Let the (political) games resume

I’m feeling little more than a sense of sluggishness as I write this particular commentary, because it feels like the same old story being told over and over again.
 

DURKIN: GOP likely to back Rauner on edfund

I’m referring to our state’s General Assembly, which continues to haggle with Gov. Bruce Rauner over the way public education will be funded in Illinois, which itself is nothing more than a sequel to the two-year time period during which Illinois operated without an official budget in place.

THAT POLITICAL SQUABBLE eventually ended just over a month ago when just enough members of the Republican caucus broke with the governor to side with the idea of approving a budget. Which now has the governor doubling down his efforts for a political victory.

Which he seems determined to get with the education funding measure that he used his amendatory veto powers to alter in ways that Chicago Public Schools officials see as detrimental to their interests.

Rauner, however, continues to insist the Chicago schools were getting too much under the education funding bill that had been approved earlier this year by the Democratic-led General Assembly.

This fight was to resume Wednesday when the state Legislature was scheduled to reconvene, with the Illinois House having on its agenda the education funding measure. Although Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, made a last-minute decision Tuesday to postpone the vote indefinitely.

RAUNER: Desperate for political victory

THE STATE SENATE previously voted to override the Rauner amendatory veto – which would reinstate the measure as approved by the General Assembly and restore funding for the Chicago schools pension program that Rauner is determined to see as an unfair city perk.

But the Senate has a large-enough Democratic caucus that it could override the governor all by itself. It didn’t need the one Republican who switched sites.

Yet the Illinois House, while Democratic controlled, doesn’t have a caucus large enough to spit in the governor’s face, so to speak, on vetoes. Republicans are making it very clear they’re not about to switch sides on this issue in order to back the Dem-desired education funding bill.

MADIGAN: Eager to deprive GOP a victory

“It is unfair for Chicago to continue to receive excess advantages that are not afforded to any other school district in the state,” Illinois House Republican Leader James Durkin said earlier this week in a prepared statement.

EVEN THOUGH THERE are people who insist the changes being made for the Chicago pension funding are merely meant to balance out the fact that the Chicago Public Schools was funding its own program without outside help – which does differ from other school districts in Illinois.

Democrats already have made clear they have created another bill that is identical to their education funding bill so that the general concepts will remain alive even if Rauner winds up prevailing in his amendatory veto. Theoretically, the issue could come alive once again at a later date.

Which makes the results of Wednesday’s legislative activity fairly pointless in terms of actual public policy.

Would the measure have gone down to defeat, thereby giving Rauner a win – only to have that political victory undermined at some point in the future? Or would Wednesday have been some sort of procedural move meant to stall a legislative defeat and keep the measure alive for a little while longer?

TECHNICALLY, DEMOCRATS AND Republicans in the Illinois Legislature have spent the past few days (as recently as Tuesday) meeting privately to try to work out some sort of compromise plan with regards to the issue.

Ill. CAPITOL: Complicated manner for nothing to occur

But those meetings haven’t exactly been productive. Unless you want to literally believe the official legislative statements where leaders say the sessions were “productive” and refuse to elaborate.

Personally, I’m not expecting to learn a whole heck of a lot following Wednesday’s legislative activity. I expect we’ll continue to be in the same stalemate – with everybody taking actions that they believe will bolster their re-election chances come the 2018 election cycle.

It makes me wonder if our pols behaved like President Donald J. Trump did when he stared directly at the sun during the eclipse without special viewing glasses -- perhaps frying out a portion of their brain cells in the process.

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EXTRA: Everybody’s spewing a load of bull in the land of Springpatch

Springpatch; it's that mythical place where Illinois political people live in their own little world and the concerns of the real people whom they’re supposed to be representing don’t seem to amount to much.

All gloomy and dank at the Statehouse these days as it was in this century-old postcard image

Springpatch. That’s the place where we wish we could avoid, yet it now is taking over the focal point of our state government operations all because of the nothingness that is occurring there.

THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY convened again in their “special session” – which former legislator-turned-Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey says  on his Facebook account "aren't very special at all" – for a whole lot of nothing toward trying to craft the operating budget that would allow state government to function properly.

