* Lots of staffers were dealing with petition challenges today, so while comments are technically closed I’ll still be taking votes on our Golden Horseshoe awards for best House Dem and GOP campaign staffers. If you missed the festivities, feel free to post a comment in the thread. Your comment will be held in the moderation queue, but I can still see all moderated comments and will wait until Monday to make a decision.
* A hearty congratulations to Andy Raucci on being elected Speaker of the Third House yesterday. I wanted to be there for the annual luncheon, but couldn’t make it.
* Greg Hinz totaled up the new tax cut package. After listing the corporate breaks, he gets to the cuts for individuals, which were added to make the big corporate tax cuts passable…
The exemption on the Illinois estate tax will double to $4 million. Estimated annual cost in fiscal 2014 is $62 million. […]
Senate Democrats estimate that doubling the state’s earned-income tax credit to 10% of salary will cost the treasury $110 million a year.
Bumping the personal exemption on the state’s individual income tax up $50 to $1,050 will cost another $20 million or so, I hear. But the exemption now also will be indexed to inflation, so the ultimate cost is much, much larger.
Add all of this together and, by my count, you’re something north of $344 million in fiscal 2014 — not counting the 10 tax credits that are being extended. That’s not quite the $800-plus-million Christmas tree that originally was proposed. But it sure is bigger than a bonsai evergreen.
I suppose it could’ve been worse. But none of these breaks are affordable right now. I’ve never been held up by a masked gunman, but I’m starting to get an inkling of what it feels like.
…Adding… Factor in the “extra” $250 million from the expiration of an accelerated federal tax credit and it’s about $100 million a year. Still a lot. And that $250 mil would’ve come in handy for paying old bills. But, whatever, we’re stuck.
* Meanwhile, Senate President John Cullerton appeared with Gov. Pat Quinn and Mayor Rahm Emanuel at an event on the city’s Southeast Side today to tout a big new green space initiative. But Cullerton wanted to talk about a different kind of green…
“Governor, this might be a little off topic,” Cullerton said at the event on the far South side. “I don’t know if we can see any eagles here, but we definitely can see the Hammond casino. Which reminds me, you and I and the mayor need to work on bringing a casino to Chicago so that… Illinois gamblers spend their money in Illinois, not Indiana.”
The comments drew a roar of laughter from attendees, including Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who has been pushing for a Chicago casino.
Quinn’s face turned a tad red, but he appeared to take the ribbing in stride.
“I want to thank John for his targeted remarks,” Quinn responded.
He later dodged questions about the status of gambling negotiations, taking advantage of Emanuel’s suggestion that he turn attention to the young granddaughter of Rep. Mary Flowers, who had held the child throughout the event.
* Gov. Pat Quinn appeared on Jonathon Brandmeier’s WGN Radio show this morning. Brandmeier loves him some Pat Quinn. And Quinn was the loosest I’ve ever heard him. He started by deftly ad-libbing through some ad copy and seemed to have a splendid time throughout the entire show. If you do nothing else today, listen to this…
That’s the Pat Quinn I used to know. More like this, please.
* This next one is not so funny. Apparently, MSNBC’s Joe Scarborough is unaware that Rod Blagojevich’s jury convicted him on 17 counts this past June. The host of Morning Joe kept repeating a blatant falsehood on national TV yesterday.
“The jury was deadlocked on all but one count,” Scarborough said, referring to Blagojevich as “my friend.”
“A 14-year sentence for something that the state, really, had trouble proving, is so excessive.”
That was the first trial, Joe. There’s been another trial since then. Maybe you didn’t notice. It was in all the papers.
“Put a mark on his name, send him to jail for a year or so,” Scarborough suggested. “This is total BS, total BS,” he said.
Yeah, perhaps if he’d just been convicted of lying to the FBI, a year would’ve been enough. But he was convicted of 17 charges this year, plus the FBI lying charge. That’s less than a year per charge.
A Fox News producer called me a while ago to invite me on some show or another.
“I don’t do cable,” I said. He acted like he’d never heard of such a thing. This is national news, he said. You’ll be seen all over the country. “Forget it,” I said. “I do Public Television and that’s about it.” He was so baffled that he was speechless, so I hung up on him.
I hate cable news.
* SEIU held a demonstration outside CME’s headquarters this week asking people to please, pretty please donate their spare change to the rich…
Clever.
