Illinois Speaker of the House Chris Welch was asked Tuesday how he would like address Illinois’ crushing pension problem. He offered only one concrete answer: a progressive income tax increase.
You’d think he’d have learned a lesson three weeks ago when he tried to rekindle the the progressive tax increase in an appearance at the Economic Club of Chicago. That call landed with thud, eliciting no support of any note from members of either party. Illinois voters soundly rejected the idea in November, which requires a state constitutional amendment.
His Tuesday comments were delivered to the City Club of Chicago, WGN’s audio link to which is here. He did say that ideas for other measures to address the pension crisis were welcome and needed, but the progressive tax increase is the only specific solution he had.
What’s he thinking?
Supporters of the November effort probably thought they had the vote rigged in their favor 97 to 3 by linking it to specific legislation for an increase only on the top 3% of taxpayers. It went down in flames anyway. And three weeks ago, Welch added the idea of dedicating new revenue from a progressive tax increase solely to pensions, which would only infuriate voters more. Does he understand that $3.1 billion, which was the new revenue projected from the earlier proposal, wouldn’t come close to solving the pension crisis? Does he understand that Illinoisans want reforms, not tax increases?
It seems not. Welch is an amiable, welcome replacement for Michael Madigan as House Speaker. Congeniality is the word Welch likes to use, and he has it. But on the progressive tax increase, it’s as if he has been on a different planet.
In other news from that planet, Crain’s reported Tuesday that Illinois progressives are pushing to double the state’s estate tax. If they can’t run off big taxpayers one way, they’ll try another.
-Mark Glennon
With $162 billion more from taxpayers, couldn’t you deliver a few bond upgrades, too
Audio and summary 
A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
What an unmitigated moronic subliminal life form Mr. Welch is if he had any modicum of an intellectual thought he would be half of an idiot. Every tax payer in Illinois knows that the union vote these vile polititians in do they can suck the life out if decent people. We need reform in a constitutional amendment to reduce these ridiculous payoutd of pensions. All of the public pensions are ridiculously overburdening the non government employee taxpayers. Do what you were hired for and quit stealing from decent illinoians.
Doesn’t this nut job realize there already was an election and the Blank Check Amendment lost? Does he doubt the election results?? Is he trying to overturn the election?
Public pension reform is the ONLY solution. When will our elected representatives stop catering to the public unions and start representing all the tax payers.
Not in our life time
Probably when pigs fly!
No more tax raises.
This would be the best thing that could happen for the state of Illinois, and now with no trump on the ballot this will be an easy pass in the next election
Lol. Pretty easy when they know how much to skew the results. Elections are fake in Illinois. Trump was the best president in my lifetime and yours too.
totally agree aaron!!
Aaron is 100% spot-on right!
Trump serves as a great distraction for the left. The left can see nothing else but Trump. Hey, I love Trump too. It’s easier to get away with stuff when the left gets distracted.
Seems Illinois has enough money to pay for abortions. Now raise taxes. I worked all my life except when my husband was in the military. AND I CAN’T EVEN GET ONE HEARING AID THREW MEDICARE OR MEDICADE. I ONLY NEED THE RIGHT ONE. HALF OF THE EAR DRUM IS GONE ON THE LEFT. Just my thoughts
It appears no one at the Federal level is taking multi $T deficit spending with any kind of seriousness, encouraged by the Treasury/ Fed that there are no consequences for this fiscal behavior. Many are saying we are headed for a repeat of the 70’s stagflation. Keynesians/ Fed/ Democrats don’t believe stagflation is possible, hence their head in the sand thinking. So here is the current fiscal receipe of Biden and Illinois : Borrow, Spend, Tax with no limits. Rinse and repeat.
When the train wreck happens and double digit inflation hits, it will be devastaing.
Defaults, economic doom, and hyperinflation after will technically “solve” the problem. But the dystopia they have created and will continue to push will be far worse than any fat cat pension, which will be anulled within 3-5 years time, effectively, anyway.
Pensions annulled within 3-5 years? Another fake prediction by Juicy. You need to adopt the George Costanza mindset to your life. Whatever you think will happen, choose the opposite.
Pension reform will become inevitable.
Welch is another swamp creature, with anti God agendas that hurt Christians. The Critical Race Theory is so evil. The Equality Act is worse. These people will be judge by Almighty God for passing legislation that hurt our children.
Welch tends to follow and is a “go along to get along” kind of guy. He’s respectful and will engage, but I don’t believe he has the ability to lead this state out of the morass we are in. He’s also beholden to the unions and the Machine (or the new members of the Machine ala Preckwinkle)
Continued worsening times are ahead, as our governor does not have the testicular fortitude for any reforms either.
The federal bailout will buy Illinois a couple more years, so not much is going to change prior to 2022.
illinois ALWAYS needs more and more money,yet illinois is always broke, raising taxes and fees EVERY year,yep,still broke,illinois and chicago politicians obviously have a huge spending problem above all else,they will want more next year,and the year after that,and the year after that,but will still be broke!!
Same STUPID policies just more racially correct.
Stupid is as stupid does!
In related news, I just read the new single payer healthcare proposal for Illinois….since we have the money
The big bailout check is still in the mail and they already want more taxes?
(deleted for profanity laced comment)
Today’s article is yet another example that Illinois leadership is not ready to change course. I’m starting to feel sorry for Mark and Ted. They know the people that matter will never listen to them, yet they continue to report all the depressing Illinois news in the hope that one day Illinois will finally be forced to change course. On top of that, the people that do understand their message leave the state and eventually have little reason to follow Wirepoints. For Mark and Ted, I’m guessing it’s like a teacher watching his students graduate and move on with their… Read more »
Teachers, if they’ve done their job, take solace knowing their departed students were educated well.
Those grads won’t be around at election time when needed. The better Wirepoints does it’s job, the tougher it becomes to fix the state. Each resident that flees not only takes their future tax dollars with them, but also their vote for change. In a way, Wirepoints may be a victim of it’s own success.
FYI: I graduated 3 months ago and will be forever grateful to my professors.
Let’s give it a chance to play out. One day Illinoisians will be looking at the crisis from the rear view mirror.
It would be enlightening to see the average ACT scores of the junk that trolls the halls of Springfield. Curious if their lack of moral rectitude and integrity is correlated to a lack of intellectual capacity.
The “good ole boy’s” network does not rely on intelligence, only self-preservation.
Standardized testing like the ACT will soon be declared racist, so it won’t matter anyway.