Question of the day
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network on a bill to hike the tax on vaping products to make it equal to tobacco products…
Danne Reinke, from the Smoke Free Alternatives Coalition of Illinois, testified in opposition to the bill Tuesday. He said the measure would tax vaping products at 36 percent. He said consumers can use vaping products to help quit smoking cigarettes.
A spokesman for the Illinois Department of Revenue said: “E-cigarettes and vapor products are currently assessed the general merchandise rate of 6.25 percent.”
“It’s bad public policy,” Reinke said. “[Vaping is] the leading cessation product.”
State Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields, also had concerns about the measure.
“My biggest problem is taxing it as something it’s not,” Hutchinson said. “At its core, they’re not tobacco products. To tax them as something they’re not, it misses the opportunity. I’m not opposed to taxation, but we need to tax it as it actually is.”
Link said he’s open to continued conversation about the issue, but said there are real concerns.
“We have an epidemic going on,” Link said. “In our schools, we’re having a total epidemic with it. We’ve got to look at this in a different manner.”
“I’ve seen plenty of people who do stop smoking with vape products, but I also know we have a fear of the rising use among kids, so it’s complicated and I get that, but they’re not tobacco products so it’s hard for me to make that jump,” Hutchinson said.
* The Question: Should vaping products be taxed at the same level as tobacco products? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please…
panel management
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Are people moving on?
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The latest uproar in the Chicago mayoral race has given us an interesting insight into how much attitudes can change. As you may already know, some disgusting fliers are being distributed outside some South Side churches…
On one side of the flyer is a picture of Lightfoot and her wife, Amy Eshelman, with a sign beneath the couple that reads, “The Gay Equality Act !!! It’s our turn.”
Beneath that is a line in red print: “1st openly gay woman in City Hall.” Above the couple is another line in red that says, “The Feminist and Gay Movement Have Come Full Circle.”
The flip side of the flyer says, among other things, “ALL CONTRACTS, JOBS AND EMPLOYMENT NEWLY ASSIGNED EXCLUSIVELY TO GAY PEOPLE!”
* Willie Wilson denounced the fliers…
* But here’s Wilson in 2014…
“The black community… does not support same-sex marriage,” Wilson told me. “I believe marriage is between a man and women. I’ll die going to grave believing that.”
* Moving along…
Bishop Larry Trotter, the senior pastor of Sweet Holy Spirit Church, who lobbied against the same sex marriage act in Illinois, now is supporting Lightfoot and denouncing the anti-gay fliers. Trotter says “I think the church at large is beyond that.” He also adds “I’m not voting for her because of her lifestyle, that has nothing to do with it.”
* Bishop Trotter on gay marriage in 2004…
“When Mayor Daley and [Cook County Clerk] David Orr said they’d love to allow this, they opened this city up to another legion of demonic experiences,” Trotter told the audience.
* Rex Huppke…
When LGBT activists fought to legalize same-sex marriage, opponents believed the sky would fall and the earth would be torn asunder. Again, the sky didn’t fall and the earth kept right on spinning.
With each step toward equality, fewer people have the capacity to hate. That’s because we start to understand differences, and we stop fearing them.
Most of us, anyway.
Hatred eventually reaches a tipping point where it becomes more broadly rejected. Are those anti-Lightfoot flyers hateful? Yes. But they’re also almost comically feeble, a voice from the past screeching into a present that no longer cares.
* Last word goes to Rev. Ira Acree, a Lightfoot supporter and pastor of the Greater St. John Bible Church in the Austin neighborhood…
“Black people, at the end of the day, are like any other ethnic group,” Acree said. “They have their biases, but when they go inside the booth they vote their interests. We are against adultery and extramarital affairs, but we still supported Bill Clinton. We know how to support our interests. Lightfoot benefits our interests. Regular people don’t benefit from machine politics. We need someone to advocate for the little guy.”
* Related…
* How Willie Wilson changed his mind on LGBTQ people and endorsed Lori Lightfoot: “I used to think the same way.” Now, he says, “Let Christ do the judging. Not me.”
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The education beat
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dusty Rhodes at Illinois Public Radio…
More than a year ago, Illinois lawmakers approved a total overhaul of the way the state funds schools. That landmark legislation, known as “evidence-based funding,” got a lot of media attention. But at the same time, something else happened that went totally unreported: The state also changed the number of instructional hours required in a school day from five to zero.
Let’s be clear: The new law didn’t force any changes, so most districts carried on with their usual schedules. And as soon teachers unions noticed the five-hour requirement had been dropped, they began to lobby to reinstate it.
But by that time, a few districts had embraced the new flexibility, and didn’t want to give it up. That left the Illinois State Board of Education caught in the middle. […]
“We found that many districts were primarily using flexibility this winter for e-learning days for students,” [Amanda Elliott is director of legislative affairs for the ISBE] says. “We heard from districts that they saw this as an opportunity to allow more use of dual credit classes, internships, career based learning experiences, and so there’s a lot of excitement about what this could mean for schools and students in Illinois.”
But now there’s legislation that’s going to restore the clock hours. It’s contained in an amendment that’s been negotiated by the state’s largest teachers union and a representative from a group of the most well-financed school districts — the kind most ready to take advantage of all this flexibility.
The amendment, however, contains some exemptions. Go read the rest for more info.
* Greg Hinz at Crain’s…
In his first major legislative initiative, new Illinois Manufacturing Association President Mark Denzler says his top legislative priority is a bill that would waive tuition and other fees (including on-campus housing) at the University of Illinois and other state colleges and universities for students studying science, technology engineering or math who agree to teach in a state high school for at least three years after graduation, or a state institute of higher education for at least five years. […]
“If you talk to people in community colleges, they’ll tell you them they have plenty of classrooms available. What they lack is qualified staff”—instructors capable of teaching in the so-called STEM disciplines, he added.
The bill involved passed the Senate last year but stalled in the House. It is sponsored again this year by Sen. Andy Manar, D-Bunker Hill. Denzler said he’s been discussing the proposal with House leaders and officials in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s administration, and is hopeful of getting them to go along.
School labor unions have not yet signed on to the bill, but the measure comes amid the rising number of Illinois high school graduates who end up attending college out of state, with many never returning here. The estimated first-year cost is about $1.5 million, Denzler said, though that figure could multiply quickly in the future if the program works.
Eastern Illinois University, the Illinois Community College Board and the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance have signed on as proponents.
