CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Chill, please

Re: Chill, please

Papa Legba — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 18:39:47 -0000

Bill is not answering our questions. It is hard to dispel the truth with a simple spin when the questions are presented in plain language.

Re: Chill, please

Yellow Dog Democrat — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 15:55:25 -0000

Bill -- please tell us who the "numerous" rank-and-file members are of the General Assembly who support the Governor's Gross Receipts Tax? According to backers of the bill, they've only identified six hard yeses in support, and two of those are Sen. Ronen and President Jones.

Granted, there are seven co-sponsors of SB 1 listed on the GA website, but those members all joined back when they thought that SB 1 would be a tax swap bill, not a GRT -- Sen. Meeks, for example.

Re: Chill, please

312 — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 12:01:11 -0000

Hmmmm... "numerous Senate and House members who support the GovernorÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s plan"

Sorry Bill, but from the sounds of things, "a couple" sounds more like it.

Who's gone on record so far to say they support it? Boland, Jones, Ronen... who else? I'd be VERY curious to know who these "numerous" legislators are.

If the guv's office is serious about the GRT passing (that this isn't just an extended press conference) then they would have started lining up their ducks.

Or is this another one of GRod's stunts to make himself look like an alleged HERO to the public because the mean old General Assembly won't "Put People First?"

I know where my $$$ is...

AND --- Rich, I agree the gov won't be convicted by the end of this term, but I'm hard pressed to believe he won't be indicted by 2009.

Re: Chill, please

Bill — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 11:42:10 -0000

Truthful,
Once again you are not being very truthful. The truth is that Illinois pensions are NOT overly generous. In fact, they rank is the middle of the pack when compared to other states. The state has repeatedly, through the last six decades unerfunded the plans. Had state employees been covered under the social security system with no state pension the state would have had to pay MORE to the federal government then they have put into the pension plans.The federal gov't would not allow Illinois to institute a "holiday" when they wanted to spend the money elsewhere. There IS a structural deficit.Revenue growth will not keep up with state spending obligations even with no new, innovative spending for education and social programs. One way to solve the problem, I suppose, would be to change the structure. Illinois could offer no services, have no state employees, and not support education or health care or public safety for its residents.
Would anyone live here then? Would it be good for business,then? Obviously not!
Our politicians have been less than courageous in addressing our state's fiscal problems. The Governor is committed to changing that. It is time to pony up. Is there a certain amount of waste? Probably, as there is in all organizations. Can we cut our way out of our problems?...No!

Re: Chill, please

Truthful James — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 10:00:06 -0000

Rich --

I have spoken out against 750 from the time that Martire was referring with Winkel as a pure tax swap. That was what they originally proposed, and it took some analysis to show that it was a tax taking. And I have been against the GRT since the beginning.

The reporters in Springfield and in Chicago (or perhaps their editors and producers) have hardly ever called atention to the split the swag method of budgeting in Springfield.

Generally, they appear to be awfully glad to listen and report without comment what comes out of the mouths of the legislature and the governor's office. They are not the eyes and ears of the people.

The whole process in Springfield is designed to mop up the huge windfalls that come in and wring them into the pork buckets and other containers.

The Illinois taxpayer needs to be informed of what is happening on the Revenue side of the equation. Perhaps the editors and producers think that we are not interested. We are.

How much more sales and income tax revenue has been generated for the Blago coffers since his first election. How many appropriation bills are written outside of the budget to take advantage of this largesse.

The attitude in Springfield is ...the public be damned, we need more money

Bill, there is not a structural deficit -- except in the pension area and that is partly due to the over-generous arrangements made with the teachers and other State employees.

In this Blog I have asked if there was any waste in State government spending. From the lack of response, not a penny. I am awestruck by the efficiency of Blago, Madigan and Jones. Not.

I ask a second question...show me all these corporate loopholes to which everybody blithely refers. Indeed, if they are there and they adversely affect the total revenues available to Illinois taxing bodies, then close them. But instead of blathering, which we all tend to do, let's look at the net effect of these loopholes not only on income tax receipts but also on other revenues to state and local governments caused by the use of the revenues not taxed.

