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* UPDATED x1 - Praise is thick as two talk * Caterpillar CEO: Cat’s here to stay, and state income tax hike was inevitable

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Illinois

* If this story doesn’t knock down all the people cheering for Illinois’ demise, I don’t know what will…

Gov. Quinn and Caterpillar Inc., CEO Doug Oberhelman met Tuesday to assure a commitment to increasing Illinois exports and reforming the costly working compensation system in an effort to make Illinois‚ business climate more competitive. […]

After the meeting, Oberhelman attempted to quell the speculation of the Fortune 500 company leaving by saying Caterpillar “is here to stay.” Oberhelman and Quinn then renewed their commitment to making Illinois a more appealing place to do business, with Quinn highlighting the need to keep the company in state to ensure economic growth. […]

Oberhelman said Tuesday he thought an income tax increase was inevitable and that he looks forward to working with Quinn in addressing the other areas to help Illinois‚ economy, with worker‚s compensation and increasing exports being chief concerns. [Emphasis added]

Well, that pretty much negates every theory about how the Caterpillar CEO is so furious about the tax hike that he’s preparing to leave at the drop of a hat.

* The event was, I’m told, a love fest. At one point, Oberhelman reportedly said that Gov. Quinn would make a good Caterpillar salesman.

Check back later for audio and more updates.

*** UPDATE *** Caterpillar CEO Doug Oberhelman said the two men had an “excellent meeting” and that he was “pleased” with Gov. Quinn’s efforts to date.

“We’ve got a lot of good things going for us in Illinois,” Oberhelman said of his company. “We’re invested heavily here, and we are going to work together to find a way to invest more here, and continue to be proud of our state.”

“He has brought a degree of honesty and integrity back to our state that has been lacking for a long time,” Oberhelman said of the governor. “We have with us today an honest man as governor of Illinois for the first time in a long time, and I think that’s the beginning of an image change (for the state).”

Asked about workers’ compensation reform, Oberhelman said, “The governor is committed to do that.”

On the tax hike, Oberhelman pointed to an op-ed he wrote in January saying he thought the tax increase had been inevitable, and added, “I think the hole in Illinois is so deep it’s going to take all pieces and all elements to get out of over a long period of time.”

“We can go out and poach others,” Oberhelman said about the poaching efforts by other states, if the climate improves. “We want a climate here, that the governor shares, in terms of being very business friendly,” he said, offering further praise for the state’s governor.

“Say, I might make the governor my salesman here after that speech,” Oberhelman said after Quinn delivered a very long response to a reporter’s question.

Listen to the full Q&A…

Click to download

Oberhelman’s presentation of an award to Quinn was also filled with praise…

Click to download

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 11:27 am

Comments

I think others have pointed out that Cat wasn’t paying that much in taxes anyway. Making that statement didn’t cost them much. It’s the middle class that’s feeling the pain of the Dems’ income tax increase, not the corporates.

But if significant workers comp reform is what Cat wants, doesn’t that put Governor Pat in the hot seat with the unions. What will he do now.
Ding the unions? The docs? Despite the happy talk, there doesn’t seem to be a happy ending for all and as we’ve seen Governor Pat is not at his best when real negotiating is needed.

Comment by cassandra Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 11:38 am
Oberhelman is a breath of fresh air.

In an economic era dominated and ravaged by snake-oil-selling financiers and their lapdog business media — producers of nothing — here’s a regular guy that runs a company that actually makes something — big, honking, earth-moving machines — that provides good middle-class jobs for regular folks.

He wants to be a part of a positive, forward-thinking political conversation. Good.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 11:38 am
===What will he do now.===

He unveiled a proposal on Friday.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 11:39 am
- Oberhelman reportedly said that Gov. Quinn would make a good Caterpillar salesman. -

Oh, well, that clears this up. Obviously Quinn is going to trade some sort of state freebie for a guaranteed gig selling tractors after he leaves office. Pay-to-Play Pat, at it again…

Snark.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 11:41 am
Guess this means people like IL GOP Chair Pat Brady will have to stop sending out emails using CAT as an excuse to run down and badmouth the great state of Illinois for selfish political reasons.

I love it when dishonest people are hoisted on their own petards.

Comment by just sayin' Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 11:51 am
I think that Cat offered a laundry list of needsnat Quinn agreed to help

Comment by 4 percent Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 11:53 am
- Guess this means people like IL GOP Chair Pat Brady will have to stop sending out emails using CAT as an excuse to run down and badmouth the great state of Illinois for selfish political reasons. -

Not to mention Aaron Shock. Think he’s upset that he wasn’t in on the little secret before he called Quinn idiotic?