* Chalkbeat…
The staff of the state charter commission has recommended that two charter schools rejected by Chicago have another chance to open their doors to students.
On Tuesday, the Illinois State Charter School Commission will consider those recommendations to approve a new citywide school run by Intrinsic, which wants to replicate its Level 1-plus campus, and to keep open a school by Urban Prep West, whose school was ordered closed.
On another appeal, the commission’s staff sided with the Chicago district in recommending that Chicago Education Partnership’s proposal for a second campus for its Moving Everest elementary school in Austin be rejected. The fourth school, Kwame Nkrumah, withdrew its appeal.
Earlier this year, the Chicago school board denied all new charter applications for the next school year, and announced plans to shutter two currently operating charter schools.
* Capitol News Illinois…
A state senator wants to give all Illinois high school students the opportunity to walk across the graduation stage with an associate degree to complement their diploma.
Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican, told the Senate Education Committee this week he is still fine-tuning the proposal, Senate Bill 2046, but the general premise is to quicken the pace at which young adults can enter the workforce.
“What some states have done, is they have offered or mandated high schools to provide an equivalent that would give people three choices: traditional education, or leave high school with an associate degree with either a path to a vocation or a path to a baccalaureate degree where they would be able to enter college as a junior,” Brady told Capitol News Illinois on Thursday.
As it stands now, Brady’s bill would require high schools to prove there is a path for students to achieve an associate degree by the time they leave high school, but there are no penalties written into the bill for districts that don’t offer such courses.
Zach Messersmith, representing school boards and administrators through the Illinois Statewide School Management Alliance, testified Wednesday as an opponent to the bill as written, but said he discussed it with Brady and planned to work out some disagreements in the legislation. Brady said he is open to negotiation as well, and he was “less than thrilled” with the initial draft of the bill.
* Related…
* Report on Illinois School for the Deaf points out flaws: The state’s $18-million-a-year school for about 220 deaf and hard-of-hearing children and young adults from across Illinois hasn’t done enough to update its mission or involve the local and statewide deaf community, a study by a group that evaluates deaf schools says.
* Legislators help women pursuing a return to education with scholarships
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Illinois Renewable Energy is Facing a 2019 Funding Cliff
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Advertising Department
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Vote yes on HB 2966 (Davis) / SB 1781(Cunningham)
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Dunn is done
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Brian Munoz at the Daily Egyptian…
Former SIU President Randy J. Dunn improperly hired late Chancellor Carlo Montemagno’s daughter and son-in-law as well as SIU’s vice president for academic affairs, according to an Illinois Office of the Executive Inspector General report, the findings of which were obtained by the Daily Egyptian.
Dunn entered a separation agreement with the Board of Trustees last July after it was discovered he coordinated with SIU Edwardsville administrators and legislators in an attempt to dissolve the university system.
The agreement stated Dunn would be entitled to a visiting professor position at SIUE for at least 18 months unless an external agency made a finding of his wrongdoing.
The agreement also stated Dunn’s employment would cease immediately and automatically upon the issuance of any findings showing he violated SIU System or Illinois policy.
The Office of the Executive Inspector General recommended Dunn not be rehired within the SIU system due to the violation of his contract.
Go read the whole thing. Dunn and Montemagno did a whole lot of damage to the SIUC campus, IMHO.
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It’s just a bill
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
So one by one, elected officials within over 60 Illinois counties have agreed to stand up against state lawmakers restrictions by resolving not to enforce any laws that would infringe on American citizens’ constitutional right to keep and bear arms.
HB 3553, sponsored by freshman Democrat Terra Costa Howard, is a measure to stop the Second Amendment movement from building steam against the Leftist Progressive at the State Capitol - although many say it’s too late. The movement is big and growing.
The bill is scheduled to be heard in the Illinois House’s Judiciary - Criminal Committee Tuesday, March 19, at 5:00 PM. It says that a county or municipality “may not pass an ordinance or resolution restricting enforcement of any State law or regulation concerning the ownership or use of firearms unless permitted to do so under the express provisions of the law or regulation.”
Effingham County board member Dave Campbell, who has been at the forefront of protecting Second Amendment rights with county resolutions, worked with his state’s attorney to put together their county’s Second Amendment resolution. Campbell was aware of the legislation being proposed to stop the resolutions, and was curious just how lawmakers would address Howard’s bill.
“Will state lawmakers vote to uphold Second Amendment rights? Or will they vote against locals declaring sanctuaries against state policies while Chicago and Cook County oppose federal laws concerning illegal immigration?” Campbell asked Illinois Review.
Campbell must’ve never heard about federalism. The state can indeed place limits on local government ordinances. And state and local police are under no statutory mandate to work hand-in-glove with federal immigration authorities.
* From an Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health action alert…
While we do have support in the senate for SB 1594, the Repeal of Parental Notice of Abortion, many senators are still on the fence, saying that though they “understand” that not all youth have healthy or safe relationships with their parents, but they are still conflicted.
* The Sun-Times published an editorial on the topic this week…
Before retiring last year, Cook County Circuit Court Judge Susan Fox Gillis heard some of these cases, known as judicial bypass. She heard different reasons why girls couldn’t turn to their parents.
Many of the girls, she found, lived in volatile homes and reasonably feared being thrown out. Some girls had been sexually abused by family members.
“If the girls had been found out,” Judge Gillis told us, “there could have been serious repercussions.”
We strongly support parental rights, but we equally support the rights of minors to be safe.
It is sometimes said, rather glibly, that if a girl must by law tell her parents when she’s going to get her ears pierced, she should have to tell them when she’s going to get an abortion.
But nobody throws a kid into the street, or worse, for getting her ears pierced.
The Illinois Parental Notice of Abortion Act fails to protect. It only punishes.
* McDonough Voice…
Two abortion bills have been scheduled for a hearing in the Illinois House’s Informed Consent Subcommittee — bills which 93rd District State Rep. Norine Hammond, R-Macomb, refers to as “extreme.“
House Bill’s 2495 and 2467 are collectively referred to as the Reproductive Health Act. But, according to Hammond, the act has little to do with informing women about their reproductive choices.
“The bills are a way to ensure that the abortion industry grows and that — if there were a reversal of Roe v. Wade — it would have no effect on that very lucrative business in Illinois,” Hammond said. “In 2017, abortion numbers continued to increase with 39,329 performed here. If these bills pass, that number will increase, and Illinois will become a third-trimester abortion destination.“
Pretty cynical take, if you ask me.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
There is a lot of incorrect information designed to distract and scare you about the Reproductive Health Act (HB2495). Let’s set the record straight.
