* At a recent forum, the New York Times’ Monica Davey posed a question to the panelists, which included Attorney General Lisa Madigan and GOP political consultant Christine Dudley…
Davey questioned the panelists about the notion of women’s “likability” as they gain power.
“Everybody loves me,” Madigan joked.
Dudley responded, “Wait until next year,” which caused the audience to roar with laughter.
It’s rumored that Madigan may challenge Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn in the 2014 gubernatorial primary election.
* Jim Nowlan writes about the judicial prospects for pension reform…
[House Speaker Michael Madigan] has, rather brazenly, declared that he believes there are four votes on the state high court of seven members to declare the bill constitutional. There are four Democrats and three Republicans on the court.
The Illinois Supreme Court has always been considered a “political court,” capable of responding to political realities. Its members are elected in partisan contests. One member is the wife of a prominent Chicago alderman.
And Chief Justice Thomas Kilbride of Rock Island was lifted from a small general law practice to the high court in 2000 when Speaker Madigan, who is also the state Democratic Party chair, basically took over Kilbride’s lackluster campaign and funneled almost a million dollars into it to surprise the favored GOP candidate in a narrow win.
So this “armchair constitutional lawyer” predicts, going way out on a limb, that a bill closer to Madigan than Cullerton will pass sometime this year, and that the state Supreme Court will swallow hard and declare the underlying defined benefit unimpaired, thus constitutional.
Yeah, well, Kilbride was also heavily backed by unions, particularly in his tough 2010 reelection bid. I’m not so sure that he’ll jettison them just to please MJM on one ruling.
* No matter how it plays out in the General Assembly, the courts will be the next big chapter in the pension reform war. Kirk Jenkins penned a remarkable blog post recently which looked at the Kilbride Court’s record. For instance, most appellate decisions have been overturned in all but one district…
Nearly half of the Kilbride Court’s civil docket — 43.8% — has come from Chicago’s First District. The First hasn’t fared well; five of the six Divisions have a reversal rate of 60% or more, topping out with an 85.7% reversal rate in the Division Two. The First District has had a particularly rough 2012, with a 76.5% reversal rate. The Fifth District, which includes Madison and St. Clair Counties, both sharply criticized as pro-plaintiff environments for tort cases in recent years by the American Tort Reform Foundation, has seen 80% of its civil decisions reversed by the Supreme Court. Two other Districts are similar: two thirds of the decisions reviewed from the Second and Third Districts have been reversed.
But the anomaly comes from the Fourth District, which centers on the state capital of Springfield. The Court has heard eight civil cases from the Fourth District, four involving government parties. In six of those eight cases (including three government wins) the Supreme Court has affirmed: an impressive 75% affirmance rate.
* Jenkins also looked at the voting patterns. It’s pretty complicated and involved and you should definitely go read the whole thing to get the entire flavor, but here is his summation….
Our analysis of the dynamics of the Kilbride Court just past its second anniversary suggests several tentative lessons for counsel: (1) if you prevailed at the Appellate Court, the odds your decision will be reversed are roughly two in three (unless you’re coming from the Fourth District); (2) the Court’s ultimate decision is quite likely to be unanimous; and (3) if the decision is not unanimous, the Justices most likely to be in the majority are Justices Thomas, Garman, Karmeier and either Burke or Theis.
That suggests there might be a working GOP majority if the final decision is split. We’ll see.
…Adding… Justice Karmeier won a traditionally Democratic district last time around and is up for reelection in 2014. If politics plays a role here, then Karmeier may shy away from whacking public employees. Take a look at his district, which is pretty much all of the Metro East and deep southern Illinois. The Democrats will be gunning for his seat, so I’m not certain that he’ll want to give them ammo with a pro-Madigan decision, no matter how ironic that may sound. It’s about winning elections, not policy.
The City of Chicago Office of Inspector General (IGO) has completed an audit of the City’s Red-Light Camera (RLC) program.
The audit found that Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT) was unable to substantiate its claims that the City chose to install and maintain red-light cameras at intersections with the highest angle crash rates in order to increase safety.
But we’ll see if this language from the IG’s letter actually features prominently in news coverage…
We found no evidence of this program being managed in a manner designed specifically to maximize revenue.
* Even so, the report is replete with references to CDOT’s inability or refusal to supply information. For instance…
The City paid Redflex a total of $106,271,823 through March 8, 2013, but CDOT did not have documentation breaking out purchase, maintenance, repair, and other costs by RLC location. CDOT maintains no records of the purchase, maintenance, operation, repair, and additional costs for each individual camera.17 Therefore, the IGO was not able to determine (nor could CDOT otherwise explain) how much of the $106,271,823 paid to Redflex was associated with each of these cost categories. Without this information, CDOT could not answer basic cost questions such as:
* What did the equipment cost?
