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But she’s here to teach everyone else

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Illinois

* This is a big reason why Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton) hasn’t yet passed a single bill. From Illinois Review…

A property tax relief bill that passed the Illinois House last week remains a topic of discussion among Republicans that voted against it. State Rep. David McSweeney’s (R-Barrington) legislation places a one year restriction on the ability to levy general revenue budgets on a specific list of small townships in specific Chicago area counties. […]

Speculation is that McSweeney folded into the bill specific demands by Speaker Madigan, which were intended to blunt crticism of key Democrat lawmakers. […]

“We need tax relief that applies across the board,” Ives told Illinois Review. “Rep. McSweeney’s bill applies to the smaller population townships, and not across the state. And the bill could save affected taxpayers only $1.00 and it would be for just for one year.” […]

As the bill moved along in the process, Rep. McSweeney made changes or promises of change that eliminated more and more townships from being under the tax levy restriction. After removing the bill from the House agenda on March 6th, McSweeney withheld any activity on the bill until the day after the party primaries, when he amended the bill to exempt five other townships, including Orland, Bloom, Rich, Stickney, and Calumet in the south suburbs. […]

“Unfortunately, it was a bad bill,” Rep. Ives said. “It implemented the property tax freeze for only one year. Property tax freezes remove local control of property taxes and hand it to the state. The better way to reduce property taxes at the state level is to reduce or eliminate unfunded mandates.”

* Yeah, it was a small bill that didn’t provide more than a speck of property tax relief, but it got a big camel nose under the tent. You pass this one, then maybe other townships are forced to follow. Who knows where it could stop?

Also, publicly blasting a fellow conservative Republican for working with the majority to pass a tax relief bill is kinda goofy and bad form.

Not to mention that Ives appeared to be on several sides of the issue. It’s too narrow, my constituents who aren’t getting it will complain. It doesn’t last long enough, freezes aren’t the way to go.

Please, pick a lane.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:10 pm

Comments

Oy

Comment by A guy... Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:18 pm
Rich, please don’t cue her in on why she’s having trouble. We can only be thankful that she hasn’t passed anything.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:21 pm
“See, if I had the ability to introduce legislation, I would have done it better, not like Mr. McSweeney.”

Comment by Formerly Known As... Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:29 pm
Bet she can’t wait for Breen. Rep. Ives is useless to get supporters, and even more irrelevant to her detractors.

Rep. McSweeney could “teach” Rep. Ives a thing or nine. Thr fact Rep. McSweeney isn’t teaching, means he has learned tons. Good on him.

If there was an Outstanding Freshman for all 4 Csucuses, Rep. McSweeney would get my vote.

Heck, I would even try to help her at this point!

Rep. Ives, if you are missing a yard sign, I have it. Couldn’t resist. It was a “teaching” moment.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:29 pm
I’d like to see assessed values locked in at the time of purchase with the only adjustments being for inflation or improvements. That would prevent issues where a shiny new development pushes out lower income residents who suddenly find their assessed value increasing outside of their control.

Comment by thechampaignlife Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:43 pm
OW, you might want to read up, study up and brush up on Breen a little. You’re sadly misinformed on how capable this guy could become. He just “smoked” a long time incumbent in what appears to be a Conservative, but not overly conservative district. From all the press accounts I’ve been able to read, he’s a fascinating and very astute guy. Might cause you to redefine “Slytherin”. None other than Greg Harris spoke of what a decent and friendly adversary he was. It’s not part of your narrative, so I guess it just can’t be.

Comment by A guy... Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:54 pm
Ives is a complete waste of a house seat. Is this what Proft wants? Breen won’t be able to get anything done either unless he moves more to the middle but I ain’t holding my breath on that one. Correct me if I’m wrong here but wouldn’t we all have been better off if Wheaton would have elected a nice flowering shrub of some sort? Way less noise, nicer to look at and exact same results.

Comment by Big Muddy Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 3:58 pm
thechampaignlife - in a way, your proposal gets at the heart of why real estate taxes are a lousy way to fund government. That shiny new development may have been assisted by roads, streets and schools paid for from those taxes. And the value of the lower income resident’s home is going up, even if they can’t afford the taxes nor realize the value without selling it. A better solution than freezing assessments (which just leads to the anomaly of two people with the exact same home paying different taxes for the same services, depending on when they moved in) would be to temporarily freeze the assessment but give the taxing bodies a lien on the home for the difference between what was paid and what would have been paid if the assessments hadn’t been frozen, payable upon sale of the home.

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:13 pm
To the Post,

You can be as conservative as you want, “thoughtful” as you think you are, but if you start thinking going after Colleagues and “teaching” and not understanding why it’s important to be collegial, and yet not be a “Mushroom”, this term has been a waste.

Jeanne Ives is a “Poison Mushroom”(?)

