Well it's April 15th what was supposed to Happen about Illinois Budget

What's the Great news Trapshooters were supposed to get? I have looked and been Listening. Heard no Evil , saw plenty of evil, but spoke no evil.

 

Doc
Just to keep you up to speed as it seems you missed a post or two. The MOU which had to do with the April 15 negotiations was voided by the ATA. The ATA seems to now be saying they (ATA) are going by the old lease agreement.

No negotiations about an MOU that no longer exists.....

How well is it going?

I asked Monica Brackman, IDNR, and she said they had no dates for the U.S. Open. If and when they get dates they will publish them on the site.

You decide.

 

The State of Illinois does not anticipate having a budget until deep into 2017 and under the conditions presented that may not even happen ... The Governor has presented several (as in Many) compromised budgets for consideration and none have been accepted, looked at, or voted on based on articles that have been posted on the States web sites, rebootIllinois .com as well as publications in the Chicago news papers ... The ATA is acting like nothing ever happened which will give them reason to shift the blame to the State of Illinois on any and every shooting event that does not take place ... The facility can and might be considered to be open but there is no shooting going on now that "Glock " has been escorted off of the grounds ... There are numerous claims of shoots being scheduled but none are being placed on the sites schedule so any anticipated huge crowds are doubtful ... The ATA will be getting a surprise trying to enforce the old lease agreement, the State will not let it happen ...
I finally got some responses to the many E Mails I sent asking for any and all news and they all say pretty much the same and not one of them confirm any shooting events, dates etc ... The State could of covered their butt and said they would negotiate after 04-15-16 , had they not included the year which would of bought them some time ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Illinois' budget deficit twice as bad as you think
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GREG HINZ ON POLITICS

Illinois Supreme Court University of Illinois Bruce Rauner Laurence Msall Rod Blagojevich More +

Photo by APWith Illinois facing deepening deficits, Bruce Rauner in his Jan. 12 inaugural address suggested that sacrifices will be required, but offered no specifics.
Illinois' fiscal woes are significantly deeper and more serious than generally realized, with the state facing a $9 billion operating deficit in the fiscal year that begins July 1.

That's the horrific bottom line of a report released late today by researchers at the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs, a study that may raise the eyebrows even of Gov. Bruce Rauner, who has been warning of huge financial problems ahead.

The conclusion: The actual deficit is about twice what is commonly reported, with the hole in the current fiscal 2015 budget not $2 billion to $3 billion but $6 billion, and rising to a projected $9 billion in fiscal 2016 and hitting $14 billion by fiscal 2026, assuming no changes in law or spending practices. (Read the report below.)

The report says the fiscal hole is so big that even fully reversing the income tax cut that took effect Jan. 1 would close "only about half" the gap projected for the next several years. Starting this year, the individual income tax rate went from 5 percent to 3.75 percent, and the corporate levy from 9.5 percent to 7.75 percent.

'MASSIVE IMBALANCE'

The hole is so big that even growing the state's economy an extra 0.5 percent a year for a decade would have "only a modest" impact, the report warns. And, significantly, so large that trying to eliminate the shortfall by cuts alone would result in a 20 percent reduction in spending on public education, Medicaid, public safety and more.

"Years of pay-later budgeting has resulted in a massive imbalance between sustainable revenue and spending," said Richard Dye, co-director of the institute's Fiscal Future Project, which produced the report. "Like a person in deep credit-card debt, the state has been spending more than it can afford, and is covering the gap by issuing IOUs."

Top Springfield players are not yet commenting on the report, which is gently titled "Apocalypse Now." But I expect an awful lot of chatter now that it's been formally issued.

'ACCOUNTING GIMMICKS'

The report's general conclusions drew immediate backing from Laurence Msall, president of the Chicago-based Civic Federation, a watchdog group that has been issuing similar warnings.

While the federation has not reviewed the report and doesn't necessarily ascribe to all of the institute's methodology, the conclusions "are in keeping with our feeling that the deficit is a lot larger than has been reported," Msall told me. For many years now, Springfield officials "have been using accounting gimmicks," he said, and the true underlying deficit numbers are "very large."

In its report, the center looked not at what is reported in the state's budget but at overall state spending and accrued expenses, comparing that combined figure to actual income.

To get to the $6 billion figure for the current fiscal year, which ends June 30, Dye said researchers started with the agreed-upon $2 billion to $3 billion hole (half of which was caused by the income-tax cut) and added other forms of running up debt and otherwise kicking the financial can down the road.

