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* From the Southern Illinois editorial board…
Thumbs down to 646 days without a state budget. Each week, it gets increasingly difficult to grasp the fact that our legislators and governor are allowing our state to disintegrate financially. We are seeing our education system fall apart — as evidenced by Southern Illinois University being forced to trim $30 million from its budget and school districts suing the state for aid payments. Yet, there doesn’t seem to be any sense of urgency emanating from Springfield. Remember the days when legislators would lock themselves in chambers until they hammered out an agreement?
No, I don’t remember those days because they never happened because doing so would be a felony.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 9:46 am
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During my days on staff, it certainly seemed like we (staff) were locked in for days. /s
SI editorial is typical of the low information hyperbole you usually get from folks advocating the perfect and forgetting the reality.
Comment by Norseman Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 9:51 am
The verticle integration of perfidy is nearly total. The Majority party in the Legislature is being blackmailed by the minority party and the executive branch. Media, excluding Rich is complicit with this massive perfidy. It won’t change a bit when news outlets continue to give the perpetrators gov Rauner and His owned ILGOP passes for undemocratic extortion
Comment by Honeybear Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 9:54 am
I think what’s most embarrassing in these editorials, be it “locking them in” or “no budget, no pay”, is that editorial boards are more than willing to be the purveyors of spreading false solutions as opposed to being the steady hands that help the public see real issues within the real parameters of legal means.
Indeed - Honeybear -, the vertical integration is solidifying, this instance is a comintuation of populist thoughts outside the legal realities.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:00 am
Oswego Willy, “comintuation”? I thought Hermione, Harry, and Ron took you out in the girls bathroom during year 1.
Comment by MissingG Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:04 am
That is the reason for three branches of government.That way the minority gets a voice too, but Madigan doesn’t want them to have one and will not compromise on any issues.
Comment by Arock Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:10 am
- MissingG -
Nah. Nice Easter Egg, thou.
You can add to the discussion at any time, spelling is optional, lol
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:10 am
- Arock -
Is there 60 votes that Madigan is holding hostage that I’m not aware exist?
That would be news…
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:11 am
Illinois students are electing to go to college in another state due the financial challenges in our state.
If that is the case, then it’s logical to assume that businesses will go through the same decision making process. Higher taxes without work comp. and other reforms is the same as telling students “Hey, we’ve balanced EIU’s budget this year, everything is great!”
Comment by Downstate Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:27 am
===Higher taxes without work comp. and other reforms is the same as telling students “Hey, we’ve balanced EIU’s budget this year, everything is great!”===
Choosing or not choosing to fund Eastern Illinois is choosing to close Eastern via Rauner’s choice. It’s not like Eastern can choose to move to Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, like businesses or individuals can.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:30 am
The problem with this “lock themselves in a room” talk isn’t an issue with illegality, but that it’s just a figure of speech that ignores problem of lacking the will to come to an agreement (that the gov would support).
If all of the legislators agree to be “locked in chambers,” then there’s no crime because everyone is consenting to that arrangement. However, the minute someone says “let me out of here,” the consent dissolves, and failure to comply would be a crime.
Imagine the analogy that Mad-Eye Moody wanted to go in Barty Crouch Jr.’s box to check something out. No crime by putting him in there pursuant to that consent/agreement to go in the box. But once he was “locked in,” that would exceed the consent given. Barty was innocent of any crime until he refused to let Alastor out of the box.
The point is that locking members in a room to hammer out an agreement is idiotic because it’s a meaningless figure of speech-Rich points out that actually locking people up is illegal, but nobody wants that as a literal solution. If they just needed to come to a compromise on simple numbers for appropriations, maybe the effort to “sit there until you figure it out” makes sense, but Rauner’s roadblocks make this a much more daunting and impossible task for the GA.
Comment by MissingG Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:32 am
=If that is the case, then it’s logical to assume that businesses will go through the same decision making process.=
That is a common misconception reinforced by pandering politicians.
Most businesses cannot move out of state. That is because most are small businesses or small franchises that are not mobile.
Large corporations make up a small percentage of the overall job market. And I am not saying that it is good if they leave, I am not saying that at all.
But he imminent “ghost-towning” of Illinois is hyperbole.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:35 am
=== imminent “ghost-towning” of Illinois is hyperbole===
You haven’t been to many small towns, apparently.
Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:37 am
OW,
My point is that we can’t just increase taxes. We have to make Illinois more attractive to employers to increase the number of employees/tax payers.
Business AND Individuals are leaving Illinois for many of the same reasons that students are electing to go other places.
Just as curing the budget of EIU won’t suddenly make that school appealing to a student, simply raising taxes in the state won’t make us any more “business friendly”.
