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After being hit from the right, Hutchinson about to get hit from the left

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Illinois

* From Emily Miller’s Golden Horseshoe Award nomination of Sen. Toi Hutchinson yesterday…

IPI and their loyal followers came after her hard after the budget votes. They attacked her via hateful social media posts, and even drew a nasty, racist cartoon about her where she, a black woman, was portrayed forcing a white working class man to literally carry the revenue increase on his back by tatooing it on. This did not lead her to shrink away. She continues to stand up for what she believes in and fight for the people of Illinois. She recently proved her bravery and composure again in recounting her experience with sexual harassment in Springfield– something that is very difficult for women to be honest about. She inspires women and supports women. We really need more of that.

* Well, Sen. Hutchinson is about to get hit from the other side. This blast e-mail was sent earlier in the week by Reclaim Chicago, which describes itself as a “people-led movement devoted to getting corporate interests out of municipal government and reclaiming government as a means for ensuring justice, promoting equality and improving the lives of ALL people”…

The GOP’s disastrous tax bill will have a particularly devastating impact on Illinois’ working people, but we know there is money in Illinois. That’s why we shut down LaSalle St in front of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange this past Monday. Now it is time to take our protest directly to the Illinois Senate Revenue committee chairperson, Sen. Toi Hutchinson.

If the Democrats in Springfield had the bold progressive vision to support a state Financial Transaction tax (known as the LaSalle Street Tax or LST) the state could fund free higher education for all, public schools, health care, senior services, services for the disabled, create jobs and so much more. The LST is a very tiny tax on the trading that takes place on LaSalle Street and could raise more than $10 billion annually for Illinois.

As the Chairperson of the State Senate Revenue Committee Senator Hutchinson could request that legislation for a Financial Transaction Tax be assigned and heard in her committee. While Sen. Hutchinson says she’s a progressive, she believes that demanding that LaSalle Street pay their fair share is asking too much. So, we need to make Senator Hutchinson prove she is the progressive she says she is and support a tax on LaSalle Street!

Phone bank for passage of the LaSalle Street Tax in Illinois
Thursday, Dec 14th, from 4:30-8:30p

There are two locations:

Chicago at National Nurses United’s office […]

or

DuPage County […]

Please bring a laptop and a cell phone with you and dinner will be provided.

Sincerely,

Amanda Weaver, Reclaim Chicago

The LaSalle Street Tax is going nowhere in Springfield. Bombarding Sen. Hutchinson with angry phone calls from people who don’t live in her district isn’t gonna change that.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:07 pm

Comments

Holy bad strategy, Batman!

Comment by Montrose Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:19 pm
Maybe I missed it, but if you could explain why =The LaSalle Street Tax is going nowhere in Springfield.= it might do some people some good.

Comment by m Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:20 pm
A very tiny tax that raises 10 billion each year. Does tiny mean something new this year?

Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:21 pm
===but if you could explain why===

You must’ve missed it when CME threatened to leave unless it got its taxes lowered and everyone jumped into action. It was in all the papers.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:21 pm
=You must’ve missed it when CME threatened to leave unless it got its taxes lowered and everyone jumped into action. It was in all the papers.=

Yes I was here for that. But I think some commenters here need a refresher because they seem to believe this is going to happen at some point. Some lawmakers as well.

Comment by m Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:23 pm
How about instead of bombarding this legislator with anger and phone calls, some of these people get behind Democratic gubernatorial candidates who support a progressive income tax? That should be a big issue in the General.

Or are the candidates not “pure” enough for some of these people?

Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:24 pm
–The LST is a very tiny tax on the trading that takes place on LaSalle Street and could raise more than $10 billion annually for Illinois.–

A new $10B tax on any economic sector is not tiny. And I’m one who thinks a small LST tax would be reasonable and possibly doable after some groundwork.

I mean, CME makes its money by taking a small cut on each trade. It’s patently illogical for them to claim that a small tax on each trade would put them out of business. That is their business.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:27 pm
If IPI and Reclaim Chicago are both hitting you, you’re doing something right.

