* I checked today and this blog has been open and functioning at full speed every day, including weekends, since Monday, June 19th. I have published a subscriber edition every day but one since then. I’m not complaining and I’m not bragging. Lots of people work far harder and a whole lot more than I do. I also love my job. I’m just saying that I’m tired. I’m pretty sure I won’t re-open on Monday and instead take a three-day weekend. We could all probably use the break from each other and I could definitely use the sleep. I also need to catch up on some weekday-only errands.
* Not exactly a big news story, but an oppo file landed in my in-box a bit ago, so here it is…
Bruce Rauner Has Paid His Property Taxes Late 5 Times
The First Installment Of The 1996 Property Taxes On Rauner’s Winnetka Home Was Paid Late, Resulting In $31.64 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
The First Installment Of The 2000 Property Taxes On Rauner’s Winnetka Home Was Paid Late, Resulting In $231.66 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
The First Installment Of The 2005 Property Taxes On Rauner’s Winnetka Home Was Paid Late, Resulting In $284.26 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
The Second Installments Of The 2014 Property Taxes On Rauner’s Winnetka Home, Chicago Condos, And Parking Spaces Were Paid Late, Resulting In $1,179.58 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
The First Installments Of The 2016 Property Taxes On Rauner’s Winnetka Home, Chicago Condos, And Parking Spaces Were Paid Late, Resulting In $1,291.89 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
Chris Kennedy Has Paid His Property Taxes Late Four Times
The First And Second Installments Of The 2014 Property Taxes On Kennedy’s Kenilworth Home Were Paid Late, Resulting In $959.77 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
The First And Second Installments Of The 2015 Property Taxes On Kennedy’s Kenilworth Home Were Paid Late, Resulting In $985.36 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
Daniel Biss Has Paid His Property Taxes Late Twice
The Second Installment Of The 2006 Property Taxes On Biss’ Evanston Home Was Paid Late, Resulting In $44.57 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
The First Installment Of The 2014 Property Taxes On Biss’ Evanston Home Was Paid Late, Resulting In $47.43 In Interest Charges. (Cook County Treasurer Records)
Again, it doesn’t look all that horrible to me, but whatevs. Maybe somebody else will get riled about it.
* Social service providers are breathing a sigh of relief with the new budget, but they were whacked so hard by the gridlock that it’s going to take a while to recover…
For providers of drug-abuse and mental-heath treatment, the budget crisis-related gaps in funding and uncertainty led to the layoffs of more than 1,000 people at various agencies statewide, Howe said.
Several centers opted to close down permanently.
Because of political bickering, the capacity of human-service providers in Illinois to serve low-income patients seeking addiction-treatment services dropped during a nationwide opioid crisis, she said.
“It will take years to fix this devastation,” she said.
John Kelker, president of the Springfield-based United Way of Central Illinois, said the budget crisis caused many local human-service providers locally to lose highly trained professionals through layoff or people choosing to leave the field.
“How are they going to pay everybody?” said Merri Ex, CEO of Family Focus, which recently received enough funds from the state comptroller’s office to delay planned layoffs and program cessations. “It’ll take a long time before (the state) catches up.” […]
What the budget lacks is full funding to pay back bills from 2016 and 2017, [Illinois Collaboration on Youth CEO Andrea Durbin] said, adding that the coalition has been told that a combination of fund sweeps and bonding will be used to pay the bills.
“This is not a cash infusion,” said Abdon Pallasch, spokesman for Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Once the income-tax hike takes effect, “it will take a while to catch up on all the unpaid bills once the new revenue comes in,” he said, adding that “the comptroller has been prioritizing social-services agencies and the state’s most vulnerable.”
The state owes about $5 million, for example, to Lutheran Child and Family Services of River Forest. Earlier this year, the agency laid off 100 staffers, or 25 percent of its workforce, and shut down nine programs. CEO Mike Bertrand is doubtful that the budget will help the agency restore the programs or rehire the workers. The agency has signed about $24 million in state contracts for fiscal 2018, Bertrand said. “We are certainly hopeful that we as a state will move forward and not let this happen again,” he said.
What the budget lacks is full funding to pay back bills from 2016 and 2017, Durbin said, adding that the coalition has been told that a combination of fund sweeps and bonding will be used to pay the bills. “This is not a cash infusion,” said Abdon Pallasch, spokesman for Illinois State Comptroller Susana Mendoza. Once the income-tax hike takes effect, “it will take a while to catch up on all the unpaid bills once the new revenue comes in,” he said, adding that “the comptroller has been prioritizing social-services agencies and the state’s most vulnerable.” The state owes about $5 million, for example, to Lutheran Child and Family Services of River Forest. Earlier this year, the agency laid off 100 staffers, or 25 percent of its workforce, and shut down nine programs. CEO Mike Bertrand is doubtful that the budget will help the agency restore the programs or rehire the workers. The agency has signed about $24 million in state contracts for fiscal 2018, Bertrand said. “We are certainly hopeful that we as a state will move forward and not let this happen again,” he said.
After yesterday’s historic bipartisan budget votes by the Illinois House, Do Your Job, Inc. is asking Governor Rauner to stop obfuscating responsibility, put politics aside and do his job in a new ad which will air on broadcast and digital platforms.
During the governor’s self-inflicted budget crisis, Illinois has experienced what former republican Gov. Jim Edgar described as the worst condition he can ever remember including the state’s tenure during disgraced former Governor Rod Blagojevich. Now, Gov. Rauner has engaged in a campaign spree blaming everyone but himself for a tax increase he supported for months. Rauner’s political apparatuses have also chimed in with threats of political retribution and dog-whistle politics.
Moving forward, the Governor can do his job by ensuring schools in Illinois are equitably funded. The legislature has passed Senate Bill 1, which Rauner overwhelmingly supports - to the tune of 90 percent per his education czar - but refuses to sign for what many perceive to be political reasons.
Do Your Job, Inc. is led by IL Sen. Michael E. Hastings of South Suburban Cook County, IL Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie and Illinois AFL-CIO President Michael T. Carrigan.
Last week, he tweeted. After 3 years of stalling, Governor Rauner said he was at his desk and ready to sign a budget. So Democrats and Republicans put politics aside sending Rauner a balanced, bipartisan budget. After 30,000 lost jobs, 15 billion in unpaid bills, schools faced with not reopening, it came down to one man. By vetoing the bipartisan budget, Rauner was the only obstacle to progress. Tell Rauner, next time, do your job.
ILGOP Releases Video – Mike Madigan’s Tax Hike
Madigan’s Tax Hike Will Hurt Taxpayers
Mike Madigan’s permanent 32% tax hike includes zero reforms to help the people and fix our political system. It only rewards Madigan and his cronies with more taxpayer money that they have proven incapable of spending wisely. It’s a disaster for the long term health of Illinois.
The Illinois Republican Party is highlighting Madigan’s tax hike with a new digital video.
