|
Comments Off  
|
|
Comments Off
|
Layers of the airport onion
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* NY Times columnist Bob Herbert has written two columns this week about the forever-stalled third Chicago-area airport project…
The U.S. is in a world-class recession, hemorrhaging jobs and spending trillions of dollars trying to extricate itself from the mess. That this ready-to-go project is still sitting on the table, still waiting for state government approval after several long years have already been wasted, is plain nuts.
As is pretty obvious from that above passage, Herbert fully supports Congressman Jesse Jackson Jr.’s private airport plan…
The airport proposal has long been the primary focus of Representative Jesse Jackson Jr., a Chicago Democrat. He has spent years mastering its complexities, lining up financing that would keep taxpayer contributions to a minimum and fending off interests that do not want the competition that a third airport would bring, or who would like to carve out a corrupt stake in the project.
And he seems to understand a big part of the resistance…
The major airlines serving Chicago are not interested in seeing low-cost competition flying in and out of a spanking new airport, especially one with enormous growth potential. And many of the big-time politicians in and around Chicago are upset at the very thought of an airport being built in which they would be unable to control the jobs and the contracts. Airports tend to be monstrous patronage mills. This one would not be.
Nobody messes with Mayor Daley’s airports. That’s the Number One rule in Chicago. And a competing airport violates that “sacred” rule.
* But in today’s column, Herbert shows that he doesn’t fully appreciate the hurdles faced by Jackson’s plan…
No one that I’ve spoken with has found fault with the plan or its financing, which relies primarily on private capital. But there has been a palpable coolness to the project by some of the major political players in Chicago and in the state capital of Springfield. They have created a long-term behind-the-scenes bottleneck for the project.
Something that almost never gets mentioned is that the proposed airport footprint is not in Jackson’s congressional district, and some of the people who live in or adjacent to that footprint, particulary in Will County, don’t think that Jackson should be dictating to them.
Granted, the Will County folks never really came up with their own plan until Jackson rolled out a doable project. Some of this Will County resistance is just a plain ol’ turf war. But they do bring up legit points, so maybe Herbert could call Will County Executive Larry Walsh and hear him out. It didn’t help Jackson’s cause that the former Illinois Senate Majority Leader, Debbie Halvorson, lived next to the proposed airport and was a major opponent of Jackson’s plan. It also didn’t help that former Senate President Emil Jones didn’t particularly care for the congressman, to say the least.
Also, for years the third airport plan was allegedly used by political insiders in get rich(er) quick schemes. They bought and sold parcels of airport-area land and made a nice buck or two. The plan was mostly a fiction - and most everyone preferred it that way - until Jackson came along with a realistic alternative. For that, he’s to be commended. He does have a decent plan. What’s been lacking is real support from the powers that be in Will County. If Jackson can pull that off, then this thing might eventually fly.
* Peter Fitzgerald used to tell me that politics was like an onion, especially in Illinois. You had to peel layer after layer until you got to the truth. In reality, every one of those layers represents part of the truth, and there are a whole lot of layers here. So when Herbert concludes his column today with this…
The goal from the beginning has been to keep the proposed airport out of the clutches of Chicago’s notorious “pay-to-play” tradition.
That is the most likely reason that this project, with its potential to unleash so many jobs, has taken so long to get off the ground.
…I’d suggest that he has one layer right, but there are several others out there.
45 Comments
|
Question of the day
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The setup…
In Chicago, blowing a stoplight might get you a letter, complete with a $100 fine, thanks to a red-light camera.
But that might not be the end of your photo-enforcement woes, because aldermen Monday began talking about using the city’s ever-growing legion of red-light cameras to check for vehicle liability insurance.
The city could net nearly $10 million a year in fines just by citing uninsured vehicles that also get photo ticketed for a red-light violation, said Ald. Ed Burke (14th), who brought the idea to the City Council Traffic Committee.
Citing more vehicles—including those driven safely but uninsured—could net the city more than $100 million a year, added Rowland Day, executive vice president of InsureNet, a Michigan-based company that provides instant insurance verification.
* The Question: Should the red-light camera law be expanded to nail people who don’t have insurance? Explain fully, please. Thanks.
85 Comments
|
I’m a reform agnostic
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I know we talked about this yesterday, but after reading this quote I thought the subject merited more discussion…
“The system we have is obviously not working,” [Cindi Canary of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform] said. “How many more indictments, wire taps, grand juries and arrests must the voters be expected to endure before we are willing to try something new?”
Earlier in the day, she and other good-government advocates announced a new push to build public support for capping campaign donations.
Campaign contribution caps are not “new.” They’ve been used in DC for years and years. Yet, congressmen, lobbyists and others are still going to prison.
Simple solutions are usually neither. I’m not necessarily against campaign caps, but how much will this really clean up our system? Does anyone really believe that Rod Blagojevich would’ve avoided arrest if we had campaign caps in Illinois?
* Then again, four former US Attorneys have signed on to the idea…
We urge the state legislature—and the governor—to enact the pending legislation modeled after federal law that puts specific and reasonable limits on political contributions by individuals, corporations and unions.
