June 25, 2017
Politicians in Illinois continue to bicker as state careens toward fiscal disaster
By Rick Moran

Illinois GOP Governor Bruce Rauner called the legislature back into special session this week, hoping to get a deal with the Democrats to avoid the prospect of another year without a state budget.

The fiscal year ends on June 30, and without a budget agreement for the third straight year, the state faces a fiscal calamity as bond rating agencies have indicated they will lower Illinois' bond rating - already the lowest of any state in the nation - to junk status.

Court orders forcing the state to spend money on schools and some social services, as well as paying state employees and making pension contributions, will drain the treasury dry of funds, leaving the prospect of tens of thousands of layoffs and hundreds of thousands of the poor and indigent without critical services.

And yet...the two sides can't even agree on when they should meet.

Chicago Tribune:

Such last-minute attempts to cut a deal are normally marked by hours of closed-door meetings between the governor and legislative leaders, but those talks have been nonexistent. In their place remains the political sparring that largely has immobilized state government and put Illinois on path to enter the third straight year without a full budget come July 1.

The dysfunction was on full display last week, as the sides couldn't even agree on who should be talking and when. The situation recalled December, when Rauner pulled the plug on bipartisan negotiations after he and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigancouldn't agree on how to proceed. Since then, the pressures have only mounted.

To some extent, what's unfolding at the Capitol is following the same script as in years past. The governor and legislative leaders spend a few days both calling for compromise and accusing the other side of not being interested in negotiating one. Political messages are sent, daily news cycles tended to and pressure has to build before they sit down and reach a deal, even a temporary one.



Last year, for example, they got a stopgap budget done on June 30. The stakes are higher this time, however.

If an agreement isn't reached in the next week, ratings agencies are poised to cut the state's credit to junk status, road projects may be suspended and Illinois may be dropped from the multi-state Powerball and Mega Millions lottery games.

Come August, the state may no longer be able to afford to pay employee salaries, send money to school districts or make required pension contributions. Also at risk is accreditation for some state universities after the Higher Learning Commission issued a letter warning that a continued lack of funding "places the higher education system of Illinois at considerable risk and is injurious to the very students the system purports to serve."

Instead of action, those consequences spurred finger pointing, as some lawmakers skipped town and other sat through a House hearing on education Saturday with plans for a similar hearing on pension reform Sunday.

Rauner put the blame on Democrats, declaring the majority party is operating in "bad faith." Democrats, meanwhile, said it's Rauner who's playing games, contending that summoning lawmakers back to Springfield was a stunt designed to "deflect from his efforts to really not work on reaching an agreement."

This is not a game of chicken. It's a dual game of Russian Roulette with both sides holding guns with a full mag. And it isn't just universities that will be at risk come August unlress a budget deal is reached. Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza is sounding the alarm with little effect:

[Comptroller Susana Mendoza] said Friday that in a “best-case scenario,” the state will fall $185 million short of what it needs to meet payments required by various court orders, consent decrees and state laws that have been responsible for the state to continue paying some bills in the absence of a full state budget [in August].

“We will no longer be able to fully comply with all of the court orders that determine payments in our core priority sectors,” Mendoza said. “This has never happened before.” […]

“In August, I will have zero flexibility,” Mendoza said. “I guarantee you nursing homes will close. I won’t be able to help them. I won’t even have enough money to make the core priorities that are mandated by the courts.”

Courts have ordered continued payments for some human services programs and for the state employee payroll. State law requires payments to pension systems and debt service. The state has also managed to keep current with state aid payments to schools, although reimbursements for things like transportation costs have fallen behind.

However, Mendoza said that in August, if nothing is done to resolve the budget stalemate, even school aid payments could be in jeopardy, not to mention what might happen if the state can’t make payments decreed by the courts.

Will politicians really allow the situation to get that bad? Don't doubt it for a minute. In a couple of weeks, the calls will begin on both sides of the aisle for a federal bailout of the state. The president and Republicans should resist such calls. If a state cannot govern itself, it deserves whatever consequences befall it.

The budget crisis is not a force of nature. It is a man made problem that can be fixed by people if they are willing to abandon the thoughts of political advantage and work to solve the crisis. The entrenched interests in the state won't suffer any of the consequences mentioned above so they are perfectly willing to hold the politician's feet to the fire and demand they not give an inch.

The clock is ticking.

http://www.americanthinker.com...fiscal_disaster.html

Sometimes the best way to protect the value of property is to let the structure built on it collapse and then clean up the site. Of course building and equally unsound structure in its place will not be helpful.

