* I caught a cold this week. I’m miserable and I got nothing for you. I mean nothing. So, I’m declaring an open thread and going to bed as soon as my Crain’s column is approved.
The real question is whether the status quo in Illinois is acceptable. To a large majority of our members—the people whom Illinoisans expect to create jobs and prosperity—the answer is an emphatic “No!”
The chamber recognizes that the current budget stalemate is causing real pain across our state. I’ve spoken with many businesses that are waiting on the state to pay them millions of dollars for goods and services already provided. Local governments are awaiting vital infrastructure funding; university students wonder if tuition grants are coming.
Four months is a long time to go without a budget. But it pales in comparison to a 12-year wait for state government to return to fiscal sanity, basic competency and a partnership with business that allows both to prosper. Those things are more than important. They are vital. They are also hard and worth the wait.
* Rep. Don Moffitt (R-Gilson) has been endorsed by unions pretty much every election cycle. He recently announced his retirement, but don’t expect a break with Gov. Bruce Rauner any time soon if this quote is any indication of where he stands…
Rep. Don Moffitt, R-Galesburg, who was at the bakery, said that he didn’t think the impasse would end before January and that what’s happening now shouldn’t be a surprise.
“He was elected by the people with pretty strong support. He ran on an agenda of shaking Springfield up,” said Moffitt, who plans to retire at the end of his term. “We shouldn’t be surprised at anything that’s happened so far. Gov. Rauner is keeping his commitment, he’s keeping his promise. And he is shaking things up.”
* Keep in mind when reading this that payroll is about 25 percent or so of construction costs. But some of the smaller projects that these tiny towns do (Fairfield’s population is 5,421) have higher payroll costs.
From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
The mayor of a southern Illinois community says taxpayers could save upwards to 30 percent on construction projects if his village was able to put out projects to be competitively bid. Fairfield Mayor Chuck Griswold says he’s done a lot of things to double reserves for the village, but more could be done like saving on publicly funded construction projects by circumventing the state mandated prevailing wage laws. Leading Democrats in the General Assembly, like Speaker Michael Madigan, say they are unwilling to allow giving the option of opting out of prevailing wage to local communities like Fairfield. Griswold says Madigan is out of touch.
“He doesn’t understand. We’re not even on his radar, candidly, down here in southern Illinois and I think the only time we got on the radar was when we wanted fracking rules put in place.”
However, Griswold doesn’t think certain collective bargaining issues are onerous for his village at the moment. Governor Bruce Rauner has been pushing for a property tax freeze coupled with giving local communities the option to opt out of prevailing wage and collective bargaining issues, something leading Democrats contend will lower the standard of living for working class families.
Meanwhile Griswold says the state owes Fairfield upwards to $30,000 in unpaid bills for several different facilities being used by state departments. Griswold says he supports what the Governor is doing and will keep accepting IOUs in the meantime.
“We’ll allow them to not pay their utilities, we’ll keep their utilities on. We won’t shut off the state garage. I think we have an IDNR office here and a Conservation office and we’re not going to shut off their utilities. We’re going to support Governor Rauner by hanging in there with him.”
Getting Past NO (ISBN 978-0-553-37131-4), first published in September 1991 is a reference book on collaborative negotiation in difficult situations. As a negotiating style, it is neither aggressively competitive nor accommodating and cooperative, but both aggressively cooperative. […]
“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across”
Classic obstacles to an agreement: not their idea, unmet interests, fear of losing face, too much too fast
Involve the other side: ask for and build on their ideas, ask for a constructive criticism, offer them a choice
Satisfy unmet interests: don’t dismiss them as irrational, don’t overlook basic human needs, don’t assume a fixed pie
Help them save face, help write their victory speech
Go slow to go fast, don’t rush to the line
Ury claimed that a good negotiation is achieved by 2 negotiators meeting their needs- never one more skilled that overpowers the deal. Because if done so the deal itself is weakened as the loser might not recognize his involvement and his interests in the deal.
* Quite a lot of political reporters, columnists, editorial writers and other pundits in this state have described the current stalemate as a duel between two stubborn people. But there’s far more going on here than just what Gov. Rauner and Speaker Madigan are demanding.
I think many Illinois residents are enjoying the power struggle between the Republican governor and longtime Democratic power broker Madigan.
[Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno] reinforced my experience during a telephone conversation Wednesday, telling me that she’s been knocking on doors during her re-election campaign, and people keep telling her “not to give in” and “hang in there.”
I’ve talked to several Democratic legislators who’ve said the same, exact thing as Radogno. Either they’re all hearing only what they want to hear, or their respective allies are completely on board for this war.
This is about much more than just two men. Madigan was absolutely right when he called this an “epic” battle.
…Adding… Most legislators are circulating nominating petitions these days, and MrJM explains what’s happening in comments…
For more than a decade, both parties collect signatures using lists that include only the loyalist members of their parties.
Democrats passing petitions are talking to people who voted in the last three (or more) Democratic primaries. Republicans are doing the inverse.
Many Illinois families are financially fragile. Unfortunately, the increase in auto title lending in our state is only exacerbating the problem. IABG, in partnership with Woodstock Institute, recently released “No Right Turn: Illinois’ Auto Title Loan Industry and its Impact on Consumers.” The report finds that increasing numbers of Illinois consumers are turning to title loans in an attempt to make ends meet, and ending up in a long-term cycle of debt due to triple-digit interest rates and long loan terms. Not only are we seeing an increase in the number of title loans, but we are also seeing an increase in length of the loan and the amount of fees. The report found that the average length of a title loan is now over 18 months with consumers spending a total of $25.5 million a month to title lenders.
Title loans in Illinois are exceptionally harmful because of their combined high interest rate and long loan terms. While traditional and installment payday loans have high APRs (up to 400 percent), those loans have maximum term lengths of 120 and 180 days, respectively, enabling borrowers to pay back loans in installments, but ensuring that borrowers are not paying high rates for excessive periods of time. Small consumer installment loans have longer terms (over 180 days), but are capped at 99 percent APR. Under current Illinois law, title loans have no APR cap and no maximum term, so borrowers can be trapped into paying high rates for years at a time. […]
As the default rate data show, over a quarter of all Illinois title loan borrowers were unable to make payments and defaulted. This means that one in every four title loan borrowers in Illinois lost the means for commuting to work, going to the doctor, or transporting kids.
The Illinois legislature strengthen the Consumer Installment Loan Act to require stronger ability-to-repay standards, maximum loan terms, and a rate cap of 36 percent APR.
The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation (IDFPR) publicly release loan-level data from the state database to allow for a more detailed analysis and monitoring of small-dollar lending in Illinois.
Financial Institutions create and market affordable small-dollar loans with ability-to-repay standards as alternatives to high-cost, predatory products.
Thursday, Oct 29, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Gov. Rauner said he doesn’t expect any resolution to the budget impasse until January and doesn’t expect any agreement will come out of a planned meeting with Democratic leaders in the legislature next month. He accused Democrats of attempting to increase pressure on him by allowing the budget impasse to continue.
“They want the pressure of no scholarships for kids, they want the pressure of no childcare as a way to push the process, that’s the only explanation I can give,” Gov. Rauner said.
* From Emily Miller at Voices for Illinois Children…
There is exactly one man ultimately responsible for the destruction of the child care system in Illinois, and that man is Governor Rauner.
When it comes to the lack of appropriation authority across other budget line items ranging from higher education to local governments, no one has clean hands.
But for the Governor to suggest that anyone else is responsible for the pain working families are feeling as the direct result of his decision to cut child care is absurd and dishonest.
His decision to eliminate safe, affordable childcare as an option for many low and middle-income working families predates the budget impasse. I hope the timeline of his opposition to this vital program is pointed out to him by a reporter sometime soon.
The same groups which called for a public meeting to settle the budget impasse are now calling for the negotiations to a have a “bipartisan agenda.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner responded to the initial meeting request by saying his office would “circulate the agenda” to it. Sarah Brune, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, doesn’t think Rauner or the other leaders should be deciding on their own what issues will be on the table.
“A meeting where any of the stakeholders are the only one setting the agenda, that is not the kind of meeting that we’re looking to have,” Brune said. “We think that the most productive meeting is going to be one everyone who is attending has the chance to put input into that.”
So candidate Rauner, back in 2012, you sketched out a plan that would have social service spending be held up as a way to prod Democrats to back your plans to weaken government labor unions like SEIU and AFSCME. But Gov. Rauner, didn’t just this week you say it was Democrats who were pressuring you on the budget?
GOV. RAUNER: “They want that kind of pressure. I believe that’s what they’re doing now. They want the pressure of no scholarships for kids. They want the pressure of no childcare as a way to push the process. That’s the only explanation I can give.”
Candidate Rauner?
CANDIDATE RAUNER: “I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic.”
* From the very end of today’s Sun-Times story on the Chicago City Council’s passage today of a $755 million hike in taxes and fees…
There’s a 66 percent increase in Chicago booting fees along with the green light for City Hall to start using “self-release” Denver boots with a daily fine of $50 if the boot is not returned within seven days.
There’s also a fivefold increase in the maximum penalty seldom imposed against property owners who fail to remove snow and ice from the sidewalk adjacent to their buildings.
Motorists who drive without insurance will find themselves in violation of the city code, with fines ranging from $500 to $1,000 for the first and second offense to $1,000 for every subsequent offense.
For the first time, City Hall will require companies that “aggregate and sell” parking spaces, including those selling spaces through mobile apps, to collect the city’s parking tax, which stands at 22 percent on weekdays and 20 percent on weekends.
Yet another last-minute change would tie the annual permit for overweight trucks to the Consumer Price Index to “better account for the impact of large trucks on city streets.”