Enactment of the proposed legislation will be a significant and much needed first step to ending the corruption that has for too long been part of our state’s history.
* On the other hand…
Laura Renz, research director for the Virginia-based Center for Competitive Politics, called on lawmakers to exercise caution as they consider changes to the campaign finance system.
A system with contribution limits generally hampers challengers who are taking on political incumbents, she said.
Incumbents have greater name recognition, making it easier for them to raise funds, but challengers often rely more heavily on large donations from fewer contributors, she said.
“Thus, by insulating incumbents from challenge, contribution limits can actually make it harder for voters to become aware of and root out corrupt politicians,” she said.
More…
Ann Lousin, who helped write the 1970 state Constitution and who teaches law at John Marshall Law School in Chicago, spells out some of the opposition to campaign finance limits for individuals, businesses and political groups. “If I can figure out a way around it in five minutes, you shouldn’t put it into the statute,” she said. “You go back to sunshine, sunshine, sunshine. Sunshine is the best disinfectant.”
She said individuals could disguise their financial support through friends or relatives, while state contractors could hide their donations by funneling money though subcontractors, which aren’t part of the public record. “All you’re doing is putting it underground,” she said.
* When somebody can show me a reform that actually works and has a real track record of success in cleaning up a notoriously bad system, then I’ll be for it. Until then, I’ll remain an agnostic.
Also, would the good government groups pushing this plan agree to cap their own donations? Good for the goose…
39 Comments
|
A strange Dem and the angst-ridden Repubs
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I got this press release via e-mail yesterday and filed it under “Maybe I’ll get back to this later”…
Scott Lee Cohen, local businessman and entrepreneur, opened a campaign account this week with a hefty deposit exceeding over $230,000. Scott is running for Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 election and will take over President Obama’s former field office in downtown Chicago. Scott is hoping that volunteers who are already familiar with the location will continue their commitment to service and volunteer on his behalf.
Scott has always been dedicated to serving his community. After suggestions from many friends, community residents, and members of his citizen group, Rod Must Resign, Scott decided to run for office. Scott will draw on his business and real estate experience to provide solutions to the troubled housing market and create economic opportunity in the state. “The people of Illinois need an honest leader who can run our state government on sound business principles. It’s time to bring the government back to the people,” Scott said.
But Mark Brown got a call from the candidate and wrote about him today…
Chicago pawnbroker Scott Lee Cohen has launched a campaign to become Illinois’ next lieutenant governor.
His chances are so slim that I told him he’d be better off donating his money to charity.
Even his own campaign consultant says he tried to talk him out of making the race, but the best he could do was persuade him not to run for governor
I was glad I didn’t do anything about the release, and then came this nugget…
Part of the reason Cohen said he sought me out to write about his candidacy is that he wanted to make a pre-emptive strike about some potentially embarrassing matters before they came up in the campaign.
That got my attention, I must admit, although I advised Cohen it hardly seemed necessary as his candidacy was so unlikely to take hold.
But he insisted on telling me about his 2005 arrest in a domestic battery case involving a girlfriend with whom he was living while his divorce was pending. The charges were dropped when the woman did not appear in court, he said, and he denied he did anything wrong in the first place.
Sheesh.
* And Steve Huntley looks at Republican angst…
Given the Rod Blagojevich scandal, 2010 should shape up as a year of opportunity for Illinois’ Republican Party. But GOP insiders, moneymen, heavy hitters and consultants view the lineup of possible gubernatorial candidates as lackluster and have tried, without success so far, to recruit new blood.
Feelers were put out to Illinois Supreme Court Justice and former Chicago Bears kicker Bob Thomas. “I’m happy where I’m at,” he says in declaring he’s not interested. Bush administration HUD Secretary Steve Preston was definitely interested but found out that federal service couldn’t get him around Illinois residency requirements for elective office. Bruce Rauner, the dynamic chairman of a Chicago private equity fund, decided against a run for family reasons.
Preston was dreaming and so was Rauner. More…
North Shore Rep. Mark Kirk is much more inclined toward taking a shot at the U.S. Senate than looking to Springfield. Northwest suburban Rep. Peter Roskam has landed a coveted spot on the important House Ways and Means Committee and has a promising future in Congress. There’s even been talk about U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald. He won’t say whether anyone has sounded him out, but he has made it clear he’s not interested in any political race.
The pressure has been heavy on Kirk to reevaluate, but it’s not likely that he will. Fitz did not come to Chicago to become a politician. He came to Chicago to lock up politicians. More…
State Sen. Dan Duffy of Barrington, a Legislative newcomer, impresses many in the party. He acknowledges hearing suggestions he run, but no one in the party leadership has approached him. “The party is now evaluating a lot of people and that’s a good thing,” he says. “If party leaders said, ‘You’re that person,’ I’d have to have a serious conversation with my family and find out if this is the right time for me. But we’re not there yet.” A jump from newly minted legislator to governor in just two years time would be quite a challenge.
What has party insiders looking around is the realization the crop of Republicans announced or considering the race is made up of mostly the same old faces.