We haven’t had one of those for nearly two full years – and based on what we’ve seen so far this week, there’s no reason to think we’re going to have one by next Friday (which is the final day of state fiscal 2017).

About the only thing that did get done Friday was the obligatory round of statements issued by the political partisan hacks who want us to blame “the other guy” for the whole lot of nothingness that is occurring.

Madigan, Cullerton continue to stall was the headline atop the Illinois Republican-issued statement, while da Dems claimed to be “deeply disappointed” that Republican leaders wouldn’t meet with them Friday “and work (with us) to advance a balanced budget.”

THE BULL EMANATING from the Statehouse Scene made me think for a second that we were in mid-August – the time of year when state officials focus attention on the Illinois State Fair and we get to smell the fragrant aroma of the assorted farm animals on the state fairgrounds.

So do I think that Senate Minority Leader Christine Ragodno and James Durkin of the Illinois House really created a sense of disappointment by not showing up to meet with Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan or state Senate President John Cullerton?

No more than I believe the Republican rhetoric that Democrats are engaging in “sham hearings” by refusing to blindly vote for whatever the GOP tells them to do.

This is a problem that will require a true sense of political bipartisanship to resolve. Unfortunately, all we’re getting is some of the most intense partisan trash talk that has ever come from Springpatch.

IT’S NO WONDER that we’re getting such garbage from a place that brings to mind the lame old gag of naming the Illinois capital city in memory of the fictitious hometown from the old Lil’ Abner cartoons.

Because there are times I think our government officials have all the sense of a Shmoo.

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EXTRA: Illinois not among those out to plot for Trump’s removal from ballot

It seems that our Republican establishment in Illinois is inclined to go along with the notion of Donald Trump as the GOP nominee for president come the November elections.

RAUNER: Not putting self into Trump trap

Either that, or we have a governor whose idea of “vision” doesn’t extend beyond the notion of undermining organized labor!

FOR BRUCE RAUNER told reporter-types on Monday that he’s inclined to accept whomever the Republican nominating process picks to run for president. The Chicago Sun-Times got Illinois House Minority Leader James Durkin, R-Western Springs, to say the same thing.

Which goes along with Sen. Mark Kirk, R-Ill., who may be a party renegade for suggesting that his Senate colleagues be fair in considering Barack Obama’s Supreme Court nominee, Merrick Garland, for the post. But he’s not about to be a part of a plot to undermine Trump’s chances of winning the presidential nomination at the party’s nominating convention to be held in Cleveland.

It seems the only person in a political leadership position amongst the Republicans who’s not surrendering to the inevitability of Trump as the GOP candidate is state Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont.

Officially, she backs the idea of Ohio Gov. John Kasich as the next U.S. president.

ALTHOUGH I FIND it intriguing that Kasich himself is nowhere as accepting.

Go listen to the recordings available on the Internet for the “Meet the Press” program on NBC, where Kasich on Sunday said there’s no way that Trump gets the nomination.

For Donald Trump to lose nomination now ...

He seems to believe there are too many people who despise the idea of the New York real estate developer using the political party to appease his political ego by running for president. He seems to think the Republican strategy of undermining Trump’s political desires will succeed.

It’s not clear if Kasich thinks he’s going to be the Republican nominee, or if someone else will be.

ALL I KNOW is that if Trump fails now after having prevailed this far, it would be the ultimate in political collapses. Perhaps somewhere up there with the 1964 Philadelphia Phillies team that blew a 6 ½ game lead with only 12 games left in the season.

It certainly seems that Illinois Republicans won’t be a part of any such revolt against Trump.

... would be as weak as '64 Phlllies loss

Perhaps it’s just that Trump managed to win the Republican primary held last week in Illinois – even though he failed to take a true majority. He still got more political support than any of the other candidates with presidential dreams.

Rauner and other Republicans already are in a precarious-enough position in this state. Anything that would stir up resentments that would fracture their supporters is something they most definitely do NOT want to endure.

PARTICULARLY if one is most primarily concerned with getting themselves re-elected, and the presidential post (while most important to some) is nothing more than a political catfight for a level of government outside of their realm of interest.

