February 25th, 2008
The nation’s governors met today for the winter meeting of the National Governors Association. To commemorate the 100th anniversary of the group, they recreated a vintage photo in front of the White House.
From the National Governor’s Association:
A century ago, President Theodore Roosevelt hosted the first meeting of the nation’s governors at the White House to discuss conserving America’s natural resources. The meeting was attended by 39 governors and several cabinet secretaries and supreme court justices. This 1908 meeting marked the beginning of the National Governors Association (NGA).
As NGA kicks-off its centennial celebration, the nation’s current governors “recreated” the 1908 photo during the annual governors’ meeting with the president.
The 1908 photo is here and it’s a must see. A century later, the governors are here. Only, where is Gov. Rod Blagojevich?
He did not show up for the photo, an NGA spokeswoman said. Nor did he attend the winter meeting, his own spokeswoman said.
Certainly, there would have been plenty at the meeting of interest to our populist governor, no?
A friend of mine who is a reporter in Washington wrote by e-mail that discussion topics included:
“coal gasification and carbon sequestration (FutureGen!) and getting an even bigger economic stimulus package. Oh, and the likely prospect of losing millions of health care dollars.”
My friend added, tongue in cheek, “Good thing none of these topics have anything to do with Illinois!”
Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff responded by e-mail: “We had planned to be there, but schedule changed so he could attend the NIU memorial. We have some senior staff in attendance.”
February 25th, 2008
Here in Springfield, the sky is dreary and it is probably going to rain. This is not the way I planned to start a new week, especially after such a good weekend. After all, “Saturday Night Live” aired its first episode since the writers’ strike ended.
SNL is at its best when doing political paordies, and it must have been infuriating to be benched during the most exciting political contest in years. Fortunately, Saturday’s episode was rife with these skits.
Here are some of the best. Hopefully, these videos will lighten up your day as much as they did mine.
Good ol’ Huck’s humor is part of what makes him so appealing. Saturday was no different:
Hmmm… Maybe they are on to something here:
If you want another laugh, SNL’s “Weekend Update” rarely fails to deliver. Tina Fey had a great political commentary, but I am unable to post it here. It does contain some minor vulgarity (still within FEC guidelines, of course), and with that caveat in mind, you can find it by searching YouTube under “hillary, tina fey.”
February 22nd, 2008
Press release from Rep. Dave Winters, R-Shirland:
On Wednesday, Governor Blagojevich delivered his State of the State, or SOS, address to inform the public of the affairs of the state and his proposals for the spring legislative session. But his unusually short speech was extremely vague and provided no real picture of our state’s true financial condition. He camouflaged the fact that Illinois is facing another kind of SOS - a warning for a state drowning in debt.
The fact is that Illinois is sinking. Because of the Democrats’ insatiable appetite for spending, the budget under the Blagojevich administration is growing faster than incoming revenue. As a result, our state is behind in paying more than $1.7 billion in bills to service providers. Many of these liabilities are owed to nursing home and healthcare professionals who offer help to Medicaid participants! His failure to pay is not only sending our medical providers into debt, it is forcing some of them to deny treatment to patients.
A recent report from the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability found that due to a downturn in the national economy, the current Fiscal Year 2008 revenues will fall short of estimates by $600 million. To top it off, Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias announced investment income will fail to meet expectations this year by an additional $38 million to $50 million. So it seems our fiscal ship is foundering, even before we begin negotiating an FY09 budget.
Over the last 5 years, the Democrats who control all branches of Illinois government have paid for their “credit card” philosophy by raising fees and taxes, by borrowing, and by using one-time gimmicks. This has created an insurmountable structural deficit. In that time period, they have increased spending by $5.2 billion, or 23 percent. And our general obligation bond debt has risen from 7.6 billion in Fiscal Year 2002 to 19.8 billion in Fiscal Year 2007.
Unfortunately, Illinois faces even greater challenges in FY09. Early estimates show only a $500 million to $700 million growth while Medicaid needs alone will likely reach $700 million, and another $700 million is needed to fulfill our state pension obligations.
