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Cullerton to run again, disagrees with Rauner that grand bargain is near

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* As I told subscribers this morning, the race for Senate President has officially been called off. Tribune…

(A)fter weeks of letting the idea linger, Cullerton put to rest the notion that he would not seek re-election, saying he planned to file his petitions to run again next year.

“I want to serve under a Democratic governor again,” said Cullerton, who declined to endorse a candidate in the March 2018 primary election.

* The Tribune also asked Cullerton about running the stopgap bill, something we discussed yesterday…

Cullerton also rejected the idea that freeing up that cash would remove the pressure for a larger deal, noting that he and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno have been negotiating an agreement. Cullerton has blamed Rauner for derailing those talks, saying an agreement is not near despite recent suggestions from the governor to the contrary.

“We still have the pressure of owing $13 billion, and spending $8 billion more than we have coming in, that’s enough pressure,” Cullerton said.

“We had those bills ready to go, and of course, what happens? The governor pulled the plug on it. So now we have to hope that the governor comes back to Springfield from campaigning, stop campaigning for about six weeks, govern, and then he can campaign on some successes.”

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:28 pm

Comments

===So now we have to hope that the governor comes back to Springfield from campaigning, stop campaigning for about six weeks, govern, and then he can campaign on some successes.”===

Ouch!

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:33 pm
Did the President comment on the DopeyDuct mailer….is he p* his picture wasn’t on the envelope

Comment by Anonin' Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:35 pm
===”…The governor pulled the plug on it. So now we have to hope that the governor comes back to Springfield from campaigning, stop campaigning for about six weeks, govern, and then he can campaign on some successes.”===

This is what needs to be paraded out time and time again to embarrass and, if it won’t embarrass Rauner, call on Raunerites to realize Diana and Bruce continue to cripple Illinois, and it’s time to admit what is being felt is the RaunerS’ plan, so let’s stop it by finding 60 and 30… together.

Leader Radogno deserved better. Maybe she and President Cullerton can embarrass the colleagues where the RaunerS find such glee.

Bruce Rauner needs wins, Bruce Rauner needs a budget in those wins.

Come back to Springfield, Bruce Rauner, and do your job.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:41 pm
If GOP GA members and Rauner want “pressure” for a full-year budget, then I’m sure they’ll vote against a K-12 approp. for next year and he’ll veto it if one passes.

If not, it’s just more empty words to obfuscate from the squeeze the beast agenda.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:45 pm
“I want to serve under a democratic Governor again”

What was accomplished in the 12 years of total control of state government? Was the state better or worse off?

Why should Illinois voters want this again? It was a disaster, what would be different next time? Crickets

In the midst of a campaign rally, Senator Cullerton accuses the Governor of campaigning.

Hypocrisy detecto malfunction again

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:48 pm
===What was accomplished in the 12 years of total control of state government? Was the state better or worse off?===

By nearly every measure, Illinois is worse off since Rauner became governor. Crain’s wrote a whole editorial in it.

Any other questions?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 2:52 pm
Yes those $7-8 billion interest payments on the pension debt makes it kind of hard to fund what needs to be funded. And those twelve years without a single truly balanced budget, and the one that they left Rauner that was three months short of the actual budget year. All Illinois troubles can be traced back to past administrations of both parties. But the one constant for three decades is a Speaker that was quite complicit in digging the deepest financial hole of just about any state government. A man that wants to stay the course and offer no compromise just raise taxes. So yes OW things are worse but tell me what have the Democrats in the GA actually passed that would get us to a balanced budget and make Illinois business friendly. Because all they offer is more reason for outward migration that started before Rauner was in office.

Comment by Arock Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:15 pm
Yes LP, the state was a disaster but it is even more so with your marionette at the rudder. By nearly every measure the state is even worse with Rauner at the helm than anything ever accomplished by the democrats. At least under them the state was paying down its bills, making its pension payments, funding higher ed but now? Not hardly. You dishonestly chose to not acknowledge that. Why?

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:19 pm
===So yes OW things are worse but…===

No.

No “but”

They’re worse, Crain’s made it clear.

Worse since Rauner became governor.

The rest of your long-winded attempt to keep the cards from falling is lost… because with Rauner, Rauner purposely made things worse… for an un-passable agenda… so hurting people is cheered… as changing things.

