CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Way too tiny or a good start?

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Oneeye — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 21:18:55 -0000

How much longer can the state continue to allow the antics of the Speaker and Gov? Illinois is the laughing stock of the nation!

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Lawman — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:53:34 -0000

Using Illinois road funds to leverage federal dollars for road projects. What a novel idea !!

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Bill — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 12:00:29 -0000

Daley is so full of it. He loves this stuff. It makes him look like a statesman compared to those other two jokers. Making Daley look good is no easy task. At least Rod and Mikey are good at something. Emil's right. The House dems should have just stayed home. Oh wait, most of them did yesterday.

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

VanillaMan — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:30:49 -0000

Better than what we have now. See how low our expectations have been driven?

Do something!

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Ghost — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:18:08 -0000

Six, my impression, though I may be way off base, is that the house used numbers from IDOT that should reflect available funds. I have no idea if they included in available funds money mis/re-directed elsewhere.

I suppose we could lease out the Gov mansion to raise money.

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Six Degrees of Separation — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:16:23 -0000

Word-

There are many sources that support a "number" of jobs supported by a given amount of infrastructure investment. The Federal Highway had to revise their numbers from 47,500 jobs per $1 billion invested in 1997 to 34,800 jobs per $1 billion invested in 2004 due to the eroding effects of construction inflation. There are 3 categories of induced employment from infrastructure investment - direct construction employment, construction supporting industries' employment, and induced employment in the general economy created by the other two.

http://www.trtcmobility.org...

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Team Sleep — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:06:08 -0000

Any start is a good start.

Our governor thinks too broadly and seems to have no real course of action or planning. $34 billion is too large for a state that has had budget and revenue stream troubles for the better of the past decade. What provisions are there if the revenue generators fail? At least a small number - or relatively small compared to Blago's plan - gives us a basis with which we can work and eventually come to an agreement.

For all of the crowing the Senate did over wanting more pay, they sure don't want to do much to validate their pay increase requests. Emil and Co. need to return and hammer out a compromise rather than staying away.

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Six Degrees of Separation — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:05:58 -0000

Ghost-

Then the problem becomes, "how will we replace the dollars from the road fund that previously were going to places other than roads."

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

wordslinger — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:05:22 -0000

Why not do it? Now that the House GOP has raised the job creation estimate of the $34 billion capital plan from 600,000 to 700,000, a $1.8 billion plan would create 37,000 jobs.

Right.

Provides a bit of cover for House Dems, I suppose.

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Ghost — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 11:03:21 -0000

It appears the house approved a capital bill using dollars from the road fund. i.e. they are not miring the State in further debt, and are accessing the money that is available for this very purpose. Further they have targeted the fed match that was potentialy going to be lost to make sure we capture it.

The Gov and allies was releasing press'ers about the impending crisis and loss of fed matching fund without immediate action. I assume the Gov will order a special session for the senate to get this voted on immediately to stave of this impending crisis. After all, the Gov just wants to help the poeple with jobs and keep us from losing fed money, so no reason not to invoke his special session authority to get the senate to save those at risk fed dollars.

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

Truthful James — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:40:44 -0000

For goodness sakes, lock up those Federal dollars now. Fight over the rest of the capital budget on Now signing day Plus One

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

BandCamp — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:21:45 -0000

===â€œWe feel our work is completed,â€ said Cindy Davidsmeyer, spokeswoman for Senate President Emil Jones Jr., D-Chicago.===

I love the "take my ball and go home" attitude these lawmakers seem to have.

Re: Way too tiny or a good start?

anon — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 10:15:40 -0000

Compromises have to start somewhere.