Yep. And they have a right to be worried. Go read the whole thing.
41 Comments
|
Tax hike and budget roundup
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times has more budget details today…
Under the proposal, which Quinn is expected to lay out in his Wednesday budget address, the annual $78 registration fee for state license plate stickers will rise $20. The governor intends to raise cigarette taxes up to $1 over two years, which would double the existing 98-cent-a-pack state tax. Twenty-six states have higher cigarette taxes.
Quinn also is looking at increasing the state’s 3 percent income tax to as much as 4.5 percent. A legislative preview of his funding plans indicated Monday that Quinn is considering a new income tax rate of between 3.5 percent and 4.5 percent.
That 3.5 percent rate emerged after public outcry over the prospect of the tax increase. However, it is expected the governor will still push for a rate toward the higher end of the range identified in the legislative budget “blueprint” obtained Monday by the Chicago Sun-Times.
And in an area likely to generate heated opposition from cities, Quinn wants to withhold the 10 percent stake municipalities would expect to see in additional revenues from an income-tax increase. […]
Quinn also is expected to propose increasing the corporate income tax from 4.8 percent to 5.9 percent, saving $100 million by ending corporate tax incentives, dipping into special-purpose funds for $200 million and withdrawing $150 million from the state’s road fund.
* My syndicated newspaper column takes a look at the naysayers…
Republican state Sen. Bill Brady kicked off his new gubernatorial campaign the other day by claiming that Illinois’ horrific budget deficit can be “managed.” But a new report by the governor’s office makes that claim even less realistic than it already was.
As you already know, Democratic Comptroller Dan Hynes has estimated the state’s budget deficit could reach $9 billion next fiscal year, not including aid from the federal stimulus package. We can toss those numbers out the window now, but this is all Brady had to go on when he announced his campaign, so let’s look at it anyway.
Brady told WGN-AM (720) the day before his official campaign kickoff that the budget deficit was about $4 billion to $5 billion “on an annual basis.” That’s pretty much exactly what Comptroller Hynes projected. Hynes included $4 billion or so in unpaid bills from this fiscal year in his $9 billion deficit projection for next fiscal year, which begins July 1.
But Brady insisted the budget deficit could be managed. “The first thing we need to do is to deal with that $4 billion to $5 billion deficit. And you can manage that. When you’ve got a $53-plus billion budget, you need to manage it,” he said.
Brady did the math and concluded the state budget broke down to $4,000 for every man, woman and child in Illinois. “If the people who are elected into office can’t balance a budget taking $4,000 from every man, woman and child, then maybe we ought to find someone who can,” Brady said.
What he didn’t say, of course, was that the $53 billion budget figure he cited was for all funds, including federal funds. The state’s operating budget - the part that Illinois government actually controls - is about $28 billion. Health care programs and education spending account for all but $3 billion of that total. So, there’s really no way to “manage” the state out of even a $4 billion deficit without big slashes in spending for schools and Medicaid recipients and providers.
Most importantly, there are about 100 days or so remaining in the current fiscal year, which ends June 30. So getting ourselves out of this fiscal year’s deficit crisis with the game almost over would require unimaginable cuts. As I’ve written elsewhere, you’d essentially have to shut the government down.
Brady also claimed Illinois could pay for a capital construction program without raising taxes, such as the motor fuel tax, a proposal made by some legislative Democrats. He’d do this by stopping all transfers from the state’s road fund, which he says is over $1 billion a year.
That’s mostly true. But reversing those road fund transfers means the state would have to either eliminate or slash programs paid for by the road fund, which includes the State Police, or blow a billion dollar hole in the rest of the state budget. The problem, in other words, would be worse.
And here’s where it gets worse.
Much worse.
The governor’s office is now estimating the combined state budget deficit to be $11.5 billion. Income and sales taxes are crashing, to the tune of more than $3 billion. Medicaid costs, employee wages and benefits, including pension costs, are skyrocketing.
In short, it’s a horror show.
But if we can’t cut our way out of this mess, we certainly can’t fully tax our way out of it, either.
Gov. Pat Quinn wants to make the income tax burden as “progressive” as possible, so as of this writing Quinn’s tax hike plan is expected to avoid taxing anyone at all under the federal poverty line. Plus, nobody making less than $57,000 a year would see any income tax hike.
So even though the governor wants to raise the income tax by 1.5 percentage points, which is a 50 percent increase, he won’t get nearly the sort of revenue that an across-the-board hike would give him. That means cuts, and some of them will be painful.
There are other innovative ways to help balance the budget that don’t involve painful cuts or tax increases. But none of those ideas gets you to $11.5 billion. Not even close.
Forget about the political rhetoric and get ready to pay more for less.
* Related…
* Gov. Pat Quinn seeks consensus in break from past: “We’re a team. We’re a family. We have almost 13 million people in our family of Illinois,” Quinn said.