* How much was spent on repairs at each installation?
* Should CDOT have replaced the equipment or repaired it?
* Is the RLC program cost effective?
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Billions Invested in Illinois
Passed in 2007, Illinois’ renewable portfolio standard (RPS) requires 25% of the state’s power to come from renewable sources by 2025. To date the RPS has attracted more than $5 billion in investment, created thousands of jobs and cut wholesale power costs, according to the Illinois Power Agency (IPA).
Unintended Conflict Broke the Law
As reported on the front page of Monday’s Chicago Tribune (“Energy Fund Lacks Power”, May 13, 2013) and in Crain’s Chicago Business (“A Mighty Wind Problem”, April 8, 2013), because of a conflict with the municipal aggregation tidal wave, the RPS law has broken down as “customers of the state’s two major electric utilities defected en masse.”
A No-Cost Fix
SB 103 contains a simple solution to resolve this problem. Rate caps remain in force and increased efficiencies ensure no additional costs for ratepayers or utilities.
$4.7 Billion Dollars in Illinois Investment at Risk
Renewable developers have more than $4.7 billion in Illinois projects ready for development. Unless the RPS is fixed, billions in investments and thousands of jobs will remain on the drawing board.
* This didn’t get much play anywhere, but the American Federation of Teachers’ president sent out a statement yesterday backing the state unions’ pension reform proposal…
“Illinois has a chance to pass smart and fair pension reform legislation that was developed collaboratively with public employees, who were willing to accept cuts in their retirement benefits to ensure long-term stability of the state’s pension system and its commitment to its employees and retirees. Instead of focusing on blaming, scapegoating and trying to eviscerate public workers—as is the sport in so many states—there was a real effort in the Senate-passed measure to reach consensus with state workers and find a fair solution to fixing the pension system.
“Public employees, who care for the sick, teach our children, and keep bridges and roads safe, make pension contributions throughout their careers and deserve to have retirement security. This proposal guarantees that the state funds pensions and doesn’t walk away from its obligations to hard-working employees. The compromise achieved in Illinois shows that when people are willing to work together in good-faith negotiations, fair solutions are attainable. We hope the Illinois House passes this measure quickly, and it is signed into law.”
That statement is significant because it shows at least one international union is not trying to downplay a compromise effort at the state level. It could even turn out to be a template for other states that are debating the issue.
The newspaper editorial boards have generally been so quick to dismiss the union effort that they haven’t realized what a major step this really was. Unions here have always refused to go backward on pension benefits. The agreement shows that they now understand compromise is necessary and right.
The intense blowhard opposition truly disheartens those of us who have been publicly prodding the unions to come to the table. One of the few non-blowhard editorial pages, the State Journal-Register, wants a few more tweaks…
Cullerton’s plan is the best hope for getting pension legislation to the governor this year and ensuring that education, public safety and health care are better funded. He and Madigan should explore ways to modify Cullerton’s plan to find more savings.
For example, it could be modified so that, like Madigan’s plan, it caps the salary upon which an employee can earn a pension. Another potential change could be to rework the funding schedule, as has been suggested by the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability.
Illinois cannot afford to let another legislative session end without making some movement toward pension reform. Madigan and Cullerton should begin negotiations immediately and finally bring this issue to a resolution.
“As a lawyer-legislator, you can’t just say, ‘Oh, screw the Constitution, let’s just proceed without it.” Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, on whether lawmakers should consider the chances that a pension bill is constitutional before approving it.
Governor Pat Quinn has traveled all over the state - including to Southern Illinois- numerous times since taking office. He’s made job creation and public infrastructure investment for Southern Illinois a top priority. In fact, Governor Quinn signed into law the largest public works program in state history, which is supporting thousands of jobs across Southern Illinois on highway projects like the widening of Route 13, SIU’s new Transportation Education Center and brand new classrooms for Marion, Mt. Vernon, Pinckneyville, Carterville and Shawnee. The governor has promoted Southern Illinois agriculture around the world and worked tirelessly to open up new markets for Southern Illinois businesses. At Governor Quinn’s direction, the state partnered with Continental Tires to expand their business in Mt. Vernon and create more than 400 jobs. The Governor’s travel schedule varies month to month depending on what work he has to do. When the massive tornado hit Harrisburg last year, Governor Quinn was in Harrisburg within hours. As we are currently in the midst of the legislative session, Governor Quinn has spent a good amount of time in the past several months in Springfield as well as Chicago. His focus is on delivering real results for the people of Southern Illinois. That’s why he is in Springfield tonight working to achieve important goals like balancing the budget, much-needed pension reform and other important policies that will jumpstart the economy. Any implication otherwise is 100% false and absurd.
