1. - A Real Illinoisian.... for now - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 11:54 am:

   Shall we borrow from our borrowed money or borrow from our debt or I know…..borrow from the surpplus Republican Governor Edgar left…Oh Wait, the Democrat Governor’s blew that!!! Big Time




2. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 11:57 am:

   No, “A Real Illinoisian”, I think the plan is to borrow from the $5 billion deficit George Ryan left.




3. - A Real Illinoisian.... for now - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:01 pm:

   George Ryan was not a Real Republican and Edgar was the last true leader.




4. - Jean Weaver - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:02 pm:

   where is it live?




5. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:02 pm:

   Thanks for the clarification




6. - inpatient in il - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:03 pm:

   http://abclocal.go.com/wls/livenow?id=7096071




7. - dave - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:06 pm:

   **Edgar was the last true leader**

   You mean the Edgar who says that a) Brady’s budget plan is naive, and b) that Illinois needs to raise taxes?




8. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:07 pm:

   Also live on WILL-TV downstate.

   Cap. Fax was the leadoff commentator and did a fine job of previewing the budget in the 43 seconds he got before Quinn interrupted.




9. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:08 pm:

   I think he’ll ask for a 1% income tax surcharge to support eduction.




10. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:16 pm:

    Quinn has grown significantly in the past year.

    A one-percent hike for schools is perfect.

    And something legislators are already on record for from the bills from a couple years ago.




11. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:18 pm:

    “saving $300m, and billions in the future, by stabilizing our public pension systems”

    Hmmm….stabilizing is an interesting choice of words. repeated elsewhere in the materials, for cutting benefits. Wonder what else he has up his sleeve?

    There is no way that a two-tier program, or any set of changes affecting only new hires, can “save” $300 million in the first year.




12. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:26 pm:

    Short, depressing, and only polite applause.




13. - Patrick Boylan - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:26 pm:

    I think it’s wrong to cut education… it’s wrong to sacrifice the future of our children, (so I’m cutting education) and you’ll need to pass a 1% surcharge (or YOU take the blame for education cuts). I wonder if that’ll fly?




14. - LG - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:28 pm:

    the governor waxed quite eloquent there at the end. i liked the education message. proposing a dedicated education funding source will be very attractive to the education community advocates. however, there will be many other interests clamoring for a piece of that revenue.




15. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:28 pm:

    –There is no way that a two-tier program, or any set of changes affecting only new hires, can “save” $300 million in the first year.–

    That’s been bugging me, too. I can’t figure how they rationalize banking that much money in year one.

    Maybe if you pass the changes and don’t put away anything for new hires? It still seems too high.




16. - DuPage 14th - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:33 pm:

    We’ve been here before… Gambling revenue was to fund education too. All they did was play a shell game. Sorry Gov Quinn, not falling for the bait and switch again.




17. - cassandra - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:33 pm:

    A tax increase is a tax increase. Claiming that the increased revenues will be devoted to a popular cause such as education does nothing to change this fact. Even Governor Quinn knows that money is fungible.




18. - A Real Illinoisian.... for now - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:35 pm:

    lies, lies, lies…. I hate to cut education and our children’s future so I won’t (Except for the 1.3 billion dollar cut I am imposing)




19. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:36 pm:

    Using this year’s projected Personal Income Tax numbers, the 1% tax for education would likely generate $2.895 billion.




20. - A Real Illinoisian.... for now - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:36 pm:

    Where is Dilliard?




21. - A Real Illinoisian.... for now - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:37 pm:

    George thanks for the math…but it’ll be more wasted dollars




22. - Bobby Hill - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:37 pm:

    Hold the children up as a shield in front of the firing line. Brilliant. I can’t wait until November.




23. - AJ - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:38 pm:

    Quinn is playing politics but that may be the way to go…..seems politics is the name of the game.
    When you spend more than you take in, you have to find another source of revenue. Dangling Education over the ledge is a dare I hope the Govenor wins. Illinois can not afford to NOT fund education.




24. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:39 pm:

    What makes one a Real Illinoisan, anyway? Is it a treehouse club? Are there some impostors on the loose?




25. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:39 pm:

    Well, bobby - who would you put on the spot?