* The RHA affirms the fundamental right of all people in Illinois to access contraceptives, maternal care and abortion care. It makes it clear this is health care – not criminal activity. With the looming threat of attacks on fundamental rights to reproductive health care poised to go to the US Supreme Court, it is time to remove criminal penalties for health care in Illinois law.
* The RHA codifies current standards of medical practice on who can perform abortions. An amendment to the RHA provides that while doctors perform surgical abortions, those with authority to prescribe medications (such as advance practice nurses and physician assistants) can prescribe abortion-related medications. With this amendment, the law on who can perform an abortion remains unchanged.
* The RHA continues to regulate clinics that perform abortions – just like any other medical clinic. It is simply false to claim the law would eliminate any regulation. The bill writes into law the current practice in Illinois for decades – that we should regulate all health care facilities by science and fact-based needs, not ideology.
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* I told subscribers about this a couple of weeks ago. Illinois Review…
Friday night at DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin’s annual Corned Beef & Cabbage bash, Lieutenant Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti wasn’t shy about her intentions to run for the 6th CD in 2020. “I’m seriously thinking that I will run,” she said, and nodded her head yes when asked if that information could be shared with Illinois Review readers.
Sanguinetti - sporting a cast on her shin after a bout with a treadmill - successfully kept herself ideologically kept herself separated from Governor Bruce Rauner during her term and during the re-election campaign. She always made it clear she held her own opinions on issues that would hold up in her home district - despite her “good soldier” efforts to campaign on the team’s behalf.
Sanguinetti said she’d spoken with Roskam’s people and that they thought it was unlikely Roskam would seek re-election, so she was planning to move forward to regain the 6th for the Republicans.
Democrat Sean Casten defeated the incumbent Peter Roskam by 7.2 points last November.
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Supreme Court denies Van Dyke resentencing bid
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The Illinois Supreme Court on Tuesday denied a bid to resentence former Chicago Police Officer Jason Van Dyke in the murder of Laquan McDonald.
Attorney General Kwame Raoul and Special Prosecutor Joseph McMahon filed a petition with the court in February seeking a new sentencing hearing for Van Dyke.
Cook County Judge Vincent Gaughan gave Van Dyke 81 months behind bars in January. A jury in October found Van Dyke guilty of second-degree murder and 16 counts of aggravated battery with a firearm.
The judge chose to sentence Van Dyke only on the second-degree murder count, finding it to be the more serious crime. Raoul and McMahon challenged that decision in their petition. […]
Meanwhile, Van Dyke’s lawyers filed a notice of appeal in anticipation of the petition from Raoul and McMahon. His lawyers later suggested they would drop it if the high court declined to get involved. If it did get involved, it would “open a Pandora’s box” of legal issues that Van Dyke could raise in an appeal of trial decisions, his conviction and the sentence.
That Van Dyke notice is here.
* From Justice Thomas Kilbride’s partial concurrence and dissent…
Fundamentally, this matter involves a dispute on discretionary sentencing issues that are not suitable for resolution in an action seeking mandamus or prohibition relief. Consequently, petitioners’ motion seeking leave to file a petition for writ of mandamus or prohibition should be denied. See People ex rel. Birkett v. Konetski (recognizing that the extraordinary remedy of mandamus relief is not available for discretionary matters).
In my opinion, however, the controversy here presents an important issue that warrants the exercise of this court’s supervisory authority. Notably, respondent, the trial judge, expressly relied on an argument made by a dissenting justice in People v. Lee. Without question, that dissent does not represent the law in Illinois. […]
Under these circumstances, I believe this court should enter a supervisory order directing the trial court to vacate its final sentencing judgment and resentence Van Dyke in accordance with the applicable sentencing law, including this court’s relevant decisions.
Justice P. Scott Neville dissented in full.
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* Background is here if you need it. From the Peoria Journal Star Executive Editor Dennis Anderson…
The Journal Star often gets calls and emails from readers asking: How can you have printed that?
Last Friday we got one from a staff member of Gov. JB Pritzker. The staff member had a legitimate gripe. Actually it was more than a gripe, and the governor should have been mad. We made a decision that was a mistake, and we apologize.
We published a letter from Larry Tadie of Chillicothe, who in making an impassioned point against abortion, compared the governor to Hitler. Tadie wrote that because of his Jewish faith, the governor should not support abortion, ending the letter: “How sad that abortion rights advocates now legitimize extermination at any stage of the baby’s development.”
Since the U.S. Supreme Court Roe v. Wade decision in 1973, few issues have generated more letters to the editor than abortion. Some letter writers deal with the issue as policy, others get graphic, or tell personal stories. We strive to share all letters to give readers a fair understanding of the debate and what your neighbors think about the issue. The purpose of the editorial page is to allow readers to express their views and opinions. But publishing this letter crossed a line. […]
No matter which side you stand on the issue of abortion, or how passionate that position is, making the link between abortion and the Holocaust is not right. Reckless references to abominable history are part and parcel to the astonishing decline of public discourse in our country, and in this case we should have known better.
After publishing several letters from white supremacist Matthew Hale, maybe they’re finally learning. Giving hateful people unchallenged public platforms normalizes them and encourages more such behavior.
The administration is sure on a roll with Downstate editorial boards this week.
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Herald-Whig goes ga-ga for JB
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday’s Quincy Herald-Whig editorial twice used the word “wise” to describe Gov. JB Pritzker’s personnel choices (plus one more in the headline), scolded those who say he’s not hiring or appointing fast enough (tell that to the people overwhelmed with work because of the lack of hiring) and claimed the governor has a “genuine concern” for the local veterans home and the region. The editorial board’s conclusion…
There are a number of much-needed projects on the horizon, and we will need the governor’s support to make them happen.
A new bridge at Quincy, four-laning Ill. 57 south from Quincy to the Interstate 172 interchange, finishing the remaining two lanes for the Macomb Bypass and work on the Mid-America Intermodal Authority Port all are key to the region’s economic success, and support from the new governor would be invaluable.
Pritzker in our meetings seems to think differently than some previous governors. A true entrepreneur, he does not appear to be the party-first-variety Democrat, but rather one who balances his progressive stances with a practical approach.
The state’s future will be rocky with problems and rightly pitted with intense policy debates. While we do not see eye-to-eye with the governor on some policies, we think Pritzker’s wisdom in proceeding cautiously and selectively has set up both his administration and the state for success.