Bishop Lance Davis, who leads the roughly 500-member New Zion Christian Fellowship Church of Dolton, said blacks have fought for equality for the right to live as human beings, something he’s not convinced has been fully actualized.
“You can’t compare the two,” he said, citing the well-organized gay marriage advocacy in Illinois.
“I feel that those gays and lesbians have more power than I do. Have more rights than I do. More freedoms than I do.”
Bishop Davis is the chairman of the African-American Clergy Coalition’s political action committee, which is funding the anti side of the fight.
Tuesday, May 14, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As financial cooperatives, credit unions function as economic democracies. Every customer is both a member and an owner. Each member has the opportunity to vote in electing board members and members also run for election to the board. A credit union’s board of directors consists of unpaid volunteers, elected by and from the membership – everyday people like you. Unlike most other financial institutions, credit unions do not issue stock or pay dividends to outside stockholders. Instead, earnings are returned to members in the form of lower loan rates, higher interest on deposits, and lower fees. Board members serve voluntarily. Speaking of volunteering, the credit union “People Helping People” philosophy motivates credit unions to get involved in countless community charitable activities and worthwhile causes. A credit union’s goal is to serve all members well, including those of modest means - every member counts. Credit unions exist solely for this reason, not to make a profit. Members know their credit union will be there for them in challenging times, as well as good – which is the reason why members are so fiercely loyal.
Five years ago, Illinois passed legislation requiring electric suppliers to buy more renewable energy such as wind and solar power and then pass those costs on to customers.
The intent of the mandate was to have so-called green electricity accounting for a quarter of the power flowing into residences and businesses by 2025 while fostering homegrown jobs and cleaner air.
But that was before customers of the state’s two major electric utilities defected en masse to other suppliers that purchase power on the open market. With that move, the state is falling short of its green mandate, because money being collected from customers by these other energy suppliers isn’t being used for green energy purchases.
Instead, the money is going into a fund that’s sitting untapped because of obscure language in state law.
That $15 million account is on track to balloon to nearly $135 million by the end of 2014, according to the Illinois Power Agency, the state agency tasked with spending the funds.
Because of the language in the law, the agency can only use the money to buy renewable energy if the state’s two utilities are out buying renewable energy at the same time. With only a fraction of their customer bases left, the utilities already have more renewable energy than they need and aren’t buying more.
This obviously needs to be fixed. The state borrowed money from the account in the past (and paid it back), but a green energy account that’s mainly functioning as a revolving loan fund for the state government doesn’t make a whole lot of sense.
* Try, try again: A handful of good-government and other lobbying groups plan to announce a push this week to collect 300,000 signatures from Illinoisans and amend the state constitution to change how political boundaries are drawn.
* Lucy’s Place in Litchfield offers non-traditional casino vibe: In Chatham, Village Trustee Joe Schatteman, who also works for the Illinois Municipal League, told trustees he didn’t believe gambling parlors was the intent of the 2009 legislation that legalized video gambling.
* Whenever something bad happens in the Loop, politicos quickly try to “do something.” I dunno if this bill will work, but it certainly falls into that aforementioned category…
Illinois legislators weren’t thinking about harmless flash mobs, like countless renditions of the Harlem Shake or over-the-top marriage proposals, when crafting new legislation recently.
A bill which passed the state assembly on Friday and the state Senate earlier would allow judges to “impose an extended term sentence” when new-age “mob action” involves “electronic communication.”
Democratic state Rep. Christian Mitchell, sponsor of the legislation, said he expects it to act as a deterrent to those considering participating in a flash mob attack like several along Chicago’s prestigious and bustling Magnificent Mile, a popular downtown shopping area.
* But whatever the case, this reaction was way, way over the top…
“Would this bill have stopped the murder of Hadiya Pendleton?” [Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago)] demanded of Mitchell. “The question, sir, is are children’s lives as valuable as the merchants on Michigan Avenue…Would this bill stop the murders of black boys and girls on the South and West Sides of Chicago, and if it doesn’t do that you should be ashamed of yourself.”
Provides that an obligor is not required to make child support payments, nor shall interest accrue on any outstanding child support balance due, from the date the obligor is incarcerated or ceases employment until he or she is released or secures new employment.
Heck, you could easily make an argument that Davis’ bill would actually make matters worse for kids.
So, I’m not sure how that crime-related bill “stops the murders.” Nor this one, or this one, or this one.
* Rep. Brandon Phelps, an avid concealed carry supporter, and Sen. Kwame Raoul, the sponsor of a rival concealed carry bill which is staunchly opposed by the NRA, talk it out…
* Back in March, before Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s school system ordered several school closings, the Chicago Tribune editorial board published a Joyce Foundation poll which showed that 55 percent of Chicagoans strongly or somewhat agreed that the city should close under-enrolled schools.