It may be that the legislators are most concerned with seeing that their GOP caucuses don’t shrink even lower than their current levels – ones that already see them on the wrong end of the “veto proof” majority.

Letting the Trump spat drag them to further levels of irrelevance is the ultimate nightmare come true.

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Would Rauner gain politically from a strong Walker presence in Illinois?

Back in 2008, Barack Obama’s presidential aspirations gained an early boost from his caucus victory in Iowa, and part of the reason he won there was the fact that politically-aware Iowa voters knew of Obama because he was a senator from neighboring Illinois.

WALKER: Looking to Land of Lincoln?

Which makes me wonder if Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has hopes that his own presidential dreams in next year’s election cycle will gain some support from Republicans in neighboring Illinois.

WALKER IS IN the Chicago area on Thursday, making appearances at a pair of fundraisers. One of which will be at the Peninsula Hotel – giving it the potential to attract the extremely-wealthy amongst us who can afford to pay several thousands of dollars for tickets.

Those who can’t quite afford that (but will still pay a bit more than pocket change) can support Walker at Carlucci’s Restaurant in suburban Downers Grove – where the state Republican Party can still cough up GOP votes in significance.

But how much of a difference will it make?

Despite the partisan split that currently exists, the Democratic Party structures in Illinois are stronger than those of the one-time Party of Lincoln.

GOV. BRUCE RAUNER may be using his personal wealth to prop up the Republican Party because he wants stronger caucuses to vote in his favor on his pet issues (particularly all those anti-labor union measures he desires). Whether he’s willing to prop up a Walker campaign financially is a different matter.

Although you have to admit that Walker is probably the governor that Rauner wishes he could be! He could use a political ally, someone with some muscle to fight back against the “might” of Michael Madigan.

RAUNER: Needs a partisan ally

Walker gained his national reputation when he took on organized labor in his own state and managed to undermine the unions. Just like Rauner wishes he could be.

Now this isn’t support for Walker. I know plenty of Wisconsinites who are appalled at their inability to undermine his partisan fight. If I lived in the land north of Rockford, I’d probably be one of his opponents.

I’M SURE THEIR Illinois counterparts are among the ones quietly cheering on the Illinois House speaker as he thwarts the efforts of Rauner to impose his partisan agenda to benefit the financial bottom lines of his corporate-type allies.

DURKIN: Allied to Rauner and Walker

Which could make a Walker win in Illinois some sort of political blow to the people who are preventing him from being able to easily achieve his desires in our home state

How strong is the Walker campaign in Illinois? Probably about as much as any other campaign amongst the nearly dozen-and-a-half Republican presidential fantasizers! Except maybe former Texas Gov. Rick Perry – who already has stopped paying his campaign staff because he can’t afford to.

All those people who claim real estate developer Donald Trump is kicking butt are downplaying the fact that three-quarters of Republican partisans who have been polled want somebody (anybody) else to be their party’s presidential nominee.

THIS IS A political free-for-all. Who’s to say who will be at the head of the Republican pack come the March primary in Illinois?

Wis. vs. Ill. usually competitors, not allies

Walker, however, does have a state chairman in the form of James Durkin – the Illinois House minority leader and the theoretical GOP counterpart to Madigan. Walker may be the closest Illinois Republicans have to a “favorite son” in this election cycle.

Although whether that is enough to win is questionable. Walker’s anti-union stances have enough support amongst the hard-core GOP partisans that those voters may actually give the Wisconsin governor a few minutes of consideration.

Whether he could get the backing of the people who want an ideological stance on the social issues (abortion, gay marriage, etc.) is less certain. For the same reasons that Rauner isn’t “cleaning house” with ease in Illinois – sensible people see through the partisan rhetoric, just like they may with Walker as well.

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A sex scandal? How will it stick! How unfortunate that it will do so

The Los Angeles Times is a lot bolder than I am – reporting Friday that the activity former House Speaker J. Dennis Hastert was willing to pay so much to cover up was sexual in nature.

