Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

What are we waiting for?

Posted in:

Illinois

* My Crain’s Chicago Business column…

I’ve heard a lot of talk from both Statehouse parties that neither side will ever agree to a “bad deal” to end the long government stalemate. An official in Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration told me recently, “No deal is better than a bad deal.” And that sentiment is not confined to one party.

But everybody really needs to rethink what a “bad deal” is. State government is nearing collapse. Universities are on the brink of failure, our social services network is falling apart and our stack of unpaid bills has become Mount Everest.

The governor won’t make a deal unless he also gets some concessions like term limits, a property tax freeze and workers’ compensation insurance reform. He also wants steep budget cuts but hasn’t yet said what those should be.

Democrats say a property tax freeze would hurt local schools, they’re wary of taking away benefits from injured workers and after two years of budgetary carnage, they’re not thrilled with steep cuts.

So, both sides believe the other wants them to make a bad deal.

Again: Maybe they need to redefine what a bad deal is. To illustrate why they should just sit down and work it out, I offer a personal story.

Go read the rest before commenting, please. Thanks.

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:10 am

Comments

Rich, good story for teaching a lesson in satisficing. That is finding a solution that is satisfactory and sufficient, rather than continue searching and waiting for the optimum outcome.
Jerry G

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:21 am
The Dems want to negotiate a budget.

Rauner wants a TA Agenda before he will negotiate a budget.

Results, no budget or TA Agenda.

Comment by MOON Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:21 am
Yup, any deal is going to be a bad deal and every day we wait, the deal gets exponentially worse.

Comment by SAP Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:23 am
“no deal is better than a bad deal.”

Just what we needed: another shallow, dorm-room philosopher slogan.

I’ve got a real-world, rubber-meets-the-road slogan:

“Pay your bills, deadbeat.”

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:23 am
In January I actually had some hope there would be a deal. Rauner then goes to his three day Koch Brothers retreat and comes back emboldened, and starts changing parameters again. He has no intention of making a deal. Looks like nothing will be done until after the next election.

Comment by oldman Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:25 am
The 2018 campaign for Governor is officially on. That means NO DEAL, NO TIME, NEVER.. BVR knows his numbers are in the tank, JB will match him $ for $, so any deal that raises the income tax is off the table.. Grand Bargain, ain’t gonna happen!!

Comment by Not Rich Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:33 am
Taking away benefits lol

https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=zF82qVCJYXs

Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:37 am
To the Post,

Rich, thanks for sharing.

To your story, Illinois is so far behind in paying social services and higher ed, just for starters, and any way you look at this, we are, the state, going to be paying for these two years. How much better would we all feel knowing the state is finally fulfilling its obligations in a responsible way, and move forward with the lessons learned to ensure that hostage-taking and running down state universities and running up debt just can’t be an option anymore.

There needs to be an end. Trusting each other that in the end all sides want damage to end would be helpful.

Trust, and want.

All sides must have both.

Comment by Oswego Willy Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:40 am
He is a person that must control everything, even when it’s wrong. Like all who live for power they all fall the hardest.

Comment by Red Rider Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:43 am
I feel your pain, Rich. Try selling a house in an Illinois college town these days. Thanks, Baron von Carhartt, for destroying the village in order to save it.

Comment by Ray del Camino Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:44 am
Apparently, some GOP deep thinkers claim that actually paying some bills would “take the pressure off” for a real deal.

Want some pressure? How’s about no K-12 approp. for the fall? Think that will be motivating, after two years of setting willful deadbeatism, destruction and setting pre-conditions for a budget?

If you’re not willing to go that far, then your “principle” is a lie.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:49 am
Your experience selling your house makes me thing of similar experiences settling a lawsuit or complaint. I’d rather fight and fight to win and show I was right, but that would hurt me more than settling would. However, I think Rauner is not feeling any pain from the fiscal disaster he has engineered, so doesn’t have motivation to take a deal (and I’m still not confident the goalposts won’t keep moving to keep a deal impossible).

Comment by Earnest Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 9:51 am
Rich, selling the house brought you closure. It was the right thing to do.

Giving in to Rauner on his political agenda won’t bring closure, since Rauner will then demand more the following year.

Comment by Hamlet's Ghost Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 10:00 am
In your case you settled for a bad deal and now everything is over and done with. If we settle for a bad deal with no reforms to try to make Illinois competitive then we will continually increase the debt of that bad deal. The bad deal is never over and done with without some reforms.

Comment by Arock Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 10:19 am
===I think Rauner is not feeling any pain from the fiscal disaster he has engineered===

58 percent job disapproval rating is a whole lot of pain. Don’t kid yourself.

Comment by Rich Miller Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 10:23 am
Arock, tell us more about these reforms and their projected ROI.