    You ain’t gonna address the deficit unless you cut either children (education/healthcare), mothers (healthcare), the disabled (healthcare/human services), or seniors (healthcare/human services).

    Stop the lazy talking points.




26. - dupage dan - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:41 pm:

    I remember the promises of lotto $ for education that was made way back when. “All lotto proceeds to go to education!” What bullpizzle. Yeah, the proceeds went to education but an equal amount was siphoned out of the education budget and was sent back to the GRF.

    Are you suggesting, DuPage 14th, that this will happen with the 1% surcharge? You don’t believe what these yahoos are telling you?

    Neither do I.

    If it goes thru, watch while the other special interests apply their lobbying efforts and watch while the bait and switch is played out.

    Fumigate!




27. - Bubs - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:43 pm:

    I long ago learned not to believe any politician on where a “revenue enhancement” would be spent.

    Remember that the Lottery was orignally for education?

    Remember that gambling expansion was originally for education?

    Remember that selling the Skyway and the Chicago Parking Meter deal were to create a long term fund for the people of Chicago, and no one would ever, EVER think of using it to fund the City Operations Budget? It took Daley no time flat to roll right around that one. He’s been using the funds to plug his budget hole for the last few years. That $3 billion in cash is down to $730 million, and projections are that the Operations Budget will eat up the rest in two years. Then it is ALL gone.

    All those promises were complete horsehockey, offered solely to bamboozle the public into approving the new revenue. So is this.




28. - A Real Illinoisian.... for now - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:44 pm:

    Education can get by with less money…if you are not healty you cannot get educated. Fund healthcare and go to the library to check our a book. Education is important, but health comes first!!!!!!! Health comes FIRST




29. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:45 pm:

    DD, the difference with video gaming was that the money was going to be pledged to the bonds in a binding contract with the bondholders. Obviously, much better than a promise.

    It’s not that you can’t count on the revenue from gaming — you set the payout with mathematical precision. You can’t lose. But if no one wants the machines….

    Those who operate the machines now, legally and illegally, are happy with the status quo. Who wants more competition?




30. - Reforms Needed - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:51 pm:

    No to the 1% for education until the school districts stop giving administrators an excessive bonus when they retire. Many districts totally pay administrative and teacher retirements - employees do not contribute anything towards their pensions. That should be the first pension reform! Taxpayers want their property tax, state and federal money to go to educating our children not to fund educator “wall street” benefit packages. Quinn needs to require school districts to clean up their act first before a 1% increase!!!




31. - Will County Woman - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:57 pm:

    Speaker Madigan is right. sounds like quinn’s plan here did not work. does quinn et al. have a plan b? this time?

    so, pot calling the kettle, since you obviously work for the quinn administration or camp. what are quinn’s plan b and c?




32. - Aldyth - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:57 pm:

    Last year, the strategy was to hold human services up as the sacrifice. This year it is education.

    They’re waiting to get past November and then propose a big honkin’ tax increase.




33. - steve schnorf - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:58 pm:

    I saw a serious guy make a serious speech about a serious matter. It was a different PQ than I have seen before.

    He’s not much of an orator, but with the execption of Thompson not many of our good governors of the past 50 years have been.
    What he is proposing is probabkly inadequate but I saw for the main part good moves in good directions.

    He needs to do significantly more on Medicaid. He needs to explain the pension $300m, he needs to clarify the borrowing and how the repayments won’t eat away future revenue growth, he needs larger cuts in a variety of places, but I’m OK with the starting point for budget discussions.




34. - steve schnorf - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:00 pm:

    I hate to be petty, but education is governed at the local level, and if taxpayers want $ reforms on things like pension contributions, they control that.




35. - Will - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:01 pm:

    Madigan has an interesting strategy. He refuses to pass a tax increase and Quinn takes the blame from angry state employees, contractors, educators and residents who lose services. It almost worked in the primary. Why else did Quinn do so badly in downstate communities that depend on state jobs?




36. - Skirmisher - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:02 pm:

    Real Illinoisian: Providing health care is not a traditional duty of state government. Funding public education institutions (Especially if owned and operated by the state) is a traditional duty. Of-course, so also is paying bills on time and that doesn’t seem to be much of a concern.