Chicago voters hold a dim view of Rahm Emanuel’s stewardship of public education after a tumultuous year that featured a teachers strike and the mayor’s push to close many neighborhood elementary schools, a new Tribune/WGN-TV poll shows.
Disenchantment with Emanuel’s education policy is particularly acute among minority voters, and that’s helping drive up negative views of the mayor’s overall job performance as he reaches the middle of his first term this week.
Nearly 6 of 10 surveyed said they disapproved of Emanuel’s attempt to downsize elementary schools, while just a third approved. Those numbers closely mirror negative feelings about Emanuel’s approach to public education, which he has labeled a top priority. […]
Asked whom they sided with in the debate over public school improvement, 41 percent of those surveyed said the teachers union and just 19 percent said Emanuel. Another 36 percent said neither.
* Dump Emanuel in 2015? Spare us, CTU: The Chicago political establishment, the useless one that has spent so long building “Chicago-style politics” into a joke, is going to get a very rude awakening in February 2015. Mr. Emanuel is going to keep raising money and run a competent, effective campaign. And then he’s going to face clowns and run over them like a steamroller: Slowly, leisurely, and permanently.
With mounting urgency, activists are calling on Speaker Michael Madigan, who rules the Democratic majority in the House, to help secure the final few votes needed to pass the bill into law. Democrats hold 71 seats, while GOP lawmakers hold 47. […]
“Madigan commands a super-majority, but is unwilling to spend political capital for gay equality,” said Bob Schwartz of the Gay Liberation Network, an LGBT rights direct action group. “As with other legislation, if Madigan wanted the marriage bill to pass, it would already be law.”
However, Madigan spokesman Steve Brown told Chicago Phoenix the bill’s chief sponsor will determine when it will be called.
Harris, has long been mum on how many votes he’s secured and his timeline for the bill, but said he is close to having secured the 60 votes required for victory. A government source among those backing the bill pegs the current count at 58.
It’s quite correct to say that if Madigan wants the bill to pass it’ll pass. He says he wants it to pass. The question now is when.
* The reported head count and Harris’ reluctance to move his bill both combine to suggest that Gov. Pat Quinn’s head count is probably off…
Gov. Pat Quinn Thursday called on Illinois House members to take action on a same-sex marriage bill that’s been dormant there for more than 80 days, adding that he thinks the votes are there to send the measure to his desk. […]
“I believe a majority exists to get this bill passed through the House onto my desk so I can sign it into law.” […]
“I think, you know, it’s time to vote,” Quinn said. “We’ve waited now three months, and it’s, I think, plenty of time for people to reflect on it. And now it’s time to pass it.”
If Rep. Harris isn’t moving the bill, they don’t have the votes, for whatever reason. I think some of the people Quinn believes are “Yes” votes are actually not quite there yet. But it’ll pass if the Speaker wants it to.
Two pro-gay-marriage robocalls — one by a former Chicago Bears player and another by a civil rights leader — are expected to go out in the districts of Illinois House Black Caucus members on Monday, urging support for gay marriage legislation that’s still awaiting a vote in that chamber in the waning days of the session.
One of the calls features civil rights leader Julian Bond; the other, onetime Bears player Brendon Ayanbadejo. […]
Several Republicans have committed to crossing over and voting “yes,” potentially leaving the Black Caucus with critical sway over the issue. […]
In recent weeks, some members of the Black Caucus have come out in support of gay marriage, including Illinois Rep. Ken Dunkin (D-Chicago), who signed on as a co-sponsor to the pending bill.
The calls will target constituents in 17 House districts that include Dunkin’s; Monique Davis; Will Davis; Marcus Evans; Mary Flowers; LaShawn Ford; Esther Golar; Chuck Jefferson; Derrick Smith, and Art Turner, in addition to others.
OK, first of all “several Republicans” equals three: Two publicly, one privately.
Also, “some members of the Black Caucus” equals one: Rep. Dunkin.
But after many African-American churches and Chicago’s Catholic Archdiocese led by Cardinal Francis George stepped up their anti-gay marriage campaigns, house members representing predominantly black districts have publicly denounced the bill.
“My constituents have let me know in no uncertain terms that they object to that legislation,” said Rep. Monique Davis (D-Chicago).
Representative Bob Rita (D-Blue Island) said he leaned toward voting for the bill last winter.
“But seeing as the Cardinal and different reverends coming out in opposition, I’m looking closer at it and taking a more neutral stance,” said Rita.
One man who disputed IFI’s message began yelling during Americans for Truth about Homosexuality President Peter LaBarbera’s speech. The man broke one of the IFI protester’s signs before police intervened.
“Disagreement does not equal hate,” said Peter LaBarbera, in response to the man.
Smith addressed the scuffle later in the program.
