* RGA…
The Belleville News Democrat is taking Illinois Democrat gubernatorial candidate J.B. Pritzker and his top ally, House Speaker Mike Madigan, to task for opposing political reforms and proposing massive tax hikes on already overtaxed families.
Madigan, without a word of opposition from Pritzker, killed efforts to allow Illinoisans to vote on reforms backed by GOP Governor Bruce Rauner, such as term limits. Rauner has made supporting term limits one of his signature issues, and newly released footage shows Pritzker making clear that he opposes term limits.
Instead, Pritzker and Madigan are pushing massive tax hikes but “refuse to offer specifics.” The Belleville News Democrat editorial board calls the Pritzker-Madigan tax hike plan a “cause for more worry.”
“They want more money,” writes the paper.
The contrast in the Illinois governor’s race could not be more clear: GOP Governor Bruce Rauner is committed to reforms to fix Illinois’ broken political system and lower taxes, while J.B. Pritzker and Mike Madigan want no reform and much higher taxes.
Taxes, Madigan, corruption. Rinse and repeat through November.
* From that editorial…
On Tuesday, after some budget progress between Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton said this: “We have a general understanding, I think, about how much money we have coming in and there’s some variables in terms of — we have a general idea of I think how much we need to spend.”
“Need to spend.” Right there is the problem.
You know how much money your family has, and must adjust your spending. Springfield figures out how much money you can produce, and must adjust how much less money you will have.
Illinoisans just were forced to give another $5 billion when lawmakers overrode a veto to increase the state income tax rate to 4.95 percent. It still isn’t enough, so there is a push for a progressive tax. They keep saying it is a “soak the rich” tax — funny coming from rich guys like Madigan and Pritzker — but they continue to refuse to offer specifics so we can see who really gets soaked.
They want more money. They don’t push taxation that doesn’t produce more money.
Thoughts?
- City Zen - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:06 am:
The unit of measurement for dinging Pritzker on taxes and Madigan should be umpdredths.
- Anonymous - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:08 am:
Despite Rauner, some of what is said above is true. Few reforms and more taxes. I have been hearing so many local business people complain about the State in the last two years, putting blame on the whole government.
- Just Me - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:09 am:
Cullerton’s approach to the budget is fair to criticize. Instead of asking how much money the State needs, he is asking how much money can the State squeeze out of its citizens.
- Anonymous - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:09 am:
Having seen how many oxes were gored during the stalemate, it’ll be interesting to see how effective this line of attack is.
- Fixer - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:10 am:
Except as a government you do “need to spend” on certain things. Like contracts. Somehow I don’t see the BND circling back around to that in their rant about taxes.
- Anonymous - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:10 am:
Belleville newspaper lost all credibility when the called Mendoza a lapdog
- Grandson of Man - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:10 am:
If Pritzker and Democrats do this right, and propose cutting taxes for the vast majority of us while raising them on the rich, I’d love to see Republicans and Rauner fight against that.
- wordslinger - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:12 am:
–Illinoisans just were forced to give another $5 billion when lawmakers overrode a veto to increase the state income tax rate to 4.95 percent. –
Yes. And the governor has spent every dime of it plus much more. Supposedly, the state can’t even gas up transport to take prisoners to court.
Rauner mismanaged all those new billions to such an extent that he wants a $1.1 billion supplemental appropriation for this fiscal year because he — somehow — signed contracts for non-appropriated spending and owes money all over the state.
The chutzpah on this guy, pretending to be a fiscal conservative. He spends it faster than it comes in, on stuff with no legal appropriation.
http://illinoistimes.com/article-19722-more-on-gov.-rauner%E2%80%99s-budget-proposal.html
- Chicago Cynic - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:18 am:
Oh spare me. “Need to spend” is a legitimate expression. Government needs to spend on prisons and schools and health care and roads. What a stupid, stupid thing to attack him for.
- Lucky Pierre - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:25 am:
Democrats formula
tax too much
spend too much
reform too little
stay in office way too long
disregard will of voters too much
blame Governor Rauner for every problem in the state and refuse to accept any responsibility for their failed policies
- Perrid - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:28 am:
We as a state like “big government.” We (at least the majority) like getting services. We’ve been getting services without paying for all of them for a while. Blasting politicians, the representatives for the people, for spending “too much” when the electorate literally demands most of the services in question is a little obtuse. You can make the argument that they should be leaders and give us what we need not what we want, but then there are arguments to be made that at that point they aren’t really representing us. Basically, if you want to see the problem look in a mirror.
- City Zen - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:29 am:
==If Pritzker and Democrats do this right, and propose cutting taxes for the vast majority of us while raising them on the rich==
The CTBA did exactly that and their plan was still a few billion short. Off to Plan B, which is you and me.
- Jocko - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:51 am:
==and his top ally, House Speaker Mike Madigan==
What does the BND have to support this assertion? Is Mike’s twitter handle “Lil Priz”?
- Sue - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:55 am:
Interesting read in Trib and Statement from the TRS executive Director- Illinois keeps sending the 5 State pension plans billions every year and the unfunded status continues to deteriorate. Not putting words in anyone’s mouth but the sentiment is that the number is so big that it is a hopeless problem. Every breathing soul in the State has an $11 K liability and that is only for the 5 State plans. Any wonder the infrastructure is falling apart. Regardless of your politics the reason the State has a budgeting problem is PENSIONS and the refusal to just come clean with the citizens. Pritzker’s refusal to tell us his tax plan ain’t because he doesn’t know the rates he wNts- the reason is that he knows just how much tax pain he will try to get thru
- Pundent - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 10:56 am:
=They want more money. They don’t push taxation that doesn’t produce more money.=
The argument would be far more compelling if the BND could actually back it up by showing exactly where money is being spent unnecessarily. You would think after 3 years of hearing about “reforms” and the “turnaround agenda” being the elixir that someone would do the math.
