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OK, but how do you pay for it?

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* I was on vacation when Sen. Kirk Dillard did his campaign kickoff, so I missed this…

During the Dillard statewide fly around, the DuPage Republican announced his support to reverse the Tamms Correctional Center closure and, if elected, he will stop any potential closure process of the Warren G. Murray Developmental Center.

The meltdown predicted after the closure of Tamms hasn’t happened. Yes, there’s been a lot of media coverage of problems in the prison system, but it doesn’t appear that ex-inmates from Tamms are pushing assaults up.

I have a much-beloved aunt who is fighting hard to keep Murray open, so I think I’ll just defer on that one for now.

* But here’s something I posted last year, when the General Assembly voted to override a Pat Quinn veto which cut funding for Tamms…

Quite a few Democrats voted to override the governor, but Republicans have been clamoring for budget cuts for years now, yet most of them voted to override. Here are a few quotes from memory lane…

* “No one wants to be cut. Everyone points the finger and says: ‘Cut them, not me.’”

- Sen. Kirk Dillard, Daily Herald, April 27, 2012

* “It is time that we stop this abuse of tax dollars and make the real spending cuts needed to balance the budget.”

Sen. Kirk Dillard, campaign release, March 16, 2012

Dillard also wants to force the income tax hike to expire in 2015, so there will be even less money to reopen a shuttered prison and keep another facility running.

Discuss.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 10:48 am

Comments

“It’s read my lips, no new taxes.” 20 years later.

Comment by Darienite Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 10:58 am
Remember, any candidate, of any party for any office, who tells you the income tax hike should sunset and everything will be fine is lying. If they aren’t lying, then they are so woefully ignorant as to be disqualified from office.

So Dillard is either lying or ignornant. There is no third option.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:00 am
Enough with the magic beans.

Comment by Soccermom Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:02 am
As I recall, among the IL GOP governor candidates, only Dan Rutherford has expressed a willingness to consider keeping the 5% income tax rate.

Comment by Bill White Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:06 am
I’m the anonymous at 11:00am. This is what happens when you let someone “fix” your pc for you. Stupid tech support.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:08 am
Kirk Dillard has said so many contradictory things to so many different people, does anyone even take him seriously anymore?

Comment by too obvious Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:10 am
People are free to criticize Governor Quinn, but he was honest with the voters when first elected in 2010. He said that the state needed more revenue and, once elected, fought for a tax increase. Nobody wants that as a crowning achievement, but it was the responsible thing to do and it was responsible governance. He also took on issues that needed attention, at the detriment of his core constituencies — work comp (trial lawyers); medicaid reform (lower income voters); and pension reform (unions). While people like Dillard stand on the sidelines and criticize the governor for failing to lead, LEAD is exactly what he did do. These issues may never have been addressed had the governor not put them on the front burner. Now DLARD is in statewide campaign mode, so he is making promises that he cannot keep. He cannot keep them because they are irresponsible and bad government.

I expect to see a lot more of this. Republicans saying one thing, but having a record of something else. And Governor Quinn, doing what he can to put the state back on the right course.

Comment by anon Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:12 am
Dillard wants to have it both ways? Shocking.

Comment by Whatever Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:13 am
It would be a good thing to have an honest discussion about taxes — who pays what.

Pretending that the state can do its business without the revenue from the temporary income tax increase is not part of an honest discussion.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:17 am
to paraphrase the Governor , Dillard has lost his soul.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:18 am
Anybody that wants to let the income tax hike expire is being irresponsible. You can’t just say let it expire without also stating what your plan is to fix the huge hole in the budget that would create. It’s nice politics but horrible governance.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:38 am
Dillard is taking advice from Governor Thompson on how to campaign downstate. Promise them whatever they want. I predict he will be buying a shotgun and a dog while he campaigns downstate.

Comment by Tom Joad Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:39 am
The only thing Quinn didn’t do, was make clear that the income tax increase could only sunset on time if other things happened, like refinancing debt for lower rates, fully implementing proposed budget process reforms, and the then-forecast economic recovery were fully realized.