HASTERT: How quickly his life changed

The rumor-mongers had been trying to get me to believe this earlier. Although not with the level of detail that the Times offered up, nor from as high-level of sources as the newspaper seems to have.

ACCORDING TO THE Times, they have two federal law enforcement officials who say the person who was receiving money from Hastert was a man who was once a student back when Hastert was a high school teacher and wrestling coach.

“It was sex,” was the explanation given by that source as to why Hastert would have given the man some $1.7 million in recent years to not talk about what supposedly happened several decades ago. Although it is interesting to see the Chicago Tribune report that officials at Yorkville High School say they had no clue there was anything inappropriate about the way Hastert conducted himself while working there. But the Chicago Sun-Times hinted Friday there may be a second person involved in the case.

Most likely, the conduct was so long ago that any statute of limitations on such charges would have passed. So this is going to be a criminal case that focuses on financial details related to the payoff. Just like Al Capone getting busted on income tax evasion – rather than any of the illicit activity that made Chicago so vicious in the 1920s.

We’re probably never going to get total titillation about Hastert and one of his students – which may be for the best! I have trouble thinking of the possible student as a victim if his reaction was to resort to extortion.

WHAT ALL THIS actually reminds me of is the 2004 election cycle when Jack Ryan had his dreams of becoming a political persona squashed when details of his divorce from actress Jeri Ryan came out.

We wound up getting tales of Ryan trying to take his voluptuous semi-celebrity bride to sex clubs and try to get her to engage in acts some might call kinky.

RYAN: His political reputation died just as quick

We never got the concept of “U.S. Sen. Jack Ryan, R-Ill.” because he dropped out of the campaign. His career ended before it could begin.

Hastert is just the opposite. None of this came out until after he left office and became a high-priced D.C. lobbyist. Although I suspect the effect on his public reputation will be just as dramatic.

SO WHAT SHOULD we think about all of this?

I found it interesting that people were digging up and sending Internet links to me of pieces published on the Daily Kos website back in 2006 under the headlines Is Dennis Hastert gay? and Is Hastert gay?

These pieces were motivated by the activity back then when Florida congressman Mark Foley was sending e-mails and instant messages to teenage boys he had known when they worked as pages in Congress. A lot of Republican officials got smeared by similar innuendo; including "Mr. Speaker" himself.

Although I’m not saying to have any knowledge of Hastert’s personal life or activity. IN fact, I’m inclined to think that the pieces are a bit of a stretch for the facts that purport to support them.

BUT I’M SURE others are going to feel compelled to spread the smut level – even if they don’t have any true titillation to back it up. We’re going to get a sex scandal that some will think just won’t amount to much.

But I’m sure others just won’t care. That may wind up being the biggest tragedy of this whole situation.

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DURKIN: Hastert's judge

EDITOR’S NOTE: Perhaps “All In the Family” is an appropriate title for government. Hastert’s criminal case was assigned to U.S. District Judge Thomas Durkin – a Barack Obama appointee but also the brother of Illinois House Minority Leader James Durkin, R-Western Springs. Durkin (the judge) used to be a partner in the law firm of Mayer Brown – where Hastert’s son, Ethan, is now an attorney.

Evolution flows; but are we there yet?

I recall a conversation I once had with a veteran reporter-type back when I was an Illinois Statehouse reporter back in the mid-1990s with regards to the way political people handled themselves whenever issues related to sexual orientation came up.

This conversation took place back at a time when Republicans had complete control of state government (both chambers of the Legislature and the governor’s office) and were willing to use it to bring up bills that were considered offensive to gay rights activists.

HECK, IT WAS an era when GOP officials felt compelled to use their influence to make sure that people understood that marriage between homosexual couples could NEVER be considered legitimate. Even though no one ever thought that Illinois law permitted it beforehand.

But my elder colleague – who has since gone on to mentor many new generations of reporters – said he noticed the difference from his early days at the Illinois Statehouse (back when the governor was named “Ogilvie”) whenever such issues came up.

Back then, he said, the opposition to anything considered sympathetic to gay people was vocal. He recalled how legislators felt compelled to speak out in as graphic of terms as they could.