Included in round terms are $1 billion in annual debt service for pension obligation bonds issued by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, $600 million in borrowing and a $650 million "one-time" shift of money from special-purpose state accounts to shore up the operating or general funds, $237 million in supplemental spending approved after the budget was enacted and $470 million for programs that were authorized but not fully funded.

PENDING COURT PENSION RULING

Those holes will continue in fiscal 2016, which starts July 1, Dye said, even as the state loses another $4 billion from a full year of income-tax cuts and even as routine spending needs to rise perhaps another $1 billion. Ergo, a $9 billion hole, with the state potentially getting way behind again on payment of bills. The state owed $6.5 billion as of Dec. 31, but that backlog could rise quickly.

The hole will be even deeper if, as many expect, the Illinois Supreme Court tosses out a pension reform law designed to cut taxpayer expenses by $1 billion or more a year. The state's four major pension funds now have an unfunded liability of at least $111.18 billion.

If anything, the projected deficits are conservative, the report says, noting that it assumes spending over the next decade will rise only 3.2 percent a year, below the average annual 4.7 percent since 1997.

Rauner, echoing the position of many newbie governors, has strongly suggested in recent weeks that state finances are in worse shape than he even expected.

If the institute study is accurate, he is right. He hasn't yet said what he'll do, other than suggesting that "shared sacrifice" will be needed.

Update, 11:15 a.m., Jan. 20 —

The institute now tells me that the report assumes the new pension plan pending before the state's high court will not pass muster. If it is approved, the projected fiscal 2016 deficit would be $1 billion to $1.5 billion less, Dye tells me—in other words “only” $7.5 billion to $8 billion.

Neither the Rauner folks nor House Speaker Michael Madigan is commenting on the report. I'm awaiting some reaction from others, but you can bet it's been widely read.

12 p.m. update:

Some reaction to the report is in, and it’s not very encouraging for your pocketbook.

Says a spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton in a statement: “The IGPA analysis is disappointing but not surprising. The state was making progress toward paying down old bills while providing resources for education and other costs, but we still must address the structural deficit. We look forward to hearing Gov. Rauner’s ideas during his budget presentation Feb. 18.”

Says a Rauner spokesman in an email: “Gov. Rauner has been saying for a long time that the budget is far worse than has been let on. Gov. Quinn left the state in dire financial shape. It is clear that we need to restructure state government. . . .Failure to enact fundamental reforms would cause the taxpayers to throw good money after bad and that can’t happen.”


Well, duh dit, duh dit , thats all folks ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Like I said BIG decision was to be made by April 15th, regardless of MOU or Violation of Lease Agreement. IDNR and State Of Illinois supposedly both Re-iterated April 15th Deadline.

Maybe a decision will come yet in 2016, but I would not hold my breath. Illinois Health Department needs to Inspect Vendor Buildings, Vendors are not going to allow themselves be Sued for Black Mold Health Issues, They the Vendors would be Stupid to sign a lease, or Rent a building Knowing Black Mold is present.

Yours in Sport
Gary Bryant..................................Dr.longshot

 

Doc....show us where they said that other than the MOU.

You dont make sense. You say April 15th is important regardless of whether or not there is a violation of a lease agreement. If there was not a violation then why would they negotiate?

Clear that up doc.

 

The State said they would negotiate in "Good Faith", "IF" the facility was not reopened and operational by 04-15-16, that would not be needed if the lease was still in effect ( is it .?) ... The lease was for all practical purposed null and void once the State did not honor ( if they do not honor) the lease and the terms outlined in it ... Technically, the facility was reopened and operational by virtue of the "Glock " shooting tournament that just past, so now what is in question is the State going to honor the lease that the ATA has in hand, the terms of same could be in question ... If the State alters any part of a legal and binding agreement (if it still is ) and the ATA agrees to the modifications it would be no harm, no foul ... The big question then would be if the ATA was harmed by the uncertainty (closed to all shooting) and if it in fact impacted the attendance and to what degree being as the attendance has been on the decline ever since the move to Illinois any way ... I feel the ATA knows what is going on and they are looking to place blame on the State of Illinois if or when the grand does not happen ... This can get ugly Grass Hopper ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

WPT
I agree with most of what you said. With just hours to go on the MOU the ATA says no need for that. We have a contract. The old contract.

The IDNR / IL must feel blind sided but none of Merlo's April Fools could be found. I think User-1's view that this recent stunt is an effort by the EC to make themselves look less stupid or at least better than IL. There are no other options.

The ATA says it is on IL again but the IDNR has not blinked and the U.S. Open is not on the table, or so says Monica Brackman IDNR.

