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Capitol Fax

Rich Miller's commentary on State Government

The biggest problem with passing Gov. Pat Quinn's tax hike and budget proposals is not that almost every Statehouse interest group opposes them.

The Illinois Federation of Teachers, for instance, sent out a statement before Gov. Quinn had even finished his budget address to say that any state legislator who votes for the governor's proposed "pension cuts" would automatically lose the union's endorsement.

State workers are spitting mad about paying more into the pension plan and being forced to take unpaid days off.

Business groups are beside themselves about the tax hikes.

Mayors hate the idea that they won't get their usual 10 per cent slice of Quinn's proposed income tax increase.

These are very serious, almost insurmountable obstacles, of course. But they're not the worst.

The biggest hurdle, by far, is that the governor focused on a problem that he alone wants to deal with, but that nobody else really cares about.

The governor, you already know, wants to raise the state's personal income tax rate from 3 percent to 4.5 percent, but also triple the $2000 personal exemption so that almost 5 million people will get a tax cut or pay no extra taxes. Quinn claims this is about "tax fairness" as much as it is about raising new money to close the state's $11.5 billion budget deficit.

But, seriously, when was the last time you heard anybody complain about the Illinois income tax?

At just 3 percent, Illinois has the lowest flat tax in the nation. Quinn has pushed this tax fairness idea for decades, but almost nobody else has. Tripling the personal exemption is just not something that any legislator has ever cared much about.

Since the governor's tax proposal has no real constituency within the General Assembly, he starts out with almost no legislative allies.

Just about every member of the Illinois General Assembly has fervently campaigned to reduce the property tax burden and increase spending for schools. Also, suburban Cook County and Chicago legislators are hearing loud and constant screams of anger from their voters about their region's super-high sales tax.

There are some very angry, everyday people demanding a solution to these festering problems. Yet, Quinn's budget and tax hike proposals do nothing about any of them.

In fact, the governor's proposals may be making the political situation for incumbent legislators far worse than they would be with a more "normal" tax hike and budget fix.

For one, the governor has proposed a relatively tiny education spending increase. That pretty much guarantees some local school districts, which are also experiencing serious problems in this economy, will have to raise property taxes even higher.

Local governments are strapped in this economy as well and are dying for money. Without help from the state via their usual share of the income tax hike they may also have to raise sales or property taxes.

Quinn wants to expand the state sales tax to cover items like grooming and hygiene products, sweetened tea and coffee drinks that are currently exempted from the full sales tax rate. That's not really a big thing, but in this sort of environment it could make for big headlines.

And, not surprisingly, legislators aren't particularly thrilled with voting for Quinn's 50 percent income tax hike and still having to vote for well over a billion dollars in state budget cuts. Quinn's tax exemption reform proposal took a tax hike that could've raised almost $6 billion down to only about $2.5 billion.

The governor said last Friday that he hoped he could convince the business lobby to support his tax hike by showing them how he's forcing teachers and state workers to pay more into the pension systems. But it's the height of folly to assume that the business lobby will ever get behind a tax hike.

The only groups which can be counted on to reliably support tax hikes are the very groups that Quinn has gone out of his way to whack. Public school teachers, state workers and people like Chicago Mayor Richard M. Daley are absolutely key, and all of them are firmly in the "No" category.

I still think there will be a state tax increase in our near future. I just don't think yet that it'll be this one. Quinn has a horrific fight ahead of him.

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

Great for the Kids, and the Pheasants!

Dear Carroll County,

Pheasants Forever have listed their 2008 top 50 chapters for money spent on youth education. The Carroll County Chapter spent $14,341 and ranked 2nd in the country and 1st in the State.

The Carroll County Long Spurs Trap Shooting Club is a Carroll County Chapter-sponsored activity for students in grades 4 through 12, who are interested in participating in the national Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP). SCTP is a nationwide shooting competition that gives young adults the opportunity to compete in trap shooting for state and national titles, plus college scholarships and prizes.

