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Role reversals need to stop

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Illinois

As a Republican legislator told me the other day, the chief cause of this long state government impasse is that we have a House speaker who also wants to be the governor and a governor who also wants to be the speaker.

This isn’t a new phenomenon.

As far back as the 1980s, House Speaker Michael Madigan tried to get legislators a role in state union contract negotiations. He didn’t trust Gov. Jim Thompson to negotiate affordable contracts, so he wanted a way to reject the deals or at least influence them.

Way back in 1991, rookie Republican Gov. Jim Edgar wouldn’t agree to renewing a tax hike and passing a state budget until Madigan agreed to a statewide cap on property tax increases. Governors have no formal authority to introduce and pass bills. That power belongs exclusively to the General Assembly. But within weeks Madigan and Edgar agreed on a collar county-only tax cap and they moved ahead.

The lengths to which each side has gone this time around most certainly are new, however.

Go read the rest before commenting, please. Thanks.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:08 am

Comments

=== House speaker who also wants to be the governor and a governor who also wants to be the speaker.===

That is certainly one explanation for why Rauner hasn’t introduced a budget.

Comment by Anon Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:23 am
I don’t know. I see columns that make things about Mike Madigan as distraction from Bruce Rauner’s intentional destruction of higher education and human services. I don’t see any evidence that he actually wants there to be a budget, other than K-12 because he can’t handle the pressure.

Comment by Earnest Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:26 am
I made the mistake of reading the comments to the article, and now have serious doubts about whether the business community has any business running businesses.

Comment by Delimma Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:38 am
Agree with Earnest. It seems to be a built-in assumption that Rauner actually will go for a tax increase, simply because he’s said he’ll support revenues in exchange for Turnaround Agenda items. Why be so credulous about that claim? Why should it be taken at face value and not questioned?

Another viewpoint is that it’s merely words and that he’s quite content to preside over the destruction of human services agencies, higher education and other essential state services if it means taxes stay low. Harder for right-thinking (meaning those with mainstream morals) to imagine anyone could possibly view the world that way, but there are all kinds of outliers.

Comment by Moe Berg Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:38 am
On May 11, 2016, the Illinois House and Senate passed a $700 million emergency appropriation for contracted social service providers.

Hundreds of them have not received a dime under their state contracts for services provided since July 1, 2015. Thousands of good people doing great work have been thrown out of their jobs.

The bipartisan vote was nearly unanimous in both chambers, Democrats and Republicans from Chicago to Cairo, in agreement on this emergency measure.

As of today, June 6, 2016, Gov. Rauner has refused to sign the appropriation and has offered nothing but weasel-word nonsense to explain his inaction.

C’mon, man. This “on the other hand” stuff makes no sense, and hasn’t for months.

“Squeeze the beast” is the policy of the Rauner Administration, not an unfortunate, unplanned consequence to good-faith differences.

– While the inaugural address was being delivered from this place, devoted altogether to saving the Union without war, insurgent agents were in the city seeking to destroy it without war— seeking to dissolve the Union and divide effects by negotiation. Both parties deprecated war, but one of them would make war rather than let the nation survive, and the other would accept war rather than let it perish…

…and the war came.–

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:39 am
Pretty sure Madigan has never wanted to be governor — even when some staffers nudged that way in the ’80s. He does work hard at keeping the legislature as a co-equal branch of government.
Most governors find the legislature to be a nuisance to their important deeds. Now Illinois is faced with the BigBrain $uper$tars who failed to recognize the hole Illinois was in and worked from a central theory that their money was a more important weapon than anyone’s beliefs.
Now we enter the totally uncharted seas of BigBrains “stop gap” budget, gettin’ schools open and the $2 million GOPie Summer of Hate ad campaign. Should be a doozey.
BTW it was a hoot to see SI media reveal BigBrain campaign spendin’ over the weekend. Now they need to review May ‘15 rental checks

Comment by Annonin' Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:47 am
Okay, so I’m not understanding something and I hope someone will update me.

Yes, Madigan did not allow the Rauner stop gap to go forward

But isn’t that point mute because it would need a reading on three separate days?

Isn’t the Rauner stop gap just a perfidious attempt to show that he tried, knowing that it couldn’t be approved no matter what Madigan said?

Or does the Speaker have the power to waive that rule.

I hope someone will help because it actually is quite relevant to the post.

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:48 am
So sick of people saying public servants, ie: government employees are overpaid and deserve less. We teach your children, we protect you from the criminals, we fix your roads and bridges, we put out your fires and save lives. How much is your life worth?

Glad I read this column early today, I am going to Ottawa to stand with my union brothers and sisters and protest the poor excuse for a Governor.

Comment by Union Leader Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:08 am
Thanks again Rich for a great column.

Comment by Union Leader Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:12 am
…and the war came.–

Yep, let’s get on with it.

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:20 am
Honeybear, you are correct that the GOP bill was not going to work. The widely accepted point is that if all agreed, the words would be dropped into one of the several Dem shells sitting around.

Comment by Norseman Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:22 am
Madigan doesn’t want to be governor, he wants the governor to be governor instead of weasel-in-chief.

Comment by PublicServant Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:23 am
Nice column.
I always assumed that Madigan was the un-elected Gov but preferred to not go for all of the hoopla that the title suggests. Or, maybe he considers himself something entirely different that either role.
Does it actually matter other than we need for the real Gov and the real Speaker to stand up and get a budget together.