The Harpoon that killed this whale is the SCTP finding better and more stable waters at the Cardinal Center. Better contract, no drama, twice the love, and a better facility.

IL was sold on there being an SCTP Nationals Tournament. IL was sold on lots of things. But that was when felon Blagojevich was pulling the strings..

 

I got this off of the IDNR web site today.

1. Illinois DNR
2. Calendar

AIM Championships - 7/28/2016 to 8/2/2016

• ATA Grand American - 8/3/2016 to 8/13/2016

• August 2016 Kaskaskia Cowboys Shoot - 8/6/2016 to 8/13/2016

• Cold-Blooded Creatures of the Cache - 8/27/2016

• Gourmet Wine Pairing Dinner (Pere Marquette Lodge) - 8/31/2016

 

That sad thing is none of the EC members and no delegates have come forward to tell us what the real scoop is. The other stuff AIM , Grand etc was put on the schedule before the flip flop of the ATA on the MOU and negotiations. I suppose those can be removed.

But really who care? We are only family weekend shooters. It is a great sport. Too bad we have crummy leaders.

 

The lease was broken, it cannot be un-broken, damage was already done. An MOU was possibly written, but under what Authority? There is a lot of legal work straightening this out, Electrical Bill has not been paid yet, Black Mold is infested in Vendor Buildings, I believe the lease includes vendors
buildings, no proper maint. has been done in any shape or form, Maint people are supposedly laid off, Not on the grounds doing anything.

Anyone accepting a DO OVER, is beyond legal statutes, damage has been done, IDNR closed the Facility, did they not?

If I had a Lease and they Broke the lease They is gonna pay, and pay dearly. The ATA is in the drivers seat on this lease.

 

The State of Illinois is self Insured, they have exempted themselves from Legal action based on the financial situation and them not having a budget or ability to pay claims though a person could get a Judgement against them is they are found to be at fault ... IF (BIG IF) it was to ever go to court (litigation) no Judge in his/her right mind would ever render judgement against the State on an issue that has proven to be a loser for over 11 years to the tune of over 23 Million dollars and has virtually no chance of being turned around ... The Mold issues would also be subject to a determination by the court if it came to that , but to knowingly lease out a building with mold issues goes against the laws in most States ... If by chance someone (anyone ) has a serious (any reaction) bad reaction to the presents of the mold it would once again be at the discretion of the court to pass judgement (see Self Insured, above) and go from there ... The State closed the facility after the grand last year and if they are operational at that time this year I'm not sure if the lease would be considered violated if the ATA get use of the facility again this year for same ... The MOU was nothing more than an appeasement to shut everyone up and as an act of Good Faith by the State (IDNR) ... The ATA would be right in the bulls eye of any and all law suits if they accept responsibility for all liability and claims from any given date to and including any date of termination of that agreement ... The time and amount of money it would cost the ATA to pursue the matter legally with little or not much chance of recovery would probably be a mistake ...

I am not sure the States employees are laid off , but they may not be doing anything knowing what is or is not going on at the facility and that their jobs may be in question in the future ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Doc.....try to be right once or correct your mis-statements. You said...

A lease is only broken if one of the parties said it is broken. Which party says it is broken?

 

Ken Cerney,

Permit me to update your above post if you will.

This was an old notice posted on January 15, 2016, the day the ATA and IDRN announced the agreed upon Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) which permitted both organizations to enter into negotiations for the purpose of allowing the ATA to lease the entire shooting complex for a 4-month period (May - August).

On April 10th I received, from my State Association secretary, an ATA announcement entitled ATA WITHDRAWS IDNR LEASE DEFAULT. I've attached it below and it states that "the WSRC cured the lease default and rendered the MOU void."

​

It appears to me that the ATA has wisely taken the position that the old lease is now reinstated as the result of the IDNR opening the facility for scheduled shooting events.

When the ATA announced to the world that the Grand American Handicap tournament would be held at the WSRC in August, they gave up any bargaining power they may have had. The IDNR was handed the highest degree of positioning strength one side could ever hope to attain. In other words, they could make demands on the ATA to assume all expenses incurred during those months of increased operational costs because the ATA told shooters, campers and vendors to make plans.

Since Governor Rauner suspended shooting operations to keep expenses to a minimum, it seems very plausible that the only way he would allow its resumption, would be a guarantee that any use (lease) would not add to the State's financial woes. That means the IDNR will require the ATA to assume a much greater expense for the 2016 AIM and Grand American tournament than called for in the 2011 Amended Lease Agreement between the IDNR and ATA. The ATA leadership has gone from a position of very little or no bargaining strength to a neutral position and forcing the IDNR to make one of three decisions :

1. agree with the ATA that the old lease agreement has been reinstated in full;

2. agree that the ATA will not be required to assume all (total) expenses for leasing the WSRC. The ATA might agree to accept responsibility for some operational expenses such as increased electrical usage.