Comment by Roman Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:29 pm
==It’s patently illogical for them to claim that a small tax on each trade would put them out of business. That is their business.==

I … I’m not sure I can even engage with this. Sweet lord.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:30 pm
=== “A very tiny tax that raises 10 billion each year.” ===

Would you please cite your sources and documentation? Thank you.

Comment by illini Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:32 pm
I think Toi is still in good shape in her district. The groups who are attacking her are of little consequence to her blue-collar constituency.

Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:36 pm
=It’s patently illogical for them to claim that a small tax on each trade would put them out of business.=

The 2010 tax hike wouldn’t have put them out of business either. But that didn’t stop them from threatening to leave and lawmakers from rushing to give them a break.

Comment by m Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:36 pm
I suggest a slightly different strategy: go lobby the votes for passage, then ask the chair to get behind it. She’s not the problem.

Comment by Molly Maguire Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:38 pm
–The 2010 tax hike wouldn’t have put them out of business either. But that didn’t stop them from threatening to leave and lawmakers from rushing to give them a break. –

Believe me, I get it.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:41 pm
Doesn’t seem effective, but it depends on what conversations Reclaim has had with Hutchinson leading up to this decision. I do think Chicago City Council (with a new Mayor) would have a higher chance of success than Springfield. As for CME leaving, I think more cities will look at this tax over the next few years and such a threat may be fairly empty.

Comment by Veil of Ignorance Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:43 pm
The LST doesn’t seem like a bad idea on the merits, but making it the sine qua non after every Democrat got on board with a progressive tax seems like the purity progressives just went out looking for a new issue to get mad about.

Comment by Arsenal Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:46 pm
“That’s why we shut down LaSalle St in front of the Chicago Mercantile Exchange…”

So that’s what blocked my electronic trade from processing. I owe my risk manager an apology.

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:48 pm
Some people play a very long game, and given Hutchinson’s ambitions for higher office, it’s not a worthless effort.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:52 pm
For every $1 collected from the FTT, the state can reduce the income taxes collected from us working stiffs by $1. That’s a perfectly progressive solution. How about it, Reclaim Chicago?

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:56 pm
–I … I’m not sure I can even engage with this. Sweet lord. –

How did you think CME made their money? Selling those cool smocks?

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 4:56 pm
I wouldn’t look for this “eat the rich” sentiment to fade anytime soon. I’m not even sure that it should.

Comment by Dome Gnome Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 5:05 pm
My source was the email that Rich posted. It is their claim that the tiny tax will raise $10 billion.

I think CME moves and the State loses.

Comment by Last Bull Moose Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 5:06 pm
You heard it here before. Push for a chicago city eaenings tax. A paltry 1/4%.

Comment by Blue dog dem Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 5:23 pm
=As the Chairperson of the State Senate Revenue Committee Senator Hutchinson could request that legislation for a Financial Transaction Tax be assigned and heard in her committee. While Sen. Hutchinson says she’s a progressive, she believes that demanding that LaSalle Street pay their fair share is asking too much. So, we need to make Senator Hutchinson prove she is the progressive she says she is and support a tax on LaSalle Street!=

If one needed proof that “that” is overused, then read the blurb above again.

Comment by Lincoln Square Cookout Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 7:26 pm
Blame a committee chair or Leader for not calling a bill, before doing the work to get the votes to pass it? Where have we heard that before?

Comment by walker Thursday, Dec 14, 17 @ 9:48 pm
==How did you think CME made their money? Selling those cool smocks?==

How do you think margins work? Sit down.

Comment by Headdesk Friday, Dec 15, 17 @ 12:55 am
I’m all for a financial transactions tax, but isn’t it obvious that it has to be done on a national level?

I mean, the CME could relocate to Gary Indiana. No one who works there would even have to move!

Would this be annoying to the CME? Of course! But you have to ask yourself, how annoying? 10 million dollars a year of annoyance? 100 million? 1 billion? I don’t think anyone can credibly say that commuting to Gary is 10 billion dollars (per year!) of annoyance.

If there’s a state FTT it has to be set at a level less than the annoyance of leaving the state.

Comment by puzzled Friday, Dec 15, 17 @ 10:16 am
===the CME could relocate to Gary Indiana===

They could probably just move that giant data thingy they have in Aurora across the state line.

Comment by Rich Miller Friday, Dec 15, 17 @ 11:56 am