Latest Post | Last 10 Posts | Archives
Previous Post: Politifact weighs in on Kirk, Giannoulias ads
Next Post: Question of the day
Posted in:
* I went to college with state Sen. Mike Jacobs (D-East Moline), so I know him well and we’ve been buddies a very long time. But, as I’ve told Mike more times than I can count, he really needs to learn to zip his lip every now and then. Here he is talking about the public reaction to news that Gov. Pat Quinn handed out huge raises to his top staff during the worst fiscal crisis since the Great Depression…
“Taxpayers get distracted by things that don’t matter worth a hill of beans” Jacobs said .
To his credit, Jacobs went on to say that he wouldn’t have given out those raises if he was governor. But he’s flat-out wrong about how the public is being “distracted” by triviality.
These raises go right to the heart of what’s wrong with Pat Quinn’s governance. Cuts for you, but not for me. “Shared sacrifice” for everyone except the people demanding that sacrifice. If the Pat Quinn of 20 years ago could somehow be brought back to existence, I’m certain he’d be disgusted at what he’d see.
The Peoria newspaper sums it up well…
[Illinoisans] have been savaged in this recession. Many have not only endured pay freezes but witnessed their wages cut, their salaries whittled even further by furloughs, their retirement accounts bruised if they’re lucky enough to have them at all, their health care premiums multiplied. Unemployment in Illinois remains in the double digits.
It is against this backdrop that the governor has the gall to propose and promote digging even deeper into their pockets with an income tax increase, while continuing to borrow Illinois’ way into oblivion and making vendors wait in record numbers for payment for services long ago delivered. If Quinn doesn’t understand how badly he’s undermined his own case, no matter how real the state’s budget problems are, well, perhaps there’s just no hope for him.
No doubt this particular revelation will be featured prominently in Brady’s political ads from now until November, and should be. It is impossible to be shocked by any behavior coming out of Illinois government anymore, but this is so obviously inappropriate, such low-hanging fruit for Brady to take a whack at that, well, we just don’t know what planet Quinn currently occupies.
If he knows what’s good for him, Quinn will admit his egregious error and ask his senior staff to give back those salary increases.
* Related and a roundup…
* RR Star: Illinois continues to make choices it cannot afford
* Hinz: Latest report on state finances drowns in red ink
* Ill. sets record for failing finances in 2010
* Unemployment, budget cuts felt at some social services
* Senior citizens face major service cuts
* Overtime cuts key in prison budget plan
* Transitions still unsure how it will be affected by state budget cuts
* Quinn defends giving raises to his staff
* Layoffs, furloughs possible at SIUC
* Tribune: A disaster delayed
* Governor Quinn Announces Start of LIHEAP Summer Cooling Program
* Gov. Quinn signs bill creating Alexander-Cairo port district
* Quinn makes port district in Cairo official
* Cairo Residents Protest, Call On Quinn To Help: Not everyone in Cairo greeted Governor Pat Quinn with open arms Thursday. A few residents showed up to protest their high utility rates and call on the governor to do something about it.
* Quinn Promises New Jobs In Cairo
* Quinn gives veterans access to free health care
* Quinn signs bill to help veterans get mental health coverage
* Bill Expands Mental Health Coverage For Ill. Vets
* More Lake Shore Drive buckling possible, city says
* Construction strike idles work on local projects
* Striking union workers resume renovation of Naperville school
* Des Plaines casino work stops as strike looms
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:10 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
Previous Post: Politifact weighs in on Kirk, Giannoulias ads
Next Post: Question of the day
WordPress Mobile Edition available at alexking.org.
powered by WordPress.
Quinn’s explanation is that the employees duties have been expanded. There are many people who have had their duties expanded and either received no raise or had a pay-cut, so Pat Quinn, who you crappin!
Comment by Jim Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:18 pm
Please GOV, do rescind them. You have no idea how bad this is going over everywhere. People who have supported you in the past are sick to death about this. Not saying some staff don’t deserve a raise, but other merit comp staff are in open revolt over this and with having to take 24 furlough days in two years. You need to fix this right now.
Comment by Just Do It Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:20 pm
These raises have raised the bar on hypocrisy.
Most of the raises appear to be in the Governor’s budget office, the very people who are preaching about shared sacrifice. There is no way to explain away these raises by anything that Quinn says.
When those who make the decisions to defund the most vulnurable people, those who are the most dependent upon the state for meager support, and turn around and reward themselves it is just wrong!
I can’t vote for Brady but I can vote for Whitney.
Comment by For Quinn till now Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:28 pm
And these raises, unless rescinded, will figure prominently in the next round of state employee union negotiations; the current AFSCME contract expires in 2012. If our Pat wins and is in charge of those negotiations, what can his negotiators say? Don’t assume that Pat’s largesse to his own state employees (using other people’s money) will be forgotten by then.