That’s pathetic.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:20 pm
@ Lucky Pierre. Try again. At least there was a budget under democratic governors.

Of the “Turn Around Agenda” items, provide links to peer-reviewed evidence (e.g. not Heritage Foundation or IPI) that show which of them will lead to increased economic development, beyond simply lining the pockets of the 1-percenters.

Comment by Scamp640 Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:20 pm
Scamp640: I asked LP that very question last week, and he dodged it. And until he comes up with an answer, I don’t think he’s worth wasting the pixels on.

Comment by Skeptic Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:35 pm
“At least there was a budget under democratic governors.”
Yes, kick the can, underfunding, not really balanced budgets that contributed the mess we are in today. Btw this budget was Dems own doing.

Comment by ste_with_av_en Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:41 pm
“===So yes OW things are worse but…===
No.
No “but””
C’mon man. I get you want Rauner tarred and feathered and run out of town, but you can’t let that blind you to the fact that a whole lot of people, many of them Democrats, have made our State’s financial future worse for many years. You can’t give them a pass because Rauner makes you angry. It makes me angry too but we can’t let that blind us.

Comment by Perrid Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:42 pm
Yes OW you can have a “but” because the Governor does not have absolute power and can not sign reforms or budgets into law with the GA standing on the sideline refusing to budge one inch. Just because it doesn’t fit your agenda does not make it the wrong approach to turn the Sate around. As we saw from the temporary tax increase where Illinois still lagged behind the neighboring states and saw the start of outward migration. So raising taxes in the past did not make Illinois a more appealing state to do business in and will not in the future as well. Fix the underlying problems to get to the real solutions.

Comment by Arock Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:44 pm
Willy leader Radogno will support Governor Rauner for another four years, won’t she? The grand bargain game was authorized by the Governor, if he didn’t want her to play that game with President Cullerton I suspect she would have been told not to. Senator Radogno knew the role she was required to play once the Governor’s money landed in the ILGOP bank accounts, she is not naïve.

Its no surprise that President Cullerton is running yet again. If he runs long enough he will eventually get beaten in a primary or possibly even by a Republican. Stefanie Linares the Republican who ran against Cullerton in 2014 got 34% of the vote and did a fund raiser at Ranalli’s pizza restaurant charging $50 a head.

Comment by Rod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:44 pm
So 12 consecutive years of unbalanced budgets under democratic Governors and legislatures and explosion of the debt and outward migration is what we are shooting for again?

No economic development proposals from Democrats to counter Governor Rauner’s message?

The 99 percenters who used to work for the manufacturing businesses leaving Illinois for neighboring states probably disagree with you and the democrats preference for trial lawyers over their interests, Skeptic

Illinois continues to decline because democrats will not pass anything to attract investment in Illinois.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:44 pm
>So now we have to hope that the governor comes back to Springfield from campaigning, stop campaigning for about six weeks, govern, and then he can campaign on some successes.”

Nicely said. Needs to be repeated, simply and consistently by his party.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:49 pm
–Illinois continues to decline because democrats will not pass anything to attract investment in Illinois.–

You sound like those commies the Illinois GOP is talking about down in Champaign, with your Marxism and central planning.

You’re peddling political snake oil and pretending that it’s economics.

For 2016, Site Selection magazine ranks Illinois third behind Texas and Ohio in new projects overall, fifth per capita. That’s been consistent.

http://siteselection.com/issues/2017/mar/cover.cfm

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:55 pm
>What was accomplished in the 12 years of total control of state government? Was the state better or worse off?

Lucky, Blagojevich is a convicted felon. Pat Quinn was a terrible governor. The state was hit hard by the great recession. Quinn cut human service funding and was late on payments for a couple of years and some agencies had to close and some people lost services.

Even so, it was a million times better than it has been since Rauner came into office. Rauner is destroying the human services system. He says one thing one day and another the next. He could have made some improvements in work comp with his first budget but didn’t deliver them for us. He could have done so many things other than create a web of distraction and a path of destruction. He is running up bills like crazy and we will have to pay at some point, and the bill gets bigger every day.