“They’re the ones bullying us and intimidating Christians into silence,” he said. “I say no more.”
It’s about time that the Chicago Tribune’s editorial board stop treating the Illinois Constitution like yesterday’s newspaper.
For years the editorial page has loudly bellowed for and against Illinois pension proposals and petulantly insulted and denigrated lawmakers who dare to defy the editorial page’s blithe disregard for the state Constitution.
The latest example was a May 6 editorial’s shrill assault on 53 members of the Illinois House of Representatives who voted against a pension reform proposal sponsored by House Speaker Michael Madigan, charging that by exercising their function of office to vote “no” on a bill, they are “the do-nothing caucus.” […]
To assert that lawmakers who voted against Senate Bill 1 are part of a “do-nothing caucus” is as outrageous as it is ignorant of the constitutional dimension of the legislation, and ignorant of lawmakers’ mandate to consider the Illinois Constitution when voting on legislation. Some would consider the plain words of our Constitution at least as important as our critical need to reform Illinois’ pension system.
The assertion that lawmakers who chose to vote “no” on the Madigan bill have somehow avoided their duty or have inserted themselves into the pockets of organized labor is slanderous and insulting to the integrity of 53 members of the House who believe we need a pension bill that is fair, credible and constitutional. We may have wide disagreement on these issues, but that hardly rises to the level of “do nothing.”
While the Tribune editorial board may elect to write nonsense while ignoring the Illinois Constitution and to insult the integrity of legislators, lawmakers are elected to do the hard work of voting for bills they consider constitutionally worthy.
Unless the Tribune reverts to its rich tradition of responsible, respectful and thoughtful journalism, its influence on Illinois public policy will continue to erode further and its opinions will be as useful as yesterday’s news.
In a report out today, the Civic Federation says that a bill pushed through the House by Mr. Madigan “will produce pension savings of the magnitude needed to stabilize the state’s finances.” But a competing plan by Senate President John Cullerton “doesn’t even get us back to where we were last year,” said Federation President Laurence Msall in an interview last Friday.
“There’s a pretty stark difference in the savings of the one bill to the next,” Mr. Msall said. The Madigan bill “has the components we need.”
The federation has been increasingly outspoken about the state’s pension woes in recent months, but its flat endorsement of the Madigan bill comes amid a stalemate in which it’s uncertain whether each legislative leader will allow his chamber to take up the other’s bill and, if the measure is put to a vote, work against it. […]
(A)ccording to Mr. Msall, the Madigan bill would free up at least $1 billion more than the Cullerton plan for schools, health care and other needs in next year’s budget. It would do so by gradually raising the full-benefit retirement age to 67, requiring workers to pay an additional 2 percent of salary for their pension, and capping cost-of-living adjustments on pensions.
In comparison, while Mr. Cullerton’s bill would provide some savings, they’re not even enough to offset this year’s increase in how much Illinois has to set aside each year for pensions, the federation says.
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady resigned last week just as a new statewide poll showed big trouble for his political party’s brand.
Brady had been under pressure to resign ever since the disastrous 2012 elections. The pressure increased publicly after Brady announced his support for a gay marriage bill. Multiple attempts to oust Brady were unsuccessful.
The way forward is unclear, to say the least. Some party leaders have a list of over 25 people to consider. This could easily turn out to be a total mess.
And this all comes at a particularly bad time for the GOP. A new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll found that 52 percent of likely Illinois voters have a negative view of the Republican Party. Just 25 percent have a positive view, while 24 percent were neutral.
According to the poll of 1,036 likely voters taken May 6th, 54 percent of women have a negative view of the GOP (just 24 percent positive), while 48 percent of men have a negative view (just 26 percent positive). The poll has a margin of error of +/- 3 percent.
And a mere 59 percent of self-identified Republicans have a positive view of the GOP, while 16 percent have a negative view and 25 percent are neutral - a combined 41 percent un-positive. Not good.
Perhaps more importantly, only 18 percent of independents have a positive view of the Republican Party, while 50 percent have a negative view.
So, it’s somewhat of a miracle that Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka is still polling as well as she is. According to the survey, Topinka leads Democratic Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon 45-38. A total of 24 percent of the calls were made to cell phones.
Simon will likely run for attorney general if Lisa Madigan steps up to run for governor, but she has said she is eyeing the comptroller’s race as well. Simon is the highest profile Democrat to consider a bid against Topinka, so this may be a high water mark for the Democrats. Topinka won her last race by 13 points in a very good year for the GOP.
Topinka leads among independents by 12 big and important points. Her lead also pretty much matches Lisa Madigan’s lead over Dan Rutherford and Aaron Schock in a somewhat recent Public Policy Polling survey. So, she’s doing quite well considering the serious headwinds. Topinka and Simon are essentially tied among women, but Topinka has a 53-34 lead among men.
