The Capitol Fax Blog » Springfield isn’t the only mess

Monday, Oct 1, 2007

* Cook County politics appears to be as dysfunctional as its statewide cousin…

A Latino commissioner angrily charged Friday that Cook County Board President Todd Stroger’s office and allies are threatening to crack down on illegal immigrants unless the commissioner votes for a 2 percent sales tax increase.

Commissioner Roberto Maldonado says the not-so-thinly veiled threats came to a head during a Friday breakfast meeting with Stroger chief of staff Lance Tyson.

Just three months after the County Board voted to declare the county a “sanctuary” for immigrants, Stroger ally Commissioner William Beavers is introducing a measure Tuesday to temporarily revoke that status and allow the county to study its “fiscal impact.”

* Maldonado is the crucial swing vote who will make or break Stroger’s tax hike, so the county board president is now trying to distance himself from his political godfather’s idea…

In a Sun-Times story Sunday, Maldonado said he would not back any Stroger tax plans unless Commissioner William Beavers withdraws a proposal to revoke temporarily Cook County’s status as a sanctuary for illegal immigrants while a financial impact study is conducted. Stroger distanced himself from Beavers’ proposal Sunday, saying he did not support it.

* Meanwhile, Gov. Blagojevich couldn’t stop himself from jumping into the fray. Stroger has said the tax hike could help him save the county’s health care system…

But in an appearance Sunday on WMAQ-Channel 5’s “City Desk,” Gov. Blagojevich came out swinging against a sales tax hike, saying “it’s wrong” and “disproportionally hurts low-income and working-class families.”

“We are trying to pass access to health care for everybody that would ease the Cook County health care budget by $300 million,” the governor said.

* Here’s that City Desk video.

* The insanity continues. Not all county commissioners cut their budget as required…

While most made sacrifices by cutting thousands of dollars from their office budgets, laying off employees or taking furlough days, Commissioner Earlean Collins hardly cut anything at all from her budget.

“No, I didn’t cut 17 percent,” she said. “I had my reasons. But I’m not getting into that with you.”

Collins recently said it’s necessary for her to retain her own attorney, providing legal advice, because she doesn’t always trust advice from the state’s attorney, who is the board’s attorney.

* Related stories and editorials…

* Critics say sales tax would hurt Cook Co.

* Tribune Editorial: John Daley and the truth

* Daily Herald Editorial: Cook sales tax hike should be rejected

* Daley’s double tax trouble

* CPR: Commissioners debate sales tax boost

* Stroger’s push for tax increase draws criticism

Discuss your disgust.

- posted by Rich Miller

28 Comments

- Johnny USA - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:14 am:
“Critics say sales tax would hurt Cook Co.”

Oh blah blah blah…every time taxes go up, or the minimum wage goes up, every nervous nelly comes out of the woodwork and says it is going to hurt.

Well guess what people? You want hurt? Go look at Detroit or Cleveland. Now *that’s* hurt. If raising taxes a few measely pennies keeps Chicago from turning into Detroit, I say fine.

- DC - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:25 am:
The Governor believes his plan will save Cook County $300M a year?? It’s not a savings, BoyWonder, it’s a reallocation of cost from the county to the State. And guess who pays the bills for the State? The state income tax may not go up this year or even next year, but trust me, when the bond notes and the bank loans come due on the costs of this socialized medicine project (not even counting the debt on pensions), it will be an inevitable sales tax increase that will spare no one. I don’t think the Governor can see more than one stop light ahead of him in traffic.

This is the first time I’ve heard any mention of how the health care bill has a secondary (?) impact on local government finances. In other words, some small business owners and farmers in Danville IL are going to be paying more so that Cook County can reallocate $300M from one line item to another one. Wait til that hits the weekly newspapers in rural Illinois…

- Snidely Whiplash - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:27 am:
The sales tax is the most regressive of all taxes: it is the same percentage for all income levels, and hits the poor the hardest. There is no getting around paying it. When buying vehicles, electronics, appliances and other big ticket items, non cook county residents will shop elsewhere, costing local businesses big. Who to propose it? Why, none other than 70 year old Commissioner Joan Murphy, who will probably be rewarded for taking this career ending move by being allowed to annoint a relative or close friend as her successor (which wouldn’t matter to her otherwise since she likely won’t run again, anyway).

Oh, and Johnny (who do you work for, by the by way?): Please tell us how this billion dollars put into Todd Stroger’s hands is going to keep Chicago from being turned into Detroit. Loss of business and an accompanied loss of both employment and real purchasing power by residents WILL contribute to such a sad scenario. You are obviously a County Dem Commissioner staffer, or at best a very misinformed individual.

- Illinois Welfare State - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:32 am:
What do you expect, they are the Democrats. Nothing but the cream of the crop.

