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Just get it done already

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Illinois

Though he and his people are loathe to admit it, they seem to have realized that, to win new term, Rauner needs to show some accomplishments, more than standing on a pile of junk that used to be the state’s economy and declaring that he fought Madigan to a tie.

So what will he do and how far will he go? We’ll know more later today.

* Not exactly clean hands here…

“Tomorrow, our governor is gonna give a speech, a budget. He has to deliver a balanced budget that funds education. Our kids are too important. They’re making all the reading gains and math gains,” [Mayor Rahm Emanuel] told his audience of movers and shakers.

“I see a bunch of CEO’s and business leaders and people working in business. If I’m the mayor, I’m the chief executive of this city. You expect me to deliver a balanced budget, which I do. Dan Cronin in DuPage County — you expect him to deliver a balanced budget. Toni Preckwinkle — you expect her to deliver a balanced budget. We need a balanced budget that funds education and moves this state forward.”

Emanuel noted that the “biggest adverse effect” for Chicago and its drive to recruit even more corporate headquarters is “the uncertainty the state is creating over the business climate. … Uncertainty is our biggest threat. Our kids can’t afford it. Our businesses can’t afford it and the state can’t.”

Pounding the podium for emphasis, the mayor said, “I want the governor to hit the re-set button by having a balanced budget that finally moves this state forward. We cannot be the last state in the union without a budget.”

* Laurence Msall is tired of the finger-pointing…

LAURENCE MSALL: “I would say there’s very little benefit in trying to point (to) who’s done the worst job in the past. The question is: Who’s actually presenting something in the present that has the potential to move our state forward?”

Msall says between the governor’s proposals and Democrats’ own unbalanced budget legislation, there’s plenty of blame to go around, and the problem is only getting harder to solve.

MSALL: “But that doesn’t relieve them of their obligation to do the best they can to make it better for the citizens and for our state. And that’s why we need a budget.”

Rauner says in today’s budget address, he’ll finally weigh in on some of the elements in the so-called grand bargain. That’s the bipartisan plan hatched by top leaders in the Illinois Senate to finally slow Illinois’ long fiscal decline.

* As is the Jacksonville Journal-Courier…

Gov. Bruce Rauner is preparing to step up to the lectern a few hours from now and go through the motions of presenting a plan for a state budget. It will be followed within minutes by leaders of the controlling Democratic Party summarily dismissing it.

It’s a tired plot line at this point. Rauner will talk about the need for controls and reform. Democrats will try to convince anyone who will listen that the status quo will work just fine if taxes are raised to allow uncontrolled spending to continue. […]

Forget that the state constitution is clear about the roles of both the governor and the General Assembly when it comes to a budget. The governor has to present a balanced budget each year to lawmakers. Lawmakers are required to approve a budget.

Not every now and then.

Not most of the time.

Each year.

posted by Rich Miller
Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 10:47 am

Comments

The problems are:

# Solutions only get worse the longer this goes.

# Everybody will hate some parts of the solutions.

Time for the Deciders to realize these facts, bite the bullet(s) and get it done.

Comment by sal-says Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 10:51 am
he won’t get another term, if the base of voters ie middle class want something new, we’ve got to get someone in there that is willing to work and provide a balance budget every year. Rauner hasn’t done that either of the two he’s been in office.

Comment by pskila Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 10:55 am
Who would vote for Governor Failure? GOvernor Destructo?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 11:01 am
I’m expecting more of the same. He seems to be rather dull.

Comment by Liberty Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 11:03 am
Never underestimate someone with nearly unlimited resources and the willingness to use them.

Comment by Jaded Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 11:11 am
Rod Blagojevich - failure no true balanced budgets
Pat Quinn - failure no true balance budget
Bruce Rauner - failure no balanced budget
Michael Madigan - failure no balanced budget for at least the last 16 years and has a legacy of a $130 billion pension debt with his name on it, as well as not meeting the constitutional requirement of funding K-12 public education. So I can see why everything is Rauners fault for wanting to change the way things are done.

Comment by Arock Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 11:37 am
Hey Rahmie Boy! How well did that “Reset” button thing work for Hillary?

Comment by Anonymous Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 11:46 am
Arock,
Quinn had budgets where pension payments were made on schedule and payables were reduced. I would call that balanced.

If Rauner met the Quinn standard, the State would be in a much better position than it is.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 11:49 am
Arock,

Re-read Lawrence Msall above.

Comment by PublicServant Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 11:53 am
If you want to beat Rauner, you have to show his supporters how he has raised their taxes.

Add up the costs of his administration in light of our falling bond ratings.

Show them our bill backlog.

Show them the higher taxes they will have to pay because of Bruce Rauner.

Comment by VanillaMan Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 12:44 pm
Arock: Each and every one of your statements above is easily checkable, and false, (though you’re arguably right on 2 of 4 Bago budgets, and only one Quinn budget.) If you want to make a serious argument, use real facts. The net is that by any reasonable standard, 17 of the 20 budgets previous to Rauner were technically balanced, albeit with some questionable funds transfers in a few of those years.

If we want to say that bad choices were often made on both the revenue and spending sides, then we can agree

Comment by walker Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 1:51 pm
I believe the people of the state of Illinois could resolve the budget issue with the Governor, if we could fire the entire legislature for causing the mess that we are in today. I personally do not need a phony bi-partisan Representave or Senator negotiating on my behalf. I use the last 35 years as my evidence.

Comment by Ur killing me Smalls Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 8:15 pm
Walker please enlighten us on how it is possible that 17 of the previous 20 budgets prior to Rauner were “technically balanced” with just a few years of questionable transfers but we have 130 billion dollar pension debt. The Edgar Ramp was never adjusted by a responsible Governor and legislature

I am sure there are some con artists who would defend their Ponzi schemes as technically balanced as well.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Wednesday, Feb 15, 17 @ 9:57 pm