Comment by Belle Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:24 am
Honeybear, because the “stop-gap” legislation was filed as new bills, they have to be read on three separate days in each chamber. That’s in the constitution and can’t be waived.

However, the GOP leaders could have filed the stop-gap on bills that had already otherwise been read or already passed one chamber.

Comment by Juice Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:27 am
==Or does the Speaker have the power to waive that rule.==

No one can waive it. The three readings requirement is from Article IV, Section 8(d) of the Illinois Constitution.

Comment by Agricola Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:46 am
- Moe Berg - Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 9:38 am:
It seems to be a built-in assumption that Rauner actually will go for a tax increase, simply because he’s said he’ll support revenues in exchange for Turnaround Agenda items. Why be so credulous about that claim? Why should it be taken at face value and not questioned? -

I suspect it is taken at face value because he has always frequently said he demands a balanced budget, and the budget cuts necessary to get there without any tax increases would be unpalatable.

Comment by titan Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:54 am
Bruce Rauner, September 18, 2012:

In Illinois there’s been a long-time history of what I would call social service, social justice, a bigger role for government in the safety net than in many other states. I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic and bring the folks who say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or Af-scammy (AFSCME), who are out there for their own interests.’

Want to know why “Madigan says Gov. Bruce Rauner can’t be trusted to negotiate in good faith with the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees” (AFSCME)?

Want to know why Bruce Rauner hasn’t signed the emergency appropriation for contracted social service providers, even though “sexually abused children can’t get help, and neither can runaway teens”?

The answers are self-evident: He said he would do it. He was elected governor and then it happened.

But we’re still scratching our heads about WHY it happened?

It isn’t a mystery. The answers are ALL right there and in Bruce Rauner’s own words.

– MrJM

Citation: http://wuis.org/post/illinois-issues-social-cost-rauner-v-labor

Comment by @MisterJayEm Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 10:56 am
Bruce Rauner, September 18, 2012:

In Illinois there’s been a long-time history of what I would call social service, social justice, a bigger role for government in the safety net than in many other states. I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic and bring the folks who say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or Af-scammy (AFSCME), who are out there for their own interests.’

There is deal with the Devil that Rauner proposed to the ILGOP. Of course it didn’t go well and now we have all the devastation. But Rauner and his now owned Raunerites, nee ILGOP, in their hubris cannot admit that they have sent the entire state to damnation.

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 11:10 am
I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this in my lifetime. Even almost 10 years ago we never would’ve imagined and outright shut down because parties can’t agree on a state budget.

Comment by Levois Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 11:28 am
Good piece, Rich.

Comment by The Muse Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 11:44 am
@Union Leader

=We teach your children, we protect you from the criminals, we fix your roads and bridges, we put out your fires and save lives. How much is your life worth?=

First of all, you don’t “protect us” from criminals, leader. Just ask the grieving families on the West and Southsides of Chicago. You try to catch criminals AFTER they’ve killed or injured us, and to be perfectly honest, the conviction rate for the drug gang murders in Chicago are not very good.

What are out “lives worth”? Don’t confuse that the value of services you provide to enhance and protect our lives. If a worker doesn’t put the correct bolt in your car, the car falls apart and you could get killed. Should the guy putting the nuts on the bolt get paid the value of the lives that would be lost if he does his job badly? What public workers are “worth” is the value of what those paying for their services are willing to pay based upon the quality and difficulty of service they provide. Unfortunately, with union influence protecting some of the worst workers through tenure and seniority, the highest value rarely goes to the best employees. Thanks a lot, Union leader!

Comment by Illinois Bob Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 11:44 am
With you in spirit Union leader! GET SOME!

Comment by Honeybear Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 11:46 am
Nothing will change until there is an actual catastrophe. Rauner refuses to do a budget without eliminating unions.

As i have said before, compared to St Johns, State Farm, Memorial, Blue Cross, Springfield clinic etc State employees have the same level of salaries and benefits provided by other large employers. Rauner sees high pay and benefits, but inly compared to his own poverty making enterprises that steal from the employees to make one person rich. compared to comporable employers its all on par.

Comment by Ghost Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 12:41 pm
If the GA should pass a tax increase with enough votes to override, Rauner will either let it become law without his signature of veto it and let the GA override. He’s going to try to avoid any blame for increased taxes.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 12:53 pm
@Illinois Bob - why do we pay doctors so much money for doing what is essentially routine healthcare services? A strep throat diagnosis certainly can’t be worth so much more than having my car work properly, can it?

Comment by Delimma Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 2:28 pm
@Dilimma
=@Illinois Bob - why do we pay doctors so much money for doing what is essentially routine healthcare services? A strep throat diagnosis certainly can’t be worth so much more than having my car work properly, can it?=

You pay them more because what you THINK may be strep throat may actually be something more serious that requires more than an anti-biotic. If you think that the human body and its functions are no more complicated than car repair, time to take a biology refresher.

The medical industry is adapting to this. You see a lot more Physicians Assistants doing routine check ups and care instead of full doctors. What stinks about this is they charge you the same if you get the PA or REAL doctor.

Comment by Illinois Bob Monday, Jun 6, 16 @ 3:11 pm