Honestly, I think divided government would be very good for this state, but not with Rauner. If the legislative Republicans had the slightest bit of independence from him, things would be much better as well.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:56 pm
===but you can’t let that blind you to the fact that a whole lot of people, many of them Democrats, have made our State’s financial future worse for many years. You can’t give them a pass because Rauner makes you angry. It makes me angry too but we can’t let that blind us.===

I cite McKinney as where I stand on where this all is and who deserves what.

I cite Rich Miller, in a collective and specific columns and works pointing exactly to “what and where”

Use the Google.

Know of what you speak.

Thank you.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 3:56 pm
“”12 consecutive years of unbalanced budgets under democratic Governors and legislatures”"

LP: Please spare us your false meme, recently-created and spread to deflect from Rauner’s failure to propose a budget at all. By any reasonable standard, well more than half of those annual budgets were balanced. A couple produced operational surpluses which paid down past due bills and debt. Just sick and tired of hearing the lie.

Comment by walker Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:02 pm
So because Chicago is doing well and despite it problems and continues to attract investment and jobs, the exit of over 300,000 manufacturing jobs to neighboring states did not happen?

Burdensome property taxes and regulation have no effect on business?

Snake oil indeed. Michigan and other neighboring states are not run by commies last time I checked. They are red but not that kind of red.

https://www.illinoispolicy.org/michigan-surpasses-600000-manufacturing-jobs-as-illinois-manufacturing-jobs-continue-to-decline/

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:02 pm
>So 12 consecutive years of unbalanced budgets under democratic Governors and legislatures and explosion of the debt and outward migration is what we are shooting for again? No economic development proposals from Democrats to counter Governor Rauner’s message?

I agree on the Democrats. I also agree that unbalanced budgets, have been a disaster for the state. I continue to believe a stable, balanced budget is the best thing we can do for the state’s economic climate. Democrats pay lip services to a combination of taxes and cuts, but have no real proposals (exception being the work done by Radogno and Cullerton and members of the senate).

Rauner, however…I’m not sure he would be willing to do what it takes to pass a balanced budget even if he got the full TA passed. And, if he did get to have the budget balanced on his own terms, I don’t know what that would look like. That makes me as nervous as his path of destruction.

Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:02 pm
===…because the Governor does not have absolute power and can not sign reforms or budgets into law with the GA standing on the sideline refusing to budge one inch.===

I’ve cited many times; Ryan and Edgar both.

Both say governors need to find 60 and 30z

Both say governors aren’t passengers, governors drive the bus.

Good try.

===Just because it doesn’t fit your agenda does not make it the wrong approach to turn the Sate around.===

Then get 60 and 30 for it. Governors, since 1970 faced this, Rauner is no different. Do the doable.

===Senator Radogno knew the role she was required to play once the Governor’s money landed in the ILGOP bank accounts, she is not naïve.===

… to be embarrassed and undercut? To publicly have her own word mean nothing? To negotiate in good faith to be cast aside because Rsuner wanted considerably more damage or no votes? You think very little of people. Rauner thinks little of people.

===As we saw from the temporary tax increase where Illinois still lagged behind the neighboring states and saw the start of outward migration. So raising taxes in the past did not make Illinois a more appealing state to do business in and will not in the future as well. Fix the underlying problems to get to the real solutions===

1.4% or $500+ million.

That’s the measure of Rauner’s reforms.

Those aren’t my numbers, those are the governors. Way less than needed to turn Illinois around, and eat less to get 60 and 30 to pass it

What else you got?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:03 pm
LP. Please show us hard data that the governors proposed “reforms” with the exception of workmanship comp changes do anything to attract businesses to Illinois. I’ll make it easy for you and only ask how term limits do that. Ive asked you that one before so I figure you have had plenty of time crafting your well thought out and reasoned response. I am patiently awaiting your answer.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:12 pm
….and you notice that LP has once again dodged the question and instead spouts out the same baseless nonsense.

Comment by Skeptic Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:14 pm
=== The grand bargain game was authorized by the Governor, if he didn’t want her to play that game with President Cullerton I suspect she would have been told not to===

… so completely undercutting her, even within her own Caucus, that’s what was ok’d? I don’t think how it went down was what Leader Radogno signed up for at all.

Sometimes you get double-crossed and it’s found out too late.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:14 pm
If the governor wants to make changes that will help Illinois, that’s fine, but he shouldn’t hold the state hostage until he gets everything he wants. As Rich says…find another way.

