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Rhetoric and reality

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Illinois

* Republican state Sen. Kyle McCarter has been a major proponent (and sponsor) of worker’s compensation reform. And he’s framed the debate in very stark terms…

“Right now, Illinois is at a huge disadvantage over states like Missouri and Indiana in attracting businesses and jobs,” said McCarter. “Our system also makes it harder for our businesses to compete with their counterparts in other states.”

And…

“If we pass this [worker’s comp reform] plan in the Senate, sending onto the House for approval and the Governor signs it, we’ll send a clear message that Illinois is open for business again. This will be one big billboard saying: ‘Open for Business in Illinois’,” said McCarter. […]

“This reform equals jobs and we need jobs now.”

* But Sen. McCarter isn’t completely down on Illinois’ business climate. In fact, he’s planning to build a Metro East industrial park not far from the Missouri state line, where the grass is supposedly so much greener…

McCarter’s proposed development, Innovation Park, located near O’Fallon, is currently before the O’Fallon Planning Commission.

If approved by the O’Fallon council, Innovation Park will be located on 12.3 acres of farm land along the south side of U.S. Route 50 East. The area is surrounded by a mix of industrial, commercial, residential and agricultural properties. […]

McCarter’s plan calls for several buildings for light industrial manufacturing. Phase one involves building a 30,000-square-foot steel frame building south of East Highway 50 for McCarter’s business Custom Product Innovations and Custom Coating Innovations Company. That business is currently located at 30 Commerce Dr. in O’Fallon.

Additional phases may include the construction of five 80’ x 200’ industrial buildings east and south of the first two phases, and a 100’ x 100’ industrial building along East Highway 50.

You don’t need more proof than this that businesses have all sorts of reasons to invest where they do.

* This post, by the way, is not intended at all as a slam on McCarter the businessman. We need all the jobs we can get. Thanks for putting your money into this state, Senator.

Instead, it’s intended to show that heated Springfield rhetoric doesn’t always quite match up to reality.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:03 pm

Comments

so, do you think his grand plan is pass workman’s comp changes so he can make a lot of money on his planed park? It sounds to me like he is being a good businessman and legislator!

Comment by easyrider Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:36 pm
When credit was loose, workmer’s comp. didn’t stop all those condo buildings from going up in Chicago.

Still, the apparent abuses in the public sector have been pretty shocking. If it’s not politically feasible now for the GOP and Dems to buck some of their constituencies who prefer the status quo, you wonder if it ever will be.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:37 pm
Maybe McCarter is building inside Illinois because he doesn’t want any mailers come 2012 about moving jobs out of state? Just sayin’.

I’m starting a business in Illinois because I live here and don’t want to move. That doesn’t mean the business climate still doesn’t suck.

Comment by John Bambenek Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:39 pm
Indiana’s worker’s “compensation” system is barbaric, anti-family, and anti-taxpayer.

Indiana caps compensation for lost wages for severely injured workers who are unable to return to work at $350,000.

After that, its tough luck, Chuck. The good news is, once your family’s money runs out, you get to go on welfare and the taxpayers pick up the tab, instead of your employer.

Death benefits are capped at $350,000 as well. Which makes it a heck of a lot easier to calculate the cost/benefit of not making safety improvements at your work site.

A great deal for businesses, a wretched deal for working families and the taxpayers.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:51 pm
As for Missouri, last time I checked their unemployment rate was at 9.1% while Illinois is at 8.8%.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 3:58 pm
No matter the “intent” this is a cheap shot against someone who want to invest and reform both. For shame.

Comment by Hoy Pinot Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:01 pm
To be fair, when mccarter rattled off the businesses he thought might leave IL if his worker comp plan didn’t pass he did not name his own business

Comment by piling on Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:17 pm
@Hoy Pinot -

Cheap shot? McCarter argued that Illinois is a hostile place to do business on the Senate floor.

His actions do not match his words.