3. reject the ATA's position that the withdrawal of the declaration of lease default against the IDNR did not reinstate the old lease and offer to negotiate a new lease as agreed by both parties in a signed MOU back in November 2015 and announced to the public on January 15, 2016.

Here's the initial Default Notice (after an extension offer till January 31, 2016) to the IDNR.

​

And here is the WSRC electric bill from August 2015 which was $87K for the month as compared with normal monthly limited usage of about $18 - 22K for 29 days (amounts from invoices during slow-months.)

​

According to the ATA's Official Minutes of the Executive Committee on December 14, 2015, the 2015 Grand American tournament generated a net profit of $395,129. My guess is that they are willing to spend some of their profits (assume additional expenses for use of the WSRC) to insure the AIM and Grand American tournaments are held.

​

My guess is that the only reason the ATA searched for a "Signature Sponsor" was that they knew it was going to be expensive to hold the 2016 Grand American. A cost greater than $400K.

Remember, some months ago I asked a State Delegate to request a list of estimated expenses from the ATA, showing all anticipated costs for their MOU 4-month proposal. An email response from ATA President Morris failed to provide this information. Personally, I don't believe the ATA has attempted to understand the potential cost of their MOU proposed 4-month lease with the IDNR. That should worry all members. It reminds me of the time Delegates asked for the estimated expense of building our own new shooting facility when negotiations were in process for the ATA's possible purchase of the Sparta property (abt 2003) before the State of Illinois decided to build it themselves. Our officials did not know and some Delegates asked who on earth could the BOD vote to approve such a major decision without understanding its affordability?

In my view, leasing the WSR Complex for the AIM and Grand American Handicap tournaments will happen only if the ATA agrees to accept some of the operational costs and the IDNR is able to get the Governor's approval to increase their current bare-bones costs to resume some shooting events.

My apology to you Ken Cerney for taking liberties with your post, but I thought is was important for readers to know it was an old notice during the period when both entities agreed their Lease Agreement was no longer in effect.

These are my opinions . . . . and I could be wrong!

HB

 

There has been an over abundance of smoke and mirrors presented to and for the shooters sake since this all started over 11 years ago actually, it continues yet today ... The posted schedules mean nothing if the Association/ organization posting them are without Honor and Integrity working in and for the best interest and behalf of the members/customers ... Nothing is for sure or absolute as of now, no body will know for sure until the first shot is fired and even then it could get cancelled ... The cost is going to far out weigh the possible (probable) return ... The only fair way would be to pass on all cost related to the shoot to those choose to attend and leave it at that ... You play, you pay just like everything else in life ... Then who cares what it costs ..? Go, have fun, somebody turn out the lights when its over ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

The MOU drama was a lie. You folks out there in cyber villes are the dummies.

 

The ATA said it was broken per " Read HB's Post"

 

No doc....

That is not what it says.

The ATA said the State of Illinois was in default and gave the State of Illinois time to correct the default. They used a deadline extension period followed by the MOU (stall for time) period.

The MOU and notice of default was removed by the ATA. The EC claims they are happy with the lease. The state of Illinois may feel blind sided by the recent move.

It appears to me the IDNR is caught now with a lease they thought no one wanted. I dont see Illinois coughing up monies so rich men with $700,000 motorhomes and $30k guns can shoot clay targets while the rest of the state falls into bankruptcy.

As of now the IDNR says there is no U.S. Open. The shoot is being used as a feeler gauge to see what the reaction is going to be from the IDNR. So far no Open.

 

I don't think anyone fell for the MOU thing right from the start, it was an obvious smoke screen ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

History Buff thank you for giving all of the information you did. Now all of the documents are all in one place so we can get a grasp on things. Thanks again.

 

Ok

 

To quote the late Paul Harvey............. "Cheer Up, Nothin's gonna turn out right.



Regards....Gerald

 

Seems to me the State/IDNR still may hold the upper hand.

 

If my memory serves me right Lynn Gipson said that Illinois Voided the lease, I have looked at 1,000s of threads and cannot find it. I know I read it someplace, if somebody remembers it please help me, or ignore that thread I wrote

Gary Bryant..............................Dr.longshot

 

I seem to recall that also Gary, not sure how long ago it was but he was supposedly upset that the State was not honoring the agreements ... Tentative, probable, possible, etc MOU ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Personally, I think the ATA's notice of "Default" and "Voided Lease" are moot and of little or no importance at this point.