And yet, they took the time yesterday to sign a bill that was pitched as anti-crime, increasing sentences for crimes committed with firearms, but according to the NRA will actually put additional restrictions on gun shops and cause more of them to close.

I haven't heard from the NRA recently. I guess they've given up on Illinois, too.

I'm not worried about Illinois.

I am worried about the Fed (and central bankers around the globe) playing around with that money printing thing... might not end well.

Buckle up (just in case).

No matter how bad it is, it could always be worse... unless you're already on fire. - Anon

NOTHING will change here until we get rid of the Democratic leadership at a minimum. That would be the first step. I doubt most of you that live elsewhere realize how bad, how corrupt it is here because you only hear or see what the msm tells you. When you live here you see the shenanigans up close. It's much worse than you know.

quote:

Originally posted by chellim1:
Chicago Tribune:
What to do with a broken Illinois: Dissolve the Land of Lincoln!

John Kass

Illinois is like Venezuela now, a fiscally broken state that has lost its will to live, although for the moment, we still have enough toilet paper.

But before we run out of the essentials, let's finally admit that after decade upon decade of taxing and spending and borrowing, Illinois has finally run out of other people's money.

Those "other people" include taxpayers who've abandoned the state. And now Illinois faces doomsday.

So as the politicians meet in Springfield this week for another round of posturing and gesturing and blaming, we need a plan.

And here it is:

Dissolve Illinois. Decommission the state, tear up the charter, whatever the legal mumbo-jumbo, just end the whole dang thing.

We just disappear. With no pain. That's right. You heard me.

The best thing to do is to break Illinois into pieces right now. Just wipe us off the map. Cut us out of America's heartland and let neighboring states carve us up and take the best chunks for themselves.

The group that will scream the loudest is the state's political class, who did this to us, and the big bond creditors, who are whispering talk of bankruptcy and asset forfeiture to save their own skins.
John Kass's modest proposal for the dissolution of Illinois: Carve up the failed state and let the rest of the Midwest have it.

John Kass's modest proposal for the dissolution of Illinois: Carve up the failed state and let the rest of the Midwest have it. (Ryan Marx)

But our beloved Illinois has proved that it just doesn't deserve to survive.

So why not let our friendly neighbors like Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and Kentucky just take the parts they want?

As you can see by the excellent "Kevorkian Illinois" map that accompanies this column, this plan is visionary.



The alternative is hell. Illinois hasn't had a state budget for years. The state continues to spend money it doesn't have, and the state's credit ratings have dropped, increasing the cost of borrowing more money we don't have to keep the rotten shebang going.

Bills pile up; Moody's Investor Service says taxpayers are on the hook for $251 billion in unfunded public union pension liabilities.

Boss Mike Madigan, king of the Democrats who control things, wants tax increases but no real structural reform to bring stability to The Venezuela of the Midwest.

And the whispers of bankruptcy won't help the average (remaining) taxpaying chumbolones like you and me who don't want to leave our homes but who'll get stuck with the bills.

Since our neighboring states are doing better, taking Illinois jobs and businesses and Illinois workers and taxpaying families, they might as well just take the rest of Illinois, too, dammit.

Wisconsin can have Chicago and begin calling it "South Milwaukee."

Naturally, Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel will fight this. He needs a job. And he'll most likely beg his friends at The New York Times and the Washington Post to write angry editorials to save him. And these will be full of concern for the republic and those dispossessed Midwestern salt-of-the-earth taxpaying Americans, as if.

Sadly, Wisconsin probably won't want Rahm, either. So to spare hurt feelings, I propose carving out 40 acres around the mayor's home so Rahm might be prince of his own country:

Rahmonia.

And Cook County Board President Toni "Taxwinkle" Preckwinkle will fight it, too, so she needs something to soothe her ambitions:

A grant of land as large as a case of the soda pop she taxes, so that she might stand on it and proclaim herself Queen of Taxwinkletopia.

If there are portions of Illinois that the other states don't want, they may be left as federal territory, a wilderness where only the strong survive and peasants and friendly propagandists kneel and beg for crumbs. You already know the name of this wasteland:

Madiganistan.

And in return for taking care of our politicians, Wisconsin will probably demand assets. Like the Milwaukee Cubs. The Beloit Blackhawks. The Sheboygan Bulls and the Fond du Lac Bears.

Indiana may want a large curvy slice of the former Illinois, so the state will be shaped more like a basketball. This will please Hoosiers to no end.

And Indiana also gets the Indianapolis White Sox and the hottest soccer team in America, the Indianapolis Fire.

Why not? Indiana is a great state, with friendly people and Mitch Daniels and Kilroy's in Bloomington.