Yet the governor in his SOS message proposed more tax-and-spend initiatives for which he has become notorious. Most of the schemes he proposed were recycled from previous years, including new taxes on employers to pay for a healthcare expansion, fund sweeps, and a lease of the state lottery.
While the Governor talked about cutting taxes on businesses, the reality is the governor plans to provide a one-time tax cut of 300 M, while pushing for a $1.2 billion tax increase on employers which will last year after year. Currently, the state’s unemployment rate is 5.2 percent – the 13th worst in the nation. Raising taxes on businesses that create jobs for families will only make matters worse and contribute to a slowing state economy.
Leasing the state lottery was proposed by the governor during his address, which is a scheme that has been rejected by the General Assembly over and over again. He would use a large portion of the proceeds for the sale to pay for a capital construction program. While I am pleased the he supports the prospect of a capital plan to pay for road improvements and school construction, leasing state assets such as the Lottery is only a quick fix and will cost the state approximately $40 billion in education funding in the long run. We must explore other options to generate revenue for a capital program which is extremely important to create new jobs, boost our economy, improve state facilities, and provide better classrooms for students.
Illinois is certainly facing harsh economic times, but now is the time to confront them before the state is completely swamped by debt. The way to do that is to stop introducing new spending plans and program expansion, start paying our bills, and introduce measures to stimulate job growth and ignite the economy. I’m sending out an SOS to the governor and my Democrat colleagues in the General Assembly – help save our state. Join me and other House Republican members in choosing fiscal responsibility this spring.
February 21st, 2008
If I live to be 110 years old, I’ll never forget the day the governor of this state made me the bogeyman of his moment.
It was in May 2004, and I gathered with other reporters in the governor’s office for a news conference he called. A Chicago television reporter asked the governor a series of leading questions about tension — already apparent during the second year of his administration — he shared with lawmakers and other folks working in Springfield.
The governor deflected the question, suggesting Capitol reporters had misled the public with their stories about him. From my column at the time:
The governor was explaining Statehouse reporters to a television reporter from Chicago. As you may imagine, this was a truly comic event: The governor has generally avoided Springfield and, to a greater degree, the Statehouse press corps.
We require detail.
Nonetheless, Blagojevich saw fit to explain our nature to his fellow Chicagoan during a news conference in his Capitol office, as if the governor were leading a friend through a strange land.
The television reporter was working on a story about how people around Springfield appear angry at the governor. So the reporter tried to coax the governor to give up a sound bite by alluding to the tense mood at the news conference.
YET, THIS GOVERNOR does not miss an opportunity to look like a regular, warm-hearted, moderately intelligent guy.
“This is what they do here,” the governor told the reporter, referring to our aggressive approach. “But they’re like that. They’re really nice people. They sound angry and mad, but they’re really nice when you get to know ‘em.”
Then the governor looked at me. I was sitting on the floor in the middle of the room, between his podium and a row of television cameras. We were surrounded by reporters and his aides.
“Mr. Chambers over here is a nice guy,” Blagojevich said. “He just sounds very angry.”
The television reporter persisted. He told the governor that people in Springfield think he is rude.
“You think so?” the governor asked. “Who says that? Chambers?”
I was in no way participating in the exchange between the television reporter and the governor. I had not said a word.
Nonetheless, the governor saw fit to drag me in and paint me as the bad guy. Somehow, by the governor’s logic, I was individually responsible for the negative phenomenon captivating the television reporter.
Then there was the time in March 2005 I sought to cover a delegation of Rockford officials meeting with Blagojevich in his Capitol office. The governor’s aides said I couldn’t attend because the delegation didn’t want me there. But when I talked to delegation leaders, including then-Mayor Doug Scott, they said they had no problem with me following along.
At last, the governor’s staff relented. I joined the group in his office. And just as the meeting began, Blagojevich scolded me. As I reported at the time:
The governor shook a couple hands, then pointed at me. “Nattering nabobs of negativism, right there!” he declared.