May I remind readers of an earlier ATA communication signaling the ATA's intention of leasing the World Shooting and Recreational Complex at any cost.

​

They showed their cards to the IDNR well in advance of any so-called future negotiations (after April 15, 2016). As I said earlier . . .

The negotiations may already be completed, (I suspect they are), thus the reason for the notices of upcoming tournaments at the WSRC.

Yes, the expense of leasing the WSRC from here on out to the year 2026 has now increased substantially since the 2015 Grand American. At least that's my interpretation of the above comment "which would apply to the remaining life of the lease."

I wonder how many Delegates have requested information on those negotiations and what is the anticipated cost to the association?

Perhaps it will take another FOIA Request from a caring ATA member to obtain details of the new lease agreement.

Then the new lease can be shared with our Board of Directors (if they read this site) so they are updated with current facts, just as the 2011 Amended Lease Agreement was posted on this forum and read for the first time by any Delegate. I recall discussing some details with one State Delegate who thought I was full of "crap" . . . . that is until I sent it to him and he read it for himself.

Wonder why the ATA has never shared the actual lease agreement with the BOD?
Perhaps they believe the Director's don't really care.
Perhaps they are right!

Just my thoughts based on words in the above notice! And . . . . . I could be wrong!

HB

 

The "Grand" has to happen "at any cost" .... that is, "at any cost" to the membership.

Because .... IF it does not, how are the members going to feel about the five-figure gift shotgun and all the paychecks being given out if it does not happen ????

Kool Aid works well for the dreamers in cyber-land .... but, a great loss of membership money blamed on the State of Illinois, is much better than trying to face the membership for not having the "Grand" and still giving all the leeches their blood.

The "Grand" WILL happen in Sparta .... shooting Trap while there is up to the State of Illinois.

 

Those on the committee acting on behalf of the State of Illinois will be Ben Dover and his partner KY Jellie , not sure who is going to look out for the welfare of the Association and the members, but at this point in time it probably does not matter anymore ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Bill, I don't think KY Jellie will be able to attend, so negotiations will be hard pressed.

(YWC)

 

6 REFORMS TO END ILLINOIS’ PERPETUAL BUDGET CRISIS
BUDGET + TAX / Article
April 15, 2016
Illinois needs a combination of constitutional and statutory changes to put and keep the state on sound fiscal footing and allow it to pay its providers and better prepare for emergencies.

A state budget agreement in Illinois won’t do anything to put an end to the fiscal games that go on year after year. Any financially responsible budget deal must also include the fiscal reforms needed to put an end to unbalanced budgets, and the uncertainty that taxpayers and service providers are forced to endure.

Illinois hasn’t had a balanced budget since 2001. Politicians’ lack of discipline has left Illinois with the worst credit rating of any state in the country, a $4 billion budget shortfall and more than $7 billion in unpaid bills. The Mercatus Center at George Mason University currently ranks Illinois 50th in the nation for fiscal solvency, a measure for how well (or poorly) a state can meet its spending obligations.



Fortunately Illinois can learn from the many states that have implemented to keep their budget processes disciplined. The following six reforms would drive Illinois toward sustainable, balanced budgets:

Constitutional changes

1. A stronger balanced budget requirement

According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, 43 states including Illinois require a governor’s proposed budget to be balanced, 40 states require the state legislature to pass balanced budgets, and 37 ensure that budget deficits cannot be pushed off into the next year.

Illinois’ constitutional requirement for a balanced budget, however, is full of loopholes and has become meaningless. The state hasn’t had a balanced budget inmore than a decade because it allows any budget shortfall to be pushed forward into the next year.



That trend hasn’t stopped. In 2014, the General Assembly passed and Gov. Pat Quinn signed a budget they admitted was billions of dollars out of balance. And again, in 2015, the General Assembly passed and sent to Gov. Bruce Rauner another budget that was $4 billion out of balance. Rauner vetoed that budget.

1. Biennial budgets

Nineteen states, including Indiana, Kentucky, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin, pass a state budget every two years instead of every year. In addition to eliminating the potential for protracted budget fights every year, this timeframe would allow lawmakers to pass budgets in nonelection years, which would minimize delays for political purposes.

Importantly, governors and legislatures have more time to focus on policy reforms, which are often instrumental to long-term solvency, in nonbudget years. Several states with two-year budgets have AAA credit ratings, and they tend to outperform other states economically and to be more fiscally stable.