The income tax increase all but guarantees that residents not directly affected by, and therefore who perhaps ignored, the last two years of dysfunction in the Capitol are about to get hit where they notice. If they weren’t paying attention then, you can bet they will be leading up to next year’s elections. Their ire in forking over more in income taxes might be tempered if lawmakers provide property tax relief and pass reforms that show the days of reckless fiscal policy in Illinois are over.
* The Question: Now that his budget vetoes have been overridden, should Gov. Rauner call a special session on purely non-budget issues? Click here to take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
Steve Anderson, the Rep. from Geneva who, because of Rauner’s abdication of leadership, filled the void and became the de facto governor for the last week - organized with some help, but he was the lead organizer of the 15 Republicans who voted for this tax hike with no spending reforms as the Tribune opines.
KASS: So, if there’s an override today, Madigan is – is Rauner at fault for abdicating, for kind of disappearing?
PROFT: Yes…
KASS: For letting this happen?
PROFT: Yes, he is. And he’s tried to play this game, this inside game for the better part of the last 18 months, and it has been to no effect other than to diminish his standing, dilute his brand, and allow the likes of a Steve Anderson, allow the big government Republicans to be ascendant. So, I would say that’s a problem. That’s not – those aren’t good outcomes from the maverick who’s going to take on the power structure in Springfield to turnaround Illinois. […]
One of the questions is, does Rauner really want, his protestations not withstanding, does he really want his veto to be overridden? Because let me tell you, he doesn’t.
My hope of Dissolving Illinois — to save middle-class taxpayers from being stuck in this toxic wasteland of a state — hit a snag on Thursday.
It wasn’t the hazmat crews crawling over the Capitol Building in Springfield after finding some mysterious white powder tossed around the governor’s office.
It was what Democratic Boss Mike Madigan’s legislature did — with quisling Republican help — in overriding Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of their $5 billion, 32 percent tax increase without any real structural economic reforms.
A quisling… is a term originating from Norway, which is used in Scandinavian languages and in English for a person who collaborates with an enemy occupying force – or more generally as a synonym for traitor. The word originates from the surname of the Norwegian war-time leader Vidkun Quisling, who headed a domestic Nazi collaborationist regime during the Second World War.
He goes on to claim that Steve Andersson, “whined” about death threats. “I thought I could see his lower lip quivering a bit.”
And then he listed the “Republican Madigan enablers” by name.
Today, the JB for Governor campaign released new calls holding Bruce Rauner accountable for the damage he’s done to the people of Illinois through his 736-day manufactured budget crisis. Legislators overrode his desperate and reckless veto, but the suffering of Illinois families can’t be erased.
The robo calls will target state House and Senate districts across the state.
Among supporters, Mr. Rauner’s fierce opposition to a tax increase unless it included other items on his agenda — a freeze on property taxes, cuts to workers’ compensation, term limits — was seen as an example of sticking with principles in the face of overwhelming pressure. It also unveiled a 2018 campaign talking point against the Democrats who ushered through the increase.
“Nobody ever wins the next cycle running on a tax increase,” said Pat Brady, a former Illinois Republican Party chairman. “The governor came out way ahead.” […]
Bill Daley, a member of the Chicago Democratic political family who served on Mr. Rauner’s transition team, said he found the end of the two-year budget impasse “a little strange.”
“It’s pretty obvious that he didn’t get anything out of the last two years,” he said of Mr. Rauner. As for the 2018 election, “there’s only one strategy left for him, and that’s to run against everybody: Democrats, Republicans, the town.”
He’ll also benefit from that same New York Times article referring to him as a “fiscally conservative” leader, which is a crock. The budget he vetoed spent less than the budget he proposed in February, and it was far more balanced. The bill backlog tripled on his watch.
Spending has shot up to $38.1 billion this past fiscal year without a budget. The budget he vetoed spends $36 billion.
The Illinois Lottery has resumed sales of Mega Millions and Powerball tickets now that the state’s budget stalemate has concluded, lottery officials said.
The state stopped sales late last month of the popular Powerball and Mega Millions games due to its inability to contribute to the prize pool without a budget in place.
Road construction workers across the state will begin returning to work after the Illinois Department of Transportation said construction projects can resume with Thursday’s approval of a full-year state budget.
Workers were sent home or not called it at all on Monday, the first work day of the state fiscal year amid the ongoing budget impasse that led to the state shutting down approximately 900 transportation projects totaling $3.3 billion, according to one of the state’s largest contractor associations.
The Illinois Department of Transportation estimated 20,000 workers were affected.
But with Thursday’s Illinois House vote to override Gov. Bruce Rauner’s veto of budget-related legislation, IDOT on Thursday evening gave the green light to restart work.
* Now that Rep. Chad Hays (R-Catlin) has announced his retirement, longtime former Rep. Bill Black (R-Danville) has expressed an interest in running…
“I know my way around that situation a little bit and I think I could be an advocate for this district, as Chad was. And an advocate for community colleges and the university (of Illinois) and education,” said Black, who is on the board of Danville Area Community College. “I’m not a shrinking violet and I’m not going to go over there and say, ‘Oh, gee whiz, why did you do that?’” […]
“I’d be 77 years old when I was inaugurated, but one good thing is I’m not going to go over there and say, ‘Boy, I want to stay here as long as I could stay,’” he said. “It would be with no trepidation and no fear of what might happen to me, other than health-related.”
Black acknowledged that he has kidney disease, “but it’s under control.” And he had what he called “a mild heart attack” three years ago, “but I’ve got a great cardiologist.”
He said he and wife Sharon “were out and about yesterday and people were very encouraging. I don’t know. I’m having lunch with people and we’re going to talk about it. Obviously, I’d like to see the seat stay in Vermilion County.”
Bill announced he was quitting a few times before he actually did, and has since talked about running again, so this is not really a surprise. Whether he’ll try it or not is something we’ll have to wait to find out.
Supporters said the plan includes $2.5 billion in spending cuts, including 5 percent across-the-board reductions to most state agencies and a 10 percent cut to higher education.
The personal income tax rate goes from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent, which is expected to generate roughly $4.3 billion. A rise in the corporate income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 7 percent would bring in another $460 million. The research-and-development tax credit would be reinstated, and the earned income tax credit for low-income families would be increased. The law also ends several corporate tax breaks, including those for companies that operate on the continental shelves or shift production out of state.
Lawmakers said the budget includes enough surplus revenue to support roughly $3 billion in borrowing, which could be used to generate a total of $8 billion in extra cash to pay down debts. That’s because the state receives federal money when it makes some Medicaid payments.
Funding for elementary and high schools would be boosted by $350 million […]
The budget also assumes $500 million in savings from pension changes long-sought by Rauner to create a defined-contribution 401(k)-style retirement plan to compete with the defined-benefit pension plans currently offered to state employees.
The bill backlog is about $15 billion. About $4-5 billion of that is an acceptable level. Most people don’t pay bills the moment they arrive, and neither do governments. As long as the payment cycle is around 30 days, that’s normal. but this plan doesn’t get the state to that level.
