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Monday, Sep 12, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* 49th Senate District candidate Michelle Smith (R-Plainfield) took one of those Facebook test things about how much she agrees with presidential candidate Donald Trump. The candidate, who’s challenging Sen. Jennifer Bertino Tarrant (D-Shorewood), posted the “94 percent agreement” results on her Facebook page and the Democrats turned it into a TV ad.

A couple of my pals recorded the ad with their phones and texted it to me. Here’s the better quality version…

* The Question: What grade would you give this TV spot? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.

survey service

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Sorry, Jim, but it just got really personal

Monday, Sep 12, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Gov. Jim Edgar in the Peoria Journal Star…

“You never want to lie to Mike Madigan. And you don’t make it personal. You realize you’re coming at it from a different direction, but at the end of the day, you’re going to need to compromise.”

Edgar doesn’t appear sure how that can happen now between Madigan and Rauner.

The former governor ascribes blame to both sides, although he appeared a little tougher on Rauner. Edgar said it was a mistake for Rauner to finance television commercials last year that criticized Madigan for the budget stalemate.

* Edgar ain’t seen nothing yet. Press release…

Illinois Republicans began airing a new television advertisement today targeting House Speaker Mike Madigan’s property tax appeals business. It explains how Madigan gains personally from high property taxes at the expense of everyday Illinoisans and links candidates for the state house to his inside game. The ad is airing on Chicago broadcast.

“Every single one of Mike Madigan’s handpicked candidates will have to answer for his record of profiting from high property taxes at the expense of hardworking families,” said Illinois Republican Party spokesman Steven Yaffe. “Madigan is the king at the top of a broken, corrupt system he’s protected for decades and that’s why he’s hands-down the most despised politician on the ballot this November.”

* The new ad…

* Script…

Mike Madigan made a fortune on tax appeals.
Representing the powerful and politically connected.
Saving his friends millions, forcing you to pay more.
It’s an inside game – played by people like Merry Marwig, Madigan’s handpicked candidate.
When Marwig thought her property taxes were too high, she got them lowered, at your expense.
Saved so much she did it again.
Marwig and Madigan – profiting from the same corrupt system.
Looking out for themselves, instead of you.

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Monday, Sep 12, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

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Friday, Sep 9, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Instead of a music video, here’s the BBC’s mini documentary about Chicago violence. It’s very well done and clearly shows the humanity of a handful of people caught in a bizarre, seemingly impossible cycle of death and destruction. There’s some profanity and it’s quite difficult to endure some of it - and nearly impossible to empathize with some of it - but just imagine what it’s like for our fellow Illinoisans who are trying to survive that extreme insanity…

All they want to do is get out of here, man

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Munger hit deemed “false”

Friday, Sep 9, 2016 - Posted by Rich Miller

* Comptroller Leslie Munger at the Chicago Tribune editorial board debate with her opponents…

“We have to pass a balanced budget. I don’t know how you pass a balanced budget, unless you literally cut social services completely as an example, cut education,” Munger said. “You cannot get to a balanced budget without a growing economy in our state right now. We cannot do it.”

* SEIU Healthcare used that quote to slam her…

WHAT?!?! @lesliemungeril, @GovRauner's wingman, says we have to "cut social services completely" https://t.co/sq5sAYblF0 #twill

— SEIU HCIIMK (@SEIUhciimk) August 29, 2016

* Politifact justifiably rated the union’s claim “False.” Its reasoning…

The video includes Munger’s comments in their entirety, though both the title and the description imply the comptroller was saying the state needs to completely eliminate funding for social services to balance the budget.

Despite Munger making clear she was using such cuts as “an example” to illustrate how drastic cuts alone would have to be, SEIU makes it appear as if Munger wants and is proposing to eliminate all funding for social services in the video as well as on its social media accounts.

Munger reiterated her support for an income tax increase as long as it’s “coupled” with reductions in spending, noting the current individual income tax rate of 3.75 percent would have to be hiked up to about 8 percent just to pay down the state’s current $8.1 billion backlog of unpaid bills.

“You cannot cut enough to get to a balanced budget, so you need revenue,” Munger said during the debate. “And you cannot raise revenue enough to get it balanced without a growing economy.”

This statement also debunks SEIU’s contention that Munger wants to “cut social services completely,” and further clarifies she was saying the state never would be able to make cuts as severe as what you would need to balance the budget as things currently stand.

Agreed.

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