"The passage of an ambitious Illinois Senate 'grand bargain' package of bills hit a speed bump on Tuesday as Senate leaders opted to take in further input - while also adding new taxes to a revenue bill, including an excise tax on services and a tax on employers based on payroll," the Sun-Times reports.
"The additions show there are still plenty of changes that may be made to the evolving package of 13 bills before it hits the floor."
Here's my favorite part of the package, as currently constituted:
"The revenue bill includes a bump from the personal income tax from 3.75 percent to 4.99 percent."
4.99 percent? Do fries come with that? Can someone calculate how much revenue would be lost by not biting the bullet and going up to five?
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"The bill also includes an increase in the corporate income tax from 5.25 percent to 7 percent - estimated to generate $577 million annually. It also eliminates three corporate tax loopholes, which could generate $145 million a year, according to a Senate analysis."
Okay, sounds good.
"New additions include a 'business opportunity tax' ranging from an annual fee of $225, to $15,000 based on payroll. That is estimated to generate $750 million annually."
It's also expected to generate $750 million in mockery and campaign attacks for having such a bad name, so it's a win-win.
In reality, this is basically a head tax like the kind the city used to have.
Under the plan, the rest of the body is getting taxed too:
"A new tax on services - including dry cleaning and laundry, storage of cars, boats and property, landscaping, repair and maintenance of personal property, such as cars, and amusement services - could bring in $413 million. That tax also includes an extension of an excise tax on cable and satellite services."
And what about the governor's Turnaround Agenda? The Bears are working on that, having opened a front in the war against workers' comp. From the Tribune:
"[A]n idea backed by the Chicago Bears [is] aimed at cutting the amount of pay they have to dole out for injured players. Current law means they often have to cover injuries until a player is 67; they want that lowered to 35, contending most healthy players don't play much longer than that."
They may not play longer than that, but their injuries tend to last forever.
Then again, if the team pledges to use the money it saves on a real president of football operations, I'm in.
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Speaking of the governor, he gives his third State of the State address today. I can't help but think of the State of the State address the governor in my home state just gave, collapse and cancer notwithstanding:
If only Bruce Rauner looked to Minnesota, not Indiana, for lessons: pic.twitter.com/8hpdNAupOb
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 24, 2017
How did he do it? It turns out taxing the rich and investing in education and social services creates an environment that is attractive for doing business because of the stability and skill of the workforce.
"In 2014, Dayton became the first governor in 20 years to win more than 50 percent of the vote. His 59 percent approval rating is 13th-highest among American governors," City Pages reports in "Remember, Legislators: Mark Dayton's More Popular Than All Of You Put Together."
"Minnesotans have their reasons. Roughly 1.4 billion of them: the state's budget surplus, a $6 billion turnaround from when he took office. Dayton arrived at it by taxing the wealthiest, smokers, and corporations. Dayton wants to spend it on childcare, early learning, tax cuts for families, broadband internet for rural people, jobs and education programs for minorities."
Now, it's true that both houses of the Minnesota legislature are now controlled by Republicans with a much different agenda than the governor there. Outside of the Twin Cities lies Trump Country, just like in many other states.
But the evidence is in on what really works; see "How Minnesota's Governor Performed An Economic Miracle By Raising Tax On The Rich And Increasing Minimum Wage."
That, my friends, is a Turnaround Agenda.
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Make The Air Fair
Tits, balls and net neutrality.
See also: FCC Chairperson Nominee Is Bad News For Musicians.
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Russia Walks Back Doping Admission
Thanks, Trump.
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BeachBook
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TweetWood
A sampling.
And if that doesn't work, he'll send in the Reds!
If Chicago doesn't fix the horrible "carnage" going on, 228 shootings in 2017 with 42 killings (up 24% from 2016), I will send in the Feds!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 25, 2017
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Chicago Still Isn't The Murder Capital Of America: https://t.co/owV9qz1UT1
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 25, 2017
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Instead of Presidential Daily Briefing, Trump is presented with the TV Guide every morning.
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 25, 2017
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It's not just the phone they can't get out of his hands, it's the remote.
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 25, 2017
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Sean Spicer asked a fourth time (@jeffzeleny) about Trump's belief of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election. https://t.co/FWQcSlgG0m
— Daniella Diaz (@DaniellaMicaela) January 24, 2017
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What do you say if your boss demands you report lies?
But honestly, what are you supposed to say as WH press secretary if you know the president is buying into a bunk conspiracy theory?
— Laura Bassett (@LEBassett) January 24, 2017
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So The Resistance is going well ... nomination moves out of committee unanimously, all Democrats approving. https://t.co/78GsavMf01
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 24, 2017
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Lawyer who defended racial gerrymandering picked for a top civil rights job at DOJ https://t.co/ZCnRnZ00LJ by @lhfang
— The Intercept (@theintercept) January 24, 2017
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Karen Lewis in Education Week: Betsy DeVos, Rahm Emanuel, and School Privatization https://t.co/HkdAAvQnVj via @educationweek | #Chicago
— Beachwood Reporter (@BeachwoodReport) January 24, 2017
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True. The Obama @EPA tightly controlled media requests and frequently refused to make agency scientists available for comment. https://t.co/zEhSgsnNHi
— Michael Hawthorne (@scribeguy) January 25, 2017
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Robby Mook And Corey Lewandowski Team Up For Paid Speeches https://t.co/9i2Kr4Px9P
— Glenn Greenwald (@ggreenwald) January 25, 2017
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The year is 2017. America is a tire fire. The resistance is led by Teen Vogue, Badlands National Park, and the Merriam-Webster dictionary.
— Kitty Chandler (@mightybattlecat) January 24, 2017
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The Beachwood Tronc Line: Stately.