But the news isn’t all that great for Democrats, either.
A Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of 1,057 likely Illinois voters taken May 8th showed that 42 percent have a negative view of the Democratic Party while just 36 percent have a positive view. That’s not as bad as the GOP numbers, but it is “certainly an indictment of the political landscape,” as my pollster told me. The poll’s margin of error is +/- 3 percent.
According to the poll the Democratic Party is viewed positively by a plurality of women, 43-37, and negatively by men, 50-28, compared to the poll about the GOP which showed that women and men viewed the Republican Party in a negative light.
Independents tend to lean more conservative because so many of them are former Republicans who no longer want to be identified with the party. So, the GOP has to do well with them to win. There are far more Democrats in this state than Republicans, but they aren’t a majority and must still be competitive with independents.
And according to that poll, the Democrats aren’t doing so well with independents right now. A strong majority of independents, 56 percent, viewed the Democratic Party negatively, which is six points worse than the Republicans fared. Eighteen percent - the same result as the GOP - viewed the party positively.
67 percent of Democrats viewed their party in a positive light, compared to the 59 percent of Republicans who viewed their party positively. The Democrats clearly have an advantage with their base, but it’s still not all that wonderful.
Just one region, Chicago, finds a majority positive view of the Democratic Party, with 56 percent positive and 23 percent negative. A 39-29 plurality of suburban Cook County voters view the Democratic Party in a positive light, while a 52-33 majority of collar county voters and a 56-24 majority of Downstaters have a negative view of the Dems.
* Related…
* Why candidates for ILGOP chairman are saying “no”: Downstate businessman Jason Plummer said no when he spoke to State Central Committeeman Gene Dawson Friday morning. Since running for lieutenant governor in 2010 and for Congress in 2012, Plummer remains involved in building the Republican Party in the Metro East area, raising funds and recruiting candidates. Plummer said Dawson asked if he was just too busy to apply for the chairmanship, and Plummer agreed that was part of the reason he rejected the opportunity to chair the state party.
* Lyons: State GOP needs new chair and living room set
* A new study by the Anderson Economic Group ranks Illinois 20th nationally in its business tax burden, “defined as the share of pretax operating margin that a firm has to pay out in combined state and local taxes,” according to Greg Hinz…
By that standard, businesses in Illinois paid 9.6 percent of their pretax profit in state and local taxes in calendar 2011, more than the average of 8 percent paid by the 10 lowest tax states but less than the average 14 percent by the 10 highest states.
The actual range among the states was from 5.1 percent in Delaware to 25.2 percent in Alaska, where the number is skewed by that state’s dependence on taxes levied on natural resources like petroleum, which tend to be high.
Perhaps more significant, Illinois ranks relatively well among other Midwestern states, even after jacking up its income tax at the beginning of 2011. Iowa is lower at 8.5 percent, and Missouri just below at 9.2 percent. But higher are Minnesota (10 percent), Indiana (10.6 percent), Ohio (11.1 percent), Gov. Scott Walker’s Wisconsin (11.3 percent) and Michigan (13.3 percent).
Down in Texas, whose Gov. Rick Perry recently came up here ona rather bellicose corporate raiding mission, the total tax burden is a little lower than ours. But at 9.2 percent — compared with 9.6 percent in Illinois — the difference is what a good Texan might call a lil’ itty-bitty.
Wanna bet that the Tribune editorial board, Bruce Rauner, Ty Fahner, the Illinois Policy Institute and the other folks screaming about how Illinois is about to die a self-inflicted tax death completely ignore this study?
* But that’s not to say we don’t have some very real problems here. For example…
For every hundred dollars in payroll, Texas employers pay 39 cents for workers’ compensation insurance; their Illinois counterparts pay $1.10.
Few big companies actually pay the full tax rate, but workers’ comp is another story. It has to be addressed… again.
Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan said Thursday a controversial pension solution that would require suburban school districts to eventually pick up the tab for their teachers’ retirement costs is inevitable.
“This is going to happen,” the powerful Chicago Democrat said. “There will be a new plan.”
Brent Clark of the Illinois Association of School Administrators said a district’s ability to absorb pension costs may hinge on its property tax wealth. The more reliant on state aid a district is, the less likely it can accomodate the cost shift.
“The more property wealth they are sitting on, the more likely they are to be able to manage this,” he said.
Clark also suggested that school districts be given latitude in following some state mandates. A district could determine “which ones are actually appropriate for the district or not.” That could free up money that could then be directed to pension costs, he said.
* The Question: Could you support any sort of cost-shift plan? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* Last week, I took Oscar the Puppy downtown and three people yelled out his name. Not one of them said “hi” to me. A couple of days later, Oscar and I went to the pet store and a blog reader gushed over the little guy and barely talked to me at all.