1. Reasonable pension protection

Some state constitutions protect government employees’ already-earned pension benefits. Illinois courts have ruled that the state’s constitution not only protects already-earned pension benefits, but also those that government workers have not yet earned. That carries a high price tag for taxpayers and squeezes out spending for core government programs and services.

Illinois should amend its constitution so it can reform government workers’ unearned retirement benefits going forward. In the meantime, the General Assembly can pass several reforms that would help reduce the impact of the state’s pension crises.

Statutory changes

1. Professional revenue and spending assumptions

Illinois’ constitutional balanced-budget language gives the General Assembly the ability to make revenue and spending assumptions, which essentially allows politicians to make unrealistic or inaccurate assumptions about how much money the state will have to spend. Those tricks were in clear view when legislators passed a 2015 budget they conceded was out of balance the day it was signed. The 2016 budget that Rauner vetoed did not even balance on paper.

Other states prevent midyear deficits with official revenue- and expenditure-estimating conferences. Conferences consist of economists and budget professionals from the executive and legislative branches, with the advice of external experts and national economic forecasts. The governor and legislature are required to use official estimates for revenues and spending programs, as well as official estimates for proposed spending reforms and revenue changes.

1. Ending bill backlogs and building a rainy day fund

Illinois should enact a budget-stabilization mechanism that serves to pay down any unpaid bills and to create a rainy day fund. Such a mechanism would require the General Assembly to set aside a portion of any revenues over and above expected revenues for use to pay down the state bill backlog.

After eliminating the backlog, the state would dedicate half of above-trend revenues to a rainy day fund. The state could only make withdrawals from the fund in fiscal or health and safety emergencies.

1. End mid- and late-year budget fights and uncertainty for providers

Other states’ laws give the governor authority to declare fiscal emergencies in the event of unforeseen lower revenue or higher expenditures. Even official estimating conferences may not foresee national economic crises, such as 9/11, or natural disasters.

In some states, the governor can adjust the budget’s spending plan in order to fix a mid-year problem without legislative approval if the legislature is out of session. In other states, the governor can send the legislature a plan to address a fiscal emergency through expenditure reductions or use of the rainy day fund. In these cases, a joint committee of the legislature must be given a defined period of time to make changes to the proposal or it becomes law.


No more problem ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

KR
A more prudent organization with delegates that cared or knew their job would have immediately reminded the EC that their spending is limited to $50K for leases. Delegates have no reason to care since the members that cared left....

 

FG,

Members that cared left.....

Count Me (And they will be happy) as another who left as of this coming September...

Disgusted, and will no longer piss away good money to support such an organization !

 

THE PROOF IS IN THE GDP: ILLINOIS NEEDS TO GROW ITS TAX BASE, NOT ITS TAX RATE
JOBS + GROWTH / Article
April 19, 2016
Illinois’ economy lagged the national average between 2003 and 2014. Had Illinois’ gross domestic product grown at the same pace as the national average since 2003, Illinois workers would have generated an additional $64.6 billion in products and services in 2014.

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan seems to believe the only way to generate money for government programs is to raise the income-tax rate. In other words, Madigan and like-minded politicians in Springfield want to take a bigger bite out of Illinois workers’ paychecks.

But there’s a better path forward for Illinois: Grow the tax base, not the tax rate.

Growing the state’s tax base would mean creating a drastically different economic climate – one that would attract employers and workers alike. This will require a lot of effort: Today, Illinoisans are struggling through one of the worst economic recoveries in the nation,people and businesses are leaving, and they are taking their money with them. Illinois’ failed policies of the last decade – namely, increasing taxes and overspending – are shrinking the tax base. This has left Illinois with an economy that lags behind those of most other states.

Consider the best indicator of Illinois’ economic growth, the gross domestic product. The GDP measures the total amount of goods and services created. When the GDP is rising, the economy is going in the right direction; when the GDP is dropping, the economy is not performing as well. Economists view it as the single most informative piece of information on the economy as a whole.

From 2003 to 2014, a decade when Madigan virtually controlled state government with majorities in both legislative chambers and Democratic governors, Illinois’ GDP grew by only 38.4 percent, according to data from the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, or BEA. By comparison, U.S. GDP grew by 50.5 percent during that time.

Illinois ranked 41st in the U.S. for the 2003-2014 period, according to BEA information Compare Illinois’ performance with that of Texas, a high-growth state, which ranked 3rdwith 94.3 percent growth. And neighboring Indiana also beat Illinois with a 40.8 percent growth rate in GDP.



Low growth has meant fewer opportunities for Illinoisans.