Before we refer to a structural deficit, let's account for the waste.

Re: Chill, please

Animous — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 08:56:11 -0000

Rich,

A little off-topic, but I think one underlying concern of a number of posters about the bus trip "Kool-Aid" is this: Blago is a lot of things but impersonal isn't one of them.

He has "converted" a number of (former) media members who opposed him over to the "dark" side by turning them into talking heads for the administration merely by spending time with them.

I can think of a few, but most notably in SPFLD is Rebecca Roush. She was fairly objective but critical, then low and behold she gets an "exclusive" interview with the GOV on a state plane (that she turned into a weeklong series in which she was absolutely giddy), then surprise, surprise she becomes a member of Team Blago a couple of weeks later.

We just don't want to see it happen again. You and your site have been a light in the darkness to a LOT of people that have seen a lot of things. We're just worried...

Keep up the good work.

Thanks...

Re: Chill, please

State of Farce — Thu, 05 Apr 2007 03:25:26 -0000

Rich - you have to realize that this Governor came out of the gate right after his first election alienating just about everyone. No one likes him, except maybe his staff. He is the worst thing that has happened to this state in years and is taking us down the tubes. He only won the last election because Judy ran a terrible election and not enough conservative Republicans supported her. He outgunned her money-wise and Illinois apparently wasn't "ready" for a woman governor, especially a brazen, out-spoken woman. Its your blog, but we have had ENOUGH of this clown! I, for one think an indictment is coming. And, not soon enough. No more business as usual, eh? He hasn't cleaned up corruption and is ruining this state for business and the rest of us. Surely you agree....

Re: Chill, please

mean people suck — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:29:39 -0000

Rich, on or off the bus, your comments are on target. As for the Governor, the good news is that the people of Illinois have twice elected a man that prefers doing the right thing over back slapping his way to popularity. As Daley the first would have said of Blago's critics "what trees do they plant? where are their programs?"

Re: Chill, please

Dan Johnson-Weinberger — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 23:07:18 -0000

Steven and Leigh: there are already constitutional amendments filed to get rid of the provision that requires a Steve Forbes-style flat tax. Check out SJRCA 7 (Sandoval-Frerichs) and HJRCA 23 (Will Davis). They can use more co-sponsors. If the General Assembly pass these bills, they will appear on the November 2008 ballot for voters to approve or reject.

Re: Chill, please

NIEVA — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:52:47 -0000

Rich, you call some of this talk hate,I call it fear. When you put your 25 years in a job and look foreward to retirement and you see a spend and tax Chicago Democrat like Rod in charge of a state that has high debt,unpaid bills,pension debt and plans to increase spending without paying down these bills,call me hateful but I am scared!!

Re: Chill, please

Give me a break — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:44:57 -0000

Give me a break Rich. You did drink the Kool Aid. You feel sorry for the guy because you bought into his magic show as you spent a week with him on the bus? Deep down you know that it is not the right course for the State and JBT would have come up with better ideas to handle the situation without screwing the entire citiizentry of Illinois. Get back to your initial gut feelings. The people of Illinois deserve nothing less.

Re: Chill, please

Roman girl — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 22:14:26 -0000

three years ago when there were several initiatives to close corporate loopholes some went through but there were enough of the same groups that are the most vocal now urging everyone to break out the Depends or move out of state to put the kabosh on alot of them.
And I'm grateful that the blogmaster has blasted the diatribes. This should be a thoughtful forum.

Re: Chill, please

Disgusted — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 21:40:49 -0000

Leigh: Amen, amen and AMEN!!! Add to that the fact that programs should be thought through to avoid duplication. We have All Kids, Healthy Women, Family Care, Mother and Child Care. Why all these separate programs when universal health care seems to be on the table? Why not just do that first and avoid the ridiculous costs of inaugurating each new program, something I deal with each and every working day.

Re: Chill, please

steven — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:22:27 -0000

So, leigh, are you leading the signature drive for the constitutional amendment to create a graduated income tax?

If not, you have about a quarter of a million to go...