* And, finally, Rod and George sing the Illinois Song…
* Kathleen at the Globe was the clear favorite for best bartender. Commenter “47th Ward” summed her up best…
I’m going with Kathleen at the Globe too. She’s been there a long time, so long that I can’t think of the Globe without thinking of her. They are synonymous in my mind. I’m not a regular by any stretch of the imagination, but she always remembers me and my drink of choice is ready before I even get a seat.
* Runner-up is Adam at the No Name Bar. Here’s the nomination from commenter “dave”…
Nicest guy in the world. He also knows a ton about a ton which makes him awesome to talk about anything from sports to history. He also pours a decent drink. And makes decent popcorn.
They are both excellent bartenders, but Kathleen is a marvel. We may have to change the name of this particular award or she’ll win it every year.
* There weren’t as many nominations for best server, probably because people have much closer relationships with their bartenders. I’m awarding this year’s prize to Rhonda Merritt at Sportsman’s…
She’s a hard worker, personable, doesn’t take any crap from anyone, great sense of humor.
* Best campaign staffer - Illinois House Democrats
* Best campaign staffer - Illinois House Republicans
Make extra sure to explain your nominations, folks. I can’t tell you enough how important that is. I don’t even pay attention to nominations which just include names. If you can’t take the time to defend your nomination, I won’t take the time to read it.
As part of the [legislative tax cut deal] there’s a part pushed by Democrats that gives some relief for the working poor, too.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross of Oswego has opposed an increase in those credits, saying the package should be about jobs, not entitlements. And Republican opposition to that part of the plan was at least partly behind its overall failure a couple weeks ago.
But an observer who’s been watching this closely passed along the vote from 2000, when the Illinois earned income tax credit was originally approved. Cross voted yes, as did everyone else in the House, by a 117-0 margin.
Cross spokeswoman Sara Wojcicki Jimenez says Cross still supports the idea of the credit philosophically. But …
“He does not believe we can afford to expand the program at this time,” she said.
I received the same roll call. The bill passed unanimously in both chambers, even though the Senate was controlled by Republicans in 2000. It was signed into law by a Republican governor. Click here to see the House roll call. The Senate roll call is here.
The approach to separate the business tax breaks from the ones affecting individual taxpayers still faces opposition from the joint chair of the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus, state Rep. Will Davis (D-Homewood).
Davis believes the earned income tax credit that Bradley wants to raise from 5 percent to 10 percent should increase to as high as 15 percent, though the south suburban lawmaker stressed that is his personal position and not a Black Caucus stance.
“It’s going to be an all-Democratic bill,” Davis said, referring to the legislation that will contain the earned income tax credit and standard exemption increases. “If there’s absolutely not going to be Republicans, and they know that walking in the door, why can’t we as Democrats pass a higher earned income tax credit to help more individuals?”
* Then again, one of the reporters for that story Tweeted this last night…
It sure looks like the CME package is gonna happen. Majority Leader Currie told me tonight she sees it passing.
Currie sponsored the amendment with the EITC upgrade and indexing the personal exemption to inflation. Instead of three bills, they’ll have two. One for mainly corporate taxes and one for personal taxes. More…
With the separation, “It looks like there’s the basis for agreement,” said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.
While there is some reluctance to confer tax breaks on corporate behemoths that threaten to leave, “the reality is that everyone feels like we’re over a barrel,” she said. “It may be bad public policy … but as long as there’s an opportunity for blackmail and poaching, the proposition is difficult to say ‘no’ to.”
The House Republicans put together a chart on the corporate tax provisions. Click here to read it.
Lawmakers may be less willing to vote “no” when facing a specific question: Do you support this particular tax incentive for businesses? Should poor families get a break on their tax bill?
“We have a better chance of passing it this way,” said Rep. John Bradley of Marion, the lead negotiator for House Democrats. “If somebody was reluctant to vote for one piece or another, they would have the option of not voting on one of the pieces.”
The other advantage is that one part could pass even if the other fails. It’s not all-or-nothing. The risk, however, is that neither will pass when the House convenes Monday.
The Senate has already approved a version of entire package. A spokesman said President John Cullerton has no objection to the idea of voting again on separate pieces when it meets on Tuesday.
If the House doesn’t pass both of those bills, it’s doubtful there will be any Senate action.
