I’ve been belatedly reading Jeremiah Joyce’s 2021 book “Still Burning: Half a Century of Chicago, from the Streets to the Corridors of Power; A Memoir.”
The former 19th Ward alderman and Southwest Side state senator is a conversational writer and speaks frankly about some very divisive times, particularly regarding race. (It can get cringey.)
Joyce is remembered now as a consummate insider, but he came up the hard way without regular party support. It wasn’t until he forged a bond with Richard M. Daley, the first Mayor Daley’s son, that he came into his own as a power broker.
Anyway, what I wanted to tell you about was one of Joyce’s observations of Chicago Mayor Richard J. Daley, who died in office in 1976 during Joyce’s one and only aldermanic term.
“Over time,” Joyce wrote of the first Mayor Daley, “he developed a firm though rarely spoken theory of Chicago government — let some other entity pay, whether it be the state, the county, a regional body, or the federal government.”
It was true then, and it’s still true today, although perhaps stated more bluntly by the city’s current mayor and some of his closest allies.
We saw it again for the umpteenth time last week when Chicago Teachers Union President Stacy Davis Gates castigated the governor and the Democratic legislative majorities for not spending more on the city’s public schools.
Gates, Mayor Brandon Johnson’s most visible ally, was responding to Gov. JB Pritzker’s remarks to reporters that CTU’s demand for $1.6 billion in additional state funding is “just not going to happen.”
“And it’s not because we shouldn’t,” Pritzker clarified. “We should try to find the money, but we don’t have those resources today, and we’re not going to see the resources from the federal government level either.”
Pritzker went on to blame the Trump administration. “The federal government has taken away education funding from schools all across the United States,” he said, adding the state has increased funding by $2.5 billion during his time in office.
“We are all having to deal with the onslaught of Donald Trump on education in this country, and I’m going to continue to stand up for and protect students across the state of Illinois, including students in the city of Chicago,” the governor continued.
“But, at the local level, every school is going to have to do whatever is it is required in order to protect those students, and I will stand with them in that endeavor. But there is not extra money laying around in Springfield, mainly in part because of what Donald Trump has done at the federal level.”
CTU President Gates issued a blistering response: “Logic would tell you that if the Republican despot in the White House is defunding public education, then a state with a Democratic supermajority should take the opposite approach by fully funding schools in its largest district. There was no delay in giving $10 billion in tax breaks to the wealthiest businesses and individuals in our state, so why do Black and Brown children have to wait?”
The CTU has mentioned these “$10 billion in tax breaks” quite often, so I reached out and asked what that was all about.
For the most part, these aren’t actually “tax breaks.” Instead, almost $6 billion, according to CTU spokesperson B. Loewe, comes from the Illinois Revenue Alliance’s list of potential tax hikes on corporations, although a very small part of that is from closing corporate tax loopholes.
Another $4.5 billion is from not imposing a state surcharge on annual income over $1 million, which would require a constitutional amendment and couldn’t be implemented until after the 2026 election, if voters approved it.
Loewe also pointed to several state incentives criticized by a group called Good Jobs First, including tax breaks for electric vehicles, data centers, and TV and film production.
But it’s not like state leaders can snap their collective fingers and suddenly produce $10 billion in new revenues. Lots of labor unions, particularly the trades, would strenuously object to some of these ideas.
What the CTU really wants is an immense expansion of the state tax base.
“Why do students at Carver Elementary have to go without their flag football team?” Gates asked. “Why are educators being told to conserve toilet tissue and paper towels? Why does everyone have to subsidize the foot-dragging of our governor and Democratic General Assembly.”
From the first Mayor Daley to the present, some things never change.
I’m still reading the book and Joyce claims that Richard M. Daley had the same “make somebody else pay for it” philosophy as his father.
- OneMan - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 9:06 am:
Other people’s money is the best money to spend.
- Friendly Bob Adams - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 9:38 am:
No states, including Illinois, can make up for federal funds that are being withdrawn from the system. This will keep getting worse. What’s the old joke- I try being more pessimistic but I can’t keep up….
- Downstate - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 9:43 am:
A rural superintendent recently shared with me that 75% of he and his staff’s time is spent on complying with mandates from the ISBE. And 80% of those mandates are unfunded.
