Capitol Fax

Rich Miller’s commentary on State Government

Childcare advocates thought they had avoided $400 million in threatened cuts to the state’s childcare services budget after speaking with top officials in Gov. Pat Quinn’s office earlier this month. And the governor’s budget office then told a Senate appropriations committee that no such cuts were being planned.

But when the governor unveiled his proposed budget for next fiscal year last week, he included a $350 million net cut in childcare spending, according to the House Democrats’ analysis of the proposal.

The childcare folks aren’t the only ones who may be feeling double-crossed by Gov. Pat Quinn’s new budget plan. Aid to the aged, blind and disabled is decreased by $15 million, mental health centers will see a $33 million reduction. The auditor general will take a $471,000 hit by reducing headcount and by cutting back the number of audits his office will perform.

State legislators are also not happy for many reasons, not the least being that Gov. Quinn waited until after his speech to sign legislation into law which would have made his spending plan illegal had he signed it before his budget address.

The bipartisan legislation requires the governor to only use revenues that are legally available to him at the time he introduces his budget. Since he didn’t sign it, he wasn’t bound by it.

However, the House Democrats say they expected Quinn to abide by it anyway, whether he signed the bill or not.

And according to the House Democrats, Quinn’s budget proposal uses about $730 million in revenues that would’ve been prohibited by their bill. Quinn unilaterally lowered the percentage of tax dollars earmarked for the corporate tax refund fund and decoupled the state from a federal tax depreciation law. Neither of those things have been approved by the Legislature.

There appears to be another $700 million or so in unapproved revenues in the budget, according to Senate President John Cullerton and the Senate Republicans. That cash appears to be coming from the governor’s proposed $8.9 billion borrowing plan, which has also not yet been approved by the General Assembly.

So, while Gov. Quinn says he made cuts of $1 billion and his total spending is $1.4 billion beneath the new annual spending caps which were put into the tax hike bill, his budget is still around $1.45 billion out of whack unless and until the General Assembly approves those new revenue streams.

Senate President Cullerton canceled his traditional, post-budget address media availability last week, claiming he had too many unanswered questions about the governor’s proposal to talk to reporters. Cullerton then urged the governor to provide more details.

And House Speaker Michael Madigan seemed determined last week to force the governor to abide by the new fiscal responsibility agenda that Madigan has been touting. Madigan said that any new revenues ought to be used to pay down old bills, rather than fund new initiatives.

In other words, we can probably expect more cuts.

Budget addresses are the starting point in the never-ending game of “Statehouse Give and Take.”

But here’s the problem: What the heck do many of his allies have to gain from working to pass this thing? If Quinn had introduced a more honest budget which didn’t include the borrowing plan and the other phantom revenues, he could’ve gone to all the unhappy groups and said, “You need to help me pass those new revenue streams and then I can try to restore your budgets.”

Instead, human service groups and their legislative allies are furious at the outsized cuts aimed at them. Hospitals and nursing homes are up in arms over Quinn’s Medicaid reimbursement rate slashes. School districts are freaking out about a huge cut to their transportation budgets. So, why would they help convince the General Assembly to approve all that new money if they already knew the governor wants to cut them no matter what?

You’d think that would be an odd way of doing business.

Then again, public employee unions weren’t touched. Money for the state’s school fund will actually increase, even though transportation and other items were cut. Quinn also wants to add 950 new state employees. The unions representing those workers have been under fire in Springfield, even by Democrats, but they backed Quinn to the hilt last year and he’s now protecting them.

And that appears to be the bottom line here.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and thecapitolfaxblog.com.

You’re Wrong, Mr. Smith

We appreciate that Terry Smith, in answering our letter, at least made an attempt to give some examples and statistics to support his case instead of merely firing off a barrage of name-calling, although he does resort to that sophomoric tactic near the end of his letter. Yes, Governor Quinn carried three counties. However, thousands of people in Carroll, Stephenson and Jo Daviess County also voted for Mr. Quinn, and in Illinois as a whole, more people voted for Quinn than for Brady. Apparently democracy is sanctioned by Mr. Smith only if his candidate wins.

Not every economist agrees that the Illinois tax increase was ill-conceived. In an interview in January, Daniel McMillen, an economist with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois, stated, “Four things are needed to eliminate Illinois’ long-term deficit problem – tax increases, expenditure reductions, economic growth, and sufficient funding to cover long-term pension and Medicaid expenses.”