Also, the governor’s office says that while they support that defined contribution plan, it contains no specific start date, instead allowing the pension systems to start the programs on their own. And that’s why they say there’s a $500 million hole in their own proposal. So, we’ll see.
* Keep in mind that the bills dealing with this issue, from the GOPas well as the Democrats. contain the same language about making school aid funding contingent on the evidence-based reform change…
Illinois got its long awaited budget Thursday afternoon after the House, briefly delayed by a possible hazardous materials situation at the state Capitol, voted to override vetoes by Gov. Bruce Rauner.
But the state’s 800-plus school districts, including the broke Chicago Public Schools, will have to wait a little longer to see their financial problems resolved. […]
The measures House members approved on Thursday do authorize more spending for schools — about $350 million more throughout the state with one of the most inequitable school funding system in the nation — but don’t include the new funding formula for doling out that money. That formula, known as an “evidence-based funding model” is spelled out in separate legislation, including one bill, Senate Bill 1, that has passed both houses of the Legislature but has been targeted for veto by Rauner once it lands on his desk. The other bill, introduced by Sen. Jason Barickman (R-Bloomington), hasn’t been voted on at all.
Will CPS get more money then?
A little, but not the big money it needs to balance its books. The budget bills do contain additional statewide spending for school matters: $50 million extra on early childhood education, $57 million more for transportation, and $3.2 million more for agricultural education. CPS wouldn’t say what its cut would amount to.
The budget bills also would raise new tax revenue — which the Illinois Comptroller’s office said would allow it to cut checks for a remaining $850 million in late block grant payments to CPS and other districts across the state — but there’s no immediate cash infusion, spokesman Abdon Pallasch said.
“The certainty for state workers and others that are owed money, I think that helps provides certainty of a pay check or payments in a timely manner,” Langfelder said. “I think it’ll have domino effect” on the economy.
Until the AFSCME strike talk heats up again. I wouldn’t bet on a big Springfield rebound just yet.
* The Tribune has a pretty good roundup story today, but I do want to point out this one thing…
The budget package calls for spending $36.1 billion in the coming year, which is less than the $39 billion that’s currently going out the door due to a patchwork of court orders and laws that’s left state government to spend billions more than it takes in each year.
The state can’t actually spend more than it takes in. Instead, it promises spending or is ordered to spend and then makes everybody wait for months on end to get paid. The state essentially “borrows” from providers and vendors. And the governor greatly contributed to that hole by signing billions of dollars in contracts over the past couple of years without any legally authorizing appropriations to pay for them.
Government cannot operate without suppliers of goods and services. Illinois relies heavily on not-for-profit groups to provide direct social services. It also relies on thousands of businesses large and small for everything from Medicaid insurance, to paper, to food for prisoners. Local governments are also put on the hook for state facility sewer and water services and, in the case of Springfield, electricity…
Citing the damage the two-year state budget stalemate has caused, Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder welcomed news of a $36 billion spending plan that was put in place Thursday.
Even with the income tax hike that’s part of the deal, a budget is preferable to a continued stalemate, he said.
“It has really stymied the growth of our economic engine with regards to the medical area,” Langfelder said, noting that the state owes local medical providers millions of dollars.
The state also owes $4.3 million to Springfield’s utility, City Water, Light and Power, according to a CWLP spokeswoman. And in the last week, the impasse has halted several major road projects in the city.
Anyway, what this budget does is pay for those goods and services going forward and partially pay off the debt owed to everyone who has sold the state something or provided a service on its behalf.
Chicago Tribune: Welcome to the new Illinois. Same as the old Illinois. Except 32 percent pricier.
Madigan’s Tax-Hike, No-Reform Budget is “Business as usual”
“Mike Madigan’s tax hike is just the latest example of the corrupt political system that Governor Rauner is working to change. The people did not want this tax hike, but the career politicians and special interests did. Taxpayers wanted reforms to grow the economy, lower property taxes, and fix our political system through term limits. Thanks to Mike Madigan and his allies, all we’re getting is more of the same.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
The Chicago Tribune Editorial board slammed Mike Madigan and his allies last night after Madigan forced through a 32% permanent income tax hike without reform:
Finalizing a 32 percent income tax hike, the Illinois House on Thursday approved a budget for the fiscal year that began July 1. Illinois taxpayers will begin paying a 4.95 percent individual income rate, up from 3.75 percent, retroactive to July 1.
What are taxpayers getting for sending another $5 billion to Springfield?
Business as usual.
You might think that Democratic legislators — for 14 years the primary architects of a financial fiasco that has created enormous taxpayer debts — would acquiesce on pro-growth economic reforms that our neighboring states have adopted.
You might think the majority party would listen to large and small business owners about the urgent need for more reasonable workers’ compensation insurance costs.
You might think Democrats would have advanced another pension reform bill or created a lower-cost, defined contribution plan for new employees, or attempted to change the Illinois Constitution’s crushing pension obligation language.
You might think they would have been alarmed at the exodus of residents escaping to states with lower taxes, far fewer debt obligations and less dysfunction.
You might think Democrats would have agreed to a property tax freeze.
And on every count, you’d be wrong.
…this budget, like those Democrats advanced for the past two decades, also spends taxpayer money on untested, unproven programs. It includes money for pork projects. It includes money for a clouted downstate shooting complex. It includes money for state fairs, fisheries, diversity programs, agriculture studies, and $330,500 above Rauner’s requested amount for Choose Chicago, the city’s public-private economic development arm that doesn’t make its spending public.
What the budget agreement doesn’t do is adopt the sensible, pro-growth reforms Rauner championed as a candidate and during his 2 1/2 years in office. No meaningful workers’ comp changes. No property tax freeze. No major downsizing of the state’s 7,000 units of government. No votes — that’s all Rauner requested — on redistricting reform or term limits to rebuild trust in government.
And while Democratic sponsors said the spending plan should start paying down a backlog of bills and reduce costs in the pension system, rating agencies that monitor state finances weren’t convinced. Moody’s Investors Service cited the state’s crippling debt — again, taxpayers’ crippling debt — as reason to potentially drop Illinois’ bond rating to junk.
…They passed a massive tax hike without addressing their addictive spending that is the root of the debt problem, and they did not adopt pro-growth reforms to get Illinois’ economy humming.
Taxpayers, we wish we could say the additional income you’ll fork over will be the tourniquet that saves Illinois’ failing government and flailing economy.
We can’t say that. The money, we’re afraid, will merely chase debt that, despite this revenue, keeps rising.
A 32 percent tax hike should have been directly linked to a major overhaul of the way Springfield does business.
…Welcome to the new Illinois. Same as the old Illinois. Except 32 percent pricier.
Bruce Rauner’s legacy will be this – Republican lawmakers, seeing no benefit in continuing Rauner’s two-year budget crisis, broke with the Governor and cut a bipartisan budget deal with Democrats. Rauner’s refusal to compromise drove away members of his own party.