We welcome in good faith the debates ahead, and we look forward to more capable, professional selections to help lead the Land of Lincoln forward.
Whew.
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* Crain’s…
It’s taking a little longer to sell a home this winter, and real estate agents say one of the causes may be uncertainty over how last year’s revisions in the federal tax code will affect what individual buyers can afford to spend. […]
In Chicago and in Cook, Lake and Will counties, the average time a home is on the market before selling has been longer in the first two months of 2019 than during the same period in 2018, according to monthly data posted by the Chicago Association of Realtors on March 18.
Only in DuPage County is the average time on the market shorter than last year. The difference there is three days, to an average market time of 97 days.
The lengthening of market times has not been dramatic. In Chicago, at an average of 104 days, it’s taking six days longer to sell. In Will County, it’s taking five days longer, to an average of 90 days. But the housing market has been in delicate condition in recent months, with sales volume dropping and home prices slowing, which puts a spotlight on negative movement in any indicator.
* Bloomberg…
The Washington, Dallas, New York and Chicago metro areas are experiencing increases in both new home construction and maintenance spending, according to a report by property data provider BuildFax.
“It’s yet to be seen whether housing activity in these cities will eventually slow as it has on a national level or if these will be key metros to watch as the U.S. potentially heads toward an economic slowdown,” wrote BuildFax CEO Holly Tachovsky in the report published Monday.
Chicago saw the most housing activity among the 10 largest metro areas with a 19.5 percent increase in maintenance spending and 60.2 percent climb in new construction. The growth might be related to the city’s strategic five-year housing plan to fight affordability concerns in the region, according to the report.
On a nationwide level, housing data shows a different story. Single-family housing authorizations fell 5.8 percent in February from the same time period last year. Repeat declines for this metric confirm the housing market slowdown is persisting, the report said. Existing housing maintenance and remodeling volumes also continued to decline at 5.5 percent and 10.1 percent, respectively.
Maybe it’s taking longer to sell homes because of all the new construction? I dunno. But I’m not sure you can look at these two stories and make a broad judgment.
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Open thread
Tuesday, Mar 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Oscar is barking to go outside and I need to make more coffee, so have at it, but keep it Illinois-centric and be nice to each other.
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Question of the day
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The parking garage at 4th and Washington has long been an eyesore…
The $56 million project would include the construction of a 95-room hotel, 17 luxury apartment units, ground level and rooftop retail space, a “one of a kind” rooftop bar facing the state Capitol, about 200 public parking spaces and an entertainment center that would include bowling, billiards, a lounge and outdoor TV screen.
The site, 300-320 E. Washington St., is now occupied by a city-owned parking ramp and a privately-owned building now occupied by Club Station House nightclub, both of which would be razed.
Ward 5 Ald. Andrew Proctor called it a “dream project” for downtown.
“The garage has kind of turned into a liability and this has turned it into an asset for the city,” Proctor said. “So it’s going to be a great thing for downtown because this project has all the things that downtown has been looking for.”
That rooftop bar sounds kinda cool.
* SJ-R editorial…
Most, if not all, of the construction work is expected to be done by local labor, with O’Shea Builders the main subcontractor on the ground. Developers have signed a letter of commitment to work with Laborers Local 477, which should create 400 to 600 construction jobs and then 130 to 150 permanent positions. The property will eventually generate sales and property taxes.
This project is poised to be the catalyst for additional development downtown. The confidence and investment by the developer and ownership group should cause others to also look at downtown for their projects. The excitement and cooperation from city officials over the project hopefully helps quash the perception that Springfield is too difficult to work with on development projects.
I’m a bit wary that this is all coming out right before a mayoral election, but I’m still hopeful.
* The Question: What other big-city amenities would you like to see in this proposed Springfield complex? Wildest dreams encouraged.
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* According to the governor’s office, this money ($29+ million) has been held in an escrow account…
The State of Illinois and SEIU Healthcare Illinois reached an agreement to implement rate increases and release previously withheld increases for more than 40,000 Department of Human Services low-wage home care and child care providers that had been withheld under the former Rauner administration.
SEIU Healthcare Illinois and the Pritzker administration released the following statement announcing the agreement:
“Today marks a significant and long-anticipated step in repairing the years of damage and devastation that occurred under former Gov. Bruce Rauner’s leadership. This administration has shown that it will operate in compliance with court orders and the laws of the state. In that spirit, this agreement carries out a law passed by the General Assembly that Governor Rauner refused to comply with – on which the courts ruled against the State – regarding a wage increase for Home Services Program workers. The agreement also implements and ends litigation over a similar law providing a wage increase for child care providers.
“For 20 months, 28,000 Personal Assistants in the Department of Human Services’ Home Services Program have been denied a 48-cent raise. That’s because even after it became law, Governor Rauner refused to pay it, resulting in costly litigation and courts ruling that it must be paid. For eight months, 14,000 child care providers in the Child Care Assistance Program have been denied a 4.26% rate increase, even though it was also law. These caregivers provide valuable services to their communities, supporting independent living for people with disabilities and delivering quality child care so low-income working parents can remain in the workforce.
“Our agreement establishes a timeline for implementation of the mandated raises and for the release of back pay that is owed, ensuring the funding for these already approved increases finally gets into the pocketbooks of those it was intended for.
“Today, we are putting the State of Illinois back on the side of working families, and rebuilding the vital services and the workforces that deliver them to people with disabilities, working parents, and kids in every corner of our state. We look forward to continuing to stabilize these programs together, and we share a commitment to fixing other harmful Rauner policies through the bargaining process. We are committed to ensuring that our child care and home care workers have the stability and training they need to provide child care for working families and to support people with disabilities across the state.”
The governor’s office also says the workers will receive the increased pay beginning April 1 and should receive the back pay by the fall, once all the accounting is finalized.
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What do you do with all that money?
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This is definitely an issue…
Supporters of legalized marijuana in Illinois have launched efforts aimed at making it easier for legitimate businesses that sell the product to have bank accounts and accept credit card transactions.
State Treasurer Michael Frerichs, a Democrat, said Monday he supports legislation in the General Assembly that would prohibit state banking regulators for punishing banks or credit unions that provide basic banking services to legitimate cannabis-related businesses. […]
“Prior to last year, about 85 percent of our cannabis industry was banked with a single bank in the state of Illinois,” Rep. Kelly Cassidy, a Chicago Democrat, said during the news conference. “As the Trump administration ramped up threats towards the legal cannabis industry, that bank got nervous about potential backlash and informed all of these businesses that they would cease to have a banking relationship with them”
Frerichs said the result of that has been to move the finances of the legal cannabis industry into a kind of underground cash-based economy.
