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Question of the day

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Illinois

* I know the spring session isn’t actually, completely, totally over yet (then again, maybe it is), but who do you think were the biggest winners and losers? Explain, please.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:18 pm

Comments

Everyone loses.

No winners.

Comment by Logical Thinker Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:27 pm
Biggest losers, most of the state of Illinois
Biggest winner, official hair care suppliers to CapFax

Comment by OneMan Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:27 pm
Rich’s beard wins, Rich’s wife loses.

Comment by George Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:27 pm
Tom Cross, hands down biggest loser. Despite all the national and state factors in the GOP’s favor, still accomplishes nothing. Just plays silly games that everyone can see right through. Radogno seems to have at least a little bit of sense but is still largely ineffective.

Dems obviously no prize either.

I agree there are no winners.

Comment by just sayin' Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:35 pm
Biggest losers, residents and business in Illinois that rely on public services, education, health care, etc.

Biggest winner, lenders to the state who will soon earn junk bond returns.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:36 pm
I hate to say it … there is not one significant winner. Winners were ones who were not completely destroyed by IL’s fiscal mess, but to find a significant winner … kinda at a loss.

Losers - Schools, kids, business owners, and employees - who are now unemployed. Tourism is a loser as the Illinois demands more from visitors, yet Illinois gives those visitors less and less for their dollars.

Neighborhoods are losers, as foreclosures continue, and empty buildings sit as a reminder of where the American dream is, and how we are all just a few months away from ourselves being homeless as the state of Illinois and its budget defecits are not a way real family could get away with handling its bills.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:40 pm
Biggest losers - the Dems. They ran everything, did nothing and demonstrated absolutely no leadership nor direction.

Biggest winners - conservativism. The demonstration of abject failure and ideological bankrupcy of liberal leadership will result in more conservatives getting into state office and balance off this woefully sorry state of Illinois come November.

Comment by Segatari Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:40 pm
The “biggest” winner isn’t all that big - the GOP. Once again, the status quo has refused to address the threatening fiscal issues that have derailed Illinois, just as they had refused to address them since 2005. What was once blamed on Governor Rod Blagojevich, then on a Freshman Quinn, is now squarely the Illinois Democratic Party’s failure.

Few go into politics to make poor decisions, yet what we’ve witnessed has been no decisions, which leaves Illinoisans wondering why they bother to delegate any responsibilities to their state government, and pay taxes. Illinois government is bad government, not necessarily because of it’s poor decisions, but because of it’s refursal to do it’s job, pay it’s bills, educate it’s children, reform it’s corruption, or balance it’s budget.

The “biggest” losers are anyone who believes that state government can be an organization for the betterment of it’s citizens. For the past decade, Illinois has had a government that does not work.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:43 pm
I think tom cross may be biggest winner. He is very articulaate and delivered by far best presentation on budget issues, redistricting but couldnt overcome the Speaker. I wish Cross were running for Governor. he makes more sense than any of the folks downthere.

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:45 pm
I do not know how the voters will react to the recent legislative session!

I do think the big loosers are the GOP. They have as much responsibility as the DEMS to correct the problems facing our State. At no time did the GOP offer any specific legislation to address our problems. Their only response was “cut expenditures”. Where is their plan?

I am not in favor of borrowing but when the votes are not there for a tax increase what is the solution?

Comment by MOON Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:48 pm
==Biggest winner, lenders to the state who will soon earn junk bond returns.==

Not quite. Existing bondholders are losers, because their risk has increased while their returns have not. New bondholders will get the return the market sets for the risk, which means they break even.

There are no winners.

Comment by Pat Robertson Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 12:50 pm
Us. We lost. All of us who expect our elected officials to be looking out for our best interests.

Comment by Aldyth Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:06 pm
Biggest Winner: Brady. he was in the right place to capitalize on the disorganization of the GOP during a scenerio that was ideal for the GOP to reclaim some key elected positions.

Biggest Loser: the GOP. great opportunity to put forward a strong canidate like Dillard who could have handily defeated Quinn and regianed the top job; but was unable to organize behind a few strong canidates. It appears the former party leader was more interested in his own run then putting together a consensus slate.

Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:08 pm
Did Tom Cross just post a comment as an Anonymous user?

We all lost and now hopefully a good portion of incumbents (on both sides of the isle) will lose in November.

If Rich Whitney actually wanted to win, he has a heck of a case against the other two.

Comment by Ahoy Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:12 pm
The winners - the leadership in Springfield and their chosen ones

The losers - The people of the State of Illinois

Same as it ever was…. Same as it ever was…. Same as it ever was….

Comment by Avy Meyers Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:13 pm
>Biggest Loser: the GOP. great opportunity to put forward a strong canidate like Dillard who could have handily defeated Quinn and regianed the top job; but was unable to organize behind a few strong canidates. It appears the former party leader was more interested in his own run then putting together a consensus slate.

Sorry, no. Pushing a liberal RINO candidate who endorsed Barack Obama who’s made everything he’s touched a lot worse is the absolute wrong thing to do as you only give people choice between Democrat and Democrat-like. People will not vote for pretend Democrats anyway. You Ghost won’t either. You’d have pulled the lever for Quinn even if Dillard got in.