THE ALLITERATION WAS compliments of Spiro Agnew, the GOP vice president who resigned from Richard Nixon’s administration amid scandal. Agnew used it to describe the press corps during a speech in 1970.
I suppose it was Blagojevich’s way of saying he wasn’t pleased that I attended the meeting. Or that he doesn’t care for my work.
Blagojevich is seldom without a bogeyman. When he wanted to take control of the State Board of Education, he called it a “Soviet-style bureaucracy.” When he wanted to generate more money for state coffers by imposing a new tax on businesses last year, he said the businesses weren’t paying their “fair share.” When Rep. John Bradley, D-Marion, refused to support his budget plan in 2004, the governor went on a local radio show and repeatedly called Bradley a “wallflower.”
Blagojevich has often played the role of the schoolyard bully. Just as often, he played the kid who refused to cooperate with a group’s rules, and then threw a fit when the others refused to play by his.
Vilifying adversaries has been integral part of the governor’s approach to governance, as a recent article in the St. Louis Post Dispatch pointed out.
Since early in his first term, when Blagojevich diplomatically set the tone with lawmakers by comparing their spending habits with those of “drunken sailors,” the Democratic governor’s MO has been clear to his fellow politicians.
In one major policy speech after another in the years since, Blagojevich has reliably identified a nemesis to vilify, as a way of building steam for his policy initiatives. Big business, bureaucrats, fellow politicians and his own schools chief have all worn the black hat at various times.
But the strategy arguably has not been effective. The governor simply cannot point to a string of victories following his rhetorical outbursts. Kristin McQueary remarked in the Daily Southtown on the governor’s “weasel” mentality. In a column that ran before his budget address on Wednesday, she predicted:
Blagojevich’s stature among legislators is so amputated, he’ll need an extension ladder to see over the podium. His agenda is dead on arrival unless he dramatically improves his approach.
The governor’s budget address on Wednesday was, remarkably, the most modest and conciliatory speech of his administration. There was no bogeyman. There was no super-charged rhetoric.
Instead, the governor pointed to bipartisan cooperation in Washington and suggested there’s no reason why he and lawmakers can’t work together too. He has this to say about his own position on how best to craft a capital construction plan: “I’m flexible.”
Lawmakers are suspicious of the governor’s new-found sensitivity. I can’t blame them. Any reasonable person must wonder whether the governor’s dramatically changed approach is sincere.
Then again, last year was quantifiably the worst of the governor’s administration. Lawmakers resoundingly rejected his policy agenda, from his universal health care plan to his gross receipts tax. At the same time, his approval rating sank to a low of near 20 percent. A fellow Democrat publicly called him “insane.”
Maybe this year, the governor wants to walk away with something he can call a success.
February 21st, 2008
I am a couple weeks shy of my two-month anniversary here in the state capitol, but it didn’t take more than a few days to figure out one thing.
Whenever there is a major day here in the Legislature, lobbyists and interests groups flood the capitol with people wearing coordinated T-shirts, memorable gimmicks and news releases for the pressroom.
Wednesday was no different, in fact it is probably one of the most important days for lobbyists and legislators alike as the governor sets the year’s legislative agenda through his budget address.
Predictably, the news releases began streaming into the pressroom and into our e-mail inboxes even before the speech began. Of course, it is impossible to put every post-speech response into our stories, but since this blog is more for insiders this is a perfect place for them.
We’ve already given you many of the press releases from our local delegation. Now here some excerpts from a few more:
A statement from Illinois Federation of Teachers‘ President Ed Geppert, Jr.:
“We appreciate Governor Blagojevich’s recognition that preK-12 education needs additional funding and that school construction dollars must be madem available to build an repair schools throughout ILlinois. However, the funding methods listed in the Fiscal Year 2009 budget proposed by the governor today do not appear to be sufficient to address the underlying structural deficit under which our state struggles. …
Today we … urge members of the General Assembly and the governor to pass an income tax proposal that would once and for all fix the education funding problem in Illinois.
