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Edgar talks GRT, plus the end-game, Obama and a roundup

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* Former Gov. Jim Edgar told Lee Newspapers that he has ” never seen a tax proposal be more dead on arrival,” than the governor’s gross receipts tax. Here’s more from the interview…

“Nobody’s ever for a tax increase until the last minute when it passes. It’s always kind of misleading to bank everything on what people are saying before they actually vote for it.” […]

“When [Blagojevich] came into state government, the state already had a serious financial problem, and it’s just gotten worse since. Not that he ever asked me, but my advice would be that you deal with this early instead of later because of two things. One, it’s going to get worse. And two, it’s your problem.” […]

“I think if you don’t do it this year, things are just going to continue to get a lot worse. And it just means what you do is going to have to be more massive. If they don’t do it this year, I think the state is in very, very serious financial trouble. The problems aren’t going to go away.”

Go read the whole thing.

* My syndicated newspaper column describes the “slow-motion train wreck” of a session and takes a look ahead. Subscribers know that I’ve since altered my view somewhat, but here it is…

There are at least three possible outcomes to this circus of a session, although things have a way of changing fast around here:

The three leaders finally put their animosity aside, sit down and cut a deal on a scaled-back version of the gross-receipts tax and add in things like gaming expansion, a lottery lease and a few other magical tricks to boost the total revenue package.

Failing that, Madigan sends the Senate some sort of income/sales tax increase to boost education spending and provide property tax relief and Jones has to decide whether he wants to abandon the governor — with whom he’s been allied all year — and then risk a summer-long fight with Blagojevich after the governor vetoes the tax hike.

Maintenance budget. The governor warned last week that a “do-nothing” budget would result in a billion dollars in spending cuts. But this option is starting to look good to some Democratic legislators who would rather be on the anti-tax increase side of a summer argument. The governor didn’t convince many legislators that this was a bad move by warning that some high school football teams wouldn’t be able to afford new jerseys if legislators tried to leave town without a tax hike. First of all, the vast majority of high schools don’t use taxpayer dollars for things like jerseys (that’s why they sell candy); and secondly, if that’s the worst thing that could happen, then why bother raising taxes and freaking out the voters?

* The Wall Street Journal editorialized on the GRT today - unfavorably, of course - and slipped in this little gem…

Illinois Senator Barack Obama has been silent on his Governor’s tax implosion, but someone should get him on the record.

Not a bad idea.

* More GRT links, compiled by our faithful intern Paul Richardson…

* Editorial: Governor’s tax tactics too much

* Editorial: Now will Blago get the message

* Laney: GRT is a death threat to Illinois business

* With governor’s tax plan near death, other options get look

* Martire: Stage set for compromise to reach Governor’s goals

* Statehouse Insider: Rough times for Rod, Madigan moving forward

* Dr. Young: Illinois needs a single payer public insurance plan

posted by Rich Miller
Monday, May 14, 07 @ 8:33 am

Comments

I’m more interested on getting Obama on the record about the electric utility rate increase.

Is it right that ComEd can buy off the Democratic Party’s leadership in the Illinois Senate and stick it to consumers?

Comment by Carl Nyberg Monday, May 14, 07 @ 9:40 am
Time to bring the house Republicans in to play. Madigan and Jones should sit down with Cross and come up with a fair and veto proof plan. The governor is no longer a player. They don’t need him. The sad thing for Blago is that if he had approached all of this differently, he could have been the hero instead of the zero.

Comment by leigh Monday, May 14, 07 @ 10:12 am
Wow
Startin the week with Blinky Jim
Guess he forgot how Pate pasted his tax swap plan in the Illinois Senate. Perhaps the next guy looking for a weekender could ask that question. With a follow-up like “how could let the senators from the college towns double cross you after all the loot you pour into their pockets?”

Comment by Reddbyrd Monday, May 14, 07 @ 10:12 am
carl nyberg you are straight on! Obama must
weigh in on the actions of Sen. Exelon.

Comment by amy Monday, May 14, 07 @ 10:28 am
The “train wreck” scenario sounds like the best one to me. If what the legislature is likely to achieve by working together is a massive tax increase and more gambling, I say “let ‘em fight!”

Comment by Southern Man Monday, May 14, 07 @ 11:05 am
Cut the budget; pork first.

Comment by i d Monday, May 14, 07 @ 2:45 pm
That cracks me up - “Blinky Jim”. Perhaps one of the most overated governors this state has ever had. I knew a couple of his MSI unindicted coconspirators and they were beyond corrupt. I saw him, and yes had to hear him too, at one of Topinka’s campaign stops. Ineffective to say the least - the GOP would be extremely well served to relegate him to the trash heap of history, move some new blood into the spotlight, and show some new life. Relying on Little Jim/ Blinky to bathe himself in his perennial ego trip of being asked to step forward and save the day for the GOP is just desperate insanity - causes damaging delays as he basks for a couple of quixotic months of indecision and then slinks back into the shadows of pseudo elder statesman. It is just so beyond time to move on that further delay is simply pathetic. I hear “they” are thinking of running him against Durbin - not a good idea, not at all.

Comment by A Citizen Monday, May 14, 07 @ 2:51 pm
I was stunned over the weekend when the Governor announced that if his tax plan (the only one that he will accept) was scuttled, he would devastate State funded human services.

Illinois is one of many states that has delegated direct care / intervention for human services to community based, mostly non-profit providers. A few services are provided by DHS staff from the old DORS core, and DCFS handles about a third of its clients through state employees, but otherwise State human services are outsourced at a contract price almost always below actual cost.

So human services were never to benefit from the Governor’s plan if implemented, but are the fiscal scapegoats if it is rejected???

Comment by capitol view Monday, May 14, 07 @ 2:51 pm
Perhaps Blinky Jim can give a marked YouBet program and we get a giant, winning SuperFecta bet down, cleanup and pay all the bills

Comment by Reddbyrd Monday, May 14, 07 @ 4:45 pm