In a last-ditch attempt to garner more support for the plan, Emanuel conceded a 2-cents-per-ride fee for ride-share services like Uber and Lyft to help traditional taxi drivers pay their registration fees on Monday. In exchange, the amendment gives ride-share drivers access to airports, but it requires them to register with the city and pay $5 each time they drop off or pick up someone from the airport.
The vote came after some last-minute agreements between the mayor and council members, with Ald. Michele Smith, 43rd, securing consideration for a residential property tax rebate program should the mayor’s proposed homeowner’s exemption increase fail to get approved in Springfield. Emanuel had been reluctant to focus on any rebate option for fear it would diminish prospects for passage of his exemption plan in Springfield.
The rebate is the better way to go. Chicago doesn’t have to rely on Springfield, and if history is any guide most people won’t even ask for the give-back.
* I’m probably excerpting too much from this story and I’ll take it down if requested, but wow…
A 75-year-old Army veteran is recovering from stab wounds after saving 16 terrified children from a knife-wielding teen who had reportedly planned a mass murder.
James Vernon was leading a chess club meeting with children at a public library in Morton, Illinois, Tuesday afternoon when Dustin Brown, 19, burst into the room wielding two knives and threatening the children, Fox News reported.
“He actually ran into the room yelling, ‘I’m going to kill some people!’ ” Mr. Vernon told the Pekin Daily Times Thursday.
The 16 children — ranging in age from 7 to 13 — hid under tables in the library’s conference room as Mr. Vernon tried to distract the teen.
“I tried to talk to him. I tried to settle him down,” Mr. Vernon told the Pekin Daily Times. “I didn’t, but I did deflect his attention” from the kids “and calmed him a bit. I asked him if he was from Morton, did he go to high school. I asked what his problem was. He said his life sucks. That’s a quote.”
As Mr. Vernon inched closer to Mr. Brown, Mr. Brown started to back up, giving the children room to escape. […]
Mr. Brown slashed the knife at the Army vet, who blocked the blade with his left hand.
“I grabbed him and threw. … Somehow he wound up on a table” with the knife in his left hand pinned under his body, Mr. Vernon told the Times. “I hit him on the (right) collarbone with my closed hand” until Mr. Brown dropped that knife.
Mr. Vernon was able to keep the teen pinned down until police and paramedics arrived. […]
“I failed my mission to kill everyone,” Mr. Brown later told police, according to an affidavit. […]
Mr. Vernon underwent surgery for his injuries, which included two cut arteries and a tendon on his left hand from blocking the knife.
“I gave them the cue to get the heck out of there, and, boy, they did that! Quick, like rabbits,” Vernon said.
“There were no more potential victims in the room. He focused on me. There was no more talking,” but Vernon watched what Brown did with his knives and learned.
“I knew he was right-handed. He was whittling on his left arm” with the one in that hand, “making small cuts. He was trying to scare me, and he did.” But if Brown attacked, “I knew which hand it was coming from.”
Brown slashed from the right towards Vernon, who blocked the blade with his left hand. “I should have hit his wrist. That’s how you’re trained, but it’s been half a century,” he said.
After all the children fled, the knife-fight training Vernon learned in the Army five decades ago kicked in. Brown slashed from the right towards Vernon, who blocked the blade with his left hand.
“I should have hit his wrist. That’s how you’re trained, but it’s been half a century,” Vernon recalled. “First rule of combat: Be fast and vigorous,” said Vernon, who never served in combat. […]
Vernon said he was “bleeding pretty good,” but managed to hold Brown until a library employee removed the knives and helped to keep Brown pinned until police and paramedics arrived.
At the time of the incident, Brown was free on bond while facing prosecution charges of possessing child pornography. He told police he’d been planning for two weeks to kill people and then himself, according to an affidavit.
Had he brought a gun instead, “It would’ve been a different story,” Vernon said.
A 76-year-old Army veteran is being hailed a hero by Gov. Bruce Rauner.
The Governor declared [Monday] James Vernon Day. […]
“He in a threatening moment with families’ lives on the line, stepped forward, risked his own life to protect you,” Gov. Rauner said.
* But, in true hero fashion, Mr. Vernon is as modest as the day is long…
“I was hoping this would died down a bit,” he said before Rauner’s visit Monday, “but I recognize it’s important to the community not to let it go so quickly and do what they think they should do. Its part of the healing process.”
He’s done his own healing too. The bandages that once immobilized his right arm are gone, now replaced by a light sling and splint. Scribbled across the thumb: “I love you” and a heart. […]
“It’s an interesting circus that I’ll be glad to step down from in a week of two,” he said. “The kids ask about it, and then say, ‘OK, now can we play chess?’”
“And that’s exactly what I want to hear: ‘Thank you Mr. Vernon. Can we play chess now?’”
* This is standard stuff in both chambers and in both parties. But Speaker Madigan is not exactly beloved, so top-down involvement becomes a story whenever it’s one of his chamber’s seats: “Filling Mautino seat ‘top-down’ process”…
The selection of state Rep. Frank Mautino’s replacement is a “top-down” process that involves the state Democratic Party, which has spoken with people interested in the position, a top La Salle County official said Tuesday. […]
So far, La Salle County Circuit Clerk Andrew Skoog, a Utica Democrat, is the only announced candidate.
County Board Chairman Jerry Hicks, D-Marseilles, said his understanding was the state party interviewed Skoog and others. He wasn’t sure about the others’ identities.
But he said it appeared Skoog was the state Democrats’ preferred choice, given that Skoog is publicly campaigning for the position.
Hicks said the state party becomes involved in legislative appointments so it can determine who it’s willing to back financially.
* Governing Magazine looks at the impasse and has pulled out three very notable quotes from some folks…
“We probably have a different approach,” says former Illinois Gov. Jim Edgar, a Republican. “I was a creature of state government. I worked my way up the ranks. I was very concerned about a budget because you have to have that to manage state government. He comes from the private sector where some of these business issues are a high priority to him. He’s entitled to his approach. But if I were governor right now, my priority would be to get a budget. These other things he might have to put off and wait to do another day.”
These “other things” Edgar is referring to are business-friendly measures. This year’s stand-off has stretched on for months because Rauner wants the legislature to pass these measures before he will sign off on the budget, which almost certainly will include some sort of tax increase. His proposals include restrictions on workers’ compensation, curbs on civil lawsuits, a freeze on local property taxes and limits on collective bargaining for government employees. The governor also wants the legislature to send voters a constitutional amendment to impose legislative term limits and another ballot measure to leave redistricting to a citizen panel, rather than keeping it in the hands of lawmakers.
Many of the ideas come straight from the playbook of the business community, which Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce, says is no accident. “In my opinion,” Maisch says, “we consider Rauner part of the business community. There is very little daylight, if any, between the governor and us.” Maisch points out that no legislation the group has opposed has become law under Rauner. “The vast majority in the business community,” he says, “believe that, if there was a time for marked departure from the status quo, that time is now. Somebody from the outside is most likely to achieve that change.”
But Democrats have refused to budge. They see little reason to do so: Rauner’s proposals would hurt Democratic legislators and their key constituencies, especially organized labor. “It was almost as if he said, ‘Vote against your core principles, and for your reward, I’ll let you pass a tax increase,’” says Senate President John Cullerton, a Chicago Democrat. “Democrats like to spend money, but we don’t like to raise taxes any more than Republicans do. So this was dramatically backwards. This idea of holding the budget hostage didn’t work.”
Last week, The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform (ICPR) and the undersigned group of civic organizations urged you to meet to end the Illinois budget crisis.
We asked, and you responded. A meeting date of Wednesday, November 18th was deemed mutually acceptable. We hope this meeting will include serious budget negotiations, given the increasingly dire consequences to our state as the current impasse continues.
We are reaching out again to recommend that the agenda for this meeting include input from all participants, thus ensuring that all perspectives are considered. Your collective leadership in this meeting will demonstrate a bipartisan effort to find a solution for this prolonged budget stalemate. A meeting agenda that reflects this bipartisan effort and encompasses all issues is necessary to produce a positive outcome for our state.
We commend the Speaker and Governor for supporting public access to this important meeting. Providing media access and a live stream online will create an opportunity for the public to see and understand the budget negotiation process.
A bipartisan effort is required to end the budget crisis. A meeting on November 18th with an agenda developed by all parties could lead to an important resolution for our state.
Sincerely,
Hon. Susan Garrett
Board Chair, ICPR
Mary Kubasak
President, League of Women Voters of Illinois
Hoy McConnell
Executive Director, BPI
Maryam Judar
Executive Director, Citizen Advocacy Center
Abe Scarr
Director, Illinois PIRG
Andy Shaw
President and CEO, Better Government Association
George Ranney
Chair, CHANGE Illinois
Brooke Wiseman
President, Union League Club of Chicago
I’ll let you know if anyone responds.
…Adding… I added some emphasis because some folks in comments seem to be confused. This is about making sure that the budget is discussed along with whatever else. It was, after all, supposed to be a budget meeting. The governor decided to make it about other things besides the budget. It should be seen as a rebuke of what Gov. Rauner tried to do. A polite rebuke, but a rebuke nonetheless.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rikeesha Phelon with the Senate Democrats…
The meeting agenda will be the best predictor of the meeting’s productivity.
If the governor truly wants to end the budget stalemate he will be open to an inclusive process that focuses on immediate state budget solutions.
*** UPDATE 2 *** The press release is out and here’s the headline…
Reform Groups Urge Bipartisan Agenda for Upcoming Budget Meeting
Notice they use the word “budget.” Make no mistake, these groups want budget talks to finally begin.
