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woodrow Oct 20, 2014 8:55 PM

^^Got it.
Still voting for Quinn, but I understand your logic.

I can affirmatively vote for Durbin, because I do think he is a good Senator. Plus, as you note, Oberweis is just this side of the worst. As for Madigan. I throw my hands up in despair. I think he is the worst thing the state. I just....ugh.

LouisVanDerWright Oct 20, 2014 11:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sentinel (Post 6775678)
Then say goodbye to:

- Collective bargaining for tens of thousands, if not hundreds of thousands of hardworking union members (if you and others really think Unions are a bad thing, then please move to Texas)

I'm not sure if you are aware that Illinois massive governing problems are almost exclusively a result of the union-democrat circle jerk that has been going on for a century. Unions elect democrats who pay the unions back with ridiculous legislative rewards and public sector contracts.

Is being like Texas with a 5% unemployment rate, 4% GDP growth, and an economy that is creating jobs faster than just about any other state such a bad thing?

Quote:

- Clean drinking water, not to mention possible severe relaxation of federal/EPA environmental rules. Oh yeah, enjoy having Lake Michigan inundated with Asian carp (even though you Steely have said in other threads in the forum that that damn fish poses no threat).
I'm sure a state governor can override the Federal Government (EPA) and the Army Corps of Engineers. Too bad the governor can't do anything of the sorts...

Quote:

- Dissolution of film tax credits (I personally know dozens of folks who work in film/tv/commercial production, among thousands in the state who will see their jobs going to Atlanta or NC or even Canada if Rauner wins - believe it)
How is he going to do that with the legislature in the hands of the Democrats?

Quote:

- (necessary) stalling of in-state hydraulic fracturing, both downstate and closer to Chicagoland, which as we've seen in Oklahoma and TX works wonder for the environment, and doesn't cause any earthquake problems, whatsoever.
Honestly? Who cares? The "earthquakes" created by Fracking are essentially undetectable to humans in all but the rarest cases. Quarry blasting causes much more noticeable shockwaves yet I don't see you advocating a concrete ban...

Quote:

- Any possibility for resolving the state pension crisis, unless you don't mind the unemployment rate going up above 9-10% again, within the next 2 years.
Oh yes, I'm sure addressing the problem that is threatening impending ECONOMIC DOOM will cause the economy to crash. The pension problem here is orders of magnitude worse than anywhere else in the country and, based upon the fat check I just had to send in when I filed my extensions last week, it certainly is not a result of low taxation. That leaves only one cause: the pensions themselves. If the economy is harmed by knocking our pensions back into line with the rest of the country then that's a price we are going to have to pay regardless of who is governing. That's the price we have to pay for living an economic lie for decades.

Quote:

- the dream of hiking the state minimum wage to a decent living wage for those who desperately need it most.
Yes, hiking the minimum wage will attract countless employers to Illinois. We will be unstoppable then since we are already known as a business paradise... /SARCASM




The fact is that the Democrat-union alliance has been driving Illinois into the ground for decades now and it's time for a change. Whether we like it or not, we are now completely surrounded by right to work states with 21st century employment policies. The days of high wage manufacturing jobs are over and it has nothing to do with China or corporations. Labor is obsolete and the age of automation is upon us. We can choose to ignore those facts or we can adapt to them. Believe me, I'd love to have the Hawthorne Works and Brach's Candy Plant back running at full steam, but to believe anything even remotely close to that will happen ever again is flat out delusional. The same delusions have led to the pension crisis because we have a political alliance between a certain party and a certain special interest group.

This alliance has burdened Illinois long enough and it's time we snap out of it. This isn't about "the 99%" or "corporate raiders" or any of that nonsense. This is about reality and the cold hard fact is that Illinois state government has been living a lie for longer than I've been alive. Every generation (Mayor Daley for a Chicago example) has been playing hot potato with this hand grenade, but I'd like to release the handle (the pin was long ago pulled) and give it a heave before it explodes in our hands. I'm young, I'd rather deal with a decade long depression now than be enslaved to an economic farce for the remainder of my life.

