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• @AakashRaut @IllinoisPolicy yep. & mow we've Dillard and Ryan #
• frustrated w/IL GOP. Much, much too friendly to tax hike talks. If anti-tax in oppo only, then in oppo they need to stay. #

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GOP GUBERNATORIAL HOPEFULS MUST REASSURE ILLINOIS VOTERS ON TAXES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact: Greg Blankenship | 217.544.4759 | gkblankenship@all4growth.org

9 out of 10 Republican voters want an anti-tax candidate; but only 5 of 10 believe candidate promises against Higher Taxes

(Springfield, Ill.) The Illinois Alliance for Growth today called on Illinois GOP gubernatorial candidates to reassure Illinoisans that they will hold the line against taxes and overcome their credibility gap with voters on the tax issue.

Polling conducted on December 2nd through December 8th on behalf of The Chicago Tribune by the Market Shares Corporation found that 89% of registered Republican voters reported that opposition to tax increases were a critical issue to them.  That same poll ominously reported that less than half (45%) of Republican voters believed that their candidates will keep their promise to oppose higher taxes.

Last week, news reports reinforced that voter mistrust when two leading GOP contenders (both political veterans with 20 plus years in politics) waffled on the tax issue and opened the door to tax increases.  Both claimed that they were against taxes yet both said tax hikes were on the table.  Both have refused to make their commitment against tax increases in writing; yet both State Sen. Kirk Dillard (Westmont) and former Attorney General Jim Ryan (Elmhurst) want voters to believe that they oppose higher taxes.

“When 9 out of 10 of your voters say to hold the line on taxes, then you hold the line on taxes,” said Illinois Alliance for Growth President Greg Blankenship.  “And when half of your own party doesn’t believe you, then you need to step up and reassure them.  Restoring trust on taxes and jobs are paramount.”

Three gubernatorial contenders, State Sen. Bill Brady (Bloomington), Dan Proft (Chicago) and Bob Schillerstrom (Naperville), have signed the Americans for Tax Reform “Taxpayer Protection Pledge,” a solemn vow to constituents that they will oppose and veto any and all efforts to increase taxes as long as they hold the Office of Illinois Governor. More than 1,100 state officeholders from representatives to governors have signed the Americans for Tax Reform “Taxpayer Protection Pledge.”

“We’ve at least three candidates who get it and some who are currently behind the curve” said Blankenship.  “If we’re going to create a stable, healthy business climate then the credibility gap on taxes must be overcome.  The reforms exist to fix Illinois’ state fisc. and economy, but without holding the line on taxes no incentives exist to implement those reforms.  We want to work with everyone to get them on board.”

The Illinois Alliance for Growth is a non-profit, non-partisan taxpayer protection group dedicated to economic growth and limited government.  You can find out more about the Illinois Alliance for Growth at www.all4growth.org.

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Republican GOP Hopefuls Running on Gun Control?

This is interesting, because Democrats won’t even run on the gun control issue because it cost them Congress:

ISRA-PVF Press Release: Jim Ryan Picks Up Where He Left Off in 2002 – Stumbling Aimlessly Down the Road to Defeat

CHICAGO, Dec. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ — The following was released today by the ISRA Political Victory Fund (ISRA-PVF): “I’ve never seen a suburban Republican try so hard to look like a Chicago Machine Democrat,” is how ISRA-PVF spokesman Richard Pearson characterized the behavior of Republican gubernatorial candidate Jim Ryan. Pearson’s remarks came as follow-on to a published interview during which Ryan pledged to enact a ban on semiautomatic target rifles and shotguns. In that same Chicago Tribune interview, Ryan also pledged to deny law-abiding citizens the opportunity to carry defensive firearms to protect themselves and their families. Ryan’s latest affront to the state’s 1.5 million law-abiding hunters, sportsmen and firearm owners comes only days after the Ryan camp was forced to issue a retraction of the candidate’s claim that he had been endorsed by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) during his unsuccessful 2002 run for the governor’s mansion. In reality, neither Ryan nor his Democratic opponent, Rod Blagojevich, received ISRA support in 2002 as the two were deemed equally unsuitable for office. “We were not at all surprised by Ryan’s remarks in the Tribune,” said Pearson. “Ryan’s hostility toward law-abiding firearm owners extends way back to his days as DuPage County State’s Attorney. Ryan’s philosophical distaste for the fundamental rights guaranteed under the 2nd Amendment to the U.S. Constitution make him particularly unqualified to serve as Illinois governor. As we saw in 2002, Jim Ryan has slammed the door in the faces of Illinois firearm owners. As primary day draws near, Ryan may find that, if you keep doing the same things over and over, you will keep getting the same result.” The ISRA-PVF is a political action committee affiliated with the Illinois State Rifle Association. A copy of our report is available for a fee from the Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, Illinois. This press release is posted on PRNewswire.com. Posted Mon Dec 14 07:52:32 CST 2009

Bob Schillerstrom, Andy McKenna and Jim Ryan are clearly anti-gun.  Jim Ryan’s attempt at spinning — if it’s constitutional — just shows he knows he’s in the wrong.