“Gov. Rauner is working hard for local governments because his agenda allows them to more easily make decisions that best serve their communities, unlike the status quo,” Kelly said in an email.
“Governor Rauner continues to fight for structural reforms that will put the state on a path to fiscal health, but the legislature continues to protect the failed status quo.”
“Status quo” is defined as “existing state of affairs.” So that would be today, October 28, 2015.
The “status quo” includes:
– runaway, historic FY16 deficit.
– abandonment of social services.
– squeezing of universities to the point of possible closing.
– stiffing Illinois businesses that contract with the state, resulting in layoffs, drawdowns of cash reserves and addition of debt.
– starving municipalities of dedicated revenues.
– running a fraudulent state lottery scheme.
I’m sure I’ve missed some.
But no, the “status quo” is not acceptable.
Neither is the willful political strategy that caused it, all in the service of an agenda in which no data-driven fiscal or economic benefits have ever been articulated.
The question now is when does the governor own the “current” status quo.
After months of quiet chatter about a bid, state Sen. Napoleon Harris III of Flossmoor says he’s decided to get in the race. Although it’s a little late, there are signs he means it.
I’ve confirmed that Harris is circulating nominating petitions and that he’s hired a pollster, Mike McKeon. In an interview, Harris said he hopes to file needed federal paperwork by the end of the week and has arranged to rent office space. […]
Politically, Harris’ entry could hurt Kirk by injecting more energy into the Democratic race or help him by splitting the African-American vote with Zopp, giving Duckworth an easier path to the nomination.
Interestingly, when I asked about the latter, Harris took a clear shot at Zopp, saying, “I have a base. I’m an elected official. I don’t see her as having a base.” But he ducked a chance to go after Duckworth, saying she has a record and could defeat Kirk.
Considering how many e-mails I get from the Kirk campaign and other Republican Party outlets eagerly touting Zopp’s candidacy against Duckworth, I’m not sure how this helps Kirk, particularly since Harris appears to be targeting Zopp.
* Interestingly enough, one of the issues developing in this race is marriage equality. I don’t know how much resonance it will have since it’s now the law of the land, but Duckworth said this past summer it should’ve happened “decades ago”…
Cegelis and Duckworth oppose President Bush’s restrictions on embryonic stem cells for research, but Scott said he supports them to protect fetuses. None of the candidates support legalizing gay marriage.
…Napoleon Harris, one of the Democratic Party’s most deeply conservative voices. Senator Harris is on record as anti-choice, anti-marriage equality, against the Equal Rights Amendment, and in favor of voter ID laws.
…Adding… From Sen. Toi Hutchinson…
Since 2013 I’ve had the opportunity to serve with and become friends with Senator Harris. We’ve had many heart to heart talks about my views on reproductive rights and the impact that has on the economic security of women. I’ve watched his votes closely and have been very thankful that on issues I care passionately about like eradicating pregnancy discrimination, strengthening domestic violence laws, the right to be given all of your medical options when someone exerts their ability to deny care, anti bullying, healthy sexual education, and ratifying the equal rights amendment, Senator Harris has stood with us each time. Voters will decide based on his record, and the reality is, his voting record is strong in this arena.
* Zopp, on the other hand, played a role in passing the marriage equality law. Zopp was president of the Chicago Urban League when it participated on the Illinois Unites for Marriage campaign, hosting the field office and running phone banks, as well as acting as a much-needed go-between between the LGBT and African-American communities. Her group won Equality Illinois’ 2014 Freedom Award…
Equality Illinois, the state’s oldest and largest organization advocating for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Illinoisans, announced today that the first of its annual Freedom Awards to be presented at the 2014 Equality Illinois Gala is going to the Chicago Urban League for spreading the message of fairness and equality. […]
An active partner with Equality Illinois and other organizations in the pro-marriage coalition, the Chicago Urban League committed valuable resources and talent and even the use of its headquarters to the marriage campaign. When the U.S. Supreme Court ruled this summer that same-sex married couples cannot be denied federal rights, the Chicago Urban League applauded the decision “as a civil rights organization that has, for nearly a century, fought for equality for the undeserved and disenfranchised.”
* Meanwhile, Zopp took some political shots at Rauner this week…
U.S. Senate Candidate Andrea Zopp was joined by students and non-profit leaders at a press conference Tuesday to address how the Illinois budget impasse and Governor Bruce Rauner’s unwillingness to resolve his conflicts with Democrats has negatively impacted the lives of everyday Illinoisans, especially the communities who can ill afford to bear the burden.
Zopp discussed how cuts to MAP grants, after school programs, daycare, and more have led Illinois residents to scramble to provide for themselves and their families.
Zopp spoke out against Rauner’s focus on selling the Thompson Center instead of attacking the real issues, Zopp said: “At a time when so many people are in dire need of support, especially minority communities and the poor, the governor has chosen to put a stake in the ground when he should be focused on being an effective leader.”
Torrey Barrett, Executive Director of the K.L.E.O. Community Life Center, has first-hand experience of the struggles in the community when youth don’t have better alternatives in their neighborhoods. “This budget crisis has hit our kids the hardest. From after-school program funding to MAP grants for college, our leaders have made it so much harder for hard-working youth rise out of poverty and succeed.”
Jocelyn McGee, a mother and MAP grant recipient spoke about how the budget impasse has made it difficult for her to finish her studies because her child care costs have doubled at the same time the future of her grant funding has become uncertain. “Cutting aid for children means that I will no longer be able to send my son to daycare unless I quit school and go back to work full-time. “This is a problem for me. It becomes a bigger problem when the state does not support students because I rely on MAP grants to pay a portion of my tuition at DePaul.”
Bianca Berkhia, Director of Development at La Casa Norte, a Humboldt Park-based not-for-profit that provides vital support services to youth and families facing homelessness, called on the Governor to do what’s right for the people of Illinois and end the budget impasse. “The people we serve are suffering under the crushing blow of the Rauner approach to running government without a budget. A resolution is possible but he must come to the table and do the job he was elected to do.”
Also participating in today’s press conference were Tyler Solorio, an Army Police veteran of the war in Afghanistan and MAP grant recipient; and Phil Crawford, a MAP grant recipient who is a junior at Roosevelt University.
* Both Zopp and Harris are attempting to stake out a position on police misconduct…
In response to the forceful arrest of a Spring Valley High School student arrest caught on tape, U.S. Senate Candidate Andrea Zopp has issued the following statement:
“As a mother, former prosecutor and someone who has spent years working in the community to create better opportunities for students to get a quality education, I am deeply disturbed by the incident between a police officer and a student at Spring Valley High School in Columbia, South Carolina. Once again, the country is shocked by the excessive use of police force caught on film. Schools are places where students should be educated, empowered and made to feel safe. Not flipped over in a desk, dragged across a floor and violently arrested in front of their classmates. Especially when they pose no threat to the authorities.”
“Unfortunately, this appears to be another vivid example of an excessive use of force on a person of color by a police officer. I am glad to hear that federal authorities are investigating this incident as a possible civil rights violation. I call on Congress to carefully monitor the investigation and use their legislative power to ensure that better training is provided to police officers who work in schools. More needs to be done on the local, state and federal to stop these incidents from happening. As the wife of a retired law enforcement officer, I know that there are other choices that could have been made in that classroom to better address the conflict between the student and school administrators.”
Senator Napoleon Harris (D-Harvey) recently contacted the U.S. Attorney General after reports in the media raised concerns about violation of basic human and constitutional rights at Homan Square, calling for an investigation of policing practices in Chicago.
Homan Square is a Chicago police warehouse where a number of detainees have reported being mistreated by police.
“Transparency protects our police officers and the people they interact with,” Harris said. “When 7,000 people are held by police with few public records, it raises red flags and I feel we have a responsibility to look further into it.”
* Despite this rhetoric, Zopp is not exactly a woman of the people. For example, I have no idea why she even bothered to respond to this October 22nd Crain’s story, entitled “Where top execs go for steak”…
“Chicago Cut. For lunch, I order lobster salad; for dinner, bone-in rib eye. I like the restaurant because it has a great energy and vibe, the service is outstanding and they always make you feel welcome. I typically go for lunch but have been there for breakfast and dinner. It’s always great.” — Andrea Zopp, U.S. Senate candidate, Chicago
Rauner won on the basis that he will do something different and sorely needed to turn things around in this state. Now that he’s holding to his word, everyone keeps dangling the needy out there as incentive to break him from his position.
Well, that has apparently worked with everyone in the past, which is why nothing substantial has been accomplished to start digging us out of the mess we’re in. If Rauner gives in too, what has been gained? Are we really advocating for keeping the status quo??
That pretty accurately sums up the governor’s position. Not his public position, of course. Gov. Rauner would never be so explicit about having such a complete disregard for the “needy” during this war. Indeed, the governor and the Chicago Tribune editorial board say they’re really on the side of the needy for the long term. Just as soon as the governor wins, those folks will have jobs and bright futures.
Nevermind that the promised land of Indiana has a higher poverty rate than Illinois. Nevermind that all of the “pro-business” reforms he’s pushing would lower wages for working people and/or deny quite a few of them compensation if they’ve been injured. That’s not a bug, by the way, it’s a feature.
* I am for reasonable pro-business reforms and I’ve outlined them in the past. For instance, here are three doable yet significant ideas from one of my Crain’s Chicago Business columns way back in July…
* On workers’ comp, the Democrats have moved a tiny bit on requiring “causation,” a connection between the workplace and the injury. But they won’t budge further. Workers who may be half at fault for their injuries should not wind up “on welfare,” as House Speaker Michael Madigan repeatedly has said.