Comment by Central_IL Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:15 pm
Walker how did the pension unfunded pension liability more than triple during all of those years of “balanced budgets”?

Even after pension holidays the unfunded liability was 42 billion dollars in 2006. Emil Jones, Mike Madigan and Rod Blagoeveich were all complicit in these unbalanced budgets.

What do you mean the Governor did not propose a budget at all?

You are 0-2

https://www.illinois.gov/gov/budget/Pages/default.aspx

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:17 pm
Hmmmm…What will it be campainin’ or governin’? Seems that our costumed governor may have met his Waterloo.

Comment by Flynn's mom Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:20 pm
Lucky. Well, we.re waiting, said in my best Judge Smails voice

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:21 pm
Rauner has proposed 3 consecutive grossly unbalanced, sham, status quo budgets.

No different than… “Ever”.

You dint get to cite past budgets when Rauner refuses to submit any balanced budgets.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:21 pm
I’m still waiting on your answer Lucky.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:23 pm
What are you waiting for? the Governor to totally capitulate to Speaker Madigan because it has worked so well for the past few decades?

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:23 pm
Thanks. You just proved you have no answer.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:28 pm
Slightly more than 80 percent of voters support term limits on state lawmakers, according to a poll of 865 likely Illinois voters released in October 2016 by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.

http://chicagotonight.wttw.com/2016/12/28/term-limits-would-they-help-or-hurt-illinois

You are in the 20 percent who don’t support term limits Former hillrod.

In case you missed it, Illinois leads the nation in distrust of state government., because lawmakers protect their interests first

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:30 pm
LP, I’m waiting for the governor to fully endorse the Radogno-Cullerton grand bargain, in public and in private with republican legislators.

Until then, I see no inconsistency between holding the two positions “Quinn/Blago with D legislatures were disastrous for our state” and “I’d vote for any Democrat over Rauner.”

Comment by Robert the Bruce Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:30 pm
===Slightly more than 80 percent of voters support term limits on state lawmakers, according to a poll of 865 likely Illinois voters released in October 2016 by the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University.===

… which, again, has no fiscal impact on the budgetary process.

It’s a want, not required within accounting or budgetary workings.

Good try, not a budget issue.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:33 pm
The state is beyond repair. Crime rates are up along with opiod addiction schools and hospital without funding have closed, social services are completely missing in several counties, credit rating is 100% junk status, prisons are run by the national guard, bill backlog is at 25 billion. Re-elect Rauner!(paid for by Citizens for Rauner)
Impossible right?

Comment by don the legend Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:41 pm
Now the question is; will Radogno run again?

Comment by Cubs in '16 Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:46 pm
LP is a troll in wanton denial. Too bad it’s fed.

Comment by Lt Guv Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 4:48 pm
== Walker how did the pension unfunded pension liability more than triple during all of those years of “balanced budgets”? ==

Because the Edgar Ramp (with or without the Blago changes) didn’t / doesn’t make the actuarially required payments required to prevent the debt from growing. The ramp is back-end loaded like a balloon mortgage that started with a teaser rate.

In credit card terms, Illinois isn’t even making the minimum required payment … and still won’t for a number of years yet.

Comment by RNUG Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:04 pm
where did I say I was against term limits? I just want empirical data proving what economic benefits term limits will provide to the state. So far no one has been able to answer that simple question. As Tom Cruise said in a movie, show me the money.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:04 pm
LP, I think Michigan, Indy and Ohio have been adding manufacturing jobs the last couple of years due to record domestic auto sales.

I don’t think your usual limp word-salads offer much of an explanation.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:05 pm
And Idaho created more manufacturing jobs than Illinois

Nothing to be concerned about folks Wordslinger is very concerned about wordsalads or something

Illinois government definitely is not the problem and anyone who thinks it is is not as smart or as witty as Wordslinger is

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:15 pm
In plain English if the debt is ballooning the budget is not balanced.

Just like when SURS is not fully funded, every single Governor did not fully fund higher education.

Politicians definition of balanced and Websters are very different

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:27 pm
–And Idaho created more manufacturing jobs than Illinois–

Yeah, give us the lowdown on that. I know you’re parroting something Baise said, but some factual links would be informative.