I’m sensing a developing pattern here.
So, by popular demand, here’s the real star of the blog getting a much-appreciated belly rub…
Posing…
* Oscar has been enrolled in puppy training class. Actually, it should be called puppy owner training class because we’re the ones getting the real lessons.
Friday, May 10, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The satellite television industry serves a crucial role in connecting Illinois to the rest of the world with content that informs, entertains and educates – in many instances it’s the exclusive broadcast service provider available to Illinois homes. In addition, the satellite TV industry is an important economic driver creating hundreds of jobs in our state.
Facts About Satellite TV in Illinois:
• Serves 1.3 million households in Illinois (almost a third of homes that subscribe choose satellite)
• Employs over 790 people, plus more than 1,000 technicians at 481 local retailers
• Rural Illinois depends on satellite TV since cable does not often provide service to their area
• Satellite TV offers a wider range of foreign language programming in comparison to cable
Lawmakers continue to be prodded by the cable TV industry to place a NEW 5% monthly tax on satellite TV service. Previous versions of this discriminatory tax proposal have been defeated in Springfield—and similar bills are regularly defeated in other states including three times in neighboring Indiana, Iowa and Minnesota. This revenue generator needs to be clearly labeled what it is: An unfair tax increase on the 1.3 million Illinois families and businesses who subscribe to satellite TV.
* From a recent Illinois State Rifle Association “special alert”…
The second subcategory of gun control’s true believers can be described generally as victims of violence. This subcategory encompasses a wide range of persons to include families of murder victims as well as first hand survivors of violence. Whereas the vast majority of victims of violence do their best to recover and get on with their lives, there is a minority who allow their grief to turn into seething bitterness. Rather than make a positive contribution to prevent future violence, they embark on divisive, hate-filled campaigns against lawful firearm owners.
These victims of violence are ideal advocates for the abolishment of private firearm ownership. On the surface, they are vulnerable and weepy-eyed. But, below the surface, they are boiling over with hatred for people who own guns. That deep hatred fuels their drive to do whatever it takes to punish lawful gun owners.
These victims of violence are all about payback, and the payback they seek won’t be meted out to the criminals by whom they were victimized. No, the objects of their ire are the tens of millions of hunters, sportsmen and target shooters who responsibly exercise their right to keep and bear arms. These victims of violence claim that their campaign for domestic disarmament has the best interests of the public at heart. Chances are, these people couldn’t care less if others suffer the same fate as theirs. In fact, additional acts of violence only serve to justify their calls for the abolishment of private firearm ownership.
These people love the limelight. That is why they reside in the top positions in the Illinois gun control movement. That is why they take every opportunity to get in front of the cameras, tell their stories, and then mercilessly bash law-abiding firearm owners.
The most effective way to deal with these people is to meet them head-on. When they have a public meeting, the audience needs to be flooded with firearm owners. When they have a media event, the media needs to see more gun guys than anti-gunners. We need to confront them at every turn and vigorously defend the constitutionally protected right to keep and bear arms.
Like pacifists, debating these people is pointless. They have dedicated their lives to destroying the 2nd Amendment. They cannot be reasoned with. They cannot be educated.
* The Illinois Republican Party raised no money during the first quarter of the year. If you want to see one reason why that happened, read this Sun-Times report…
A livid Ron Gidwitz called out the conservative faction of the party’s central committee on Thursday, telling the Sun-Times its ousting of Illinois Republican Party Chairman and lack of preparation to deal with the fallout has put a poor face on the party, “destroying” the embattled GOP’s chances in next year’s election.
“The state central committee — a faction of the state central committee — is destroying any chance that the Republican party has in 2014,” an angered Gidwitz told the Chicago Sun-Times on Thursday. “I mean, how stupid is this! The lack of thoughtful, leadership … The state central committee is responsible for the leadership of our party. To push out the party chairman with no plan for a replacement — it is absurd. And with no thought to the consequences of their behavior.”
Gidwitz is typically one of the leading Republican cheerleaders in the state and is a major player in national and statewide politics, hosting a variety of fund-raisers, including for presidential nominees.
“They’re making the central committee irrelevant. The uncalled for attacks on Pat Brady and the lack of preparation once they started attacking Pat Brady, with no expectation, no strategy to replace him with a capable, respected individual,” Gidwitz said. “They are fundamentally creating an irrelevancy for the state party.”
Gidwitz blew up after the Sun-Times contacted him with a working list of possible replacements to Brady.
Gidwitz has been a leading member of what the Republicans euphemistically refer to as “the donor community,” which essentially means wealthy Republicans who traditionally give big bucks.