What about rolling back some of the “reforms” that former Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich signed into law in 2005? Those changes forced employer costs way up. Nobody would wind up on welfare if those were rolled back, and employers would save money.
* I don’t know anyone who disputes that local property taxes are too high. Rauner wants a two-year freeze on school property taxes. The Democrats are willing to give him that as long as the least-well-off districts are helped.
But Rauner also wants to all but eliminate collective bargaining rights for local unions. That will never fly with Democrats.
How about temporarily limiting the growth of employee wages and benefits for, say, five years? Once the two-year tax freeze expires, the caps on wages would free up revenue. Local school districts could use that money—plus property taxes—to gradually start paying for the pensions of its employees. Illinois now covers those costs, unlike just about every other state in the country.
* ”Prevailing wage” is a hot-button issue for the far economic right, and this Republican governor is most certainly in that camp.
If local governments could pay construction workers less than union rates, Rauner says, those governments could do more projects. Union leaders disagree, saying their workers are better trained so they’re less costly in the long run. Plus, God forbid a roofer should be able to afford community college tuition for his kids.
In reality, though, almost nobody ever uses union labor to build their own home. The cost is prohibitively high.
Why not somehow tie the prevailing wage requirement to median prices for local new homes? Locally funded projects that cost less than a set amount wouldn’t have to pay prevailing wages. Cities and villages do more small projects than you might think.
Accepting those reforms wouldn’t require a “surrender” by Gov. Rauner, as the brain-dead zombies on the Tribune editorial board would have you believe. The workers’ comp idea (involving rolling back 2005’s 7.5 percent raise for permanent partial disability) would likely save more than “causation,” according to research by the governor’s own staff.
* On the one hand, you’ve got a governor who’s hellbent on destroying unions, and on the other hand you have a pro-union Democratic Party which is hellbent on destroying the governor.
Eventually, this war has to end. Let’s hope that end date isn’t in January of 2019… or 2023. We simply can’t make it that far.
A trucking company that leases semis to the Illinois Department of Corrections is taking the vehicles back after the state failed to pay its bill because of the ongoing budget dispute between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democrats who control the legislature.
The Larson Group agreed to a six-year contract in 2010 to lease five semitrucks to the prison agency for $68,000 a year. The vehicles were used by Illinois Correctional Industries, an offshoot that has inmates make a variety of products ranging from food and clothing used in prisons to dishwashing soap and Adirondack chairs sold to outside customers.
While the contract was good for another year, the company decided to walk away after the state racked up what the department says is an outstanding balance of $17,010.30.
The trucks have been parked at a warehouse in the central Illinois town of Lincoln, and the corrections agency is scheduled to turn over the vehicles Thursday, corrections spokeswoman Nicole Wilson said. The agency owns other vehicles that can be used to transport food between prison facilities, she said.
The governor has said that business owners support his decision to hold the budget hostage to his anti-union agenda. One wonders whether that particular business owner is of the same mind.
Statement by the United States Attorney’s Office Following the Guilty Plea of Former U.S. Speaker of the House John Dennis Hastert
CHICAGO — This morning, JOHN DENNIS HASTERT, 73, of Plano, pleaded guilty in federal court to one count of illegally structuring cash withdrawals in order to evade financial reporting requirements. The Honorable U.S. District Judge Thomas M. Durkin scheduled a sentencing hearing for February 29, 2016, at 10:00 a.m.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois issued this statement following the guilty plea:
“Now that Mr. Hastert has pled guilty, and the Court has accepted his guilty plea, the case will proceed to sentencing. As part of the sentencing process in this case, as in all cases, we will provide the Court with relevant information about the defendant’s background and the charged offenses, and the defendant will have an opportunity to do the same, so that the Court can impose an appropriate sentence taking into account all relevant factors in the case. We have no further comment about the matter at this time.”
Sneed is told Mayor Rahm Emanuel and Gov. Bruce Rauner, two business buddies who have spent family holidays together, are brawling over the state budget, according to two sources.
“The relationship is seriously frayed,” said a source familiar with the fracas – but who asked to remain anonymous.
Like two cats from Kilkenny, the two pals are battling over King Rauner’s purported fiscal “turnaround” agenda for the state which is giving Rahm, faced with empty city coffers, a serious case of nerves.
Sneed is told a major brouhaha took place between the two recently, but it’s unclear whether a phone was tossed or a shouting match took place. […]
Word is the duo are continuing to talk – but there is no logical discourse due to Rauner’s refusal to negotiate. […]
“Rauner, who has only known success in business, is fearless . . . and fearless can be dangerous when the lives of needy people are at stake,” the source added.
To get on your enemy’s good side, you have to stop playing the part of their enemy. As Dobronsky explains, it’s possible for an enemy to dislike you simply because they do not know you. And if you continue to play the enemy, they never will. For example, someone might share a mutual friend with you, and see you as a threat to their relationship. They’ll drum up excuses as to why your mutual friend shouldn’t spend time with you, or find ways to speak ill of you when you’re not around. You might feel inclined to fire back and poison your friend’s mind against them too, but before you do, consider that it takes two sides to start a war. While you may not be the primary instigator in your feud, you should cut off all retaliatory action immediately. […]
Do Them a Favor, Ask for a Favor
Favors are perfect for swaying someone no matter which way they go. When you do your enemy a favor without being asked, you prime them for reciprocity later. People don’t like to feel like they owe someone something, so they’ll start to look for ways to help you later. That sounds an awful lot like the start of an alliance, right? For example, you can get bonus favor points by jumping to the rescue when your work enemy is in a crisis. The more stressful their situation is, the more thankful they’ll be for your helping hand. […]
Find (or Create) a Common Enemy
Remember that ancient saying “The enemy of my enemy is my friend?” Consider it from your adversary’s perspective. Say you have an in-law that you can’t seem to win over, for example. If you can find something that you both dislike, you’ll be able to unite against that common enemy as allies. According to Brian Uzzi and Shanon Dunlap at Harvard Business Review, you can do this with a method called “redirection.” […]
Show Off Your Other Allies
A few clandestine operations can start to sway your enemies without you saying a single word to them. As Larry Stybel, Ed.D, and Maryanne Peabody, MBA, at Psychology Today explain, sometimes it’s better to approach your enemies indirectly
State Rep. Mike Tryon, R-Crystal Lake, said the budget impasse would have been fixed quickly had an actual shutdown happened.
Government operating essentially by judicial fiat has delayed the urgency, Tryon said.
“Right now, the most useless politician in the country is an Illinois General Assembly member because we’re being governed by court order and the executive branch,” Tryon said.
“Ludicrous,” “ridiculous” and “plain crazy” are a few of the ways that Southland mayors describe the latest development in Springfield.
They’re referring to a proposal by Gov. Bruce Rauner to offer low-interest state loans to municipalities that are suffering financially because the state has refused to release money it collects on behalf of towns such as revenue from the motor fuel tax, video gambling and 911 fees. […]
“The governor is proposing that we pay interest on money that we have coming to us,” said Palos Hills Mayor Gerald Bennett, who is also president of the Southwest Conference of Mayors. “That’s ridiculous. Why should our taxpayers basically pay the state in order to get the money that’s due us? This is revenue the state collects on our behalf and is not part of the state budget. […]
New Lenox Mayor Tim Baldermann, who once ran for Congress as a Republican, said he didn’t want to take sides in the ongoing political war between the Republican governor and Democratic legislators, “but you don’t hold public safety funds, 911 funds, hostage because of a political dispute. You don’t jeopardize the peoples’ safety.”
As for the idea of offering low-interest loans to municipalities in financial trouble, “that’s just ludicrous,” he said.
The state’s budget impasse is affecting municipalities across Illinois, which have been dipping into reserves in the absence of motor fuel taxes and emergency telephone system funds since July 1.
But casino towns such as Elgin, Aurora and Des Plaines are feeling an even greater sting without their share of gambling tax revenues, which fund expenses like road projects, economic development and social services. […]
“At some point we thought maybe governance, common sense and stewardship of the state of Illinois would have taken over by now,” Elgin City Manager Sean Stegall said. “Apparently not.”
While visiting the Quad Cities on Monday, Rauner said he doesn’t expect a budget agreement will be reached when he meets next month with the state’s four legislative leaders – the first such meeting since May. The governor stood by his demand that any state spending deal includes pro-business anti-union reforms from his so-called “turnaround agenda.”
[House Speaker Michael Madigan] said there’s an epic struggle going on between the Democratic majority legislature and the first-term Republican governor, one that eventually will be settled, and he said it’s “unfortunate” the governor isn’t more optimistic about the meeting with legislative leaders on Nov. 18.
“I wouldn’t give up hope so soon. Hopefully there will be a meeting. Hopefully it will be productive. Hopefully there will be some kind of a settlement coming out of the meeting. I wouldn’t just give up hope before we even settle down to look at each other and start to talk,” he said. […]
“I’m prepared to do a settlement today, if everybody were reasonable,” Madigan said.
Well, everybody ain’t being reasonable. And I do mean everybody.
Businessman and Urbana City Council member Mike Madigan said Tuesday he will run for the Republican nomination for state Senate in the 52nd District that includes Champaign and Vermilion counties.
Madigan, 52, is the only announced Republican candidate for the seat held by Democrat Scott Bennett of Champaign. Bennett was appointed to the seat earlier this year after Mike Frerichs, also a Champaign Democrat, was elected state treasurer.
Madigan, a member of the Urbana City Council since 2013, also owns Hickory River Smokehouse restaurants in Urbana, Decatur and Springfield. […]
Madigan is no relation to the Democratic speaker of the House with the same name, although he has worked in the Statehouse. The Republican Madigan worked on the Senate Republican staff for five years in the 1980s and ’90s and as a legislative liaison for George Ryan, when he was both secretary of state and, later, governor.