* Also…
Separately, Frerichs also seeks to create a program to deposit state funds into banks that could be used for loans for marijuana businesses. It would be similar to a program that has provided more than $1 billion in reduced-interest loans to Illinois farmers since 1983.
“This is not a question of if, but when,” he said. “We have medical cannabis in Illinois. I think that recreational is most likely coming.”
* But Americans being Americans, I think the problem will be solved. One Illinois has a story about one alternative…
CannaCard basically creates what Gavin called a “closed loop” in the financial world. The money goes in, and it comes out. He said it’s based on Starbucks’s successful loyalty program, which uses both hard cards that can have their value replenished or a smartphone app that can be restocked online.
“We looked at that and we tried to figure out what would be the easiest for the consumer to relate to, and they’re already using that,” he said. “We kind of took that and ran with it. So I guess you can say we kind of replaced coffee with cannabis.”
Sounds easy, but it’s not. Their system places the same initial demands on customers and dispensaries that banks do, in order to ensure financial transparency. “We are doing basically what the bank has to do to open an account,” Gavin said. “We don’t want any problems, you know, we don’t it to be used as another alternative for money laundering. That’s exactly what we’re trying to get around. We want to be able to offer these businesses full transparency, no different than any other business that’s out there.”
Interesting.
* Related…
* If recreational cannabis becomes legal in Illinois, how the industry could grow: Colorado had issued 38,000 licenses for industry employees as of March 2018, according to the report, with roughly half of license-holders actively working in the field. The industry employs roughly 17,821 full-time-equivalent positions — an encouraging statistic to those who would like to see more cannabis jobs created here.
* Cannabis field ‘uncharted territory’ for lawyers if legalization occurs: But before lawyers can help would-be entrepreneurs interpret adult-use cannabis laws, the state legislature would need to consider and approve a new bill for legalization.
* How one accountant persuaded his firm to get into the cannabis business
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The other pension bomb
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois News Network…
State Rep. Robert Martwick, D-Chicago, held a hearing in Springfield to get testimony from various pension boards for police, fire, local government employees and teachers.
The issues, he said, could lead the state’s Tier II pensions to be found by the federal government to be insufficient for retirees. He equated it to a “landmine.”
“If that happens, it could create an instant and massive debt to the state of Illinois,” Martwick said.
* Hoo boy…
The concern, however, is that Illinois teachers do not participate in Social Security. Federal law allows state and municipal governments to do that, as long as the benefits they pay out are at least equal to what Social Security pays, a law known as the “safe harbor” provision.
But Andrew Bodewes, TRS’ legislative director, told the panel that because of the small cost-of-living increases built into Tier 2, those pensions soon are likely to fail to meet the federal adequacy test.
“So that means once the Tier 2 teachers are retiring, each and every school district will have to perform a test on that member to see if they get a benefit at least as good as Social Security,” he said. “And if they don’t, they (the school districts) will have to enroll in Social Security. They’ll have to enroll going backwards.”
That means school districts would have to make as much as 10 years’ worth of back payments into Social Security.
And that bomb could start detonating in two short years.
The future always has a nasty habit of arriving.
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* Poll taken for group supporting graduated income tax finds support for graduated income tax…
Global Strategy Group recently conducted a poll on behalf of Think Big Illinois among 800 Illinois registered voters March 8-12, finding broad support for Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan, with little public opposition to it.
* From the pollster…
• Despite the opposition’s best efforts to activate the public against the fair tax, voters are not paying attention to this debate right now. Just 14% of voters say they have head “a lot” about proposed new changes to Illinois’ tax system, while six out of ten voters have heard little to nothing about it (62% heard “a little” or “nothing”). As a result, when we ask whether voters support or oppose “Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan” generically with no additional description, a plurality of voters (42%) do not know enough to say, while more support it (33%) than oppose it (25%).
Looks like Pritzker’s name alone isn’t enough to give the plan a huge boost.
* Back to the memo…
• But it’s clear that the idea behind Governor Pritzker’s fair tax is incredibly popular. Support skyrockets – and opposition stays flat – when the public hears a basic explanation of the plan. Six in ten voters (64%) support the plan after hearing a basic description of it (+31 from initial support), while opposition stays flat at 27% (just +2). Importantly, intensity is on the plan’s side with 37% strong support and just 17% strong opposition. The following is the description of the plan voters heard:
Under Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan, 97% of Illinois residents would not see a state income tax increase. Only those making $250,000 a year or more will see their taxes go up with the largest increases going to those making more than $1 million.
64 percent is actually lower than the 72 percent who supported a generic progressive income tax in last year’s Paul Simon Public Policy Institute poll. The lower number could be because this new poll actually let people know who would pay more, but it could also be partly because the governor’s name was attached to it. There might be a ceiling of support when Pritzker’s name is used.
* Pollster…
• Support is strong across the state, while opposition only exists at the fringes. Support spans across the state at 67% in the city of Chicago, 66% in suburban Cook County, 66% in the Collar Counties, and 60% Downstate. The Democratic base is fully supportive of it (83% support), while the Republican base is fractured, with even four in ten GOP voters in favor of it (41% support/49% oppose).
You can bet your house that those supportive GOP voters will be targeted heavily by the opposition. Partisanship is their best first move to undercut overall support. Pritzker will likely continue talking about bipartisanship right through election day to help counter this.
* Pollster…
• Individual elements of the plan are incredibly popular with 70%+ support. Consider that:
o 79% say they are more favorable to the plan when learning that “the plan would help the state meet its obligation to fund schools”
o 78% say so when learning “97% of taxpayers will have their taxes remain the same or be reduced”
o 76% say so when learning “it would provide $3.4 billion to fix the state budget crisis”
o 70% say so when learning “only people making more than $250,000 dollars will see a tax increase”
Keep in mind that Pritzker will have plenty of money to spend on these positive messages. No way is he going to passively allow this to go down in flames if it makes it onto the ballot. He’ll be branded a loser just as he pivots toward reelection. And his entire fiscal plan will be in ruins. He’s gonna spend money like he did last year.