Being a loner, in a Legislative Body, geared toward compromise and governing makes Ives ignorant to what the job of legislator really entails.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:22 pm
Rep. Ives is a textbook example of the type of Republican that is destroying the party.

Comment by TwoFeetThick Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:22 pm
Poster child for the Eternal Victim Party. Nostalgic for a time that never existed.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:37 pm
She’s not ready for the “fine grit” sandpaper, that’s for sure.

Comment by A guy... Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:39 pm
That’s my rep., Jeanne! (Unfortunately)

Comment by DuPage Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:54 pm
Jeanne Ives is example of what happens when cable news dominates the mainstream political discourse. She doesn’t deviate from the national talking points, fails to see nuance, and lives within a false Dem-GOP paradigm that just isn’t valid in Illinois. “Taxes bad, freedom good, renewables bad, guns good, welfare bad, America good,” and on and on. She’s completely non-constructive and that’s why she’s the irrelevant.

She should run for Congress, that way she could bark her nonsense talking points louder, look good on television, add nothing new to the dialogue, AND pass no bills. She’d fit right in!

Comment by Senator Clay Davis Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:58 pm
My feelings the same DuPage. Maybe she should pick a lane…. like one of those run away truck lanes you see on the highway out west.

Comment by BlueSox Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 4:59 pm
McSweeney and Ives are equally conservative along many lines.

The difference is that McSweeney acts, while Ives talks.

Perhaps she is one of the very few who so dislike government that she is committed to making sure it doesn’t work.

Comment by Walker Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 5:21 pm
“My constituents didn’t send me to Springfield to make friends.”

- Rep. Ives

“Or pass legislation, apparently. Or even make sense, as an aside.”

- Rich Miller

Okay, I am summarizing, but this pretty accurately describes the conversation from my vantage point.

In Ives’ defense, Terry Parke and Cal Skinner spent most of their careers in Springfield being dogmatically opposed to everything. There is a niche out there.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 7:11 pm
@Clay Davis -

Terry Parke and Cal Skinner predated the pre-eminence of FOX News.

Don’t blame Rock n’ Roll. Kids have always been misbehavin’

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 7:14 pm
Cal Skinner looks like a pragmatic moderate compared to Ives. He actually had a small agenda and worked across the aisle on prison reform issues.

Comment by Michelle Flaherty Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 10:56 pm
- A Guy… -,

Rep. Greg Harris has class. Lets be clear; with all the trials and tribulations Rep. Harris has faced in the General Assembly, I can’t recall a time where that class was not on display, even going toe to toe with his advisaries.

=== He just “smoked” a long time incumbent in what appears to be a Conservative, but not overly conservative district. From all the press accounts I’ve been able to read, he’s a fascinating and very astute guy===

You align yourself with Ives and Proft and the manner they go about their business, and you are “aligned” with the Thomas More Society, and how the Pihos race was run.

I see Breen and Ives as not only natural allies, but a “faculty of two teachers” who are clueless as to the workings of a legislative body whose task is for the greater good.

Diversity of Caucus also means the Reagan Rule is critical fit the GOP, and “teachers” never learn that lesson.

===Might cause you to redefine “Slytherin”===

You keep “selling”, I will keep with what I see as fact in word and deed. That Primary, is not helping your cause.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Apr 7, 14 @ 11:09 pm
Rep. Ives is an embarrassment. If only more voters paid attention to her traits of being uncompromising and unsuccessful in passing legislation instead of the R next to her name in what is a bread and butter economic issues suburban district.

Comment by Lunchbox Tuesday, Apr 8, 14 @ 7:35 am
OW-
Being a loner, in a Legislative Body, geared toward compromise and governing makes Ives ignorant to what the job of legislator really entails. -

Unfortunately, she is not the only one.

Comment by Rather Be Golfing Tuesday, Apr 8, 14 @ 8:49 am
Ugh, her primary opponent made all the above arguments against Ives and lost 2-1. People of her district are not whacko leftists like most on this board. What is it about liberals and their over the top hatred of any principled conservative woman?

Comment by Kansas Komet Tuesday, Apr 8, 14 @ 8:59 am
===Unfortunately, she is not the only one.===

The irony is that a Jeanne Ives, or the very small group like her, thinks they are “making a difference”, then claim they are not there to make “friends”, but can’t see that getting 59 others to follow you requires finesse. Ives lacks finesse if anything… and grace, and statements like those towards a colleague, class. When Ives, like others before her, stops “teaching”, she will find the GA a bit more welcoming.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 8, 14 @ 8:59 am
–Kansas Komet–

Awesome handle.

We should be thankful for the years Gale could give us, but it’s hard not to be disappointed that we didn’t get more.

No one like him, really. Ever, before or since.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 8, 14 @ 10:39 am