Talk of how gay people “consumed human waste” and did all other sorts of perverted acts came out. Like it was a political battle to see who could be the most disgusting with their rhetoric.

BY THE TIME I was a reporter-type covering the daily activity of a Legislature, the tone had shifted.

DURKIN: A rare "yes" GOP vote?

There was still opposition. I’m sure there were some of the General Assembly members who really thought there was some act of perversion taking place.

But it always seemed that the only political people who felt compelled to speak were the ones who were determined to put themselves on the record as being in favor of issues of concern for gay people.

Which would make writing up stories about those legislative actions odd. Because you’d have stories filled up with quotations from political people who supported an issue that the majority opposed.

IT WOULD BECOME difficult to find people willing to speak out against the issue with anything other than the most dangerous action they could take – their vote.

DeLUCA: A rare Chicago-area "no."

Their majority of people willing to vote “no” so as to assuage those individuals in our society who are determined to think of anyone who isn’t exactly like themselves as being less than human.

Those people still remain. They’re more outspoken than ever. But it would seem the political evolution continues.

For I couldn’t help but notice an Associated Press dispatch on Tuesday from when the Illinois House of Representatives voted in favor of a bill that would outlaw programs that claim to be a medical way of converting people away from homosexuality.

AS THOUGH sexual orientation and identity were some sort of disease that could be eradicated from people if they would just go out and get cured. California, New Jersey and the District of Columbia already have such laws in place.

The bill actually got seven Republican legislators to vote “yes,” including House Minority Leader James Durkin of Western Springs. Also, there were six Democrats, including one local legislator (Anthony DeLuca of Chicago Heights) who voted “no.” So it’s not purely urban versus rural people on this issue.

But no one felt compelled to say anything publicly. Legislators, who are more than capable of bloviating beyond belief, just kept their mouths shut and voted. Do even the legislators who vehemently hate the idea of doing anything to support gay people realize that their rhetoric is pure nonsense?

Fewer political people feeling the need to say something stupid? A harmful notion to a reporter-type person in need of material to create intriguing copy. But perhaps a positive for our society as a whole!

  -30-

Politically partisan tactics have a knack of repeating themselves at Statehouse

It’s true that Democrats in the Illinois House of Representatives used political tactics Thursday to take a partisan pot shot at the idea of the “right to work” legislation that Gov. Bruce Rauner so eagerly desires.

RAUNER: Took a political hit

The Illinois House pushed forward a bill that allegedly details the specifics that Rauner wants in a new law that would undermine the concept of organized labor and unions in this state.

OF COURSE, MADIGAN’S bill wasn’t put together by Rauner’s people. His staff had nothing to do with it.

The whole purpose of Thursday was a political stunt so that the Democratic majority that runs the Illinois House (and the state Senate too) could vote “no” in such an overwhelming manner that they could say the idea was dead.

This was a political hit, similar to the scene in “The Godfather” where Clemenza killed Paulie Gatto in the car. The only thing we don’t know is if the Madigan “hit job” involved ditching the murder weapon, but making sure to take the canoli.

So yes, Illinois House Minority Leader James Durkin, R-Western Springs, wasn’t totally out-of-line when he ranted Thursday that the vote – which was 0-72, with 37 other legislators voting “present” (and seven other legislators conveniently being absent from the House chambers when the vote was called) – was pointless.

“WHAT’S HAPPENING TODAY... is really a disservice to this body, to this chamber and to this building,” Durkin said.

But excuse me for not being terribly sympathetic toward the Grand Ol’ Party, which I know is really only upset that they can’t use the exact same tactics on Democrats.

MADIGAN: Following Pate's lead?

I make that statement knowing it isn’t the least bit libelous because I remember the days of the mid-1990s (back when Republicans were not only relevant to state government, but were dominant) when the exact same tactic WAS used on the Democrats.

It was an issue in which there was an attempt at negotiation, of sorts. Then-Gov. Jim Edgar and then-Mayor Richard M. Daley had reached a compromise and had publicly announced their deal – which Daley was to then persuade Democrats to support while Edgar would do the same for Republicans.

