Progress Illinois

Gov. Pat Quinn generated some bad press this weekend when State Sen. Ricky Hendon (D-Chicago) went off script and characterized GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady as sexist and racist. But Brady himself didn't have a great media weekend, either, particularly in the Sun-Times.

Yesterday, Mark Brown published a pointed column about the $6.8 million in campaign contributions Brady has taken in from the Republican Governors Association. According to Brown, the money game "makes a mockery" of campaign finance disclosure laws. (Read the full piece here.)

In an editorial this morning, meanwhile, the paper's editors accuse the Republican of playing "dodgeball" with his socially conservative views on gun control, creationism, birth control, and gay rights. While he's tried to pull back his conservative rhetoric this cycle, the AP helpfully notes that Brady has "displayed a more activist streak" in Springfield when those issues were being debated. In other words, Brady's tenure in the state capitol has focused on his social agenda ... and not much else.

When we expressed some concern that the Sun-Times' piece earlier this week on the Madigan family and the recently passed payday loan reform bill didn't include enough context about the substance of the legislation, this is the exact problem we had in mind. In his column this morning, the Tribune's John Kass talks to GOP chairman Pat Brady, who says it's "time for a clean break" from the Democratic Party in Illinois because House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) "uses his position ... to help out his new son-in-law." To recap: while Madigan should be forced to disclose his familial relationship with lobbyist Jordan Matyas, whose business will benefit from the passage of HB 537, this bill was a very good bill! There's a reason that only two members in the entire General Assembly voted against it. Attorney General Lisa Madigan, her dad, and the consumer advocates who lobbied vigorously for it should be applauded, not criticized. We know it's rare, but this is a great example of state government working in the interest of its citizens.

If the GOP is serious about reducing the Speaker's power in the General Assembly, there are serious ways to approach that problem. Tossing around uninformed political talking points doesn't help.

In a piece that leans heavily on analysis from the Institute for Truth in Accounting, Sun-Times financial columnist Terry Savage provides readers with some useful data about how much debt Illinois has accrued in recent years and how that might impact the average taxpayer. Her off-handed comment near the end of the article about the state's income tax, however, is a bit questionable:

Expect an increase in state income taxes. I'm not saying that's a good solution. In fact, I think it will be counterproductive in the long run. I actually believe that if we cut our state income tax in half, we'd create enough economic growth, and more, to make up for the difference.

On what data is Savage relying to make that bold prediction? Of the 41 states that impose an individual income tax, Illinois' 3 percent rate is the lowest in the nation. Only in supply-side fantasy land would dropping that rate even further lead to massive gains in economic growth. For more context about Illinois' income tax debate, check out the primer we published earlier this month.