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* Sigh…
The "Magic Beans" line item finally appears in an official state budget: https://t.co/j4QqrQzTrg
— Scott Kennedy (@ScottTKennedy) February 17, 2016
(1/2) Rauner administration budget documents indicate governor is proposing $36.3 billion in spending, but expects only $32.8b in revenue.
— ChiTrib Clout Street (@ChiTribCloutSt) February 17, 2016
@ChiTribCloutSt (2/2) Rauner's missing $3.5 billion? It’s in a line item called “working together or executive management."
— ChiTrib Clout Street (@ChiTribCloutSt) February 17, 2016
* Democratic Sen. Daniel Biss is not as harsh…
“Yesterday, I expressed my hope that Gov. Rauner would introduce a balanced budget in today’s address. In fact, he proposed two budgetary paths.
“The first path would allow him to unilaterally control spending and policy decisions, representing an abdication of the General Assembly’s responsibility and a breakdown in our system of representative government. It may constitute a balanced budget, but nobody thinks it’s the best way of handling things.
“The second path requires negotiation and compromise to produce an agreed-upon package of new revenues, spending changes and structural reforms. Clearly, everyone would prefer that we go down this path. However, his comments raise two crucial questions.
“First of all, while I agree that we must all compromise to reach an agreement, it is a shame that today’s address did not include Gov. Rauner’s preferred mix of revenues and spending cuts. Our system expects a governor make such a proposal, which then becomes a useful starting point for negotiations.
“Secondly, Gov. Rauner spoke extensively about our state’s real structural problems and demanded that structural reforms be a part of the solution. I agree. However, he continues to prioritize anti-worker reforms that would push down wages and harm the middle class. In fact, he continues to imply that states can only thrive economically if they embrace right-wing, anti-union policies. Of course, this assertion is utterly false.
“As we seek to enact the structural reforms that our state needs, we must be open to all points of view and all ideas, including Democratic ideas such as repealing our bizarre constitutional provision that mandates a flat income tax. I am confident that if Gov. Rauner is willing to have a truly open negotiation on the question of revenues, spending and reform, then we can come together in the spirit of compromise and move forward.
“I hope he is willing to engage in that fair process, and I hope it happens quickly. Our state is being grievously harmed by the current budget situation, and neither the vulnerable people who rely on our human services, nor the students who attend our institutions of higher education, nor the good people who provide those services should be forced to accept any more of this.”
posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:01 pm
Sorry, comments are closed at this time.
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“Looks like I picked a bad day to become editor of the Tribune.” - Fake Bruce Dold
Comment by Oswego Willy Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:02 pm
I bet two things occurred.
First, Rauner has not looked at the budget. He has no idea. He might have been briefed on it. (”Quickly, quickly! I’ve got an 11 o’clock!”).
Second (related somewhat to the first): He has no idea this kumbaya-let’s-all-get-along-and-work-togehter is even there.
Third (again, related): He has no idea (yet) that it’s out of whack by 3+ billion. No one told him — and Rauner certainly didn’t notice — because that would ruin his narrative. Whatever narrative that is on any given day.
Comment by Frenchie Mendoza Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:07 pm
40 minutes of budget address. Time spent proposing a budget other than P-12…none. Is there a budget proposal? I can’t tell from this speech.
Comment by Commonsense in Illinois Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:08 pm
Okay, three things — not two.
Still. The light bulb hasn’t clicked for Bruce.
Comment by Frenchie Mendoza Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:08 pm
Wait…there is actually a line item called “working together or executive management”?
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:09 pm
Obviously, the governor intends to veto his own budget proposal as it is nearly $4 billion out of balance.
Comment by wordslinger Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:09 pm
Wait…there is actually a line item “working together or executive management”?
Comment by Bobby Hill Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:11 pm
—
Obviously, the governor intends to veto his own budget proposal as it is nearly $4 billion out of balance.
—
He does this, he implodes in a cloud of contradictory dust. Matter meets anti-matter, rhetoric the anti-rhetoric, and what’s left is a tiny black hole devoid of all mass and meaning.
