36 Hours To Go in Regular Session
No Budget Yet, Taxpayers Beware
We go back into session at 5pm today and as of the writing of this newsletter Republicans have not seen the real budget.
We have not seen a final proposal on the “Bears” megaproject bill.
There’s no final bill about Pritzker’s BUILD Act which would usurp local zoning and incentivize the teardown of single-family homes in favor of multi-family dwellings in all neighborhoods.
There is discussion of tax increases from $700 -$900 million – listen to my comments below.
The Democrats appear to be in disarray, unfocused, and lacking leadership as all their spending, tax increases, and terrible policies from the last eight years are catching up to them.
The energy sector is imploding and the pressure from data centers is making it worse. The POWER Act didn’t move because Democrats are feeling the pressure from all sides on this topic. And the energy needed to power the AI future is a problem in Illinois because of the Democrat support of renewable energy and battery storage which is expense and unreliable. What now?
On education, the Governor who preaches about supporting education and equity doesn’t seem willing to do either when it comes to increased funding for higher education. And the education establishment and their WOKE supporters are finding empty pockets when it comes to increased spending in this area.
There is still no resolution on supporting the federal tax credit scholarship that would give needy families that use public or private education or homeschool access to funding to support their student in anyway they see fit – tutors, private school tuition, or other support.
For more information on where we stand on the critical issues at this moment, this article from Capitol News Illinois gives a good summation. Also, please read the rest of the newsletter for more information on a variety of issues.
Brad
Springfield Deja Vu Back Again
“A deadline we have known about for months, yet somehow it never seems to matter until the eleventh hour when the state budget is finalized under the cover of darkness” said Rep. Halbrook. “Just last week, reports surfaced that House Democrats are once again discussing tax increases behind closed doors in caucus meetings.”
Illinois Democrats Want More Taxes… And It Still Won’t Be Enough
Democrat ‘Leadership’ Is Burning The State To The Ground
Their no-good, inept, irresponsible tactics could fill volumes of manuscripts.
But let’s start here with the leading current and unfortunate state of budget affairs :
Fake Transparency
Governor Pritzker’s supermajority Democrat party’s 3,178 page version of the budget that was previously introduced won’t even come close to what it will actually end up being:
Dangerous Pension Policies
Pritzker’s proposed budget gives Illinois’ five state retirement systems $5.4 billion less than what actuaries say they need. He’s only appropriating the minimum amount to make it look like he’s addressing the problem because a 1995 state law known as the ‘Edgar Ramp’ requires him to:
Suspect Ideas
It’s difficult for even successful corporations to function in Illinois (which is why they’re fleeing the state).
But now, Springfield Democrats want to label YOU as ‘low income’ if you make under $200,000!!
This budget initiative was requested by the Illinois Board of Education, so you can be sure it is dishonest:
This Will Make You Shudder
Both Gov. JB Pritzker and Lt. Governor Juliana Stratton (pictured above) are bragging about their fiscal accomplishments in Illinois while putting their political ambitions for higher office on clear display.
In reality, the unsustainable and irresponsible fiscal ineptitude that has crushed taxpayers and businesses during their reign has cannibalized the Illinois tax base and has sent people and opportunities fleeing from the state in droves.
Now, Juliana Stratton wants to represent Illinois in Congress with her terrible ideas and
non-existent leadership.
Read this stomach-churning account of Ms. Stratton’s stunning incompetency before you vote to send her to the United States Senate:
Consequences Of Poor JUDGEment
Cook County’s Chief Judge Charles Beach’s (pictured above) office recently revealed that over one third of the people who face criminal charges, and are part of the county’s electronic monitoring program, are nowhere to be found. Those people who are now classified as AWOL are charged with violent crimes including aggravated assault, aggravated battery, aggravated criminal sexual assault, armed robbery, attempted murder, and more.
The list does not include those people who violated domestic violence restrictions, and the chief judge’s office would not explain why.
The day after his swearing in ceremony, Judge Beach announced his administration’s cornerstone project- overhauling the deeply troubled electronic monitoring program overseen by his office.
He is failing miserably at fulfilling his promise:
She Wants To Be Illinois’ Next Comptroller
It’s no wonder Governor Pritzker and his fellow Democrats would like to see her in this role.
Illinois State Representative Margaret Croke (D-Chicago, pictured above) co-sponsored the Government Reporting Enhancement and Transparency Act (HB5391) which is a sweeping bill that would water down government entity audit requirements and allow cash basis accounting rather than the more rigorous Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) for municipalities with under $35 million in annual cash receipts.
The Governmental Accounting Standards Board (GASB) is the private, non-governmental organization that sets financial reporting standards for governments that use GAAP. The GASB Chair Joel Black stated that “Developed through a rigorous, inclusive process, GAAP provides the information that citizens, elected officials, lenders and investors need to assess the financial health of a government entity.”
Apparently Ms. Croke and her Democrat party disagree and want to make their dealings as secret as possible.
You can get into the accounting weeds in this article:
Who Is Nina Harris?
The grift is on.
According to a recent revelation amid Center Square’s ongoing investigation, the Illinois Commission on Equity and Inclusion admitted that their chairperson, Nina Harris, has been earning thousands of dollars each year from her former employer (the Springfield Urban League) while also collecting a $155,000 salary from the state.
Government agency commissioners are allowed by law to hold jobs outside of their state roles, but they are required to disclose the side pay if it exceeds $7,500 in a calendar year.
She did not.
Harris runs the commission’s monthly meetings but does not physically attend them nor will she allow herself to be videotaped.
Springfield swindling at its finest:
You Might Be A Felon!
We are all familiar with the serious crimes that can get an offender locked up for a very long time. But there are some seemingly benign activities that none of us know are actually on the books as being illegal!
The American legal system is full of weird rules that might surprise you.
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.