37. - Taxed To Death - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:06 pm:

    Has Quinn looked at the salaries for state workers and their increases the past several years? Their salaries are as much for one year as many of our elderly receive over ten years. Freeze all agency hiring, don’t replace retirees unless it is an absolute emergency. Freeze state salaries - let the private sector catch up. Take care of the elderly and disabled.




38. - steve schnorf - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:12 pm:

    Being on this site on Budget Address day kinda feels like drinking on St Pat’s Day or New Year’s eve; lots of amateurs out and about.




39. - anon - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:13 pm:

    I grew up here. I went to college here. For the first time in my life, I will be talking to those head hunters who call if the D’s control the governor’s office, the house and the sentate after the election. With airplanes, we can see the grandparents. It is sad, very sad.




40. - ZC - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:13 pm:

    I am sorry, but Speaker Madigan (and the Democratic caucus at large - excepting some individual members, but at the end of the day, they have to face collective responsibility) remind me of the guy falling out of the 100-story window, shouting out to onlookers that he could be better, but overall he’s still doing fine, as he passes the 30-story mark.

    Then again the general public of Illinois could be similarly indicted.

    Grump.




41. - vole - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:14 pm:

    Quinn better look at the deck again and put a few more cards back in. Growing some agencies’ budgets while proposing this major cut in education just does not stand the smell test. If nothing else the attempt was totally and amateurishly transparent. Send in the A team please!

    And Madigan proved once again that his time in Springfield is way past the ripe stage. Expletives aplenty while I watched his sorry performance. Madigan, please leave!

    What a disaster today has been. Are these guys totally blind to the farce they presented today?




42. - cassandra - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:15 pm:

    Post a website where you can look up not only current government worker salaries but real time salary increases showing amount and percentage.
    You should be able to pull up a name (as now) and get the entire salary history, with amounts and percentages. Show overtime by month and year cumulatie as well.

    That ought to get some reform juices flowing.
    In particular, take a lot at some of the PSA
    increases since the Democrats let them into the bargaining unit. Before, increases were at least theoretically based on merit. Now, they are automatic, as bargained by a state political
    class that is heavily dependent on AFSCME campaign contributions.




43. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:15 pm:

    @Real Illinoisan

    For the record, the “surpluses that Gov. Edgar left” were “blown through” by Governor Ryan, not the governors that followed him, and with bipartisan support from the legislature.




44. - Loop Lady - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:16 pm:

    the speech was brief and to the point-surtax or cuts that will negatively impact our already mostly mediocre public schools…if teachers get laid off, it’s the legislators problem because they didn’t act accordingly…if the cuts become reality, Quinn can ask for a tax increase if he wins in November…sounds like a plan to me…

    Taxed to Death: I am a state employee that has not received a salary increase in four years…get a new song to sing please…




45. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:16 pm:

    You know a recession has gone on too long when you have so many people so eager to fire so many others, so eager to throw people off healthcare, so eager to screw kids and schools with enormous class sizes and no special services, etc.

    There ain’t no magic money tree. At least own up to your greed, instead of giving piddly little answers like “they pay superintendents too much!” or “If they just cut my little idea that costs $1 million they would solve this whole mess!”




46. - nick - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:17 pm:

    exactly my thoughts steve




47. - dupage dan - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:17 pm:

    MJM would throw his mother under a bus if it protected his majority. He likely believes it don’t matter who is the gov, just so’s he can stay on top. Good luck with that election, PQ. Maybe CUB will give you a job when it’s all over.




48. - those darn facts - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:18 pm:

    In 2001, there were 174,778 kids in “Kid Care”. The program became “All Kids” and the state had 1.2 million enrollees in FY 2006. Can anybody think that Illinois government is NOT expanding? I know there was federal funding but federal elgibility is not at 200% of the poverty level. Maybe we should take it back down and offer those kids health care savings accounts. The state could fund part of the first $5000 and be way ahead.




49. - Loop Lady - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:19 pm:

    BTW: How can the citizens of this State rid themselves of King Madigan? What a selfish jerk…I guess the ploy of increasing wife Shirley’s Arts Council monies did not sway the good Speaker…Pat: be sure to take the extra revenue away from the AC and then some…




50. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:20 pm:

    I know there was federal funding but federal elgibility is not at 200% of the poverty level

    Yes it is.