* Illinois Politicians Disagree on Tax Hike Option
* Former Governors Offer Quinn Budget Advice
* House Speaker Madigan Open to Tax Hike
* Quinn wants to make best of worst-case scenario
* Quinn has to be thinking about Ogilvie
* 12 steps before a tax hike
* Tax increases will spark controversy
* State Rep. Smith backs tax hike
* Tax hike plan is excessive
* Will Quinn reopen Frank Lloyd Wright’s Dana-Thomas House and other state historic sites? We’ll know Wednesday
* State to get $8.4 million for foster care, adoption
40 Comments
|
Morning Shorts
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Zorn: Killings of students provides a grim tally
* Caterpillar institutes rolling layoffs
* Bloomington looking at many job cuts
* After Years of Shrinking, Union Ranks Edge Up
After years of decline, Illinois union ranks in 2008 grew by 97,000 workers. That’s according to a recent federal report.
* The Big Chill: Chicago’s Condo Market Is Now on Ice
* Family refuses to give up home without a fight
* Chicago Tribune names biz editor
* Railway agrees to quiet zones in suburban Chicago
U.S. Rep. Dan Lipinski helped broker an agreement with Canadian National Railway to establish quiet zones through Riverside, North Riverside and Berwyn.
A statement Monday from the Illinois Democrat’s office says Montreal-based CN will upgrade crossings so trains won’t blare their horns as they pass. It didn’t provide cost estimates.
* Chicago’s potholes: Lack of funding leaves gaping holes
* Early Voting Begins For House Seat Of Rahm Emanuel
* Quigley’s D.C. trip not a ‘victory lap’
* Durbin Defends Earmarks
* Lake Michigan shoreline: Sen. Dick Durbin, Mayor Richard Daley defend earmarks
* If she hit him, he probably deserved it
Obviously, what Eni Skoien allegedly did wasn’t very smart. Now she will need a skilled lawyer to get the protection order lifted.
That’s why violence is never a solution.
Still, in a situation like this, a few whacks might be the only way a woman can hold onto her dignity.
* Hispanics leaders: We can work with Burris
* Playing race politics as a zero-sum game
* Burris’ son got state job fairly, Quinn says
* Hiring of Sen. Roland Burris’ son: Review by Gov. Patrick Quinn’s office finds no misconduct
* Bensenville village president wins ballot fight:
* Judge says Geils can stay on ballot in Bensenville
* Candidates spending big bucks in Des Plaines mayoral race
* I competed with Sanchez to get city jobs: witness
* Chicago hiring fraud trial: Prosecutors rest their case
* Ill. Supreme Court removes Vrdolyak from attorneys list
* Vrdolyak’s name off Illinois attorneys’ roll
* Cleaning firm sues over loss of Soldier Field contract
* Art Institute pricing itself out of public domain
10 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
Send in the clown
Tuesday, Mar 17, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 7:08 am - Rod Blagojevich is on Don & Roma’s show right now. To listen live, if you can stomach such inanity this early in the morning, click here.
The guy still claims that he was forced out of office specifically so that the Democratic legislative leaders could raise taxes. Sheesh.
I wonder if Don & Roma will still have Blagojevich on their show after he’s put into prison.
18 Comments
|
|
Enter your password to view comments
|
Question of the day
Monday, Mar 16, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Attorney General Lisa Madigan is apparently for campaign contribution limits…
So far, she’s lining up behind State Rep. Harry Osterman’s HB 24, which would cap individual contributions at $2,300 and union, corporate, and interest group donations at $5,000.
According to spokeswoman Robyn Ziegler, Madigan thinks “it’s the most comprehensive of the bills” in play.
* The Question: Do you support this reform? Explain fully.
56 Comments
|
Walking on ironic sunshine
Monday, Mar 16, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* All of these articles and editorials are running in conjunction with “Sunshine Week”…
* Quinn promises more openness in state government
* Illinois ranks 32nd in public info on Internet
* All governments flourish in the light
* Survey: Illinois behind the times in making info available online
* Government can create confidence with greater transparency
* Palmyra couple: Trustees don’t play by rules
The problem? Not a single one of them mentions that “Sunshine Week” is being sponsored in Illinois by a special interest group which advocates on behalf of newspaper publishers. They even have a nifty online souvenir shop.
So much for “sunshine.”
* Meanwhile, the Sun-Times shows how difficult it can be to extract info from the government…
When it comes to figuring out how taxpayer dollars are spent on big state road projects, it’s wise to be prepared for a runaround. Take the massive reconstruction of the Dan Ryan Expy., which ended in 2007.
The Better Government Association, partnering with the Chicago Sun-Times, asked the Illinois Department of Transportation to provide a list of contractors and subcontractors who worked on the project, which wrapped up on time but at a total cost of $975 million — about $375 million over budget.
Here was IDOT’s initial response: “The department is not in possession of a list of contractors and subcontractors used in the Dan Ryan Expressway projects and is under no obligation to create or prepare a new record (in this case, a list) pursuant to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act.”
In other words: no go.
* And the Tribune reports on new revelations about how Chicago’s foie gras ban really passed…
One of Daley’s most powerful allies suggests that the mayor could have nipped the council’s foie gras passion before it ever bloomed into a target of widespread scorn. In Tribune reporter Mark Caro’s new book, “The Foie Gras Wars,” Ald. Edward Burke (14th) says Daley flatly declined a chance to do that.