All of these were part of the overall plan presented by the Gov’s office to the legislature, but we passed the tax, refused to pass the refinancing, only partially implemented the budget controls, and the state (and national)economy recovered only at about half the speed assumed.

My position then, and now, is that we need this state revenue to have a remote chance of fiscal health in the foreseeable future, and the talk of it being “temporary”, without completing other reforms including pensions, is irresponsible.

As always, I’m open to another plan for which the arithmetic works.

Comment by walkinfool Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:50 am
–like refinancing debt for lower rates,–

Ugh, the failure to refinance anything and everything the last few years was just so frustrating.

The arguments against it betrayed a Sesame Street knowledge of math, much less finance.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 11:58 am
==among the IL GOP governor candidates, only Dan Rutherford has expressed a willingness to consider keeping the 5% income tax rate.==
Admitting a basic understanding of the state budget and mathematics is quite brave in a republican primary.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 12:15 pm
We’ve all heard it a million times, but Dillard is sincere when he says that he was involved in the planning of Tamms. He, like many other legislators and most importantly IDOC workers believe that it was a deterrent to protect the safety of officers and other frontline workers. Senator Dillard says it with conviction that officer safety is a top priority, which is lacking with the current DOC administration.

To the Murray Center, the Parents Association has fought like no other and you can’t argue with the determination or resolve to protect their loved ones. The Senator is also passionate about the safety of patients. Is government not in the business of protecting us from the worst in society and also looking out for the states most vulnerable citizens, like those at Murray?

Comment by Edgar's Chief of Staff Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 12:48 pm
Dillard knows these are tough choices, but closing TAMMS is a mistake because it puts the men and women who work for the D.O.C. at greater risk.

Comment by more of the same Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 12:59 pm
No doubt, the failure of the GA to enact legislation that would have allowed for refinancing some state debt is an opportunity passed by, if not missed altogether. The urge on the part of the gov’t to increase spending (as opposed to paying down the debt) after a bump in revenues has people reeling. The reduced pressure on the state to curb spending that would follow a refinancing of the debt would, I fear, just unleash the darker demons of their nature.

Comment by dupage dan Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 1:01 pm
In 2010 Quinn said he was asking for just a 1 percent increase in the income tax even after his budget directo was videotaped saying it would be 2 percent. so let’s be careful about the “only one who was honest” thign

Comment by wait a minute Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 1:07 pm
looks like the dillard people have woke up. late night, guys?

Comment by anon Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 1:15 pm
I just don’t see what’s so terrible about paying taxes. I think we should have a graduated income tax–it’s a disgrace poor people pay the same rate as rich people. Beyond that, the state has to have money coming in to pay for all of these things no one wants to cut.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 1:32 pm
T Dillard guys are busy doing things other than just blogging!

;-{)>

Kirk Dillard help create Tamms Super Max penitentiary while Edgar’s Chief of Staff. He and Director of Corrections, Howard Peters, believed it controlled inmate behavior and protected the guards. Inmate assaults are up recently by the way.

On Murray, Kirk thinks this is an extra special place due to the loving staff and its awesome parents association.

Kirk’s priorities are to cut welfare, solve the pension crisis and grow private sector jobs.

Comment by Cincinnatus Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 1:57 pm
Republicans campaigned against the tax hike last year and got obliterated, even in the suburbs.

What’s Dillard’s next move? Standing on the school steps to block desegregation?

Comment by Juvenal Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 2:41 pm
On the otherhand, if Jim Edgar’s former chief of staff is angling for the AFSCME endorsement, throwing them a bone is a shrewd move. Expect all candidates to fair poorly on the pension question, but Tamms might be enough for the nod.

AFSCME did endorse Edgar, if I am not mistaken, so it isn’t outside the realm of possibility.

Comment by Juvenal Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 2:48 pm
Rutherford knows about refinancing the high interest loans for lower interest ones. He also knows the pension ramp could be adjusted. If he gets in he could use those two actions to fix the pension systems without hurting the retired teachers and other state retirees.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 2:58 pm
@anon — Republicans saying one thing, but having a record of something else. And Governor Quinn, doing what he can to put the state back on the right course.