Aside from saying that Caterpillar is building a new locomotive plant in Muncie, Mr. Smith gives no examples of businesses that have actually moved to Indiana. According to the State Journal-Register of February 16, “Other states that have made a big show of trying to lure firms from the state have yet to land a big one.” Blair West, a spokeswoman for the Indiana Economic Development Corporation, when asked if any business had committed to moving to Indiana, answered, “To my knowledge, no.”

What Tea Party members fail to understand is that it is not low tax rates that lure businesses to a state. It’s a combination of railroads, airports, world class universities, entrepreneurs, and an exciting world class city, all of which Illinois has, and State Investment Funds. Many companies are either expanding or relocating to Illinois from other states such as Oregon, New York, Wisconsin, Missouri and Tennessee. These include American Aluminum Extrusion Co., Mitsubishi (which will stay and add 1200 jobs), Becker Iron & Metal Inc. (relocating headquarters from St. Louis), SunCoke Energy and Evraz (both relocating corporate headquarters), Groupon (staying in Illinois and adding 250 jobs), Astellas Pharma and Dover Corp (both will open new corporate headquarters in Illinois).

Each of these companies will receive between $400,000 and $29 million from the state. Every state in the union has similar investment incentives; however, they don’t all have Illinois’ other attractions. Each of these companies will also make a substantial investment in their new sites.

Illinois led the Midwest and ranked fourth in the nation in job growth in 2010. Unemployment has decreased for nine months in a row, and Illinois created 55,000 new jobs in 2010. Thirty Chinese companies are planning investments in Illinois and have signed new trade agreements to import more Illinois soybeans.

Mr. Smith complains about the loss of jobs to Germany and Ireland, giving no examples and neglecting to explain why any such loss could be caused by an Illinois tax increase. The analogy is a bit stretched, and his speculations unsupported.

Terry Smith did not really address the issue of the necessity of a healthy population to a thriving economy, saying only, “Ms Hood . . . merely alliterated that an unconstitutional (as ruled by the courts) unaffordable law should be repealed.” Since alliteration refers to a repetition of beginning consonant sounds, “unconstitutional . . . unaffordable” would have alliterated only in the tenth century, where the explosive sounds at the beginning of vowels were considered to alliterate. Perhaps Mr. Smith meant to write “iterate.”

More to the point, he jumps the gun on saying the Affordable Care Act has been ruled unconstitutional “by the courts.” The score is now even. Two courts have ruled that the law is constitutional; recently in Florida, Justice Roger Vinson, a Reagan appointee, has ruled otherwise. The US Supreme Court, of which Terry Smith is not a member, must make the final decision.

Chuck and Pat Wemstrom

Mount Carroll, IL

Morrison City Council Notes

February 14, 2011 (Valentine’s Day) Morrison City Council met at 7:00 pm. Mayor Drey had been called out for work so Dave Rose sat in as Mayor Pro-Tem. Other council members present were Thorndike, Bees, Snodgrass and Blakemore.

The council approved the $99,480.79 bills payable. Questioned were the 2 flag poles installed at the Sport Complex for $4,717. It was explained that people had offered to donate towards those items and the money would be replaced as that happened. Barb Bees asked when they would designate “restricted funds” such as the Revolving Loan Fund. They decided they need further discussion.

Public comment section: I asked since the budget is so tight, when we lose one of our full time police officers if they could hold off replacing him until the budget got straightened out. I am still researching the Sport Complex electric bill situation and asked if they would consider turning off the lights at the Complex during the winter. 101 and 103 bills are still being checked-to find the “real expense” of that project. We do not want “history” to repeat itself.

Another item I brought up was when coming out of the Super Wash/Schueler’s Motors drive, if you look left toward Rt. 30 Bridge, there is a BLIND SPOT created by the decorative railing on the bridge. Dave Rose said that will be corrected when the rest of the bridge work is done…but I am thinking they are not going to be raising Schueler’s driveway…I could be wrong. JUST BE CAREFUL –I WOULD HATE FOR SOMEONE TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT WITH THEIR CLEAN CAR!