Sears said it was encouraged lawmakers were “returning to Springfield to consider a package that will help us remain an Illinois company.”
The agreement is bad news for other states that have been wooing the Illinois companies. Ohio made a pitch for Sears, while CME officials recently met with the mayor of Indianapolis about potentially relocating to the city.
The agreement also will “lessen the tax burden on our family farmers and small businesses,” Cross said.
* Ousted Alderman Lands State Job: Months after voters on the Northwest Side bounced him from the City Council, former Ald. John Rice has found a job in the administration of a fellow 36th Ward Democrat—Gov. Pat Quinn.
There’s no real mystery to understanding Rod Blagojevich.
He was, and still is, a failed wannabe gangster.
Not a real gangster who pops caps in people’s behinds. Blagojevich tried to model himself on movie gangsters.
The guy even quoted a character from “The Godfather, Part 11” during a joint session of the Illinois General Assembly.
“This is the business we’ve chosen,” said an angry Hyman Roth to Michael Corleone in that classic film that just about everyone in politics has studied beginning to end.
Blagojevich once said the very same thing during a State of the State address.
His flashy, expensive clothes, his gigantic posse, his brash swagger all point to the wannabe gangster type. I mean, the man is broke but he still had a driver take him to court every day? That’s gangster if I ever saw it.
The thing is, Blagojevich was never much good at the gangster role.
Sure, he had most of the theatrics down, but aside from firing a bunch of helpless state workers without the proper political connections, he was a failure right down the line.
Blagojevich declared war on House Speaker Michael Madigan when he was still in the Illinois House. By 2007, all hell had broken loose. This was supposed to be his Michael Corleone moment, when he would wipe out all his enemies in one fell swoop.
Instead, the fight lasted two years and ended with a paranoid and deranged Blagojevich caught on FBI wiretaps plotting ways he could leverage Barack Obama’s U.S. Senate seat to get himself appointed to a Cabinet post, or a cushy job making big bucks or raking in tons of campaign contributions from U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr. Madigan’s obvious desire to pursue impeachment charges and Obama’s rise to the nation’s top job had finally collapsed Blagojevich’s insane belief that he was the one destined for the White House, and he didn’t handle it well.
Remember his enraged rant when he discovered his job approval rating had sunk to 13 percent?
“I f—ing busted my a– and p-ssed people off and gave your grandmother a free f—ing ride on a bus. OK? I gave your f—ing baby a chance to have health care. I fought every one of those —holes including every special interest out there. … And what do I get for that? Only 13 percent of y’all out there think I’m doing a good job. So f–k all of you!”
When I heard that, I immediately thought of another rant by a failed wannabe movie gangster, Fredo Corleone.
“I’m your older brother, Mike, and I was stepped over!” Fredo screamed at Michael Corleone.
“That’s the way Pop wanted it,” Michael calmly responded.
“It ain’t the way I wanted it!” Fredo shouted back. “I can handle things! I’m smart! Not like everybody says, like dumb. I’m smart and I want respect!”
Fredo’s life ended not long afterward, shot in the back of the head at sundown while fishing with a “family” friend. Blagojevich’s political life ended not long after his rant was recorded, arrested by FBI agents at his home one morning before sunrise.
Like Fredo, Blagojevich was far too interested in the flashy life to take care of business, though both were convinced they were destined for greatness. Fredo’s botched shortcut up the family tree by helping a rival gangster try to kill his own brother undid him.
Blagojevich’s illegal shortcuts resulted in a 14-year prison sentence and permanent infamy.
So, maybe the former governor can console himself with the fact that he’s still alive.
Ryan is now serving his sentence of more than six years at a federal prison camp in Terre Haute, Ind., where he lives in dorm-style housing.
But Blagojevich might expect a more harsh situation, at least at first. Inmates sentenced to more than 10 years are generally sent to secured prisons, said Federal Bureau of Prisons spokesman Edmond Ross. [Emphasis added.]
* In other news, Scooter has urged Blagojevich to game the system…
Scott Fawell, the former chief of staff of a different convicted governor, George Ryan, is offering a tip on how Rod Blagojevich can cut his lengthy 14-year sentence.
The former governor may be able to make a request with the U.S. Bureau of Prisons to take part in a substance abuse program.
Fawell said that’s what he did before going into prison.
“What you do is say that in between the time you’re sentenced and the time you report, you just couldn’t stop drinking,” Fawell said.