Below are quotes from the 10 House Republicans who voted for the budget revenue and to override Rauner’s veto. Their words show they were concerned their party, led by Rauner, had no plan. They confirmed that everyone knew more revenue was needed and that passing a budget was the fiscally responsible action to take. And they warned what would happen if they did not act.
Through their words, we see Rauner’s refusal to compromise and his failed leadership.
Quotes from the ‘10’
There was no other plan…
GOP Floor Leader Steven Andersson: “For those of you who say there’s a better option, do you have the votes? No. You do not have the votes!”
The budget needed revenue…
Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove: “Today’s budget responsibly reduces spending by more than $3 billion…there has been no legitimate proposal introduced this spring by the Governor, Republicans or Democrats that didn’t include a need for more revenue to balance the budget.”
Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth: “There will have to be new revenue and spending cuts. You’d have to lie to people to say anything else.”
Mike Fortner, R-West Chicago: “Increasing the income tax has never been my preferred option…[but] my balance point was reached. This was a real balanced budget, there were real reductions in spending levels, and sufficient reforms to move forward.”
…and letting the impasse linger would lead to higher taxes later
Norine Hammond, R-Macomb: “If we do not pass the budget package, that backlog would total $24 billion and the tax increase included in the budget package would have to be even larger, depending on the timing — 5.5 percent to 8 percent if the state ever wanted to see a balanced budget, or a day in which bills are paid on time, for that matter.”
The budget was balanced and a compromise…
Mike Unes, R-East Peoria: “Until the House passed a balanced budget last week, we were spending $39B annually. The current budget will immediately cut that spending by $3B, initiating the slow, difficult and essential process of digging our way out of this hole that has been decades in the making.”
Norine Hammond, R-Macomb: “Certainly Republicans didn’t get everything they wanted in that budget and Democrats didn’t either.”
Allowing more debt to pile on was wrong…
Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth: “We shouldn’t put things on our credit card and say it’s OK. It’s not OK. Illinois is in the worst shape it’s ever been in.”
Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove: “For me, one of the fundamental principles for Republicans is to have a balanced budget and to pay our bills.”
Chad Hays, R-Catlin: “I told somebody yesterday, I’ve been to a lot of Republican events over the years, but I’ve never been to one where the crowd, in terms of philosophy, said, you know how we handle paying our bills? We stiff the vendor. That’s not very Republican.”
The lack of action would have ruined Illinois’ finances…
David Harris, R-Arlington Heights: “You are an astute, capable businessman. You understand what the numbers are here. You understand the implications of junk-bond status. Is that what we want for the fifth-largest state in the union?”
David Harris, R-Arlington Heights: “Without a budget the bond rating agencies would have rated us as junk. We would be the first state ever rated as junk. It just starts a death spiral. I’m tired of playing chicken with the fifth-largest state in the union and seeing who blinks first.”
David Harris, R-Arlington Heights: “It’s time to stop playing chicken with the fifth largest state in the Union…I was not elected as a state legislator to help preside over the financial destruction of this great state.”
And most importantly, it was about the district…
Sara Wojcicki Jimenez, R-Leland Grove: “But I think at the end of the day for our community, the fact that the impasse…for now is over will bring certainty and relief to a lot of people who live here.”
Reginald Phillips, R-Charleston: “First of all, if I decide to press my button to override the governor, it doesn’t make me any less a conservative Republican than the rest of the people that stand in here. It makes a person decide he has to vote for his district. He has to think about all the people in his district to the best of his ability.”
“When the budget package went to Governor Rauner’s desk, I sincerely hoped and believed that he would finally see the need to come back to the table, and negotiate an end to the crisis he created,” Scherer said in a statement. “I hoped he would see an opportunity to build off of the $3 billion in spending cuts we identified in our budget. But the governor’s total veto and his refusal to negotiate left me with an unfortunate choice: override his veto and support a deal I didn’t fully agree with, or follow the governor over a cliff, bringing millions of Illinois families down with us. … It became clear this week that the governor would not make the tough decisions needed to end his crisis, so I did.”
* Rauner won Rep. Mike Halpin’s (D-Rock Island) district by a hair three years ago. The freshman was one of a handful of House Democrats who initially voted for the tax hike bill on 3rd Reading the other day and then switched to “No” just before the roll call was closed. He switched to “Yes” today because four Republicans flipped. His explanation to a local paper…
After the vote, Halpin said he had heard from constituents since Sunday, including representatives from area universities, and decided that it was time to get a budget approved.
“I decided that having any budget, even if not perfect, was better than no budget at all,” Halpin said.
He added he was worried about rating agencies downgrading the state’s credit rating, as well as the effect of an extended impasse on schools and human service agencies.
Nothing yet from Rep. Natalie Manley (D-Joliet). Rauner barely won that district. Also nothing from Rep. Rita Mayfield (D-Waukegan), who represents a hugely Democratic district.
* As we’ve already discussed, four House Republicans voted “Yes” on the tax hike bill and then voted “No” today on the override motion. Why did they do it? As I write this, three of the four have posted explanations on their campaign websites.
State Representative Charlie Meier (R-Highland) released the following statement after voting against Mike Madigan’s 32 percent permanent income tax hike:
“I listened to my constituents and voted against the permanent income tax hike. The people I spoke with want to see more reforms and cuts before any talk of increasing taxes. I voted against the tax hike since zero reforms came back from the Senate. I supported the Governor’s veto and the taxpayers’ wishes.”
“My vote on Sunday for the proposal in front of us was based on the ‘junk bond’ rating threat to the State of Illinois and that huge negative impact on borrowing and the cost to Illinois taxpayers,” said Rep. Cavaletto. “But I found out this morning directly from Moody’s that this budget plan doesn’t seem to help and they are still considering a downgrade from Baa3 rating level because Illinois’ debt obligations does not have stable funding to meet our obligations, even with this tax increase,” Cavaletto continued.
“The more than one thousand calls, emails and Facebook messages I have received have been about 10 to 1 opposed to any more taxes. The message from my constituents has been loud and clear that they do not want a tax increase so I had to oppose this plan with a permanent tax increase,” Cavaletto said.
As part of this plan there is a 5% across the board cut of state agencies and a 10% cut in the funding to Illinois colleges and universities. But there are not enough reforms to change the way government spending is handled in Illinois.
“We’re pushing people out of this state with high taxes and property taxes and we need reforms and tax relief to keep people here and attract more with job growth,” Cavaletto concluded.
“I voted for the budget packages earlier this week because I felt it was important to end the budget stalemate. Since that time, I have had many conversations with constituents and laid out the facts as well as the possible ramifications of not having a budget.
I have heard their voice and agree that there is a need for spending reform in order to truly fix the State of Illinois. They understand that there are no easy answers, but at the end of the day, a budget deal has to do something meaningful, not just keep doors open.
So today, I chose to do exactly what my constituents wanted me to do and voted ‘no’ on the motion to override.
I hope that my ‘no’ votes jump start discussions on how we can grow our economy and put people back to work.
