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A complete lack of communication

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Illinois

* If you want a good idea of how the leaders don’t communicate or listen well, just take a look at this…

Despite disagreeing with the legality of Blagojevich’s maneuver, Madigan did sound an optimistic note about the health care plan [before the State Fair events].

Madigan said he could support an increase in the cigarette tax to pay for an expansion of the Medicaid program.

“I said from Day One it’s a good idea,” said Madigan. […]

Blagojevich was surprised to hear Madigan say a cigarette tax hike could be an option.

“When did he say that?” Blagojevich asked reporters.

Hmmm. Well, let’s see. This is from WBBM AM’s website on July 20th, almost a month ago…

House Speaker Michael Madigan tells WBBM he’ll support a plan that adds more people to those already covered in Illinois. But, Madigan says that plan should be funded by a hike in the cigarette tax

I wrote about Madigan suggesting the cigarette tax hike for health care here on July 25th.

Madigan’s comments were made on WBBM’s “At Issue” program. Listen here if you want.

Madigan had been suggesting this privately for quite a while before the At Issue program. And I know I’ve had it in the Capitol Fax at least twice.

In other words, Blagojevich could have had his $500 million for health care weeks ago if he’d been paying attention, or if Madigan had made his intentions known to him personally. This goofy, divisive veto wasn’t needed. The bizarre antics were uncalled for. The “war” could have been over.

All because the leaders don’t communicate.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 10:06 am

Comments

You hear what you want to hear, only if it suits your purposes. It would seem reasonable for those contributing to poor health through their vises, to pay for the cost of health care. Of course, that could lead to a “health” tax on most Fair food, ribs, and of course almost all fast food.

Comment by Justice Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 10:21 am
Health care costs increase every year. We can all agree on that right? Whether it’s a little or a lot , we can agree that costs climb. We can also agree that retiring baby boomers are going to strain systems such as Medicaid that pay for long term care, right? We can agree on that.

Can we also agree that there are fewer and fewer smokers every year? Is that reasonable? Or, that as we raise cigarette taxes, fewer people a) begin smoking and people quit leading to further declines in both revenue and numbers of smokers.

So, just how smart would it be to fund a rising budget item (health care) with a declining revenue source?

Comment by Greg Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 10:29 am
We know what happened, don’t we?

Blagojevich wanted $3 billion. He thought he could play budget games and get his money.

He couldn’t, so now he is willing to accept $500 million instead.

Had he made good faith compromises, he would have gotten his money. If he had been listening, he would have gotten his money. But he didn’t want $500 million two weeks ago - he still though he could win $3 billion instead.

Now that we have his attention, perhaps we can have an annual budget.

This entire fiasco has been the Governor’s fault.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 10:30 am
Blago new what Madigan was willing to fund for healthcare all along-He just wanted more and wanted it to look like it was all his idea. He would much rather grab the limelite and propose funding healthcare illegally if it gets him all over the news than actually do something constructive and funding the expansion of the program legitimatly.

Now the headlines will fade, the funding will be ruled out of order and the unisured will be left just as they are now. Good job Rod!

Comment by Garp Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 10:30 am
“All because the leaders don’t communicate.”

Rich, I have to disagree. I think what is more appropriate is “All because the Governor won’t listen”.

I believe that Blagojevich wanted government to shut down so he could “villianize” the legislature, like Clinton did to Congress, but it backfired. I also believe that no credible person is advising the “Boy Governor”. Once Brad Tusk left, Blago seemes to be rudderless. And I believe Tusk left right when Obama became a national celebrity, eclipsing Blago’s national ambitions.

Comment by Buster McGraw Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 10:44 am
The truth is that the Governor could have achieved a scaled back version of his Illinois covered initative before May 31 without any overtime and without extraordinary unconstituional means, if he had been willing to compromise on the scope of the program and on his revenue intiatives. Few Democrats are really opposed to expanding access to health care for the uninsured. But practically no one supported his GRT funding proposal.

Comment by Captain America Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 10:46 am
Oh cmon! Where would the fun have been in that? It’s kind of like when you’ve got a snowstorm that is this/close to the record. You kind of want that extra inch so you can say you lived through the record storm.

This has been one of the most bizarre legislative sessions in history. Once it was there, didn’t we want it to go all the way?

I’m kidding of course, as myself and everyone I know who has to rely on this crazy process has been disturbed and put seriously out of whack by the antics. It would have been nice if Rod had just scaled it back in May and declared victory. Everyone could have enjoyed a real summer.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 11:00 am
This has been a terrible situation to be in…as a provider reliant upon our state contracts, we’ve about borrowed all we can to get us through this mess…just hope all those in power do something quick. When I heard President Jones the other day say this was all just a lot of “hoopla” because State Employees were going to be paid, I think he forgot that all of us out here in the nonprofit world who have employees we need to pay do consider this a bit of “hoopla.”

Comment by Non-profiteer Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 11:23 am
“In other words, Blagojevich could have had his $500 million for health care weeks ago if he’d been paying attention”

Don’t buy the spin Rich. He’ll now try to say that this is what he wanted all along, that this was ‘his plan’. Hooey.

Then why the hell did he try to put in an 8 BILLION dollar tax hike? So he could fall back sixteen fold to this? Nonsense.

He is desperate to try to come off as a winner in this ordeal.

Too late. He has damaged himself, the Democratic Party, and state government to no end. The last two will be repaired. He is a lost cause.

There truly are medical psychiatric determinations for his behavior - and they are not good.