- Independent - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:32 am:
John Daley may understand Cook needs modernizing, but the Trib is too hopeful he will oppose the tax increase and call for shrinking the bureaucracy. The Daleys and Strogers have an understanding where each supports the others’ initiatives and in return they swing their voting bases toward each other. John Daley will not upset that order.

- fedup dem - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:33 am:
I’m sorry that I can not state my true feelings of disgust here on this issue, lest I be permanently banished from this site.

- Depends - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:38 am:
Typical Tribune editorial board. Independent said it best. Nothing will change. Nothing.

- Greg - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:44 am:
Johnny USA,

Oh right, as if it’s massive Cook County spending that’s preventing Chicago from turning into Detroit.

How do you possibly justify your comment? In what way does a sales tax increase prevent Chicago’s implosion? By allowing Collins to retain her attorney?

- MOON - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:46 am:
The real answer is to cut spending! Take a look at all the TIF DISTRICTS in Chicago and tell anybody they are all needed or justifiable. Every time a TIF is created it freezes the taxes payable to schools, and other taxing bodies. Yes , some TIFS are good, but the City has abused the the process !

- Johnny USA - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:54 am:
Greg -

Ever been to Detroit? It is full of people filled with despair. No jobs, no health care, nothing.

By buoying the county government with an influx of cash, Chicago will have both. Do you want to keeping cutting doctors and nurses at the county hospital? Perhaps you’d like to see the hospital ‘wither on the vine’. Just because *you* don’t need it doesn’t mean others don’t.

In case you haven’t noticed, the people of Chicago are extremely prosperous. Daley is spending hundreds of millions on infrastructure projects. Millenium Park, Block 37, Ohare expansion, the Olympics, Northerly Island…the list goes on and on. The people of Chicago are prospering, despite all the fear mongering of the anti-minimum wage, anti-tax crowd. We can afford this small bump up in sales tax.

Perhaps you are one of those people who have won life’s lottery and live in one of those high rises that overlooks Millenium Park. In that case, bully.

But please remember those that do not.

- Snidely Whiplash - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 9:59 am:
“Buoying the county government with an influx of cash”??? There is no influx in this case; it would come from WITHIN Cook County!!! An “influx of cash” would be cash from the Federal Gov., the State of Illinois, or perhaps Japan (couldn’t resist). This is a REDISTRIBUTION of cash from residents on the one hand to Stroger, Daley and friends on the other.

- Ghost - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 10:01 am:
cook county put the election race into racism.

The Dailey Show bit in immigration reform is a must see…

- Cassandra - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 10:08 am:
Well, Blago has a point on Stroger Hospital’s alleged funding needs.

I would go so far as to say that if Illinois had universal health insurance, we wouldn’t need Stroger Hospital, especially if the universal health care program covered illegals, which it probably will. We could sell it. The only losers would be the thousands of Dem patronage employees who make big bucks there….so, I guess we won’t sell it, even if it becomes completely unnecessary.

SW is right about the redistribution of cash in Cook County, but it seems that the majority of residents rarely protest. They seem to enjoy supporting their monarchs in wealth and comfort.

- Greg - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 10:14 am:
Johnny USA,

You are employing asinine anecdotal and personal arguments. You don’t know a lick about me, or apparently about economics either.

- Guy Fawkes - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 10:50 am:
When a County becomes larger than 20 or so States, maybe it’s time to split it into two or more smaller counties.

- Anon - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:07 am:
Johnny USA,

Given the controversial policies of the late former Detroit Mayor Coleman Young, who was (and is) accused of tax hikes and spending decisions during his 20 year term (1973-1993) directed solely to provide for his African-American voter base (to ensure his reelection) over the overall welfare of the city, is the decline of Detroit really your wisest comparison during this tax hike controversy?

- Independent - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:19 am:
Perhaps the 2% increase was proposed to lower resistance and generate compromise for a 1% increase. I could see Rich Daley lobbying for a smaller increase behind the scenes in order to reduce resistance to his own tax hikes.

- Chicago Cynic - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 12:04 pm:
First off, it’s not a 2% increase - it’s a 266% increase since the current tax is .75 and they propose to raise it to 2.75. Second, when fellow Democrats like JohnnyUSA write that kind of uninformed, misguided drivel, it really makes me sad.

Just about everything you’ve said in your post is wrong - factually, economically, policy - it’s all wrong. How exactly will giving residents of Chicago the highest sales tax of any major city in the nation help the poor? Sales taxes are regressive - they hurt the poor the most because they have to pay more for everything they buy including all necessities. If you really want to be a champion of the poor, promote a progressive tax agenda. Cut bureaucracy to provide better services for the poor.