The payoff must be a sure thing, given all the willful destruction in their name. When will they cover the nut — billions in debt, thousands of lost jobs, the gutting of higher ed and social services?

Or are you just parroting empty talking points when you’re trying to rationalize being a destructive deadbeat?

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 10:33 am
==If we settle for a bad deal with no reforms==

That’s nothing but a talking point. You know what I would consider a huge reform? A budget. Nothing else matters right now.

Comment by Demoralized Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 10:43 am
>58 percent job disapproval rating is a whole lot of pain

My reasoning is that he doesn’t seem phased by the human cost of destroying human services and higher education, or jobs impacted by late payments. I believe him when he says he’s winning. I think he’s accomplishing what he set out to do.

I think he’s way too smart and too strategic thinking to let anything like a low approval rating bother him on a personal level. Now, if it looks like it’s going to impact his reelection or increasing his control over the legislative branch, I could see him adjusting some strategies.

Comment by Earnest Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 10:51 am
Like your house, both sides get hung up on what their position is “worth” rather than what they can “get”.

Comment by Jocko Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 10:56 am
On another note: did anyone see last night’s John Oliver show? Our old friend Senator Vince DeMuzio made a hilarious appearance in the final segment on redistricting in America. It made me laugh out loud the two times I saw it. And miss that man.

Comment by Ace Laredo Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:05 am
January 2019… that will be a very painful “Bad Deal”
It’s gonna hurt!

Comment by JAH Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:07 am
Governor, do you job.

Comment by Lt Guv Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:10 am
Ditto what Word said.

The Governor’s concessions for the most part have little to do with Illinois’ economy or States revenues. Maybe workers comp and torture reform.

Most are designed to weaken organized labor and the Democratic party.

It’s so obvious, but the media,and Democrats, don’t challenge him (except for Rich).

Comment by Sir Reel Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:22 am
In his own words, rauner is “energized” by the struggle, and “has never been happier in his life.” Those are not the words of someone remotely willing to reach a deal.

Comment by Langhorne Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:22 am
It doesn’t matter what you think something should be worth, what matters is the actual value. Home prices are determined by market values, which is another way of saying what someone is willing to pay. A budget requires 30 in the Senate and 60 in the House willing to vote for it. There’s also a counterintuitive parallel to real estate that has held true in my experience for years: a lower initial asking price is more likely to yield a higher final selling price than a higher asking price that gets negotiated lower. The house doesn’t “stagnate” on the market and buyers feel a sense of urgency to buy it before the deal is gone. I sincerely believe Rauner could have ultimately received far more of his agenda had he negotiated all that 30 and 60 were willing to give than he could have ever achieved with the recent Grand Bargain. If I were one of Rauner’s supporters, I’d be livid.

Comment by AC Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:24 am
Let the voters decide put all the issues on the ballot . It’s clear the incompetence in Springfield isn’t going to agree anytime soon

Comment by Rosco Jenkins Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:25 am
Tort reform not torture reform, although we could use some of that too.

Comment by Sir Reel Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:29 am
“torture reform” you mean The Comfy Chair? No! Not the Comfy Chair!

Comment by Skeptic Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 11:52 am
Work comp reform should be doable. adopt medicare reimbursement rates and be done

Comment by Ghost Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 12:20 pm
Rich, isn’t your story just the latest example of the perfect being the enemy of the good? (Admittedly, easier for me to write that since I didn’t have to write the check at closing.) Folks like Arock miss this point - ain’t no way in hell either side is going to get 100% of what they want this year or next year. However, a couple of Republican house members could cut a deal with their Democratic colleagues to get some changes in issues near and dear to their hearts in exchange for a real budget. Won’t get everything that they want, but they’ll get some movement in their direction, and help stop the slow-motion wreck that’s occurring in their communities.

Comment by Johnny Tractor Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 12:56 pm
== What are we waiting for ==

For more than 1 or 2 GOP Senators and a handful of GOP Representatives to decide their districts are more important than Rauner’s $50M.

Comment by RNUG Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 2:29 pm
Good analogy. Having recently sold a home I learned that lesson myself. Sometimes you take what the market is offered and move on - and don’t look back.

Comment by Stones Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 2:53 pm
–For more than 1 or 2 GOP Senators and a handful of GOP Representatives to decide their districts are more important than Rauner’s $50M.–

If it doesn’t happen in the next couple of months, it ain’t happening, ever.

I had some optimism when enough bucked Rauner when he tried to grab the income tax share to munis, but that was long ago.

It’s beyond strange that Downstate Republicans can stand still to get pounded like this by a GOP governor. The GOP base is getting the worst of it, and hard.

Comment by wordslinger Monday, Apr 10, 17 @ 3:36 pm