1. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Monday, Jun 15, 09 @ 9:23 am:

   The General Assembly’s Doomsday budget is a public admission of what lawmakers from both parties have been saying all along: if we’re going to preserve the state’s vital infrastructure of community-based services — like rape & domestic abuse prevention, child abuse intervention, home care and pharmaceutical assistance for seniors — SOME sort of tax increase is needed.

   Bipartisan cooperation is needed to make that happen.

   Democrats have already publicly expressed a willingness to cut spending, which they have the moral authority to do. The Senate tax increase included $2 BILLION in spending cuts, and my bet is that they’re willing to do more.

   But Tom Cross and the GOP need to start negotiating in good faith, because raising taxes is going to require the GOP’s moral authority. Compared to the $2 Billion in cuts backed in the Democrats, the GOP hasn’t publicly expressed support for even 2 cents in new revenue. Instead, they say “keep cutting, and we’ll be willing to consider a tax increase.”

   That’s not a recipe for success for either party.

   Here’s what I think Tom Cross (and the Chicago Tribune for that matter) need to say if we’re really going to avert disaster:

   “We’d be willing to support a temporary tax increase of $# billion if Democrats can support $# billion in cuts to non-essential programs.”

   Everybody’s happy, everybody’s a winner, and most importantly to the General Assembly, everybody get re-elected.

   Because let me assure you of one thing: when the public sent state government in for a liposuction, the did not expect lawmakers to remove a kidney, a lung, and amputate a leg.

   But that’s exactly what these cuts do.

   And if lawmakers think they can stand for re-election having cut funding for rape services, 120,000 college scholarships, child abuse intervention, closing 4 veterans homes, and a whole host of other cuts on the mantra of “You told me not to raise taxes, and to cut waste instead,” they are deluded.

   If these budget cuts stand, I’m willing to wager that 8 Republicans and 14 Democrats will lose their seats.




2. - wordslinger - Monday, Jun 15, 09 @ 9:30 am:

   The Kennedy numbers are interesting.

   For all the moaning that he’s trying to be anointed Senator on the basis of his name, a 29-25 favorable/unfavorable suggests it cuts pretty closely both ways.




3. - Princess - Monday, Jun 15, 09 @ 9:36 am:

   YYD “But that’s exactly what these cuts do.”

   And at least one of the Republican Senators does not seem to want to even listen to the people/workers in his district and to their concerns of how these cuts may impact them. Nope, way too busy to meet no matter what time nor day suggested.




4. - Angry Chicagoan - Monday, Jun 15, 09 @ 9:37 am:

   Once again, supermajority requirements cause trouble. Madigan’s approach of blowing off a tax increase until after the 60 percent rule kicks in, in order to make Republicans take some responsibility, might have worked in the political culture of 30 years ago. But in today’s political culture, Illinois simply turns into California after May 31, where everybody shifts responsibility to somebody else and we head down the road to fiscal gimmicks and ultimately a trainwreck. Like it or not, we now have what political scientists like to call “responsible party government” in this country (as in, if you own it, you’re responsible when it gets broken), and the supermajority requirement simply enables the opposition to unload more blame onto the majority. Madigan’s lack of sophistication in understanding this compared to the Republicans has consigned the state to fiscal disaster, and we all get to wait on the sidelines while it unfolds. The Republicans will gain from being obstructionist and they know it.




5. - Six Degrees of Separation - Monday, Jun 15, 09 @ 9:54 am:

   YDD, if those seats flip parties, that’s a net gain of 6 for the GOP under your scenario. As Angry Chicagoan says, “the Republicans will gain from being obstructionist and they know it”.




6. - Leroy - Monday, Jun 15, 09 @ 10:17 am:

   Don’t forget to add that Illinois is a low tax state, YDD.




7. - first hand - Monday, Jun 15, 09 @ 10:20 am:

   I’d like to see a polling done on Stroger!

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