“I asked him,” Burke told Caro. “I said, ‘Rich, do you want us to stop this? And he said, ‘No, let it go.’ ”
Daley spokeswoman Jacquelyn Heard said she told the mayor about Burke’s account and that he could not recall any such conversation. “The mayor was like, ‘What? I don’t know what he’s talking about.’ ”
It’s not the first time Daley has scoffed at suggestions he lords over what some have called a “rubber-stamp council.” Never mind that aldermen have been more faithful to the current Mayor Daley’s agenda than any council was during his father’s reign as chief executive.
* Kathleen Parker blames the print media’s demise on media bashers…
Unfortunately, the chorus of media bashing from certain quarters has succeeded in convincing many Americans that they don’t need newspapers. A new study by the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press found that fewer than half of Americans—43 percent—say that losing their local newspaper would hurt civic life in their community “a lot.”
Only 33 percent say they would miss the local paper if it were no longer available.
A younger generation, meanwhile, has little understanding or appreciation of the relationship between a free press and a free society. Pew found that just 27 percent of Americans born since 1977 read a newspaper the previous day.
So, we should stop exercising our First Amendment rights to criticize the media and then newspapers will be just fine?
I don’t get it.
29 Comments
|
* The AP explains the deficit…
A deficit of $11.5 billion would amount to $917 for every man, woman and child in the state. That’s roughly the same amount that Illinois schools get from the state.
If officials wanted to tax their way out of the hole, they would have to double the income tax. If they wanted to cut spending, eliminating the Transportation Department, the Environmental Protection Agency and the child-welfare department would just about do it.
Like families trying to pay bills and save for college, state government has seen its costs climb steadily. Medicaid costs ballooned as health care grew more expensive and more people turned to the state for care. Employee salary and health costs rose, and the law required bigger and bigger contributions to retirement funds. In addition, officials approved new programs, such as the health care expansions championed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
At the same time, the state gets most of its money from taxing income and sales. That means less money is available in a recession, when incomes drop and people cut back on shopping.
And has an anti-taxer suggest a solution…
John Tillman, chairman of the Illinois Policy Institute, argues there is no reason the entire deficit must be erased at once. What can’t be handled through spending cuts can be rolled over to future years until the economy improves, he said.
That was done before (by Jim Edgar, especially) and will undoubtedly be done again. But you can’t do that with the entire $11.5 billion. It’s just too much. California is a case in point…
Some hints of what may be coming, for other states as well as Illinois, lie in the experience of California. California, like Illinois once a bellwether state, but now solidly in the Democratic camp, thumped residents solidly with taxes. Sales tax up. Income tax up, too. Vehicle license fees doubled. Child care deductions cut.
On the other side of the equasion, California cut $15 billion in costs, more than half coming from education. The state cut two holidays and forced employees into one unpaid day a month.
As serious as all that sounds, it wasn’t enough. It made up only two-thirds of the hole — or about as much as the voters could choke down.
The other one-third of California’s budget hole was patched with borrowing.
What about rolling back Rod Blagojevich’s Medicaid expansions, including All Kids? Progress Illinois takes a whack at that…
The former governor’s FamilyCare expansion may have been reckless from a constitutional standpoint, but there’s no evidence that it’s weighing down the budget significantly. Only about 4,000 additional families managed to enroll under the expanded guidelines, which translates to less than $20 million per year.
* And how big of a bite will the tax hike take? The Trib explains…
…families of four earning about $56,000 a year or less would get an income tax cut or at least pay no tax increase because of the higher personal exemption he also was proposing. […]
Quinn is considering raising the state’s personal income tax rate, to 4.5 percent from 3 percent. Quinn aides have said the standard exemption may rise from $2,000 to as much as $6,000. Such a plan would mean families of four with a $75,000 income would pay $285 more in taxes and a family earning $100,000 would pay an extra $660 to the state, based on gross income and absent any other credits or deductions.
* The Tribune editorial board takes the populist route…
Many are the reasons why the State of Illinois’ accumulating deficits could total some $11 billion by the summer of 2010. But taxpayers shouldn’t feel guilty. For two decades, they’ve been increasing their payments to Springfield at roughly double the rate of inflation.
Perhaps, but if you look at taxes collected since 2002 and factor in the revenue crash currently predicted by the governor, it’s almost flat. So, the Trib is being disengenuous. Also, the income tax has not been raised in 20 years. And then there’s this…
Illinois’ total state and local tax and fee burden as a percentage of personal income is among the lowest of all states, according to 2006 data collected by the Federation of Tax Administrators and distributed by CTBA
And this…
Illinois now has one of the country’s more regressive tax systems. It’s time to shift the burden to those who can pay more. Quinn looks headed in that direction, saying Friday his plan includes a tax cut for lower income workers.
But without giving the governor an opportunity to explain any of his proposed budget cuts, the Trib lays into him…
We expected his teaser remarks in advance of his budget address this Wednesday to be odes to economizing: calls for higher benefit contributions from employees, moving Medicaid patients to managed care and other bold tactics for modernizing practices that are grounded in two prior centuries.