In 2008, the Long Spurs sent 2 teams to the Illinois State Shoot and the National Shoot. The intermediate team placed 2nd in the State and took 7th place at the National Shoot. The JV High School team finished 6th in the State and placed 28th at the National Shoot.

The Carroll County Chapter is in its 12th year as a Pheasants Forever Chapter. Dan Hartman from Mount Carroll heads the youth programs.

Carroll County also ranked 7th in Illinois for total Habitat expenditures with $20,023.

Pheasants Forever Inc. is a non-profit tax exempt organization. Pheasants Forever are dedicated to the conservation of pheasants, quail and other wildlife through habitat improvements, public awareness, education and land management policies and programs.

Chuck Quarnstrom

President, Carroll County Pheasants Forever

Elizabeth, IL

Lease 'Goes the Extra Mile'

I am writing to first and foremost, encourage everyone to get out and vote on April 7th. Many cities, villages and townships have their elections on this day, and this is your opportunity to have your voices heard. Mayors, City Council Members, Township Road Supervisors, etc. are elected.

Secondly, I want to pat Mayor Bill Lease of Savanna, Il. on the back and let everyone who lives in the City of Savanna know how lucky they are to have a mayor that "goes the extra mile" and then some!

For the past two years now, I have had the privilege of accompanying the mayor and other constituents to Springfield and to Washington D.C. to seek funding for many needed infrastructure improvements and to find out more about possible grants for education, the library and for the fine new museum that Savanna can be very proud of. He works countless hours, truly does care about making Savanna and the entire Northwestern Il. Region a better place to live and to work. This Mayor has established valuable ground work with Il. State Representative Michael Boland, with the Illinois Department of Transportation's Ross Monk, with Federal Congressman Don Manzullo, and with both of our Illinois Senators, Dick Durbin and Roland Burris.

Savanna, you have a very active, "hands on" mayor, and if I lived in your City, I certainly would want to make sure that I cast my vote, first and foremost, and that I re-elected Mayor Bill Lease. Keep a positive engine running!

Yours most sincerely,

Barbara Suehl-Janis
Fulton, Il.

More 'Uncertainty and Discouragement'

Publisher's Note: The following letter was sent to Sen. Mike Jacobs and several other state senators and representatives last week. We anxiously await their reply.

Senator Jacobs,

As you should be well aware, the Carroll County area is ranked #18 in the State in unemploymentwith a currentrate of 11.3% (Jan. 2009), while adjoining counties of Jo Daviess, Stephenson and Ogle are ranked even higher.Manufacturing jobs inCarroll and the surrounding counties have dwindled to virtual non-existence along with theopportunities for area families tofind employment without relocating.As yearsmove on, so do the people resulting in declining populations.While the overall population of the State of Illinois increased3.5%between 2000 and 2007, Carroll County showed apopulation decline of4.5%.According to 2007 census statistics, approximately 55% of Carroll County's population is between the ages of 18 and 65.This percentage based on the County's population indicates that there are approximately 8,760 employable individuals residing in the county. While I understand that it is not reasonable to expect that all are seeking employment, it is obvious that there are not enough jobs in the immediate area to support local families.Along with these statistics, area schools continue to see a decline in enrollment and funding.

The proposed opening and filling of vacancies at the Thomson Correctional Center in the fall of 2008 providednearly 300 additional employment opportunities for area residents making the facilityclose to, if not thelargest employer in Carroll County.People were planning on movingcloser toThomson, spending theirearningslocally, and placing their children in our schools. I understand that many would say that this was simply another poor political decision made by formerGovernor Blagovevich.Although I strongly disagreed with the closing of Pontiac CC, I believe that the opening of the Thomson Correctional Center has been delayed far too long andMr. Blagovevich provided a glimpse of encouragement to the area.Thomson Correctional Center has been at issue for well over ten years and the lack of opening could just as easily beblamed upon poor legislative representation in the area over the past decade.