We are also concerned about the continued lack of funding for higher eucation. Our colleges and universities are constantly forced to raise tuiion because the level of state funding has decreased over the years. … This downward trend must stop. …”
From the Transportation for Illinois Coalition:
Leaders from the Illinois business, labor, local government and transportation industries today said they were pleased that the Governor proposed a transportation capital investment packagae in his Fiscal Year 2009 budget, but cautioned lawmakers and the public that the size of the capital program being proposed appears to be so modest that, if approved,woul require lawmakers to revisit tranporation funding in just two or three years.
“For years, the members of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition have worked to make ivestment in our transportation infrastructure a priority of state lawmakers and the Governor, and we are encouraged that the issue has risen to a level of prominence,” said Doug Whitley, president of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce and co-chair of the TFIC. “Unfortunately the modest size of this proposal makes it clear that, though some investment will be made, we won’t come close to meeting the needs of the infrastrucutre in any significant way. If a proposal of this modest size is approved thisyear, we will all be bakc in Springfield in two or three years to approvea new funding package that will enable the state to invest adequlately in our transportation infrastructure to ensure our economy is not crippled.” …
From the Illinois Community College System:
A coalition of Illinois community college supporters urged Governor Blagojevich and the Illinois General Assembly to invest in Illinois’ community college system at a morning news conference today at the State Capitol. Representatives included the leadership of the Illinois Community College Trustee Association, the Council of Community College Presidents, the Cook County College Teacher’s Union, and a Student Trustee from a suburban community college.
The Community College Coalition for Funding was formed to advance the cause of Illinois community colleges, which have suffered from declining state revenues.
“We are beginning a campaign to articulate the benefits of a community college education, not just to the students who attend, but to the public who benefit by the educated workforce our colleges produce,” said Kathy Wessel, president of the Illinois Community College Trustees Association and a board member of the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn.
The campaign will kick off with an unveiling of billboards all across Illinois. It will then be followed by promotion of the Community College Impact Study, released in fall 2007, that describes the many economic benefits that Illinois community colleges provide to our state. Finally the campaign will bring its message to the General Assembly for consideration.
“Students are facing a much more difficult time affording the rising cost of tuition,” said Lesliefaye Gogins, student trustee at Prairie State College in Chicago Heights. “Community college tuition has risen by almost 50 percent in the last five years.”
Perry Buckley, president of the Cook County Teachers Union, noted that community colleges enroll the vast majority of minority students in Illinois higher education. “When you make access to higher education more difficult for students in community colleges, you are making it particularly painful to the students who need it most,” he said. …
February 21st, 2008
Sieben’s press release:
SPRINGFIELD – Despite his claims of addressing an economic slowdown, Gov. Rod Blagojevich is calling for a sixth year of increased spending, higher debt and more hits on businesses that employ Illinois citizens, according to Assistant Senate Republican Leader Todd Sieben (R-Geneseo).
Blagojevich outlined his $49.7 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year 2009 to a joint session of the General Assembly on Feb. 20. Fiscal Year 2009 runs from July 1, 2008, through June 30, 2009.
Sen. Sieben says the Governor’s financial blueprint for the coming fiscal year relies once again on record-high state debt; a record-high backlog of unpaid bills; financial gimmickry such as leasing the state lottery, yet another pension bond sale, more raids from the Road Fund; and continued attacks on business.
“You certainly have to wonder if this Governor ever reads the newspaper or watches the news,” Sieben said. “He seems to be on the same reckless financial course that has left Illinois in such bad economic shape in the first place. Even his fellow constitutional officers have recently issued strong warnings about the need to hold the line on spending. He should not be adding new programs when the state cannot meet its current financial obligations. We should, instead, work within our available resources.”
The 45th District Senator noted that past fiscal policies have resulted in several harsh financial realities:
* Illinois faces a deficit for the current fiscal year, conservatively estimated at $750 million.
* The state has a $1.7 billion backlog of unpaid bills – the highest in state history.