But then, with our optimism stoked and our pompoms at the ready, we heard about … the prisons, the teachers and the tax hike
What the Trib fails to understand is that, most likely, the governor is trying to assuage the interest groups before he lowers the boom on the cuts…
Quinn will try to cut $850 million from programs financed through the state’s general fund, the all-purpose checking account that pays for most state services. How Quinn will do that was not answered
$850 million may not seem like a lot in comparison to an $11.5 billion deficit, and it isn’t. But, as we’ve found here and as explained above, unless you want to cut aid to schools or throw people off Medicaid, there’s not a whole lot you can do.
* Good point…
Adding to the political intrigue is how helpful [House Speaker Michael Madigan] will be in ushering the tax hike through the legislature. The increase undoubtedly could be used by Madigan’s daughter, Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan, against Quinn should the two face off next year in the Democratic primary for governor.
* Meanwhile, I told subscribers about this plan last week…
You may pay more for license plates as a way to improve state roads and bridges.
Exactly what’s under consideration will be revealed Wednesday when Gov. Pat Quinn unveils his budget proposal for the fiscal year that begins July 1.
On Friday, chief of staff Jerry Stermer acknowledged the state was considering fees to bring in more money. […]
Illinois charges a set $78 fee annually for license plate registration renewal. The fee was increased by $30 in 1999 to help pay for a statewide construction plan. The Illinois Secretary of State’s office said increasing the $78 fee by $10 would produce $90 million in additional revenue.
* Related…
* CTBA: To Counter the Current Recession, Illinois State Government Should Maintain or Enhance Spending—Even if it Means Progressive Tax Increases—Rather Than Cut its Budget
* Mike Lawrence: Put the governor in charge of education
* Quinn faces $11.5 billion budget question
* To fix fiscal crisis, Quinn must go for broke
* Quinn tax hike: Gov. Pat Quinn to detail tax increase
* Deficit, recession challenge Gov. Quinn
* Budget deficit, recession challenge gov
* Gauging political price of tax plan
* Syverson: Budget cuts should come first
* Most local lawmakers say raising state taxes is not an option
* Suburban lawmakers talk taxes, sacred cows
* Sen. Dick Durbin: Gov. Pat Quinn ‘has no choice’ but to raise state income tax: Quinn has ‘no choice,’ he says; Daley not ready to approve or condemn
* Sen. Dick Durbin: Gov. Pat Quinn ‘has no choice’ but to raise state income tax
* Illinois budget: Plenty of problems, few solutions
* What’s the tax plan?
* Quinn parades $26 bil. state construction plan
* PJStar: Road program’s only problem is paying for it
88 Comments
|
Burris and the old guard
Monday, Mar 16, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Laura Washington’s latest column is a must-read…
It’s a heady time in African-American politics. Presidents, senators and congressmen are feeling the burn. The old political hands are nervous. The young turks are finding their sea legs. The 2010 Democratic primary races for the U.S. Senate and Cook County Board presidency may be petri dishes for a new strain of black political leadership.
Veteran political consultant Delmarie Cobb is a top adviser to Exhibit No. 1 of the old strain, Sen. Roland Burris. I visited her Bronzeville office last week during a pause in her winning battle to keep Burris in office.
“All of a sudden, we’re into this young thing, and anybody who’s been out here needs to be put out to pasture,” she vented. Cobb resents “that somebody would take this kind of knowledge and put it out to pasture.”
We’ve been hearing a lot of that sort of rhetoric lately. It resembles the beginning of the last major shift in Chicago’s black politics in the late 1960s. The New Yorker profile of Roland Burris doesn’t have much new stuff in it, but there are some historical nuggets which suit our purposes…
Daley contracted much of his patronage operation to what was known as the “submachine,” a group of compliant black politicians, led by Congressman William Dawson. Even though Dawson made sure that blacks received a share of government jobs, [Jesse] Jackson and others in the nascent civil-rights movement noted that the submachine had no interest in challenging Daley on broader issues, like fair housing and school
So, the young Turks tried to push the old guard aside, and the old guard pushed back hard. Burris, who was allied with Jackson and ran Operation PUSH for about a year, ran for comptroller as an independent and was trounced in the 1976 primary. He defected to the old guard when he sought the party slating for comptroller two years later…
Alan Dobry, who was a veteran of Chicago reform politics, attended the state committee meeting in 1977. “Roland was trying to get put up for Illinois comptroller,” Dobry recalled. “When he got up and spoke to the central committee, the first thing they said to him was ‘You started out as Bill Cousins’s campaign manager, what about that?’ But Roland assured everyone that he wasn’t an independent like Bill Cousins anymore, and was now a faithful member of the machine. Then they asked where does his committeeman stand on this? Gene Sawyer got up and said, ‘Roland is not an independent; he is a faithful member of the Sixth Ward Democratic Party organization.’ ” (One of the first people Burris hired to his staff as a U.S. senator was Sawyer’s nephew.) […]
According to Bernard Stone, a longtime Chicago alderman, Burris is “a very personable guy, and he never had the reputation of having his hand out. He was always a go-along guy. When he’s run with Party backing, he’s won; when he ran against the Party, he lost. It’s as simple as that.”