Re: Chill, please

leigh — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 20:19:22 -0000

Cut spending and stop trying to add new programs. Close the loopholes in the corporate tax laws. Start a graduated income tax, having those who have the most pay a little more, those with little to nothing pay less. It's not rocket science, it's common sense.

Re: Chill, please

Bill — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 19:44:35 -0000

There are numerous Senate and House members who support the Governor's plan. The mayor of Chicago is also interested in the revenue the GRT will provide for education,transportation, and property tax relief. There is just one "leader" who refuses to discuss the plan and negotiate and he wants his coffee right anow, YLDD, and don't forget to empty the waste basket on your way out.

Re: Chill, please

Little Egypt — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 19:31:00 -0000

The title of this thought-provoking original post from Rich was "Chill, please". Jeeze, I'd hate to see what would have been written if he hadn't asked for civilized conduct here today. There have been a lot of good comments posted. It's too bad that someone can't force Blago to sit down and read this stuff. It's good. It's all good - both pro and con. I do think the posters here would make a better cabinet for this guy than the ones he has. I'd love to see Bill, Schnorf, and YDD, just to name a few, on that cabinet because something good would come out of it.

Re: Chill, please

VanillaMan — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:51:42 -0000

When Blagojevich can tell us that Pat Quinn, Dan Hynes, Mike Madigan, or Alexi Giannoulais is on board with anything he is proposing - we'll listen.

Until then, endure the barbs - today your running mate shows leadership regarding our electric rates and looks like he is willing to lead while you are not.

Listen to us and step away from your pulpit.

Re: Chill, please

Papa Legba — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:40:38 -0000

Bill,

You bring up these topics and say we just rip on Blago for any idea he comes up with. Here are some short answers for you.

Pre-school Ã¢â‚¬â€œ No funding mechanism, reduces existing state revenues. A feel good Sunday press release.

Allkids Ã¢â‚¬â€œ CanÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t pay our outstanding medical bills now, no funding mechanism, reduces existing state revenues, no doctors want any part or it. A feel good Sunday press release.

Cutting the bloated state workforce Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Shove old time, front line workers out the door and replace them with inexperienced, massively over-paid political hacks. Hide Ã¢â‚¬Å“employeesÃ¢â‚¬Â by using contracts.

Keno Ã¢â‚¬â€œ DOA and pie-in-the-sky fantasy.

Leasing the tollway Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Can we lease what we donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t own? The original bonds still havenÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t been paid off.

Selling the lottery Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Short-term cash infusion with nothing to replace revenue currently generated by the Lotto.

Pension reform Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Nothing yet. Just a sound good, sound bite.

Capital bonds Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Like Illinois needs more debt. Try reducing spending instead.

Pension bonds Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Did that once. Where did the money go? Why is the pension still hugely under funded?

Universal health insurance Ã¢â‚¬â€œ Feel good Sunday press release. No funding mechanism, reduces existing state revenues.

Why should we back these ideas when the are not sound plans and have no details?

Re: Chill, please

Team Sleep — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:37:22 -0000

YDD brings up a great point. When very few members of your own party support a major plan like the GRT, you are in trouble. And Mike Boland is irrelevant. If MJM hadn't stepped in and helped out, Steve Haring would be the state rep for the 71st District. Boland had better watch it, because his shenanigans are not smart.

Re: Chill, please

Mr. Wizard — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:30:34 -0000

Leigh, 6' 2" & others -

Here's a simple reason nobody talks about spending cuts, efficiency, etc. First, think about the cumulative lobbying power of those who support education, health care, and human services. Now, look at the budget request for '08:

Total GF budget: $28.86 Billion
Educ. - 39.4%
Healthcare and families - 29.7%
Human Svcs. - 20.4%
All 3 - 89.5% or $25.8 Billion

Simple calculation shows just over $3 Billion is left for EVERYTHING else. Wipe out all other state GF spending (including the elected officials) and there's barely enough to pay the pension debt.

Wanna cut spending? You must cut education, health care and human services......

