* Tribune…
Asked by a reporter how he could sell Illinois to overseas investment after repeatedly saying the state was in a “death spiral,” Rauner said, “We sell all the advantages we have to sell — people, location, transportation, education, agriculture, heart of manufacturing, heart of American economy in the Midwest.”
Asked if Illinois was in a “death spiral,” Rauner declined to use the term but said Illinois has been “uncompetitive on our regulation and taxes for decades,” which has stunted the state’s economic growth.
* Meanwhile, as Illinois Working Together pointed out, this is what the Rauner folks were saying after the governor’s Asia trade trip last September…
The head of the state’s economic development arm expects good things—hundreds of new jobs here, possibly thousands—in the wake of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s big trade mission to Japan and China last week. […]
But the overall news is good, he said, involving everything from a Chinese sovereign wealth unit to a Michigan Avenue retailer and investments in the state’s growing biotech business. The trip “absolutely” will pay dividends within the next year, he said. “My guess, it will be in the hundreds, if not thousands, of new jobs” in Illinois.
I haven’t seen any announcement trumpeting those “hundreds, if not thousands” of new jobs. But that was “only” seven months ago.
* And this is what the governor said yesterday about his European trade mission…
When pressed on the number of jobs, the governor said there would be more than a couple of thousand jobs.
“Many thousands, over time it will be tens of thousands,” Rauner said.
- Macbeth - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:12 pm:
Hopefully, whatever news he and Diana decide to read in Italy will focus on those 10K+ jobs over here in Illinois.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:14 pm:
Whatnot
Rauner said whatnot, and he meant it.
- Ron - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:16 pm:
Illinois is on the edge of a death spital without a doubt. Slow economic and job growth, shrinking population after decades of slow population growth, the fifth highest state and local tax burden in the nation and decades of unbalanced budgets eventually catches up.
- Ron - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:17 pm:
Rural Illinois is probably past the point of no return. Will the spiral make it to Chicago metro is the question.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:17 pm:
“They are all in various stages of commitment and signing, agreements and whatnot.”
We got whatnots.
- Real - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:18 pm:
So if it’s now 7 months after the Asia trip and no new job announcements we probably can expext there will be no job announcements come November.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:20 pm:
Give it up.
We’re not discussing death spirals.
We’re voting for a future.
You think we don’t have on.
Fine.
We’ve heard that before by Governor Death Spiral.
Your opinion is helping even less that his.
- Real - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:20 pm:
Ron, with you being a Rauner supporter. Do you know the status of those thousands of jobs he announced after the Asia trip?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:22 pm:
Rauber has yet to deliver on his turnaround agenda, and after months since the Asia trip, the press office that can’t let any Dem breathe without a press release attacking… that press office has yet to tout any fruits of the trip?
For the love of Pete, Rauner’s “Superstars” had “Pat Quinn failed” announcements when Quinn’s lawn got too high.
- Michelle Flaherty - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:23 pm:
Thousands, maybe tens of thousands of jobs the governor says, he just left the company names in his other Carhardtt jacket along with Joe McCarthy’s list of communist subversives and the secret recipe for KFC.
- wordslinger - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:24 pm:
You can’t put any stock in what Rauner says. You just have to watch what he does and the results.
For example, he says he’s a tax-cutting fiscal conservative. But Rauner got $5 billion in new tax revenue this year, but wants a supplemental appropriation to spend more.
- Ron - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:26 pm:
Madigan’s coddling of unions prevents any reform of the state.
- Spliff - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:27 pm:
These jobs are going to be Huuuggggeeee and it will be a biiigggggg boooooommmmmmm for Illi-noise
- Arthur Andersen - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:30 pm:
That is gonna be one huge Polish brewery in Marion, all right.
- Demoralized - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:31 pm:
==Madigan’s coddling of unions prevents any reform of the state.==
Yeah, they were real big fans of that Tier 2 pension change. Contrary to your ridiculous commentary unions aren’t the source of all of the state’s problems. You’re a one trick pony.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:31 pm:
Did anyone ask any of these foreign companies if Illinois will be a more attractive place to work and invest if JB’s and Speaker Madigan’s tax proposals are passed?
- Jocko - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:36 pm:
==over time it will be tens of thousands==
Bruce is talking about repossession agents in the event that he wins re-election.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:37 pm:
===Did anyone ask any of these foreign companies if Illinois will be a more attractive place to work and invest if JB’s and Speaker Madigan’s tax proposals are passed?===
LOL
Rauner, as the current governor, says Illinois is in a death spiral. Taking seriously someone trashing the place he’s touting must be fun for these companies and countries.
- Ron - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:39 pm:
Downstate Illinois is most definitely in a death spiral.
- Politix - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:42 pm:
I predict 0 jobs.
- Huh? - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:42 pm:
I went to Poland and they brought me binders full of jobs. Haha, I’ll be making announcements about these good payin’ jobs real soon.