It shaved time off of Fawell’s 78-month sentence he received for corruption that happened while he worked for Ryan. He went through a nine-month program in prison, then got six months off in a halfway house plus one year of credit for doing the program. That’s on top of time off for good behavior.
“I didn’t want to do it at first. I said: ‘I’m going to save a little shred of dignity,’ ” he said. “But it’s the only game in town. It’s the only way you can get time off” in the federal system.
* Related…
* VIDEO: Jackson: I Didn’t Know Blago Had a Brother
* One reason why Congressman Joe Walsh announced his candidacy last night in Chicago instead of in the new 8th District is that almost nobody is backing him. From the Daily Herald…
[Rival 8th CD Republican, DuPage Regional Superintendent of Education Darlene Ruscitti] is expected to receive the support of several members of the Illinois Republican delegation over Walsh — including Roskam, the GOP chief deputy whip and 6th District congressman, and 13th District Congresswoman Judy Biggert of Hinsdale.
I had heard that Peter Roskam had told Walsh he’d be working against him. Walsh denied the rumor yesterday, but if the Daily Herald is right, then Roskam will be on the other side of this primary.
Illinois GOP officials later revealed that before that meeting, Walsh and [US House Speaker John] Boehner had had a sit-down about the district switch.
[Jack] Roeser said he called Boehner to encourage that meeting and provide Walsh with a financial incentive for doing so. A few minutes into that conversation, he said, Boehner tapped him for a $50,000 donation.
* Boehner’s meeting then translated into NRCC support…
In running from the newly-drawn 8th, Walsh wanted and apparently got some national backing. National Republican Congressional Committee Chairman Rep. Pete Sessions said: “Joe Walsh gives Republicans the best opportunity to win the 8th District.”
Cue the “pay to play” howling in five… four… three…
*** UPDATE *** Roeser’s people say he contributed the $50K at a June Boehner fundraiser, during which there was no talk of the Walsh move. The meeting with Speaker Boehner in November did not involve talk of financial support.
* Walsh Changes Course, Announces Run In 8th: “We are at war in this country…I went (to Washington) to stop this president. I went to go to war. The media and neither political party get it.” Walsh called his fight a “revolution to get our country back.”
* I hate having to do it, but I’ve often warned my wife about speaking Arabic on her mobile phone in certain public places…
Twenty-three-year-old Joshua Scaggs is being held on $500,000 bond after he allegedly slashed the throat of a University of Illinois law school professor.
A witness tells police both the suspect and victim were seated in the waiting area of a train station in Champaign when the suspect jumped up and shouted “this is my country” and attacked the victim.
The attacker reportedly told police he thought the victim was Middle Eastern. […]
An assistant state’s attorney says he decided not to charge Scaggs with a hate crime because the other charges have stiffer penalties.
My wife is an Iraqi Christian, but some people don’t even know there is such a thing. To far too many people, all Arabs are Muslims and all Muslims are anti-American terrorists. I have been stunned over the years by the ignorance of many people I thought would know better.
Scaggs has been charged with attempted murder and two counts of aggravated battery, alleging he slashed the throat of Anurudha Udeni Dhammika Dharmapala, 41, of Champaign at the Illinois Terminal on Wednesday morning. He is a professor at the University of Illinois College of Law specializing in law and economics, tax policy, public economy, and political economy.
Carle Foundation Hospital was not releasing information about his condition Thursday morning but Assistant State’s Attorney Steve Ziegler said he was told that Dharmapala sustained about a six-inch cut on his throat which bled profusely.
* 3:40 pm - Attorney General Lisa Madigan has just issued an official opinion that Rod Blagojevich has “forfeited his pension benefits” because “all 18 of his felony convictions clearly arose out of and in connection with his service as Governor of the State of Illinois.”
This is no surprise, but I thought you’d like to know.
* As I told subscribers earlier today, an agreement has been reached between House negotiators on the tax cut package…
House Republican Leader Tom Cross said today that he’s agreed to a tax breaks package that would include incentives intended to keep Sears Holdings Corp. in Illinois.
“We have come to an agreement on a jobs package that will give some relief to a broad base of businesses in our state,” Cross said in a statement released this afternoon. “This package will allow businesses to plan on longer term research and development and the ability to carry their losses forward in a tough economy. It will also lessen the tax burden on our family farmers and small businesses. We must continue this broad based approach to retaining and growing jobs in Illinois.”
