So the king job poacher came rolling into Illinois:
http://www.chicagobusiness.com/...
For the second year in a row, Texas Gov. Rick Perry and his Lone Star State corporate raiders are headed to Chicago this afternoon, and Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and his boys already are shooting back.
Mr. Perry and a delegation from the Texas Economic Development Corp., a private group with which he works closely, will arrive in town today to meet with companies that might be looking for greener pastures, according to a spokeswoman. They'll stay overnight and then host a luncheon at Gibson's Bar & Steakhouse, with news media availability immediately thereafter.
Look for plenty of Texas beef on the menu — and plenty of big talk about why Texas' economy lately has considerably surpassed Illinois' and that of the Chicago area.
"He's continuing the red state versus blue state conversation that he's been promoting around the country for the last year, and making the pitch face to face for why Texas is the best place for their companies in the future," said Perry press secretary Lucy Nashed in an email.
Unlike last year, the group apparently won't purchase any ads. That's unfortunate, because I always like it when governors from other states help pay my salary.
But Mr. Perry is shopping an op-ed piece (below) that boasts that Texas has balanced its budget and built an $8 billion reserve while cutting some business levies, while Illinois recently raised taxes. The article also asserts that Texas grew jobs at a 3.4 percent rate last year, 10 times the Illinois figure. And it notably defends Texas' decision not to enlarge a "broken" Medicaid system via Obamacare, as Illinois did.
"When government takes over huge segments of the nation's economy, as this administration has done through Obamacare and Medicaid expansion, it's a recipe for disaster," he says. - Crain's Chicago Business, 7/8/14
You can read Perry's op-ed here:
http://www.scribd.com/...
But Governor Pat Quinn (D. IL) wasn't having it:
http://www.nbcchicago.com/...
Striking back, Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn issued a statement saying "we welcome Gov. Perry's contributions to Illinois' booming tourism and hope he comes back to see us soon" but "businesses here should be skeptical of his economic pitch."
"While Texas has no income tax, it must rely heavily on sales and property taxes that hit part of its population extremely hard," says Team Quinn. "Texas' record of late includes some of the nation's worst outputs of air and water pollution. ... After all that, the average tax burden for business is fairly close in the two states."
Hinz wonders if Perry -- who initially refused to meet with President Obama to discuss border issues this week -- intends on hitting up Chicago's political donor circuit while he's in town. He is, after all, mulling a 2016 presidential do-over even after losing the GOP nomination to Mitt Romney. - NBC Chicago, 7/8/14
Well said. By the way, Perry wasn't the only one Quinn went after today:
http://politics.suntimes.com/...
Standing before a group of workers at Plumber's Union Hall in Chicago, Gov. Pat Quinn accused his Republican gubernatorial opponent Bruce Rauner of tapping tax loopholes to "slash" his own tax burden and "shift that burden onto working people."
Quinn called on the multimillionaire to disclose his full tax schedules from 2013. Rauner, who made $53 million in 2012, received a six-month extension on filing his 2013 tax returns and will release them on or before the new Oct. 15 due date, his campaign said Tuesday. Last year, Rauner released his form 1040 for 2010, 2011 and 2012.
In a campaign in which Democrats are playing up income inequality issues, Quinn held a news conference that called on Rauner to further disclose details related to taxes he's already released as well as future releases. Quinn's remarks come after a Tribune report detailing loopholes that Rauner had tapped in previous filings, including avoiding paying Medicare and Social Security taxes in 2010 and 2011.
"The schedules tell the tale, all the details needed to determine if there are conflicts of interest and what loopholes are being used by Mr. Rauner to slash his tax burden and shift that burden onto working people," Quinn said. "We don't need a loophole governor and that's what Rauner is all about."
Quinn responded to the Rauner campaign calling the news conference a stunt, saying "I think the stunt is ... [Rauner] not paying into Medicare or Social Security from their private income." - Chicago Sun-Times, 7/8/14
Quinn isn't the only one calling for transparency from Rauner:
http://abc7chicago.com/...
Lieutenant Governor Sheila Simon is joining in the call for Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner to disclose his 2013 income tax return.
Rauner has filed for an extension on his 2013 taxes and has not yet released his return. He has, however, released his form 1040 for tax years 2010, 2011, and 2012.
Simon, who served on the Illinois Reform Commission and has long been an advocate for openness and transparency in government, says transparency should not be the exception in politics, but the rule.
"Being engaged in public politics, governance requires a sacrifice of some privacy," Simon said. "It's a small sacrifice, but it's worth it because transparency builds trust. This is not 'gotcha,' this is governing. Let's do it right." - ABC 7, 7/7/14
This is going to be a tough race indeed and voters aren't thrilled with either candidates:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
The people of Illinois are feeling particularly gloomy about their state, with its high unemployment, billions of dollars in debt, decades-long battles against corruption — and another possible tax hike waiting for them after the November election.
The bad mood surfaces in public-opinion polls that startle even the pollsters, with one survey showing that more people want to leave Illinois than anywhere else in the U.S. It’s also evident in the voting booth, where turnout in the March primary was the lowest on record. Now the cynicism is shaping one of the nation’s most competitive governor’s races, too.
“People are down in the dumps,” said Rod Spears, a retired Army officer and conservative activist from southern Illinois who says he hears the same concerns from his golfing buddies, all union members and lifelong Democrats.
The governor’s contest essentially boils down to the incumbent’s insistence that it’s not as bad as it used to be versus the challenger’s exhortations to throw the bums out and start over.
The race pits Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn, who portrays himself as a reformer, against businessman Bruce Rauner, an untested multimillionaire on whom Republicans have pinned their hopes that Illinois could become the next blue state to elect a GOP governor. - Washington Post, 7/7/14
But Quinn may have given a key constituency to head out to the polls:
http://insurancenewsnet.com/...
Governor Pat Quinn today signed a law to let voters weigh in on whether prescription insurance programs should be required to include birth control. The question will now appear on the November 4th General Election ballot. Today's action is part of Governor Quinn's agenda to ensure that all women in Illinois have full access to healthcare.
"A recent U.S. Supreme Court decision has again brought the issue of women's rights to the forefront," Governor Quinn said. "I think Illinois' voters will agree that healthcare is a human right, and the Affordable Care Act is meant to give all Americans access to decent, affordable healthcare. That means full access to medical treatment for every woman in America, regardless of who they are or where they work. Women should be able to make their own healthcare decisions. This referendum will help continue the progress we've made to protect and empower women in Illinois."
House Bill 5755, sponsored by State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) and State Senator Iris Martinez (D-Chicago), creates an advisory referendum on November 4 asking whether any health insurance plan in Illinois that provides prescription drug coverage should be required to include prescription birth control as part of that coverage. - Insurance News Net, 7/6/14
We will have to fight to keep this one but we can't give up. We can beat Rauner but we need to get voters out of their funk and to the polls. Click here to donate and get involved with Quinn's campaign:
https://www.quinnforillinois.com/