Harvey Zuidema stated that the Treasurer’s Report listed the Sport Complex taking in $19,000 (where did that come from?) last month with no money spent…wasn’t Jim Dubois paid? Weren’t any electric bills paid for January either? So the ending cash balance for the Sport Complex read (negative)

-$29,497.34. (I don’t know if that includes any outstanding loans).

No board reports were given and minutes were approved. Parking for Dr. Jennings’ patients was discussed and will be addressed later. Sarah Thorndike stated they have finally finished the Code Book review. They will be meeting with the Council first then setting up a Public Meeting so everyone is informed to changes to the codes. There will be copies for anyone to look at in City Hall ahead of time.

A SURPRISE ANNOUNCEMENT came from our city attorney, Lester Weinstine. He announced that he would no longer be working for the city of Morrison. He is willing to aid the transition, as needed, but will be taking care of family business in California. Dave Rose thanked Lester for his years of service.

The contract with Moring Disposal still needs some changes...so they will take care of that before the contract is signed. The public will be notified by Moring of any and all changes, where to purchase stickers for extra garbage, etc.

Brian Melton, Police Chief, proposed a change of verbiage on the labor agreement, that IF or WHEN they hire a sergeant, he would like that position to be PAID MORE-the council agreed. Also, since Jedd Renkes is stepping into a position with Whiteside County Sheriff’s Department that will leave a full time position vacant. Brian asked formally if he could commence with the hiring procedure to replace Jedd. The city council approved, unanimously.

Brian Melton brought to everyone’s attention the police department found 16 firearms that he recommended to be sold to Exner’s Sportsmans Paradise for $1500. The department would like to purchase a reloader to reload bullets for practice shooting. (Is anyone trained to do this? how much time will it take to do this? and who will do this? Will the savings really be a savings?) Bob Snodgrass offered that other Federally licensed dealers would probably be interested and may offer MORE for the fire arms. He will be checking and bringing that information to the next City Council meeting on February 28, 2011 at 7:00 pm.

Food for thought: Always remember that the future comes one day at a time. (Dean Acheson)

A Morrison Taxpayer

Marti Wood

Regulated with Love

We keep hearing how critical it is for government to enact business regulations, and that they don’t really hurt businesses that much. I’m just an electrical engineer, so what do I know about regulations? It’s just evil businesses crying wolf. So, try this: Imagine you’re a private sector business owner. You are personally responsible for compliance with the Code of Federal Regulations, all 163,333 pages of it. Ready?

Let’s say I got a pair of boxer shorts with hearts on them for Valentine’s Day. If, as a business owner, you decide to hire me, and I wear these shorts to work (under my clothing - we’re not getting lewd here), you are violating a federal law. If you permit me to work while wearing the heart shorts, you are subject to a fine of whatever magnitude some bureaucrat decides to impose. As a business owner, you are not permitted to scratch your head and say “What?”, and ignore the law. It is your responsibility to know when you are in violation of federal law. Indeed, since you believe wearing heart shorts could lead to serious injury or death, you have a moral obligation to comply with this law, as well as tens of thousands more.

If you truly believe every one of these 163,333 fine print, single-spaced pages is absolutely essential, I challenge you to find out which federal law my heart shorts violate. No fair hiring someone, since, as a business owner, you can’t afford to pay people who don’t produce revenue. You have to pull that ten foot stack of books off the shelf and do it yourself. To throw a challenge into the mix, as you’re wading into the stack of legalese, imagine you have customers at your counter angrily demanding service, finally getting disgusted and leaving, never to return. No problem, just keep telling yourself voluminous regulations don’t hurt business, and they’re absolutely critical to prevent deaths from valentine shorts.

Don’t expect me to assist you in finding this regulation - I’m not the one who deemed it essential! (But, I assure you, it exists.) Once you’ve found it, perhaps then you can make a good argument about how essential such regulations are, and how they don’t really hurt businesses.

Would workers be better served if government regulators spent less time worrying about heart shorts, and more time worrying about truly life-threatening conditions? Would business owners be better served if regulations were reduced to a realistic size and scope? I suspect we’d all be better off if regulators dropped their adversarial posture, and actually assisted businesses in improving safety.