Or perhaps this is our Pat’s not so subtle way of telling supporters–among whom union members and Chicago Democratic Machine hacks must figure prominently–that when he gets his own term as guv, they will benefit greatly. His tax increase will provide good times for all of the faithful–in addition to a few bucks for his education initiative, of course. But not too many bucks.
Comment by cassandra Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:30 pm
You’re right, Rich, the old Quinn was a completely different person.
The Quinn of 30 years ago was pushing the legislative cutback amendment. The Peoria Journal Star loved him then.
Comment by been there Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:32 pm
- His tax increase will provide good times for all of the faithful–in addition to a few bucks for his education initiative, of course. -
What a joke, any increase in revenue will go to trying to balance the budget and maintain services. Your patheticly disguised hatred of all things Quinn shows through in these conspiracy theories, maybe you should find a forum for like minded idiots to post them on.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:39 pm
It would have been better for the state if Quinn had either lost the primary or even decided not to run for the full term. The type of leadership that is needed in a crisis like this doesn’t jive with the shenanigans that go on during an election. Quinn will never make the best decisions for the state, because they won’t play well with campaigns. Governing and campaigning are two different things, and while someone is a candidate, it too difficult or too politically unpopular to govern.
Comment by Really?? Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:40 pm
“Taxpayers get distracted by things that don’t matter worth a hill of beans.”
What a poor thing to say. It just oozes with disrespect for everyone who is not a politician. I can’t even fathom how a line like that could come out of a public servant’s mouth, unless that person sees themselves as some kind of royalty.
He even said this out loud as though he didn’t even care if it was heard. Unbelievable.
It doesn’t matter what his stands on the raises are. Because it really doesn’t matter what he thinks beyond the fact that he doesn’t respect us enough to listen to our concerns. That is a bigger problem than the one he is attempting to address.
Like Mike Jacobs, many of us are specialists in our field and have to work with those who are not. Often we get our butts chewed by folks who haven’t a clue what it is we do for them, how we do it, and couldn’t in a million years begin to do it. In his field, this is a daily event.
What most of us have however, this he is lacking, is wisdom enough to appreciate that even the person we hold in utter contempt has a right to say something that could effect them. It could be something we have heard a million times. It could be said poorly. It could be utterly stupid. But if we worked in a field of public service - it is our responsibility to listen respectfully, because the moment we begin to think we don’t have to listen with respect to those around us, we stop doing our jobs. We miss the opportunity to learn.
Sometimes a hill of beans is all a constituent has, and it means the world to them. Sorry if Mr. Jacobs believes that it is worthless.
Mr. Jacobs owes every taxpayer in Illinois an apology for his unprofessional comment about us.
Comment by VanillaMan Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:49 pm
Conspiracy theory!! Haven’t you heard of shifting?
Substantial proceeds from the Illinois state lottery, which were supposed to bolster education spending in Illinois, are widely viewed as having displaced other education funds. The displaced funds went somewhere.
I don’t hate Quinn and I don’t love Brady. But Quinn is in the chair and he has performed extremely poorly. His cuts are hard to find and
his spending favors the usual suspects-labor unions, Democrats with clout, the patronage-ridden state bureaucracy, to the detriment of
middle class taxpayers, who are expected to shut up and pay.
Comment by cassandra Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 12:58 pm
Well representative, our political class doesn’t seem to care about the important stuff, so who is worse?
Comment by OneMan Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:00 pm
Mike Jacobs sure is no Denny Jacobs even though he is Denny’s son. Voters may be giving lots of Dems the digested version of a hill of beans this November. Quinn’s move is amazingly tone deaf politically and surprising for a guy who made his name with populist moves over the years in tune with the average voter.
Comment by Betsy Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:01 pm
Fact is, Jacobs is right. Taxpayers whine about raises, but are first in line when it’s time to get some. Taxpayers fiddle violins while Quinn cries out for a solution to a $12.5 billion shortfall, but get crazy when the governor hands out a few well-deserved raises. Jacobs may be guilty, but what he’s most guilty of is speaking the truth. If it your assumption that the voters cannot handle the truth — perhaps your right Rich, if not Jacobs right. Not knowing which it is makes politics so much damn fun!
While Rich prefers blow-dried politicians I like mine to speak the truth!
Comment by Please Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:05 pm
I do not prefer blow-dried politicians. I think I’ve established that over the years.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:06 pm
Cookie cutter?
Comment by Please Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:07 pm
Atthe end of the day in the voting booth nothing will change. The entitlement class, the unions and the educators will vote Democrat, the rest will be too lazy to vote as usual and Quinn will be re-elected. Why not hand out raises then?