Comment by Small Town Liberal Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 12:05 pm
Perhaps one of the guilty parties in the Illinois media can put together a story on how and why virtually everyone got the initial CAT story hopelessly wrong — and on the motivations of many political “leaders,” including Peoria’s congressman, who fanned the flames.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 12:23 pm
Oberhelman would make a great governor. So would Ed Rust (State Farm) I wonder how long Pat Quinn would last as CEO?

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 12:23 pm
Guess that means Aaron’s shrieking was off base…hmmmm

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 12:39 pm
I wonder how Pat Quinn as Caterpillar spokesman handle a controversy involving Caterpillar supposedly threatening to move out of state?

Comment by Robert Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 12:43 pm
yeah, but you know Fed Up won’t care what the CEO
said about Quinn aka “another lie from Quinn”…
but this time he’ll have to call the commenter a liar instead of Quinn…good job Pat…

Comment by Loop Lady Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 12:53 pm
Why does the Trib feel the need to add the “for now”? Shesh
http://chicagobreakingbusiness.com/2011/04/caterpillar-ceo-company-to-stay-in-illinois-for-now.html

Comment by chtownhv Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 1:03 pm
chtownhv, some people cannot admit their mistakes. It’s not an easy thing, trust me.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 1:06 pm
But when the going gets tough will he really do it?
Will the reform be substantive? If so, who will pay?
And if the Legislature disagrees, will he veto it.

Comment by cassandra Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 1:10 pm
chitownhv: I was struck by the trib headline too. The sun-times got it right. Despite their anti-tax meme, the Trib got egg on its face again. The decline of a once-great publication continues unabated…

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 2:51 pm
ANON 2:51 the decline really hit bottom when they held repeated meetings with Blagoof to get the $100 million pay day for Wrigley….Never did they walk over the the USA to report the Blagoof price There cannot be much left to decline after that.

Comment by CircularFiringSquad Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 3:11 pm
–“We’ve got a lot of good things going for us in Illinois,” Oberhelman said of his company. “We’re invested heavily here, and we are going to work together to find a way to invest more here, and continue to be proud of our state.”–

This guy rocks.

An Illinois boy who made good, who’s proud of where he comes from, says it and is willing to roll up his sleeves and make it better.

Compare and contrast with Jimmy John.

Quinn must feel like it’s Christmas in April. After all the stuff from the nattering nabobs of negativism like the Trib, Walker, Christie, Daniels, Perry, Schock, Don and Roma, blah, blah, blah, the 800-pound business gorilla of Central Illinois has weighed in. Splendid behavior.

Kind of lonesome on this thread. Some usually prolific authors are missing. I just hope they’re alright.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 3:12 pm
–Despite their anti-tax meme, the Trib got egg on its face again.–

Yeah, they’re something. As has been reported, they didn’t pay state corporate income taxes in years past — I doubt very much they’ve been paying them while they’re in bankruptcy.

What’s the over/under on fiscal responsibility and ethics lectures from a company in bankruptcy that ransacked its employees retirement savings and played ball with Blago to try to stick the taxpayers with the liability of Wrigley Field, anyway? Go with the over.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 3:36 pm
Any chance that Pat Brady will rescind his incendiary rhetoric? I guess I won’t hold my breath.

Comment by reformer Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 4:02 pm
===Kind of lonesome on this thread. Some usually prolific authors are missing. I just hope they’re alright.===

Lol, I think I know who you’re talking about Word. They must be out selling their U-Haul stock.

Drink!

Comment by 47th Ward Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 4:13 pm
==Oberhelman would make a great governor. So would Ed Rust (State Farm.==

I would not vote for either man for Governor without knowing more about their GOVERNING skills. No matter what the general public might think a person cannot translate private business experience into the public sector. It is a recipe for failure. Having worked in the government for many years and watching people try to apply business sense to the government I can tell you it doesn’t work simply b/c government doesn’t operate like a business. You can’t just issue edicts to get things done. Laws and rules get in the way of those operations and businesspeople have a hard time adjusting to that fact.

Comment by Demoralized Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 4:24 pm
47, I guess we have to replace “U-Haul” with “CAT.” I’ll drink to that.

The twists-and-turns of this story have really put a smile on my face. Here you have a good corporate citizen making an honest, sincere outreach, and it got perverted beyond belief by lazy media and feral politicians into the same, dreary, useless “we suck” narrative.

The Cat Man set them straight today, didn’t he?

After months and months of unremitting, ignorant nonsense about what a bad place Illinois is, a big-time, international player stepped up smacked it down.

Not that there aren’t issues and problems. Not that an international corporation like CAT isn’t going to diversify it’s investments. Only the lazy and weak-minded believe in heaven on earth.

But in the last week, Oberhelman has changed the conversation in Illinois from “we’re so bad” to “we’re good, and we’re going to get better.”

Way to step up, daddio.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 5, 11 @ 5:17 pm