For too long Illinois’ economy has lagged behind other Midwestern states. Citizens are leaving because there has been no action by the majority in the General Assembly to adjust their spending behavior.
Debt from unpaid bills, interest and pensions are crushing us. To those waiting on payments, I will continue to work to get real reform that doesn’t put us in this situation ever again.
We must do something that brings significant change to our state. We need regulatory relief, spending changes, and more opportunities for our people to thrive.
I want to thank the many constituents who took the time to contact me, discuss the facts, and get involved in this often difficult process.”
Nothing yet from Rep. David Reis (R-Ste. Marie). The fifth Republican, Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Hinckley), was out of the country and didn’t vote today.
Governor Bruce Rauner today issued the following statement after the House of Representatives voted to override the Governor’s veto of Speaker Madigan’s 32 percent permanent income tax hike:
“Today was another step in Illinois’ never-ending tragic trail of tax hikes. Speaker Madigan’s 32 percent permanent income tax increase will force another tax hike in the near future. His tax-and-spend plan is not balanced, does not cut enough spending or pay down enough debt, and does not help grow jobs or restore confidence in government. It proves how desperately we need real property tax relief and term limits. Now more than ever, the people of Illinois must fight for change that will help us create a brighter future.”
*** UPDATE *** ILGOP…
Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider released the following statement after the Illinois House of Representatives overrode Governor Rauner’s veto of Speaker Madigan’s permanent 32% tax hike:
“I am deeply disappointed in the Illinois General Assembly’s vote to override the Governor’s veto of Speaker Mike Madigan’s permanent 32% tax hike. Passing a 32% tax increase on the hard-working families of Illinois without any semblance of reform is absolute insanity. It hasn’t worked before, and it won’t work now.
“I am extremely troubled by the decision of 10 Republicans to again stand with Mike Madigan. Republicans in Illinois fought Madigan’s machine in 2014 to elect Gov. Rauner and won. In 2016 we beat Madigan again and made historic gains in the House and the Senate. After all we have accomplished together, it is astonishing that these legislators would now turn their backs on taxpayers across the state. I am confident voters will hold those politicians accountable for choosing Mike Madigan over the people of Illinois.”
Today, after 736 days, a bipartisan compromise budget passed into law. With the state on the cusp of junk status, Rauner continued to cling to his crisis with a desperate and reckless veto. But Republican and Democratic members of the General Assembly overrode the failed governor. Illinois now has a budget, but the damage is done and Bruce Rauner’s manufactured crisis will have long term ramifications for Illinois families.
In response to the override vote, JB Pritzker released the following statement:
“Bruce Rauner manufactured a 736-day crisis to force his special interest agenda on our state. Today, Democratic and Republican members of the state legislature came together to say enough is enough, but Bruce Rauner’s damage is already done,” said JB Pritzker. “Rauner led the state to $14.7 billion in unpaid bills, interest on state debt continues to skyrocket, and local governments across the state have been forced to raise taxes to compensate for a lack of state funds. Social services agencies closed, impacting countless families across Illinois, students fled to go to college in other states, and we lost opportunities for job creation. The suffering of Illinois families can’t just be erased. It will take years to clean up the mess of this failed governor’s creating and it’s clear that getting our state back on track can only happen with a new governor next November.”
Let’s take a look at Bruce Rauner’s damage to Illinois:
$14.7 billion dollars in unpaid bills piled up without a spending plan in place.
$2 billion dollars is owed to Medicaid doctors and hospitals.
130,000 students’ MAP grants were jeopardized.
37,508 residents fled the state amid historic fiscal uncertainly.
20,000 workers’ paychecks were put in limbo after IDOT halted road construction.
22 local health departments were forced to reduce services.
5 state universities were downgraded to junk bond status.
Countless social service agencies have drastically cut programs or closed altogether.
While passing a state budget marks an important first step in bringing our state back to fiscal sanity, Bruce Rauner’s damage is done. The wreckage from this over 700-day crisis will take years to address. This is what it looks like when a governor fails and it’s time Bruce Rauner was held accountable for the damage he’s inflicted on the people of Illinois.
* Sen. Daniel Biss…
“I’m glad that because rank and file legislators on both sides of the aisle followed their consciences instead of their leaders, we avoided the catastrophe of yet another year without a budget. Now it’s time to solve our long term problems. We need to build on this collaboration and come together to create real progress by making the rich pay their fair share to fund our schools, protect people’s health care, and get our economy moving.”
“Republicans and Democrats in both houses came together this week to pass a responsible budget that protects middle-class families and finally puts Illinois on a steady fiscal path. While Bruce Rauner’s reckless veto made clear he doesn’t care about the future of our state, today’s bi-partisan veto-override proves there are legislators still willing to put Illinois’ hard-working families over reckless partisan politics.”
“This episode is just another reminder that when we elect people like Bruce Rauner, who hate the institutions they seek to represent, they will try to destroy it once in office. That’s what Donald Trump is doing in Washington, D.C. and it’s what Bruce Rauner is doing in Springfield. We need to stop electing people who hate government more than they love their city, their state and their country.”
*** UPDATE *** Chris Kennedy kinda criticizes the tax hike…
“Illinois finally got the balanced budget it needed. Our state had little choice but to carry through with the budget agreement finalized today,” said Kennedy. “It came to us at the 11th hour after the Governor stood on the sidelines for years, shifting the goal post whenever we came close. Now we’ve raised taxes that impact the poor and middle-class without asking more of the wealthy. Rating agencies are still hesitant about our financial health, and our political leaders have done little to restore voters’ faith in our state government. Other states don’t need to threaten the future of their institutions in order to create a balanced budget. It doesn’t have to be this way. We can have a balanced budget. We can honor the contracts of our pensions and we can invest in our economy and see it grow. But, we need to give our state a budget and a government that’s free of corruption, that’s free of self-dealing, that’s free of self-interest. If we do that we can turn this state around,” added Kennedy.
The House also just overrode the governor’s veto of the BIMP bill. And then they overrode the spending bill.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Republican Reps. Cavaletto, Davidsmeyer, Meier and Reis all switched from being “Yes” on 3rd Reading to being “No” on the override. So, they lost 5 Republicans (Rep. Pritchard was absent) and still approved the motion.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Democratic Reps. Halpin, Manley, Mayfield and Scherer switched from No to Yes. Scherer had said repeatedly that she was a “No” vote and is considered a target, so that one is really interesting.
*** UPDATE 3 *** Check out the big board games…
VIDEO: Illinois House votes to override @GovRauner’s veto of the budget. This bill raises taxes, and is the first of three on the budget. pic.twitter.com/BGsBLGOVm2
Today, Republicans and Democrats stood together to enact a bipartisan, balanced budget and end a destructive 736 day impasse.
Our budget agreement was made possible by legislators on both sides of the aisle who looked beyond partisan differences and put the best interests of our state and its residents first.
The people in this chamber did not do what was easy today, but we did what was right for the future of out state. There are a lot of things that will be said about this vote, but the most important thing I can point to is that Republican legislators and Democratic legislators got this done together.