Some of the details of the proposal remain unclear for now, but the Sears provisions of the larger tax deal have remained unchanged for weeks.
Actually, the agreement has already been filed as a set of two amendments. Click here to read them.
* Gov. Pat Quinn hasn’t been able to get many bills passed this year in Springfield, but he’s in Washington, DC today urging the state’s delegation to back the president…
Gov. Pat Quinn is lobbying the Illinois congressional delegation to approve a payroll tax cut and an extension of unemployment insurance benefits for the long-term jobless before adjourning for the year.
Quinn met Thursday morning with members of the Illinois delegation in Washington. He said the tax cut is essential for working people who live paycheck to paycheck.
The Obama administration is pushing to lower the payroll tax to 3.1 percent next year. Unless Congress acts, the tax would revert to 6.2 percent.
Democrats also are pushing to continue extended jobless benefits. In states with high unemployment rates, laid-off workers can collect benefits for up to 99 weeks.
The leader of the Illinois State Rifle Association says he’s pleased a Peoria judge signed an order barring the state police from releasing the names of 1.3 million firearm owner identification cardholders.
Richard Pearson says the order signed this week is further protection for gun owners, who won a similar victory this year when the state Senate passed a bill prohibiting public disclosure of people with FOID cards.
The ruling is the latest chapter in a story that started when Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s office ruled in response to a request from The Associated Press that the names are public under the state’s open records law and should be released.
* ComEd officials held a press conference today to announce that the company will comply with a new state law. Yes, that’s not completely snark…
Commonwealth Edison said Thursday it will meet the requirements of a new state law for which it lobbied by increasing the number of “smart” electric substations, providing new solar-power use incentives and spending more money with women- and minority-owned businesses.
The announcement came as the utility filed a “performance metrics” report Thursday with the Illinois Commerce Commission as the law requires. The Illinois Legislature on Oct. 26 overrode Gov. Pat Quinn’s veto of the legislation that critics say guarantees ComEd and Ameren utilities yearly rate-hike increases for each of the next 10 years.
ComEd, which will invest $2.6 billion to upgrade its electric system in the next decade, contends that it is now the nation’s first utility to have its profits tied to performance, and that it will be penalized if it fails to live up to its agreements to operate an efficient and reliable power system.
* And check out this campaign e-mail…
Hello, my name is Kyle Kasperek and i am a candidate in the 34th District for Illinois State Representative. I reside in Calumet City and i put together a press release that i would like you to consider during your soonest conveience. Thanks and have a great day!
During my “soonest conveience”? Dude, you’re supposed to be running for the Illinois General Assembly, not junior high student council. Also, don’t send press releases as attachments. This isn’t 1997, OK?
Healthy, delicious middle eastern buffet with Greek salad and olive oil everywhere. Afaf and Jamal make you feel like family. Try the Turkish coffee; that tiny cup will keep you awake for hours.
Hand’s down, The State House Inn! The bottom line is that the entire staff is like family when you pretty much live there for half the year. They implement suggestions and make accommodations when asked. They work hard to provide entertainment and snacks for us regulars in The No Name as well. As mentioned yesterday, there’s a lot to be said for the convenience of having a nightcap and being able to roll on up to your room.
I couldn’t agree more. I always tried to stay there when I lived in Chicago because of the location and the amenities.
I don’t stay in a hotel, but my members love the Abe Lincoln because of the cost, the remodeling recently done, The Globe and the restaurant, and the parking. Plus Celtic is within walking distance as is the museum.
Definitely another good spot. The Hilton has upped its game recently by opening a bar and restaurant on the top floor. We’ll see how that goes. But the Bennigan’s in the building has the worst service I’ve ever encountered in this town, and the food just isn’t good. Yes, we’re rating hotels here, not restaurants, but that Bennigan’s means the Hilton has no chance of winning.
* OK, on to today’s nominations. This will be our last service industry category before moving onto politics…
* Best bartender
* Best waiter/waitress
As always, make sure to explain your nominations and do your very best to nominate in both categories. The intensity and creativity of nominations count far more than the number of nominations. Thanks.
Starting today, Sun-Times Media newspaper websites will offer an online subscription plan for those seeking unlimited access to all our sites.