Currently, regulators wait for a serious injury or death, and then swoop in like vultures to impose business-killing fines, such as the $600,000 fines imposed on a local business. This “gotcha” tactic may be satisfying for some, but it did absolutely nothing to prevent the tragic deaths of two young workers. If not now, when would be a good time for a total makeover of this regulatory nightmare?

“Giving money and power to Government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.” - P. J. O’Rourke, 1991

Terry Smith

Lanark, IL

Back From Madison

We had a dozen Stephenson County Tea Partiers at Madison doing our Patriotic duty trying to shrink government spending a little. Thousands of tea partiers were there, and even more government union workers circled the square beating drums and chanting as we gathered.

I shook hands with Joe the Plummer and conservative talk show host Vicky McKenna from Madison. Andrew Breitbart spoke also. Not only is the whole country watching this event unfold, but much of the world is, as they are having big government union problems also.

Although we had a few heated debates with a couple of union guys it was never close to blows. There were hundreds of signs. One young fella was missing an arm but had a sign that read, “ Sometimes it is necessary to make cuts”. Another read, “Big Pensions, Free health care and retire at 50? How can I get in on this suffering?”

As I said in my January editorial, one thing is for certain: If things keep going the way they are the unions will be marching in the streets like in Greece. I did not think it would be this soon. At least it is not yet violent. Gov. John Kasich in Ohio is proposing similar cuts. So are the Democratic governors of California and New York. About fourteen states are in the same fix. What part of broke don’t they under stand? Is it too much to ask them to pay 12.6% of the health care and 5.8% of their pension?

Right now, for every dollar they put in, the taxpayers puts in $57, says Mike Huckabee. The initial money goes in, but when they are getting their payout, and retiring young and living so many years, in the end, it shifts out to $57 to $1 that the pension payouts are in actuality. Wisconsin Gov. Walker’s plan only eliminates collective bargaining on benefits, not wages. If they negotiate no one will be laid off. Otherwise look for 5 - 6000 state as well as 5 - 6000 local government layoffs.

Please Pray for our great country that we can get through this peaceably. With the upcoming elections it is imperative we get school boards and politicians with a backbone. We have had too many “yes” people on since the 70’s, and the taxpayer has no more blood to give.

Bill Dietz

Lena, IL

SENATE WEEK IN REVIEW: Feb. 14-18, 2011

As expected, Gov. Pat Quinn’s Fiscal Year 2012 budget proposal relied on $8.75 billion in borrowing to pay for what State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) says is an $1.7 billion increase in state spending.

The $35.4 billion budget proposal would bring state spending to an all-time high, with planned spending exceeding anticipated revenues by almost $1.5 billion. The Governor’s own budget documents show Quinn plans to divert approximately $1.5 billion of the borrowed money to finance the new spending, instead of using it to pay off state debt.

Senate Republicans are unanimously opposed to the Governor’s borrowing plan, which not only adds new obligations to the state’s ballooning debt, but also pushes off the bulk of the payments until Quinn’s term is over. Bivins said the massive borrowing package is an enormous burden to place on taxpayers, particularly following the 67 percent state income tax increase recently signed by Quinn, which Democrats passed without Republican support in the final hours of a lame-duck session Jan. 12.

Republicans did commend the Governor for proposing cuts of about $1 billion, as a good starting point for bringing spending more in line with revenues. Bivins said he will be working to advance legislation he is sponsoring that will save the state more than $100 million per year.

However, they are concerned that he did not make any attempt to address the largest drivers of state costs: pensions and health insurance.

In addition, workers’ compensation reform, which not only has a significant impact on the state’s costs but is a pressing and costly concern for Illinois’ employers, was given only passing mention in the Governor’s budget message.

In the days following the budget release, controversy also arose as both Republicans and Democrats pointed out that the Governor’s budget would add about 900 new employees to state government. The largest number, 187, would go to the state’s Department of Corrections. The administration maintained that added prison guards would save the state money by reducing overtime costs. However, those savings were not evidenced by the Corrections Department budget, which actually goes up by about 15 percent under the plan submitted by Quinn. Other state agencies seeing large increases in employees were the Departments of Public Health, Transportation and Veterans Affairs.