I told subscribers about this earlier today.
Madigan’s restaurant supplies food to the annual House vs. Senate softball game. I’m a sponsor of that event. I’ve known the guy for years. I’m betting he’ll make a good candidate.
“He understands that our state is not business friendly and what comes from that is insufficient employment and what comes from that is insufficient revenue for the state and what comes from that is a poor bond rating,” Weaver says. “That’s what this whole budget impasses is about, is that the Governor is asking for some serious reform to how our state looks at business and his desire to make our state more business friendly.”
I think that’s a better, more succinct summation than the governor has ever given.
Trouble is, Gov. Rauner has so far made this impasse far too much about whacking unions and not nearly enough about finding tough but do-able, bipartisan ways of moving the state forward. There are potential deals out there if he wants them.
The governor said in the Quad-Cities that he had already compromised to help reach a budget deal but Democrats are refusing to budge and just want to raise taxes. Democratic leaders in the House and Senate have said they want a balanced approach that includes cutbacks in spending.
Gov. Rauner said he has dropped his request for legislation to allow right-to-work zones in Illinois and to stop “trial lawyers” from contributing to campaign funds of judges.
As I’ve said many times before, when you stop demanding things that would never pass in a gazillion years, that’s not a compromise, that’s just a woefully belated recognition of hard reality. You get no credit from the other side when that happens.
Due to devastating changes made by Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration, Illinois has the lowest income-eligibility in the entire nation for child care assistance. In fact, the other 49 states all have eligibility guidelines set at 100 percent of the federal poverty level (FPL) or greater – Illinois’ eligibility is set at 50 just percent of FPL.
This is just one of the findings in the National Women’s Law Center’s (NWLC) new “Building Blocks: State Child Care Assistance Policies 2015” report (see attached). This report, when looked at in concert with Illinois Action for Children’s recently-released Policy Brief “Survey Confirms Devastating Impact of Child Care Changes on Children and Working Families”, paints a bleak picture of the access to child care that families have in Illinois.
As the NWLC report states, “A family with an income above 100 percent of the federal poverty level ($20,090 a year for a family of three in 2015) could qualify for child care assistance in all states in [February] 2015.”
That changed in July 2015, however, when Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration unilaterally made sweeping changes to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) that now see new applicants making more than just $10,045 a year (for a family of three) being denied for child care. Put more plainly, 90 percent of new applicants who were eligible prior to the rule changes are now being denied.
What does this mean? According to the survey results in Illinois Action for Children’s Policy Brief:
· The number of child care assistance applications submitted in August 2015 is down almost 50 percent from August 2014. This suggests that many parents, knowing they will be denied, are deciding to not even apply.
· The CCAP caseload decreased by 9 percent, from 154,050 to 140,812, after just one month of data collected under the new rules.
· Since July 1st, 100 providers in Cook County alone have reported closing their doors.
…Meanwhile, the data in the National Women’s Law Center’s 2015 report clearly show the rest of the nation going in the opposite direction of Illinois: increasing income-eligibility, decreasing parent co-payments, extending job search grace periods, and increasing reimbursement rates to child care providers.
As the NWLC report states:
Families’ access to child care assistance and/or the extent of assistance they could receive increased under one or more key child care assistance policies in nearly two-thirds of the states—twice the number of states in which families’ access to assistance and/or the extent of assistance decreased—between February 2014 and February 2015. This year’s trend built on progress made in each of the previous two years, when families experienced improvements in more states than they experienced cutbacks, and contrasted with the two years before that, when families experienced cutbacks in more states than they experienced improvements.
At a time when early care and education is more recognized than ever as an essential work support for parents and a vital first rung on the education ladder for all children, Illinois has foolishly chosen to go against that trend and dramatically reduce its investment in children and families.
Illinois Action for Children, Voices for Illinois Children, the Ounce of Prevention Fund, Latino Policy Forum, the Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children (IL AEYC) and Fight Crime: Invest in Kids Illinois join the National Women’s Law Center in its call to significantly increase investments in child care at the federal and state level. Furthermore, we call on Governor Rauner and Illinois General Assembly to repeal, revoke, or otherwise recall the changes to the Child Care Assistance Program that have made Illinois the shame of the United States when it comes to child care access.
Six Illinois public universities had their credit ratings on about $673 million of debt cut by Moody’s Investors Service because of a political standoff that’s left the state without a budget for four months.
The credit-rating company lowered Western Illinois, Eastern Illinois and Governors State by two steps to Baa3, one level above speculative grade, while Northeastern Illinois was dropped one rank to Baa2. Moody’s cut Northern and Southern Illinois one grade to Baa1, three levels above speculative grade. All have negative outlooks, signaling that they could be lowered again.
“Given expected state funding cuts and the lack of appropriations thus far through fiscal 2016, the university’s reliance on the state will place a strain on operations and liquidity,” Moody’s said in an e-mailed report on Northeastern University.
The slew of downgrades comes less than a week after Moody’s lowered Illinois to Baa1 on Oct. 22 as the budget impasse showed few signs of nearing a resolution. Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and the Democrat-led legislature have failed to pass a spending plan for the year that started July 1, squeezing the finances of universities that rely on state funds.
The downgrade reflects NEIU’s significant exposure to the State of Illinois (Baa1 negative), which contributes a large portion of its operating revenue. Given expected state funding cuts and the lack of appropriations thus far through fiscal 2016, the university’s reliance on the state will place a strain on operations and liquidity. Additional challenges include declining enrollment leading to moderation of historically strong operating performance.
Credit strengths include the university’s solid liquidity position, its status as a designated Hispanic-Serving Institution, and strong debt service coverage.
OUTLOOK
The negative outlook reflects expectations that future state budget pressure or additional material declines to enrollment could lead to further deterioration of the university’s finances and liquidity.
The downgrade reflects GSU’s significant exposure to the State of Illinois (Baa1 negative), which contribtes a large portion of its operating revenue. Given expected state funding cuts and the lack of appropriations thus far through fiscal 2016, the university’s exposure to the state will place a strain on operations and liquidity. Additionally, the downgrade incorporates the risks and opportunities associated with GSU’s shift to becoming a four-year university.
While net tuition revenue will likely grow along with increasing enrollment, resource growth at the university will slow as operations narrow due to a sizable uptick in expenses related to the expansion. This is important because GSU has a particularly thin liquid resource base, meaning that the incremental pressure from continued budget delays has a sharper negative impact on GSU than some of its peers.
OUTLOOK
The negative outlook reflects expectations that future state budget pressure could lead to additional deterioration of finances and liquidity. It also reflects risks associated with the change in GSU’s operating model within an area with declining numbers of high school students.
The downgrade reflects WIU’s significant exposure to the State of Illinois (Baa1 negative), which contributes a large portion of its operating revenue. Given expected state funding cuts and the lack of appropriations thus far through fiscal 2016, the university’s exposure to the state will place a strain on operations and liquidity. Relative to other regional public universities in the state, WIU has a particularly thin liquid resource base, meaning that the incremental pressure from continued budget delays has a sharper negative impact on WIU than some of its peers. Further, declining enrollment will continue to pressure net tuition revenue,
The Baa3 rating favorable incorporates the university’s established market niche as the provider of a nationally prominent program for criminal justice education and moderate leverage.
OUTLOOK
The negative outlook reflects expectations that future state budget pressure or additional material declines to enrollment could lead to further deterioration of the university’s finances and liquidity.
The downgrade to Baa1 is based on SIU’s modest liquidity position and elevated 43% reliance on state appropriations (including on-behalf payments), making it vulnerable to the State of Illinois’ (Baa1 negative) weakening financial position and ongoing fiscal pressures. While SIU’s liquidity position is modest, it has sufficient cash flow to manage through the state’s payment delays near-term and a large expense base from which it could cut over a prolonged period.
The rating favorably reflects SIU’s sizeable scope of operations and financial reserves, as well as its significant role in the state as a large public university with diverse academic offerings. While management has demonstrated the ability to navigate through a challenging state funding environment, the university’s fundamental credit strengths are dominated by a heavy reliance on state support and highly competitive student market which jointly have pressured operations and revenue growth in recent years.
OUTLOOK
The negative outlook reflects continued pressure on state appropriations and net tuition revenue growth that will continue to challenge operations and limit growth in liquidity.
The downgrade of NIU to Baa1 reflects its high reliance on the State of Illinois (Baa1 negative) for operating funding, with the state’s budget impasse and longer term budgetary pressures signally increased likelihood of ongoing material reductions in state support. NIU’s modest liquidity cushion allows it to manage the state’s near-term payment delays due to the budget impasse but liquidity pressures will build if the state budget impasse continues into 2016. NIU’s narrow cash flow will continue for the next few years due to enrollment declines in the face of a competitive student market, as well as its high leverage and thin financial resource coverage.
The rating favorably reflects NIU’s operating scale and adequate financial resources, and its market role as one of Illinois’ largest regional public universities with diverse academic offerings. NIU’s new leadership team is launching financial and strategic initiatives to review its program offerings and its expense infrastructure.
OUTLOOK: The negative outlook reflects continued pressure on state appropriations and net tuition revenue growth that will continue to challenge operating performance and cash flow.
The negative outlook reflects the expectation of continued pressure on the level and timely payment of state appropriations. While ISU has flexibility to reduce expenses, it has relatively limited ability to significantly grow revenue from other sources.