The idea of “other people’s money” can be applied to dictates, just as well as projects.
I’m the first to acknowledge that state funding for rural schools is a much higher percentage of their budget than even for the city of Chicago.
Is it even possible to do a reset on these educational items that also consume “other people’s money”?
- Demoralized - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 9:46 am:
I’m not sure lamenting the loss of a flag football team is the best argument to make when looking for money.
This whole argument that the CTU and Chicago makes with regard to being “owed” money really rubs me the wrong way. And why they think their argument is a winning argument is beyond me.
- Dirty Red - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 9:46 am:
Good story. The rhetoric similarities between how then-Mayor Daley and now Mayor Johnson are framing their need for flexibility on spend state dollars (1995) and now to be exempt from home rule revenue provisions is striking.
Anyone willing to review the aftermath of ILGA and the Governor going along with Mayor Daley’s request to have the CPS employer pension contribution become part of their general state aide will also see how well the City managed their new arrangement to address structural budget deficits. Effectively, they set up CPS for the “pension crisis” they find themselves in now. What chance does this pitch have with that history and with a Mayor who does not have the same political clout in Springfield that Daley did?
These games must stop. It’s a new game with new rules. Play by the old ones at your constituents’ peril.
- Larry Bowa Jr. - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:00 am:
“I’m not sure lamenting the loss of a flag football team is the best argument to make when looking for money.”
If not for demagoguery SDG would struggle to communicate at all. You’re supposed to hear this and think about the sunshine and rainbows all the suburban/downstate kids are prancing through every day at their “wealthy schools,” while knowing every kid in CPS is forced to drink rusty water out the bathroom sink while sitting in 120 degree classrooms with broken bulbs.
- Johnny B - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:16 am:
The “somebody else” was obviously their children’s children
The same playbook is being played today
- Original Rambler - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:18 am:
I have had several CTU surveys and always give it the lowest possible grade. It frosts me to no end that Chicago is not closing these under-attended schools to right size the system because the CTU is a hard no. The numbers you provide make it clear that JB has done a more than adequate job with school funding.
- Grandson of Man - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:18 am:
It’s a perfect fit for CTU types who like to publicly rip Democrats/Pritzker but not do much else. They would need to do the hard work of convincing state legislators, building a campaign and public support, etc. Put 60+30 on the Springfield Capitol steps. Where were they during the Fair Tax campaign?
- The Farm Grad - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:20 am:
“while knowing every kid in CPS is forced to drink rusty water out the bathroom sink while sitting in 120 degree classrooms with broken bulbs.”
Perhaps if Chicago were able to close the 150 schools that were at less than 50% capacity….
- low level - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:38 am:
I’m no fan of SDG, but “let someone else pay for it” is also the mantra of downstate as well. They get back what is it- $1.50 for every $1 they pay the state in taxes?
- Anon E Moose - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:40 am:
A variant of Homer Simpson’s “Can’t Someone Else Do It?” campaign
- Candy Dogood - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:42 am:
Hey guys, I’ve got a great idea! Let’s sell some of our revenue producing infrastructure to a private company for the next 75 years!
- Almost Retired - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:50 am:
I find CTU’s arguments baseless and a personal turnoff. However, the column reflects a larger issue which is who pays or what level of government pays for what. If one examines the history of mental health funding and care over time it has the same battles of does the federal government pay, does the state government pay or does the county pay. This is a systemic issue for funding of many services. One unit of government preferring and trying to force another unit of government to pay. However, it in the end doesn’t make a difference to the tax payer. We pay taxes to all levels of government so we pay no matter what level of government pays.
- Pundent - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:51 am:
If Brandon Johnson and Stacy Davis Gates can’t make the case to Chicago voters that more revenue is needed what possible logic exists that they can convince the rest of the state?
- Three Dimensional Checkers - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 10:53 am:
From Richard J. Daley to our current Mayor Stacy Davis Gates, Chicago mayors follow the “make someone else pay for it” philosophy.
- cla skinner - Monday, Aug 25, 25 @ 11:18 am:
Rich - You should read former State Senator Jack Schaffer’s autobiography.