Aides and agency directors shrug. “Okay.”
Comment by Frenchie Mendoza Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:12 pm
“I’ve got this executive management and it’s ✶✶✶✶✶✶✶ golden…”
– MrJM
Comment by @MisterJayEm Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:12 pm
To Biss’s comments on giving the Governor unilateral authority “but nobody thinks it’s the best way of handling things.”
Did he not vote for the budget last may that was $4 billion out of wack?
To Biss’s quote on working together, ” I am confident that if Gov. Rauner is willing to have a truly open negotiation on the question of revenues, spending and reform, then we can come together in the spirit of compromise and move forward.”
Has he not met this Mike Madigan guy?
Comment by Ahoy! Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:15 pm
>Just like magic!
Yes. A feat of deception requiring distracting the eye from the truth.
Comment by Earnest Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:16 pm
I do that in my personal bills. When someone sends a bill to me, I write a check and in the “amount” section I write “Let’s work together”.
Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:23 pm
Let’s see how many media outlets report that the Governor’s proposed budget is nearly $4B short? Hey, Bruce Dold, want to make a splash on your first day in charge?
Comment by GA Watcher Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:23 pm
Dan Biss and the common sense he controls.
Comment by burbanite Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:24 pm
“Hey! Who forgot to tell @ChiTribCloutSt about the new boss?”
– MrJM
Comment by @MisterJayEm Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:25 pm
$3.5 billion is coming from magic? Has someone contacted Madoff to make that happen?
Comment by illini97 Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:25 pm
It would be smart if Rauner tried working extensively with Biss. Biss clearly is thoughtful and gets the actual math portion of budgeting and statistics and not just the rhetoric.
Comment by Team Sleep Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:28 pm
The “Balancing Act”
Better than last year when he “committed” to booking $3B illegal savings from pensions. Now at least he calls it what it is — a $3B gap that’s undefined.
Comment by walker Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:30 pm
==repealing our bizarre constitutional provision that mandates a flat income tax==
Amazes me the way the flat tax sends some folks up the wall. You can have a much more progressive system if you include all the income and increase the exemption. But improvement is not what’s really wanted.
Comment by Excessively Rabid Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:33 pm
“Rauner Proposes Unbalanced Budget” will be the Tribune headline and editorial tomorrow, right?
Comment by Juvenal Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:37 pm
I can’t wait to see how McQuery blames the $3B shortfall on Madigan.
Comment by TominChicago Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:39 pm
>The first path would allow him to unilaterally control spending and policy decisions
He did have unilateral control over the FY17 budget he presented. Given how out-of-balance that is, I’d be reluctant to let him have control of an actual budget.
Comment by Earnest Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:40 pm
To be clear, “magic beans” are also how Democrats propose paying for their MAP grants legislation.
They should have no problem with that line item.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:44 pm
To Anonymous’s point above, magic beans has been the currency for State Government for the past 12 years.
Comment by Ahoy! Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:51 pm
After the prior two imbalanced budgets Democrats passed into law, their disingenuous cries are not credible.
The FY 15 budget, the budget that was passed without enough funding or cuts to get through the year, was the worst case of “magic beans” this state has ever seen.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:52 pm
@Bobby Hill
There sure is…..See page 63.
http://www.illinois.gov/gov/budget/Documents/Budget%20Book/FY%202017%20Budget%20Book/FY2017OperatingBudgetBook.pdf
He’s essentially saying that either they’re achieve the $3.5B by “Working Together” or he’s achieve the $3.5B by “Executive Management”…..is apparently the Democrats choice.
But in reality he’s presented another unbalanced budget by refusing to tell us how/where he’ll make his cuts. It’s another “trust me, I’ll make the cuts” plea from a guy who nobody trusts.
Comment by Get a Job!! Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:52 pm
Anonymous 3:44
Which is coincidently how Rauner wants to pay for the k-12 increase. Which somehow is ok while MAP isn’t.