* The state’s Medicaid program requires at least $500 million in new dollars, just to meet existing obligations.
* The state’s unfunded pension liability is among the worst in the nation.
Gov. Blagojevich also continues to target employers and the jobs they provide, and the long-term effects of his policies show in state’s lackluster job growth. Illinois is 45th in the nation in job growth since Gov. Blagojevich took office.
According to federal jobs numbers from December, Illinois has a 2.5 percent job growth rate, while Iowa has a 5.9% rate, followed by Wisconsin at 4.3%, Kentucky at 4%, Missouri at 3.9% and Indiana at 2.8%.
The 45th District Senator says strong job growth – not huge tax increases – is a better way to address budget woes. If Illinois had kept pace with the national average in job growth, it would have more than 213,000 additional jobs today, which would mean more than a half-billion dollars in additional tax revenues.
Sen. Sieben says the Governor’s budget proposal is the first step in a long negotiation process, and he looks forward to working with his fellow lawmakers to craft a fiscal plan that reflects the spending priorities of the citizens who live and work in northwestern Illinois.
February 20th, 2008
Greg Tuite, the Rockford lawyer and Democrat running against Rep. Ron Wait, R-Belvidere, joined the conversation by e-mail:
After reading the comments of our two Senators, all I can say is hear we go again. As usual they spout their Republican Party talking points instead of proposing solutions for the problems we face as a state. Their press releases are filled with attacks on the governor, following a pattern for the past five years. They cite the dire financial situation of the State of Illinois, yet they take no responsibility for the conditions that they have created as long term legislators. Two of the biggest drains on our budget are the unfunded pension liabilities and our unpaid Medicaid bills. These are problems that have existed for over 15 years under both Democratic and Republican administrations. Our legislators should admit that this has been a long term problem, explain it to the public and resolve to solve it. The public would appreciate the truth and and effort to deal with the problems truthfully. In reading the press releases I don’t see any proposals, ideas or solutions – only attacks. No wonder we are falling behind.
February 20th, 2008
Burzynski’s press release:
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – Responding to the governor’s budget address on Wednesday, State Senator Brad Burzynski (R-Clare) said that as a state with the largest debt in its history, the people of Illinois deserve better than continuing a tradition of irresponsible spending.
“When you have a fiscal situation as dire we’re facing, you have to show restraint in spending,” Burzynski said. “To put the state back on track, we have to stop spending money that’s not there. We’re capable of a better budget than this.”
Despite acknowledging the state’s 2008 budget is $750 million out of balance, Governor Rod Blagojevich continued to push for more spending, borrowing, taxes and selling of state assets in the upcoming fiscal year while putting additional burdens on Illinois businesses. The governor’s budget included $917 million in tax hikes, $21.5 billion in borrowing and selling up to $12 billion of taxpayer-owned assets.
Burzynski said the governor’s plan to push ahead with a $2 billion healthcare increase isn’t the answer.
“We had the highest backlog of unpaid bills in state history, $1.7 billion according to the Office of the Comptroller,” Burzynski said. “Our first priority must be to eliminate any new spending and program expansions in the budget and stop being a deadbeat government.”
Burzynski also added that the governor and his allies in the Senate should focus on encouraging businesses to flourish – not go out of state. While the governor has proposed a one-time rebate of $300 million for businesses, he wants to hit them with more than $650 million in taxes each year.
“If you really want to secure the financial future of our state, then you need to find ways to add more jobs,” Burzynski said. “And part of that includes encouraging the business community to grow stronger. We shouldn’t be lagging behind our neighboring state in providing our citizens with opportunities.”
Currently, Illinois has lost more than 60,000 jobs in the manufacturing sector during the governor’s tenure and ranks 45th in the nation for job creation. If Illinois had kept pace with the national average for job growth, 213,000 more people would be employed today – meaning more than half a billion dollars from natural sales and income tax revenue growth.
“This is an important time to move Illinois forward,” Burzynski said. “In the past we have worked to find solutions, but we can’t do this alone.”
