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State budget
PI Original
by Adam Doster
11:59am
Wed Feb 10, 2010
11 comments

Memo To Madigan: Stop Complaining About The GOP

State Budget

In Springfield yesterday, House Speaker Michael Madigan characterized House and Senate Republicans "do-nothing dropouts" for not agreeing to pass an income tax increase. Madigan and his allies in Springfield need to stop whining about the Republicans when they have the votes to pass a sustainable budget on their own.

Quick Hit
by Angela Caputo
12:29pm
Tue Feb 9, 2010

Hutchison Asks: "What's The Cost Of Doing Nothing?"

With the primary election in the rearview mirror, Illinois lawmakers have found yet another excuse for punting on the state's budget crisis: the general election. Mind you, there's no shortage of academics, lawmakers, journalists, or policy wonks making the case that a tax hike is neccessary and inevitable. Still, State Sen. President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) says lawmakers are "unlikely" to pass an income tax increase in an election year. In an interview with the Illinois Statehouse News, State Sen. Toi Hutchinson (D-Olympia Fields) asks, "What’s the cost of doing nothing?” The word meltdown comes to mind.

PI Original
by Angela Caputo
9:59am
Tue Feb 9, 2010

Get Ready For A Human Services Showdown In Springfield (VIDEO)

State Budget

With the state finances in a ditch, non-profit social service providers say the old way of doing things is no longer working. Agencies are coalescing around another coalition, Illinois Partners for Human Services, to pressure for change.

PI Original
by Adam Doster
5:25pm
Fri Feb 5, 2010
3 comments

Anti-Violence Groups Blast Cohen Candidacy (VIDEO)

Election 2010

A broad coalition of anti-violence and women's groups held a press conference in Chicago to discuss the recent revelations about the Democrat lieutenant gubernatorial nominee's history of violence and harassment. Due to their nonprofit status, most of the representatives couldn't publicly demand that Cohen withdraw from the ballot.  Nonetheless, they strongly repudiated his candidacy.

PI Original
by Adam Doster
1:20pm
Fri Feb 5, 2010
5 comments

Avoiding A Property Tax Backlash

Taxes

In November, Indiana voters will likely pass a referendum enshrining property tax caps in the state constitution. Illinoisians bear an even heavier property tax burden than their neighbors to the east. But before anyone starts thinking about similar caps here, there are two other legislative approaches to lowering the property tax burden that should be considered: tax increment financing (TIF) reform and a modernization of the state's income tax system.

Quick Hit
by Adam Doster
5:30pm
Thu Feb 4, 2010

What If Madigan Has It All Wrong?

The conventional wisdom in Illinois political circles is that House Speaker Michael Madigan -- ever-protective of his majority -- doesn't want to force his members to take a tough vote on a tax reform plan without adequate GOP cover. But take a look at the turnout figures from Tuesday's primary elections. While almost 30,000 more voters cast ballots in the 2010 GOP gubernatorial primary than in 2006, Democratic participation actually dropped by about 2,000 voters. The discrepancy was even more acute in the U.S. Senate primary. National political analysts are attributing the "enthusiasm gap" to Democratic ineptitude in Washington, specifically the Senate's handling of health care reform. There's probably some truth to that theory. But events closer to the ground matter, too.  Illinois is in horrible fiscal shape. The Democratic Party -- having botched a golden opportunity in 2009 to pass comprehensive campaign finance laws and begin closing the state's budget crisis -- isn't providing its base with a convincing reason to head to the polls and vote for any Democrat. Instead, the party leaders appears to be standing idly by as the state implodes on their watch. If he wants to protect the size of his majority come November, Speaker Madigan needs to address this disillusionment.  More inaction in Springfield will only exacerbate it.