*** UPDATE 5 *** Mayor Emanuel…
“I want to thank Senate President Cullerton and Speaker Madigan for their leadership, and I want to thank Democrats and Republicans in the Illinois House and Senate for coming together to put the people of Illinois before party politics. Like so many others across the state, I wish the governor had been willing to actually compromise at some point in this process because the only thing his my-way-or-the-highway approach has gotten Illinois is nearly three years of gridlock and $15 billion in unpaid bills. Thankfully, today’s bipartisan, balanced budget is the first step in bringing stability and certainty back to Illinois and putting our state back on track.”
Hon. Kris W. Kobach
Vice Chair
Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity
Vice Chair Kobach:
On July 5, 2017, the Illinois Secretary of State received your letter dated June 28, 2017, wherein the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity (the “Commission”) requests information relating to elections in Illinois.
I am writing today in response to the request for the publicly available voter data roll for the State of Illinois. The Illinois Election Code, at 10 ILCS 5/1A-25, 4-8, 5-7 and 6-35, protects the confidentiality and privacy of voter registration data, limiting its release to registered political committees for political purposes and to governmental entities for governmental purposes, subject to the restriction that voter data not be released to the public. Your letter indicates that any information and voter registration data provided to the Commission will be made available to the public.
In short, the State of Illinois does not have a publicly available voter roll. Therefore, our agency does not have any material responsive to the Commission’s request.
We look forward to providing a supplemental response at a later date addressing the seven questions set forth in your letter.
If you have any questions or comments, please do not hesitate to contact me. Respectfully submitted,
Kenneth R. Menzel General Counsel,
State Board of Elections
Aetna Better Health, which the state of Illinois owes at least $698 million, has had enough.
The subsidiary of the national insurance giant has given the state notice that it plans to terminate its Medicaid contracts, Aetna spokesman T.J. Crawford wrote today in an email.
“We have filed notices of intent to terminate our contracts but hope those terminations will ultimately be unnecessary upon resolution of the current Medicaid funding crisis,” Crawford wrote. “In other words, no final decision has been made.” […]
For Illinois Medicaid, the loss of a big insurer would mean a major shift. The roughly 235,000 low-income and disabled recipients Aetna covers would have to be moved to another health plan that might not have the same network of doctors and hospitals.
For the fiscal year, base general funds dropped $968 million or 3.2%. As discussed in earlier briefings, receipt weakness was widespread, and resulted in disappointing performances in key areas such as income and sales taxes as well as federal sources.
For the fiscal year, gross corporate income taxes were off $728 million, or $644 million net of refunds. Part of that decline was due to the IDoR now classifying pass-through withholding under the personal income tax designation rather than corporate. Because of this change, approximately $375 million gross, or $324 million net was moved from the corporate income tax line. Also significantly impacting corporate income taxes were the reconciliations made by IDoR’s during the move to their new accounting system. It is hoped that normalized receipt patterns will be reestablished as they caused significant difficulty in interpreting receipts in FY 2017. Inheritance tax, true to its volatile nature, declined $45 million. Public utility taxes were off of last year’s pace by $42 million while insurance taxes and fees dipped $7 million.
Other sources grew $151 million, in large part due to a one-time $84 million deposit of an SERS repayment. Despite being the benefactor of the previously mentioned pass through withholding designation change, gross personal income taxes returned only a gain of $86 million, but on a net basis actually fell $153 million. Public utility taxes declined $42 million for the fiscal year. Sales taxes dropped $20 million, although that total was largely the result of the IDoR diverting approximately $150 million from general funds to other local government funds that receive sales tax distributions. Insurance taxes eased $7 million in FY 2017.
Overall transfers ended down $39 million. Despite lottery transfers growing by $43 million, those gains were more than offset by a comparatively small Refund Fund transfer—down $73 million, a decline of $7 million from riverboat transfers, and a small dip of $2 million from all other miscellaneous transfers. Due to significant cash constraints throughout all of FY 2017, reimbursable spending was seriously hampered. As a result, federal sources fell $182 million for the fiscal year from the depressed level of FY 2016.
The political situation in Illinois is so dysfunctional that even Republican Governor Bruce Rauner and his wife appear to be on different sides right now. […]
Diana Rauner did not sign the statement released by the Ounce of Prevention Fund. However, Megan Meyer, a spokeswoman for the Ounce of Prevention Fund, confirmed to CNNMoney that Rauner remains the president of the foundation, which describes itself as a “public-private partnership that prepares children for success in school and in life.”
Asked why Diana Rauner wants lawmakers to oppose her husband’s veto, Meyer explained that the Illinois budget impasse has put the state’s social services infrastructure “under tremendous pressure” and forced many organizations to close or reduce services. […]
Steve Brown, a spokesman for Democrat Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, said he wasn’t surprised by the support for the budget from Diana Rauner’s foundation.
“Social service agencies have been destroyed by the Rauner approach,” Brown said.
Family Focus, a nonprofit early childhood education provider in the Chicago area, has gotten enough money from the state comptroller’s office to see it through August.
Before the holiday weekend, the agency had announced that on July 1 it would lay off 100 employees and effectively cease program operations. The state owes it $2.7 million for work accomplished. Not getting payments from the cash-strapped state had created a “severe cash-flow crisis,” meaning the organization’s endowment fund and line of credit had been exhausted. Emergency loans from board members and donors had helped cover the gap.
“The crisis is temporarily over,” says Merri Ex, CEO of Family Focus. She declined to reveal the exact amount of money the state released. […]
One of the founders of Family Focus more than 40 years ago, Irving Harris, also founded the Ounce of Prevention Fund, the national early childhood education nonprofit of which Illinois first lady Diana Rauner is now CEO. The two groups maintain close ties; Family Focus receives grants through Ounce of Prevention.
Yesterday, Rauner staged a dramatic press conference called for lawmakers to sustain his veto. The Sun-Times Mark Brown described the scene:
“The governor could barely contain his phony outrage on the eve of an Illinois House effort to override his vetoes of a state budget that gifts him with both a functioning government and a re-election platform.”
In his most serious voice, Governor Rauner unequivocally said he was doing “everything possible” to prevent an override. NPR’s Brian Mackey continues:
“Here’s the thing: At least two Republicans who voted yes say neither the governor nor his office have been in touch.”
Oh.
Governor Rauner, as always, is putting on a show. He desperately needs the legislature to successfully override his veto, or else the state will be reduced to junk bond status, schools may not open in the fall, and universities may close. Even while Rauner recklessly calls for a veto, he does not offer up a viable alternative solution to prevent the fiscal collapse sustaining the veto would cause.
Rauner will play the role of tax crusader, but his own support for higher taxes was so real that traditional allies like the Illinois Policy Institute and the Wall Street Journal lashed out at him. Rauner’s own “Capitol Compromise” included higher taxes.
Finally, Bruce Rauner wants to make this deal about Democrats. The fact is this bill would never have passed if Republicans were not willing to break with Rauner and sign a deal before his demanded-reforms were addressed.