If Illinois’ economy had grown at the same pace as the national average since 2003, Illinois workers would have generated an additional $64.6 billion in products and services in 2014, pumping more life into the state’s economy and sending more tax revenue to state coffers. And if Illinois had grown like Texas since 2003, Illinois’ economy would have been nearly one-third larger in 2014 alone. Even at Indiana’s pace of growth, Illinois’ economy would have been better off by $12.7 billion in 2014.

Instead, Illinois has been stuck with bad policies followed by a bad economy.

But there is no reason Illinois can’t adopt better policies to cultivate a strong economy.

If Illinois becomes a friendlier place to do business, more businesses will open. And those additional businesses will hire more workers. And more workers will earn income and pay taxes, resulting in more revenue to pay for core government services. All this can happen without politicians reaching into taxpayers’ wallets for a larger share of Illinoisans’ hard-earned money.

Illinoisans need to demand policies that grow the tax base, not tax rates. These policies include:

• Lowering the cost of government by creating a more realistic retirement plan for state workers

• Demanding a truly balanced budget to ensure spending doesn’t outpace revenues

• Reforming Illinois’ workers’ compensation system to be more in line with those in other states

• Reducing the overall property-tax burden to make Illinois more affordable

WPT , (YAC) ... All the news, all the time ... No ups, no downs , no extra's ...

 

I wonder why the rush for the HOF to locate their treasures in a building they don't own, on land they can't control, in a state that is both anti gun and broke? Is the HOF stuff now in danger of being confiscated by the Illinois government and legal system? Brad

 

Brad, I have been afraid of that exact same thing.

The ONLY reason I can come up with for the immediate relocation was for the almost free storage now.

I assume they need to pay for the electricity, but that should be it.

I sure hope they don't have to "Lease" the building from the State, or pay the taxes on that State Owned Building.

 

The "treasures" have little to no value to the State of Illinois. Illinois would probably lose money selling them. It would take 500 people 6 years to "sell" the stuff the way the State would require. It was just another move of playing 'all-in', with hopes it may sway the State of Illinois to pay for the place to be open.

Just think of the millions of clay targets and shells on hold, sitting on trucks with paid drivers sitting behind the wheel day after day just waiting for "the call". And all the trained trap help turning down any job offers so they will be available to take "the call". The poor food vendors may have to supply food for zero to "tens of thousands", by the "ATA" numbers. How do you make that kind of order for food supplies ????

The only peril the "treasures" may face comes from dust and cobwebs.

 

IL Governor Rauner Gets $750,000 Tax Break, Proposes Slashing Services to Middle Class and Poor
02/24/2015 08:07 am ET | Updated Apr 26, 2015
4.5 K

• 
  Robert CreamerPolitical Organizer, Strategist, Author; Partner Democracy Partners

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Illinois’ new GOP Governor, Bruce Rauner, will personally receive a $750,000 per year tax cut as a result of his decision not to continue the state’s temporary 1.25% income tax surcharge that expired last year.

His taxes were cut by an amount equal to the annual income of 14 families of four making the median income. And remember that after adjusting for inflation, that median income number has not materially increased in about 35 years, since virtually all of the income growth resulting from the massive increase in worker productivity over that period has been siphoned off by speculators like Rauner.

Rauner, who made $61 million in 2013 - or $29,000 per hour - is one of a small group of multi-millionaire speculators who would directly benefit enormously from lower state tax rates. Among them is his friend Ken Griffin, reputedly the wealthiest man in Illinois, who contributed $2.5 million to Rauner’s campaign for Governor - and has also pitched in $10 million to a $20 million campaign war chest that Rauner plans to use to run opponents to members of the Legislature that oppose his policies.

Griffin and his soon-to-be former wife, Anne Dias Griffin, are involved in a high profile multi-million dollar divorce battle. He and Dias are fighting over the control of tens of millions of dollars.

One filing by Dias, quoted by CNBC, gives you a flavor:





Dias said she and their children have come to “enjoy a lifestyle reserved only for the very wealthy,” including houses in Chicago, Aspen, Hawaii, Miami Beach and New York. They also have “unrestricted access” to two private jets “to travel to the aforementioned homes” as well as other destinations.

She said the family has a “large group of staff members assisting the family, including extensive household, security and family office employees,” and their own company that employs staffers, called “Griffin Family Services.”





Dias is asking a million dollars a month — $12 million a year — in child support. That’s right, $12 million per year in child support - you can’t make this stuff up.

Just by way of comparison, remember that a highway worker for the state of Illinois who makes an average income of $49,000 a year laying hot asphalt and filling pot holes, would take about 244 years to make $12 million. But Griffin’s pal, Rauner, says he wants to cut the pay for such workers - claiming they make too much and should be paid something closer to the $39,000 a year he says they make in surrounding states.