Comment by Segatari Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:20 pm
It was too crappy of a session to have any true winners and losers, it still feels like it is not quite over. I would say that many of the unions took it on the chin this session and suffered some serious setbacks. The pension and McCormick reform bills seriously took a wack at some of the most powerful unions in this State. Mayor Daley and his gun control agenda was another (expected) loser this session, and with that old dude blasting the career felon on his back porch, I would say that the gun control lobby had a serious set back. I am not sure any legislative leader was actually looking for a spring victory, I think all 4 just wanted out of Dodge quickly, so they could prepare for the ugliness known as the fall election cycle. As for the “goof” on the 2nd floor, he has NEVER had it in him to be a winner.

Comment by ivoted4judy Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:33 pm
“I should have known right then it was too good to last. God, it’s such a drag when you’re livin’ in the past.

Baby, even the losers get lucky sometimes. Even the losers keep a little bit of pride. They get lucky sometimes.”

Tom Petty

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:47 pm
The winners are all the really excellent Legislators who became so disgusted that they either chose not to run again, or ran for something else (only to be defeated by the truly insane primary zealot voters). They will soon be beyond all this: people like Black, Turner, Biggins, Coulson, Hamos etc. They are better off!

Comment by Expol Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:48 pm
We the citizens of Illinois are the biggest losers; our legislators are the biggest losers, on both sides of the isle; and the biggest losers are our children and grandchildren who will inherit our debt due to our inability and courage to act.

The biggest winners are the hacks and cronies who kept their jobs because of a spineless Quinn. The biggest winners are the lobbyists who whispered into the ears of our elected officials enough nonsense to keep them from making hard choices and necessary changes.

Comment by Justice Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 1:49 pm
The winner remain the same. First, llinois State House Speaker Mike Madigan proved once again to be master of all he surveys. Those who think Madigan was the loser have yet to witness his second act - reelection as House Speaker.

The biggest loser? Mike’s daughter Lisa Madigan. While Mike Madigan’s manuvers wrap him firmly in the “cocoon of power,” he ultimately hurts the “family brand” by allowing voters to see him place his needs ahead of the theirs.

Tom Cross lost anything he ever had; which in my view wasn’t much in the fist place. Christine Radagno also proved to be hapless.

Another “big loser” was the press who have been relegated to “stringer status” in this realm of media cut backs. Without someone guarding the hen house keep your eyes open for graft. One doesn’t have to look far beyond the quid pro quo between bond lawyers and those masquerading as legislator (think Don Harmon, Madigan’s tax business, etc).

Comment by Please... Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 2:03 pm
Winners: Taxpayers - there was no increase in the income tax or sales tax approved this year. Yay!

Losers: Taxpayers - it’s only a matter of time before we realize services government provides/funds are needed in healthy communities. When they are gone, we all suffer.

Comment by Leroy Brown Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 2:10 pm
Kind of good news/bad news:

1. We win — we get more government than we are willing to pay for.

2. We lose — we get more government than we are willing to pay for.

That is about it — filet spending on soup line revenue. Some will get a chunk and others not even the broth.

Comment by Vole Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 2:45 pm
My Grandchildren.

Comment by InParis Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 3:02 pm
we all lost…

Comment by Worried State Employee Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 3:11 pm
Capt Fax blocked this once, but let’s try again.
With victories on nursing home regulation, McPier management, pensions, telecom, procurement; House Dems come out on top. HGOPs got little. Mostly “me too isms.”

Madigan led the fight and won. He even facilitated some budget manuvering at the end.

Brady & Cross lose big time in their failure to stop pension payment borrowing in House. And unlike the Ds who helped those who disagreed, they openly cursed those who rejected the do nothing club.
Remap ends up a big goose egg for HGOPs because they get nothing done. They could have forced an amendment on the November ballot, but by dropping the ball they are left with a lot of noise, money spent and a forgotten issue.
They tried playing footsy with the unions so they can’t count on much from the bankrupt Tribune when it comes to those lightly read endorsements.
Heck by then we might know who really offered who what on the Blaggo/Wrigley Field deal.

Comment by Reddbyrd Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 3:28 pm
Obviously, Michael Madigan is the biggest winner, because yet again, he got exactly what he wanted, and he’ll suffer no consequences at the ballot box for any of the decisions he made.

Quinn is the biggest loser. Once again, he failed to assert himself as a leader. Even Blagojevich had allies in the Assembly. Yet I doubt there is even one Democrat who would follow Quinn into battle against Madigan.

Comment by PFK Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 4:03 pm
Bruce Holland= Big Winner

Will get millions in state sales taxes for his no retailers, no theme park, STAR/HOLLAND Bonds legislation.

Comment by Ronbo Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 4:19 pm
Once again the People of the State of Illinois have lost, and lost big. The winners, as usual, are the State Reps and Sens who will return to their Districts and convince us losers to re-elect them after they have failed us once again and failed to do the job they were elected to do.

Comment by So IL M Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 4:49 pm
A new Gallup poll gives the GOP a favorability rating of 36% compared to 43% for the Dems.

Comment by Reformer Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 8:44 pm
Our bondholders will never miss a payment.

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Jun 1, 10 @ 9:17 pm
Winners include those who underwrite loans to vendors holding old state bills.

Losers include the vendors who have to pay the juice on loans secured by their old state bills.

Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Jun 2, 10 @ 6:49 am
Biggest Winner: Printers and web masters who must publish the additional thousands of pages of new rules and regulations passed by this past session.

Biggest Losers: Anyone or any organization who must comply with all of these additional intrusions into their lives and behaviors.

Comment by Cincinnatus Wednesday, Jun 2, 10 @ 9:59 am