Posted on 04/17/2020 7:01:07 PM PDT by Theoria
The president of the State Senate asked for $40 billion to help the pension system, fund unemployment insurance and aid hospitals and cities.
Illinois needs more than $40 billion in relief from the federal government because of the coronavirus pandemic — including $10 billion to help bail out its beleaguered pension system, according to a letter the Illinois Senate president sent to members of Congress.
The letter, sent this week by State Senator Don Harmon, also seeks a $15 billion grant to “stabilize the state’s budget,” $9.6 billion in direct aid to Illinois’s cities, $6 billion for the state’s unemployment insurance fund, and hardship money for hospitals and nursing homes, among other things.
“I realize I’ve asked for a lot, but this is an unprecedented situation,” Mr. Harmon, a Democrat, wrote in the letter to the state’s congressional delegation, a copy of which was viewed by The New York Times. A spokesman confirmed that Mr. Harmon had written the letter.
The letter was shared with Gov. J.B. Pritzker, also a Democrat, who said this week that the federal government should provide more funding to states. Messages left for State Senator Bill Brady, the minority leader, were not immediately returned on Friday evening. Democrats hold 40 of the State Senate's 59 seats.
The letter said the outbreak had caused economic havoc in the state, which has been under a stay-home order since March 21. Economic activity has frozen up across the country, causing tax collections to evaporate while spending has soared.
(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
A state run continuously by the grossly incompetent, for 60 years, without interruption. I saw the writing on the wall in 2004 and packed up and left the state. Excellent decision.
He doesnt go to blue states unless he asks for donations to his campaign. I personally knew people who were at the Beverly Hills party to support Trump. It was like a frat party: us against them. Plus there were lots of hot chicks there as everyone reported so I was bummed.
IL is already driving off people with high tax rates and a generally producer unfriendly environment. It went past the event horizon over a generation ago.
Excellent analysis.
I don’t live in Texas to bail out Illinois pensioners.
Not NO BUT HELL NO!!!!
In CA. if they ask for money they need to make ballot harvesting illegal AND require voter ID!!! DONE!!
I’m STILL stuck here, and I agree. Not a single red cent.
IL leaders did this, and they don’t deserve to be bailed out. They deserve to be replaced with people who aren’t self-obsessed power-hungry pieces of sh!t.
They haven’t even shut down for a month yet and they want 40 billion?
Doing some quick math. Thats 40 billion divided by 1134 corona fatalities. Works out to over 35 million dollars per fatality right now.
I vote no. I will also add that if they do bail out the states and their pensions that this is a precedence that the left will take advantage of forever. Every 4 years we will have a day of reckoning and a national shut down so the step can get bailed out and balance their books.
Heck, look at the recent big tax and fees increases (most by Pritzker, but the income and some local sales tax increases predate him), which did virtually NOTHING to stabilize IL’s finances because virtually all the projected increase in revenues* went to new spending.
*Most of that revenue was going to die off in a couple years anyway because the taxes and fees already have IL much too far on the wrong side of the Laffer curve.
I agree, but, I also note Cuomo was making the same case (”bail me out”) to Hannity on the latter’s radio show a couple days ago.
The left has been trying to find away for the Federal Government to bail out the blue states and cities, especially their pension funds. The Wuhan virus is a chance to do just that. Cuomo has been attempting to conjole congress to do this since the virus appeared. No sale, please, PDJT.
no.
they made the pension deals, not fedgov’s responsibility to cover liberals’ disastrous policies.
you bail them out, they just are validated to keep doing it.
this is totally political.
FOR DECADES!!!!!!
Hey, some of us are still trying to flee because we got stuck with idiot neighbors. Y’know, the ones who voted for this crap, when we didn’t. My brother just moved to TX for a job, and he’s definitely not blue.
Now though, I’d really, REALLY like to leave.
NYC Cuomo asked prior for billions to bzilout the city.
Chicago following suit.
LA, Atlanta, Denver, Seattle and Portlamd soon to follow
Oh yeah Detroit and Philadelphia and Baltimore too.
Called itband taxes will still up, as will spending
No government will shrink and there will zero layoffs to balance the budget
They're now using the coronavirus as a REASON for a BAILOUT by the federal Government.
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