So, even though he subsequently ran against Mayor Daley and has since portrayed himself as an independent, he’s really a descendant of the old guard, which eventually made peace with (or coopted, depending on your persepctive) black church leaders. Back to Washington’s column…
Burris and Stroger are creatures of a sclerotic political machine, an operation that historically bred electoral success by ensuring an ethnic balance of go-along-get-along guys. The party has relied on a black candidate — “their” black candidate — to bring in the African-American vote. In 2010, that equation may not add up.
Washington’s column concludes with some observations about Sen. James Meeks’ encouragement of Chicago Urban League President and CEO Cheryle Jackson’s possible US Senate bid against Burris and others…
“That’s not Roland Burris’ seat. Anybody has the right to run,” Meeks says.
“The glass ceiling has to be lifted. At some point, we have to seriously consider qualified women,” he notes, adding, “It will give my daughters something to aspire to.”
That’s refreshing talk in black Chicago, which has been dominated by sexist, tired ward heelers and preachers for far too long.
Hallelujah.
* Related…
* Burris turns up on Blago list of potential fund-raisers
27 Comments
|
Herding wild (GOP) cats
Monday, Mar 16, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rosanna Pulido won the GOP primary in the 5th Congressional District with just 1,001 votes, compared to Democrat Mike Quigley’s 12,100. But some folks actually think she can win the general. From a post at RedState…
On Saturday afternoon, in the midst of Chicago’s famous St. Patrick’s Day celebration with its tradition of turning of the Chicago River green, a cadre of concerned Republicans met to plan a way to capture the Congressional seat of Chicago’s 5th District, the one being vacated by Obama Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel.
Her supporters and other interested parties… met at the top of a Michigan Avenue high rise in the comfortable setting of a decades old executive dining room of a Chicago insurance company. The rich wood decor was meant to invoke an old Irish pub, but carousing wasn’t on the schedule that day. Planning a political campaign was, however.
This meeting, dubbed a “council of Trent” by organizer and long-time Chicago conservative political activist and radio raconteur Tom Roeser, was meant to gather those that might help candidate Pulido to launch a campaign to turn Emanuel’s seat red.
This race is interesting for several reasons. As mentioned, it is for the Congressional seat of Obama’s Chief of Staff, but oddly enough the Illinois Democratic Party is not much involved in the campaign for Pulido’s opponent Mike Quigley. Quigley is running as a “reformer” and has widely criticized many members of Chicago’s Democrat political machine. That, combined with the fact that the Ill. Dems simply assume any Democrat will win the seat regardless, seems to have added up to Quigley being left to his own devices by the Party for his campaign for the 5th District seat.
It’s true that the Democratic turnout for the general will probably be low, but enough for a GOP win? Is that really possible? It is in some minds, and the race is being used to widen the insurgent/insider Republican war…
This being the case, one would think that the Cook County Republicans or even the state party might swarm in and make a play for the seat with a show of support for their Republican candidate, Pulido. Imagine stealing the Congressional seat of Obama’s chief of staff? What a coup that would be, eh?
Unfortunately, you’d be wrong thinking the Illinois GOP was smart enough to try it. And this salient fact shows the utter fecklessness of the Illinois GOP establishment as well as its utter hatred for any candidate that is remotely conservative. The Illinois GOP and the Country party both have turned their collective back on Rosanna Pulido. Hence the reason that Tom Roeser and crew have felt the need to come together to organize a citizen’s committee to act in place of the party establishment to support Pulido’s run.
But some insurgents were left out of the Saturday meeting, and they ain’t happy…
Sure beats us as to what point Rosanna Pulido’s supporters are trying to make by keeping their efforts to win Rahm Emanuel’s congressional seat a secret from like-minded and widely read conservative sources such as Illinois Review, but being open and giving interviews to national political sources such as RedState.org. What’s up with that?
From RedState we learn that Tom Roeser hosted an exclusive secret meeting on winning back the seat April 7. We’ll stand by and report from afar….as Pulido and Roeser obviously want it…Good luck with that, folks!
It’s like herding cats.
* Meanwhile, speaking of the embarrassing GOP split, Jersey County Republican Chairman Floyd Alexander takes issue with Sen. Chris Lauzen’s attempt to to pass SB600, which would force a popular vote to elect state party central committeemen…
But what is most concerning about Sen. Lauzen’s letter is his attempt to use our men and women in uniform to bolster his case.
Sen. Lauzen says that he is working to remove the current leaders of the Illinois Republican Party because to not do so would “dishonor the sacrifices of my father in World War II, my friends in Korea and Vietnam, and my sons in Iraq and Afghanistan.” I have news for you, Sen. Lauzen; you have already dishonored them and every other man and woman to wear this country’s uniform.
I fought and was wounded in Vietnam. My father fought in Germany during World War II. How dare you invoke my sacrifice, my father’s sacrifice and every other soldier’s sacrifice in a discussion about party elections?