THE REASON THIS issue sticks in my mind some two decades later is the fact that then-Senate President James “Pate” Philip was offended that HIS staff was not included in the negotiations.

PHILIP: His memory lingers

He didn’t like the idea of being told what to do, not even by a governor of his own political persuasion who was supposed to be his ally.

So the very next day, before any talks to try to persuade legislators to back the governor/mayoral deal could take place, Philip had his staff put together a bill supposedly based on the ideals of the issue.

Then, Republicans in the Senate voted unanimously against it. All of the Democrats voted “present.” Officially, Philip said that the vote was legitimate because it showed “nobody wants this.” As I recall, a watered-down version of the issue eventually did get passage, although bitter feelings never truly withered away.

COULD THIS LATEST action have a similar effect – in that it makes it appear that the incumbent governor is weak and capable of being pushed around by a united front on the part of legislative Democrats?

Too many similarities to politics

It would be an equal response to the tough talk that Rauner has engaged in whenever issues of organized labor come up.

Although if it were to wind up that both sides of labor/business disputes were to wind up realizing the need for compromise and to back off the cheap trash talk when trying to resolve the issue, then perhaps something good will have come from Thursday’s politicking.

 

  -30-

ELECTION DAZE: How did gubernatorial dreamers ‘play’ in Peoria?

Personally, I thought the Thursday night debate between Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner was rather “blah.” More a matter of scratching my head and wondering, “Do we really have to pick from these two guys for our state’s next governor?”

But I can think of one group of persons who probably were ecstatic with what they heard from the two – public educators.

SPECIFICALLY, I’M REFERRING to those schools superintendents all across Illinois who have been quaking in their pants for some time now concerning a measure pending in the Illinois General Assembly – the one that seeks to redo the way state aid is apportioned to school districts.

The bill in question, which has state Senate approval but still needs review by the Illinois House of Representatives, is meant to give more state funds to those school districts in areas where property values are on the decline.

But I have heard several superintendents and financial advisors say the bill’s specifics are so complex and convoluted that there aren’t any easy ‘winners’ and ‘losers.’ I have heard from district officials who are convinced they will lose money even though they technically are in areas where property taxes just don’t produce enough cash to keep the schools functioning at a respectable level.

During the debate, both candidates were asked whether they’d support the bill.

QUINN SAID HE hates it because he doesn’t like the idea of any school district losing state funds. He wants to find a way to increase the state’s share of money for all districts.

Whereas Rauner admitted he hadn’t studied the bill in great detail, but said that from what he had heard, he’d be inclined to oppose it.

Does this mean the sudden “whoosh” we heard Thursday night was the sound of superintendents across Illinois exhaling at the prospect that this reform measure may eventually wither away?

What else should we think of what was the first of three formal debates between Quinn and Rauner prior to the Nov. 4 general election?

LEGISLATORS GET ENDORSEMENTS THEY MAY NOT WANT: At one point, Bruce Rauner confessed to having respect for state Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock, and state Sen. Toi Hutchinson, D-Olympia Fields.

While Pat Quinn said he respects Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, and former state Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale – who now is in charge of running the Regional Transportation Authority.

The question was meant to give the two gubernatorial hopefuls a chance to express some bipartisan support.

But how long will it be until those people named wind up wishing that the candidates had kept their mouths shut and not singled them out? Because we do have way too many people who view “bipartisan” as the ultimate dirty word.

POLITICAL ‘LOVE’ BY ASSOCIATION?: Bruce Rauner offered up Michigan Gov. Rick Scott, Florida Gov. Rick Scott and one-time New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg as examples of business-oriented people who achieved government office.

He tried to claim them as examples of why he should not be regarded as too inexperienced to hold Illinois government’s top political post. But I can think of many people who would view those examples as proof of why we should vote for Pat Quinn.

As for the Mighty Quinn? He tried at one point to gain some goodwill by touting the accomplishments of that Jackie Robinson West Little League team from the Roseland neighborhood that almost won the Little League World Series this year.

It makes me wonder if, on that date sometime in the future when Quinn has to appear before St. Peter and justify his admission to ‘Heaven,” will he try trotting those youngsters out as an example of something positive that happened on his watch?