- Sue - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 11:01 am:
Word- you of all people know every new revenue dollar needs to go straight into the pension plans
- Rabid - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 11:09 am:
Gullible goobers still think term limits lower taxes and balance the budget
- wordslinger - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 11:12 am:
–Word- you of all people know every new revenue dollar needs to go straight into the pension plans–
Do I? If I recall, full pension contributions were made during the budget impasse.
But please, show your work. I can be persuaded by facts and figures.
- JS Mill - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 11:14 am:
I would live to hear about that golden age when people did not complain about taxes. Please, I would like the “no taxes” squad to share the tales from days of yore when nobody complained.
Nobody likes taxes. I don’t. But the concept that we do not need revenue to fix the problem is an absolute lie. Evidence of the lie? Bruce Rauner.
Sure, we should control spending, but the debt is a huge burden and not paying the debt is not an option. The new dead beat conservatism aside, responsible, ethical people pay their bills.
- People Over Parties - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 11:14 am:
===Gullible goobers still think term limits lower taxes and balance the budget===
You’re right, what absurd issues to discuss. I can’t wait for the progressive panacea tax to really get this state going!
- Sue - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 11:19 am:
Word- just read what the TRS Exec is quoted as saying in the Trib- the added billions being contributed isn’t dufficient
- Rabid - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 11:41 am:
It is absurd to be told who you can and can’t vote for, wouldn’t want to vote for the wrong person
- wordslinger - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 12:05 pm:
–just read what the TRS Exec is quoted as saying in the Trib- the added billions being contributed isn’t dufficient–
That’s nothing-at-all like your previous comment, which was that all of the $5 billion tax increase went to pension contributions. That’s simply not the case.
- Anonymous - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 12:18 pm:
With loss of faith in state government, comes the tax payers next move and that will be to leave in increased numbers.
- whetstone - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 12:27 pm:
“They keep saying it is a “soak the rich” tax — funny coming from rich guys like Madigan and Pritzker”
Is there anyone, besides a newspaper editorial board member, for whom this makes sense? Is it supposed to be hypocritical that they want to tax themselves and their peers?
Normally I get whatever the subtext of the gibberish is, but I’m totally missing it here.
- Ron - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 12:38 pm:
Perrid, you missed a key point. We have the fifth highest state and local tax burden in the nation and receive very little in terms of services from that.
- Juvenal - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 12:50 pm:
The owners of the Belleville News-Democrat, Champaign News-Gazette, and Chicago Tribune have all been drinking koolaid from the same spigot for years.
Yes, BND, figuring out how much money you have coming in and how much you need to spend is how you balance a budget. Sometimes you decide you need to find some more revenue somewhere, and sometimes you decide to put off some expenses.
Putting off paying our vendors is costing us $1 billion in interest payments now.
Putting of maintenance of our roads and bridges is now going to cost us $21 billion.
And if the BND bothered reading the award-winning work of their reporters, they would realize that we have some needs to address over at DCFS as well.
Lower Taxes are a false god of the conservative movement, and the BND editorial board is their false prophet.
There is nothing conservative about borrowing, kicking the can down the road, or ignoring the cries of abused children just so multi-millionaires can shave a few points off their tax rate.
Havent you heard? Bruce Rauner is moving to Italy regardless of whether we pass a progressive income tax hike.
- Ron - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 12:57 pm:
Juvenal, you seem to forget that illinois already has the fifth highest state and local tax burden in the nation. And we are losing population.
- Real - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 1:50 pm:
The CTBA did exactly that and their plan was still a few billion short. Off to Plan B, which is you and me.
The CBTA didn’t include revenue from marijuana.
- Real - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 1:55 pm:
This is another bought and paid for Rauner propaganda paper. The paper says newly released Pritzker footage shows he opposes term limits. Umm from what I can remember Pritzker has made it known that he opposes term limits long ago. Rauner and those on the GOP side in the GA don’t even support term limits. If they did they would of supported the other guy over career politican Durkin.
- Skeptic - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 1:57 pm:
“receive very little in terms of services from that” Show your work please.
- City Zen - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 2:12 pm:
==The CBTA didn’t include revenue from marijuana.==
True, but take all the extra revenue from the CTBA plan plus the estimates from legalized weed and you still wouldn’t have enough to fund the education reform bill from last year, let alone anything else.
Plan B: You and Me.
- bored now - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 2:38 pm:
how is that message (Taxes, Madigan, corruption) going to stand up to rauner/trump, quincy deaths and legislative/budget paralysis?
- Sue - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 2:41 pm:
According to the Trib- the pension liability is now more than 11 K per Illinois citizen. Now we know why Pritzker is not fessing up about his tax plan. To pay the annual pension tab, Medicaid bill etc along with what JB is promising- the new rates will have to huge
- Ron - Friday, May 11, 18 @ 3:15 pm:
Skepptic, are you blind? Average schools, below average roads, terrible policing, terrible judges that can’t keep criminals off the street, below average public univerties the list is endless.
All from the fifth highest state and local tax burden in the nation.
- Eric Zorn - Monday, May 14, 18 @ 9:38 am:
“5th highest…” claim seems to be based on 2012 numbers. Updated https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494/ is 8th.