Website users will get 20 free page views at any Sun-Times-affiliated site every 30 days, but will be required to buy an online subscription for additional access. Visits to newspaper homepages and section fronts — such as the pages that index the top news and sports stories — won’t count toward the 20 pages. Advertising-based sections will remain free, such as cars, real estate and death notices.
Online subscriptions will be $1.99 per four weeks for home-delivery customers. Digital-only subscribers will be charged $6.99 every four weeks, or they can pay $77.87 for yearlong access.
* Back to Rod for another number. Well, actually, it’s a date. Eric Zorn plotted Rod Blagojevich’s February 16 prison report date, factored in good time credit and then calculated the former governor’s release date…
While I will shed no tears for Blagojevich, I do believe that by the year 2020 a lot more folks will be asking themselves whether he still belongs in prison.
That, or they’ll have forgotten about him by then.
“It is a very stern sentence….It is a sad chapter and it is closed, the book is closed. “Illinois has to make sure that the world knows we have a reform governor who believes in honesty and integrity at all times,” Quinn told “Morning Joe.” Noting that former Gov. George Ryan was also in jail on corruption charges Quinn said, “we want to make sure this never happens again.”
* You could hear some great quotes in these two videos, but, wow are they full of the most vile and disgusting profanity ever. From a press release…
Tuesday evening, Matt Harrington, Campaign Director and Senior Advisor of several campaigns past and present, left threatening messages on the answering machine of State Representative Candidate Tom Swiss, including direct threats of physical attack.
“The insiders still haven’t received the message. They still feel entitled to all government positions. These phone messages are disturbing for two reasons. First, the threat of extreme violence and second the use of public resources for personal or political gain.”
Do not click those above links if you are offended by profanity or if listening to such things would get you in trouble at work. Seriously. Disturbing stuff.
A panel of federal judges on Wednesday threw out a Republican lawsuit challenging a Democrat-drawn map of new state legislative districts in Illinois.
House Republican Leader Tom Cross, Senate GOP Leader Christine Radogno and other Republicans sued because they contended the state’s new map is unfair to minority groups and GOP voters.
The Republican leadership is deciding whether to appeal.
“We will carefully review our options,” said Radogno in a statement. “Our goal of providing all Illinois citizens a fair opportunity to elect representatives of their choice for the next decade remains. The map crafted by the majority particularly weakens the ability of minority voters to exercise their voting rights. This opinion could further weaken their position.”
The opinion was at times quite harsh. And this was obviously not a well-crafted challenge in any way. Click here to read the decision. Pay special attention to how the judges view political motives in redistricting. it’s perfectly fine with them.
* Speaking of the remap, you’d think Joe Walsh might wait until the other federal panel decides what to do about the congressional map before he’d make yet another announcement about where he plans to run. But, he’s forging ahead anyway…
U.S. Rep. Joe Walsh plans to announce his plans for re-election at a Chicago Tea Party meeting.
Walsh is to make the announcement Thursday evening at a bar on Chicago’s North Side near Wrigley Field. Walsh is a first-term Republican who represents Illinois’ 8th Congressional District in northwest suburban Chicago. He has been trying to decide where to run if he seeks a second term.
Lake View is nowhere near either district he’s been contemplating. But it’s a heckuva lot closer to the TV cameras, and you can’t blame him for wanting to get as much publicity as possible.
To hear Adam Andrzejewski tell it, the Republican primary this spring is not a contest between candidates, but a contest for the heart of the Illinois Republican Party.
Andrzejewski ran for, and lost, the GOP nomination for governor in 2010. However, since then, he has become the face, and in some cases the checkbook, of Illinois’ new conservative wing.
“The true split in the Illinois Republican Party is the establishment, business as usual Republicans versus real Republican reformers,” Andrzejewski said.
Andrzejewski said three contests on the March 20 ballot will be tell-tale races for Republicans:
* The new 50th District race with Gray Noll, state Sen. Sam McCann, R-Carlinville, and Springfield Councilman Steve Dove;
* The new 110th District race between state Rep. Roger Eddy, R-Hutsonville, and Shelby County GOP Chairman Brad Holbrook;
* The new 54th District race between state Sen. Kyle McCarter, R-Lebanon, and state Sen. John O. Jones, R-Mount Vernon.
“Many of these primary races are going to be wheat (and) chaff separating races,” Andrzejewski said. “That’s what the primary season is all about.”