    Plus - it costs about a $1,000 per year per kid in All Kids. And those above 200% of the poverty level are paying a monthly premium toward that.

    You want to spend $5,000 on a HSA for them instead?!?




51. - Bongo Furry - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:29 pm:

    Taxed To Death
    =Has Quinn looked at the salaries for state workers and their increases the past several years?=
    You obviously do not know any state employees. Their pay has been going backwards the last couple years. And hiring has been frozen to the point that instead of “lean and Mean” it’s more like “anorexic and dying”




52. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:29 pm:

    “Growing some agencies’ budgets while proposing this major cut in education just does not stand the smell test.”

    What are you sniffing?

    Every single agency is seeing a cut or is flat. Some are getting pretty huge cuts.

    If you are including federal funds in your numbers, you need to learn how to read a budget.




53. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:31 pm:

    second that, Schnorf.




54. - those darn facts - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:31 pm:

    Well I said part of it. I think the $1000 would be better spent by the parents in an HSA than the by Illinois state government. YOu could buy a REALLY nice policy for $1000 a child. You would get more physicians in the program, and parents could really choose their doctor. The premiums charged by the State to parents who are making sometimes 80-90,000 a year has no basis in what the care actually costs. This probably isn’t the place for this discussion but I am a firm believer that the private sector can always do a better job than the state in healthcare.




55. - Robert - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:33 pm:

    I can’t believe how blatant Madigan is willing to be in his lack of support for the governor in an election year. Unless he doesn’t care whether Quinn wins.




56. - Hopeful - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:35 pm:

    Honestly, I’d rather have a tax increase than see the state continue to fall apart. Madigan is out of his friggin’ mind if he thinks the state budget shortfall can be addressed without one.

    I think the private sector is awful at providing healthcare. Just awful. Healthcare went wrong in this country when it became for-profit.




57. - Both Sides Now - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:35 pm:

    Great comment Steve - always lots of folks talking who don’t know what they’re talking about but like to hear themselves talk! Obviously Taxed to Death isn’t a state worker who’s taking furlough days because if he checked my salary he’d see it’s gone DOWN in the last year. I could make more money in the private sector if I could find a job! I have friends who’ve been unemployed for more than a year so that’s not likely.

    All in all - I thought Quinn made some good points. Education has had this level of funding because the Feds put dollars into it. That’s coming to an end. We have to do something. And frankly it doesn’t matter what was promised in the past - this is the present.

    The interest in borrowing is less than the interest we pay to those firms we owe money to, so it makes sense to borrow and pay them. Then they get their money and keep people employed. Makes sense to me!

    But in the end, it won’t be the Governor that decides the budget no matter how much sense it makes - it will be MJM. After all, as someone rightly pointed out yesterday - the Governor proposed a tax increase last year and the Senate passed it. Who kept it from going forward? Maybe if it had, things wouldn’t be this bad today. Thanks Mike!




58. - Vibes - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:35 pm:

    Schnorf, I’m glad you’re here even on “amateur day”, but you’re a bit too facile when you say about school pensions that “if [local] taxpayers want $ reforms on things like pension contributions, they control that.”

    There’s a free rider problem and you know it. As a Chicago resident, I pay double for teacher pensions — once for City teachers through my property taxes, and once for suburban and downstate pensions through my state income tax.

    Those outside Chicago pay once. (The separate “contribution” the state makes to CPS doesn’t come close to making up the difference, and it just perpetuates the bad incentives that got us to where we are.)

    If a small suburban high school district wants to give their superintendent of (count
    ‘em) ONE building a final year salary and lifetime pension that is double that of the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools with hundreds of buildings and hundreds of thousands of students, that’s their right, but don’t use my income taxes to pay for it.




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60. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:40 pm:

    I would disagree with you pretty significantly, “those darn facts”. Kids healthcare through All Kids is extremely inexpensive, even compared to private insurance. We could have a whole discussion with me pointing you to stats and reports, etc.

    But it doesn’t matter, because you aren’t going to eek out any savings by what you are talking about.