GO AWAY!!!!: Chad Grimm is a 33-year-old gym manager who has the Libertarian Party nomination for governor. He also happens to live in Peoria, which would have made him the lone candidate who didn’t have to travel a great distance to partake in the debate at WTPV-TV studios in that central Illinois city.

But we didn’t get to see or hear from him, because the debate organizers wanted only candidates who register 10 percent or more in polls to participate. Various polls that have included Grimm put him at about 5 percent backing.

I know the rationale from TV types; they don’t want the stage cluttered with candidates who can’t win. But I have never bought that – I have always thought anyone who can actually beat the legal challenges and get their names on the Election Day ballot ought to be included.

So that the voters know for sure just who that otherwise-anonymous knucklehead is when they show up at a polling place to cast their ballots.

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Seeing reality? State budget is going to be a mess, no matter what happens

Is Illinois House Minority Leader James Durkin, R-Western Springs, experiencing a moment of clarity? Seeing what is bound to happen?

Or just accepting that he’s not going to be able to stop the budgetary process in any way that his Republican colleagues will be able to play partisan politics with?

MUCH WAS MADE of the fact that the Illinois House of Representatives this week approved several measures that are part of the state’s budget for the 2015 fiscal year (beginning July 1).

They’re passing them at levels that indicate there is going to be more money on hand – as in the state income tax that was raised temporarily for a few years will continue to remain at the higher level.

Rather than revert back to the lower levels of the past.

The theory is that by creating a budget that counts on the additional funds and by starting off the state government on a path of operations that uses the additional funding, it would then be pretty reckless for those ideologues who are absolutely determined to let the income tax increase wither away.

THEY WOULD SUDDENLY have to find billions of dollars of needed services to cut. Yes, it would be necessary stuff. There’s no fat to trim (not that much!).

Not only would bone be cut, entire limbs would likely have to be amputated.

There likely will be (particularly among non-Chicago-area Democratic legislators who are saying these days they want to vote “no” to keeping the income tax increase) much gnashing of teeth and ill-will created by some of the “aye” votes that will be cast.

DURKIN: Helping his GOP colleagues?

But as I always suspected (and accepted as an ugly fact) that the income tax hike was going to have to be maintained, so be it.

EVEN DURKIN SEEMS to realize that. Based off the newsletter he likes to send out, he says, “The 73 bills passed by Democrats (as part of the state budget process) all but guarantee the permanency of the income tax.”

Now I’m sure that Republican gubernatorial hopeful Bruce Rauner is watching all this with a certain level of drool dripping from his lips. There are so many ways things can get bungled to his political advantage.

I’m already trying to figure out the next lame “Quinnochio” reference he will make that refers to this process – implying that Gov. Pat Quinn has been less-than-honest with the electorate about his intentions.

Although I’m inclined to think that Quinn has been so unwilling to speak, as though he’s trying to avoid saying something that would later turn out to be a lie.

LIE OR NOT, the situation isn’t going to be a pretty one. Which is why I'm amongst those who found humor in the rant of state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Belleville, who suggested that the reason Republicans are complaining -- without offering concrete alternatives -- is because their dog "ate" their plan to balance the budget.

The problem is that Illinois government, in addition to having to figure out a way to resolve its pension program funding shortfalls, has many serious obligations.

The educators alone are more than willing to take down anyone who dare suggests that levels of state funding will have to be hurt. These are educators who believe they’re already only getting 89 percent of what they’re supposed to get.



HOFFMAN: Comic relief for budget?

Anything lower, and we will have educators gathered up in anger to take down people who would suggest that they’re somehow the problem!

THAT’S WHAT THIS whole situation about funding winds up coming down to. Certain people are going to feel like they’re having the blame for everything that is wrong dumped all over themselves.

Whereas maybe if we’d accept the need to address issues seriously (instead of looking for ways to ideologize them), we’d be able to come up with a solution.

Which is why I wonder if all those people who are eager to believe Quinn is finished politically because a lot of people don’t much like him are missing the point.