For three weeks, Rauner posted pictures of him sitting at his desk “waiting” for a budget deal. If he really wanted a different deal, maybe there should have been a picture of him calling someone.
“Bruce Rauner needs to explain to the people of Illinois why he was willing sacrifice their future and let the two-year budget impasse continue,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Lawmakers came together in a bipartisan fashion to end Rauner’s self-inflicted budget crisis and put their state back on track, but Rauner called for the impasse to continue. His veto without a follow-up plan was reckless and would only result in fiscal ruin for Illinois, and shows he is too busy setting up his reelection campaign than govern responsibly. Illinois can no longer afford failed leadership that puts politics ahead of people.”
* Pritzker campaign…
As Illinois hit day 735 without a budget, Bruce Rauner held a press conference expressing his “concern” for creating jobs in Illinois. But Rauner’s concern likely came as a surprise to the 20,000 Illinoisans he was responsible for laying off this week.
Just a few days before Rauner held his press conference, the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) suspended all roadwork operations due to Rauner’s budget crisis. The IDOT laid off 20,000 people until a budget is passed into law and suspended 900 transportation projects totaling $3.3 billion. This could cause an estimated $35 million in lost economic activity in just the first week.
“Bruce Rauner held a press conference yesterday threatening to do ‘everything possible’ to prolong the suffering of Illinois families,” said Pritzker campaign communications director Galia Slayen. “Governor Junk expressed concern about creating jobs, but the only thing he has created is a crisis that has already done unfathomable damage to this state.”
* This, however, is a bit much, coming from the Rahminator…
The Civic Federation supports the override of the Governor’s veto, because there is no other budget plan in place. Without a budget, downgrades are imminent. It remains to be seen how the ratings agencies will reaction even if we do pass a budget.
While the current plan is not a panacea, it is a building block to move the state forward.
Here’s another quote from a WSJ article this morning:
“It would be a great improvement to have any type of budget framework,” Mr. Msall said. “However that will not be the end of Illinois’ financial crisis.”
Please let me or Laurence know if you have any questions.
Katy
Katy Broom | Communications Director
The Civic Federation
Moody’s Investors Service issued a warning on Wednesday that even if the House follows identical Senate action Monday and overrides Rauner’s vetoes, the nation’s fifth-largest state risks a credit rating downgrade to junk because of unaddressed fiscal woes.
Moody’s said the budget plan falls short of adequately addressing pensions and the backlog of unpaid bills. “It’s not clear to me that they won’t quickly find themselves with a comparable backlog and more long-term bonded debt,” said Moody’s analyst Ted Hampton.
Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a Chicago-based government finance watchdog, said the bill does not provide stability. “What rating agencies are pointing to, even with the tax increase if the General Assembly overrides the governor and with the spending plan as approved, the state still has severe financial challenges going forward,” he said. […]
The budget also purports to save $500 million from pension changes, although there were slim details on how those savings would be realized.
“The pension reform in (the legislation) doesn’t look like it’s really revolutionary or will move the needle in any big way,” Hampton said.
* From the BIMP analysis on pensions…
Requires contributions from the State Pensions Fund to SURS to be a portion of the certified contributions, rather than being in addition to the certified contribution.
Authorizes the GRF share of SERS contributions to be appropriated directly to SERS.
Provides 5 year actuarial assumption smoothing that affects GARS, JRS, SERS, SURS and TRS, identical to language from the House Republican plan and is similar to the Governor’s proposal from his FY 17 and FY 18 pension reform measures. Estimated reduction to the pension funds is $892.1 million.
Contains a limited cost shift for high salaried employees under SURS and TRS. Employers within TRS and SURS will contribute an amount for the normal cost portion of salary that exceeds the Governor’s salary and the state would continue to contribute on salaries below the Governor’s.
Requires a recertification of the state contribution to reflect the changes to GARS, JRS, SERS, SURS, TRS on November 1, 2017.
Contains changes to the Chicago Municipal and Laborers pension reform proposal. It is nearly identical to SB 14, which passed the House in April of 2017. The only change is a date that was moved 6 months from June 1, 2017 to July 15, 2017 to October 1, 2017 through November 15, 2017.
Provides language that is meant to clarify that all members of the Chicago Fireman’s Annuity and Benefit Fund born in or after 1955 through 1965 are entitled to a 3% simple COLA as required by statute.
Implements a Tier 3 defined benefit and defined contribution pension plan for current Tier 2 members (if they elect to participate) and future hires within SERS (only non-covered employees), SURS, and TRS. The normal cost of the benefits are shifted to the local school districts, community colleges and universities. The state will make a 2% contribution of Tier 3 payroll to the systems in FY 18, FY 19 and FY 20. This Tier 3 plan is very similar to the House Republicans and the Governor’s Tier 3 plan. HFA #1 allows the systems to establish by board resolution an implementation date for Tier 3. The Governor’s Office projects Tier 3 will save $500 million in FY 18.
* The difference between the past few days and today is that House members were told that nothing would happen and they could go home if they wanted and await further news. Because of that advice, however, not enough showed up for a quorum and they couldn’t approve the Senate’s adjournment resolution, so they’re technically stuck in session looking like mopes…
Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan has set this afternoon for a showdown vote with Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner over the tax hike and spending plan that could end a budget stalemate that’s lasted more than two years.
Even before the governor said he would work to prevent an override, a key question remains: Will enough lawmakers show up for the vote?
When Madigan’s House voted to approve the tax hike, 15 Republicans joined Democrats to help get the budget legislation just over the 71-vote threshold required to pass such legislation after May. That’s the same threshold needed to override a veto.
In recent days, though, low attendance at the statehouse has made it impossible for lawmakers to complete any business at all, much less a veto override. On Wednesday, just 59 of the chamber’s 118 lawmakers were on hand at the Capitol. That was up by five from Tuesday.
But the House, which had approved the fiscal blueprint Sunday night with veto-proof majorities, has failed to summon enough members the last two days to take action. Fewer than 60 of the House’s 118 members answered quorum calls on Tuesday or Wednesday.
Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, mentioned some members who were dealing with deaths of relatives or friends.
Jarrod Dowell: I think we’re beyond respect now. Look at the complete lack of respect these piece of sh*t scum bags have while claiming to “serve” the citizens. F*ck them! Maybe it’s time to water the tree of liberty.
Paul Sr Cappetta Eat sh*t Madigan!
Eric Quesada: I have a lot of respect for this page but I think it’s being on threats, these f*ckers are steeling tha people’s money, I think it’s time to go to war and get rid of them, just my opinion
Hallene Brooks: Respect is earned as it is given, these scumsucking Springfield parasites do not deserve one iota of respect, for what?? For spewing lies in order to get elected over & over again, to continue to blatantly extort the actual WORKING citizens of this sorry-*ss state?? Screw them & the golden taxpayer-funded horse they rode in on, they have no respect for their citizens, they get none, they’d prbly try to tax us for that too, thieving b*stards…..