61. - wordslinger - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:43 pm:

    I don’t understand Cross’ problem with the brevity of the address. The issue has been talked to death and nothing’s changed in months.

    Quinn says: We have a $13 billion problem; I propose we cut $2 billion, borrow $4.7 billion and kick $6.3 billion down the road. If you will go along, let’s increase the income tax one point and restore education cuts.

    What more needs to be said? Better yet, how-about a real-dollar counterproposal? That’s how the system is supposed to work.




62. - irish - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:44 pm:

    Steve, George, Amen!!

    Cassandra, Do you know how many years those PSAs went without raises and took furlough days when no one else took them, and had increases in their share of the pension payments. Are you on call 24 hours a day seven days a week?
    What are your responsibilities for the pay you receive? I don’t know so I won’t be commenting on how you should take a cut. Unless you know EXACTLY what those employees do for their pay I would suggest that you find that out before you make a blanket statement about people who are making too much money.




63. - Will County Woman - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:46 pm:

    @- steve schnorf - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 12:58 pm:

    really? quinn is a career politician. he’s serious about getting elected in november, and nothing else. last year he threw reform and health social services under the bus, and this year he’s throwing education and “the future” under the bus. my, how convenient for him to be able to do that.

    right now there are illinoisans who are making real choices and sacrifies between buying food to last the week or paying rent/mortgage late or at all. they don’t have the luxury of playing games and are running out of time because they are facing eviction or foreclosure.

    quinn can sit in his nice office, with his cushy salary and fabulous pension to back him up and play games and plot and plan his already over-extended political career all he wants.

    what scarifices has he made or is he prepared to make?

    none.




64. - Downstater - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:47 pm:

    It is critical that we reelect every Illinois leader that got us into this financial crisis. Clearly they must be the only ones that have the skill set to get us out!

    I’d be willing to put a couple toll booth operators into office to work up a solution. I’d have more confidence in their abilities.

    Quinn and company are buffoons to think they deserve to be elected. Or maybe they realize we, the voters, are the bigger fools.




65. - chuck d - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:48 pm:

    I wish their was a good independent for all dems to vote for. I work in social services. Quinn is all we got and its not good enough. But Brady is 5x worst for Illinois. Quinn scares us every six months,but Brady is scary




66. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:50 pm:

    WCW - there are huge amounts of cuts that WOULDN’T be restored even if the tax increase comes to pass.

    There is a lot of sacrifice there.

    The order is - Read budget. Talk.

    Not the reverse.




67. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:52 pm:

    =If a small suburban high school district wants to give their superintendent of (count
    ‘em) ONE building a final year salary and lifetime pension that is double that of the CEO of the Chicago Public Schools with hundreds of buildings and hundreds of thousands of students, that’s their right, but don’t use my income taxes to pay for it. =

    Vibes, the law changed. If local school boards want to give the Sup’t or anyone a pre-retirement sweetener greater than 6%, they must pay the actuarial value of the amount over 6% to TRS.




68. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:53 pm:

    ==so, pot calling the kettle, since you obviously work for the quinn administration or camp. what are quinn’s plan b and c?==

    No, I just read the Gov’s web site when the info was posted.

    Personally, my plans a, b, & c are to raise taxes to pay for the government services everyone expects to get and complains about when they don’t. I want Quinn to hold everyone’s feet to the fire.

    Don’t like early release? Don’t want to cut school spending? Don’t like higher tuition? Want to keep the parks open? Want health care for seniors and children (and maybe the poor)?

    It takes money to run a government and the money comes from taxes. If you do not want higher taxes, suggest cutting your favorite program or agency. (It’s easy to cut the programs that benefit others, and those are the suggestions most people seem to propose.) If you do not want your favorite program cut, then you should be willing to pay more in taxes.

    I have no doubt that there are useless employees and wasteful programs within every agency, but ferreting those out would not balance the budget. The best use of those savings would be within the agency to beef up the better programs and hire more effective staff.




69. - Small Town Liberal - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:53 pm:

    - what scarifices has he made or is he prepared to make? -

    You want Quinn to pawn some personal possessions or something? Or work for free, that would make a huge dent. Maybe he could ride a tricycle around the state to save a nickel. He’s proposing very unpopular ideas that could cost him the election. Is the only thing you would be satisfied with if he called up Vallas and said, “Take over buddy, you’re the only one who could fix this mess without unpopular cuts or tax increases, WCW says so.”




70. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:54 pm:

    Isn’t anybody but AA worried about losing hundreds of State troopers?




71. - irish - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:54 pm:

    Vibes, If I am correct, and I don’t think things have changed, no school district in the State can give a bump in any year of a contract to a teacher or an administrator over 6%. If they do the school district itself is on the hook for everything over 6% for as long as that person draws a pension.

    If the Gov and the GA want to cut education they should start by eliminating the mandates they imposed upon school districts that cost local taxpayers because they were forced on the districts with no funding to implement them. Blago made a big deal about these in his State of the State message the year he didn’t want to tell what condition the State was really in. He stood there with a stack of paper about 10″ high thqatr was the list of mandates schools have to perform under. I do not believe any of those mandates were eliminated since then. If the mandates go there might be more money to actually educate the kids.




72. - Vibes - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 1:56 pm:

    Fair point on the free-rider issue, though I’m still on the hook for the unfunded liability for previous sins, and paying twice for teacher pensions.




73. - Niles Township - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:04 pm:

    While I’m not on board with everything, this was a far better speech than that rambling state of the state.




74. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:10 pm:

    Quinn is not a cold-hearted denier of the needs of little children. He’s a notorious bleeding heart liberal. But there is NOT ENOUGH MONEY. 11 billion of a 27.5 billion budget is 40%. You cannot make ends meet without cutting everything.

    The agencies with increases or small cuts (ie. DNR) have taken the brunt of recent cuts. If they don’t get a little more, people will get hurt as entropy takes over (equipment breaks down, etc.).




75. - Will County Woman - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:12 pm:

    pot calling the kettle…

    and last year why couldn’t/didn’t quinn “raise taxes to pay for the government services everyone expects to get and complains about when they don’t….to hold everyone’s feet to the fire.”

    you sound/seem bright, you wanna run for governor as an independent?

    “It takes money to run a government and the money comes from taxes.”—pot

    agreed and understood.

    “I have no doubt that there are useless employees and wasteful programs within every agency, but ferreting those out would not balance the budget. The best use of those savings would be within the agency to beef up the better programs and hire more effective staff. ”

    i agree to a small extent.




76. - dupage dan - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:12 pm:

    AA,

    I mentioned in another part of this blog that I thought that laying off ISP officers was a life/death issue that could be considered important enough to leave off the cut list. It worries me - any cut in public safety should worry us.




77. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:12 pm:

    Pot - DNR is getting about a 15% cut.




78. - MS - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:16 pm:

    Art Andy

    Reading his budget address, I didn’t see any mention of cutting public safety as he did previously. The State Police have already been cut to the bone.




79. - dupage dan - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:19 pm:

    MS,

    I wonder where we saw that, then? I think it was here yesterday I saw some proposed ISP layoff #. I would be glad to know I was wrong.




80. - cassandra - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:20 pm:

    Alas, WCW, hiring more effective staff would entail hiring them on top of the ones who are already there…and in some quarters, there are already too many there.

    It is very very difficult to get rid of state employees covered by union or civil service rules.
    A state job, especially a state union job, like a public teacher job, is a job for life.

    Even in this current budget crisis, Quinn signed an agreement with AFSCME not to lay off any union state employees before June 2011. Bureaucracies and bureaucrats protect themselves first–and Pat Quinn is a longtime bureaucrat. Notice how he has been mostly adding to, not replacing the Blago bureaucracy?




81. - Balance - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:21 pm:

    George, I read, now I will talk.

    Quinn has proposed something over $2 billion in cuts. His “surcharge” will bring in at least $2.8 billion (primarily to replace those cuts).

    Unless over $.5 billion of the “surcharge” goes to pay back bills, that is NO cuts, rather, spending INCREASES.




82. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:21 pm:

    MS, Art Andy, dupage dan -

    Budget Book, page 240, shows a 500-person headcount reduction for State Police.




83. - George - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:29 pm:

    Balance - I count about $2.6 billion in cuts (compared to last year) to state employees, pensions, local government distribution, human services, health care, and education.