Iowa can have part of the west. Missouri may also get a small piece. Kentucky can take southern Illinois, considering many on both sides of the border share Kentucky DNA, as did Abraham Lincoln.

A colleague told me he had reservations about sharing Illinois with the Bluegrass State.

"I wouldn't give Kentucky anything because A) it's the South and the former Illinois needs to stay in the Midwest, and B) their state government is a mess, too, with a governor who refuses to talk to certain reporters."

But beggars can't be choosers. If Illinois is dissolved as planned, we won't have a say in anything.

And though some in Kentucky might not respect "the media," the state does have excellent bourbon. I would allow Kentucky to send me countless barrels of its fine sipping spirit so that I might hold it in escrow, to make sure everything goes as planned.

I promise to sip their bourbon and light a cigar, and hum a few sad bars from that song of the former Illinois that no one sings anymore:

By thy rivers gently flowing, Illinois, Illinois

O'er thy prairies verdant growing, Illinois, Illinois

Comes an echo on the breeze, rustling through the leafy trees, Boss Madigan has us on our knees, Illinois, Illinois

Boss Madigan has us on our knees, Illinois.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/...20170620-column.html

This kind of artical makes me sick!
The MSM in Chicago has been in bed with the politicians for decades.
NEVER do you see the MSM here go after REAL corruption.
NEVER do they go after who ever is Mayor. They laugh with forced laughter every time a Mayor tells a bad joke, like low subordinates listening to there boss.
Political crime everywhere but they look everywhere else for stories. They all know who is a crook.
They know who has wasted away the finances of this state, In many cases its the Fathers of those in power now, they do nothing to call them out.
Now all they can come up with is a BIG JOKE story.
They are the joke as are the people that watch ,listen, and read them!

I wonder what a default of Illinois will do to the bond markets? The straw that breaks the camel's back comes to mind.

No budget, no lotteries, people fleeing IL by the tens of thousands every year, and what comes in today's mail?

Voter registration renewal cards.

I'd like to return mine with a picture of Curly Joe on it!

...but we're too broke to move right now, so I'm stuck here.

quote:

we're too broke to move right now, so I'm stuck here.

Illinois farm country is beautiful. It's really a shame that selfish politicians in Chicagoland can ruin a state so rich in natural resources and full of great people.

Is the Obama Expressway an expressway to hell? That was rhetorical...

'Amazing Progress' Illinois Style: Welcome To The Obama Expressway!

Progress Illinois Style

Illinois has been without a budget for two years and its bonds, already the lowest in the nation, face a downgrade to junk.
On June 15, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner called a special 10-Day legislative session to finalize a budget.
We are now in the eighth day of the special session.
The Special Sessions Cost Illinois Taxpayers $50,000 a Day.
The special sessions have lasted from 10 to 23 minutes at the longest.
Progress was announced yesterday: My sources tell me that by an 84-0 vote, part of I-55 will be renamed the Obama Expressway.

Progress Extended

Today, the Wall Street Journal reports Illinois Governor to Extend Session if Lawmakers Miss June 30 Budget Deadline.

On Tuesday Mr. Madigan unveiled a $36 billion budget proposal but didn’t spell out how much taxes would have to increase to get the state’s fiscal house in order.



If a budget isn’t passed by Friday, credit-rating firms have warned they will downgrade the state’s rating to junk.

Rauner Already Caved In

An even more amazing part of this reconciliation process is that Rauner has already caved in. On June 21, I commented Governor Rauner Screws Illinois.

In exchange for virtually nothing, the Governor agreed to a massive tax hike.

Proposed Deal

Four-year tax hike to 4.95%, up from 3.75%
Expansion of sales taxes
New taxes on cable and satellite TV
Four-year property tax freeze
No right-to-work reform
No collective bargaining reform
No pension reform
No workers’ compensation reform
No spending cuts
No term limits
No gerrymandering reform

The alleged property tax freeze is only 4 years and it excludes Chicago, home rule districts, cities in trouble, etc. One can drive a truck trough the loopholes.

Yet, that was not enough for Madigan or the special session would not still be in session.

Rule of Nothing

This brings us to the Rule of Nothing proposed on June 22.

In any given political situation, the best outcome one can reasonably expect generally happens when politicians do nothing.



Implied corollary#1: When politicians attempt to fix any problem, they are highly likely to make matters worse.



Corollary #2: Politicians almost never do nothing. It’s why we have a messed up healthcare system, education system, public pension system, etc..

For whatever perverse reason, Rauner is willing to break every promise he has ever made on budgets, on taxes, on reforms.