Comment by Downstate Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:40 am
===Just as curing the budget of EIU won’t suddenly make that school appealing to a student, simply raising taxes in the state won’t make us any more “business friendly”.===
No.
Deciding to choose to go to a university that is fully funded versus a university being squeezed by a lack of funding is a choice. Eastern is at a whim.
Businesses can always choose to leave. Eastern can’t leave and its operational revenues are being dictated.
Not the same.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:45 am
Well educated high school students (courtesy of ILlinois Education) are leaving the state for college and staying in more opportunistic states. This family has seen 3 of ours leave. Not only did they find opportunity but they claim higher quality of life. One has said folks in their state would never put up with the stuff going on in our state government.
Comment by AnonymousOne Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 10:48 am
We hold the line. But… wait a minute. Isn’t the Rauner winning? By holding out the destruction he wants is happening!!! Where are the heroes to step up and preserve the humanity that Illinois showed its weakest members. Is all a lost cause?
Comment by Mike Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 11:04 am
I recently graduated from university of Iowa and everyone I knew there (either from Iowa or Illinois) was planning to move to Chicago after school. Kids going out of state for higher education won’t be bad for the city of Chicago, but it will be bad for the rest of the state. The idea though that every young person is leaving the state and never coming back is just not in line reality. Young people don’t want to move to Indiana, Iowa, or Wisconsin.
Comment by BuckinIrish Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 11:06 am
“Deciding to choose to go to a university that is fully funded versus a university being squeezed by a lack of funding is a choice.”
Just as expanding or relocating to a state that is not fully funded, nor is seen as business friendly is a choice by businesses. I just don’t see how we get out of this mess simply with tax increases.
Comment by Downstate Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 11:11 am
===Just as expanding or relocating to a state that is not fully funded, nor is seen as business friendly is a choice by businesses===
No.
Again, Eastern has no choice. They can’t move, their funding is decided by others.
Businesses choose for themselves.
Cuts will be needed, Revenues will be required. Unavoidable.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 11:35 am
>Remember the days when…
I don’t remember those. I do remember the days when we had Governors who were interested in working to get a budget passed instead of destroying human services and higher education.
Comment by Earnest Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 11:43 am
=You haven’t been to many small towns, apparently.=
The town I live in has population of 1,400. So, with respect, yes I have and spend most of my time in small towns.
A ot of what is happening to them is caused by their own actions. And npt everyone is losing population. The twons that have a robust tax rate in order to have services and things like a library are ok, not syaing great, but ok. A few are growing.
We are in central Illinois near Bloomington Normal. It is a lot different down south.
My intent was more about overall population, my bad for the gross generalization.
Comment by JS Mill Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 11:50 am
646 days w no budget.
We got some stopgap funding when rank and file screamed.
This time, they reject that and are all in w starving the beast.
Thoroughly disappointing. Totally bought the kool aid.
Todays trib: “Every morning, I am up at 5:30. Yeah, it’s another day, we’re gonna get ‘em. I’m smiling,” he said. “She says ‘I’ve never seen you so happy in your life. This is bizarre. The press is kicking the stuffing out of you again today. What’s wrong?’ And I say, ‘Diana, when do you get the chance in life to improve the future for 13 million people?’” (Monique Garcia)
That says it all. Rauner couldnt be happier w how things are going. He is unhinged.
Comment by Langhorne Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 11:56 am
Hey guess what !… Indiana just voted and ‘agreed on’ a 2 year budget. Wow novel idea. Maybe we can employee the folks next door to take over our government. At least they are getting things done.
Comment by STJOHN Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 12:49 pm
Hey, Governor, why do you wake up so late? With all the work you’ve got to do, set the alarm for 5:00 am instead. Why mention the time you get up? Really, you think you’re some kind of super-hero because you get up at 5:30? Big deal.
Comment by The Real Just Me Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:00 pm
OW,
Hey! We agree on something. Cuts will be needed. That doesn’t negate the impact of business friendly states that now encircle Illinois. But I’m happy to see the agreement on spending cuts.
Comment by Downstate Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:18 pm
- Downstate -
It’s all “good”, not the cuts or the tax increase, but the agreement.
Cuts and Revenue are musts. Denying either and/or both isn’t an option.
If that honesty can start in the understanding for a compromise, I’m all about that.
Comment by Oswego Willy Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 1:26 pm
Remember when the SI had a Springfield Bureau? Those were the good old days.
Comment by Michelle Flaherty Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 2:06 pm
I wonder why we don’t hear suggestions to lock Rauner in a room until he slips a signed budget bill under the door.
Comment by wondering Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 2:16 pm
Ah, “🎶 Michelle…..my belle…..🎼. You are gear.
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Apr 7, 17 @ 3:25 pm