The facts show Idaho has 63,800 manufacturing jobs and $7.4B in annual output.

Illinois has 571,800 manufacturing jobs and $103.8B in annual output.

Illinois manufacturing workers make an average of $84K a year; Idaho workers $64K.

So what’s your point again, backed up by anything?

http://www.nam.org/Data-and-Reports/State-Manufacturing-Data/

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:31 pm
===… every single Governor did not fully fund higher education…===

… and yet, Rauner vetoed and refused to fund Higher Ed, and every single governor since the 1850s did fully fund higher ed, the pensions have nothing involving the academics.

Otherwise, the schools themselves would’ve beefed on the lack of academic funding.

Good try.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:31 pm
pardon, 5:31 was me

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:32 pm
Do you dispute the CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association?

Crains is supposed to be the bible around here when it criticizes the Governor.

Does he spew word salad too? Cleary you are much more informed on the matter, it is obvious to all and we are lucky to have your insight on how nothing should be changed.

“Manufacturing wages were for years the heart of the middle class, but sadly no mo—and the middle class continues to dwindle each year. In the last seven years, Illinois has added only 4,600 manufacturing jobs; even Idaho created 9,100 manufacturing jobs and its expertise is potatoes. ”

Obvious drivel that should be mocked by the truly smart people.

http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160901/OPINION/160839964/illinois-government-is-destroying-manufacturing

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:44 pm
Pensions have nothing to do with academics? WOW!

Pay and benefits for employees have nothing to do with funding academics?

Really, CPS is threatening closing 3 weeks early because of something totally unrelated to academic funding?

So the increased pensions payments that now eat up 50 percent of state higher higher education funding have nothing to do with funding education.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:48 pm
–Do you dispute the CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers Association?–

LOL, Greg Baise is beyond questioning? Like papal infallibility or something? Just want to see the backup, beyond an opinion piece by the head of a special interest group.

Like the stuff I posted. Give it a whirl, you’ll learn something.

http://www.nam.org/Data-and-Reports/State-Manufacturing-Data/

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:50 pm
I ask a simple question and all I get are lessons in moral equivalency and puerile arguments.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:51 pm
===Pensions have nothing to do with academics? WOW!

Pay and benefits for employees have nothing to do with funding academics?===

When the payments to those pensions don’t have pension payments due themselves, which leads to this…

===Really, CPS is threatening closing 3 weeks early because of something totally unrelated to academic funding?===

The monies owed to make payment on pensions is at play. To make that payment, that’s why they may close early.

===So the increased pensions payments that now eat up 50 percent of state higher higher education funding have nothing to do with funding education.===

The reason the STATE chose to skip payments was because they actually could.

There was no need to reduce any funding when the state itself was the ones that owed the monies.

“Simple”

lol

Higher Education, to the institutional operations were made. Rauner wants state universities closed.

You don’t fund things at a level of zero you want kept open.

Rauner’s veto and continual no full funding of operators tells me that you don’t give monies, you don’t want something to exist.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:54 pm
I love a heated and principled discussion as much as or more than the next person.

Yet, there are times when I know to keep quiet and let others point out the skewed reasoning and questionable facts of some passionate “true believers”.

Still I have to love those indefatigable trolls who never met a fact that they would not make a feeble attempt to refute - even it involves trying to change the subject or divert the conversation.

Comment by illini Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:55 pm
And thank you - Willy, Word, hillrod and others for your courage, persistence and talent to take on some commenters.

Comment by illini Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 5:58 pm
Ot a single fact was refuted by Wordslinger or Willy or Hillrod.

Word mocks concerns about the exit of high paying manufacturing jobs to our neighboring states. Does he think they only employ Republicans 1 percenters?

This should be a bipartisan concern, the fact it is not is a sad symptom of Illinois political dysfunction.

Willy can go on like Comptroller Mendoza about all of the balanced budgets she voted for that shorter pensions.

Never fear it is all Rauner’s fault and everything will be easily fixed if a Democrat wins the Governors race

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:12 pm
–Word mocks concerns about the exit of high paying manufacturing jobs to our neighboring states. –

No, I think I just mock you. Just not as well as the self-mockery you deal up every day.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:16 pm
===…like Comptroller Mendoza about all of the balanced budgets she voted for that shorter pensions===

Rauner continues to introduce 3 grossly unbalanced, phony, sham budgets.