Comment by Mason born Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:53 pm
I like how Rauner cares about “kids” when they are between the ages of 5 and 18. Very important. If you are younger than five and need help, out of luck. If you are over the age of 18, you don’t need a college degree…just need to work a low wage job in some Rauner factory.
Comment by 360 Degree TurnAround Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 3:58 pm
Adding……Under the Executive Management section he provides some examples of actions he’d like unilateral authority over.
Establish a wide array of spending reserves recognized and clearly enforceable by the comptroller;
Reduce provider rates that are currently set in statute;
Reduce or modify statutory transfers out of any state funds;
Reallocate balances from other state accounts into general funds; and
Alter or delay payments under continuing appropriations.
I’d like to address each separately (hint, they’re all pretty scary)
Spending Reserves mean he can unilaterally tie up appropriations (yes, more hostages & manufactured crisis)
Reduction of provider rates (Haven’t we been down this road with CCAP?)
Reduce or modify statutory transfers (sounds like he’s wanting to stiff CPPRT & the locals again)
Reallocate Balances from other state accounts (more sweeps, hooray!!!)
Alter or Delay Continuing Approps (The real meat of these Continuing approps are Debt Services & Pensions…..is he proposing altering/delaying those???)
Comment by Get a Job!! Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:03 pm
Is it on the Expense side or the Revenue side?
Comment by Bobby Hill Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:07 pm
Do the anonymous trollers not understand how easy it is to pick a simple monicker? They all seem to follow the same theme so you can’t tell them apart, except for perhaps some syntax.
Comment by burbanite Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:11 pm
@Bobby
As I understand both scenarios assume the $3.5B hole will be closed partially by revenue (possibly sweeps & reductions in transfers out), partially by spending reductions.
Comment by Get a Job!! Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:11 pm
Now that I see some of the specifics under “executive management”, it is clear whoever wrote that is not concerned with the constitution, or separation of powers. That is an amazing list.
Comment by Langhorne Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:17 pm
So, the Gov. didn’t present a balanced budget? What a farce.
When will the press corps call him out directly on his magic beans line item?
Comment by Dee Lay Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:29 pm
What structural reforms will Senator Biss support? I’d be very interested to hear the reforms he’d be willing to put a Yes vote on.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:29 pm
@Langhorne,
This is really nothing new. Past Governors (PQ included) were granted some of these powers in the past. The main problem is that nobody trusts BVR not to go crazy with this power.
Comment by Get a Job!! Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:30 pm
Sadly, the Governor’s office has yet to identify the cause of the structural deficit: Alcohol beverage and Gaming subsidies.
Comment by Beaner Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:42 pm
Sen. Biss: “we must be open to all points of view and all ideas”
Sen. Biss two sentences earlier: “right-wing, anti-union policies”
Oh, Sen. Biss. What did I miss?
Comment by Sillies Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:45 pm
The two vying to become the state’s chief fiscal officer — Munger and Mendoza — would be interesting to hear their views on the budget proposals and standoff.
Comment by Downstate Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 4:53 pm
So what keeps the Dems from passing FY16 and FY17 budgets based exactly on Rauner’s OMB spreadsheets? They can claim they passed his budget exactly as written, so he should have no problem. Is that when Rauner finally uses the A/V and has to own the cuts? Or he looks like a fool by vetoing the whole thing again because he loses his leverage to get any TA items?
Comment by Jibba Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 5:01 pm
It’s like coming up with specific numbers, both spending and revenues, that balance is just too hard. Easier to get within a few billion and finish up with some lame promise to figure it out later.
Lazy, sloppy work.
Yeah, superstars.
Comment by Sir Reel Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 5:08 pm
==has to own the cuts==
That’s essentially what he has dared them to do when he asked for complete power over the budget to move money and cut funding as he chooses.
Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 5:09 pm
Lets pray that he doesn’t raid the Pension Funds.
Comment by Mama Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 5:13 pm
Mama, from the looks of it, they are reduced, by about 100 mil. For TRS and SERS.
However I think someone mentioned that the reduction would be made up with a slight cost shift?