Oh, yes. Those terrible Republicans stopping Gov. Quinn from all the improvements to the state that he wants to make. It’s just been amazing what the GOP has done with it’s superminority status.

It’ll be hard to bring the “GOP obstructionist” argument from DC to Springfield and be taken seriously.

Comment by LincolnLounger Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 3:19 pm
- Inmate assaults are up recently by the way. -

Of course, as a man of science, you have evidence, right?

And I’m sure if you do, that evidence shows the Tamms closure to be the direct cause of new inmate assaults, right?

I’m sure these numbers exist in the same book of magic his budget numbers will come from, I can’t wait to read it.

Comment by Small Town Liberal Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 3:24 pm
It is not that former Tamm’s inmates were expected to be responsible for more staff assaults, it is that more staff assaults were expected to occur because of the lack of deterant of being sent to Tamms for assaulting staff. It sounds like it can be argued the meltdown has occurred exactly as suggested.

Comment by Bibe Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 3:44 pm
–Kirk’s priorities are to cut welfare, solve the pension crisis and grow private sector jobs.==

JHC, I hope you’re not on the payroll. Give that money back. Just how lazy is it in D-Lard Land?

Pate and Fawell must be laughing out their tukkus. (If you don’t know, they’re the guys who won elections)

Cut welfare? What exactly are you talking about?

Solve the pension crisis? Again, what are you talking about?

Grow private sector jobs? Is that the role of government and how does that happen?

Cincy, you are the worst partisan hack, except for Dillard. Both of you — no game.
.
For crying out loud, there’s a way for Republicans to get elected in Illinois. They have to be Yankees. Big Jim. Edgar. JBT,

And my favorite, Kirk. The only GOP senator for gay rights and willingly to get tough with the NRA.

That’s this farmboy’s guy. I’m a Kirk guy til the last dog dies.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 5:14 pm
Bibe - arguing that “the meltdown has occurred exactly as suggested” would require evidence that assaults are up in IDOC. But that is not the case. It only “sounds like it can be argued” because of sensationalized media coverage of the prison closures and a self-serving, fear-mongering campaign by AFSCME.

To anyone asserting that the closure of Tamms has made the prison system less safe, either provide data or admit that you are just basing your statement on the way you feel.

Comment by Did You Imbibe Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 5:22 pm
Your point is well-taken…except that it’s NOT ok if Illinois/Dillard can’t pay for it, which’d be doubtful with less $ in our Coffers!

Comment by Just The Way It Is One Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 8:20 pm
Gov. Quinn tried to say closing Murray Center wa to save money AND provide better quality of life. Neither is true. What is true is residents’ care is lower quality with services cut but according to Michael Gelder at the COGFA hearing, this Rebalancing will actually COST Illinois MORE the first several years, No guarantee of any future cost savings either.

Comment by Tess Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 9:42 pm
As a member of the Murray Parents Association, I thank the post referring to us as awesome! Thank you for understanding that each and every individual residing at Murray is cared about by the members of our organization and by the staff as well! Gov. Quinn loses my vote of confidence when he refused to meet with any of the Murray parents or Guardians! Please also consider that Guardians are still being offered a place at a State Operated Developmental Center when they promised the opposite! No one has explained to us why our center is being closed when it is a cut above the rest! It has never been threatened with decertification ( to my knowledge) while down the road a ways a center is being kept open that has been threatened with decertification on a regular basis since 2005! I won’t be surprised if this is not printed but it is the truth. Saving money is laudable but not at the risk of lesser care for our most vulnerable citizens.

Comment by barbie Thursday, Sep 19, 13 @ 10:27 pm
Barbie: You say no one has explained to you why Murray is being closed? Well it’s a little hard to to DHS transition staff and refuse to even listen to details. Centers have been closing in Illinois for years, if you want to run state government, run for governor.

Comment by Give Me A Break Friday, Sep 20, 13 @ 8:23 am
Barbie: You say no one has explained to you why Murray is being closed? Well it’s a little hard to when your group refuses to meet with DHS transition staff and refuse to even listen to details. Centers have been closing in Illinois for years, if you want to run state government, run for governor.

Comment by Give Me A Break Friday, Sep 20, 13 @ 8:26 am