Reasons Illinois Gov. Rauner will not show at Sparta Friday - - vote

Governor Rauner is scheduled to be in Sparta Friday. The agenda includes him praising EC members, EC members praising EC members, and all the successes that ATA will experience for 3 months in Sparta and the MOU.

Not to be discussed...the leases Illinois broke.

There are strong sentiments that the governor will not show. Or that if he does he will look a bit silly. You heard it here!

(to those that put TP and soap behind the dumpster - - - thanks)

 

I doubt the Governor will show up being as he has important things to attend to and this is not one of the priorities ... The ATA has a lease in hand (legal and binding document) that has not been honored by the State of Illinois yet people are hanging their hopes and (Dreams) on a "Tentative Agreement" that may or may not become reality ... I have become calloused (cautious) about tentative agreements over the course of time and after getting hanged out to dry once, (more than actually) not sure I would place a lot of faith, and hope, about any changes after the first time around ... It will be interesting to hear the details and who is doing what to whom during the course of getting it done , so stayed tuned and pay attention ... It will be interesting to see how this all effects the attendance with the "Black Cloud" looming for so long ... I'm betting someone is picking up the slack and giving the State of Illinois some assurance (Insurance) they will not be harmed financially (now, the interesting part) and who will be giving those assurances ... I hope it happens but even with a signed agreement ( Legal and binding lease) the wheels fell off, so a Tentative really scares me more now that ever ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Long time reader here. If that bum merlo says the govna aint showin then the govna aint showin.

 

In case the governor is to busy to show, he has a little green munchkin from the area to sit in for him!

 

Why not wait until Friday and see if the Governor shows up and makes a statement, w/o trying to circumvent the meeting, The Governor is the CHEIF and this is his Territory, what he says goes.

GB.................DLS

 

If the governor cancels....send in the clowns.



If Merlo says he is going to cancel then he will cancel.

 

I would hate to have faith in what Merlo Says or predicts. especially for WSRC, The Illinois Governor will have the Final Say.
He is a Republican and I trust his judgement.
Gary Bryant..........................Dr.longshot

 

Damn Dr., for once you've said something I can agree to.

 

If the governor cancels then the governor is folding. As to jb and doc. Jb are you and doc sharing meds?

 

the press release I read doesn't state the governor plans to attend. It states 'a representative from the governor's office'. Sure that could mean the big guy himself, but in all likelihood he won't be there.

http://www.kfvs12.com/story/3093726...american-trapshooting-tournament-in-sparta-il

Of course there is a lot of other 'stuff' in the release that is questionable too.

 

Never back a slow horse.

 

No mention in the press release about the lease/contract that the State of Illinois defaulted on. That default at the direction of Governor Rauner.

No mention of the letter from the ATA pointing out the lease default. No mention that they have no where else to turn.

This should be a great event!

 

Statewide Problems:

• Secretary of State Jesse White announced his office will stop mailing out registration renewal reminders due to the lack of a state budget.
• The state’s Department of Central Management Services notified state employees it soon may not be able to pay medical providers for 150,000 state employees, retirees, families.
• A Better Government Association investigation found Illinois state parks are suffering amid the budget crisis. Approximately 735 projects at about 135 different sites across Illinois are on indefinite hold due to the budget deadlock.
• Half of Illinois colleges can’t afford to continue to use their own funds to help students who receive the Monetary Award Program.
• Police training classes across the state have been canceled.
• 136,000 Illinois college students are left in financial limbo by the state budget crisis.
• 75,000 Illinois domestic violence victims will lose services because lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner have not passed a state budget.
• The Illinois childcare assistance program — which provides child care subsidies to low-income, working parents — raised income eligibility requirements from 182% to 50% in July amid the budget impasse, threatening current low-income, working parents from being able to send their children to daycare. Then in November, lawmakers and Gov. Rauner lowered the income eligibility to 150% from 50%, which still prevents many working families from being able to access affordable healthcare for their children.
• Local health departments across Illinois are cutting back on staff, hours and services because they can’t get state funding until there’s a state budget.
• A power company and a prison drug treatment provider have been unpaid due to Illinois budget impasse and are pulling the plug on their services.
• $107 million in funds dedicated to affordable housing are going unused. Currently, there are more than 172,000 people in need of these funds.