Tim Mangia: Respect???
Since when has Madigan and his crones respected anybody but themselves!!! F*ck Madigan!!! He deserves to be b*tch slapped!!! This is exactly why our good Trump was elected! The hardworking middle class is sick and tired of getting spit on and kicked in the gut, (metaphorically speaking!), while the lower class gets more money every month and a sh*t ton of tax credits, and food stamps while driving around in cadillac escalades that have rims that cost more than my whole d*mn car!!! F*ck Madigan and any politician that votes to undo Rauner’s veto!!! It’s f*cking time the middle class gets what we have earned!!!
Reese Hartman: *sshats temp. Raised it before. What happened to all that money?? Madigan is a piece of sh*t that needs to go! GONE! f*cking clowns are completely ruining this state if they haven’t done so already
Carmine Coglianese: See thats the thing we don’t respect crooks and cronyism. A good old Lynch mob used to clear this sort of thing up QUICK! To H*LL with the Madigan’s, to h*ll with corruption, special interests and lobbyists. Here’s to term limits and running the scum out of office!
Teresa Hutchens Jimenez is a lying cow, Chad Hayes is a coward and Madigan is a money mongering *sshat. He has been the author of the downfall of a once great state. He is concerned with nothing but his lucrative pension while the taxpayers he is supposed to help and protect are dying without their medical care and starving. I squarely out the blame on those who re-elected the murderer.
Christopher O’Connor: so are pitch forks and torches respectful? I think it is about time for a lynch mob in springfield.
Tom Sye: Hey you f*cking lawmakers do you mother f*cking jobs you worthless pieces of sh*t. You all should be put to death for f*ck the Illinois citizens over! We citizens should be able to have you in a locked room with each of you *ssholes. That would be justice. You should pay back Illinois with those fat pensions you will be steeling from us.! You talk about respect you pr*cks you earn it oh boy you have not. So take this the wrong way when I tell you to go f*ck yourselves
Chuck Clifton: Why should we give a sh*t about them they don’t give a sh*t about us receiving threats well yeah I guess so me personally I hope he has a heart attack and dies
Paul Hart: You mean I shouldn’t say madigan go f*ck yourself. Is eat sh*t and die ok?
Dave Langenhorst: How about rope and tree for Madigan!!
And, remember, these were under a post supposedly designed to encourage civility.
“This is not just a slap in the face to Illinois taxpayers. This is a 2-by-4 smacked across the foreheads of the people of Illinois.”
* Chris Kennedy is understandably appalled at this sort of rhetoric by our state’s top elected official, or from anyone, for that matter. From his campaign…
“We have seen an increase in violent political rhetoric both in Washington and Illinois. That type of rhetoric has no place in the political discourse. We can disagree with one another on policy and politics without resorting to violence or political rhetoric that encourages violence. We should have vigorous debate, discussion and disagreements, but it should never veer towards violence ever.”
*** UPDATE *** The Pritzker campaign responds harshly and, unlike Kennedy, actually mentions the governor’s name…
The Trump administration has been marked by bald-faced lies, attacks on the press, inciting violence, and unrepentant hypocrisy. Bruce Rauner has not only failed to condemn this destruction of our norms and civility, he’s now adopted many of the same techniques as Donald Trump.
A particularly egregious example came in Rauner’s press conference yesterday. While Rauner used to campaign on the importance of the state having a good credit rating, now, as he finishes his push towards Illinois receiving junk status, he has completely changed his tune. Rauner’s attacks on members of his party for holding him accountable, and violent rhetoric, comparing the bipartisan budget he vetoed to a “two-by-four smacked across the forehead” are simply unacceptable. With Rauner on the precipice of watching his special interest agenda fall apart, the failed governor is getting desperate – Trump style.
“With no real accomplishments and a record of creating devastation, Bruce Rauner is desperately resorting to the Donald Trump playbook of preying on people’s fear and anger,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This is the lowest form of politics and entirely unbecoming of our state’s highest office. It is evidence of a governor who has failed on every level. Bruce Rauner can continue hiding behind Trumpist tactics of inciting violence and gas-lighting the public, but it won’t change the fact that he has unleashed long term damage on Illinois.”
* In a legally binding decision, the attorney general’s office ruled yesterday that the governor’s office has violated the Freedom of Information Act law by refusing to respond to a request for public documents. Attorney General Lisa Madigan then ordered the office to comply with the statute.
This past March, the Springfield Business Journal submitted a FOIA request to the governor’s office. It asked for all e-mails sent and received by former Comptroller Leslie Munger since being appointed deputy governor as well as her public schedule.
The publication never received a response, even after six separate e-mail requests, so they contacted the AG’s Public Access Bureau in May.
The Public Access Bureau attempted twice to get a response from the governor’s office to no avail.
So, yesterday Attorney General Madigan ruled that the governor’s office had violated the law and ordered it to comply. The governor either has to comply or take the matter to court.
The only way I see this happening is if the Republican leaders finally start showing up to meetings with the Democrats and if the Democrats take the Moody’s threat seriously.
* It goes beyond “mean Facebook comments.” This memo was sent to House Republicans yesterday afternoon. There is a real and legitimate fear brewing…
Dear House Republican Members,
[The HGOP’s] Digital Media Manager, has prepared the information below to help guide members who experience abusive social media comments.
What to do if you receive threats on Facebook, Twitter or other social media accounts:
* If you feel the threat is imminent call 911
* Report threats of violence immediately to State Police at this phone number: 877-xxx-xxxx
* Then report to social media platform - here’s how
* Facebook:https://www.facebook.com/help/181495968648557?helpref=faq_content
* Twitter:https://support.twitter.com/articles/20169998#whatshouldido
* Or, ask your communications staffer for help
Others ways to manage posts or comments:
* Delete comments containing profanity, name calling, or libelous statements.
* Hiding a comment will leave it visible only to the person who posted it and their friends.
* Like or comment on positive comments - which will push them to the top of news feed. This is a very good strategy.
* Ban individuals who repeatedly post abusive comments especially if they are not constituents.
One legislator was called a “f—-ing animal.” Another was told he’d be “hanging from a tree.”
“You are selling your soul to the devil,” said a message to GOP House floor Leader Steven Andersson, who reported receiving a steady flow of abusive text messages and calls — including a death threat. “I’m coming for you,” it said. Now the Illinois State Police are investigating. […]
Andersson said he didn’t believe any of the 15 GOP members were backing off their original votes.
Stoking the backlash are well-funded anti-tax groups such as the Illinois Policy Institute, whose staffing exceeds that of some legacy newspapers. That group had warned its subscribers that Andersson and another lawmaker might vote with Madigan. Andersson’s cell phone was somehow distributed as well as those of several other GOP members who voted for the tax hike, Andersson said. The Illinois Policy Institute said Wednesday it does not release or post lawmakers’ cell phone numbers.
* The governor has nothing on his public schedule today and the House convenes at 1:30 to deal with the override motions. Watch whatever happens in real time with ScribbleLive…