- Demoralized - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:43 pm:
==Downstate Illinois is most definitely in a death spiral.==
You don’t have the first clue as to what you are talking about.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:44 pm:
I think Moody’s and other ratings agencies agree with the Governor OW
Normally if you were in a death spiral you would want to change direction
Not Speaker Madigan, he is not a change person. If at first you don’t succeed keep trying the same formula for decades sooner or later things are bound to change. Or they aren’t
You can’t accuse the Governor of not trying to change direction
- Rabid - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:44 pm:
The govenor who cried wolf, how many jobs did you create on your Israel trip
- Demoralized - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:46 pm:
==The head of the state’s economic development arm expects good things—hundreds of new jobs here, possibly thousands==
==“Many thousands, over time it will be tens of thousands,” Rauner said.“Many thousands, over time it will be tens of thousands,” Rauner said.==
Pretty fast inflation on the jobs numbers. It could be in the millions by next week.
- wordslinger - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:47 pm:
Rauner says words. They’re meaningless. What what he does, and the results.
Like he says he’s a tax cutter, but he asks for a supplemental appropriation for this fiscal after already getting a $5 billion revenue bump.
- Rich Miller - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:54 pm:
===I think Moody’s and other ratings agencies agree with the Governor===
They didn’t like that tax hike veto.
- Dee Lay - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:55 pm:
Raunerbot Bingo!
I have:
“Death Spiral”
“Madigan”
Free Space
“Tax Burden”
“JB and Madigan”
What’s the prize?
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 1:59 pm:
===You can’t accuse the Governor of not trying to change direction===
“Never mistake activity for achievement” - Coach Wooden.
I’m not cheering “activity”, and with 26% approval, voters aren’t either.
To the bonds, the downgrades during the Rauner Administration… those are on Rauner.
Right, Mike Schrimpf?
===“Illinois’ credit rating has been downgraded 13 times under Pat Quinn and now, because of his failed leadership, our state’s economy and finances are still broken. Pat Quinn put special interest politics ahead of Illinois workers. We need to change direction before it’s too late.” – Rauner campaign spokesperson Mike Schrimpf===
Exactly right.
Governors own.
- wordslinger - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:04 pm:
Rauner and his crew don’t seem to understand just how big this is all is.
There are only a handful of corporations that have more than ten thousand employees in Illinois.
So, obviously, these fish they landed, they’re talking about the biggest ones ever.
Can’t wait to see.
- Henry Francis - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:13 pm:
I asked yesterday about all the jobs and FDI that resulted from the Asian trip 7 months ago. I guess we’ll keep waiting.
It seems like whenever the Guv needs to answer a non-scripted question he just becomes completely untethered to any sort of reality or even believability.
The poor guy is gonna need a nice long vacation in the Tuscan hills come November.
- 47th Ward - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:15 pm:
===Can’t wait to see.===
I know, right? I’m eager to hear where these thousands of jobs will be. I wonder if the Governor will announce anything concrete before the election, or if he’ll wait until next April 1st to tell us.
- TominChicago - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:39 pm:
In Rauner-bingo “Madigan” has got to be a free square.
- Skeptic - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:41 pm:
So are those “thousands” of jobs in addition to the “dozens” of companies that are eager to move to Illinois as soon as we have term limits?
- James - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:50 pm:
Quincy? Talk to Mike Hoffman.
Poland? Over time, tens of thousands of jobs, trust me.
In fact, I’ve lined up hundreds of US corporations, ready to relocate to Illinois, as long as business reforms are enacted. But Madigan….
So for now, I expect House and Senate candidates to take the pledge…to put term limits on the ballot. You want thousands of new jobs? Job creators get excited about a legislature that can evolve within a few years into a more…compatible and sensible branch of government. That’s what we will get with term limits.
Thanks everybody, appreciate it, have a good day….
- Thomas Paine - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:55 pm:
Union-bashing doesn’t play particularly well in Germany or Poland.
- Retired Educator - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 2:58 pm:
Could we get an accounting on what was spent on these job searches overseas? I was wondering what the net value of these many jobs that didn’t happen could be worth. He takes trips on our dime, and we get nothing from it except a report on how good Polish beer is. It is time to send the Rauners on a long vacation at their own expense.
- Ron - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 3:13 pm:
Union bashing most assuredly plays well with German and polish companies looking to establish American presence.
- VanillaMan - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 3:46 pm:
Businesses don’t locate themselves in places where the government leader speaks as Rauner has since 2013.
First get rid of Governor Death Spiral.
- Generic Drone - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 4:11 pm:
Billions and billions of stars…er jobs I mean
- i see now - Friday, Apr 27, 18 @ 4:31 pm:
Polish dude: this s.o.b. from Chicago does not know we have beer
Polish gal: I have much family that lives there and they love our beer still and drink much. So how he not know?
Dude: Let’s make something up and see if he believe.
Gal: I will tell him we bringing many many jobs.
Dude: that would be funny but he know Illinois no place for jobs as he always says it.
Gal: But he did not know about Polish beer and he says he is a motorcycling riding beer drinker.
Dude and gal: tee hee hee hee… let’s do it and see what happens.