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* As subscribers have known for weeks, floor votes to fund a capital bill have been put off until after lame duck session…
Democratic Gov.-elect J.B. Pritzker on Wednesday didn’t dismiss the possibility of a gas tax hike to help pay for rebuilding the state’s infrastructure, but he also cautioned that a major construction program won’t come quickly when his administration begins Jan. 14.
Pritzker also said a capital program and money to pay for it isn’t something the lame-duck legislature should pursue when it returns to Springfield on Jan. 7.
“I think it’s unnecessary to do it before I take office. We’re going to work hard on it all together to make it happen and I want to make sure that we’re focused on it immediately upon taking office,” Pritzker said at an unrelated event in Chicago’s Bronzeville neighborhood.
Still, Pritzker said it “might take a little time” to put together a comprehensive statewide bill to build and replace roads, bridges, water systems and mass transit, along with “the various sources that might fund it.”
* Meanwhile, the answer is “No”…
Incoming Gov. JB Pritzker doesn't like outgoing Mayor Rahm Emanuel's pension proposal. Head-scratching here: Didn't these seemingly chummy Dems hash this out before the big announcement? https://t.co/XIynPZyvIq
— Lisa Donovan (@byldonovan) December 12, 2018
Emanuel is trying to stay relevant on his way out. Pritzker is coming in and will have to deal with a new mayor.
* And if there was still any doubt…
Illinois governors don’t have a role in that [constitutional amendment] process, but Pritzker made it clear that he wouldn’t expend any political capital on a constitutional amendment.
“My commitment is to pay the pensions that are owed to people,” Pritzker said. “I just don’t see the likelihood of anybody getting a constitutional amendment passed to change that provision in our constitution. And it’s not something that I’m out promoting.”
Fuhgeddaboudit.
* Same goes for the mayor’s casino idea…
Emanuel said he’d push for the Chicago casino before his term ends in May, but negotiations on the long-shot bid will be in the hands of lawmakers in Springfield. The prospect of a Chicago casino has been floated numerous times in the past, only to be sunk by competing demands in other betting industries.
A spokeswoman for J.B. Pritzker said the governor-elect has supported the expansion of gaming to help pay for a capital bill, but the actual details haven’t been directly discussed.
* Meanwhile, WSIL TV talked to a business owner about Pritzker’s vow to eventually raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour with some sort of tax relief to small businesses…
17th Street Barbecue in Murphysboro is one of those small businesses that could feel the impact of hiking up wages.
Amy Mills is co-owner of the restaurant. She says Pritzker’s plan would devastate her business.
“Our menu prices would have to rise so high that I don’t think our locals would be able to eat out very often,” Mills said. “To me, raising the minimum wage really is penalizing the mom and pops.”
During his stop in Springfield on Monday, Pritzker reminded everyone the increase would happen over several years.
“I feel like in this area would be so difficult to even raise the hourly wage in increments because we still will be raising prices to keep up,” Mills said.
* The La Salle News Tribune talked to some workers…
Deenna Moss placed a customer’s purchases into plastic bags.
“You can’t live on $8.25 an hour,” Moss said.
Moss is compensated with Illinois’ minimum wage for her work as a cashier at Dollar General in La Salle.
Moss, a proponent of raising the minimum wage, said she has to live with her 31-year-old daughter to make ends meet. […]
Melissa Carter, who makes $9 an hour, said she needs three roommates just to survive. She has two kids at home. Carter works as the manager at Little Caesars Pizza in Peru.
“It’s frustrating,” she said about the pay. Carter has college credits, but said she wasn’t able to afford to finish the degree.
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 12:49 pm
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Look I get that it is going to be tough for the mom and pop small business. Hopefully making it gradual will help. Hopefully tax credits could help as well.
But I’m always for the worker if I can be.
It will be good for our economy.
Minimum wage workers love to eat good BBQ as well.
as Will Rogers used to say
“Always give a poor man a dollar. It’ll be back in the pocket of the rich man by nightfall, but at least it passed through the poor fellars hand.”
Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:05 pm
Back in 1971 or so, you couldn’t live on $1.60 per hour either.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:08 pm
I am speechless.
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:09 pm
–Emanuel is trying to stay relevant on his way out.–
Strange timing to be pushing heavy-lift proposals.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:11 pm
Not sure I quite get your point, Anonymous @ 1:08. Can you give us one more sentence?