Comment by Sueann Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:08 pm
StL, I understand your frustration, but Cassandra is right in a general sense. If a tax increase had gone through and then information on these raises had been made public, Quinn would have most certainly been toast. It also would have given Brady the bully pulpit to advocate for a full repeal had an increase occurred.
Comment by Team Sleep Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:19 pm
I am as mad as anyone else about the raises Quinn gave out, but I really am sick and tired of Cassandra and others making blanket assumptions that somehow all of us in the bureaucracy are living it up large. Spend a day in my shoes once and see how I’m livinig it up. No raises, a second year of furlough days, work up to my eyeballs because of a lack of staff. I could go on but nobody would care. None of you can imagine the number of people at the state eager to retire or who are looking for another job outside of state government.
Comment by RJW Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:27 pm
Team Sleep - I’m not saying these raises are a great thing. I’m just saying Cassandra is a lunatic for suggesting that this was some secret message from Quinn to the Machine. She’s either being deliberately misleading or she’s a nut.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:30 pm
Friday afternoon and STL is waxing insultery (ok, that’s not a word but you get the idea).
@Please,
It doesn’t matter if Jacobs is right, it matter what people think. If you are in a position like his and your statements get publicized and you spout such foolishness, that gets “front page” headlines. The fact that you may be right, if mentioned at all, is in the last paragraph of an article that is likely unread. Appearances, Appearances, Appearances. Savvy?
Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:50 pm
Rescinding these salary hikes would be mild and reasonable.
There seems to be too much selectivity and unfairness occurring within the state government about who is getting raises, who is being promoted, which positions are being filled (some that have been vacant for many years), etc. Some of the comments from state workers on this site reflect the resulting undermining of morale.
I question whether the “new” Quinn is really that much different from the “old” Quinn. Harold Washington seems to have had the old Quinn as being about the same.
Quinn’s guarded obfuscations on reporter’s questions is certainly getting very old. He has boiled his responses down so narrowly as to be totally meaningless. Quinn is not rising but shrinking in the role, similar to our previous president.
Comment by Vole Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:51 pm
Nay, SML, she’s just thinks we’re pork that’s overpaid and underwork.
In my world, Cassandra, I have a set job title and a job description. When work/duties called for a higher title/duties once upon a time management would TA. Course they don’t want to do that anymore and have became increasingly clever in trying to get around temporary assignments. To use them may show a geniune need for the higher title/description and/or a need for a higher number of staff in the TA’d role.
I guess what has not been clear yet in the Quinn raise thing, have these people actually had their job titles and descriptions increased…therefore a higher salary for the new detailed position? Were their positions newly created? Or are they still xx position (pre-raise), given expanded duties and just given a raise. How was the amount of encreased pay decided upon?
Comment by Cindy Lou Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:52 pm
I’ve known Pat Quinn for over 20 years, and personally like him. However, he has failed to demonstrate the necessary executive skill set to run a 56,000 state employee enterprise. FDR required a 15% federal employee pay cut when he became President in midst of the Great Depression. Instead, Quinn promoted his inexperienced Lt. Governor Staff and gave them major pay raises for responsibilities that they were poorly prepared to handle. The DOC fiasco is just the most visible example, there are many other problems at CMS and other state agencies just as egregious.
Comment by Louis Howe Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:54 pm
What’s worse is that these are only the pay raises for folks charged to the govs ofc….plenty are charged agencies like almost 100k for the DC director charged to HFS. We should be outraged!
Comment by stella Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 1:56 pm
There may be more ghost patrollers in the governors office being paid by other sate agencies than at any time since Pat Quinn was last in the Governor’s office and being paid by IDOT. Rich, why don’t you put in a FOIA request and ask for all the IGAs.
The biggest raise of over 60% went to a Gov office deputy chief of staff being paid by IEMA.
Comment by Truth monger Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:03 pm
- Friday afternoon and STL is waxing insultery -
Spare me your self-righteousness dan, I get enough of that when someone brings up legalizing pot.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:04 pm
No, I don’t think Pat Quinn has a secret pact with the Chicago Democratic Machine. He doesn’t need one. He’s the Democratic candidate. He has the Machine’s support.
I’m saying that anybody watching can see that he is not going to rock any boats in the area of what to do with state resources, even though they may well be shrinking over both the short and long term.
By giving his office staff raises (which occurred in conjunction with very substantive raises for state governments unionized workforce, who got their most recent payraise last week), he is signaling that it’s business as usual with respect to who gets what from that multibillion dollar state kitty —whether he intended to or not.
Comment by cassandra Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:08 pm
STL is waxing insultery
According to STL, the shoe don’t fit — the O.J. defense.
Comment by Vole Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:10 pm
STL,
Thin skin from someone who uses derogatory terms to describe someone. It gets tiring to see that after awhile.