These things can wait, the ATA (grand) is far more important ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Editorial

In the matter of one hour Friday afternoon, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner emerged from his bunker and broke his silence of the past few weeks to say he was “cautiously optimistic” an agreement could be reached with the Democrats after a meeting with all four legislative leaders. And then, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan let it be known he wasn’t budging.

By the time lawmakers shut down the spring legislative session on Sunday, Michael Madigan had compared Rauner’s approach to that of Rod Blagojevich, Senate President John Cullerton said Rauner was holding the state budget hostage and Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno said it all comes down to one issue: “The Democrats only want another tax increase.”

Rauner, meanwhile, vowed to not back down against “insiders” who “will not give up their power easily.”

“The insiders in Springfield, who make their money from the government, are at war with the people of the state,” Rauner said Sunday evening. “The taxpayers, the homeowners, the schoolchildren and their parents, small business owners. Those are the folks who are suffering in Illinois.”

We stand at the brink of an abyss the likes of which we have never seen in Illinois.

Rauner is ready to push the button on an all-out campaign to paint Madigan as an evil, uncompromising obstructionist who will raise our taxes to infinity and never look back. Unlike any other, this governor has the resources to sledgehammer that message home to Illinoisans hard. Republicans know from previous polling that that line of attack can work.

Madigan, who on Sunday afternoon said the House would be in “continuous session” from here on in, appears ready to take his chances to preserve and protect his power and his super majority. After all, he and his members don’t trust Rauner. Madigan has angry union leaders and plenty of foot soldiers on his side who have been revving up the notion that Rauner wants to steal meals from the mouths of homeless people. Earlier Friday, Democrats were passing out buttons to needy Illinoisans who benefit from government social programs that asked, “Am I essential?”

How about this notion: We all are essential in Illinois. This moment in Illinois history is not and should not be about Rauner or Madigan. This moment is about us. And yes, it’s about our very real and urgent need to fix Illinois.

Let’s all take a deep breath before we step into that abyss.

We do not believe that Madigan is Evil Incarnate. We do not believe Rauner rides on a cloud, playing a harp and wearing a halo.

The world is not black or white in Illinois or anywhere else.

But these are facts: Illinois has $111 billion in pension debts that must be fixed. We owe social workers, doctors, home health care workers and untold others, several more billion. Long-time residents are abandoning Illinois because job creation and opportunity lags. Property and other taxes, combined, just keep rising and rising and rising. Our biggest city,Chicago, grew by only 82 residents in the most recent data released.

Chicago taxpayers were saddled with $70 million in extra debt because the city’s credit rating was labeled “junk.” Illinois’ credit rating is the nation’s worst and — given the budget and philosophical gridlock on such vivid display Sunday — soon also could be labeled“junk.” The debts, the credit noose, the tax burden, the job climate instability has us reeling.

These also are facts: Bruce Rauner’s budget proposal for the year that starts July 1 was not balanced because it counted on $2 billion in pension savings that cannot happen yet. The Democrats’ budget plan is not balanced by far more than $3 billion. Rauner originally wanted right-to-work zones, a property tax freeze, term limits and gerrymandering amendments, workers compensation and lawsuit changes.

He scaled back his Illinois Turnaround and recently filed legislation without the anti-union measures.

More facts: Madigan has been Speaker for 30 years. Cullerton has been there for 36 years and has been Senate President for nearly six years while Illinois’ debt literally rocketed skyward. Rauner has been governor for five months.

Madigan says Rauner is wrongly mixing non-budget demands into budget negotiations because Rauner says he must have reform before he will agree to signing off on another tax increase.

Mr. Speaker, we’ve tried it your way for many, many years. To keep at it is insanity. We must try a different way. The governor is right to demand cuts and changes before cash.

You’ve mixed budget and non-budget items in end-of-year negotiations many times over the years. Don’t kid us kidders.

Rauner is looking for changes to workers comp and some relief for property owners. The issue of “causation” Rauner seeks does not diminish benefits to injured workers. It’s a measure to ensure that those claiming workplace injuries actually suffered those injuries in the workplace. It’s not too much to expect. It’s a start at fixing some of our problems.