Comment by histprof Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:11 pm
Let me guess. Farm workers will be exempt. Afraid food prices would go through the roof. Nursing home workers too. Cant let the costs get too high. Nobody could afford it.
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:13 pm
$9/hour as the manager of a Little Caesars?
Ma’am, you are vastly underpaid for your position. I know of several dining establishment that will pay much more than that for a management experience.
Comment by Downstate Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:21 pm
Good again on Pritzker for not supporting a CA on pensions, and for supporting workers getting their pensions.
Based on the highest incomes being taxed too low for decades, the CA Illinois needs is to right-size the tax code and enact a progressive income tax. With the strong Democratic GA supermajorities and Pritzker’s support, this is our best opportunity to get a progressive income tax on the ballot for voters to decide.
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:45 pm
==- Blue Dog Dem - Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:13 pm:==
Not so speechless.
Comment by Precinct Captain Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:46 pm
Mills apparently does not understand how rising wages work.
Yes, a rack of ribs might go from $23 to $25. But minimum wage workers in your area will be making an extra $200 a week, which means they will be able to afford 17th Street once-a-month instead of Arby’s.
You know what isnt gonna help you sell ribs? Being against raising the minimum wage when 80 percent of your potential customers are for it.
Comment by Thomas Paine Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 1:58 pm
17th St in both Marion and Murphysboro does a brisk business (and takes a lot money from local Dem events, I might add); they’ll be fine. More money circulating in the community through the hands of people who need to spend it helps them and the whole area. We actually have plenty of data on this.
Comment by LXB Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:07 pm
The best location for a Chicago casino would be in the existing building located at 100 West Randolph Street. the lower portion of the building would be the casino, the upper levels restaurants and a hotel. Easy access to all rapid transit trains, close to all METRA trains and AMTRAK, plenty of parking lots surrounding the building. Last I heard was the current owner was attempting to sell the building. The mayor drives by this building every single day.
Comment by Louis G. Atsaves Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:07 pm
17th Street is delicious. By the way, the beautiful part of living in America is a free market sets wages. Many employers in this tight market are paying $15 in the Chicago suburbs. What does 17th Street do when the economy turns? When people can’t eat out as much? LXB… They took a risk to open a business. Who helped them meet payroll in the beginning when things were tough? Honeybear- Yes, the unions. The Unions. While you are making the case on how important they are while you blog all day on the States dime.
Comment by BenFolds5 Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:16 pm
–By the way, the beautiful part of living in America is a free market sets wages–
Another proud graduate of Week One of Econ. 101.
If you ever make it to American History 101, you may learn that starting in about the 1890s or so concerned citizens and clergy began pushing for laws to protect workers from the indifferent, inhumane practices of the “free markets.”
You know, child labor laws, minimum wage, health and safety regulations — the sort of things the free market didn’t concern itself with.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:27 pm
Word- That’s not an issue today, is it? Been to a Mc Donalds with no cashiers yet? Have the government tell business what to pay and we will have no mom and pops left. Look at what Walmart did to smaller towns. Amazon pay’s $15 an hour and cancelled benefits.
Comment by BenFolds5 Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:33 pm
Don’t be shocked if like most Illinois labor laws- collectively bargained employers are exempt on the pretense that it interferes with union negotiations. Then employers are incentivized to become organized. Just saying- it’s happened before
Comment by Sue Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:44 pm
“Have the government tell business what to pay and we will have no mom and pops left”
More like giving mega corporations like Amazon billions of tax dollars to locate somewhere. Or Foxconn: $4 billion in tax breaks and incentives for maybe 13,000 jobs. No crocodile tears for those from the IPI concern trol—I mean state workers who want their pensions cut.
Comment by Grandson of Man Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:44 pm
–Word- That’s not an issue today, is it?–
What is not an issue today? I don’t understand whatever it is you’re trying to say with your word salad after that. You’re all over the place.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:44 pm
Dollar.25 General?
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:45 pm
==Amy Mills is co-owner of the restaurant. She says Pritzker’s plan would devastate her business.==
Didn’t her company just get a huge federal tax cut? You remember, the one that Pete Roskam and Paul Ryan both claimed “will allow small businesses all over the country to increase wages and hire more employees”?
Sorry Ms mills, but the national Republican Party tells me that you are not telling the truth here
Comment by Lester Holt’s Mustache Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:46 pm
Child labor laws are not an issue today. At all. The only companies that can afford $15 an hour are HUGE corporations that can eliminate competition. Then, when there are no decent jobs left with small businesses crushed, I hope the $15 an hour was worth it.