Bringing up the pot issue - are you trying to pick a fight? Boring.
Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:14 pm
I haven’t had a raise in 3 years…
Comment by curiouser Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:18 pm
dupage dan - I’m not picking a fight, I’m insulting you for being self-righteous. If that means I have thin skin, whatever, I’d rather have that than some moral superiority complex.
Comment by Small Town Liberal Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:20 pm
OK, let’s move along.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:26 pm
I do not generally like to think like Jacobs, but I agree with him on the Quinn raises…I worked with some of Pats staff when he was LG, and some, not all were promoted when he assumed the governor ship…I have found his staff to be smart, overworked, and definitely underpaid as compared to their private sector counterparts…these salary increases are just a hill of beans in the big fiscal picture…if some criticize Quinn for hiring what they think to be nobodies, but to my way of thinking, I’d rather have a semi qualified nobody than an unqualified no show somebody…government aint easy or perfect folks…
Comment by Loop Lady Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:54 pm
==which occurred in conjunction with very substantive raises for state governments unionized workforce==
I wouldn’t call a 1% COLA a substantive “raise.” The raises over the life of the contract may be but don’t muddy it up with silly claims. I don’t like the union contract anymore than the next non-union guy, but to be fair this Governor didn’t negotiate it. And, it was never fair to assume that they could somehow negotiate out the raises in the contract. Yeah, they could have stayed out of negotiations and not made things worse, like promising no layoffs or closures. The next chance at the union payroll won’t be until after the current contract expires.
Comment by RJW Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 2:59 pm
The smoke and mirrors aspect of the gov’s office claim that the payroll has been cut and the budget is smaller doesn’t hold up - Louis Howe, in another section of this blog identified the fact that some staff are paid from other agencies budgets so that they don’t show up in the gov office budget. I am not an expert in this stuff but it doesn’t show PQ as being as open and honest as he claims.
LL, There are so many folk who work in state gov’t who can be described by the same language you use in your post. Some even post here. In fact, some who have posted here who could be described in much the same way you talk about these dedicated folk you know, have been laid off. Forget raises, just out of a job. It is appearances here, plain and simple. PQ can’t get away from the fact that regular folk are desperate to find work and would be willing to do just about anything have to read about our gov and his blind eye to public sentiment.
Comment by dupage dan Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:02 pm
What I find interesting about this latest blunder in Quinn’s reign is how little this decision netted him in political return, compared with how massive this decision went in alienating everybody, across party lines.
Sure, the average private sector Illinois voter looks at this and says, man that’s dumb, given how broke the state is, and how self-serving it appears. But the real hatred of this is going to come from the rank and file bureaucrats, most of whom vote Democrat and some of whom have posted their disgust on this blog.
And really, what does this do for Quinn? Make a few underlings grateful? Would they not be more grateful if they worked for someone competent enough to keep them employed beyond this year?
I don’t think this move is a big deal from a bottom line perspective, but it is a big deal from a leadership standpoint. The move suggests either he was too dumb to gauge the fallout, too arrogant or deluded to care, or, and this is where I think the truth most probably resides…too weak of a leader to resist being overwhelmed by the puppy love he has for his senior staff, as opposed to doing what we want all leaders to do, obsess over the political realities of the electorate.
Comment by Son of Ben Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:12 pm
Loop Lady - yes, the salary increases may just be a “hill of beans” in the big fiscal picture, but the problem is, different groups are always justifying not making sacrifices by saying that their sacrifice really doesn’t amount to much in the big picture. The unions say that the savings that would be generated by union employee furloughs don’t amount to much “in the big picture.” Legislators dismiss proposed sacrifices on their part as not amounting to much “in the big picture,” too. Thing is, while collectively they might not amount to much, once you start adding them together, they might.
The one thing I will say (actually, reiterating what someone said earlier on this blog) is that having federally-funded employees take furlough days is stupid and doesn’t save the state any money. That’s one sacrifice that seems pretty pointless.
Comment by Anonymous ZZZ Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 3:14 pm
Oh, come on, Cassandra!!!! In what world is %1 considered a “substantial” raise????!! Yes, as union workers, we can lobby for pay and benefits together, instead of being at the whim of whoever happens to be our local political boss. Would you or anyone else actually want politicians making decisions about your pay and benefits? Personally, I think we shouldn’t receive any raise right now. The state really can’t afford it. However, the next contract period will be negotiated and signed during a very tough economy so it probably will reflect almost no increase in pay. But, its a 4 year contract. Who knows what the economy will be in 4 years? Non-union employees might be getting 3 or 4 % raises while we are still getting nothing. That’s just the breaks of a contract - like a marriage, you take the good years and the bad.
Comment by lincolnlover Friday, Jul 9, 10 @ 4:48 pm