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*** UPDATED x2 - “No negotiations at this point” - “Not the governor’s plan” *** Tax hikes under discussion

Thursday, Feb 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Capital projects aren’t free, and the state obviously can’t pay for them out of existing revenues so we’ll see how all this works out. Erickson with the scoop…

With gasoline selling for less than $2 per gallon throughout much of the state, Gov. Bruce Rauner and his allies in the business community have launched behind-the-scenes talks with state legislative leaders to raise Illinois’ gasoline tax.

Although the governor’s office is not providing details on the negotiations, documents obtained by the Times’ Springfield Bureau outline the workings of a plan designed to finance an estimated $1.8 billion in road building and maintenance projects.

In addition to boosting the gasoline tax by 13 cents a gallon, the outline shows other revenue options on the table include a 2 percent sales tax on food and drugs, increasing the cost of registering and titling cars by $20 annually and boosting the cost of driver’s licenses by $5 a year.

But neither side is ready to discuss the tentative framework publicly. Under one scenario, the increases would be tempered with a decrease in the state’s 6.25 percent sales tax on motor fuel sales to 1.25 percent.

I woudn’t bet too much money on that huge gasoline sales tax reduction. Erickson reports it would cost the state’s General Revenue Fund $700 million. Unless that’s replaced by a different tax hike, it’s not affordable.

*** UPDATE 1 *** From Gov. Rauner’s spokesman Mike Schrimpf…

“The administration has not launched behind-the-scenes talks with legislators to raise the gas tax, or any other taxes or fees to fund a capital program. What’s being circulated by some advocacy groups is not the governor’s plan and does not have his blessing.”

*** UPDATE 2 *** Frpm the Transportation for Illinois Coalition…

“The Transportation for Illinois Coalition is committed to long-term, significant and sustainable investment in Illinois’ critical transportation infrastructure. TFIC is having many discussions around a menu of revenue options that could be used to fund such investment, but there are no negotiations going on at this point.

The Coalition looks forward to presenting a package of funding options and having serious negotiations with the governor and lawmakers to provide a meaningful fix this spring for the network of roads, bridges and transit systems that is so critical to our state’s economic success.”

74 Comments

‘Overnor Rauner

Thursday, Feb 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Eric Zorn…

“Raisin’ the minimum wage in conjunction with improving the overall jobs climate, will make Illinois more competitive and create a boomin’ economy while increasin’ incomes for hardworkin’ Illinoisans. As we look to make Illinois more competitive, property tax relief is one of our most pressin’ challenges.” … Gov. Bruce Rauner in today’s State of the State address.

In his bid for folksiness, Gov. Rauner dropped so many g’s you’d think he was auditioning for the part of Sheriff Taylor in a Broadway revival of “The Andy Griffith Show.”

It was distracting enough that I went through and counted. Out of 107 words in the speech ending with the “-ing” syllable, Rauner dropped the terminal g 55 times […]

Several times he mixed and matched in a single sentence: “I am personally committed to working closely together with each and every one of you — meeting together, solvin’ problems together, listening and learnin’ from each other.”

So, he dropped his g’s roughly half the time.

It’s such an obviously contrived affectation, and the fact that he can’t consistently pull it off makes it even more irritating.

Lots of Democratic legislators had never heard Rauner give a speech before yesterday, and many were mocking him after the SOTS for his silly mannerism. He may have been in Downstate yesterday, but most people in his audience were from the suburbs and the city.

Not to mention that using bad grammar to sound more folksy to the hicks offends some of us hicks whose parents were conscientious about such matters.

In attempting to build a communications bridge, he may actually be constructing a barrier.

…Adding… Steve Chapman…

Normally, he sounds like a Midwestern suburbanite, or a TV anchorman. Even in this address, he sounded his natural self on every other word. He was clearly doing this deliberately.

Why? For the same reason he wears a Carhartt jacket and a cheap watch — to make voters forget he’s a fabulously rich magnate whose father was a corporate executive and who grew up in a well-to-do North Shore suburb.

But it doesn’t work. It just makes him sound as though he’s afraid to be himself and has to contort himself into a caricature of an ordinary guy.

When it comes to taxes, spending and other government obligations, Rauner will have to expect voters to respond like grownups to hard choices. He will have to expect us to believe what he’s saying. That’s more likely to happen if we don’t hear him speak in such a fake manner. So it wouldn’t hurt for him to stop the posin’.

82 Comments

*** UPDATED x2 - Resigned *** Uh-oh

Thursday, Feb 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Remember Benjamin Cole? He’s the guy who tried to talk a Washington Post “Style Page” reporter out of doing a story on Congressman Aaron Schock’s fancy new congressional office remodeling.

In a series of Facebook posts obtained by ThinkProgress, the senior adviser for policy and communications to Rep. Aaron Schock (R-IL) posted racial comments and endorsed gentrification of his neighborhood.

Benjamin Cole, a former Baptist pastor and energy industry spokesman, posted a series of videos and comments on October 13, 2013 mocking two African Americans outside his DC apartment. In the first, he compared them to animals escaping from the National Zoo engaged in “mating rituals.” That message included a video of a woman, shouting and seemingly engaged in an argument with someone not visible as she walked. In each of his posts, he used the hashtag “#gentrifytoday.”

The National Zoo was closed that week due to a federal government shutdown.

The posts appeared to have been removed Wednesday.

* One of the Facebook posts…

Oy.

