Progress Illinois

With all of the talk from Republicans about the need to cut services for the poor and those with low-incomes in order to save the nation from defaulting on its debt, you'd think that the nation's richest residents have been in a hard way for the past several decades since suggesting the alternative idea of raising taxes on the rich is almost akin to treason in the eyes of some conservatives.

It appears that Republicans in Washington would rather play politics with the global economy and inflict even more hardship on the neediest Americans, instead of raising taxes on the very people who have seen their wealth absolutely skyrocket over the last several decades while average Americans shouldered the brunt of many economic losses.

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Chicago Mayor Richard Daley was in rare form yesterday in announcing the opening of more Walmarts in the city. His speech felt more like a camapign rally or even church sermon than a ribbon-cutting ceremony. He told a gathering in the South Side neighborhood of Englewood that two more stores would create 1,000 jobs. Recalling the fierce six-year battle over Walmarts with organized labor in Chicago, Daley said, "When it comes to people who need a job, don't wait for six years anymore."

If only it were that simple. The mayor is correct, in theory, that building Walmarts on the South Side will bring jobs, though the net gain or loss needs to be tracked carefully; a study last year found Walmart's presence on the West Side caused other outlets to shutter and lay off their employees. But the Walmart fight wasn't about blocking jobs (an argument Daley made yesterday while invoking race) -- it was about livable wages and decent working conditions. It was about demanding more from a massive multinational that hasn't treated its employees well. The fight was about avoiding what community organizers called a "race to the bottom" and demanding city government stand with everyday working people. "It's the role of government to ensure its citizens that you should not have to work a 40-hour week and still be living in poverty and then have to rely on the government for food stamps and Medicaid," St. Sabina's Rev. Michael Pfleger said of the fight back in 2009.

It was about creating good jobs. But Daley doesn't remember any of that.

In the past, we've poked fun at the Illinois Policy Institute's "Spotlight on Spending" series in which the conservative think tank "highlights wasteful or inefficient programs and spending." This week, the group came out with a new white paper comparing the pay of Illinois' constitutional officers with those in other states. According to their research, Illinois ranks in the top 10 for the salaries it paid out to its governor, lieutenant governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, and comptroller this year. "Accountability for the state’s budget woes should start at the top," the Institute writes. "Illinois’s executive officers shouldn’t be paid more than the nationwide average salary for each position."

Statewide officials are taking umbrage with the report, claiming the authors didn't factor into the data 12 furlough days each officer was forced to take to cut costs. We'd raise a different critique: While it's bad politics to provide elected officials with extravagant salaries, it's a good thing for state governance if the wage gap between the public and the private sector isn't enormous. Illinois needs well qualified people to work in Springfield. If someone can earn three times as much for a comparable gig in the private sector, the incentives are strong for those folks to leave government as fast as possible. It seems pretty clear, for example, that taxpayers are benefiting from paying Attorney General Lisa Madigan $156,600 annually to fight on behalf of them and not special interests who can offer better benefits.

The Quinn campaign has released a new advertisement criticizing GOP gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady for his stance on the minimum wage. Check out "Learn, Chapter 2" below:

By asking "who is this guy," this ad -- along with Quinn's last spot on Brady's gun positions -- tries to give voters a primer on the state senator, whose record is still not very well known in some portions of the state. We've run our own fact check on the minimum wage debate Quinn references, as well.

The AP intervened in the Illinois governor's race yesterday, fact checking Gov. Pat Quinn's heavy criticism of GOP nominee Bill Brady's minimum wage stance. The press service correctly points out that Brady's position has switched as the campaign has progressed; initially, he told the media that he favored lowering Illinois' minimum wage of $8.25 per hour to the federal level of $7.25 per hour, but now he says the state should freeze its minimum wage rate until the lower federal figure "catch[es] up." Reporter Deanna Bellandi then whacks Quinn, who has told voters that Brady wants to cut wages, for "overstat[ing] Brady's past comments."

Although this short piece is helpful for folks just getting acquainted with the debate, we'd have liked to see the AP go even further by questioning Brady's assertion that Illinois' wage rate puts the state at a "competitive disadvantage." The Indiana Business review, studying job growth figures between 2003 and 2005, found that "Illinois' increasing minimum wage rates did not reduce overall employment growth for private employers." This tracks with national research, as well. For more context, check out our minimum wage posts here and here.