The budget proposal was given just days after Quinn’s administration released documents advancing “cuts,” which were later found to be largely non-existent. Bivins explained that of $3 billion in cuts Quinn claimed to have made over the past two years, about $2.25 billion of the “cuts” were attributed to just two programs: Medicaid payments and the cost of health insurance for state employees. In both cases, the actual amount spent on the programs was not reduced, but rather simply put off from one fiscal year to the next.

Republicans also noted that it is difficult to verify other claimed “cuts” because of the way the state budget has been written over the past two years – instead of specific line items, much of the budget was approved in lump sums giving the Governor broad flexibility to structure the budget.

However, many of the other claimed “cuts” also appeared questionable. For example, some “cuts” shifted items from one spending account to another, others simply reflected actual expenditures in areas where costs had previously been overestimated, and some reflected additional cases where payments were simply delayed from one fiscal year into the next.

Senate Republicans said they were disappointed to once again see a budget proposal that is unbalanced, unconstitutional, and reliant on borrowing to advance more state spending. They pointed out the budget proposal flies in the face of “Budgeting for Results” legislation promoted by Quinn’s fellow Democrats, and signed into law after the budget address.

The Governor signed HB 5424/PA 96-1529, which requires governors to submit budget proposals that rely solely on revenues that currently exist. Under the new law, Quinn would not have been allowed to include his borrowing proposal, which has not been approved by the General Assembly, and instead would have been restricted to available revenues.

Also this week, other laws were signed that are designed to save taxpayer dollars and increase oversight of state fiscal matters. Senate Bill 3708/PA 96-1531 requires the Governor to submit quarterly budget statements to the General Assembly and the State Comptroller. The reports must be made available within 45 days of the last day of each quarter, and must be posted on the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget Web site. Another new law, HB 1450/PA 96-1521, requires greater scrutiny of the state’s process of acquiring leases of large properties. Now, all new state leases of properties larger than 10,000 square feet with annual rent payments of $100,000 or more must be approved by the Procurement Policy Board.

Another new law was signed this week to help raise awareness of child sexual abuse. Sponsored by Bivins, “Erin’s Law,” was inspired by the efforts of Illinois resident Erin Merryn, whose own experience with sexual abuse as a child prompted her efforts to increase teacher, student and parent awareness about abuse.

“A brave young woman named Erin Merryn, who was sexually abused as a child, has been working to increase teacher, student, and parent awareness about child sexual abuse,” Bivins said. “She came to the Capitol in November to testify in support of this new law, which will provide information in age-appropriate formats and help children understand what is – and is not – appropriate behavior. I am proud to sponsor this law on behalf of Erin and all children in Illinois. We must stop the cycle of abuse.”

Senate Bill 2843/PA 96-1524 permits school boards to adopt and implement a policy addressing sexual abuse of children including: age-appropriate curriculum for students in pre-K through 5th grade; training for school personnel on child sexual abuse; educational information to parents or guardians provided in the school handbook on the warning signs of a child being abused, along with any needed assistance, referral, or resource information; available counseling and resources for students affected by sexual abuse; and emotional and educational support for a child of abuse to continue to be successful in school.

Bivins said there are groups in Illinois that are already offering information to raise awareness about child sexual abuse, but there is no uniformity in content or programs across the state.

The second part of the new law creates the Task Force on the Prevention of Sexual Abuse of Children to establish strategies for reducing child sexual abuse throughout Illinois. The Task Force will gather information concerning child sexual abuse throughout the state; receive reports and testimony from individuals, state and local agencies, community-based organizations, and other public and private organizations; create goals for state policy that would prevent child sexual abuse; and submit a final report with its final strategic goals and plans to the Governor and the General Assembly by Jan. 1, 2012.

The Governor also signed SB 3778/PA 96-1527, which limits Illinois’ controversial “Free Rides for Seniors” program to only the state’s lowest-income seniors. Under the new law, the free rides program would be tied to the same qualifications that are in place for the state’s Circuit Breaker program. Illinois’ Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) has consistently struggled to stay on top of its financial obligations, and RTA authorities say the Free Rides for Seniors program creates an additional burden. Citizens who are 65 or older living in a one-person household with an annual income of $27,610 or less, or a two-person household that brings in less than $36,635, would qualify for free transportation on Metra, PACE and the CTA. Senior citizens who exceed the income limits for a free ride are still only required to pay half price for regular fare.