Rauner can't solve everything, but he's a step towards reality. Now if only we could give him a supermajority in both houses like our neighbors to the north.

sentinel Oct 22, 2014 8:47 PM

I'm sorry you don't seem to get it, LVDW. Rauner doesn't care about you, me or anyone or anything in Illinois, that's really what it boils down to.

Quinn isn't great, but then you have sh*t like this about Rauner that should really upset you; and if it doesn't, oh well....

http://davemckinney123.wordpress.com...22/why-i-left/

the urban politician Oct 23, 2014 3:01 AM

^. That's disturbing. However, I'm so used to politicians being egotistical slime balls that I just don't care any more. Look at Madigan. Look at Blago.

Bottom line, it's time to upset one party rule in Illinois. Something needs to be done.

schwerve Oct 23, 2014 12:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician (Post 6779419)
Bottom line, it's time to upset one party rule in Illinois. Something needs to be done.

This isn't Chicago we're talking about where there hasn't been a Republican in the mayors office since the great depression. The last Republican governor was WAY back in.... 2002, and he just got out of jail. The pension problem has existed since the 40's and really accelerated in the 90's-00's (part of that when republicans controlled all branches). Illinois has been screwed over by politicians of every denomination. Vote for whomever you want, for whatever reasons you want, but let's not act like this is a one party problem.

F1 Tommy Oct 23, 2014 2:45 PM

We need alot of change in Illinois. Voting for Quinn will be a stamp of approval to continue the business as usual. You all say you want to save union jobs and then go out and buy Toyota's and Hyundai's, two companies that are known to be anti union. Put your money where your mouth is.

sentinel Oct 23, 2014 3:22 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by schwerve (Post 6779777)
This isn't Chicago we're talking about where there hasn't been a Republican in the mayors office since the great depression. The last Republican governor was WAY back in.... 2002, and he just got out of jail. The pension problem has existed since the 40's and really accelerated in the 90's-00's (part of that when republicans controlled all branches). Illinois has been screwed over by politicians of every denomination. Vote for whomever you want, for whatever reasons you want, but let's not act like this is a one party problem.

This pretty much sums up what I was not able to do - thank you.

SamInTheLoop Oct 24, 2014 6:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by the urban politician (Post 6779419)
^. That's disturbing. However, I'm so used to politicians being egotistical slime balls that I just don't care any more. Look at Madigan. Look at Blago.



I agree on the part of this story as it relates to Rauner's involvement - in fact, I think that would have been standard operating procedure for most political candidates.


However, what is potentially extremely disturbing is the Sun-Times' actions. This could be absolutely devastating to that newspaper.

Centropolis Oct 24, 2014 7:52 PM

if illinois can elect a moderate, union tolerant republican as governor, that would be great. it's a rare species. i have always held out hope that the republican party could pull itself together enough to field some moderate canidates so that the democrat party would also get it's shit together, and not take it's base for granted.

F1 Tommy Oct 29, 2014 12:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Centropolis (Post 6781740)
if illinois can elect a moderate, union tolerant republican as governor, that would be great. it's a rare species. i have always held out hope that the republican party could pull itself together enough to field some moderate canidates so that the democrat party would also get it's shit together, and not take it's base for granted.

Union tolerant or not if the jobs don't come to the state because they think it has a strong union presence thats a no win(I am not pro or anti union, but I want manufacturing businesses to have better workable solutions in Illinois). Quinn helped Illinois be one of the slowest states to recover. He rose taxes for business, property and individuals. He also has not even begun to fix the main problem that caused Illinois to be downgraded so sharply. Can we afford 4 more years of that?? I know if Quinn were to get indicted tomorrow for killing baby seals he would still win most of the Democrat votes in Illinois:slob:.

bnk Nov 5, 2014 3:55 AM

fk it


:~(

the urban politician Nov 5, 2014 4:56 PM

Happy to hear that Illiniois is not yet so beholden to one party rule that we can't sometimes elect a Republican to the big office from time to time.