Comment by Not so fast Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 11:24 am
As a state employee, I have a personal stake in the delays in signing the budget. While a trial court has ordered that I be paid (by agreement), my health insurance has not been paid since July 1st. I dread to think what will happen to a state employee who is severely injured during this budget lapse. Will the insurance company cover their medical costs no matter how high they go, or will the company decide that the policy had lapsed due to non-payment? What of the employee who is diagnosed with a serious illness this month, during this lapse in payment of insurance premiums? Will the insurance company pay for all of their needed health care, ignoring the lapsed payment? My heart goes out to those lacking insurance. Unfortunately, I am now one of them.

Comment by Uninsured State Employee Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 11:44 am
Dear Uninsured State Employee:

Your flair for the dramatic is impressive. But no, you are not uninsured. Yes, you will be covered. Even in the face of extraordinary circumstances. So, please get out of the pity line.

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 11:50 am
In the AP story regarding democrats and apologies, Alexi Ganoulious (sp) indicated that the electorate was getting pretty darn tired of the leaderless shannigans. Alexi you are correct. I’m not one for consiperacy theories but look at how this played out - the Senate gets to keep the spoils; the House WHO WORKED TOGETHER loses everything; the gov and emil are happy happy and now you’ll have a consitutional battle over spending of which the general assembly did not give authority to spend. CHECKS AND BALANCES not a dictatorship or a monarchy - believe we’re in the US of A - but oh I forgot, ILLINOIS governor and senate president don’t have to follow the rules. Come on ACLU step in here and sue ‘em.

Comment by game plan Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 12:03 pm
This hasn’t been about providing expanded health care for a long time. This is about a loser worrying about his political future if the MadiganS are still around.

Comment by downhereforyears Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 12:05 pm
Ditto Buster McGraw and Captain America.

Not only was Blagojevich not listening when Madigan said he’d support a cigarette tax to fund a scaled-back health plan, but he ignored a myriad of pleas from rank-and-file Democrats in the House and Senate to offer a scaled-back version of his plan so that they could find an alternative to the Gross Receipts Tax to fund it.

Perhaps now that the Governor is finally listening, there may be a light at the end of the budget tunnel that isn’t the headlamp of a Constitutional train wreck.

I know I’m mixing my metaphors, but I like this one.

Comment by Yellow Dog Democrat Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 12:12 pm
The comparison by Carol Marin on Chicago Tonight of our governor and Huey Long is frightening.
www.sec.state.la.us/60.htm

Comment by Lula May Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 12:31 pm
But the GRT only funded half the plan. A payroll tax funded the other half. That was rejected too. It’s not all on the GRT.

Comment by Greg Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 12:46 pm
I enjoyed the Senate President and Governor’s well played game this week.

I also think that Alexi has a bright future ahead.

Comment by really now Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 1:17 pm
Uninsured state employee -

Spare me. You’re insured. They’ll make it good. Everyone knows it. You may have some delay and some uncertainty, but compared to people who don’t have an ubersecure job for life with fabulous benefits, you’ve got it pretty darned good.

Care to trade places with low wage workers with no insurance? Yea, I didn’t think so.

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 1:23 pm
I have no idea which state plan option the above state employee is on, but my chosen state plan is working along just fine. And for all it’s worth, didn’t you read the Guv’s letter telling you all your benefits including health would still be in effect? An aside thought–if we had a one month budget in place for July, were not premiums paid?

Comment by Princeville Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 1:49 pm
What ever happened to the capitol bill that would fund pensions, schools, roads, bridges, healthcare, CTA, PACE, Metra, create jobs, reduce taxes???? I liked the adea of a Chicago Casino, slots at racetracks and casinos on the borders (stopping those dollars from funding our neighbors in Indiana and Wisconsin). It sure seems like an easy solution to Illinois’ many problems!

Comment by Capitol Bill Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 3:13 pm
To Anon & Cynic,
Back-off. Leave Uninsured alone. State jobs are not secure under Blago, neither are pensions or insurance. And I DO NOT work for the state.

Comment by Shallow Pharnyx Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 3:52 pm
Buster: I never looked at it exactly that way before, i.e. specifically noticed the parallel events regarding Tusk and Obama vis-a-vis the ambitions of Blago.

I remember a column by the late Steve Neal claiming that Milorad had set his sights on the White House (ala Dan Walker)even before the ‘02 election. The column correctly derided Rod for putting the cart before the horse.

Tusk was a hired gun with no conception of Illinois.

Obama drives Rod nuts.

Now Rod is driving everyone else nuts.

There were a lot of good entries on the “caption contest” yesterday afternoon.

Sadly and pathetically, The Reality of the Governor singing about health care dwarfed all the competition from the commenters.

Yikes.

Comment by FleetwoodMacTusK Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 7:00 pm
Uninsured State Employee? No way you are uninsured. If you were to purchase your benefits on the street it could cost you $20K a year.

Illinois state employees have some of the best medical benefits in the nation. I think it helps attract good people to state service.

Private industry: pre-existing condition? Forget it. Illinois(and Cook County)? Let’s talk. Not a bad place to work if you have a pre-existing condition.

I like the nicknames here and, of course, am using one, but there is no such thing as an uninsured state employee.

Unicorn would be more believable.

Comment by Pensioner Thursday, Aug 16, 07 @ 7:17 pm
Rich — this is a day late, but important. The Heritage Foundation reviewed the effect on state revenue caused by an increase in the Federal Cigarette Tax which would lower consumption. For Illinois the consumption loss in taxes would vary from $22M to $29M depending on which bill is made into law — ostensibly to finance SCHIP

Source: http://www.heritage.org/Research/HealthCare/images/wm1586_table1-lg.gif

Which means that the Illinois cigarette tax, just to stay even would have to increase, and then move higher to fund whatever madigan wants to Fund.

Comment by Truthful James Friday, Aug 17, 07 @ 9:07 am