Not only did Rauner cave in on everything he has stood for, by extending the special session he has shown willingness to toss more taxpayer red meat to Madigan and his progressives who have already bankrupted the state.

Hope Against Hope

Our only hope at this point is that Madigan asks for so much that Rauner regains his sanity.

Given that Powerball, Mega Millions to Halt Illinois Lottery Due to State’s Inability to Pay Winners on June 30, I rate the odds of sanity returning at under 10%.

On the off chance that sanity prevails, I once again outline what Illinois needs.

Five Desperately Needed Reforms

Municipal bankruptcy legislation
Pension reform
Right-to-Work legislation
End of prevailing wage laws
Workers’ compensation reform

Bankruptcy, the ONLY Solution

Number one on my list of Illinois reforms is bankruptcy legislation. It is the only hope for numerous Illinois cities strapped with impossible-to-pay pension liabilities.

As part of any budget package, Rauner must demand municipal bankruptcy legislation. Bankruptcy is the only solution for Illinois that works.

The system is simply too broke to fix.

Pension Puzzle

Illinois pension plans are going bust. Why is that? Did Illinois not tax enough?

For sure, Illinois did not fund the plans, but to fund them, the state would have had to raise taxes even more.

For discussion, please see Illinois Too Broke to Fix: Chicago Police Pension Fund Broke by 2021 at the Latest.

Supporting Evidence of Socialist Tax Hike Madness
(links in original):
March 25, 2017: Cook County Illinois Suffers Largest Population Drop In Entire US
July 14, 2016: Welcome to Illinois (Where Every 5 Minutes Someone Moves Out)
April 4, 2017: Illinois Revenue Freefall: Fiscal Year-to-Date -8.1% and Worsening
February 7, 2013: Platitudes, Promises, and the Failed Pro-Union Policies of Illinois Governor Pat Quinn
June 14, 2017: Unable to Pay Bills, Illinois Sends “Dear Contractor” Letter Telling Firms to Halt Road Work on July 1
May 18, 2016: Illinois State Workers, Highest Paid in Nation, Demand 11.5 to 29% Hikes
August 31, 2011: Illinois Loses Most Jobs in Nation Following Tax Hikes.
April 13, 2011: 35% of Illinois State Employees are on Workers’ Comp
October 28, 2015: Chicago’s Sheep Dogs Approve Mayor’s Tax on Sheep; Quote of the Day “It’s Not a Piece of Art”
February 13, 2016: “Bond Girl” Blasts Chicago Public School Bonds, Says “CPS Genuinely Insolvent”
March 25, 2016: US Population Growth +0.79%, Illinois -0.17%, Illinois Second Worst to Coal Plagued West Virginia
January 20, 2016: “B” Word Hits Chicago: Illinois Governor Proposes Bankruptcy for Chicago Public School System
January 14, 2016: Illinois Too Big a Risk: GE Moves Corporate Headquarters to Boston, Bypassing Chicago Citing Litany of Issues
June 23, 2017: Illinois Too Broke to Fix: Chicago Police Pension Fund Broke by 2021 at the Latest

Illinois is F*d up beyond repair and caving into demands from Madigan is exactly the wrong thing to do.
Illinois truly deserves Junk status, and tax hikes will not solve the problem.

http://www.zerohedge.com/news/...ome-obama-expressway

This reads like the Zimbawe thread!

Illinois Senate top GOP quits, effective Saturday, budget or no:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/...-20170629-story.html

I know a general contractor out of northern Illinois and his company has been doing a bunch of work on new and expansion of public schools....heard yesterday that the State of Illinois owes his company almost 7 figures and can't pay.
The ripple effect of this states mismanagement and outright theft of funds is going to trickle down to a bunch of innocent people that worked hard all their life.

quote:

the State of Illinois owes his company almost 7 figures and can't pay.

Ya... you're right... but the contractors shouldn't extend credit. I know... it's how it's always been done. Do the work and then get paid, but people should know better with the State of Illinois.

Illinois needs to fail. There's no money to bail them out with. And who else should shoulder their burden but themselves for the mess they made.

Last Mega Millions for Illinois tonight, didn't even get one number. No redneck retirement for me!

Yet, the idiots here will continue to vote for any assbag with a "D" behind their name when they walk into the booth.

The Democrats are using this as political leverage against the Republicans, and ARE PROUD OF IT! The only ones getting screwed are the people that live here.


I got the Powereball ticket the other night. The thing that sucks is, IF I do win, the State is so fucking broke, they cant pay out. So Im still stuck here.

EVERY single one of these fuckers needs to be put up against the wall and shot.

Apparently there is no budget.

Has the repo man showed up to start towing away the Picasso sculpture?