On concealed Ryan touts his law enforcement credentials.  But one state wide law enforcement group, the County Sheriff’s Association,  has all ready endorsed concealed carry.

This penchant for regulations that only impede law abiding individuals and don’t do what the proponents say they’ll do — affect crime rates — is either a) pandering or b) demonstrates that they aren’t the champions of liberty and free markets they claim to be. Because if you are willing to regulate something as important as the individual right to defend one’s self, then imposing yourself on our economic transactions as well as other freedoms isn’t really a problem for you.

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Speaker Madigan and Me

Speaker Madigan has now been quoted as saying something that I’ve been saying for a long time:

“For those that think that tax increases are the answer, it’s a partial answer,” Madigan told an audience gathered for a panel discussion at the annual Illinois Legislative Latino Caucus Foundation meeting in Rosemont on Thursday. “Because you can raise the rate on the Illinois income tax, but if the economy is not performing you’re not going to get an increase in money out of the increase in rate.”

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A Pirate Stock Exchange in Somalia Proves An Important Point…

. . . that government is neither a necessary or sufficient condition for either market activity or civil order to exist.  This is a good public service announcement.

Doesn’t mean I don’t like any government or reflect a view that government has no place.  Doesn’t mean I’m some kind of libertarian anarchist.  It does mean the world would continue  along with a whole lot less of it.

A GOP Field Completely Bereft of Ideas? Maybe, Maybe Not

I give Rich Miller too much attention.  I know.  But he’s often — even when I disagree — insightful.

But today he paints the most damning picture of the GOP gubernatorial candidates on job creation. Therefore he’s going to get more attention.  Here’s what he has to say, on GOP job plans today:

* The Chicago Tribune’s questionnaire for gubernatorial candidates poses just one question about job creation, and it’s way down the list. Odd, considering the state’s unemployment situation. Some candidates offer a few specifics, like Sen. Bill Brady…

I am proposing a $2,100 tax credit to businesses for every new job they create.

Others are more generic, like Sen. Kirk Dillard…

…Form the Illinois Jobs Creation Council to facilitate meaningful and ongoing dialog between business and labor in order to find ways to make Illinois more competitive with the frictional costs of doing business.

And Andy McKenna…

My first act as Governor will be to convene a summit of Illinois’ greatest job creators.

And Jim Ryan…

I will immediately put in place a Council of Economic Advisors composed of economists, university researchers, economic forecasters, business, and labor leaders to make policy recommendations that will make our state more productive and competitive.

Bob Schillestrom didn’t really even address the question.”

Miller’s blog post presents a pretty damning picture of the GOP candidates.  Andy McKenna, for example, is calling for the same kind of “job summit” that the Obama Administration is holding. Jim Ryan wishes to create a new bureaucracy as does Kirk Dillard.  Sen. Bill Brady does get some credit for having one concrete idea.  There just isn’t much meat, there.

And Miller does provide links to the questionnaire so readers can see for themselves.  And there is more bite to what GOP candidates are saying.  But the question remains, are they bereft of ideas on the jobs front?  Well, yes and no.

The first point we have to recognize and something that Miller would never admit is that government doesn’t create wealth.  It can merely redistribute wealth.  It’s not government’s role to create jobs and when it does “create jobs” all it is doing is shifting resources around.  People are free to disagree with that despite libraries of empirical evidence suggesting otherwise.  But, what is important is that Republicans largely believe that.  So they aren’t going to have “detailed jobs plans.”

It’s the Democrats who believe in central planning, regulation and knowing better how to spend your hard earned dollars better than you do.  And when they do it there will be winners and losers. The winners tend to be those gifted at getting government largesse and turning around to give it back to the Democrats who elected them, the losers tend to be tax payers and the economy.

First Things First

The first thing to remember when assessing jobs programs of candidates is that the majority of the problem lies with Washington.  None of these candidates  point out that our economic woes are a national problem and the national leadership has been asleep at the wheel.  Instead of addressing the nation’s poorly performing economy, Washington has pursuing pet liberal projects that will hinder economic and job growth.  The big two are health care reform and Cap & Trade.  Not far behind (in no particular order)  are EPA attempts to regulate CO2, the bailouts, the non-working fake job creating stimulus spending and efforts to rewrite labor rules through the Federal Register.

All of this will have a stifling effect on the economy and thus Illinois job creation.  Therefore one of the first things a newly elected Governor should do is go to war with Washington.

A good first step would be to use the office to pressure Illinois’ congressional delegation.  Stand on their throats if you have to.  Washington is our major problem, right now.

A Stable Business Climate is Good Business Climate

Next, what Illinois needs is stability.  A stable, predictable business climate is essential for business investment, part of which is job creation.  Businesses need to predict the future as best they can to mitigate risks.  The principle of “Do No Harm” applies, here.  That means business tax hikes to fund state funding should be declared dead on arrival.