* Pollster…
• Opposition arguments have been ineffective, and will continue to be ineffective, because they are weak and do not resonate with the public. After voters hear both positive and negative arguments about the plan, including many of the arguments made by opponents in recent weeks, support does not budge – 63% support (off just one point from where voters are when they hear an initial description of the plan) and 31% oppose (just four points higher). Intensity remains on the support side of the issue (34% strongly support vs. just 21% strongly oppose).
Notice they didn’t say what those negative arguments were. I can’t help but wonder if they tested the “Because… Madigan will eventually raise your taxes!” line.
Also, keep in mind that the opponents only have to keep the “Yes” votes under 60 percent to win at the ballot box (assuming it gets there), or under 50 percent of all people voting in the 2020 election. 63 percent is awful close.
* Methodology…
Global Strategy Group conducted a statewide telephone survey between March 8th and March 12, 2019 among 800 registered voters. The survey had a margin of error of +/-3.5%. Care has been taken to ensure the geographic and demographic divisions of the population of registered voters are properly represented.
* Related…
I put the accompanying press release for that event in the live coverage post.
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* Major flooding in Freeport…
“We have people standing by to help,” [Freeport City Manager Lowell Crow] said. “We expect the river to possibly rise to a record level or at least to a level we haven’t seen in 50 years.” […]
The Pecatonica River in Freeport inched closer to major flood stage at 16 feet Saturday evening. The National Weather Service predicts the river will rise another foot by Monday evening or early Tuesday.
The Pecatonica River near Shirland has reached major flood stage and is expected to rise another foot before cresting Monday or Tuesday.
Numerous streets in Freeport and Stephenson County are closed because of flooding, Stephenson County Sheriff’s Sgt. Michael Backus said.
* Same in the Rockford area…
Have your “go bag” packed and be ready to evacuate your residence if necessary.
That was the advice from village, county and state officials who gathered Sunday afternoon at the Village Hall to give an update on flooding along the Rock River.
“You might want to have a plan to evacuate and leave,” Winnebago County Sheriff Gary Caruana said of residents in low-lying areas. “If you see water on the road, turn around. Don’t drown. Do not try to wade through the water.” […]
“The rain event of last Wednesday combined with snow melt has caused the Rock River within Winnebago County to rise to historic levels,” he said. “The river is currently 14.3 feet at the Latham (Park) gauge. It is predicted to crest on Tuesday at 14.5 feet. Initial damage assessment indicate hundreds of homes throughout Winnebago County have been impacted and numerous roads are under water and impassable.”
The list of road closures is here.
* And it will apparently get worse…
Farther east, the Mississippi River saw moderate flooding in Illinois from Rock Island south to Gladstone. Meteorologist Brian Pierce with the National Weather Service’s Quad Cities office in Davenport, Iowa, said flooding on the Mississippi could get worse in a few weeks as more snow melts in Minnesota and Wisconsin.
“What we’re having now is the dress rehearsal for the main event that’s going to happen in early April,” he said of the flooding on the Mississippi.
* Related…
* Record Flooding in Nebraska, Iowa, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Illinois Follows Snowmelt, Bomb Cyclone: Over 40 locations set new record river levels, mainly in Nebraska and Iowa.
* Illinois border county says Wisconsin is downplaying the potential flood impact from Foxconn
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They can afford to do their own cheerleading
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune editorial…
Transportation planning experts have told us Chicago isn’t doing enough to ready itself for a driverless future. The [mayor’s mobility task force report] agrees. “Chicago is behind many other cities in (driverless) technology deployment,” the report states, adding, “without active engagement by the city … technology deployment will likely be disjointed, poorly organized.”
The task force suggests setting up a working group that can brainstorm what infrastructure changes the city needs for the advent of a driverless world. It also recommends that the city should consider pilot projects that introduce Chicagoans to driverless vehicles and “help build trust” in the technology.
Cities shouldn’t have to alter their basic infrastructure to accommodate “driverless” technology, which doesn’t even exist yet. As if there’s even room to do that in places like Chicago.
If manufacturers think they can make driverless cars, then they need to work in the real world. If your car can’t be trusted to drive itself down Western Ave. and navigate a school-zone pickup, then don’t put it on the street.
And there is zero reason for state and local governments to “help build trust” in what is now vaporware. Let the for-profit companies which are spending billions on this project handle the public relations.
Assistive driving is great. Don’t get me wrong. Things like automated parking and radar work pretty well in good weather. But there’s always a line like this buried in otherwise breathless stories about these so-called autonomous vehicles…
Two Kroger markets in Houston are rolling out a self-driving car program, in which orders can be placed online and delivered right to your home without a driver. […]
“There will still be safety drivers in them.”
* And the tech is not just around the corner, either…
Many luxury cars now have level two autonomy, as defined by America’s Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE).
It includes partial automation in some situations, but still requires a driver to be in control at all times, something most level two cars warn drivers of.
The dream of full autonomy — known as level five — appears many years away.
Last month BMW and Mercedes-Benz — two of the most advanced manufacturers with driverless technology — announced they would be joining forces on the development of autonomous technologies.
However, the two German automotive giants are only forecasting level four autonomy by 2025.
The goal of having no driver at all appears well beyond that.
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It’s just a bill
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Steve Daniels at Crain’s…
The House Public Utilities Committee on March 12 approved a bill extending Commonwealth Edison’s authority to set its rates via an annual formula. Apparently, given the 18-0 vote, no one on that panel thought this was a matter deserving much scrutiny.
But what those lawmakers voted to do, perhaps without understanding it, was to subject all 4 million of ComEd’s captive power-delivery customers in northern Illinois to unhedged interest-rate risk for the next 13 years. As it stands, the formula expires in 2022. The bill would continue it until 2032.
It would be as if a bank wrote you a 15-year mortgage at a fixed rate and then failed to hedge its interest-rate risk. No bank in the world would do that. Why should the rates Illinoisans pay for electricity embed that kind of exposure?
Yikes.
* I haven’t talked to any “big pop” lobsters about Charlie’s bill, but this would be the first time a commercial product is listed as an official state something or another…
House Bill 3073 isn’t likely to settle the soda vs. pop debate, but one state representative wants to see if Illinois can make Ski the state’s official drink.
Popcorn is the official snack of the state of Illinois. The state vegetable is sweet corn. Legislators in the Land of Lincoln have even made pumpkin the state’s official pie. State Rep. Charlie Meier, R-Okawville, is looking to make the citrus, cane sugar drink Ski the official state soda.
“It’s a small family business located in Breese, Illinois,” Meier said of Excel Bottling Co. “It’s been in business over 60 years. The family had information on a bank robber, turned him in and they used the reward money and started this soda company.”
