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Residents, staff and neighbors of an Uptown shelter, scheduled to close just before Christmas, protested in front of the People’s Church on Monday to call on state legislators to pass a budget when they return to Springfield next week.
The shelter is operated by North Side Housing and Supportive Services and is housed by the church, 941 W. Lawrence Ave. It has 72 beds and serves single men, like Stanley Weatherspoon, who came to the shelter after he was no longer able to afford his rent.
“It’s inhumane to send people out on the streets right as winter arrives,” Weatherspoon said, referring to the planned Dec. 23 closing date. “We need Governor [Bruce] Rauner and the legislators to make the big corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share so that we can keep these shelters open.”
* But they’re pinning their hopes on an impossible dream…
The speakers at the protest support an amendment to House Bill 293, sponsored by Rep. Will Davis, which was filed in Springfield last week. According to estimates, this amendment would raise $2.5 billion by closing corporate tax loopholes. It would also enact a progressive income tax and a [LaSalle] street tax for a total revenue increase of $23.5 billion.
The General Assembly couldn’t (and wouldn’t) pass that stuff when they had veto-proof Democratic majorities and a Democratic governor.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 9:45 am
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Did they not get the governor’s memo? First the state becomes competitive, then we will see about compassionate.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 9:49 am
Pragmatic solutions in governing… are solutions.
If you can’t count to 60 and 30, then you’re not being pragmatic.
If you can’t get ANY governor’s signature, you’re not being pragmatic. Same with veto overrides…
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 9:52 am
So they want an immediate fix, and believe doing something that will take years to pass and take effect will be that immediate fix. Brilliant.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:03 am
If and when there is a tax increase, it will have to go to the historic backlog of bills — $14 billion by June 30, nearly $10 billion more than when Rauner took office.
That backlog will be about one third of annual GRF. There won’t be money for anything else.
Squeeze the beast was a willful, secret plan, not an unfortunate consequence.
No social agenda — get it?
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:04 am
Wordslinger is right, what’s going on right now isn’t by accident. It says a lot about whether we are a civilized society if people are turned out into the cold. If the Governor is a compassionate person this will not be allowed to happen.
Comment by The Dude Abides Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:18 am
Sorry Stanley, you’re just the latest casualty of the hostage situation. NEXT!
Comment by Cubs in '16 Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:20 am
Our social services are in shambles. Our schools are not being paid. The state workforce is a heartbeat away from a strike. The State is an absolute mess.
Have no fear though, once we are competitive with Indiana and Wisconsin, all of this is going to fix itself. Now, ho do we define “competitive?”
Comment by illini97 Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:21 am
Until social services decide to pay attention that this is Rauner and Raunerites, and stop blaming “both side”, this will continue to the glee of the RaunerS.
The business decision here is recognizing social services will blame “both sides” instead of recognizing reality.
The RaunerS are happy with the business decision. It’s going swimmingly.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:24 am
This is not ok. They’ve been breaking up tent cities in Uptown for the past couple of months and now they are closing homeless shelters? It’s obvious that they either want our homeless neighbors to leave their hometown hoods or freeze to death. Disgraceful.
https://www.dnainfo.com/chicago/20160926/uptown/stewart-school-tent-city-homeless-evicted
Comment by Chicago_Downstater Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:27 am
-how do we define “competitive?”
More importantly how does the Governor define it. My guess is that his idea of competitive involves the middle class losing ground and the 1% gaining.
Comment by Ole' Nelson Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:32 am
Maybe we could use the Trash Can Van to move these folks to Houston, TX, land of the Billionaire Depletion Accounting Tax Cheats.
Comment by yeah Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:38 am
==Until social services decide to pay attention that this is Rauner and Raunerites, and stop blaming “both side”==
OW is right. The “blame both sides” narrative lets Rauner off the hook. “He’s just the new guy, he didn’t create this mess.” Uh, yes … he took a recovering state and turned it into a collapsing state that is shredding support for the most vulnerable.
State universities, health care leaders and all the other entities that have been stiffed during Rauner’s two years of failed leadership on the budget have to find the courage to call out Rauner more directly.
Comment by Handle Bar Mustache Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:51 am
The Governor says, Think of all the good we can do for the most needy among us once we eliminate collective bargaining. What he means is, Think of all the good I can do for the most wealthy of us once I eliminate collective bargaining and the social safety net.