The solution is clear. As we wrote a few weeks ago, budget experts on the left, right and middle all agree: Illinois needs to make difficult, painful spending cuts and difficult, painful tax increases. On this, the Speaker and governor already seem to agree.

The experts have said we must cut spending as deeply as we can. Do it across the board and tell your agency superstars, Governor, to find a way to make it work. Don’t tell us there’s no waste. Lengthen the pension repayment schedule and set in stone the annual payments that must be made. Then, tax services some, tax retirement income above a middle-income level to protect average retirees and find a way to patch our broken roads and bridges.

Give us a stable road to a new future with new jobs and rising salaries. Step back from the brink. Go ahead, blink now. We’re willing to bet you both will burnish your images and legacies if you get it done together.

We need more productive Illinoisans paying taxes and building families. Don’t try to rhetorically blow each other up and take all of us with you. We can’t withstand another crisis upon the crises.

Please. Step back from the abyss and toward building a bridge to a better, brighter Illinois.

 

10 ILLINOIS SENATE DEMOCRATS DEFIED THE PARTY LINE ON BUDGET VOTES

CAITLIN WILSON

REBOOT STAFF
MAY 28, 2015 2011 0

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budget. Similar versions of the bills were passed earlier in the House of Representatives.

The bills passed solely by Democratic votes as Democrats have a super-majority in both legislatures. Each spending bill had between 30 and 33 yes votes, all by Democrats. Republicans voted no. Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Republican lawmakers have said they do not want to pass an unbalanced budget and want to cut spending and make structural changes in government before looking for more sources of revenue, such as an increased income tax or sales taxes.

Democrats, however, have said they do not want to see programs cut which provide popular education, health and human services to their constituents. House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton have urged Rauner and General Assembly Republicans to accept the bills passed this week by Democrats and help look for other places in which to cut spending or find extra revenue to pay for them. You can see what these bills would entail here.

Ten state Senate Democrats voted against some or all of the budget bills and contrary to the majority of the rest of their party. Here’s a look at them and their votes:

Sen. Daniel Biss–Evanston

Biss voted no on all nine budget bills.

Sen. Melinda Bush—Grayslake

Bush voted no on all of them, though she mistakenly recorded a “not voting” response for SB2032, which she has requested be fixed. She explained why she rejected all nine bills which would increase spending in an emailed statement:

“Our job as elected officials is to serve the public interest. Budget solutions that simply allow existing problems to continue serve nobody. I broke with my party to vote against this budget because it does not solve anything.”

Sen. Thomas Cullerton—Villa Park

Cullerton voted no on all of the budget bills.

Sen. Steven Landek–Summit

Landek voted no on all of budget bills except SB2037, which allocates about $2.3 billion for the Department of Public Health and the Department of Child and Family Services.

Sen. Andy Manar—Bunker Hill

Manar voted yes on all of the bills except SB2029, which allocates money toward Illinois public colleges and universities and SB2037, which allocates about $2.3 billion for the Department of Public Health and the Department of Child and Family Services.

Sen. Julie Morrison—Deerfield

Morrison voted no on all of the bills.

Sen. Michael Noland–Elgin

Noland voted no on all nine bills.

Sen. Steve Stadelman–Rockford

Stadelman voted yes on six of the bills and voted no on SB2033, which gives about $3.8 billion to transportation costs and the pension funds associated with them. He voted no on SB2034, which allocates money for the Department of Revenue and rental housing funds and he voted against SB2035, which allocates money toward the General Assembly and Judges Retirement Systems and the governor’s office.

Sen. Michael Hastings–Tinley Park

Hastings voted yes on all nine bills except SB2034, which allocates money for the Department of Revenue and rental housing funds.

Sen. Jennifer Bertino-Tarrant–Plainfield

Bertino-Tarrant voted yes on all of the nine bills except SB2034, which allocates money for the Department of Revenue and rental housing funds.

Though no Republicans voted yes on any of the nine bills, a couple of them registered themselves as “not voting,” state Sen. Pamela Althoff of Crystal Lake on SB203 and Sen. David Luechtefeld of Okawville on all of them.

 

Hey, let's face it..He can't stop the shootings in Chicago but he knows how to stop it for the Grand. This is heading for a stalemate, Pay more or don't play! Screw the so called lease deal!