Comment by Person 8 Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 5:19 pm
Rauner just offered a couple of options.
That is 2 more than the legislature is offering so far.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 6:04 pm
@Anonymous, The Governor submits a budget to the Legislature and that is used as a blueprint for what will be the final product. That’s how it has always worked. Please keep up.
Comment by The Dude Abides Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 7:48 pm
Find it ironic Rauner is preaching about a balanced budget and the one he presents is 3.5 B short itself.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 8:08 pm
Madigan and Cullerton love magic beans when they are the ones passing budgets in their chambers.
Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 8:31 pm
I don’t get the politics of Rauner’s request to make the cuts himself (he could have done that last year using the AV).. What is there in the details of his request that allows him to advance his TA? If nothing will advance the TA, does he want to make drastic cuts and reorganizations that don’t have the possibility of being overridden if he tried to make similar cuts using the AV?
Comment by Jibba Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 9:52 pm
The majority of the “press corps” are apparently bought and paid for, just like the GOP. Going once, going twice SOLD!
Another sad day for Illinois.
Comment by Property of IDOC Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 10:09 pm
The governor can not be trusted with unlimited control of the state budget. He has already demonstrated that he will surgically make cuts where he can get the most political advantage. For instance, what was his reason for closing the Illinois State Museum?
For someone who ran on not being a politician, he sure knows how to use every situation as political leverage
Comment by BeenThereB4 Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 10:13 pm
“[A]n abdication of the General Assembly’s responsibility and a breakdown in our system of representative government. “. Hmm. This begs the question of whether the General Assenbly’s actions under the Democratic Majority of the last 13 years represents a breakdown of our system of representative government.
Comment by Percival Wednesday, Feb 17, 16 @ 11:33 pm
The legislature can choose to either do their jobs and work with Rauner or give Rauner the power to do their jobs for them.
So far, they don’t want to do anything. They don’t want to work with him, they don’t want to give him the same powers try have given prior governors, and they don’t even want to choose. He is giving them choices and offering ideas, which is more than can be said for the GA.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 18, 16 @ 1:20 am
Anonymous 4:29 pm,
Biss specifically listed a progressive income tax. Another comment noted that there are other ways to achieve progressivity, but a differnt (superior) tax structure would in fact be a structural reform.
Comment by History Prof Thursday, Feb 18, 16 @ 7:21 am
Anonymous @ 1:20 am,
Unlike right to work or term limits, a progressive income tax would actually address the problem. Rauner’s T.A. does not address the actual problems. You are correct to suggest that Rauner has given the Democrats a choice; but it a choice between very bad or catastrophically stupid and very bad.
By “the legislature” I assume you mean the Democrats. But the point is that the Republicans will not sign onto any responsible plan. That’s the underlying problem.
1. Government does important things.
2. Government costs money.
ergo 3. Fund the damn government!
Comment by History Prof Thursday, Feb 18, 16 @ 7:29 am
The 3.5 Billion is where Rauner and the general assembly get together and hash out cuts and revenue. 1.5 billion in cuts and 2 billion from raising the income tax for example. Presuming Rauner and the pols work on this part together then they both own it and everyone sells it as a balanced budget.
Comment by Maximus Thursday, Feb 18, 16 @ 8:37 am
Ok Biss, horse trade you the flat tax for a progressive tax if you remove “impair or diminish” that is compromise
Comment by taxitup Thursday, Feb 18, 16 @ 8:50 am
–The 3.5 Billion is where Rauner and the general assembly get together and hash out cuts and revenue. 1.5 billion in cuts and 2 billion from raising the income tax for example. Presuming Rauner and the pols work on this part together then they both own it and everyone sells it as a balanced budget.–
That could work, if the budget and fiscal responsibility become priorities of the governor.
To date, they have not been.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 18, 16 @ 9:18 am
Anonymous @ 1:20am:
go to bed, bruce.
Comment by Homer J. Quinn Thursday, Feb 18, 16 @ 9:33 am