Meier said big beverage companies oppose his idea.
“They’re saying that the state of Illinois can’t endorse a specific product and that’s why they don’t want Ski endorsed,” Meier said. “But it’s made in the state of Illinois. It started in the state of Illinois and once you have a Ski, you’re going to want to have one every day.” […]
“We like that people enjoy our product,” Excel’s third generation General Manager William Meier said Friday. He is not related to the state representative.
“Charlie is a great guy and trying to give us credit,” Meier said. “The idea is good to give credit, but I am neutral” on the bill.
“We’re a commercial entity and don’t get into the politics,” Meier said. “Glad Charlie loves our product.”
My late Aunt Janet lived in Aviston for decades, and I remember her giving us Ski when we visited back in the day. It’s good pop.
* I waited for the school bus every day by myself when I was in first and second grade. We lived five miles west of Clifton back then and both my parents worked and my mom would bring my brothers to daycare on her way to her teaching job. I stayed behind and caught the bus.
It was great. Anyone who comes from a big family knows the simple pleasures of alone time, even at such a young age. All those pesky younger brothers and both my parents were gone and I could just get ready for school without any interference or pressure and watch WGN’s great morning TV shows in total peace with my cereal.
One day, I missed the bus because I became so engrossed in one of those morning shows. Oops. So, I set out walking to Clifton. I made it about a mile or so before a neighbor picked me up (I was crying by that point) and drove me to town. Never did that again…
At what age should it be legal for a child to be at home alone, or to be caring for younger siblings?
In Illinois, it’s currently 14, the strictest such law in the nation for more than 25 years.
One Republican lawmaker wants that changed to 12.
“This law came into place decades ago in response to a case where a couple left the country with their two children at home,” said Rep. Joe Sosnowski, of Rockford. “As it sometimes happens with these issues in legislatures, lawmakers overreact and set a precedent that’s too restrictive.”
Sosnowski is sponsoring House Bill 2334, which would lower the state’s legal age limit for leaving children unsupervised to 12. The bill passed unanimously out of the House Judiciary-Criminal Committee in early March.
* Other bills…
* Get behind bills that would further women’s progress in Illinois
* Measure would require minimum number of women on corporate boards: Senate Bill 76 from Sen. Cristina Castro, D-Elgin, would require that by summer 2020 there be at least one women on corporate boards. By the end of 2022, boards would have to have a minimum of three of six board members be women and at least two of five board members be women, depending on the size of the board. It would also require the publication of such information.
* State rep sponsors drone bill
* Bill cracks down on inaccurate reporting of criminal history
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When Illinois women vote, Democrats win
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Significant…
A new analysis by the Center for Illinois Politics of state election data finds 54 percent of voters who turned out across the state in 2018 were women, up from 52 percent in 2014 and 2016, a difference of about 100,000 women.
That two-point increase is a four percent jump.
* And that turnout increase helped change results all over the place…
In the 2018 midterms, the percentage of Cook County voters who voted Democratic was 75 percent, and its percentage of registered females voting was 55 percent. In traditionally Republican DuPage County, 51 percent voted Democratic, and 53 percent of females voted.
Lake County saw 54 percent of residents vote Democratic, and 53 percent of registered women vote. Downstate, Sangamon County saw 48 percent of voters vote Democrat, and 53 percent of women vote. In St. Clair County, 57 percent voted Democratic, and 54 percent of women turned out.
Looking at DuPage County, that 51 percent of voters casting ballots for Democrats skyrocketed, up from just 11.5 percent in 1990.
In the 14th Congressional District, Democrat Lauren Underwood of Naperville has been touted as the embodiment of Illinois’ “Year of the Woman” after defeating incumbent Randy Hultgren of Plano. The 14th’s female share of the vote was 52 percent.
In the 6th Congressional District, represented by a Republican since 1975, Republican incumbent Peter Roskam of Wheaton lost in a contentious, high-profile race to Democrat Sean Casten of Downers Grove. There, 52 percent of voters in the contest were female. […]
In the 21st state Senate District, incumbent GOP Sen. Michael Connelly conceded to Democrat Lauren Ellman of Naperville. The Senate Democratic Victory Fund invested more than $1 million in the effort to defeat Connelly, who served in the House since 2009 and Senate since 2013. There, 55 percent of the voters who turned out were female.
African-American women and independent-minded suburban women are the two most influential voting blocs in this state. Democrats generally don’t win without their strong support. Republicans generally win when those votes are down.
…Adding… A handy map…
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A slow return to a semblance of normalcy
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* October 19, 2015…
Following the closure of the Illinois State Museum system on September 30 due to a state budget stalemate, the Accreditation Commission today voted unanimously to put the Illinois State Museum system on probation. […]
“The actions by the Illinois state government that forced the Illinois State Museum system to close to the public left us no choice but to place this museum on probation pending further information from the museum system. We have grave concerns about the impact of this closure on the long-term viability of the museum, including affecting its ability to retain a professional staff and operate at the highest professional level; impairing the museum’s ability to care for the 13.5 million specimens in its collection; impacting donor support; risking its role as a major educational resource in the state of Illinois; and harming its reputation as a premier international museum and research institution. The Commission will review the museum’s status at its next meeting, and looks forward to a status report from the state of Illinois as to how these concerns are being addressed.”
* June 23, 2016…
In light of the Illinois State Museum’s reopening on July 2, the American Alliance of Museums has approved an accelerated plan for it to receive full accreditation by next year.
The Springfield-based museum’s five sites were put on probation in October after Gov. Bruce Rauner’s decision to close the facility due to the state’s budget impasse. […]
The museum’s Springfield site at 502 S. Spring St. lost approximately half of its staff over the course of its closure and required the approval of a $5 admission fee to reopen.
2017 and 2018 came and went and the museum still wasn’t removed from probation.
* Saturday…
The Illinois State Museum has been re-accredited by the American Alliance of Museums, despite being put on probation by the organization during the state’s budget impasse. […]
When the museum emerged from its nine-month shutdown in July 2016, the facility instituted a new $5 admission charge for adults. (Children age 18 and younger, senior citizens and military veterans are still admitted free.) Also after reopening, the museum experienced a sharp decline in visitors. Attendance is rebounding, however. In 2018, the museum counted 47,156 visitors, which is more than the approximately 40,000 people it attracted in 2017, [Robert Sill, interim director of the Illinois State Museum] said. […]
Staffing levels also have increased. When the museum reopened in summer 2016, its headcount was 28. It is now 39. Before the shutdown it had 62 employees, officials said. Sill says the employee number is going to grow. […]
The biggest new hire will be a permanent director, for which they are now interviewing. Sill, the interim director, said he wants to go back to his role as the museum’s art and history director.