As a county chairman who opposes SB600, I do not demand that every Republican toe the line and be ideologically pure. As far as I am concerned there is plenty of room for debate and disagreement in the Republican party. What I, and most other Republicans, do expect, however, is basic respect.
Maybe it’s more like herding wild cats.
* Phil Kadner looks at the war’s background, after starting his column with: “Conservative Republicans in this state hate moderate Republicans more than they hate the Democrats“…
To understand what’s going on here you probably have to go back a decade or more, but this is the sort of bitter squabbling that resulted in Maryland blowhard Alan Keyes running as a Republican against Barack Obama for the U.S. Senate in 2004.
Back then, Judy Baar Topinka was running the state Republican Party, and the conservatives didn’t like her much.
When Republican nominee Jack Ryan was forced to withdraw from the U.S. Senate race because of a personal scandal, Topinka wanted to replace him with Cook County Commissioner Elizabeth Doody Gorman, of Orland Park.
But the conservatives stepped in, and Keyes became the GOP candidate and a political disaster.
The idea was to embarrass Topinka and undermine her eventual campaign for governor.
In fact, many of the Republicans now backing SB 600 and ridiculing McKenna ended up supporting Blagojevich for governor when he ran against Topinka.
The internal backstabbing hasn’t stopped. And now the Democrats have gotten involved.
Go read the whole thing.
* Related…
* Early Voting in 5th District Starts Today
* Fox Chicago interview with Pulido
* Police seek women who were with Skoien during attack by wife
42 Comments
|
Morning Shorts
Monday, Mar 16, 2009 - Posted by Mike Murray
* Tom Dart: Vigilante or Hero?
Why one Chicago sheriff is defying the courts and refusing to perform evictions.
* Foreclosure court can buy you some time
* Chicago Unemployment Rate Jumps to 8.2 Percent
* Illinois Poverty News Weekly
* Chicago hospital rethinks criticized program
University of Chicago President Robert Zimmer says the school’s medical center is rethinking an existing program that redirects patients to other nearby hospitals and clinics on Chicago’s South Side.
* MGM Mirage Facing Breakup
* States Seek Best Strategies on Obtaining Broadband Stimulus Funds Close-to-Home
* Following Stimulus Cash Not So Easy
* Recession ‘probably’ will end in ‘09: Fed chief
* Downturn may increase child abuse: top cops
* Road salt prices: No price-fix, attorney general says
No price-fixing or other illegal conduct by road salt suppliers was found.
“What we have learned is that procedural improvements to the procurement process are absolutely necessary,” Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan said.
Madigan recommended that the Illinois Department of Central Management Services work more closely with municipalities to lock in competitive road salt prices.
* Madigan urges better way to buy road salt
In early February, Madigan urged the management agency to work closely with municipal officials in crafting new procurement procedures and to consider some improvements. Among the recommendations Madigan’s office specifically urged the department to make were:
* Capitol Ideas
States Oversee Spending of Stimulus Funds; State Finances During the Great Depression; NCSL Project to Reduce Health Disparities in States; States Start Own Economic Stimulus Plans; and State Unemployment Rates Continue to Rise
* Pontiac prison news is welcome; study is needed
* Willis should have asked us about Sears
* Daley, Jackson rail against gun violence after 28th CPS death this school year
* Cops arrest 41, seize 18 guns
Chicago Police announced Sunday an effort between gang enforcement and gang investigation units on the South Side resulted in 41 arrests and the seizure of narcotics, 18 firearms and $75,000 in cash.
* New Olympic slogan: ‘Let Friendship Shine’
* Critics target reuse of building site soil
Chicago environmental activists urge delay of proposed law change
* Schock pushes for Republican revival
* Schock featured on Today Show
* DuPage election commission to comply with transparency rules
* What’s your Facebook status? After changes, some of us don’t know anymore
* 340,000 enjoy Irish Parade
13 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
Two takes on one parade
Saturday, Mar 14, 2009 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Tribune AP claims that Gov. Pat Quinn was “greeted warmly” and that US Sen. Roland Burris got a “cold reception” at today’s St. Patrick’s Day parade…
Saturday’s parade-goers in leprechaun hats, green jackets and clover-spotted socks who clapped and greeted Quinn warmly just pointed at Burris derisively and chuckled. Many reminded the people standing closest to them that Burris was controversially appointed by ousted Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
Burris’ testimony about the appointment to a state House committee is being investigated. The senator rarely acknowledged or waved to people along the parade route, instead talking to the officials walking with him.
Quinn waved and smiled while the crowd whistled and cheered.
* The Sun-Times had a different take…
Before the parade, a few parade goers shook Burris’ hand, with one man saying “Good luck, sir.” Along the route, one onlooker shouted “Burris, you suck.”
A couple of onlookers shouted at Quinn, “Don’t tax us!” […]
There was also a good reception for Lisa Madigan, with crowd members calling out “Hi, Lisa!” as the attorney general’s float passed.
Comments Off
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS |
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax |
Advertise Here |
Mobile Version |
Contact Rich Miller
|