WHAT COULD MAKE THE RATING GO UP
- Greater revenue diversification combined with stronger operating cash flow, demonstrating the ability to withstand reduced reliance on state support
* Anyone who has ever waited in long lines for a taxi at O’Hare and Midway can relate to this Uber video…
The problem isn’t usually a lack of cabs, however. It’s the way the system is set up. Too many people are fed through a funnel that’s just way too narrow. Uber cars picking up people willy nilly around the airport could cause other problems for those folks who are waiting on friends and family for rides.
Hey, I’m not against Uber at all. But what I’d like to see is a much more rational approach to the cab stands in the first place. The city should fix those goofy airport bottlenecks before they add more cars.
Today is the day Victor Reyes is holding a breakfast fundraiser for the Democratic Party of Illinois that House Speaker Mike Madigan chairs.
Reyes, the former Daley political operative turned lobbyist, will hold the event at Manny’s, the famed political lunch spot at Roosevelt Road and Jefferson Street. It’s $2,500 for sponsors and $500 for individuals, according to an invite, which also indicated the speaker himself will be on hand.
Reyes was chairman of the once-powerful Hispanic Democratic Organization, a Daley patronage army that was dismantled during a federal probe into city hiring. Federal prosecutors described Reyes as a co-schemer in the hiring fraud. He was not charged, although witnesses and court records have detailed his extensive influence in city hiring and in the Daley political organization.
More than $134 million has gone into Illinois campaign funds this year, according to the Illinois Sunshine update put out by the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform. That includes more than $5.8 million reported so far this month.
Madigan has been raising a lot of money this year, but there’s no way he can keep up with the Rauner folks.
* And speaking of money, an SEIU local is not happy with incumbent Sen. Patricia Van Pelt (D-Chicago)…
Rep. Mike Zalewski, D-Riverside, will hold an afternoon news conference at the James R. Thompson Center to unveil legislation that would place new regulations on popular fantasy sports websites.
The legislation would ensure that placing money on games though sites like FanDuel and DraftKings would not be considered gambling, while also setting limits to prevent overplaying and to keep those under 18 from playing. The proposal also would allow the sites to check for back child support or tax liens before players could put up money.
Zalewski said the bill will serve as a jumping-off point for further negotiations on the issue, saying it’s a growing industry in need of consumer protections. Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, will carry the matter in the Senate.
As Senate Revenue Committee chairwoman, I stand ready to work with the governor and end this crisis. Yes, new revenue is needed. I know it. You know it. The governor knows it. So let’s have that discussion in a rational, balanced and adult manner because this current process is an abysmal failure.
Rather than prolong the pain in hopes of political gain, we need to seize this opportunity to fix our antiquated and broken revenue system, because without a modern tax and revenue system we will continue to careen from one crisis to the next.
I am willing to stand up and say: Stop it. Stop it right now.
I hope others will do the same.
I have no doubt that Sen. Hutchinson is sincere.
But as much as people complain about the governor not showing his cards, the Democrats are gonna have to stand up soon and show theirs on revenue. If we want to be responsible, we’re gonna need new revenues. It’s time everyone in both parties grew the heck up.
Tuesday, Oct 27, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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* The 2011 workers’ compensation overhaul is beginning to show some results, Crain’s reports…
The report by the Workers Compensation Research Institute may strengthen the arguments of those Democrats who say more time is needed to determine the results of a 2011 law, which reduced medical fees and made other changes.
Medical payments have fallen nearly 15 percent, to an average of $14,513 per claim, during the 12-month period ending Sept. 30, 2013 (measured as of March 31, 2014), down from from $17,140 per claim in 2010-11, according to the institute, which is funded by the insurance industry. Illinois’ average payments are now lower than Indiana ($18,863), Wisconsin ($17,787) and Iowa ($16,051), according to the study, which compares 17 states that handle more than 60 percent of the worker’s comp cases nationwide. […]
Despite the drop, Illinois’ average medical payment per claim is still 19 percent above the median for the 17 states. The figures are for claims involving more than seven days of lost time and include bills submitted 12 months after the injury.
The WCRI study highlighted some costs going down but other non-hospital costs remaining higher than other states included in the study. Governor Bruce Rauner’s office says “The report highlights the need for the reforms that were included in the Governor’s workers’ compensation legislation.” Rauner’s office also says “while the 2011 reforms made progress, there is still much more work to do to make Illinois more competitive.” A statement from the ILTA says the 2011 reforms are having the intended result: lower costs to insurance companies and employers. ILTA also says further changes in workers’ compensation laws must focus on the insurance industry, not injured workers’ rights. Governor Rauner has said workers’ compensation must address causation.
Medical costs are only one part of workers’ comp. Injured workers also receive money for missed work time. And total insurance costs are still rising…
Illinois had the seventh highest worker’s compensation insurance rates in the nation as of Jan. 1, 2014, the most recent statistics available, down from the third highest in 2010, according to the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, which tracks rates for all 50 states and the District of Columbia.
Even so, Illinois Democrats contend that what’s really needed here are rules clamping down on insurance company windfall profits. They have a valid point, too.
…Adding… From the governor’s office…
Illinois still has the 7th highest workers’ compensation costs in the country, and Illinois’ workers’ compensation costs are more than double the costs in Indiana. It’s clear we need major workers’ compensation reform if we want to grow manufacturing jobs in Illinois.
* It looks like the goo-goos are gonna have to step up again and force a real meeting…
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says he doesn’t expect a budget agreement to come out of a planned meeting next month with legislative leaders.
The Rock Island Argus reports that during a visit Monday to Rock Island, the Republican is insisting he won’t agree to a budget deal unless it includes reforms from his “turnaround agenda.”
Rauner and the Democrats have been at odds over a budget which should have taken effect July 1. The first-year governor wants changes to the business and political climates, such as tighter workers’ compensation rules and term limits for officeholders. Democratic leaders have said they want a balanced approach that includes cutbacks in spending.
The governor has said he would circulate an agenda for a Nov. 18 meeting.
Gov. Rauner said he doesn’t expect any resolution to the budget impasse until January and doesn’t expect any agreement will come out of a planned meeting with Democratic leaders in the legislature next month. He accused Democrats of attempting to increase pressure on him by allowing the budget impasse to continue.
“They want the pressure of no scholarships for kids, they want the pressure of no childcare as a way to push the process, that’s the only explanation I can give,” Gov. Rauner said.
He remains open to discuss possible tax increases if its tied to the reforms he supports.
“I’ve said all along that I will support tax reform and some new revenues if we do it the conjunction of major structural reform,” he said.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner gave no signs of giving ground in his budget fight with legislative Democrats in a visit to the Quad-Cities on Monday. […]
Last week, several groups asked that the leaders and Rauner meet, which prompted House Speaker Mike Madigan to suggest that it be public. Rauner responded that his office would organize a Nov. 18 meeting.
The governor said Monday that he has had continuous talks with leaders and that he has committed to a public meeting. But he added that he didn’t think it would result in much.
“I don’t think they’re going to offer compromises or creative solutions in front of a media negotiation,” he said. “I just don’t think that’s likely. But we can get issues on the table. We can have a good conversation.”
“There is a misperception with the media that negotiations are not happening,” said Gov. Rauner. “They have been happening now for a long time.”
Negotiations are not the problem that Rauner pointed out to the Illinois residents. Instead, Gov. Rauner pointed the finger at the state’s legislature.
“Legislature has been dragging out the process,” said Gov. Rauner.
The Governor’s ultimate goal is to push through a new budget and new reforms instead of simply raisin taxes.
“We know what we have to do. We have to have reforms,” said Gov. Rauner. “And the reforms I am pushing, true property tax relief, short term limits, re-districting, hugely popular.”
* So, the New York Times does a 1,200-word piece entitled “One State’s Struggle to Make Ends Meet: Why Illinois Is Without a Budget,” and here is the sum total of the “why”…
Q. What is holding up finding a solution?
A. Lawmakers were deadlocked in negotiations leading up to the budget deadline of July 1, the beginning of the fiscal year. Since then, little progress has been made in meetings between Mr. Rauner and Democratic leaders.
Democrats say that the governor’s proposals are nonstarters and damaging to the middle class. Among them are measures to limit prevailing wages and cut down on eligibility for workers’ compensation, changes that the governor says are reasonable and will stimulate economic growth.
Any normal person would look at that and say “Those people are freaking nuts to fight over nothing!”
I mean, that’s not to say our leaders aren’t freaking nuts, I’m just saying that maybe less ink used to talk about lottery payouts and more to provide some context.
The Times isn’t solely at fault here. Pretty much nobody explains what the beef is about beyond personalities.
* The state’s inability to pay larger lottery prizes is apparently shifting at least some business to other states, according to the AP…
Lotteries in Missouri, Indiana, Iowa and Kentucky say sales have increased since Illinois first set a cap on prize payouts. But they all caution that other factors might be in play.
In Kentucky’s McCracken County, along Illinois’ southern border, there was a 13 percent jump in sales of scratch-off tickets from July 1 through Oct. 9, compared with a 9 percent jump statewide. […]
Ticket sales in the St. Louis area were up 3.8 percent from June to Oct. 17, while Missouri as a whole saw a 3 percent jump. Iowa Lottery officials said five counties bordering Illinois are seeing recent sales that far outpace the overall 3.66 percent increase statewide this fiscal year compared with last. Hoosier Lottery officials said northwestern Indiana counties near Illinois also posted an increase. Wisconsin couldn’t provide figures.
The Illinois Lottery declined to release its ticket sales data, and spokesman Steve Rossi refused to answer questions about the impact of delaying payouts.
Governor Bruce Rauner has issued a proclamation declaring that Illinois will observe National Childhood Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
The Illinois Department of Public Health (IDPH) joins Governor Rauner, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to build awareness about the hazards of lead poisoning during the week of October 25 – 31, 2015.