On Wednesday, March 18, Governor Quinn unveiled his proposed budget for fiscal year 2010.The proposed budget included only 75 positions at Thomson which is well short of the current staffing of over 300.This proposal left all TCC employees, including my husband and myself,with uncertainty and discouragement.Various rumors and speculation as to employees fate circulated throughout the day as many faced the very real possibility that they may be added to the long list of those unemployed in the area.

My husband Randy and I are both employed at the Thomson Correctional Center.Randy has been employed by the Department of Corrections for 21 years and I for 10 years.I am a lifelong resident of Carroll County.We built a home in Chadwick in 2005 and our child attends the Chadwick-Milledgeville school and my husbandis a trusteefor the Village of Chadwick.

During this time of economic downturn, I understand that additional state funding is not readily available and that it has long been stated that additional State employment should not be used to stimulate a struggling area. However, in Governor Quinn's decision to keep Pontiac Correctional Center open, he stated that Pontiac CC was the second largest employer in the Pontiac area and that those jobs were needed. I suggest he apply the same philosophy to Thomson.

In this struggling ecomony where jobs that will support a family are hard to come by, please consider the fact that the approximately 300 people recently employed at Thomson held employment in the private sector and accepted State positions. It is highly unlikely that they will be able to return to those positions.While I realize that it is a possibility that some may be offered vacant positions at other State facilities, that is not what they signed on for. Should this be an option, how many would be willing to relocate to continue employment? Should they choose to relocate, a continued decline in population, a decline in children in our schools and additional unemployment stated above is sure to follow.

Prior to the proposed Pontiac Correctional Center closing, I had never heard of 53rd District Senator Dan Rutherford but you can bet thathe is one politician that I will not forget when casting a vote in the future. I admirethe drive and tenacity that he displayed in organizing and supporting the constituents of his district intimes of need.I challenge you and otherarea legislatorstolead andencourage the employees of the Thomson Correctional Center and the citizens of Carroll and the surrounding counties with the same effort put forth by Senator Rutherford.I question why Pontiac's past is more important than Thomson's future.

I will anxiously await your reply.

Kathleen Newstrand
Chadwick, IL

A Resolution - We Are a Republic, Not a Democracy

Whereas, the word Democracydoes not exist in either our Declaration of Independence or the U.S. Constitution, and,

Whereas, a true democracy would destroy the personal liberties of a citizen by allowing the will of the majority to deliberate policy or allow passion of the masses to overrule the rule of law, and,

Whereas, the electoral college allows the smaller states greater voting strength than if based on a percentage of population alone, and,

Whereas, 'equal sufferage' of the Senate allows each state equal voting strength regardless of being the smallest state or the largest, and,

Whereas, the U.S. Constitution under Article IV, Section 4, guarantees each state a Republican form of government, and,

Whereas the first time Democracy was tried in America was the original Mayflower Compact which provided a commune style of order, only to fail, and be rewritten to recognize the individual fruits of labor and personal property rights.

Therefore, We the People resolve that we understand the difference between a Republic and a Democracy, and,

Be it further resolved that it is our duty to promote the difference whenever the term Democracy is used to describe our government, and,

Finally, it is our responsibility as members of this Country to steward our Republic by instructing our heirs and our fellow citizens that a Democracy will fail, while a Republic will stand.

James Hazelbower, Jr.
Lanark, IL.

CASA's Challenges

In these tough economic times, as a non for profit agency,we are often met with additional challenges in acquiring new funding opportunities and maintaining financial stability to support the mission of CASA.Individual contributions, annual events, and special fundraising activities will always be an important part of CASA's community approach to financial support. To serve the abused and neglected children in our community well, CASA needs a solid financial foundation.We are seeking to build that foundation; a core of partners committed to yearly support of the work of CASA volunteers. In addition,additional community volunteers are needed to serve as CASA's for the new children within our local court systems.

Abused and neglected children do not go away because we are experiencing financial challenges, quite the opposite.A recent article in an Ogle County newspaper, entitled Child Abuse cases on the rise in Illinois, says it all.It is a factor that economic stress contributes to increases in child abuse and neglect cases coming into the system. Within our 3 county program, we are feeling the results of an onslaught of cases due to additional children suffering from abuse, dependency and neglect.

