State Address 2017 – Illinois

Bruce Rauner State of the State Address 2017
Illinois leaders plan to put 3% surcharge on millionaires (do we have any millionaires in Illinois anymore?) while raising personal income tax rate on every hard working person in Illinois back to an all-time high of 5.25 percent and a corporate income tax hike up to 9.5 percent. That should really make people want to stay in Illinois!

Sen. Weaver

Michael Madigan
Question – Is Madigan the Governor or is Rauner?

Madigan doesn't want to cause pain on taxpayers but that is exactly what is he doing with his political games.

Read more at https://www.illinoispolicy.org/senators-pitch-tax-on-privilege-of-doing-business-in-illinois-among-other-tax-hike-proposals/

AFSCME refusal to negotiate might be the end to end all

Illinoisans are leaving the State Photo/Pixabay/CC0

In a press release, Springfield,Illinois declares the AFSCME refused to seriously negotiate with the Rauner Administration, old news becomes new news again. Lets just face it, the history of the AFSCME shows they have always been a closed-single minded organization with no concern for the taxpayers or financial crisis issues. In 2000 they rejected and refused to negotiate with Gov. Ryan because they wanted a six percent annually wage increase and Ryan offered a 4.3 to 4.5 percent increase annually and zero-tolerance policy on illegal drug use for DOC workers. In 2013 Gov Quinn tried to get state employee compensation in line with what the state can afford but failed because the AFSCME said they would strike it they did not get their way and taxpayers have been paying the price since.

Gov. Rauner proposal consist of programs to help minority employees, keeping the 37.5-hour work week with overtime rate wages happening after completing a 40-hour work week, merit bonuses, salary freeze and health care reforms, all of which has been accepted by 17 other labors unions. AFSCME’s leaders want four-year raises ranging from 11.5 to 29 percent, a 37.5-hour workweek with immediate overtime wages for any minute worked over 37.5 hours, five weeks of vacation, double pay for regular holidays, 2.5x pay for some “super holidays, do not want merit bonuses or any programs for minority employees, and demand insurance that is considered platinum-plus under the Affordable Care Act with taxpayers subsidizing over 80% of the cost. Altogether, AFSCME’s wage and insurance demands would cost taxpayers over $3 billion.

In response to AFSCME’s refusal to seriously negotiate, and in accordance with the tolling agreement, the Rauner Administration is now asking the Labor Board to determine whether or not the parties are at an impasse. It is little wonder why Illinoisans are moving out of the State as they see their income dropping due to increased taxes and fees, while state employees earnings have grown over five times faster. Deficits, higher taxes and debt has hurt Illinois and the AFSCME's refusal just might be their last refusal as more and more Illinoisans are becoming dependent on the government, soon there will be no one to pay for their lavish benefits.

Time for change

Obamacare premiums will go up after election but Democratic like Durbin want you to forget this and vote for him; even though he was a leading player in forcing Obamacare down our throat. It was Durbins' dishonesty that allowed all to believe that you could keep your health plan and doctor. He deceived the American people by lying about enrollment numbers, has failed addressing key issues facing Illinois families, is more concerned about illegal people here than the needs of U.S citizens. Are you happy that Illinois is the most expensive state to live in? Are you happy about where your taxes are going? If you don't care, don't vote.

This is the peoples campaign ad that was put up on the southside of Chicago.

 

Medicaid recipients to rise in Illinois

English: A photograph of the Springfield Capitol Building. Photograph taken by W. Wadas. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Over 430,000 Illinois residents are expected to be new Illinois Medicaid enrollees by the end of the year because of #ObamaCare. With all the inefficiencies of ObamaCare and the State of Illinois health management, how many of these new enrollees will truly qualify?

Under ObamaCare Illinois will receive 100% of cost of patients, who are eligible, for the first three years and a 50-50 federal match for those eligible but have not signed up yet. The push is on to get as many as possible to sign up.

Last year, because the state failed to properly verify Medicaid eligibility, the private company, Maximus Health Services was hired to work with the Illinois State Audit office to weed out the Medicaid recipients that are proven to be ineligible; a two year contract was agreed on at the cost of $76 million so that, hopefully, more than $350 million could be saved.

Everything was going just fine; the effort was half ways through the program – nearly 3,000 deceased Illinoisans were found on the Medicaid rolls, $12 million was paid out in benefits to who? They identified 230,000 that did not meet requirements to be on Medicaid, the state canceled 115,000 cases that did not meet the requirements in one way or the other.

Then the state started to listen to the American Federation of State, County, and Municipal Employees Council 31, who objected to the use of the private – more efficient – Maximus Health Services. Through arbitration Maximus was kick out because Unions need their dues. State employees are once again verifying eligibility. And once again there will be ineligible people signed up but what can you expect from a sanction state where illegal is not a crime.

Illinois Policy.org

Great way to start a campaign

Property Taxes Icon (Photo credit: danielmoyle)

True to form Democratic Gov. Quinn announces that they indeed lied when they said the property tax increase was only temporary - only Democratic Madigan would call this courageous. And why not ! Obama has been doing this sort of thing for a long time and look where he is – in the White House – with no fear of anybody doing anything about it.

The amazing thing about this whole thing is how many Illinoisans will be okay with this and cast a straight vote for Democrats.

Madigan is calling for higher taxes on our job creators- a 3% hike, so he can generate $ 1 billion, ignoring the fact that by the time that so called #temporary property tax sunsets on January 2015 they will have collected $31 billion – for ? The school pension has increased to $613 million – with no end in sight. It's all for the children! It's all for the children!

About the only thing anyone can believe is that when Democrats say one thing – it is the opposite.

As they continue to debate what to do and tell us they need to raise taxes and fees to balance their budget – guess what – Illinoisans need a break from taxes to balance their budgets. 

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