Closely related is the state budget as just about all of these gentlemen point out.  Getting it done in quick order, with no new spending, reductions in spending growth and a glide path to retiring the state deficit would be helpful to our economic situation.  End hidden spending and set a budget cap. Population growth plus inflation.  Within those parameters it should be up to the General Assembly to set budget priorities. Let the GA determine what they want to cut. They are closer to the people and thus in a better position.

Fix What Ails our Business Climate

Then, a plan to roll back some bad policies of the past is needed.  Bill Brady gets it right when he says:

“…I support reducing the overall cost of doing business in Illinois, including eliminating excessive taxes and fees on business, restructuring an expensive workers compensation system compared to other states, and reforming the state’s medical malpractice and legal liability laws.  I will eliminate the double tax on motor fuel and rededicate the state’s motor fuel tax to improvement of Illinois’ infrastructure.”

Now, given the fiscal situation of the state, eliminating excessive taxes and fees on businesses will be tricky.  However, there will be revenue benefits from a better business climate.  There will be somewhat of a feed back effect as businesses set up shop in Illinois.  Reforming workers compensation will also somewhat help.  But where are the calls for greater deregulation? Suspending some overly burdensome regulations might help.

Undoing the damage done by the minimum wage laws and some temporary relaxation of prevailing wage laws will put some people back to work, immediately.  The trade unions won’t like it, but considering their unemployment numbers I’m sure they’d be happy to get some guys back to work.  It’s hard to pay union dues when your members don’t have jobs.

Republican Central Planning, No Thank You!

What we don’t need are economic councils and job summits.  Jim Ryan, Kirk Dillard and Andy McKenna this means you. This amounts to nothing more than, “My central planners are better than the Democrat central planners.” No, gentlemen, they are not.  Brining together business interests to divvy up the pie smacks of corporatism.  The very thing your party is fighting in Washington. Illinois is not Northern Europe and we should stop trying to run it as such.  Here, McKenna’s formulation comes to mind for particular criticism:

1). Programs that provide technical assistance; 2). Investment funds to provide seed money to new ventures; and 3). Targeted tax incentives to encourage growth and expansion. All these models should be studied to determine what will work best in Illinois.”

Providing technical assistance to business requires more spending. Where’s that money going to come from given the state’s fiscal condition?  Mr. McKenna claims to be a businessman.  How much technical assistance does his business receive from state government?  Do we really want bureaucrats offering technical assistance to businesses?  Think about that.  You know, because they do such a great job at running Illinois state government. (As I write this a state employee friend sends me a text message that a co-worker just discovered diamonds come from coal.  This should give Andy pause.) Targeted tax incentives and seed money to new ventures are equally foolish.  Seed money and venture capital are risky and more often than not fail.  Is Andy McKenna going to gamble away my tax dollars?

There will have to be oversight and no legislator and no governor wants to take a hit for throwing tax dollars down a rat hole.  So, instead of new ventures, it will be existing businesses and organizations receiving money.  You know the ones, they’ll have the most clout in Springfield.  Targeted tax incentives is just another way of picking winners and losers.

In Sum

The Republican gubernatorial candidates — as we read the Tribune editorial questionnaire — have some promise and some real stinkers.  All the Republicans claim that they aren’t going to do further damage by raising taxes and they all vow to be better stewards of the government.  They all should be commended.

Sen. Bill Brady clearly has a better idea of what to do than the rest of the respondents based on this one sample. He stands out.  It’s clear he isn’t playing the political game of empty platitudes.  The other respondents, it appears, are.  But moreover, they find themselves locked into the same corporatists mentality of George Ryan and Rod Blagojevich.  Governor Quinn seems to have a commission for every problem, apparently so do Dillard, McKenna and Ryan.  We need a choice not an echo.  Schillerstrom barely acknowledges the problem.

It’s early though, not even Christmas, so no one is yet paying serious attention.  Let’s hope all the candidates — of all three parties — can flesh out their ideas and present Illinoisans some real choices in the respective primaries and next fall.

(NOTE TO READERS:  I don’t have a favorite candidate and each opinion here is my own.  I’m neither offering an exhaustive critique of candidate plans nor an exhaustive or detailed plan of my own.  I’m offering a limited, off the top of my head, guide to what can be done to improve the business investment climate in Illinois.)

CRU Head to Step Down

AP:

“LONDON (AP) – Britain’s University of East Anglia says the director of its prestigious Climatic Research Unit is stepping down pending an investigation into allegations that he overstated the case for man-made climate change.The university says Phil Jones will relinquish his position until the completion of an independent review into allegations that he worked to alter the way in which global temperature data was presented.”

Another nail in the coffin of climate change.  A whole industry could go under, freeing up billions of dollars for actual productive uses.  We can only hope.

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