Studies have shown a link between the abuse children suffer at home and a wide variety of serious medical, emotional, psychological and behavioral problems.Child development experts agree that a way to avoid costly outcomes is to have a consistent concerned caring adult presence in that child's life.CASA volunteers provide that answer in a very cost effective manner.As a child advocate myself for the past ten years, I have experienced the profound difference a caring adult can make in a child's life.

As we begin to experience the sense of hopefulness in the air as spring approaches, consider becoming a Voice for a Child in need.Consider the possibility of playing a role in infusing hope into a child's life who suddenly finds themselves caught up in the child welfare system. In Lee, Carroll, and Ogle counties a number of children are waiting for a caring adult to speak for them in court.An adult whose only goal is to advocate for the best interest of a child. A volunteer who believes every child deserves a safe, loving permanent home.For more information about our program and upcoming CASA/GAL training classes, contact Vanessa White, Director of Advocate Services (CASA ­ 15th Judicial Circuit - Lee/Ogle/Carroll counties) at 815/288-1901.

Deborah Morrison
CASA Board Member

Quality of Life in our Community - Lanark, Illinois

Living in a rural community is a privilege which everyone can enjoy. However, there are times "that try men's souls." I have been picking up litter on West Carroll Street and along Carroll Road over a period of several years. During that period I have observed a gradual increase in litter and have had the opportunity to study and classify what I find on our roadways which I would like to share with my fellow citizens of Lanark. Patterns of litter are constant, but over time have grown with the addition of new items. This makes it possible to develop a sense of what some of our citizens feel is suitable to throw out the window of their car for someone else to worry about. Following are some examples (in the sequence of the volume) of typical litter found.

1. Cigarettes: Cigarettes butts are found in general, but seems to be concentrated heavily at corners with stop signs. In the past, a mixture of filter tips and non-filter tips were about equal. However, today they seem to be mostly filter tips. As they break down over time, only the filter tip survives and blows around in the wind. They are definitely resistant to decay. They never seem to disappear although they do get smashed over time. Cigarette packages also have increased over time and green packages seem to dominate the mix in our fair city. Candy packages and wrappers are also common.

2. Glass bottles: On West Carroll Road in the area near the junction with Straddle Creek Road, beer bottles are very common with "Hop Hound-Amber Wheat" a major component. These create a special problem in the spring. As the snow melts and freezes, the bottles fill with water and then freeze, breaking the bottles into pieces with many small, sharp splinters. Since they tend to work through the grass and weeds to the ground below where they are a definite hazard to anyone digging or working in the area. I certainly would not want children with bare feet to walk into these areas. In my initial clean up this year I picked up over twenty bottles with the major portion broken. Most of these were in the area of my parents "Victory Garden" during World War II, and there was no trash in that area during that period. Perhaps people were more conscious of the value of recycle during wartime.

3. Plastic Soda Pop Containers: These containers are light in weight and blow around very easily. Therefore, many merely blow into the farmer's fields where they get buried or cut up in pieces when the field is worked. This makes them more mobile and allows the remains to scatter even more. Many times the bottles are capped containing fluid. It is difficult to remove the fluid as the caps are usually frozen on after they have lain on the ground for some period of time. This adds to the weight making them difficult to collect. Frequently smashed bottles seem to bury in the soil so that they keep re-surfacing over time. However, they never go away. Studies of plastic containers in landfills indicate that they can survive, in fact, for over 100 years. The same would be true in a farmer's field. How many bottles can a farmer's field hold? 4. McDonald's Containers: Although we do not have a McDonald's in Lanark, there seem to be a constant litter of packaging materials dominated by soft drink cups. Many times they still have the plastic cap and straw in them. These are found from the Post Office on Route 64 all the way out to the intersection of Carroll and Straddle Creek roads.