* Other stuff…
* Ald. Joe Moore in running for state EPA chief - Wife Barbara Moore could be a candidate to replace him
* Do you think that Rod Blagojevich’s 14-year prison sentence will deter Illinois political corruption? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Illinois Senate President John J. Cullerton announced today that the Senate will be in session beginning at noon on Tuesday, Dec. 13.
That’s understandable. The Senate wants to see what the House does on Monday before they return. If the House fails to approve a tax cut package, there’s no sense for the Senate to be in town.
A big Downstate manufacturer is now seeking the same Illinois income tax incentives sought by Sears Holdings, according to several sources close to the legislative negotiations. The development came as Speaker Mike Madigan summoned the Illinois House to a special session next Monday.
Sources identified the Downstate company as Edwards County-based Champion Laboratories, one of the world’s largest makers of filters for industry and vehicles. Two key legislators said they believed Champion would hire additional workers in Illinois, if the tax incentives were approved. Voice mail messages left for a Champion Lab’s spokeswoman were not returned Tuesday evening.
Madigan’s summons to House members said the Revenue Committee would convene at the State Capitol Monday at 10 a.m. Sources said no final deal had yet been reached. But they hoped one would be ready for an up or down vote by the time legislators returned to Springfield.
Intense negotiations continued behind the scenes Tuesday on a series of proposed tax law changes. After discussing a possible move to Indianapolis with that city’s mayor last Friday, executives of CME Group were still hopeful that Illinois would grant them the same tax treatment it accords virtually every other corporation. Other companies are taxed only on what they sell in Illinois, not on their sales in other states or countries. If applied to CME Group, those rules would cut about $85 million annually from its Illinois income tax. CME Group is the corporate parent of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange and the Chicago Board of Trade.
Champion just bought another company and will likely be moving jobs to southern Illinois if this tax deal is approved.
As states have struggled to balance their budgets by cutting services, laying off workers and raising taxes, a study to be released on Wednesday suggests that many profitable Fortune 500 companies have not been paying as much in state corporate income taxes as the average levied on American companies, with some big firms paying none at all in recent years.
A few companies, including DuPont, reported paying no state corporate income taxes from 2008 to 2010 even as they reported profits, according to the study, which was conducted by Citizens for Tax Justice and the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, nonprofit research organizations in Washington that advocate a more progressive tax code. (A spokeswoman for DuPont said that she had not seen the study, but that “DuPont complies with all tax laws and regulations” wherever it operates.) […]
To gauge how much Fortune 500 companies are paying in corporate income taxes, the study looked at the 265 of them that are both profitable and disclose their state tax payments. It found that 68 reported paying no state corporate taxes in at least one year between 2008 and 2010. All together, the study found that the companies reported $1.33 trillion in domestic profits from 2008 to 2010, but paid states only about half of what they would have if they had paid at the average corporate income tax rate of all states — reducing their state taxes by some $42.7 billion.
Matthew Gardner, the executive director of the Institute on Taxation and Economy Policy, said that state corporate-tax collections have dwindled for several reasons. Many states calculate their taxes based on federal corporate taxes, so some recent federal corporate tax breaks have lowered their collections. Other states have granted their own tax breaks to try to promote economic development, or to lure companies from other states. Companies, meanwhile, have grown adept at reducing taxes and finding tax shelters.
A Milwaukee-based temporary staffing company has laid off nearly 500 employees in Illinois, blaming the high cost of the state’s workers’ compensation system.
An executive of Parallel Employment Group said Tuesday that the company cut jobs in Illinois because it wanted to lower its workers’ compensation costs.
Kirk La Du, executive vice president of operations, said the company, which also operates in Wisconsin and New York, incurred 87 percent of its total workers’ compensation costs in Illinois. The state accounts for about 35 percent of its revenues, he said.
“The only reason we are downsizing is competitive issues related to workers’ compensation,” La Du said. “It seems foolish to us to continue operating in a state where workers’ comp made it difficult to make money.”
The “vast majority” of Parallel’s temporary roster will be reassigned to Andrews & Staff Force Inc., a staffing firm with multiple Chicago-area locations, Mr. La Due said.