Lead poisoning occurs most often from exposure to lead-contaminated dust created by deteriorating lead-based paint. Lead-containing products can also lead to exposure and result in life-long negative effects.
“Given the many health and development problems that can occur in children exposed to lead, it is imperative that we build awareness and take the appropriate precautions,” says IDPH Director Nirav D. Shah, M.D., J.D.
* From Emily Miller at Voices for Illinois Children…
Just like other state services, lead poisoning prevention is funded from many different revenue sources, including fees, general revenue fund dollars, and federal Medicaid match dollars. But $1.4 million of the $1.9 million of last year’s lead poisoning prevention funding came from GRF spending and corresponding federal match dollars—equaling over two-thirds of total funding for these efforts. This year there is no GRF spending and, therefore, no federal match for these dollars. The result is that the majority of funding for lead poisoning prevention and screening is compromised.
Just as was the case during both Infant Mortality Awareness Month and Domestic Violence Awareness Month, the Governor has expressed support for the cause of preventing lead poisoning, but has not acted to fund the efforts.
It’s worth noting that without revenue to back it up, any spending plan is not even worth the paper it’s printed on. The Governor is not wholly to blame for the lack of GRF funding- it’s not like lawmakers have stepped up with a plan to fully fund state services for a full fiscal year. But it is a little like rubbing salt in the wound when the Governor continues to issue proclamations supporting the human services he refuses to even consider funding unless he gets sign off on his policy agenda.
* The Illinois Policy Institute’s Scott Reeder on Jim Edgar…
(D)uring his time in office, Edgar was far too willing to compromise.
And Madigan played him for a fool.
The crowning achievement of Edgar’s time in office was the so-called Edgar Ramp, which was touted as a cure-all for the state’s pension woes.
It wasn’t. It isn’t. And it never will be.
It simply delayed the state’s Day of Reckoning.
In fact, it made things worse.
Back in the 1990s the state’s finances were a mess. Pensions were underfunded in part because annual payments had been skipped and the money spent on other things.
For months, Edgar, legislative leaders and union bosses hashed out how to “solve” this predicament.
And they gave birth to a rat.
In a nutshell, the grand compromise Edgar championed called for having low annual pension payments while he was in office and higher ones when future governors were in office.
He kicked the can down the road. He made his problem that of future governors.
The ramp also failed to fundamentally reform the pension system.
So future lawmakers — and governors — were able to skip payments when they were faced with those extra-high amounts Edgar dumped on them.
* This isn’t the first time that Scott has written about his distaste for the Edgar ramp. But, this was the first time he chose to only briefly touch on why he really opposes it. It’s not so much the ramp as it is the pension system itself. From November of 2013…
To be blunt, the best solution is to walk away from the system.
Eighty percent of private sector employers have embraced 401(k)-type plans. In these plans, employees actually own their retirement savings and they can make decisions on how it is invested.
It’s time for Illinois to consider switching public school teachers, state workers and state university employees over to such plans.
The state would still be responsible for the pensions of those who have already retired. But it’s time to move current and future employees into a more sustainable plan.
And who better to take responsibility for worker retirements than the workers themselves?
When will we learn there is no ramp off this road to fiscal perdition?
Instead of looking for ramps, we need to look for solutions – like having government workers take ownership of their own retirements with a 401(k)-type retirement plan.
* By far, the stupidest thing Cook County Circuit Court Clerk Dorothy Brown told her county’s ward and township committeemen last week…
“I would say the endorsement of me is like a contract, because when I paid that $25,000 and the party actually cashed that check, that created a contract,” Brown said while speaking to committeemen. “Robert’s Rules says you cannot rescind a contract. That’s one motion you cannot rescind.”
Yep, the court clerk actually believes that nonsense.
Brown is a machine politician, and the machine way too often prefers its office holders to be less than bright.
Not saying, just sayin…
* But Clerk Brown did say something quite smart as well…
“I don’t know where these accusations are coming from, but it could be any of you,” she said. “This kind of precedent is a precedent you do not want to set. I would suggest that before a vote to rescind anything, that you first of all wait until the actual facts come out.”
You can bet the next time somebody is scrootened by the feds, somebody is gonna bring this Brown thing up.
* Brown, by the way, had just $36,985.57 in her campaign account at the end of the third quarter. The party will be refunding her $25K check, but I really doubt she’ll be able to raise much more money from here on out.
Plus, she’ll have to start from scratch and circulate her own petitions without any help from the party structure, so the odds could be against her even getting on the ballot. We’ll see.
To see the fickle fiscal state of affairs in cash-strapped Illinois, you need look no further than how the musical acts Styx, Sammy Hagar and Hank Williams Jr got paid for performing at the state fair in August, but the woman who sculpted the event’s life-sized butter cow did not. […]
A provision in state law, for example, allows grandstand acts to be paid up-front, enabling Rauner’s administration to authorize more than $2 million in expedited payments to 20 performers, state records show.
But Sharon BuMann, the New York butter sculptor who for 14 years has carved a cow from a large block of butter at the state’s fair is considered a vendor, and that status sent her invoice into an unpaid pile that has reached $7 billion. […]
Numerous social service agencies that depend on state funding say they are facing shutdowns if the budget impasse is not resolved. The Sexual Assault Counseling and Information Service, a rape counseling agency in the campus town of Charleston, expects to close in three weeks without a budget deal freeing up about $240,000 in expected state funding, the agency told Reuters. Erin Walters, the group’s executive director, wondered aloud about priorities that determined musicians would be paid while her organization is left to contemplate closing for the first time since its 1977 founding. […]
Charlie Brusco, manager for the 1970s rock band Styx, said the group collected its $75,000 payment before the bus carrying lead singers James “JY” Young and Tommy Shaw and their band left the state fairgrounds.
“We always leave the venue with our money,” Brusco said.
Ugh.
And, by the way, in what bizarro world is Styx even worth $75,000?
It seems like it shouldn’t be news, let alone a banner headline: The governor and the leaders of the legislature having a meeting.
Most people probably assume that’s standard practice; and, though there have been exceptions (say, during Rod Blagojevich’s term), it has been in Illinois. Until this year. Illinois’ new governor and the General Assembly’s top Democrats and Republicans haven’t all gotten together since the end of May. […]
The heads of six self-described “reform groups” had this state of pain in mind when they came together to publicly call for a meeting among the Republican governor, the Democratic Senate President and House Speaker, and the minority leaders of each chamber.
“We are ready to facilitate the logistics of a meeting in either Chicago or Springfield,” the letter they published in the Chicago Tribune read. “The consequences are too great. And we cannot let the situation continue. While leadership may not align on some core principles, we believe it is necessary for them to meet together, work through these issues, and agree on a budget.”
From all the ideas meant to spur action, this is the one that took.
How dysfunctional has the Springfield stalemate become? The Republican governor and the Democratic legislative leaders are now trying to one-up each other on setting up a meeting.
Last week, a half-dozen advocacy groups, fed up with inaction that’s left the state without a budget since July 1, called on Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislative leaders to get together and discuss the matter. The groups wrote a letter offering to set up such a meeting, saying it should happen before Nov. 15 “due to the urgent need for resolution on this issue.”
Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan accepted the invitation and suggested making the meeting public. Democratic Senate President John Cullerton also agreed. The Union League Club offered its downtown location as a venue, and a date was set for Nov. 18.
Not so fast, said Republican Rauner, who weighed in on Friday with a letter of his own. […]
Rauner’s offer: A meeting in the governor’s office, in Springfield or Chicago, on the same date and time – Nov. 18, 9:30 a.m. Rauner said his staff would circulate an agenda in advance of the meeting and would coordinate with leaders “on the most appropriate media access.”
After the letter arrived, Susan Garrett, a former state senator and chairwoman of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, said Madigan responded and urged that it be public. The Union League Club of Chicago stepped up and offered space for Nov. 18.
Rauner usurped them Friday with an invitation of his own.
“While we appreciate the advocacy groups desire to be involved, we will pick up the organization of the meeting from here,” Rauner wrote.
No offense taken, Garrett said. “The objective is to get them all to talk.”
We were completely airbrushed out of the story again, but whatevs.
* The Question: Do you think this meeting will actually happen next month, or do you think it won’t happen, perhaps because too many preconditions will be demanded by one or both sides? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Reports maintained by Secretary of State Jesse White’s office show lobbying entities in Illinois have spent more than $1.2 million so far this year on meals and entertainment, large gatherings, and other expenses that are required to be reported under the state’s lobbyist disclosure law.
But twenty percent of that came from just two groups, and none of those expenses were actual lobbying. From Ounce of Prevention…
“The expenditure reports filed with the secretary of state’s office include our April annual luncheon at an expense of $130,000 (which includes all costs of the event). For 14 years, the luncheon has been our premier public education and fundraising event bringing together the business, philanthropic and civic communities in support of early childhood education. Of the more than 850 attendees, only two were affiliated with state government — the luncheon is not a lobbying event. However, per Illinois law and secretary of state requirements, we always err on the side of caution in reporting the full costs when a reportable official attends.”
The Illinois Association of Park Districts has a couple of big events every year, and came in second…
“Maybe we have 40 members of the General Assembly in attendance,” he said. “It’s not a lobbying event, if you will. It’s not an accurate depiction of what you are doing organizationally. The legislators are an adjunct to the main event.”
Not every lobbying entity reported spending money. The secretary of state’s website lists 2,063 entities registered as lobbyists. Of those, 1,677 have listed no expenses for large gatherings, meals and other entertainment, travel, or other reportable expenses.