February 20th, 2008
Syverson’s press release:
SPRINGFIELD, IL – State Sen. Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) said Illinois families and taxpayers deserve better than the budget unveiled Wednesday by Gov. Rod Blagojevich – a budget that would continue Illinois down the path of rising debt and unemployment.
“This is more of the same ‘government by gimmick’ that we’ve seen from this Governor during the past five years,” said Syverson, the Republican Spokesperson on the Senate Appropriations Committee. “Once again, he’s seeking to impose costly new programs at a time we can’t even afford the services we already provide. And once again, he wants to pay for it by pushing the burden onto our children and grandchildren through greater borrowing and fiscal quick-fixes.”
Syverson noted that the budget hinges on several controversial proposals that lawmakers have voiced skepticism about in the past, including a leasing of the state Lottery to generate cash, raids of dedicated state funds, and billions of dollars in new borrowing that would add $1,300 in pension debt for every man, woman and child in Illinois.
Also included in the budget – more than $2 billion in new programs and spending at a time Illinois faces, by the Governor’s own numbers, a $750 million deficit.
“There should be no new programs – period – until our current programs are paid for,” Syverson said. “There is wide consensus on both sides of the political aisle that Illinois doesn’t have a revenue problem right now – we have a spending problem. The Governor is pushing ahead with costly new programs we simply cannot afford. Illinois already has $1.7 billion in unpaid bills owed to service providers across the state. The explosion of spending contained in this budget will compound that problem, and make it even more difficult for service providers here in Winnebago County to get the money that’s owed to them.”
Syverson also expressed skepticism at the more than $650 million in tax hikes on the Illinois economy contained in the Governor’s proposal.
“Under Gov. Blagojevich, Illinois has fallen to 45th in the nation in job growth since 2003,” Syverson said. “We trail every one of our neighboring states in job growth, and have lost more than 60,000 good-paying manufacturing jobs since the Governor took office. The job-killing tax hikes contained in this budget are precisely the reason we’ve lost so many jobs, and why Illinois small businesses are struggling to compete.”
Another troubling part of the Governor’s budget for Syverson is a 30 percent diversion from the state’s Road Fund, which will mean Rockford-area projects already waiting for funding will be put off even further.
February 20th, 2008
Jefferson’s press release:
SPRINGFIELD, IL– State Rep. Chuck Jefferson, D-Rockford, responded to the governor’s State of the State Address on Wednesday cautiously, recognizing the difficulties that lay ahead for the General Assembly and the State of Illinois.
The governor addressed the economic challenges facing our nation and purposed a state economic stimulus plan that mirrors the national plan. It would include a tax credit for families with children under the age of 18, a 20% tax break for big corporations that pay corporate taxes, and a capital bill.
“Many of the Governor’s proposals are lofty and it is especially important right now that the state take measures to be fiscally responsible,” Jefferson said. “In an uncertain economy with a massive budget shortfall, we need to tread very carefully before funding new initiatives. It is my priority to talk with constituents about budgetary and legislative proposals that arise in the coming months to make sure the people of Rockford have a voice in this process.”Once again, the Governor promised to focus on increasing health care programs but did not say how the state would pay for them. In the past, options to fund such increases have been cuts to other programs and tax increases on small businesses. While the governor plans to pursue a 20% tax break for corporations, Jefferson said he will continue to be fiscally responsible and stand up for small businesses to ensure that our local economy will not be devastated by the Governor’s plans.
Governor Blagojevich announced his intention to pursue a much needed capital bill. The capital bill would include $25 billion in projects across the state and several large projects for Central Illinois. The proposed bill would create 700,000 jobs throughout the state. The Governor proposed to pay for these projects by once again leasing the lottery.
“A capital plan will be an investment into the state of Illinois by creating good jobs and stimulating our economy,” Jefferson said. “It will make our state more attractive to businesses because of improved infrastructure and better schools for our kids. It is important that, in the face of economic downturn in the state and nation, we act responsibly to improve education, roads and job opportunities.”
