 2018
July 2018
June 2018
May 2018
April 2018
March 2018
February 2018
January 2018
December 2017
November 2017
October 2017
September 2017
August 2017
July 2017
June 2017
May 2017
April 2017
March 2017
February 2017
January 2017
December 2016
November 2016
October 2016
September 2016
August 2016
July 2016
June 2016
May 2016
April 2016
March 2016
February 2016
January 2016
December 2015
November 2015
October 2015
September 2015
August 2015
July 2015
June 2015
May 2015
April 2015
March 2015
February 2015
January 2015
December 2014
November 2014
October 2014
September 2014
August 2014
July 2014
June 2014
May 2014
April 2014
March 2014
February 2014
January 2014
December 2013
November 2013
October 2013
September 2013
August 2013
July 2013
June 2013
May 2013
April 2013
March 2013
February 2013
January 2013
December 2012
November 2012
October 2012
September 2012
August 2012
July 2012
June 2012
May 2012
April 2012
March 2012
February 2012
January 2012
December 2011
November 2011
October 2011
September 2011
August 2011
July 2011
June 2011
May 2011
April 2011
March 2011
February 2011
January 2011
December 2010
November 2010
October 2010
September 2010
August 2010
July 2010
June 2010
May 2010
April 2010
March 2010
February 2010
January 2010
December 2009
November 2009
October 2009
September 2009
August 2009
July 2009
June 2009
May 2009
April 2009
March 2009
February 2009
January 2009
December 2008
November 2008
October 2008
September 2008
August 2008
July 2008
June 2008
May 2008
April 2008
March 2008
February 2008
January 2008
December 2007
November 2007
October 2007
September 2007
August 2007
July 2007
June 2007
May 2007
April 2007
March 2007
February 2007
January 2007
December 2006
November 2006
October 2006
September 2006
August 2006
July 2006
June 2006
May 2006
April 2006
March 2006
February 2006
January 2006
December 2005
April 2005
March 2005
February 2005
January 2005
December 2004
November 2004
October 2004

Blog*Spot Archives
November 2005
October 2005
September 2005
August 2005
July 2005
June 2005
May 2005

Syndication

RSS Feed 2.0
Comments RSS 2.0




Hosted by MCS SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax Advertise Here Mobile Version Contact Rich Miller