Lets hope that he shakes things up a bit. What we badly need is for business to have confidence in our State again

Baronvonellis Nov 5, 2014 8:19 PM

There was a republican governor in Illinois from 1977-2003. The last one served 6 years in jail. So yes Illinois does sometimes elect republican governors. Maybe you are thinking of the Mayor of Chicago.

the urban politician Nov 5, 2014 8:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Baronvonellis (Post 6796248)
There was a republican governor in Illinois from 1977-2003. The last one served 6 years in jail. So yes Illinois does sometimes elect republican governors. Maybe you are thinking of the Mayor of Chicago.

^ I'm aware of that, but 11 years is still a long time.

We needed to flip the switch. I don't think one party staying in power for too long is a good thing.

LouisVanDerWright Nov 6, 2014 2:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Centropolis (Post 6781740)
if illinois can elect a moderate, union tolerant republican as governor, that would be great. it's a rare species. i have always held out hope that the republican party could pull itself together enough to field some moderate canidates so that the democrat party would also get it's shit together, and not take it's base for granted.

Union tolerant is exactly what we don't need. The problem the GOP has had in Illinois is that they love to nominate ultra socially conservative whack jobs who are completely out of touch with Chicago. Rauner at least knows and appreciates the city and isn't a Chicago vs Downstate partisan. He also is much more temperate when it comes to absurd socially conservative rhetoric.

I think we have a good situation now in Springfield. Rauner doesn't have all that much power backing him up (i.e. no control over the legislature) so he will be forced to work with, rather than against, the democrats. Hopefully he will be able to rally the Democrats (many of whom also recognize the toxic pension issue) to more aggressively address some of the festering long term issues Illinois government is facing.

I am also similarly optimistic in the inverse about Federal politics not that Obama has no legislative power. I don't think it is a problem to have the executive branch split from the legislative branch, but it is an issue to have the House divided from the Senate.

bnk Nov 6, 2014 11:51 PM

Perhaps Rauner and Rahm can now work out a deal for a Chicago casino. Quinn certainly did not advance the idea one iota.

ardecila Nov 7, 2014 12:03 AM

Good point, this is exactly the kind of deal that is possible under Rauner.

If you thought the huge video billboards along the Kennedy were obnoxious and corporatist, you ain't seen nothing yet.

the urban politician Nov 7, 2014 1:16 AM

^ what "huge video billboards"?

There's like barely any friggin visual clutter along the Kennedy. Spend some time in an Asian city.

ardecila Nov 8, 2014 3:09 AM

Several went up in the last few weeks. There's one at Armitage, Foster, etc. Rahm cut a deal with JCDecaux for $15 million.

They're actually not that bad - the glare is kept to a minimum and they are pretty high-res. They do distract from the sublime view of the skyline from the Kennedy though.

SamInTheLoop Nov 10, 2014 6:57 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LouisVanDerWright (Post 6797218)
Union tolerant is exactly what we don't need. The problem the GOP has had in Illinois is that they love to nominate ultra socially conservative whack jobs who are completely out of touch with Chicago. Rauner at least knows and appreciates the city and isn't a Chicago vs Downstate partisan. He also is much more temperate when it comes to absurd socially conservative rhetoric.

I think we have a good situation now in Springfield. Rauner doesn't have all that much power backing him up (i.e. no control over the legislature) so he will be forced to work with, rather than against, the democrats. Hopefully he will be able to rally the Democrats (many of whom also recognize the toxic pension issue) to more aggressively address some of the festering long term issues Illinois government is facing.

I am also similarly optimistic in the inverse about Federal politics not that Obama has no legislative power. I don't think it is a problem to have the executive branch split from the legislative branch, but it is an issue to have the House divided from the Senate.



I can only hope that what you mean with your Federal analogy is that the republican congress will be forced to work with the president, and not vice versa).....


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