 

If the ATA is able to cut a deal to rent the shooting center. how much will it cost the ATA. Will they make it known so the shooters can decide if the cost are worth the price. Will they be honest with the info if we get any?

 

The State of Illinois claims 3 million annually to keep the WSRC up and running, that being said it generates 1.1 million (annually) leaving a gaping hole of 1.9 millions plus additional repairs needed now that the facility is aging and breaking down ... If the State triples all cost related to the facility it would appear to be a break even situation plus additional repair costs ... If this is broken down into quarters, (3 months) the cost for 25 % usage would be approx $750,000 plus additional wear and tear so realistically the cost related could be considerably higher with all combined cost related issues ... The attendance being in decline over the past 10 + years does not make this a good horse to bet on by the furthest reach of ones imagination ... The issues continue to add up for the State that now claims 12.5 billion in the rears and counting depending on what you read ... I am sure there are a lot of people who are curious to see how this is going to get pulled off and if it even will once all is said and done and real cost factors are tabulated versus income or possible return on the investment ... I seriously doubt the members will be made aware of the cost related issues , be interesting to see who pays what to who ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

Again I will ask the question of "What State Parks in Illinois generate more in revenue that what it costs to keep them up and running?"

 

Leonidas makes a decent point. What state parks make money? Answer: not many.

The other question is how much money does Illinois have? Answer: Illinois is in dire straits. There isn't enough money to pay lottery winners, food stamp recipients, sr citizens, childcare, police, fire depts., education, underfunded retirements etc. The park system is without fuel to keep warm.

Welfare for millionaires that come into town with $400,000 motorhomes is probably low on the list. We will see if Rauner shows. Merlo says no way. He hasn't been wrong yet.

 

State parks are not designed to make money, but they are supposed to generate enough to keep from adding more to the States deficit than it generates totally ... Entertainment is not cheap and those who expect to be entertained should expect to pay for it ... The State of Illinois has many more problems than the State Parks so in adding them all together the things that matter the least end up getting the boot and sooner or later get Bull Dozed ... If the WSRC no longer existed, how many Illinois tax payers would miss it or even know its gone ..? WSRC is a State park but what attractions other than shooting , camping, and fishing does it offer to those who visit ..? Hard to believe but not all of the residents of Illinois are shooters , most of the shooters live in Chicago which can be verified by looking at the shooting statistics (excess of 100 killed since 01-01-16 but they are going to cut back on Police training and put more money in a big black hole in Sparta ... Yep, makes sense to me ... WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

WPT: Governor Rauner does not have any appointments in Sparta Illinois for 1/15/2016 His office returned call this AM

GB...............DLS

 

Not enough priority for the Governor to show. Usually follow something with a Photo-Op.

Usually reps. take their place.

Although WRSC is a big place, in the final analysis of the total IDNR facilities, it may not carry as much weight other than possibly losing the most money.


Regards....Gerald

 

WHY THE STATE BUDGET IMPASSE MIGHT NOT END UNTIL NEXT WINTER

MADELEINE DOUBEK

REBOOT STAFF
JAN 11, 2016 1957 6

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state budget seven months into the fiscal year. In fact, unless Illinoisans apply extreme pressure, most signs point to this stalemate continuing until after the Nov. 8 general election.

Those signs?

Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan is working with an eye on November. He’s building up funds to compete with the more than $20 million Republican Bruce Rauner has banked to help the GOP with their legislative races in November. Madigan added $2.8 million in December to the four funds he controls. He raised $7.1 million last year. More than two-thirds of that came from unions and lawyers.

While those groups long have been the financiers of the Illinois Democrats, why would Madigan lessen their incentive to keep giving by cutting a budget deal? The animosity unions feel toward Rauner is the best motivation for donations and campaign street leather the Speaker holds.

Late Friday, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 31, the state’s largest public union, said Rauner’s side no longer was negotiating. Rauner’s side said the union had asked if they were at an impasse. The two sides can’t even agree on whether they’re still negotiating.

Also late Friday, Madigan’s staff announced House lawmakers would not be back in Springfield this week as planned and would not return until Jan. 27, the day Rauner is set to give his State of the State speech.

Meanwhile, Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel are making long-term plans. Rauner will add $480 million to taxpayers’ debt by selling bonds this week to fund construction projects. Emanuel is seeking approval from aldermen this week for $3 billion in borrowing, while CPS officials plan to add $1.2 billion in debt this month.