Comment by BenFolds5 Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:50 pm
Love me some 17Th street……but it already comes at a fairly high price by so Illinois standards.
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 2:50 pm
==Have the government tell business what to pay and we will have no mom and pops left. ==
You are aware that the government already does that right? We currently have a minimum wage.
==collectively bargained employers are exempt==
Collectively bargained employers aren’t likely to be paying less than $15.
And, as per usual, we can count on you to come in with the anti-union label. Give it a rest already. You’re becoming as bad as LP
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 3:05 pm
Isn’t considering tax relief for small businesses in order to cushion forced wage increases conceding that raising the minimum wage will hurt small businesses?
Comment by Groucho Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 3:25 pm
Higher minimum wages means more sales for small and large businesses. Folks in this category spend their money and help the economy. It is not right for full time workers to live in poverty. If a company can only survive on paying workers $8.25 an hour, maybe they should close shop.
Comment by Illinois Resident Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 3:33 pm
Just waiting on my UBI and being hooked up to tubes that do everything for me until I die while half machine half god Jeff Bezos reigns supreme with his robots.
Comment by happythursday Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 3:46 pm
Demoralized. You are just ignorant about the private sector. I have many unionized clients that pay less then 15. Unskilled labor Scarface’s in the $10 plus area for starting wage rates in smaller companies. Union or non-union
Comment by Sue Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:04 pm
“Starts” in the $10 plus
Comment by Sue Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:05 pm
Wait…. the media talked to a restaurant about a possible minimum wage increase?
When I waited tables back in the day the server minimum wage was about 1/3rd of the going minimum wage at the time… I barely made the equivalent of “minimum wage” with tips and that was on a good night waiting tables with a lot of drinkers.
Waiters and waitresses make less than peanuts.
Comment by Anono Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:07 pm
== You are just ignorant==
That’s the pot calling the kettle black.
But that Starts to Scarface auto correct is pretty funny. Made me laugh.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:14 pm
==Higher minimum wages means more sales for small and large businesses. Folks in this category spend their money and help the economy. It is not right for full time workers to live in poverty. If a company can only survive on paying workers $8.25 an hour, maybe they should close shop.==
Yes, because a decrease in businesses equates to more jobs opportunities?
I love how everyone is an expert on how much businesses should pay their employees, yet no one talks about all of the hurdles and barriers to market entry that business owners face in this state…
Comment by Illinois' Downfall Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:19 pm
I am an advocate of a higher min wage. Maybe $12.50. But if ya’ll dont think that certain businesses on border towns and counties will move to less costly areas, ya need to go take that Econ 101 class.
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:19 pm
==ya need to go take that Econ 101 class.==
What was it Rich said? I believe he noted that is the most dangerous class in college.
Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:51 pm
-no one talks about all of the hurdles and barriers to market entry that business owners face in this state…-
Then don’t start a business. Or better yet write a better business plan with better cost analysis. Don’t give me that barriers crap. I’ve owned a business and my barriers had nothing to do with the state. Cry wolf business, cry wolf. You’ve done it for too long. Increasingly no one is listening to it.
Comment by Honeybear Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 4:51 pm
–But if ya’ll dont think that certain businesses on border towns and counties will move to less costly areas, ya need to go take that Econ 101 class.–
No, they all moved already because of taxes, remember?
Moving is so easy. Costs nothing. And your customers will follow you, no matter where you go.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 6:14 pm
Word. Regrettably. In the world of TIF,tax abatement , and tax credits, moving a small company is simpler than ever. It stinks it’s so easy. Had the wife and I been ruthless(good?) business people, the value of the old widget factory was darn near double in both Missouri and Indiana. But we are both illinoisians. So we took what we could get at sale. Just curious. You still buying Oreos.
Comment by Blue Dog Dem Thursday, Dec 13, 18 @ 8:14 pm
–Had the wife and I been ruthless(good?) business people, the value of the old widget factory was darn near double in both Missouri and Indiana. But we are both illinoisians. So we took what we could get at sale. –
Yeah, I’m sure that’s how it all went down, just your noble self-sacrifice. You’re quite the legend in your own mind, a Robert E. Lee of state loyalty. Build yourself a statue.
Comment by wordslinger Friday, Dec 14, 18 @ 8:49 am