* Meanwhile, the I-Team staked out Schock in DC…

Rep. Aaron Schock, R-Peoria, says he’s never been an “old crusty white guy” - and those are his exact words. The 33-year-old congressman from Peoria claims he’s never seen Downton Abbey on TV and that he didn’t realize his Capitol Hill offices actually looked like something fit for a royal highness. […]

An ABC crew had waited for Schock on Capitol Hill because he wouldn’t respond to messages, questions or calls about the fancy red re-do of his congressional quarters by an interior designer from downstate Illinois.

ABC: “So someone in your office said that it was inspired after Downton Abbey, is that right?”
Schock: “Uh, I learned that when I read it in the newspaper myself, so…”

* Schock then said he would be paying for the remodeling out of his own pocket…

ABC: “What about this decorator though? She’s from your district. Are you going to pay for this? Is this in-kind purchase free service?”

Schock: “No. She is the person who decorated my office four years ago in the Canon building. And I wrote her a personal check for her services.”

ABC: “For how much?”

Schock: “Want to say that it was maybe $6,000. But it was four years ago, but around that. And so, you know, the same thing will happen now. She’s working on the office, so once it’s done, I’m sure I will get an invoice as I did before and we’ll pay.”

* But here is what his staff said earlier this week…

Brahler offered her services for free, according to Schock’s office, although he had to pay for the objects.

So, perhaps a clarification is in order. But the top story about the PR guy shows what happens when the media starts focusing on somebody. It ain’t ever pretty.

*** UPDATE *** Things just took a radical turn for the worse…

Aaron Schock Adviser Made More Racially Charged Comments On Facebook, Wanted White House Mosque For Obama

Haters gonna hate.

/snark

*** UPDATE 2 *** He gone…

A top aide to U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock has resigned today, following reports that he made racially charged comments on his personal Facebook page.

Benjamin Cole has served as the fourth-term Peoria lawmaker’s spokesman — and as a “senior adviser” — since March of 2014.

A series of posts on his personal Facebook page were unearthed Thursday first by a writer for the liberal website Think Progress and then by Buzzfeed that sparked the controversy.

“I am extremely disappointed by the inexcusable and offensive online comments made by a member of my staff,” Schock said in a statement to the Journal Star. “I would expect better from any member of my team. Upon learning about them I met with Mr. Cole and he offered his resignation which I have accepted.”

55 Comments

What Rauner didn’t say yesterday

Thursday, Feb 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Bruce Rauner distributed a handout to legislators before his State of the State address yesterday. Click here to read it. Here’s something from the handout that he didn’t talk about yesterday…

Restructure the motor fuel tax to appropriately invest in infrastructure.

Hmm.

* He also didn’t touch on this topic…

Reform teacher tenure

* Nor did he bring up these…

Extend to municipalities bankruptcy protections to help turn around struggling communities.

Empower local voters to control collective bargaining issues in their local governments and take more direct responsibility for their employees’ benefits.

…Adding… The Tribune has a story about the municipal bankruptcy issue.

* He never uttered the word “pension” yesterday, but the topic was covered in his handout…

Protect historically accrued state pension benefits for retirees and current workers, while moving all current workers into the Tier 2 pension plan and/or a 401(k) for their future work. Police and firefighters should receive separate special consideration.

Pursue permanent pension relief through a constitutional amendment.

* The document also fleshes out some issues just a tiny bit more than Rauner did yesterday. For instance…

Freeze property taxes for two years by amending Illinois’ Property Tax Extension Limitation Law. The total property tax extension could not increase above the 2015 levy year, except for new construction or property in a TIF district. Voters would still be allowed to override the freeze via referendum.

That’s the first time he’s pointed to a specific path to freezing property taxes. Commenters who are knowledgeable about this topic are invited to chime in.

* Some more stuff…

Implement true workers’ compensation reform legislation that updates how injuries are apportioned to ensure employers pay for injuries that occur on the job; clarifies the definition of “traveling employees” to ensure a reasonable standard that excludes risks that would impact the general public; and implements American Medical Association guidelines when determining impairment.

Make Illinois unemployment insurance fair for beneficiaries and employers, including legislation that cracks down on benefit fraud for those who voluntarily leave employment but receive benefits and provides a more fair definition of misconduct in the workplace.

Lift the arbitrary cap on public charter schools, reduce funding disparities for public charters and provide more high-quality educational options to students through tax credit scholarships.

Eliminate unnecessary testing and institute a rigorous K-12 student growth measure, using ACT and other national metrics.

Reform the criminal code to ensure sentences are commensurate with the severity of the crime, and reduce penalties for non-violent offenses.

Launch a bipartisan Criminal Justice Reform Commission with a goal to improve public safety and reduce prison population by 25 percent in 10 years.

98 Comments

*** UPDATED x1 *** Today’s raw audio: MJM reacts to BVR’s SOTS

Thursday, Feb 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* It’s a little hard to hear because it was recorded at the back of the Blue Room, but this is Speaker Madigan’s full press conference yesterday following the governor’s State of the State address…

Click to listen

*** UPDATE *** Some of you are having trouble with the file I uploaded, so try these instead. Part 1…

Click to listen

Part 2…

Click to listen

1 Comment

*** LIVE *** Session coverage

Thursday, Feb 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller

* The House has adjourned for the week, but the Senate is still in. Follow along with ScribbleLive…

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