The governor and mayor are trying to make sure they have funds to keep things going as long as possible because future borrowing without a budget will cost even more.

Laurence Msall, president of the nonpartisan Civic Federation, said Chicago’s “very low credit rating is putting pressure on them to move forward on a very large authorization because of fear of further negative rulings, because of CPS debt and its own, and there’s not an expectation that Springfield is going to be forthcoming with help.”

Because of the already low city and state credit ratings, interest on all of this debt will be obscene and we, or our children and grandchildren, will pay for it.

Msall says Illinois is spending $33 million a day more than it collects.

One more sign? Rauner piled on Emanuel’s handling of his police and law department scandals twice last week. It’s likely he wouldn’t have been so harsh if he thought a budget deal with Emanuel and the state’s top Democrats was anywhere near imminent.

There might be a side deal cut to try to save the state’s university system, but so far the pressure for that hasn’t been enough.

John Jackson, a visiting professor with the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at Southern Illinois University in Carbondale, said, “The middle class doesn’t realize that if you screw up universities and screw up the MAP (monetary award program) grant system then that will hurt their children — those who are taking 6th and 7th graders to practice. They haven’t thought it through.”

Jackson said, “The big missing element in the drama so far has been the local legislators, and people putting pressure on their local legislators. … They ought to be raising all kinds of Cain with their leaders.”

“This is Illinois,” he added, “It’s not a banana republic and they (lawmakers) ought to get on with it.”

Local and top lawmakers aren’t feeling enough pressure yet. The one thing on the horizon that looms before November is the possible collapse of Chicago Public Schools. A teachers’ strike this spring just might be the crisis that could compel Emanuel to compel Madigan to get a budget with school aid approved. Children at home, not learning, while their parents are supposed to be working?

Maybe the children can save us if we’re too short-sighted to save ourselves.

WPT ... (YAC) ...

 

THINK THE ILLINOIS BUDGET CRISIS ISN’T HAVING AN EFFECT? THEN YOU NEED TO SEE THIS

REBOOT ILLINOIS

REBOOT STAFF
JAN 8, 2016 5546 6

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will stop mailing out registration renewal reminders due to the lack of a state budget.

• The state’s Department of Central Management Services notified state employees it soon may not be able to pay medical providers for 150,000 state employees, retirees, families.

• A Better Government Association investigation found Illinois state parks are suffering amid the budget crisis. Approximately 735 projects at about 135 different sites across Illinois are on indefinite hold due to the budget deadlock.

• Half of Illinois colleges can’t afford to continue to use their own funds to help students who receive the Monetary Award Program.

• Police training classes across the state have been canceled.

• 136,000 Illinois college students are left in financial limbo by the state budget crisis.

• 75,000 Illinois domestic violence victims will lose services because lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner have not passed a state budget.

• The Illinois childcare assistance program — which provides child care subsidies to low-income, working parents — raised income eligibility requirements from 182% to 50% in July amid the budget impasse, threatening current low-income, working parents from being able to send their children to daycare. Then in November, lawmakers and Gov. Rauner lowered the income eligibility to 150% from 50%, which still prevents many working families from being able to access affordable healthcare for their children.

• Local health departments across Illinois are cutting back on staff, hours and services because they can’t get state funding until there’s a state budget.

• A power company and a prison drug treatment provider have been unpaid due to Illinois budget impasse and are pulling the plug on their services.

• $107 million in funds dedicated to affordable housing are going unused. Currently, there are more than 172,000 people in need of these funds.

Have you or someone you know been impacted by the state government shutdown? Please share your story with us in the comments below to be added to the map.

 

I have a feeling the WSRC property will be put up for sale, possibly to bring the Missouri Aging Musical Park to an outdoorsy location, but there is not any Motels, Hotels to hold such a fantastic Audience, Maybe a possible Amusement Center, Quarter Horse Congress w/Mud Bogs, hell it is in the middle of Swamplands anyway. No Hiways or Byways lots of parking for Horse Trailers.
PS: they already have a Horse Barn

GB...........................DLS

 

The governor did not show. No surprise. He has never shown in Sparta. No lease. No future.