That can cut both ways. Some groups register as lobbying entities to comply with state law, but don’t actually do much, if any actual lobbying. Other groups likely under-report.
Enough already, Bruce. It’s well past time for the governor to drop his “turnaround” agenda and put together a budget that puts Illinois on a path toward financial stability. Who says? Increasingly, none other than Bruce Rauner’s Republican allies and business pals. […]
Rauner insists he won’t compromise with Democrats who control the General Assembly unless they enact his legislative agenda, which ranges from workers’ compensation changes and term limits to a local property tax freeze. His proposals are worth fighting for; the state needs fundamental changes to rev up a lackluster economy and dislodge entrenched politicians.
But Rauner was elected to lead, not ape the antics of House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, who have shown little interest in negotiating, making them to blame for Illinois’ deepening financial crisis, too. A savvy executive knows how to pick the battles that can be won.
A balanced budget won’t come easily. Madigan often made a fool of former Gov. Pat Quinn, and they were members of the same party. The House speaker knows how to cut a deal, however. Surely, he and Rauner could come up with a combination of necessary spending cuts and higher taxes to make ends meet. But don’t take it just from us, Bruce. Take it from former Gov. Jim Edgar, who used an interview with the State Journal-Register in Springfield to deliver much-needed advice:
“We need a budget,” the former Republican chief executive said. “These other issues, they’re important . . . but you don’t hold the budget hostage to get those. . . .It has been very destabilizing for state government. I think a lot of people have suffered.”
The governor claims that his business pals are all with him, so it would’ve been nice if Crain’s had named a couple of them, or at least given us a hint about whom they might be.
“My goal is to look back in a couple of years and say, ‘That was hard, but I’m glad we did it,’” he told The Southern editorial board last week.
Both Rauner and lawmakers expect a budget deal by January. Rauner is finally meeting with Democratic Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, he said. “Progress” is being made, he assured us. That alone is noteworthy considering the total lack of communication from a few months ago. Rauner declined to go into detail about what he’s willing to give up to get a deal done, saying he won’t “negotiate in the media.” But he highlighted worker’s comprehensive insurance reform and a property tax freeze as priority issues. In return, Rauner is likely to support a tax hike. We urge him to back a constitutional amendment to allow for a progressive income tax, which Cullerton said he’s again planning on pushing.
A lot of pain will have swept across the state by January. Jobs will be lost. Important initiatives will be temporarily shelved.
But Illinois can’t continue running up massive debts and spending billions more than it brings in. Taxpayers need relief. Union power must be brought under control. Widespread inefficiency throughout state government must be streamlined.
Urging Rauner to support a progressive income tax shows just how little that paper actually comprehends about the governor.
* Pearson et al totaled up the amount of not yet appropriated or approved state money that Chicago’s city government, school system and transit authority are building into their own budgets and discovered it’s more than $800 million.
“One of the reasons that we have some opportunity to force change is that the city of Chicago is so financially mismanaged and so broke that they need help from Springfield,” Rauner said last week in Springfield.
“The city of Chicago is a political machine, government union machine that’s dying of its own weight,” he said. “They’ve been bleeding jobs, they can’t fund their schools properly, they can’t pay their pensions properly, even with a massive property tax hike they are looking at forcing on the people of Chicago.” […]
“What I have said to the mayor is, ‘I will help you if you help us. If you help us restructure this state, I will help you. If you will not help us restructure the state … I will not help you in the city of Chicago,’” Rauner said. “That dynamic is going to be a big part of the impetus to get some compromise on both sides.”
* The mayor, for his part, believes Rauner will eventually have to face reality…
“I don’t think I’m usually seen as an optimist or ‘keep hope alive’ as my operating theory,” Emanuel responded, saying at some point the state will have to pass a budget. “I do believe Springfield will get their job done, and that’s not just a belief. It actually will be forced on them, whether they want to or not, by all the economics and the financial markets.”
“Credit rating is pretty irrelevant to me. I don’t work for credit-rating agencies. I work for the people of Illinois,” Rauner told reporters in Marion. “When we get a truly balanced budget, which we haven’t had in years, and when we’re growing our economy, we’re going to have very high credit ratings. We do the right thing, credit ratings follow.”
The lack of a state budget hasn’t stopped Illinois lawmakers from ordering up thousands of taxpayer-paid copies of coloring books, brochures and other print-based promotional perks in recent months. […]
The list of the 141 lawmakers participating in the program crosses party lines and includes many of the same Republicans who have been calling for cuts to state programs to help balance the budget.
State Rep. Jeanne Ives, for example, ordered 500 activity books and 13,000 cards to distribute in her suburban Chicago district.
The material ordered by the Wheaton Republican came after she proposed ending special stipends given to lawmakers for their service on committees and on leadership teams.
“It is time for legislators to share the burden. The state needs to make budget cuts, and $1 million is a great start,” she said of the stipends at the time.
Because of stricter guidelines for the state’s Child Care Assistance Program, fewer people qualify to receive subsidies. The effect, local domestic violence and homeless advocates say, is that the women they serve could have a harder time getting out of temporary shelter or away from abusive situations and on to independent living.
“These subsidies allow people to get out into the community,” said [Sue] Morrissey, the vice president of program services for Home of the Sparrow. “If these supports aren’t there … how this benefits anyone, we don’t get it.”[…]
Child care and financial stability are paramount to many women trying to leave an abusive relationship, she said, as they seek to escape domestic violence.
“Say she comes in and she needs to work so she can become independent and support her children, and finds she is ineligible for the subsidy,” Zamudio said. “She may even choose to return to her abuser because she can’t do it.”
The changes are projected to save the state $47 million annually on background checks and copays, and $5.3 million a month by freezing intakes. […]
At Home of the Sparrow, where about 30 percent of the clients do not have a domestic violence history, Morrissey said women are required to get a job within 10 weeks of coming into the shelter. While there, officials can provide them with assistance for day care, although the funds the organization has to support day care are disappearing quickly.
…Adding… From comments…
“I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic and bring the folks who say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or Af-scammy (AFSCME)” — Bruce Rauner, September 18, 2012.
Don’t you see? These domestic violence victims — these women and children? They’re just wedges.
Governor Bruce Rauner took it on the chin for several days in a row this month.
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute’s recent poll of southern Illinoisans showed Rauner’s approval rating absolutely tanking in a region he swept last year. Just 37 percent of voters in 18 southern counties approved of his job performance, while 51 percent disapproved. The media usually reacts negatively when there’s real blood in the water, and that poll most definitely showed blood.
In both a Chicago speech and during a follow-up interview, former Republican Governor Jim Edgar called on Rauner to stop holding the budget “hostage” to his anti-union Turnaround Agenda demands, claiming the lack of a state budget is hurting Illinois. Edgar remains a popular figure with political reporters, and his statements were a cold bucket of water on the governor’s “things are going great, and if they’re not, it’s all because of House Speaker Michael Madigan” mantra.
Rauner appointed Comptroller Leslie Munger in January after popular incumbent Judy Baar Topinka passed away last year. But Munger took her benefactor to task, telling a Quad Cities audience that the governor needs to stop attacking unions. “I don’t think it’s productive,” Munger said. “I think we’ve got to work together, personally.” Munger partially walked her comments back a few days later, but she continued urging him to stop the attacks.
Chicago hotel owner Laurence Geller’s public demand to Crain’s Chicago Business that the governor and the legislative leaders come to terms was less noticed by the media but could be the most important harbinger of things to come. If enough of Chicago’s top business leaders demand an end to this fight, it’ll end.
After all that, Rauner apparently thought it was a good idea to give his House Republicans a little pep talk last week.
“We’re winning handily,” Rauner confidently told Republicans during a closed-door meeting, sources say.
And if you think that was a bit over the top, consider what he said next: “I’m stunned by how good a position we’re in.”
Rauner claimed he and the Republicans have Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan on the run and that “the entire Democrat caucus is in trouble.”
These are obviously not the words of a man who says he pays no attention to polls, as he claimed to reporters after the Simon Institute released its highly unflattering survey.
Instead, they’re the words of a guy who totally trusts his own pollster’s rosy numbers and who has put the state government’s future in the hands of consultants who have been itching for total war with the Democrats.
And the governor’s private comments are most definitely at odds with his recent public statements about the impasse. Just days ago, for instance, Rauner pronounced himself “very unhappy” with the impasse. “We’re going through some financial difficulties right now,” Rauner told some folks at the University of Illinois. “I apologize for that.”
Rauner’s private comments to his fellow Republicans last week line up far more closely with what he told a friendly Chicago Tribune editorial board earlier this year.
“Crisis creates opportunity,” he told the Tribune in April. “Crisis creates leverage to change – and we’ve got to use that leverage of the crisis to force structural change.”
The editorial board has been all-in on this theory ever since, most recently when it helpfully excoriated Edgar on the current governor’s behalf for suggesting that Rauner try to look for a “doable” resolution to the months-long impasse. The paper actually accused Edgar of advocating “surrender.”
And the Democrats, for their part, strongly believe that their long-term, privately stated goal of dragging the governor down to their own horrible polling levels to blunt his attacks is succeeding better than they could’ve ever hoped.
Their polling shows Rauner’s numbers are “dropping like a rock off a cliff,” as one top Democratic insider put it last week. An unpopular governor poses no political threat to legislators on the other side of the war.
Meanwhile, two New York credit-rating agencies have downgraded Illinois’ bonds. Working parents are losing state help with their child care and are being forced onto welfare. Meals on Wheels is cutting back service to senior citizens. Colleges and universities are being squeezed like never before. Etc., etc., etc.
But our political leaders are all convinced they’re winning, so we have that going for us.
