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Illinois Tax Implosion
Opinion Journal ^ | 14 may 07

Posted on 05/14/2007 3:28:09 AM PDT by rellimpank

"Universal" government health care has once again returned as a political cause, with many Democrats believing it's the key to White House victory in 2008. They might want to study last week's news from Illinois, where Democratic Governor Rod Blagojevich's tax increase to finance health care became the political rout of the year.

The Democratic House in Springfield killed the proposal, 107-0, after Mr. Blagojevich came out against his own idea when it became clear he was going to be humiliated. Only a month earlier he had said he was prepared to wage "the fight of the century" in defense of his plan to impose a $7.6 billion "gross receipts tax" on Illinois businesses.

Easily re-elected in November, the Governor used every trick in the "progressive" political playbook to sell his proposal. Instead of a general tax increase, he claimed it would be "targeted" for universal health care and education. Instead of raising individual taxes, he aimed at business and even built in an exemption for smaller firms. "These corporate guys, they can't avoid this tax," declared the Governor, sounding one of the "populist" themes that liberal columnists are now recommending for national Democrats.

(Excerpt) Read more at opinionjournal.com ...


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Constitution/Conservatism; Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: elections; il
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To: rellimpank
universal health care and education.

^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

And education??? Huh?

Education gets so much money that it looks like overfed duck getting ready to harvest its liver for Foie gras.

21 posted on 05/14/2007 6:06:34 AM PDT by wintertime (Good ideas win! Why? Because people are not stupid.)
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To: oblomov
To liberals, the purpose of taxes is not to collect revenue, but to redistribute income.

Yes, indeed. I heard those very words out of Jesse Jackson's own son who sits in the US House of Rep. on a Chicago-area radio show. I couldn't believe my ears - that he would say it right out loud.

22 posted on 05/14/2007 6:19:27 AM PDT by NotJustAnotherPrettyFace
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To: rellimpank
Was in Chicago iver the weekend. On WLS they had a Rat legislator who had helped quach this idea. Stated Illinois had a 50 BILLION dollar deficit already.
23 posted on 05/14/2007 6:22:25 AM PDT by Kozak (Anti Shahada: " There is no God named Allah, and Muhammed is his False Prophet")
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To: ClaireSolt

Don’t tell Michael Moore- he’s gunning for that free Cuban lard-sucking procedure.


24 posted on 05/14/2007 6:45:05 AM PDT by ovrtaxt (Democrats:more miserable than Donald Trump being forced to watch Rosie O’Donnell River Dance naked.)
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To: Brilliant

Democrats aren’t that sophisticated, their evil ambitions outweigh reasoning and compassion. In Illinois even most Republicans are left wing so it is doubly bad. I do believe that this portends a tough time to make rationed health care stick in the public’s mind nationally.


25 posted on 05/14/2007 6:51:07 AM PDT by Wpin
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To: wintertime

That’s funny. “Education gets so much money that it looks like overfed duck getting ready to harvest its liver for Foie gras.” But what about the ugly duckling?


26 posted on 05/14/2007 8:40:41 AM PDT by ClaireSolt (Have you have gotten mixed up in a mish-masher?)
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