* The pension reform stalemate isn’t about personalities. It’s about policy and it’s also about the traditional conflict between the House and the Senate. Senators don’t like to be pushed around by the House. They never have. So Madigan is right here…
Q: How much of the pension debate is about finding common ground, and how much is about a battle of two big personalities?
A: “You can take that battle about personalities and throw it in the ash can, okay. This is all about correcting a serious fiscal problem for the state of Illinois. We’ve discussed changes in the pension laws for close to four years. We made a serious effort a year ago. It failed, but we’re back again. I think the bill passed by the House is a good solid bill, well thought out. It has a broad base of support, and it ought to be passed by the Senate. And I think they will pass it.”
* Senate passes Cullerton pension bill: In an interview with the Associated Press, the governor said the Madigan bill deserves to be called for a vote in Senate. That’s more than Mr. Quinn has said about the Cullerton bill in the House.
* Illinois Senate OKs union-backed pension deal: But Ron Holmes, a spokesman for Cullerton, said it didn’t appear Madigan’s proposal had enough votes to pass the Senate. He noted four Republicans voted with Democrats on the union-supported bill Thursday, and that a bill similar to Madigan’s failed to get the 30 votes needed for approval when it was before the chamber earlier this year. “If there’s some sort of shift that says we can get to 30 votes (on Madigan’s bill), the Senate president will take that into account,” Holmes said.
* A showdown in Springfield?: Bivins said he had been leaning in favor of the Cullerton bill, but he pulled his support after finding out about the opposition of the association representing retired teachers. “I discovered that this one group was never at the table,” the senator said. “They had concerns with the bill’s constitutionality. That was one of my concerns. It was a major mistake not to have them at the table.”
* Sun-Times Editorial: What’s ‘morally’ wrong? Fake pension fix: The Senate bill is the worst kind of reform: It looks like progress and it could be passed off as such by campaigning politicians. But the bill saves relatively little and allows Illinois to continue the outrageous pass-the-buck behavior that got us in trouble in the first place.
Lawmakers are human beings, and like most human beings they don’t make any major changes until it’s clear that something absolutely has to be done.
Pension reform is a good case in point.
It’s been obvious since just after World War II that Illinois’ pension systems were dangerously underfunded. But nothing was done until the problem was discussed at the state constitutional convention in 1969. The delegates came up with a plan that they believed would scare the Illinois General Assembly into finally providing adequate funding for the pension systems.
The idea was simple. Legislators were forever barred from cutting pension benefits. Constitutional delegates figured that legislators wouldn’t be so irresponsible as to short the pension systems and raise benefits to the point where it threatened the very existence of the government. The delegates were wrong.
Pension payments continued to be skipped and skimped while benefits continued to rise. In the 1980s, legislators compounded the interest on annual pension increases, making the problem far worse.
In the 1990s, Gov. Jim Edgar put in place a 50-year solution. But like those crazy mortgages in the last decade, the big balloon payments were put off until far into the future.
Even with Edgar’s “ramp,” pension payments still were skipped, and when the stock market crashed after the mortgage industry collapsed, billions of dollars contributed by taxpayers simply vanished.
The unfunded liability now tops $100 billion. Annual payments are so high and are rising so fast that they are literally eating up the rest of the state budget. Almost every dime of 2011’s huge state income tax increase now goes to the pension systems.
Two years ago, House Republican Leader Tom Cross along with Ty Fahner at the Civic Committee pushed a pension reform plan that actually increased annual payments by a billion dollars and knocked just $3 billion to $5 billion off the state’s unfunded liability.
Despite strong editorial support, unions flat-out rejected Cross’ plan and a bipartisan consensus developed against it. The bill went nowhere.
This past Monday, the unions unveiled a compromise plan with Senate President John Cullerton that knocks $10 billion off the unfunded liability and actually saves taxpayers $45 billion over the next 30 years.
But instead of being praised for their difficult compromise, the unions have been hammered for an insufficient effort.
If the unions had proposed their current plan two years ago, it would’ve immediately passed and they would’ve been praised for saving the state. Nothing proposed by that point even came close to the savings that the unions have now agreed to.
The problem for the unions is that House Speaker Michael Madigan passed a pension reform plan before they unveiled their own proposal. Madigan’s plan saves far more money than the union proposal and knocks billions more off the unfunded liability.
The delay in reaching an agreement with the Senate meant the unions could not go to sympathetic House Democrats and plead their case before the House voted.
So now we are once again stuck with two competing pension bills. The gridlock has not been broken. The irony here is after 65 years of pension woes, a one-week delay in coming up with an agreement may have made a huge difference in how the state ultimately decides to deal with the issue.
Timing is everything. And that’s really too bad. The solution to the pension problem ought to include the voices of those who are being asked to give up something that has been guaranteed by our Constitution.
