Voters have no right to expect candidates for governor to lay out what they will try to do about our fiscal crisis. Let Illinois vote blind.
That’s in essence the advice Edgar has been giving to J.B. Pritzker. Edgar has been coaching Prtizker, and Pritzker has been listening, as reported by WCIA’s Mark Maxwell last week. “I don’t think anybody should explain a blueprint right now on all these issues,” Edgar said.
Pritzker has routinely ducked specifics about his plans for a progressive income tax and anything else relevant to our fiscal crisis. On the progressive tax, he said again, “where the cut offs are, where the plan comes out is going to be a process of negotiation.”
As Maxwell put it, that rationale, short on specifics and painted with broad brush strokes, mirrors the exact stance Edgar recommended.
Perhaps more astonishing is Edgar’s reason for giving that advice. Candidates “don’t have all the information, and they won’t have the information until they’re in the office.”
Really, Governor Edgar? Try using the search tool in the upper right of this page. You’ll find all major facts and numbers published for the last five years along with all ideas suggested by all sides.
If that’s not sophisticated enough for you, Governor, remember your student, Pritzker, has access to everything his ally, House Speaker Michael Madigan, has. That means everything — every little secret hidden into every piece of legislation for decades along with all the political calculations and deals that went behind them. Nobody knows better where the dogs are buried.
And with all the money in the world to hire the best financial talent available to analyze that data, Pritzker has no excuse for not laying out at least a general outline of what he intends. His standard excuse that he has to wait to see what can be negotiated with the General Assembly is hogwash. Tell us what you intend to negotiate for.
Edgar is aiding and abetting the lie that comprises the entirety of Pritzker’s candidacy. There’s no way Pritzker can come remotely close to paying for all he has promised — a tax cut for most Illinoisans, universal health care, early childhood education, better funding for schools, local property tax relief and more.
No plan is offered because none is conceivable that would fulfill his promises. It’s that simple.
And what has Edgar himself offered? Platitudes. He’s forever appearing in the media with gems like “we need strong leadership” and “we’ll just have to pay the pensions.” You’ll find nothing anywhere of any substance from Edgar about how to solve our fiscal crisis.
Meanwhile, Edgar is merrily collecting the $4.6 million in pension benefits he can expect over his lifetime since retiring at age 55.
–Mark Glennon is founder and Executive Editor of Wirepoints.
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
No plan is offered because none is conceivable that would fulfill his promises. It’s that simple. And what has Edgar himself offered? Platitudes. He’s forever appearing in the media with gems like “we need strong leadership” and “we’ll just have to pay the pensions.”…Meanwhile, Edgar is merrily collecting the $4.6 million in pension benefits he can expect over his lifetime since retiring at age 55. No solutions will come from these two stooges. In fact the public sector employees are ALL going to turn on BOTH when the rubber meets the road-when the pensions fail, and the public sector employee… Read more »
Political Russian Roulette, the norm we have grown old embracing here abeam the J-Trap. If it comes from Cook County, makes sounds like a toilet and smells like Stickney, it MUST need an enema!
I’d always thought Edgar’s “Aw shucks I’m just a dumb farmboy with my head up a cow’s ass, yuk yuk” shtick was just an act. Now I’m realizing he really is stupid
Edgar has been always will be a liberal laugh when I have a good only cares about himself lousy job is governor always it was increased pensions and destroy the state of Illinois if people vote Democrat can’t see what’s going on there’s something wrong with our society and intelligence of people 50 years of democratic rule look what Illiniois has bankruptcyAs for Edgar let him pay the pensionsThey’ll love to spend some else’s money not their own
Here’s a request for a WP rebuttal: What would Edgar’s budgets have looked like if, instead of doing his pension ramp, he was required to make straight line payments based on the new re-amortization plan? In other words, how much extra revenue would Edgar have needed during his administration to make full pension payments? From there, you can backdoor estimate how much money Edgar essentially borrowed from Rauner’s administration to “balance” his budgets.