    If you compare to FY09 - it is over $3 billion in cuts.




84. - Cindy Lou - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:30 pm:

    –”The agencies with increases or small cuts (ie. DNR) have taken the brunt of recent cuts. If they don’t get a little more, people will get hurt as entropy takes over (equipment breaks down, etc.)”–

    Pot, out here we’ve been living the cuts for a long long time. One thing some who call for not replacing retirees ect don’t realize is that the work gets harder to do. The less employees, the fewer times something is able to be tended to…the less something is able to be tended to, the harder and harder the task becomes to do when tended to. Not all sites out here are created equal nor consisit of the same tasks and/or needs to do ‘em.

    [George]–”DNR is getting about a 15% cut”.–

    I fear which parts and what end. I’ve not made my way through all the stuff up yet.




85. - Loop Lady - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:31 pm:

    Hey Cassandra- most of the staff that Quinn has hired are not union employees but merit comp (PSA 2)…they serve at the will of the Governor…your penchant for inventing facts to support your musings shows no sign of abatement…




86. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:51 pm:

    “Art Andy” is very worried about 500 less headcount at ISP when a lot of other agencies are untouched.




87. - Cindy Lou - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:56 pm:

    IPS is something we out here in the boonies see around fewer and fewer of as it is now. I suppose our counties are to make up the difference, but in some areas the counties have become so predictable on when and for how long, it’s scary to think what happens inbetween.




88. - Pot calling kettle - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 2:57 pm:

    WCW, ==and last year why couldn’t/didn’t quinn…==

    He started to, hesitated almost immediately, then pulled back. He lost his credibility. I’m not sure he’ll be able to pull it off this time. (I really doubt it.) Best case for the state would be Quinn sticking to his proposal and cutting everywhere beginning July 1. If he followed through, the legislature would be forced to act or the voters would be really p****d by November.

    At this point, it’s a game of chicken, and since Quinn pulled out last year, the GA will expect him to do so again.




89. - Will County Woman - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 3:03 pm:

    pot, thank you for being honest. and wherever you are today, you too louis howe (regarding our post exchanges on yesterday’s blog).

    i agree with you 2:57 post 100+ percent.




90. - Arthur Andersen - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 3:48 pm:

    The Quinnies also ZEROED OUT the pension systems for FY11. Zip, squat, nada. The only requested approps are for the teachers’ and college insurance programs.
    Guess that answers the question of what the borrowing will fund.
    May also answer the question of how the Quinnies and the teacher unions are getting along.




91. - fed up - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 5:21 pm:

    makes those 10% cuts Brady proposed look pretty good.
    Still wont make cuts that show real leadership, cut the leg. scholorships, cut the state fair sell the state airplane propose combining the treasurers office and comptroller, have seniors pay 50% of regular fair. Yes this doesnt add up to much but it does show that Quinn isnt really cutting all he could or should. Sell the damn Thompson center its going to cost more than its worth to fix it. 1% for education ok as soon as the city of Chicago starts meeting the national avg for length of school day and school year.




92. - Cheryl44 - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 5:42 pm:

    Do teachers pay in to Social Security? I’m asking because I realize my information about that is out of date. I remember my grandmother (who not only retired, but died about 30 years ago) didn’t. It was because she was a teacher. That is everything I remember about the issue and her pension.




93. - DuPage Dave - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 5:56 pm:

    Why is it so hard for people to understand that Madigan will never pass an income tax increase with zero Republican votes? He’s said it several times. He’s not opposed to passing a tax increase, he’s opposed to letting the Republicans off the hook. Why give them a free campaign issue?

    Also- give Quinn credit for putting a proposal on the table. He probably should have done it last year but there it is now. Vote for it or against it, but he owns it.




94. - Elin - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 6:13 pm:

    A one percent tax increase would bring in far less than $2.8 billion or $3 billion. A 33 percent tax increase, on the other hand…




95. - Cindy Lou - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 6:40 pm:

    –”Do teachers pay in to Social Security?”–

    No, but pay a higher % of wage towards pension. Example, I as a union front line state worker pay both a % of wage towards social sec. and pension.