Because Stroger won’t reform government, poor people (and the rest of us) pay more and get less services. What you have here is a huge corruption and bloat tax. Now he’s asking for the largest county tax increase in history but he won’t show us exactly what he needs it for. Even for this town, that is just OUTRAGEOUS.

- VanillaMan - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 12:40 pm:
What would you do if you went to buy a car and you discover you have only one car to choose from? The car for sale is old fashioned, unreliable, and rusts within a week.

Then the salesperson tells you that the price of this car is now 2% higher but you would still get the same options on it as before; a broken radio, cracked windows, and ripped upholstery.

The salesperson also tells you that everyone within the county is required by law to drive this car.

What would you do?

You’d move, right?

Well, the handwriting has been on that old wall for over twenty years, and pretending otherwise doesn’t make it so. It is time to move and join the outmigration to another county or another state altogether. When nepotism decides whose friends and relatives populate the governments you pay for, it is time to move.

We all know this. 2% will not save Cook County. It would only postpone the Day of Reckoning. So be it - not a dime more. Let the Day of Reckoning begin. The only losers will be the losers, as the winners have all left town - in functioning cars.

- Greg - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:05 pm:
VM,

I actually took the step you describe. I moved here a few years ago from a state that could play antithesis to IL’s political buffoonery, and decided to leave Cook County about 6 months ago for largely ideological reasons (seriously.) I have been trying to convince others at my firm to take advantage of the Metra.

The collar counties, despite whatever their flaws, make an increasing compelling alternative for the very class of Chicagoans that the city and county need to attract.

- Captain America - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:22 pm:
Daley is the Finance Chair, the most powerful committee on the Board. John Daley is just as responsible for the current financial mess in Cook County as John Stroger and Todd Stroger.He has been the enabler of the Strogers’ collective mismanagement of County goivernment for over a decade.

The County does need more revenue. But I have no confidence in the ablity of Stroger or the County Commissioners to manage Cook County government efficiently or effectively. As far as I am concerned the Ccok County leadership has not earned a tax increase, given Stroger’s executive ineptitude and the Commissioners’ collective ineffective oversight.

I expect that a sales tax will pass, but 2% is too much and much more than Stroger and his supporters on the Board deserve. If they make us pay, then we need to make them pay in November 2010.

- DC - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 1:57 pm:
Given the lack of comments regarding the Governor sticking his nose into this fight, it would appear that his “presence” in the issue is not taken seriously and that he has virtually no relevance? Granted, it’s a county issue but for a Governor - even one like Rod who could never be confused for a Mensa poster child, to go nosing into local affairs, it would seem to warrant much more scrutiny.

- FED UP - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 2:23 pm:
Moon you make an excellant point if the TIFS in the city werent diverting property tax money away from the budgets no tax increase would be neccasarry. Taxes must go up because Daley has divereted 100’s of millions of dollars away from the city and county budgets into the hands of his buddys the developers.

- Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:26 pm:
I’m starting to worry that Mike Madigan is the only Democratic leader who still talks to taxpayers.

- Independent - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 3:41 pm:
Trib reports the vote on the sales tax hike has been postponed due to lack of support.

- girl friday - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 4:57 pm:
Is this true – Chicago is the ‘sanctuary’ for immigrants? (“Just three months after the County Board voted to declare the county a “sanctuary” for immigrants…”) Unbelievable!
I bet this is where the health care money is going to go.

On another note, an elaborate tunnel was near completion when discovered by a USBP water truck that fell into a suspected sinkhole. Think these guys are digging with spoons? Think again. Take a look at the pictures on the following website. Notice the concrete lining the tunnel.
http://www.glennbeck.com/news/09282007b.shtml

- One_Mcmad - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 5:50 pm:
Commissioner Earleen Collins does not have the authority to hire her own attorney. In cases where the State’s Attorney cannot attend to any particular matter, has an interest, or conflict of interest, a Special State’s Attorney is appointed by said court.

But if she’s just dissatisfied with the legal advice of the State’s Attorney…………….

- Sprinflield Watcher - Monday, Oct 1, 07 @ 11:18 pm:
Democrats in Illinois don’t appears to be dysfunctional, they are. With Stroger and Blagojevich in charge the insanity will continues, disgusted No I am D— Mad. The voters of Illinois and Chicago should be a shame of them self for not paying better attention to the issues when they vote. And when the people of Chicago worry more about the name change from Marshall Field’s to Macy’s then they do about more taxes from (Todd I am my daddy little boy) and goofy ideas form a dysfunctional Governor like (Rod who thinks he is boy wonder) it’s time to move to a new location. Wake up Chicago Democrats are just bad government all they want is more money they just tax and spend, tax and spend, tax and spend.

Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.