You should be proud of Gov. Rauner, lol.

Rauner is the status quo.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:18 pm
That is your stock and trade when losing an argument and unable to refute facts. Resort to wild hyperbole about communism and mocking facts from the Illinois Manufacturing Association (not refuting a single one)

Why don’t you mock the people who are holding our state back by allowing Madigan to change nothing? That might be a better use of your considerable talents

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:24 pm
Word and others, Central Illinois is going to be home to two new industrial projects, worth a billion each, south of Champaign. A gas-fired power plant and a carbon sequestration (underground storage) facility. I would prefer a new Boeing plant, but they’re not looking.

Champaign is exploding with replacements for last generation’s campus apartments and the Boneyard is tamed and beautiful end to end. The Big U is not letting this setback hold them back, rolling out an eye-catching 5-year capital and program plan.

Where you have leadership (and property in some cases) in the private and public sectors, amazing things can get done. In Springfield, we have not a lot of one and none of the other, so we build warehouses and “let healthcare carry it for now.”

Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:33 pm
Rauner wants state universities closed.

Is that what passes for informed commentary?

Rauner wants the drivers of higher taxes (in many cases pensions) that push residents out of their homes and this state to be relieved.

Apparently you believe that none of these drivers of higher taxes can every be reduced and any suggestions for minimizing them means the Governor is advocating for the institution to be closed

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:35 pm
===Rauner wants state universities closed.

Is that what passes for informed commentary===

You fund “something” at a level of zero, you want it gone.

Stopgaps don’t count, bud.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:38 pm
=== Apparently you believe that none of these drivers of higher taxes can every be reduced and any suggestions for minimizing them means the Governor is advocating for the institution to be closed ===

Budgets reflect priorities and values. Zero funding says no value or priority.

There have been two budget cycles to present a vision for a balanced budget with taxes and revenues where the Governor wants them - nothing so far, nor will there ever be.

Comment by peon Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 6:58 pm
We aren’t refuting your facts Mr. Pierre, we are calling upon you, or anyone else for that matter to concisely illustrate how term limits helps fund higher ed, attracts businesses, grows the economy, adequately funds K-12, meets pension obligations, maintains our infrastructure and provide help for those that need it. I keep asking and get borderline gobbledygook. If you can’t answer that simple question, then man up and admit it. If not, I’ll call BS when I see it.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 7:13 pm
The current crop of legislators has been unable to deliver your laundry list of requests so the majority of Illinois residents believe the they must be term limited. That is the only way given our rigged political system to get rid of the failed career legislators and replace them with ones that will serve a few years, take some tough votes for the good of the state and move on

Or we could just continue as we have and nothing will change ever

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 7:24 pm
- Lucky Pierre -

Still, I haven’t found in any accounting books “term limits” in the explanations of doing a budget.

A want is different than a requirement.

Rauner can get 60 and 30… Can’t he?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 7:40 pm
It takes two to tango my friend. its difficult to pass or even consider a balance budget the constitution requires the governor to submit. Yes it is absolutely up to the legislature to pass a balanced budget. I’ll go out in a limb and say that most folks on this blog know this to be an irrefutable fact. However there are folks on this blog that steadfastly refuse to accept the irrefutable fact that the governor must submit one first. Why is that so? Shoot, now I’ve given LP two questions that he can’t or won’t answer.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 7:40 pm
Your outrage ignores the decades of unbalanced budgets passed by Speaker Madigan and like almost everyone you assign 99 percent of the.blame for Illinois dysfunction fo the Governor who has been in office a little over two years. The man running the legislature is defended at all costs even though he is the most unpopular politician in the state

Every single budget submitted by an Illinois Governor has been dismissed by the legislature. Has a single one passed as submitted? Not one

So the notion the the Governor’s budget must be balanced certainly would fly in the face of the past few decades.

The outrage is totally manufactured, completely hypocritical and partisan

Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 8:01 pm
And a second rule I have is to never respond to “Anonymous”. Get a name and try again!!!!

Comment by illini Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 8:04 pm
Pick a name, please.