Its not like Rich called him a hypocrite or anything.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:21 pm
People like Senator McCarter should be applauded for taking risks in an unfriendly business state. Madigan, Cullerton, and Quinn would be wise to listen to the ideas of proven job creators like McCarter who have actually created jobs, and don’t simply talk about it. Government can only create the climate for new job growth, the hard work is done by risk takers who decide to invest their capital with no certainty of a profit.

Comment by Huh? Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:29 pm
Hoy Pinot, bite me.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:31 pm
Our state has one of the highest (top 5) workers comp costs in the nation. I can guarantee that we lose jobs and businesses because of this. Does it mean that we are going to lose all jobs? No, but we lose jobs. We need to reduce the costs of workers compensation insurance that is a fact. We have the 2nd highest medical fee schedule in the nation and workers don’t even need to prove that they have been hurt at the job. There is no question that when a worker is hurt at the job, the company has the moral (and obviously legal) obligation to ensure the worker is taken care of. However, in Illinois it’s almost run like a jackpot system for the workers (excessive payouts), the doctors (extremely high fee’s) and trial lawyers.

The fact is we’re Illinois and it’s time we start acting like a major player in the world economy. Isn’t anybody else sick of loosing people and jobs to substandard states?

Comment by Ahoy Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:38 pm
We’re number 28! Huzzah!

http://www.bls.gov/web/laus/laumstrk.htm

For those that say WC rates are not affecting the Illinois jobless rate, I ask you what factors do you thing contribute to the Illinois economic environment?

Comment by Cincinnatus Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:45 pm
I hate loosing jobs

Comment by piling on Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 4:52 pm
Chicago is the #1 Metropolitan Area in the country for corporate expansions, according to March’s Site Selection Magazine.

With 184 corporate real estate deals that meet the criteria for inclusion in the Conway New Plant Database last year, the Chicago-Naperville-Joliet metropolitan statistical area clobbered the competition.

Runner-up Houston posted 152 projects in 2010, followed by Dallas-Fort Worth with 127, Cincinnati with 123 and New York City with 120. (Baton Rouge, La., led Tier Two metro areas, comprising those with populations between 200,000 and 1 million, while Lake Charles, La., led the Tier Three category.

Kind of flies directly in the face of the whole “anti-business” argument, don’t you think?

@Ahoy -

I can guarantee you we lose jobs to other countries because they pay their workers $2 a day.

That doesn’t mean that Illinois should follow their lead in the race to the bottom.

Study after study after study has concluded that the quality and training of a state’s work force have the greatest impact on a company’s decision about where to locate.

If you want to fret about jobs, fix our public schools and fund our community colleges.

P.S. Why is it that when we talk about high worker’s compensation insurance rates, we never ask why 200,000 Illinoisans are injured on the job in the first place? You want to cut work comp costs, figure out why we’re still killing people with forklifts.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 5:01 pm
@Cincinattus -

Yep, and Indiana is 27th, despite having the second lowest work comp insurance rates in the country.

More proof that all this talk about work comp is baloney.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 5:03 pm
Ahoy-”and workers don’t even need to prove that they have been hurt at the job”.

Last time I read the statute is said that “the injury must arise out of and occur in the course of the employment”. In other word there must be medical proof that there is a causal relationship between the work accident and the underlying medical condition.

You thrown around terms like “jackpot justice” without knowing the facts. How about getting 67,000 for 100% loss of use of an arm for the rest of your life. That’s what happens to a minimum wage earner if he or she loses complete function of the arm but can still work.

Are you from the same PR firm that was outed in Madison County? From today’s St. Louis Post Dispatch: “The judge ordered the release of previously undisclosed communications between the Jayne Thompson & Associates public relations firm and Syngenta. In the documents, the judge said, the public relations firm outlines a plan to portray the Madison County court system as a source of “jackpot justice.”"

Comment by Marcus Agrippa Thursday, Apr 21, 11 @ 5:34 pm