Re: Chill, please

puzzler — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:28:14 -0000

A few corrections: few if any low-income folks pay income tax and in fact get back more than they pay in courtesy of the Earned Income Credit as long as they're working some type of job. Has anyone asked why so many corporations don't pay state income tax? Are they choosing to invest in depreciable assets versus paying tax? I can live with that if the investments are in Illinois. We also need to remember that the employees of these corporations pay millions in state income tax from salaries and wages paid to them by the corporation. Industry pays a disproportionate share of property tax, especially considering they don't send kids to school. I think what bothers most people who have contact with this Governor is that his administration has elevated "pay to play" to an artform. Special interests are getting increased pensions at the expense of a lot of "working men and women". The big voting block of over 65ers has gotten unprecedented property tax breaks at the expense of young familes who must make up the difference. And don't even get me started on the influence of Organized Labor on this administration...

Re: Chill, please

Old Elephant — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:20:17 -0000

I feel kinda special, since I am now among "the most reactionary" who have yet to be convinced that "in order to continue to provide and enhance services to the citizens, our state needs to enhance revenue."

But, let's be honest here. If the Governor had said BEFORE the election that he believes Illinois needs to increase taxes by $8-9 billion to expand services, then we would have had a referendum on that question. But, he campaigned on the lie that he was opposed to higher taxes and did not deal with the issue honestly.

Even now, the Governor doesn't really want to put the question to the public. A Gross Receipts Tax is bad public policy in part because it hides the true cost of government from the taxpayers. Despite the Governor's childish, over-the-top class warfare language, not one "evil corporation" will pay the tax, they'll just collect them.

I don't support HB 750, but at least it is fairly straightforward.

If we really need to expand services, provide universal healthcare and substantially increase education spending, why not tell the public honestly and truthfully what the cost of those service expansions will be?

Is it that we are afraid that once they know how much it will cost them, they'll decide it's not worth the money?

Everyday, consumers make decisons about the value and cost of goods on both small and large items: Is it worth an extra 50 cents to buy Cheerios instead of "Oaty Oats?" Is it worth it to buy the 2007 model or can I keep the old car going for awhile longer?

Why is it that liberals -- and a fair number of conservatives -- refuse to trust these same people to be responsible consumers of government.

In one way, both George Bush and Rod Blagojevich are exactly the same -- they have tried to hide the true cost of government from the people by spending more than we take in and passing the cost onto future generations. (And, now, Blagojevich wants to hide billions in taxes from the public by pretending it's a tax on "business."

If it is "reactionary" to let the taxpayers decide how they want their tax dollars spent, then I'm proud to be called a reactionary.

Re: Chill, please

Team Sleep — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:15:05 -0000

It's tough to support a plan that was probably hashed together on a napkin at the local greasy spoon and then presented in front of the state. Magically, two or more weeks later, we have the details. Then, a week or so after that, we have a changed plan structure. Huh? What is that? Does Blago just come up with an "idea" and then task his staff to do all the work? Why can't they get something done BEFORE the plan comes out? At least HB750 was constructed before it was released to the press.

And Bill, Emil does not have a vision and does not really care about "the little people". Look at his D-2s and tell me otherwise. He wants money for schools so that the IFT and IEA can keep pumping his slush funds full of cash, and he won't touch the electric rate issue. That is not leadership; that is greed. MJM, for all of his faults, seems more concerned about balancing the budget and restoring normalcy to the governing process.

I think tangent rants are great for this website. It keeps everyone interested and makes for some great conversation.

Re: Chill, please

Yellow Dog Democrat — Wed, 04 Apr 2007 17:07:04 -0000

Bill -

I've always been a supporter of HB 750, so please stop your ignorant personal attacks.

When I say that the Governor isn't working with leaders of his own party, I'm referring to the Chairman of the Democratic Party/Speaker of the Illinois House, State Treasurer, State Comptroller, Lt. Governor, and Mayor of Chicago, all of whom have expressed grave concerns regarding or direct opposition to the Governor's plan. Other than the Senate President, who has relegated himself to the position of the Governor's Yes Man, I'm unaware of any elected leader in Illinois except State Rep. Mike Boland that has publicly supported the Governor's Gross Receipts Tax. Not even the Democratic County Chairmen with family members on the Governor's payroll are publicly backing his plan as written. If I'm wrong, please tell me.