96. - anonguy - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 6:56 pm:

    @Cindy Lou

    The thing that worries me about your comment, counties are not immune to the budget problems too, that means fewer county deputies on the road. All around, a bad deal for public safety, especially in the rural areas.




97. - Cindy Lou - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 7:09 pm:

    anonguy, you’re totally correct. As budgets tighten all around, the rural areas begin to be the ’safe’ place to do bad deeds. It’s a bad deal for rural citizens and small villages.




98. - Bubs - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 7:32 pm:

    I love it.

    Madigan had no problem increasing spending by 30% over the last six years with no GOP input.

    Now that the fiscal chickens are hovering overhead looking for a home, he won’t pass a tax increase without GOP support.




99. - Dr. Reason A. Goodwin - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 8:00 pm:

    Let me get this straight…Schnorf is taking a shot at Quinn for being a career politician? Talk about stones and glass houses.




100. - DuPage Dan - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 8:10 pm:

     Bubs,

     Love your comment. MJM is dancing to his own tune. Make no mistake about it. PQ is the odd one out in this musical chair of an election year. If Brady wins come nov he better have cast iron cojones to take on MJM. It may be, however (ok, I can dream, can’t I?) that MJM loses his majority and can’t be speaker anymore. Then Brady would have about 1 term to get it straight or he’ll be looking for part time work. Fumigate!




101. - Concerned Voter - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 9:00 pm:

     Cassandra, a quick search for state of illinois employee salaries gave me this link http://www.pantagraph.com/app/database/state-salaries/ it shows salaries as of 2008. I’m sure if you want to you can find others online or at the state’s website.

     I am a state employee, not too happy with my union, because I along with many of my fellow employees do think the state needs to establish a 2 tier pension system, creating a new less expensive system for new employees. The unions dont want this.

     The problem with this info from the salary search, when I put in my name, it shows my salary of around 52,000 and my job title. What it doesn’t tell you is what is involved in what my job, the personal safety issues I deal with, and that the $52000 salary is after working TWENTY years.

     Lots of folks get outraged when they hear about the state employees that are drawing hi 5 and low six figure pensions. Well there are a lot of folks like me that will never see that. I would need to work 30 years to draw a 50% pension amount, 40 years would put me around 67% (that’s at 1.67 % per yr of service).

     Some state employees earn 2.2% or 2.5% per yr of service. For 2.2% they need almost 23 yrs for 50% pension, 30 years for 66%. For 2.5% they need 20 yrs for 50% almost 27 yrs for 66%.

     I am not asking you to feel sorry for me or have a pity party for me, yes I chose this job and have stayed with it and try to do a good job.

     Just remember that when you hear about the $100,000 plus pensions, It’s not necessarily as many getting those as you think.




102. - Emily Booth - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 9:47 pm:

     The State of Michigan went to 401Ks around 1997? 1998? for new state employees which includes state legislators.

     According to the latest AFSCME bulletin, voters are not voting against tax increases. 2 Cook County board members were retained despite the Trib’s year long attack on the Cook County sales tax increase. These 2 board members voted for the sales tax increase.




103. - Jon Zahm - Wednesday, Mar 10, 10 @ 10:16 pm:

     The unified positions of Cross and Radogno are excellent. The suggestions they have released as alternatives to a tax increase are substantive and deserve up and down votes in the respective chambers. Unfortunately, Madigan and Cullerton will bottle these ideas up in committees.




104. - Rich Miller - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 8:42 am:

     ===Quinn has proposed something over $2 billion in cuts. His “surcharge” will bring in at least $2.8 billion (primarily to replace those cuts).

     Unless over $.5 billion of the “surcharge” goes to pay back bills, that is NO cuts, rather, spending INCREASES. ===

     You forgot that revenues are down.

     There is a spending increase, mainly due to pension payments.




105. - Cal Skinner - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 1:24 pm:

     I do not understand why you did not correct the headline and the text of this post.




106. - special assistant - Thursday, Mar 11, 10 @ 3:18 pm:

     Cal, on your comment about the “Aging” furlough days did you check the bonuses and raises since 2008? How about the Director’s raise in the current budget? What about making $80,000 with only a GED? Hmmm.

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