• The Chicago Transit Authority reported to the state it might eliminate 93 jobs as a result of a leaner 2012 budget
• Ameren Energy Generating Co., a St. Louis-based electric power distributor, will shed 53 jobs at its power plant in Meredosia, the Central Illinois town near the Illinois River. The plant was selected as the site of FutureGen 2.0, a project in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Energy’s clean-coal power program that the company claimed would bring 900 jobs to the area. But Ameren said it’s pulling out of the project.
• Syms Corp., the Secaucus, N.J.-based parent company of Filene’s Basement LLC, will shed 107 jobs when it closes Filene’s Basement stores on State Street and Michigan Avenue. The company declared bankruptcy in early November, after putting itself up for sale in May but finding no buyers.
• Tinley Park Mental Health Center in the south suburbs reported that it will close and eliminate 180 jobs, according to the state. But a budget deal last week would allow the facility to remain open through next June, according to the Department of Human Services.
• Roscor Corp., an audio and multimedia wholesaler in northwest suburban Mount Prospect, will lay off 102 employees, according to the report. Mitch Roston, the company’s co-owner, said the number of eliminated jobs was closer to 85 and that the company maintains between 35 and 40 employees. He said Roscor is suffering in the poor economy and will undergo a restructuring.
• General Automation Inc., a north suburban Skokie-based manufacturer, will shed 65 jobs in a company consolidation. A company human resources employee declined to comment.
• USA 3000 Airlines, a small Newtown Square, Pa.-based carrier that operates at O’Hare International Airport and flies mainly to Mexico, warned of a possible layoff of 86 employees in the event of a company sale. A representative did not return a call for comment.
• Computer Sciences Corp., a computer programming company in west suburban Oakbrook Terrace, will eliminate 79 jobs due to poor business conditions.
* Let’s start with the winners from yesterday’s nominations. Keep in mind that there are no appeals here. All decisions are final, so don’t waste your time complaining in comments because I’ll just delete you.
I have to heartily endorse Ross Isaac’s, not only for being the best food in town but for also attracting a slew of legislators every night. If you get a table at the back, working your way through that place saluting and shaking hands is like a scene out of Goodfellas (without the mobsters, of course).
A few weeks ago I took a Sun-Times editor out to dinner. I knew that if I took her to Ross Isaac’s she’d have a memorable night, and, of course, she did, and so did I. The restaurant is outside the “sandbox,” but the owner is extremely session-friendly. Delicious food, great crowd, prompt waitstaff, solid owner. You cannot ask for more than that. Ross Isaac’s is tops. Go there.
* Runner-up goes to Sebastian’s Hideout (down in the basement). “Wizzard of Ozzie” nominated it for best bar, but the Hideout is also a a fine restaurant…
Basement at Sebastian’s. Feels more like a political hangout than anywhere in Springfield and a lot of work gets done there.
Sebastian’s Hideout is what Norb Andy’s used to be, but with far better food. Try the potato soup. Heaven. Also, the firefighters love it and I love me some firefighters.
I’ve found myself spending more time at the Sangamo as I get older. It has become my default bar. Yes, there are the occasional snooty townies, but they do keep out the riff-raff - I know this because I was almost kicked out a few years back. One must maintain one’s composure. Also, it’s currently the place for “leader watching.” Madigan and Cullerton are semi-regulars at the club’s restaurant. And you won’t find better service anywhere this side of Chicago.
The place is packed seemingly every night during session. Mostly lobbyists and staff, but a few legislators too. I think most members probably prefer the more reserved grill room at the Sangamo Club or the Hideout at Sebastians. My vote is for JP Kelly’s though for top notch service and stiff cocktails.
I always know I can find somebody at JP Kelly’s when I’m desperate for a story. Everybody goes there.
Note to the new Boone’s Saloon owners: You need one good year under your belt and you’ll be a serious contender next time around. And I haven’t been to this bar since the new owners took over, but a nomination by “Old School” was so intriguing that I have to award it an honorable mention…
Bar: Scandals, not everyone goes there but the people who do are the people you want to lobby.
I’m gonna have to check it out.
* OK, now, on to today’s nominations…
* Best Springfield hotel
* Best place for lunch near the Statehouse
Make sure to explain your nominations. Sincere intensity counts far more than the number of nominations. Also, make sure to nominate in both categories. Thanks.
* The hearing starts back up this morning at 10 o’clock. Blagojevich will likely testify near the beginning. He’ll be sentenced later today. A list of the counts against Blagojevich is here.
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