They may not care about Quinn, but playing hardball with trying to eliminate funds that are needed to allow government to meet its obligations could wind up making the voters decide they absolutely detest those people by comparison!

  -30-

Double the taxes to be raised? Or double headache for pols on pensions?

So much for the idea of the General Assembly giving a quickie approval to a measure required for Chicago city government to be able to resolve its own pension-funding problems.

EMANUEL: Wants state support for tax hike

The Legislature adjourned Friday morning without the Illinois House of Representatives taking up the issue. Republicans remain adamantly opposed to the solution desired by Mayor Rahm Emanuel, and I’m also sure there are Democrats who don’t think much of the solution put forth.

ALTHOUGH I SUSPECT if they don’t go along with it, they’re going to learn just how harsh the Wrath of Rahm can be. Plus, they’ll get the blame for the city’s pension problems becoming an overwhelming burden on municipal government.

This coming after many of them took the hard vote for a state pension funding reform mechanism that is so despised by organized labor that many unions did their best to try to defeat its more vulnerable political supporters at the ballot box.

This is going to get ugly. Nobody is going to wind up pleased with whatever solution ultimately gets agreed upon. Although as I sit here writing this commentary, I don’t have a clue what that solution will wind up being.

Now as desired by city officials, they want to reduce a $20 billion debt due to pension obligations by about half during the next four decades (pensions always are long-term issues, which is what makes them easy for political people to think they can put them off to a later date).

BUT THE BURDEN grows and grows, and eventually, political people get pressured to act for fear the debt will devour everything else in government.

QUINN: Unsure if he can help

That ultimately is what nudged the General Assembly to act on the state pension program. It is what is forcing them to deal with the city’s problem.

Which Emanuel has proposed paying down with increased property tax revenues. Some $750 million more to be raised during the next five years. Purely a local issue. Except that because it involves pensions, the state Legislature has to review it.

The same Republicans who always rant and rage about “tax” as though it were an obscenity don’t want to get the blame for supporting a property tax hike for Chicago residents. Just think of what happens if Chicago voters get it into their heads that “Republicans from Springfield” was more of a dirty phrase than usual.

DURKIN: Doesn't want blame for Chgo. hike

IT WOULD BE just the kind of thing to get them to turn out en masse on Nov. 4 and vote against every GOPer possible – including the gubernatorial bid of Bruce Rauner. Only Gov. Pat Quinn would like that idea; as Rauner is counting on Chicago voter apathy (particularly amongst African-American voters) to bolster his chances of winning.

Except that maybe he won’t.

Because Democrats in Springfield, including the city’s legislative delegation, also are being asked to back this increase, along with the one he’s already asked for in terms of making permanent an income tax increase from a couple of years ago that was only supposed to be temporary!

He’s already got the ire of the ideologues because of that, although we can dismiss that because it comes from people who are going to say Pat Quinn is vile and evil no matter what he says or does.

RAUNER: Could he be hurt too?

BUT ASKING FOR an income tax hike AND a property tax increase in Chicago? The Chicago Tribune caught Quinn engaging in some double-talk while refusing to say if he supports Emanuel’s pension solution but also saying he’d like lower property taxes.

It’s not likely he, or anyone, can have both. Although Quinn was accurate in telling that newspaper that the pension solution may wind up having to be altered, although Illinois House Minority Leader James Durkin, R-Western Springs, suggested to the Chicago Sun-Times some changes that the labor unions are saying would kill the whole deal.

And the only thing that might be worse for political people is if no deal gets approved for pension funding.

Soon to be popular w/ Statehouse scene?

Just think of how much ridicule and abuse the General Assembly was submitted to in recent years when they were unable to reach any kind of pension funding shortfall agreement.

 

I’M SURE THE City Council does not want to be in that same situation, and is eager for the Legislature to back something on their behalf.

And the only point I’m willing to make on this particular date is that whatever solution ultimately gets approved, I’m sure there will be several lawsuits challenging it in the courts – just like all the legal actions now being taken against Illinois government on the pension question.

Where’s the Tylenol bottle? Oh that’s right, there’s a rush on the headache-relief pills from all those legislators trying to pick the lesser of financial evils!

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