* Meanwhile, reversing yet another petty Rauner action…
After nearly five long years of delays — rooted in both political battles and construction problems — the embattled Chicago Veterans Home will see its doors open come December, Gov. J.B. Pritzker and other elected officials announced Friday. […]
Former Gov. Pat Quinn broke ground on the home in September 2014, only to lose his re-election bid two months later. His successor, former Gov. Bruce Rauner, halted construction of the home during the historic budget impasse.
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* Rep. Sue Scherer (D-Decatur) was a public school teacher for almost 35 years. She’s not a fan of teacher testing and believes it’s contributing to the current teacher shortage…
“So when I went to school, if you go to the early ’70s, my brother and several of my friends that are older — their college was paid for, because there was a severe teacher shortage. So they got free tuition all four years, if they promised to teach for, I don’t know, five or 10 years.
“So then by the time I came along, you know, in the later ’70s, then there was a stack a foot high of applications for one job. So almost everyone came out when I did had to either be an aide or a substitute for a year to get their foot in the door to try to get a job. So now if you look at the history, in order to try to weed it down, they kept adding one test after another after another,” she says. “And then they just, you know, they didn’t do anything with the salaries, and they messed with their pensions and their evaluations and their tenure and all that ’til we’re now we’re in a severe shortage, right?”
There’s certain qualities that teachers need to have that maybe we don’t have a test for, Scherer says.
“You need to have patience; you can’t test for that. You need to have compassion; you can’t test for that. You need to like kids,” she says. “I mean, some people just don’t really like being around children. You need to have a tolerance for things that little kids do, if you’re teaching little kids. Or if you’re going to teach high school, you’ve got to be able to relate to high school students, because high school teachers can’t always teach grade school and vice versa. It’s you know, it’s just whatever way God made you.
“I’m not saying you don’t have to know your academics and be able to teach the subject matter. But… I just, I’m just not a believer in the test situation.”
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A question of trust, or the lack thereof
Monday, Mar 18, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
A bunch of weak political arguments have been used so far against Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s proposed constitutional amendment for a graduated income tax. But there is a clear path to killing it.
My “favorite” argument was the complaint that the governor is trying to impose a “millionaire’s tax.” That’s precisely the sort of “Won’t everyone please think of the rich people?” reaction Team Pritzker wants desperately to provoke.
Another argument I’m seeing developing is that Illinois is too broke to include the governor’s proposed tax cut for 97 percent of taxpayers, no matter how modest that cut may be.
But in an age when the wealthy are receiving massive federal tax breaks and corporations are regularly handed taxpayer-financed gifts at the state and local levels, arguing against a smallish break for families earning $40,000 a year is political nonsense and also plays right into Pritzker’s hand.
The Illinois Policy Institute is trying to assert that the proposal doesn’t raise nearly as much money as Gov. Pritzker is claiming — anywhere from about a third to two-thirds less.
But that argument makes it look like the Pritzker plan would take far less money away from the private sector than the governor has advertised. It seems counter-intuitive.
The claim also undermines the House Republicans’ argument that they stand strongly opposed to a $3.4 billion tax hike. The claim may be useful down the road in another context, however.
Another argument is the tax hike won’t bring in enough money to close the state’s massive structural deficit. But Pritzker’s resistance to calls for even higher taxation will allow him to come off as a moderate, splitting the difference between the left and the right.
I mean, just imagine this press conference scenario. Reporter: “Governor, you’re being criticized for not raising taxes high enough.” Pritzker: “That’s fantastic news!”
Ideas Illinois, the dark money group fronted by former Illinois Manufacturers Association President Greg Baise, has probably the best argument right now against the Pritzker tax plan.
The latest We Ask America poll found that only 23 percent of Illinois voters believe the state is heading in the right direction while 65 percent say it’s on the wrong track. The idea is to feed into that anger by telling people what they already know.
“We really can’t trust J.B. Pritzker or the other Springfield politicians, the same people who in the last eight years have raised taxes twice, to really not take this as a blank check,” Baise said on WGN Radio not long ago. “And if you believe the rates that J.B. Pritzker talked about last week will be what the Springfield folks, Mike Madigan and John Cullerton, ultimately implement, then I might have a bridge to sell you, too.”
In other words, this tax plan is just an attractive placeholder that will be replaced by a much more harmful plan as soon as House Speaker Michael Madigan can muster the votes.
The truth is, income taxes are historically difficult to increase here. The tax has been raised just twice since 1989 (thirty years ago). And one of those increases was a partial restoration of an automatic tax cut. But some of that tax may not be so difficult to increase if a graduated tax is allowed by the Illinois Constitution. Temporary fiscal downturn? Pension payments rise? Just slap another percentage point or two of taxation on the rich people.
This is the biggest reason why the wealthy are so opposed to a graduated income tax here. And it’s also why a graduated tax would likely protect the middle class from significantly higher rates, no matter what Baise says.
However, because Illinois government is so thoroughly distrusted, the opponents may very well be able to convince enough of the electorate that while the governor may be urging them to vote to tax the rich, they’re really voting to give the hugely unpopular Mike Madigan carte blanche to raise taxes on the middle class. Remember, they just have to stop Pritzker from reaching 60 percent voter approval to kill a constitutional amendment.
In that context, using the argument that the tax hike on the rich won’t raise as much money as advertised and the claim that even if the tax hike brings in all the money Pritzker projects, it still won’t be nearly enough to balance the state’s books would serve a useful end: You’re taxing the rich today, but, one way or another, you’re taxing yourself tomorrow.
I don’t believe that prediction is true, but I do believe it could be a very potent argument.
* Meanwhile, the Wall St. Journal editorial board said the quiet part out loud over the weekend…
Illinois has been a fiscal mess for years, but a saving grace has been that the state Constitution mandates a flat tax rate that is now 4.95% on personal income. This makes it harder to raise taxes because politicians have to include the middle class. Now Governor J.B. Pritzker is bidding to blow up that safety valve with a progressive tax that would drive even more taxpayers out of the state.
That “safety valve” they worry about is for the top 3 percent, in case you didn’t quite get it.
This is the clearest, most forthright explanation yet of what the opposition is really up to.
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