5. Just plain wastes: On March 17, I was driving east on Carroll Street in Lanark. As I approached Broad Street, in a grey van ahead of me beside the Exchange State Bank, the woman passenger opened the window, and threw out a tub of popped corn onto the street which blew away with the wind. I noted the license number and thought "how disrespectful of our community." Careful-Big Brother is watching!!!

6. On my walk down Carroll Road I picked up over 50 lbs. of waste which is a sad statement of the respect shown for our quality of life in Lanark, and the burden it places on our farm community who must work with this burden. To say nothing of the strain on this poor old man's arms carrying it to out disposal containers. We have a wonderful quality of life in our rural community, and we should strive to maintain this for future generations as the population continues to grow. Perhaps we should note license numbers and have the community develop a training course for those individuals who missed the opportunity to develop pride in their community in their early childhood education. Distribution of plastic litter bags with a printed message might help them remember, and those individuals should be required to have one in their car at all times or pay a fine, the money to be used to print bags so that they could help in maintaining our quality of life. The Printed message might be: Litter Bag Proud of the Quality Of Life in our Community, Lanark, Illinois. Organizations such as the Lanark Lion's Club should be complimented for their program to clean the right of way on Route 73 north of Lanark. Leader Robert Zuck and his crew should be complimented for the effort of the Lion's members to maintain the quality of life in our community. We need to let people know of all our community organizations that recognize and make an effort to maintain our quality of life in Lanark.

Norman W. Standish
Lanark, IL

(Publisher's Note: Thanks for the "reminder," Norm. Maybe it's time to bring back re-runs of the "Don't Be A LITTER-BUG" public service commercials.)

Sen. Bivins: Budget Continues Failed Programs And Policies

SPRINGFIELD ­ A budget plan proposed March 18 by Gov. Pat Quinn includes some much-needed reforms supported by Senate Republicans, but also continues a number of failed programs and policies that contributed to the current economic mess facing Illinois, according to State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-Dixon).

Gov. Pat Quinn outlined his $53 billion budget proposal for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010 to a joint session of the General Assembly on March 18. Fiscal Year 2010 runs from July 1, 2009, through June 30, 2010.

Sen. Bivins credits Quinn for his ideas to address the state's $11.5 billion deficit ­proposed pension reforms, agency consolidation, more sunshine in government, a Taxpayers' Action Board, and a back-to-school holiday from the state sales tax ­ an idea Bivins proposed last year and this year.

However, the Governor's FY 2010 financial blueprint relies on a 50 percent increase in the personal income tax; an increase in the corporate income tax; a raid on the retirement funds of teachers, prison guards and other state employees; an increase in the state tax on cigarettes; higher fees for license plates and driver's licenses; and more raids on the Road Fund.

"I have said it before and it bears repeating. For the past six years, we have not had a revenue problem, we have had a spending problem. We have had nearly $7 billion in revenue growth during that time. But instead of using those resources wisely, Democrat leaders created and expanded programs, ran up record backlogs in unpaid bills and shorted payments to pension systems," Bivins said. "It is long past time to say 'enough!' We must cut waste and pork. We need to stop creating new programs. We need to run existing programs like Medicaid in a much more efficient manner. And we must help ­ not hurt ­ employers who provide the jobs to get more of our citizens back to work."

Bivins says he does not agree with Quinn's portrayal of the proposed tax increases as "modest" or further spending cuts as "mean-spirited."

"A 50 percent increase in the income tax, as well as higher license plate and driver's license fees, is not 'modest.' And I am not sure that working families who have had to cut their spending would think it is 'mean-spirited' to ask lawmakers to cut a budget that has increased by more than $7 billion in just six years. These programs were created or expanded by a discredited and impeached Governor and they should be eliminated or rolled back to previous levels," Bivins said. "We appreciate that Gov. Quinn has proposed the consolidation of some agencies as a means to reduce spending, but in my opinion these cuts do not go far enough. The 'tax-and-spend' policies of the last six years have got us into this mess. It is time for a new approach."