Also this week, the Senate Executive Committee advanced legislation that would consolidate the offices of the Illinois Comptroller and the Illinois Treasurer. If approved by the General Assembly, Senate Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 13 would allow Illinois residents to vote on a 2012 Constitutional Amendment to merge the Comptroller and Treasurer into one office, the “Comptroller of the Treasury.” The consolidation could save more than $12 million each year.

Additional legislation passed by Senate committees this week includes:

Brush disposal (SB 41): Allows corporate authorities to provide the collection, transportation, and disposal of brush and leaves in unincorporated areas of a township, and changes current law which requires approval by referendum.

Tax Breaks for Tire Manufacturers (SB 4): Allows taxpayers who manufacture primarily inner-tubes or tires from natural and synthetic rubber to claim the EDGE Credit on their taxes.

Banquet Halls (SB 161): Clarifies that sales taxes should not be collected for room rentals at banquet facilities but rather on the food and drink that is provided.

Moline TIF District (SB 165): Extends the TIF district in Moline until Dec. 31, 2033.

“Babe” Woodyard State Natural Area (SB 154): Designates the Harry “Babe” Woodyard State natural area in Vermilion County a state natural area.

Ice cream Truck Worker Registration (SB 53): Requires ice cream truck workers to obtain a special identification card from the State Police. To qualify for the ID card, workers must not have been convicted of any sex offense, be a registered sex offender, or have ever been convicted of any homicide offense.

Massage Licensing (SB 153): Enacts clean-up changes, such as allowing a licensed massage therapist from another state to be licensed in Illinois if the requirements for obtaining a license in their state are similar to the requirements in Illinois.

Barbers (SB 155): Requires a barber to wear disposable gloves while shaving any part of a person’s face, neck or hairline.

Executive Inspector General for Higher Education (SB 131): Authorizes the Governor to appoint an Executive Inspector General for Higher Education to investigate allegations of fraud, waste, abuse, mismanagement, misconduct, nonfeasance, misfeasance, malfeasance, or violations of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act by employees of colleges and universities.

Appointed County Position Database (SB 42): Requires county boards to create a uniform application process for all appointed county positions, and requires counties to develop and maintain a searchable database that will provide information about appointed county positions.

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

The House of Representatives is nearly deserted. It is an hour and a half following the Governor’s budget address.

You’ve all been at a stadium following the big game. The scene is similar. Janitors cleaning up, it’s now quiet and serene. I’m one of three of the 118 members remaining at our desks. My purpose is for a quiet opportunity to share my written observations with you.

Yes, I was disappointed in the Governor’s address. He was very short on specifics and long on questionable statistics. I have told you before that I like Governor Quinn, and I so yearn for good ideas to solve this financial crisis. I looked for that today. Many of us have positive suggestions, but they did not appear.

I would ask the Governor to take a page from his own playbook of two years ago when he was appointed following the impeachment of Governor Blagojevich. At that time, the new Governor sat down with each of the 177 members of the General Assembly. He met with us over a period of several weeks. Small groups, 20-25 members at a time, met over lunch at the Governor’s Mansion. He appealed to us with a simple message (I’m paraphrasing here), “I’m an accidental Governor, I’m not a partisan. I have inherited a monster, and I need your help.”

He is no longer an accidental Governor. He is the elected Governor and he needs all of our input to solve this monster that is still biting us.

The Governor wants to borrow $8.7 billion to pay the money we currently owe providers. Our 89th district has 297 providers owed millions and millions of dollars. The poster child is Malcolm Eaton Enterprises of Freeport who, as you may know, provides the toilet paper to all state facilities. They are owed nearly $2 million, much of it approaching a year in arrears.

Many in my Republican caucus are opposed to the borrowing. I believe there is a simple fix. Sit with us Governor, share your ideas, and accept some of our suggestions. We all understand the Prompt Pay Act requiring us to pay between twelve and twenty four percent on much of the $8.7 billion. Perhaps borrowing money at five to seven percent to catch up has some merit, but it’s not something you can just slam through the General Assembly when three-fifths of us must support your proposal.

As you read this, think of the times you’ve wanted to make a significant purchase. You didn’t just tell your spouse you were going to do it. You wisely discussed the merits of “what if we did this?” Before you know it, it’s your spouse’s idea. Try this approach, Governor, it might just work. We are not your adversaries.