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Covering up for the bosses

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Illinois

* The Illinois Press Association has followed through on its promise to highlight every recent story about the local impact of the governor’s proposed gross receipts tax. You can find that page here.

The IPA, as you already know, is on record opposing the GRT and has officially encouraged its member newspapers to publish stories about the tax’s potential local impact. So far, not a single columnist or editorial has been published (that I can find) questioning the ethics of the IPA’s actions. And there are also no “straight” news stories yet exploring the potential impact of or motive behind the IPA’s decision.

The state’s press corps is always quick to point out potential conficts of interest when it comes to politicians, but so far nobody in that bunch has offered up even a peep about the IPA’s actions. Considering how much sway those newspapers have over their local legislators, that omission is completely inexcusable, no matter where you happen to stand on the GRT.

* Meanwhile, here’s the tax and spend roundup, compiled by Paul Richardson…

* Expert calls GRT a textbook case of ‘inefficient tax’

* Business representatives say new tax will be devastating

* Editorial: Response to the Governor’s GRT

* Editorial: Governor’s gross tax consequences

* Business people speak out against tax proposal

* Business Group: Cut future state workers health benefits

* Economist claims governor’s budget offer 2-to-1 benefits on healthcare costs

* Illinoize: High-Dollar Puppeteers

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 9:05 am

Comments

Forest Park has a community discussion board, not a blog, that has hosted lively discussions for a few years now.

Creating this type of website might be an option for some people who don’t have the time to attend lots of local meetings.

Comment by Carl Nyberg Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 9:39 am
I’m not going to feel sorry for a governor who does not govern even after one term. I will not feel sorry for a governor who prefers fighting over compromise, campaigning over governing, and name calling over listening.

Until Mr. Blagojevich gets his running mate to support him, his party’s Treasurer, Comptroller, and can deal with his party’s Speaker of the House, Mr. Blagojevich should not be given the time of day, let alone $7-8 Billion.

He had one year to campaign on his plans for a GRT tax. He had one year to campaign on his plans to implement his Health Insurance plan. If his proposals were so fantastic, he would have at least mentioned them ONCE as he spent millions on TV ads starting last March. No one of his tens of thousands of TV ads mentioned anything. He couldn’t spend enough smearing his opponent last year, but couldn’t find enought time to tell us what he believed - even ONCE. What a guy?

He had five months after his re-election to meet and discuss how to craft a budget plan that will pass the General Assembly. He had five months to explain to voters how he had squeezed every last penny, but needs more money to help schools. He had five months to get his own statewide elected ticket on board to support him somehow.

Instead we get a bus tour where the crowds that did show up demanded electric rate relief but were ignored by a guy too proud to listen.

Instead we got TV ads smearing opponents before he provided the details or wrote up the legislation for his tax increases. He didn’t even know who would be his opponent before cutting his TV ads. Who would even think of doing this but Rod Blagojevich.

Nope. Let the chips fall where they may. Let the head rolling commence. This governor had more chances than we will ever see to do something fantastic for his fellow citizens. Instead he seemed to not trust the voters he claimed gave him a mandate, not trust his own political party leaders, or not trust his fellow statewide candidates.

Rod Blagojevich should be shown the same level of fairness he has shown to everyone else. No mercy.

Comment by VanillaMan Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 10:38 am
“Who would even think of doing this but Rod Blagojevich.”

Wellll… there you go again. But to answer your question, how about that other guy that wanted so badly to emulate Ronald Reagan, but failed so miserably — George Walker Bush.

Comment by vole Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 12:08 pm
The issue should not be cutting state employee health care but managing the billions that Illinois state government hands out yearly for medical costs so that not only state employees but all Illinoisians have access to basic health insurance they can afford. Right now we lavish free health care on state employees and retirees and Medicaid recipients, while leaving a swath
of lower-income citizens unable to afford or even access any insurance at all. The state should be using the billions it does spend more effectively in the marketplace. I have no problem with state employees and retirees paying more for health care. But this should be part of a broader plan to use the state’s huge clout in the medical marketplace to get decent health insurance for all. And it may not take a GRT to do it.

Comment by Cassandra Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 1:05 pm
Folks, don’t worry about the GRT being put in. It’s what’s known as a “fetcher” bill, a bill so injurious and damaging to the state and monied interests that thye’ll “fetch” a tremendous amount campaign and lobbying cash from the manufacturing interests who it would most immediately impact.

A lot of money will be donated, coffers will be filled, and then they’ll move forward with an HB750 type sales and income tax increase, sans effective property tax relief.

This “bait and switch” will be written by the teachers union, with complete avoidance of fiscal responsibility features such as prohibiting school districts from agreeing to union contracts they can’t afford without running a deficit and having a “financial crisis”.

Book it.

Comment by PalosParkBob Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 1:49 pm
PeePee Bob,
I guess since you can’t win a local election(or even stay on the ballot most of the time) you now advocate abolishing local control to protect those dumb voters from themselves and those damn unions.
You are acting quite frisky today. It must be time to change your medication.

Comment by Bill Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 2:53 pm
Not sure if even Nyberg was on topic, but I’ll take a stab. Rich, you deserve huge kudos for raising this IPA issue. Other than your mention of this issue in one of your columns (can’t remember which one), I don’t think I’ve seen a single mention of this story, let alone the clear conflict, in any print publication. Have you mentioned the conflict in the fax (not everyone in the third house/fourth estate gets to the blog)?

The Tribune mentions pretty regularly — at least when discussing the BUSINESS side of baseball — that its parent company owns the Cubs. It mentions that fact in every story about Zell’s buyout, even though the name makes it patently obvious. Why shouldn’t those papers that seek objectivity disclose the IPA endorsement in every story they write about the GRT?

The Bloomington forum became the latest business-community assault — sponsored in part by the Pantagraph’s publishers — on the governor’s proposed $7.6 billion tax increase that would boost spending on education and health care while cutting into the state’s pension debt. The Pantagraph’s corporate parent endorsed this business community assault through an industry association policy opposing the GRT and encouraging editors to assign reporters to stories highlighting the problem.

Never mind, I answered my own question.

Comment by Anon Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 7:38 pm
Bill - I ask again - is Milarod paying your mortgage and other bills? Does he share his fat campaign fund with you? Why are you so loyal to someone who obviously thinks the taxpayers of this state are idiots and will go along with any scheme he and his untried administration comes up with. In these political times, “my man, right or wrong” is foolhardy.

Comment by Disgusted Tuesday, Apr 17, 07 @ 9:54 pm
PPB may be right about the GRT, the guv’s assertions of a holy fight to the end for the GRT notwithstanding.

Citizens should insist on not having a forced choice—tax swap or grt, should the grt initiative fail. The tax swap will provide property tax relief for a year or two and then local property taxes will start rising quickly to previous levels or higher. But the income taxes will go up for sure under the tax swap.

For our own financial sakes, we should insist that our guv and legislators do better than that.

Comment by Cassandra Wednesday, Apr 18, 07 @ 2:10 am