* A Sun-Times op-ed by Terry Cosgrove at Personal PAC…
Under Illinois’ current flat tax rate system, funding has been inadequate to balance inequalities in our system. The proposed fair tax will improve equity in our taxation system and is projected to bring in $3.2 billion more in revenue.
Personal PAC will work to ensure that Illinois recommits to funding the social safety net for Illinois’ most vulnerable citizens. […]
Personal PAC calls on every pro-choice voter to join us in supporting the fair tax amendment. Under a fair tax system, the state of Illinois will have the resources to fund the broad range of programs and services needed to ensure that every child in Illinois is cared for, regardless of zip code.
The pro-choice, pro-mother, pro-child and pro-family vote is in favor of the fair tax amendment on the November 2020 general election ballot.
The governor has been a huge supporter of Cosgrove’s issues, so this may not be much of a surprise when you think about it.
* I asked Cosgrove if his cash-rich group would be spending money on behalf of the 2020 referendum. His reply…
We’ll review that after the March primary, but will certainly include our support in most of our communication—-social media, voters’ guide, etc. which reaches a large audience statewide. Standing up for access to reproductive health care for all women, without regard to zip code, source of health insurance, institution providing health care, age and health status, is the core of Personal PAC’s mission.
- A guy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 9:29 am:
Who would’ve guessed..besides everyone. /s
- DD - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 9:36 am:
I don’t understand why Personal PAC has any business weighing in on this at all. It’s not their mission. I get the personal/political relationships, but it’s a really bad idea that could erode their effectiveness as a single issue organization. Terry is sucking up to JB and it does a disservice to his contributors.
- Just Observing - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 9:37 am:
Quite a stretch that this falls within their mission:
https://www.personalpac.org/about/our-mission/
- Iggy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 9:42 am:
and the sky is blue. lol
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 9:48 am:
With funding and regulations in other states threatening pro-choice, allies are found when there aren’t battles too.
- DIstant watcher - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 9:52 am:
Terry has clearly decided that the Trump Administration’s to use federal funds to attack abortion providers makes the state budget an abortion issue. Depending on how the next presidential election goes, he may want to rethink this, but in this context, it makes sense.
Republicans will also have to address the implications of taking extreme anti-abortion positions.
- Token Conservative - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 10:00 am:
BREAKING NEWS: water is wet.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 10:10 am:
==Personal PAC calls on every pro-choice voter to join us in supporting the fair tax amendment.==
So pro-choice voters don’t have a choice?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 10:12 am:
===So pro-choice voters don’t have a choice?===
They can decide not to donate.
Free country and all…
- Montrose - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 10:16 am:
“I don’t understand why Personal PAC has any business weighing in on this at all. It’s not their mission.”
When your mission is focused on protecting and advancing reproductive rights, and you have advocated for state dollars to be used to ensure women have access to abortions and other aspects of reproductive health, then making sure the state has adequate revenue to cover those costs now and in the future is pretty important to your mission.
- Cornish - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 10:48 am:
I am pro choice but very much against the targeted unfair taxation that Pritzker has proposed. Seems like a very bad decision by this group.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 10:52 am:
===unfair taxation===
How do the feds do income tax?
I’ll wait.
- Cornish - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:01 am:
Not sure what your point is Oswego. The Federal government is generally bad at most of what it does. Including taxation.
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:03 am:
===Not sure what your point is===
Aw, it’s “simple”… unfair or not, in your eyes, that taxation is found already in Illinois, and your opinion is not sound to the legality.
- Honeybear - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:07 am:
It is very much in Personal PAC’s business to get involved in this.
Look at the sides of the for and against Reproductive freedom and choice.
Now look at the sides for and against the Fair tax.
I see a ton of overlap on the Pro-Reproductive freedom and Pro Fair tax side.
Just because you have a problem with one or the other doesn’t mean that there isn’t a critical mass of supporters shared by both.
Be self-differentiated
This is a good pairing
This is a powerful pairing
This is a pairing of fairness with the
best activists out there.
Who actually share the same values
- Just Me - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:17 am:
Stay in your lane, sir. I get that you want all the funding you can get, but last I checked the mission of your organization wasn’t to be experts in tax policy.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:22 am:
==How do the feds do income tax?==
Using separate tax brackets for single/married filers indexed against inflation.
- Montrose - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:25 am:
“Stay in your lane, sir. I get that you want all the funding you can get, but last I checked the mission of your organization wasn’t to be experts in tax policy.”
Only experts in tax policy get to weigh in on how the state generates revenue? That is really going to limit the pool of eligible voters when its on the ballot next fall.
- Froganon - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:33 am:
Sending a donation to PPac is next on my to do list. Starving Illinois government of revenue hurts poor families and everyone’s access health care. Pritzker’s Fair Tax is the solution.
- Thomas Paine - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:47 am:
I don’t recall anyone on the right getting upset about the Illinois Policy Institute wading into the debate over HB 40 by claiming it was a fiscal issue. A ridiculous stance BTW since family planning access saves state costs.
The GOP is trying to conceal their rabidly anti-women agenda by claiming they are against reproductive freedom per se, they just don’t want to pay for it.
As long as they are making that argument, Cosgrove and Personal PAC are well within their rights to link the issues.
- City Zen - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:53 am:
==Sending a donation to PPac is next on my to do list.==
Can anyone explain the amounts people contribute to Personal PAC? For example, instead of contributing $1000 or $3000, there’s $1030 or $3090. Is there a processing fee or something tacked on to the contribution?
- Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 11:54 am:
===Can anyone explain the amounts people contribute to Personal PAC?===
Ask the RaunerS and the PritzkerS
They both would know.
Thanks.
- Taxedoutwest - Tuesday, Sep 10, 19 @ 5:46 pm:
—Personal PAC calls on every pro-choice voter to join us in supporting the fair tax amendment. Under a fair tax system, the state of Illinois will have the resources to fund the broad range of programs and services needed to ensure that every child in Illinois is cared for, regardless of zip code.
…..well, not EVERY child, as some end up in the trash bin.
- Da Big Bad Wolf - Wednesday, Sep 11, 19 @ 6:50 am:
==…..well, not EVERY child, as some end up in the trash bin.==
We really need to do a better job of telling people, especially young children about Safe Haven laws. That means spending taxes for more billboards, media time, even advertising on school milk cartons. It should be something that everyone knows about.
- Cosgrove - Wednesday, Sep 11, 19 @ 5:03 pm:
City Zen. Yes, it’s a fair tax.