The 45th District Senator says the budget proposal continues to target employers and the jobs they provide, at a time when Illinois is 46th in the nation in job growth. Over the last ten years, Illinois has lost 2% of its jobs compared with the average state which has added 7.5% more jobs.

Bivins says strong job growth ­ not huge tax increases ­ is a better way to address budget woes. If Illinois had kept pace with the national average in job growth, it would have more than 500,000 additional jobs today, which would mean more than $2 billion in additional state tax revenues.

Republican legislative leaders have scheduled a Business Summit March 25 with Gov. Quinn and representatives of the state's largest employer groups ­ including the Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, National Federation of Independent Business, Illinois Retail Merchants, Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce, Illinois Manufacturers Association, Illinois Bankers Association, Community Bankers Association of Illinois, Professional Independent Insurance Agents of Illinois, Life Insurance Council and the Illinois Insurance Association.

The Governor's budget proposal is the first step in a long negotiation process, and Bivins says he looks forward to working with his fellow lawmakers to craft a fiscal plan that reflects the spending priorities of 45th District citizens.

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

"Representative Sacia, would you please hold for General Celletti?" A cold rush of blood runs through my heart. Typically, the Adjutant General or Assistant Adjutant General of Illinois only call a Representative to tell them that an active-duty National Guardsman has been killed in the line of duty. The General's opening comment to me was just that: "Representative Sacia, it is with great sadness that I must tell you one of your constituents, Specialist Norman Cain of Mt. Morris, along with two other soldiers and an airman, was killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan."

I thanked the General for personally contacting me, and he then shared with me that Specialist Cain, a 2006 graduate of Freeport High School, had to leave his young wife Brigette and a son Toryn and a step-daughter Fallon Spielman when his unit, D Company 1st Battalion 178th Infantry of Woodstock, Illinois, was activated and ordered to Afghanistan in 2008.

As with all fallen soldiers, there will be a solemn ceremony for Specialist Cain on the House floor when more information is learned. Like the General, I send my deepest sympathies to Brigette, Toryn, Fallon and the family and friends of Specialist Norman Cain.

Governor Pat Quinn delivered his first state budget address on March 18th. As I pour through the volumes of information, the jury is still out on my opinion of the plan. I'm struggling with the Governor's proposal to raise income taxes by 50% and corporate taxes even higher. Numbers games are always tough, and the spin is really out there already on both sides of this very controversial issue. After further analysis, I will share more with you in the weeks to come.

I did want to share with you information on two significant bills that passed the House this week. I stood solidly with my friend and colleague Julie Hamos (D-Evanston) as her chief co-sponsor on House Bill 3990 that creates the Local Food, Farm and Jobs Act.

Like my predecessor, Ron Lawfer, I am passionate about agriculture, and I know Ron would be right beside me on this one.

Julie is from an urban district and on most issues we find ourselves on opposite sides of the fence. But to her great credit, she sits with me on the House Agriculture Committee. House bill 3990 deals with large agriculture working hand-in-hand with small producers-be they little more than gardens to the more typical five to twenty acre operations. Julie and her supporters are very passionate about the issue and it has great promise to keep all of our producers on the same page.

I joined my good friend LaShawn Ford (D-Chicago) as his chief co-sponsor in helping pass House Bill 436. LaShawn is from a district with a very high crime rate and home to a large number of ex-offenders. The legislation provides low interest loans to ex-offenders for the purpose of starting and running their own businesses. I have a reputation as a very "tough-on-crime" guy, but I see potential here, and the Illinois Department of Corrections endorses the bill as a way to help prisoners find honest employment after they are released, and not return to prison. I took significant good-natured ribbing from my "right-of-center" colleagues for my stand. I believe the bill deserves a chance and I applaud LaShawn for bringing it to us.

As always, you can reach me, Sally or Barb at 815/232-0774 or e-mail us at jimsacia@aeroinc.net. You can also visit my website at www.jimsacia.com. It's always a pleasure to hear from you.

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