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* Rep. Tom Cross is running a new radio ad in Springfield, Bloomington and Champaign. Rate it…
Skyrocketing debt, record high taxes, the nation’s worst budget deficit.
State government is a mess.
We need new leadership in Springfield.
Illinois voters are facing an important choice for state treasurer.
Tom Cross is running to stop the dishonest budget gimmicks and enforce the state’s balanced budget requirement.
Senator Mike Frerichs supported billions in budget hikes leaving Illinois citizens holding the bag.
Cross is a proven fiscal conservative who will establish a government integrity unit to protect state funds from corruption and fraud.
Frerichs and Governor Quinn raised taxes on families and employers by 67 percent – the most in Illinois history.
Cross has the skills and determination to be a vigilant fiscal watchdog and protect Illinois taxpayers.
For treasurer, the choice is clear.
Tom Cross will clean up the mess…
…fight the waste and corruption…
…and restore fiscal sanity.
Paid for by Cross for Treasurer.
* As if by magic, the Illinois Republican Party backs up Cross with a press release…
Mike Frerichs is launching his campaign for Illinois Treasurer this week. But the people of Illinois have some questions that Sen. Frerichs needs to answer:
1. “Since entering office in 2007, 364,000 fewer people are working in Illinois. In fact, even your own family members have moved their business out of Illinois due to the poor business climate. Do you still maintain that raising taxes on small businesses, like you have, is an effective job creation policy?”
2. “In 2011, you joined with Governor Quinn to raise income taxes by 67%. At the time, you said it would help pay past due bills. Illinois currently has over $7 billion in unpaid bills while at the same time being a regional leader in unemployment. Did your tax increase plan work?”
3. “Twice over the last few years you voted to raise your pay and that of the Governor and other constitutional officers. During this same period, the state was accruing billions in unpaid bills and struggling to maintain funding levels for education and human services. Why were pay raises for politicians made a priority in your spending plans?”
4. “In 2010, even Speaker Madigan conceded that the budget was not balanced, even though there is a state constitutional requirement to have a balanced budget. How do you justify supporting that unbalanced budget?”
5. “During the last fundraising quarter, greater than 50% of your contributions came from public- and private-sector unions and overall have contributed over $270,000 in 2013 alone to your treasurer campaign. How will you avoid conflicts of interest with taxpayers?”
Illinois Republican Party Executive Director Jayme Odom released the following statement:
“Democrat State Senator Mike Frerichs has been a consistent vote for higher taxes, budget-busting spending and job-crushing fees and regulations. Illinois needs a solution-driven Republican Treasurer ready to tackle the economic problems facing our state. Mike Frerichs won’t be part of the solution, because he is already a part of the problem.”
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 12:50 pm
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“New leadership”?? Hasn’t Cross been the GOP House Leader for more than a decade?
Comment by Whatever Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 12:54 pm
This is more a me thing, I am not sure the average. Over would care
I thought this is nothing the treasurer has any real control or influence over. It reminded me of the fake promos in the movie Scrooged with bill murray. It’s dramatics, but treasurer? Does t seem he understands the job
Comment by Ghost Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 12:54 pm
How many of these issues are within the scope of duties assigned to the office of the treasurer by the Illinois Constitution?
Comment by Bill White Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 12:54 pm
The treasurer has very little power to do any of the things the ad implies Cross will do.
Comment by DuPage Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 12:56 pm
I’m hard on any spot for state treasurer because the office doesn’t really do a lot.
But, seriously, Cross running on a platform of “we need new leadership in Springfield?”
That’s embarrassing. Dude, you are the old leadership in Springfield!
Add to that the laundry list of problems the state treasurer has no influence over, and this spot doesn’t even phone it in.
F.
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 12:58 pm
“New leadership”? He cannot be serious.
Comment by Lottie O'Neill Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 12:59 pm
Cross has bought into his own talking points. He’s completely forgetting that he was one of the Four Tops during the creation of the fiscal crisis he blasts in this ad. He shoulders a good portion of the blame, but now he wants us all to believe he can fix the mess by himself from a state position with no constitutional powers to directly impact the budget creation process?
“F”
Comment by BDuty6 Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:01 pm
Wow. First time that’s happened. I can’t even see it, Rich. It’s blocked.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:04 pm
Tom Cross has the skills and determination to radically redefine words like “new” and “leadership”!
– MrJM
Comment by MrJM Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:06 pm
“During the last fundraising quarter, greater than 50% of your contributions came from public- and private-sector unions and overall have contributed over $270,000 in 2013 alone to your treasurer campaign. How will you avoid conflicts of interest with taxpayers?”
A fill-in-the-blanks for every opposing political campaign:
“During the last fundraising quarter, greater than __% of your contributions came from ___ PACs and overall have contributed over $_,___,___ in 2013 alone to your campaign for _____. How will you avoid conflicts of interest with taxpayers?”