Thank you.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 8:04 pm
It’s me guys, continue with your mutual agreement society meeting where no changes in Illinois government are ever permitted and anyone who advocates change is a heretic to be burned at the stake.

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 8:26 pm
===…you assign 99 percent of the.blame for Illinois dysfunction fo the Governor who has been in office a little over two years.===

“Pat Quinn failed”

“Bruce Rauner fails”

So there’s that, something you already know.

Rauner wasn’t suppose to be the status quo. Now you’re saying he is, with sham, phony budgets, unbalanced and ok? That’s not shaking or bringing anything back, lol.

Rauner is just your typical Illinois politician, with a hidden social agenda, that he and Diana hid from suburban women, and Bruce refuses to balance his own budgets.

Rauner is the status quo.

===So the notion the the Governor’s budget must be balanced certainly would fly in the face of the past few decades.===

Lining in the past again I see. Coward or loser, which are you - Lucky Pierre -?

Anything else?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 8:32 pm
Rauner is not the status quo OW. He has stood up to Speaker Madigan and the democrats who have called this an epic struggle.

Governors of both parties have been capitulating to Speaker Madigan for decades. that is no longer the case. The Speaker is in an epic struggle. Does that sound like an ordinary budget negotiation as he has done for decades?

the status quo would be don’t reform anything and just raise taxes

that is what the Speaker and the Democratic candidates for Governor advocate.

It will be a fascinating election. Change Springfield and state government or keep it the same as it has been for decades.

http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20160430/bernard-schoenburg-speaker-madigan-on-phone-for-sangamon-county-democrats-fundraiser

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 8:45 pm
===Your outrage ignores the decades of unbalanced budgets passed by Speaker Madigan===

Rauner is not the status quo?

Rauner is 3 for 3, just like the status quo… Rauner is everything the status quo is.

===Does that sound like an ordinary budget negotiation as he has done for decades?===

Rauner refuses to agree to submit a budget until Labor is decimated.

Rauner wants Democrats to vote for a tax increase and submit cuts, and Rauner won’t have is own budget director and agency heads agree to any.

Rauner wants universities closed.

Diana Rauner says she’s a Democrat, but donated millions in her own name to destroy social services.

There’s no other way to say it, except how Crain’s did;

By nearly every measure, Illinois is worse off since Rauner became governor of Illinois. That’s worse when when Madigan was Speaker without Rauner governor.

Wow.

Rauner must be really awful.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 8:52 pm
When you excuse today’s bad behavior by the bad behavior of others in the past, you have lost the argument. Is term limits worth the closing of 2 or 3 state universities and the devastation that those closing will cause those regional economies? Is it worth it for tens of thousands of our best and brightest young people to leave the state in order to earn a college degree? Are you, Lucky, cool with that?

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:01 pm
There are many who think going along to get along and changing nothing from the Quinn/ Blagoevich years would be worse.

You are taking the Quinn approach, raise taxes reform nothing expect a different result.

Rammer would be less popular if he did that, something you and other Madigan cheerleaders ignore,

The fact that Madigan and Cullerton have not given an inch in over two years is very telling.

They don’t even really support their own bills anymore or believe pensions are unsustainable as both have said. They would rather hold their ears and stop their feet than solve Illinois pensions crisis.

They care more about their labor special interests than fixing Illinois finances

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:02 pm
There you go again tossing that word reform around. What exactly are those reforms you and the governor keep talking about and how, specifically, do those reforms solves the state’s many economic issues. I keep asking that same question over and over again and we just go in circles. The question never gets answered

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:06 pm
===Rammer would be less popular if he did that, something you and other Madigan cheerleaders ignore===

Madigan 61% disapproval.

Rauner 58% diaporoval.

So there’s that…

===The fact that Madigan and Cullerton have not given an inch in over two years is very telling.===

It’s Rauner that needs 60 and 30, not Madigan or Cullerton, good try, lol

===They don’t even really support their own bills anymore or believe pensions are unsustainable as both have said. They would rather hold their ears and stop their feet than solve Illinois pensions crisis===

… So Rauner vetoed the $215 million purposely and emotionally hurting Chicago students.

You cheer the hurting of Chicago students. Your comments say so.

===They care more about their labor special interests than fixing Illinois finances===

Rauner can put 90 on the stairs and embarrass both Cullerton and Madigan, and the things you say.