Comment by Gruntled University Employee Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:58 am
If you’re not pushing your leader for the grand bargain, then get used to this for the next two years.
Comment by m Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:59 am
Save it for 2018.
Comment by Liberty Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:02 am
Rauner is following Trump’s strategy. You’re suprised?
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:03 am
===If you’re not pushing your leader for the grand bargain, then get used to this for the next two years.===
So…
Rauner is more than willing to accept his hurting of people, “then get use” to more people getting hurt?
Got it.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:06 am
There will be no grand bargain. Rauners gamble failed. We’re flying into the mountainside.
Comment by Honeybear Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:07 am
People are more than capable of donating to the shelter directly to help them keep their doors open, it doesn’t have to be tax money. And yes OW it is a problem that was caused by both sides of the aisle and it will take compromising on both sides of the aisle to fix the problem.
Comment by Arock Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:10 am
>Until social services decide to pay attention that this is Rauner and Raunerites, and stop blaming “both side”, this will continue to the glee of the RaunerS.
Hard to do.
1. Fear of Rauner’s control of contracts and willingess to be pretty ruthless.
2. Lack of political power and influence in the first place.
3. Quinn and the Democratic legislature (not too much changed at this point) cut funding and delayed payments, leading to agency closures in the earlier part of this decade. Hard to fight real hard for the privilege to suffer just a little bit less.
Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:10 am
Aw - Arock -, that’s fun!
Please refer to the 2012 Rauner quote as to “who” wants people purposely hurt.
“You’re welcome”
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:12 am
m,
Get used to this? That’s pretty thuggish, no?
I hope no one in your family needs any Illinois government support “for the next two years” .
Comment by Handle Bar Mustache Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:13 am
Gruntled University Employee and OW are correct. Rauner employs a scorched earth policy of willful destruction of collective bargaining and the social safety net, along with the thinning out of higher education institutions. Economic development via Blitzkrieg.
Comment by illinoised Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:19 am
M, you’re the guy who contends there are no objective facts or reality.
Why don’t we just pretend it’s not happening? That the governor never signed those contracts, so he can’t possibly be reneging on them?
I mean, you’ve never seen the contracts, have you?
Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:20 am
Then - Earnest -…
Rauner will succeed in destroying all he can because the worries far out-weighed the reality.
Cold, but true.
Comment by Oswego Willy Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:35 am
The only way to pay off Chicago’s bills is to accelerate the lakefront gentrification. Lakefront realty is probably Chicago’s major asset.
Shelters, indigents, impoverished seniors and tent cities must go further inland and make way for the beautiful people. The change has been plodding along for years, but it’s time, apparently, to hasten the process.
Everything east of Western Ave. on the North Side should be turned over to Trump Enterprises for redevelopment into gated enclaves.
But first give me time to buy up some options before the Mayor and City Council members.
Comment by Cook County Commoner Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:36 am
>Cold, but true.
Agreed.
Comment by Earnest Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:39 am
All of Rauner’s supporters will continue to say, “The state has no money.”
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 11:46 am
Maybe we can hire the homeless to hunt these killer squirrels.
Comment by Anon Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 1:11 pm
You ain’t seen nothing yet. Wait til the tax paying AFSCME workers services they provide are interrupted by a forced strike.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 3:49 pm
-word
Never what I said. If you need it explained again… Or better yet, watch any political ad from anyone who ran for anything anywhere. If everyone sees the reality of it, then everyone knows how to vote and there’s no need for posturing or “political truth.” I’m sorry you feel the need to argue over the semantics of word choice because you don’t have point to make on an actual topic.
Why do we have polls on how the economy is doing? Because everyone has their own view of what the reality of it is. This is something most people figure out in kindergarten the first time they and someone else can’t see eye to eye. Sorry you missed that.
Comment by m Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 5:14 pm
“The General Assembly couldn’t (and wouldn’t) pass that stuff when they had veto-proof Democratic majorities and a Democratic governor.”
That would work only if they all voted the same way. We all know that never happened.
Comment by Mama Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 7:23 pm
And “mama” ain’t lying!!!
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Nov 22, 16 @ 10:02 pm