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Illinois Shows What Not to Do
City Journal ^ | 4/18/2012 | STEVEN MALANGA

Posted on 04/18/2012 4:44:47 AM PDT by RoosterRedux

In January 2011, facing a forbidding budget deficit and a backlog of unpaid bills, Illinois officials decided that a massive tax increase would lay the groundwork for the state’s recovery. As Barbara Flynn Currie, the majority leader in the state house of representatives, said at the time, the nearly $7 billion in new revenues would allow Illinois to “pay our old bills and deal with the structural deficit.” The taxes passed with little controversy. Several weeks later, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker proposed fixing state and local fiscal problems by narrowing public-sector workers’ collective bargaining rights and requiring them to contribute more to their pension and health-care benefits. His reforms, which took months to become law, provoked an occupation of the capitol and set off a national debate.

Little more than a year has passed, and Illinois is right back where it started: the state’s unpaid bills now top $9 billion. Meantime, Wisconsin’s state and local governments have made substantial strides toward long-term budget stability. The different fiscal outlooks of the neighboring states illustrate a crucial fact in today’s budget wars: you can’t tax your way to a better future. That’s because the promises made by previous generations of politicians to public employees and special interests have become, as one northeastern mayor colorfully put it, the “Pac-Man” of budgets, gobbling up revenues faster than governments can raise them.

(Excerpt) Read more at city-journal.org ...


TOPICS: News/Current Events; US: Illinois; US: Wisconsin
KEYWORDS: illinois; taxes; wisconsin
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1 posted on 04/18/2012 4:44:52 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux

It’s so much easier to pick the pockets of the producers than to say “no” to the parasites.


2 posted on 04/18/2012 4:59:40 AM PDT by Steely Tom (If the Constitution can be a living document, I guess a corporation can be a person.)
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To: Steely Tom
It’s so much easier to pick the pockets of the producers than to say “no” to the parasites.

Well said...and particularly applicable to politicians.

3 posted on 04/18/2012 5:02:01 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: RoosterRedux

Ill-Annoy is a third-world cesspool of political mis-needs headed by the delusional Governor, Quinnoccio, with the mute King Maker Mikey Madigan pulling the strings for the last few decades, and now the Rahmfather is implanting his ethos need within Springpatch. A prairie fire needs to raze the political landscape (and burn down the Combine, too) and allow the green sprouts of sanity to return. This won’t end well, I am afraid, until sanity returns to Ill-Annoy.


4 posted on 04/18/2012 5:27:52 AM PDT by SERKIT ("Blazing Saddles" explains it all.......)
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To: RoosterRedux
Little more than a year has passed, and Illinois is right back where it started: the state’s unpaid bills now top $9 billion.

Ricky, I'm shocked.... SHOCKED!

5 posted on 04/18/2012 5:28:11 AM PDT by Rummyfan (Iraq: it's not about Iraq anymore, it's about the USA!)
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To: RoosterRedux

Beware of women with three names.


6 posted on 04/18/2012 5:31:56 AM PDT by Eric in the Ozarks
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To: RoosterRedux
you can’t tax your way to a better future.

Only liberals, including liberal republicans, have ever believed that you could. It's really, really stupid thinking............or non thinking.

7 posted on 04/18/2012 5:32:26 AM PDT by Graybeard58 (Haggai 1, V6.. and he that earneth wages earneth wages to put it into a bag with holes. (My plight))
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To: RoosterRedux

Great article...thanks.


8 posted on 04/18/2012 5:40:14 AM PDT by moovova
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To: Eric in the Ozarks
Beware of women with three names.

Seriesly !

And 'men' with three names, well . . .

9 posted on 04/18/2012 5:49:03 AM PDT by tomkat (para bellum)
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To: RoosterRedux

It amazes me that case studies like this do not lead to voter revolts against dem pols in States like Illinois, California, and others. Sadly, Obama is doing the same thing on a national level.


10 posted on 04/18/2012 5:52:32 AM PDT by Oldeconomybuyer (The problem with socialism is that you eventually run out of other people's money.)
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To: SERKIT

States like Il and CA have problems that won’t go away and won’t get better even after collapse and rebuilding.

After the crash, they will still have all the same players; Dem leadership, unions who keep the dem leaders in power, sufficient numbers of non-producers to keep voting for the dem leaders.


11 posted on 04/18/2012 5:53:23 AM PDT by umgud (No Rats, No Rino's)
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To: RoosterRedux
Poverty is a state of mind, not a lack of funds.

That is why lottery winners almost always lose what they win, and states cannot heal deficits with more taxes.

12 posted on 04/18/2012 5:53:23 AM PDT by ShadowAce (Linux -- The Ultimate Windows Service Pack)
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To: ShadowAce
Poverty is a state of mind, not a lack of funds.

Which is precisely why welfare does not and cannot reduce poverty. In fact, it feeds/increases the neediness!

13 posted on 04/18/2012 5:56:55 AM PDT by RoosterRedux
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To: moovova

+1


14 posted on 04/18/2012 6:00:28 AM PDT by agere_contra
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To: RoosterRedux

If the union thugs succeed in that recall vs. Gov Walker in WI, that state within a year will be a carbon copy of IL.


15 posted on 04/18/2012 6:12:07 AM PDT by ScottinVA (A single drop of American blood for muslims is one drop too many!)
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To: tomkat; Eric in the Ozarks
Beware of women with three names.

Seriesly !

And 'men' with three names, well . . .

And don't forget the first initial, middle name thing...as in J. Willie (somethng) of Sanford, Florida NAACP.

16 posted on 04/18/2012 6:25:15 AM PDT by CPOSharky (The only thing straight, white, Christian males get is the blame for everything.)
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To: SERKIT
How do we change the political landscape when we have to deal with election results like this?? Red counties went for Brady and Blue counties went for Quinn Photobucket
17 posted on 04/18/2012 6:46:45 AM PDT by BobinIL
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To: RoosterRedux

Bump


18 posted on 04/18/2012 6:51:50 AM PDT by lowbridge (Rep. Dingell: "Its taken a long time.....to control the people.")
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To: BobinIL

This is what I’ve been saying for a long time. The entire state save Chicago and E. St.Louis go R but the votes of the rest of the state are negated by those highly populated and highly D areas. It’s a real shame and it’s getting really, really old. I’m not sure what the solution is because it will always be this way in Chicago unless another fire burns the place down.


19 posted on 04/18/2012 7:10:49 AM PDT by conservativebabe
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To: RoosterRedux; Hunton Peck; Diana in Wisconsin; P from Sheb; Shady; DonkeyBonker; Wisconsinlady; ...

Wisconsin Comparison to Illinois ping

FReep Mail me if you want on, or off, this Wisconsin interest ping list.


20 posted on 04/18/2012 8:00:34 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
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