From Adam Andrzejewski and For the Good of Illinois…
One week ago today, I had the honor of speaking at five tea parties throughout Illinois. Their message – government is out of control, spending has reached unsustainable levels and we’re Taxed Enough Already.
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Governor Quinn Says There’s a Tax for That”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Former candidate for Comptroller William Kelly reported to Chicago News Bench that Scott Lee Cohen is thinking of running for the Governor’s seat. Could it be? Could the guy that the Democrat Party forced off the ticket when he won the Lt. Guv’s spot now be looking to take his revenge out against the Party by opposing them for Governor?
And if he does run, will he run as a Democrat or will he run as an independent? How will he do it? Or is he really thinking about the next run, not the 2010 run? There’s a ton of questions with this one, that’s for sure.
One thing is sure, though. Scott Lee Cohen has said to various members of the media, both new and old, that he will be running for something in the future… though to date he has not officially said what that office might be.
It would be a hoot if he decided to run for governor against Quinn and the Democrats both. It would be Chicago politics at its most circus-like. Political life under the big top, is what we have.
Tom Mannis has some other hot Cohen gossip at his Chicago News Bench site, so go on over and take a look.
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Is Scott Lee Cohen Eyeing Guv’s Chair, Now?”
-By Warner Todd Huston
The Democrat State Central Committee has chosen Sheila Simon, daughter of former Senator Paul Simon (no not the singer), as its choice to fill the Lt. Governor slot recently vacated by Steve Cohen.
Sheila Simon has no real electoral track record in the state, but success is not a prerequisite to fill the Lt.Gov’s chair, after all. Since the position is practically powerless and useless, anybody could take it when all is said and done.
Chicago Trib reporters Rick Pearson and Ray Long amused me with the first two paragraphs of their piece announcing the choice, though.
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Dems Chose Fmr Senator’s Daughter for Illinois Lt. Gov.”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Small-government conservatives have always been suspicious of government. Whether city, county, state or federal all government is looked on as a troublesome but necessary evil that must be tightly controlled and oft times opposed. This anti-government attitude, of course, is a complete mystery to socialist Democrats. They just don’t understand why conservatives mistrust government and why they eye it suspiciously. So, looking for a way to explain in real terms why conservatives loathe government is sometimes not an easy task as the ideas are often very esoteric. Thank God the corrupt governments in Barack Obama’s Illinois are always there to supply a ready example of why government is often the enemy of a free people.
In that mien, here is another perfect example of how government often does not serve the voters, how it does what ever it wants to do despite the voters, and how government often thinks it knows better than the very voters that it is supposed to serve.
In 2009 the Illinois State legislature in its Springfield-based capitol passed a video gambling law that for the first time legalized video poker machines across the state. The progress of this law was very contentious with most Republicans and some Democrats standing in opposition to this immoral legislation and a sop to the opposers was put in the bill as sweetener to assure passage. An “opt out” clause was put in the bill so that those conservative districts that were so opposed to video gambling could exclude themselves from allowing the immoral act of video gambling in their jurisdiction.
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Government Is Not Our Friend”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Pat “the accidental governor” Quinn told a union crowd that Illinois GOP Gubernatorial nominee Bill Brady would somehow destroy the middle class by his anti-union stance. Quinn also made the essential claim that without unions there’d be no “middle class.”
“We’re not going to have a middle class if we allow a lot of anti-labor, anti-union operators to get in politics and tear to shreds fundamental things we all agree on,” Quinn said. “He doesn’t believe in the minimum wage. He wants to abolish it.”
There is, of course, a glaring error in Quinn’s wild-eyed union claim. As of 2009 union members accounted for only 12.4 percent of America’s workforce. With this fact one wonders how the middle class could be eliminated by anti-union forces when union workers make up such a tiny percentage of the total U.S. workforce already?
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Quinn Lies About ‘Losing Middle Class’ Without Unions”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Illinois has reached an unemployment rate of 12.2 percent. ChicagoBreakingNews says that this is the highest rate in 27 years.
The state’s monthly jobless rate, which soared from last years up from 8.7 percent, outpaced the national rate of 10.6 percent. The U.S. unemployment rate in January 2009 was 8.5 percent. The rates are not seasonally adjusted.
Thank you Governor Pat “union hack” Quinn and President Obama “economy killer” Obama. Good work for the both of you… if you intend the destruction of the country, that is.
(For an ongoing update of unemployment stats, see this National Conference of State Legislatures page.)
From Truth in Accounting…
Institute for Truth in Accounting Issues Guide to Honest Budgeting
March 11, 2010 — To help citizens determine if Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget is truly balanced the Institute for Truth in Accounting has published “Are We Unbalanced? – A Guide to Reviewing Governments’ Budgets”.
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Truth in Accounting: Governor – You Can’t Balance Illinois’ Budget By Borrowing Money”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Now that the voters are properly informed about who the Republicans have chosen to run for Illinois Governor, the polls show him leading incumbent Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn by 10%.
Rasmussen Reports finds Brady at 47% favorable to Quinn’s 37% in a phone poll of 500 likely voters.
Among women voters, Brady led Quinn by 17 points. Independent voters favored Quinn 59 percent to 18 percent, according to the poll.
The survey painted significant public discontent with Quinn, who has been pushing an income-tax increase to help the state cope with a $12.8 billion budget deficit.
The firm found that 56 percent of voters surveyed disapproved of Quinn’s job performance compared to 43 percent who approved.
Of course, this is likely Brady’s early bump after just being announced. Let us see if he can hold this rate. We have much time yet before any real decisions have to be made and both candidates have a race to run.
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Poll: GOP Guv Candidate Bill Brady Leading Dem Quinn”
-By Warner Todd Huston
The Service Employees International Union wants YOU to pay more taxes, Illinois. And, in order to get their wish, they’ve donated $1.7 million to the one candidate that has since the beginning promised to raise everyone’s taxes, Governor Pat “Mighty Taximo” Quinn.
Oh, it’s a cozy arrangement, of course. The SEIU represents many of Illinois public employees. These greedy folks want YOU to pay their way in life, you see? So, big cash goes to Quinn the Mighty Taximo so that he’ll force higher taxes so that, in turn, these public employees will get even greater pay and even more undeserved benefits that other, private sector citizens don’t get. It’s a Faustian bargain, but it is a fact, nonetheless.
As everyone else in the state is losing his job, these trough-feeders want you to pay more taxes for their comfort. Nice work if you can get it, right?
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Service Employees Inat’l Union Gives $1.7 Mil to Ill. Gov. Quinn”
Going Nuclear
What a difference five years makes. Back then, when Republicans were toying with the notion of ramming a bill through Congress, it was a “naked power grab” and a constitutional crisis. Today, however, such a move is apparently okey-dokey. You can watch the painful evidence by clicking on the video above.
Ill. Policy Institute: Jake Gets Out of Jail”
Americans for Prosperity applauds Governor Quinn for opening an online comment portal offering the general public an opportunity to view and comment on the states budget dilemma.
On March 10, 2010 Governor Quinn will be making his annual budget address. Governor Quinn has made it clear that he believes the only way out of the states financial mess is to raise our taxes.
Americans for Prosperity strongly disagrees!
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Americans for Prosperity: A Message to Governor Quinn”
SPRINGFIELD – February 24, 2010. Officials from Governor Pat Quinn’s Administration today announced that, for the first time in Illinois’ history, the public can actively participate in the state’s budgeting process. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) today launched www.budget.illinois.gov, a Web site that allows Illinois residents to provide feedback that will be used to shape the state’s fiscal year 2011 budget.
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Illinois Budget Now Online, Governor Wants YOUR Comments”