Why won’t Rauner? Can’t Rauner get 60 and 30?

===raise taxes reform nothing===

No one person has said that. Again, you can’t argue honestly.

A shame, but if Diana and Bruce can’t be honest, why should any of us expect you to be?

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:10 pm
Just spell it out man. Let us know what these reforms are and how they will solve the state’s problems. Use as simple terms as you can so that we can all easily understand. Inquiring minds really want to know.

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:12 pm
President Culelrton’s pension reform bill. workers com reform, property tax reform, government consolidation are all reforms on the table.

All would lower the tax burden on middle class Illinois families of which Democrats claim to be champions of.

They seem to think they can get away with the fact they make no effort to lower the tax burden of Illinois working families by painting the other guy as rich.

When they had total control of state government they did not even attempt to build support for taxing the rich.

Now they act like that is a panacea, which of course it is not

Comment by Lucky Pierre Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:14 pm
===President Culelrton’s pension reform bill. workers com reform, property tax reform, government consolidation are all reforms on the table.===

Then why did Rauner blow up the grand bargain? That makes sense only if Rauner wants no deal.

===All would lower the tax burden on middle class Illinois families of which Democrats claim to be champions of.===

… and yet Rauner blew up the Grand Compromise. Why would Rauner do that? lol

=== seem to think they can get away with the fact they make no effort to lower the tax burden of Illinois working families by painting the other guy as rich.

When they had total control of state government they did not even attempt to build support for taxing the rich.===

If Rauner wants to run as the Champion of the Rich, Dems would like that, lol

Are you even trying? This is pathetic.

Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:19 pm
What? No term limits? Oh wait, the grand bargain didn’t have term limits as on of the reforms. Is that why the bargain was scuttled?

Comment by Former hillrod Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:24 pm
LP- Just curious, why hasn’t Rauner proposed a balanced budget?

If he has the answers, or we should let him try, he wants a “new status quo” why doesn’t HE propose a balanced budget.

Given the apparent millennia of unbalanced budget, Rainer has preached balance. Why no balanced budget proposal.

Asking for a friend.

Comment by JS MILL Tuesday, Apr 25, 17 @ 9:30 pm
Funny how LP cannot directly answer a simple question.

It all boils down to the governor isn’t doing his job and like LP, Rauner is a big time finger pointer.

What ever has happened in the past, Rauner has not proposed a balanced budget. Today.

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Apr 26, 17 @ 12:31 am
Ugh This is frustrating when I make a comment that doesn’t post. Maybe someday I’ll get an explanation.

Comment by Demoralized Wednesday, Apr 26, 17 @ 7:51 am
JS Mill,

Please remember what the old Asian man said, “Don’t feed the Trolls after midnight or get them wet” or was he talking about Gremlins?

Comment by Gruntled University Employee Wednesday, Apr 26, 17 @ 7:52 am
@GUE- Too funny!

LP is such a weak and facile Raunerite. It is a very simple, straight forward question- why? For all of the Rauner mumbo jumbo, why doesn’t he propose a balanced budget.

We know, Madigan, Democrats, 12 years, blah, blah, bad.

And I don’t necessarily disagree with some of that.

But Rauner was going to set things right, do what is right, and balance the budget.

Yet, in the now, no balanced budget.

That is all one needs to know to understand that he is full of beans. Same stuff, different day.

The rest is, as Word says, word salad.

And LP goes silent. (pearls cluched)

Comment by JS Mill Wednesday, Apr 26, 17 @ 8:32 am
“stop campaigning for about six weeks, govern, and then he can campaign on some successes.”

That’s just it. The governor doesn’t want anyone to be able to campaign on “successes.” That’s why he pulled the plug on the bipartisan deal worked out in the senate. Now he’s campaigning around the state to convince his followers that his failures are successes, and that electing a Democratic governor who can actually govern would be a “disaster.”

Comment by PDJT Wednesday, Apr 26, 17 @ 8:34 am
Rauner’s dilemma is living in a fantasy campaign world while not caring about the 99%.

http://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2017/mar/09/bruce-rauner/rauners-budget-balancing-claim-doesnt-add/

Comment by Chicago 20 Wednesday, Apr 26, 17 @ 8:47 am