Comment by sal-says Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:06 pm
If the Treasurer has the power to do the things this ad implies, why didnt our current Republican Treasurer do anythign? Answer: Because the ad is a load of something, and it ain’t money or jobs.
Comment by Downstate Weed Chewing Hick Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:08 pm
The block seems to have something to do with SoundCloud.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:09 pm
I might go with Budget Watcher’s question @ 10:24: https://capitolfax.com/2014/01/15/question-of-the-day-1743/#comment-11413709. Then if they go with the “free market solutions,” as they all will, follow up with “is there a level of income inequality that the market could produce that you would consider excessive?”
Comment by TooManyJens Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:13 pm
Comments above have it covered.
If he is buying 60 second spots, Rep. Cross should use it to explain why he would rather be Treasurer than House Minority Leader, assuming I have that title correct.
Comment by Hans Sanity Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:17 pm
==How many of these issues are within the scope of duties assigned to the office of the treasurer by the Illinois Constitution? ==
Probably not too many would be my interpretation.
_______
SECTION 18. TREASURER - DUTIES
The Treasurer, in accordance with law, shall be responsible for the safekeeping and investment of monies and securities deposited with him, and for their disbursement upon order of the Comptroller.
(Source: Illinois Constitution.)
Comment by Joe M Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:21 pm
I get it. Do a horrible job for 10 years and then run for a new job to clean up your own old horrible job. What’s wrong with this picture? Cross needs to move to Wisconsin.
Comment by Howard Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:33 pm
Irrelevant and off-point. Kinda like Cross’ tenure as Leader.
F.
Comment by Arthur Andersen Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:34 pm
A good under the radar job for a guy who could not compete with the big dogs.
Comment by Mokenavince Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:35 pm
Too bad Grogan doesn’t have any money. He seems to understand what office he’s running for. Cross was just shopping for a statewide position after Lisa decided to run for reelection.
Comment by Southwest Cook Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:35 pm
Grogan? Seriously? The guy was busted playing shell games with his own campaign money. He may have the initials, but he ain’t got the smarts.
Comment by Powell Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 1:45 pm
Integrity and Tom Cross? Apples and oranges, oil and water, and up and down have more in common.
Comment by Obama's Puppy Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 2:06 pm
HE left the R’s in a financial mess and with less seats than they had 10 years ago.
Leadership?
Comment by In the Middle Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 2:16 pm
Hey, with all due respect, if Baron Von Carrhart qualifies as an “outsider”, why not Tom Cross?
Comment by Juvenal Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 2:20 pm
Wow, I never realized the treasurer’s office could do all that. I assume this is similar to the project list the current treasurer is working on. Is this Tom Cross related to the Tom Cross that recently left the GA after being a leader for 10 years where he worked on these same ideas?
Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 2:48 pm
This has some of the right points for someone else running for something else.
Comment by walker Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 3:04 pm
So Cross will clean up the mess, and Rauner will run the state like a business. Illinois, your renaissance is near!
LOLOLOLOLOLOL.
Comment by Toure's Latte Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 4:01 pm
Cross keep right on running….right out of this state…then you will be of some help to the people that live here!!!
Comment by concern1 Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 4:57 pm
hmmm…
Tom Cross negotiated and voted for the same unbalanced budget (only in recent years did GOP oppose).
Tom Cross voted for new taxes on beer, alcohol, shampoo, and allowed ComEd to raise electric rates.
Comment by 4 percent Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 6:41 pm
Every election we hear about how so-and-so is going to battle waste and corruption.
Oddly enough, it’s usually only the U.S. Attorney who actually does anything meaningful about corruption.
And waste? Precious few do little there and what they do are mainly symbolic. Sadly.
Comment by John Boch Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 7:02 pm
Hahaha. Wow. Yeah, Tom Cross, a real breath of fresh air for Springfield. Maybe Cross should drop this boilerplate stuff and focus on building the field operation he’ll need to win in the suburbs.
Comment by K3 Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 7:13 pm
Tom Cross is part of the problem in Springfield. And he is right, when he sis are need new leadership.. cross has no qualification for treasure. Voting for grog an..
Comment by ironman Tuesday, Jan 21, 14 @ 9:35 pm
It is funny to me that Cross keeps trying to overlook the primary, instead focusing on the potential general election opponent, meanwhile, Bob Grogan seems to be criss-crossing the state and racking up endorsements from virtually every Republican organization. Yet the former Super-minority leader is trying to convince everyone that he’s already won with his weird ads about how he’s somehow going to “reform” spending. Maybe he’s preying on the ignorance of voters?
Comment by econ prof Wednesday, Jan 22, 14 @ 9:02 am
He’s made a living at pulling the wool over people’s eyes. Why stop now. Why would anybody be surprised?
Comment by Tim Snopes. Wednesday, Jan 22, 14 @ 9:13 am