None of this seems to bother Rauner one bit, since at the same time he and his friends get that big tax cut, Rauner’s new state budget promises draconian cuts in services that benefit the middle class and the poor.

Rauner proposed six billion dollars in cuts for state spending on universities, health care, local governments and pensions for state employees.

Here are some high points:

• Limiting eligibility for Department of Aging Community Care Programs.
• Cutting health care benefits for homecare workers.
• Slashing funding for the Department of Children and Family Services.
• Eliminating all Department of Children and Family services for youths 18-21.
• Cutting adult dental and podiatry services as well as kidney transplants for undocumented children.
• Eliminating exemptions for drugs for severe mental illness from a state 4-prescription limit.
• Reducing payments to facilities for children on ventilators, supportive living facilities and children with severe mental illness.
• Cutting Medicaid spending by1.5 billion - including735 million in cuts to hospitals serving Medicaid patients.
• Eliminating assistance to families with Hemophilia.
• Freezing intakes on childcare for children over 6.
• Increasing childcare copays for working parents.
• $27.5 million in reductions to community substance abuse programs.
• $82 million reduction to community mental health programs.

Eliminating State funding for specific organizations providing: - Services for people with disabilities - Services to children with autism - Services to homeless young people - Services to run away teenagers - Immigrant integration services - Advanced placement classes - After school programs - Agricultural education - Arts and foreign language programs - Parent mentoring - Safe Schools initiatives

• Cuts to breast and cervical cancer programs.
• And a 31.5% cut to higher education.

His plan would also move state employees - most of whom make middle class salaries or less - into pension plans with lower benefits.


Rauner claims that his proposal is a “turnaround budget.” “Like a family, we must come together to address the reality we face. Families know that every member can’t get everything they want,” he said. Unless, of course, you are Bruce Rauner or one of his mega-wealthy friends.

Seems that the state can’t afford more childcare for working parents, but it can afford huge tax cuts for the very rich. After all, Ken Griffin needs to make that million dollar a month “child care” payment.

The fact is, of course, that Illinois - like most other states - are not in the midst of dramatic declines in economic performance that would require this kind of “belt tightening.” In fact, Illinois, like most of America, is wealthier today per person, than at any other time in its history.

The problem is that the wealthy have rigged the economic rules of the game to allow people like Bruce Rauner and the millionaires who got him elected to siphon off most of the wealth for themselves and leave middle income incomes flat.

One of those rigged rules is found in the Illinois State Constitution. It would make sense to get much of the money needed to finance public services from those who have benefited most from the state’s economy - rather than those whose incomes have been flat. You’d do that with higher income tax rates on millionaires and billionaires than the one charged for ordinary working people.

But when the state constitution was rewritten in the 1970’s, the wealthy organized to insert a provision preventing State Government from having progressive income tax rates. They wanted to keep their own share of taxes low, and to shrink state revenue in general by requiring that if tax rates go up for them, they have to go up for ordinary people as well.

That problem needs to be fixed with a Constitutional amendment that allows a progressive income tax - which of course Rauner adamantly opposes. But in the meantime it would still be possible to raise desperately-needed revenue in ways that mainly target the wealthy taxpayers by providing substantial personal exemptions in any new tax aimed at replacing the state’s temporary income tax surcharge that expired last year.

Rauner, of course, opposes any new state taxes and if you want to know why, just ask the mega-wealthy donors who financed his $63.9 million campaign to occupy the Governor’s mansion.

Through his new state budget, Rauner intends to continue his life’s work excavating the pockets of the poor and middle class in order to benefit himself and his wealthy associates. That’s why Rauner serves as the personal embodiment - the poster boy — for Wall Street’s War on the Middle Class.

Bruce Rauner may think that he is auditioning for a spot on the 2016 GOP ticket or a cabinet post in a Bush, Walker or Christie administration.

In fact he could easily become the national symbol of the trickle down economic theory that has failed to produce benefits for everyday Americans and is at the core of the economic philosophy of every one of the 2016 Republican Presidential aspirants and their billionaire backers.

Robert Creamer is a long-time political organizer and strategist, and author of the book: Stand Up Straight: How Progressives Can Win, available on Amazon.com.He is a partner in Democracy Partners and a Senior Strategist for Americans United for Change. Follow him on Twitter @rbcreamer.



Can't make this stuff up ....WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

http://www.rebootillinois.com/2016/...atest-illinois-annual-financial-report/56277/

 

How could Barry and pals justify their perks if that did not happen?