Proposed IL constitution amendment

[Busjack]

5 hours ago, jajuan said:

, but come on by now those two elements can't be affecting Cook County as much as they were if neighboring counties are restraining bloat and doing relatively okay. 

I'm sure Cook County blames it on the pension decision.

4 hours ago, artthouwill said:

 If balanced budgets are law, how does the state of Illinois go almost two years without one? 

Basically gets down to what Article VIII sec. 2 means. It says "(a) The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the ensuing fiscal year. ..  Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds estimated to be available for the fiscal year as shown in the budget. (b)  The General Assembly by law shall make appropriations for all expenditures of public funds by the State. Appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that year." In both cases an estimate is required, but there is nothing there that the General Assembly has to pass anything. In 2016-16, the governor vetoed everything except the education bill, and for 20165-17, the legislature couldn't pass anything until there was an agreement on a 6 month budget.

[jajuan]

2 minutes ago, Busjack said:

I'm sure Cook County blames it on the pension decision.

Basically gets down to what Article VIII sec. 2 means. It says "(a) The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the ensuing fiscal year. ..  Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds estimated to be available for the fiscal year as shown in the budget. (b)  The General Assembly by law shall make appropriations for all expenditures of public funds by the State. Appropriations for a fiscal year shall not exceed funds estimated by the General Assembly to be available during that year." In both cases an estimate is required, but there is nothing there that the General Assembly has to pass anything. In 2016-16, the governor vetoed everything except the education bill, and for 20165-17, the legislature couldn't pass anything until there was an agreement on a 6 month budget.

You and Art have valid points, but it's still curious that the collar counties have managed to find ways to get by without a raising of taxes in any high degree while Cook County has cried broke to the degree that Preckwinkle has overseen the restoration of the very sales tax increase that led to her trouncing him in the polls in the Democratic primary for Board President and then passage of this ridiculous pop tax which you noted was not a flat penny as we were initially led to believe but instead a penny per ounce as well as it not being a tax on pop alone or just regular pop, but one that includes diet pop and also iced teas and a number of juices bottled and sold through the pop companies' distributors. 

[Busjack]

6 minutes ago, jajuan said:

while Cook County has cried broke

Patronage giveaways.

[jajuan]

2 minutes ago, Busjack said:

Patronage giveaways.

Thus the shared skepticism that the county has really trimmed as much budgetary fat as claimed before resorting to these tax increases. Sure the county tells us that they would have had to cut vital services, some of them listed by Art, it gives residents in detrimental ways. But that's not what's driving up budgetary spending so high and therefore not where the fat and bloat is as you noted. Either way as others have posited, I too will be waiting on the sidelines and watching for how quickly the populace push for repeal of this sin tax* due to the damage done to Cook County business from residents fleeing to businesses in NW Indiana and the collar counties to avoid this nonsensical tax.

*Referred as such from observations that a number of medical groups and organizations threw high levels of support behind the tax under the premise that it would serve as a big deterrent to residents making as many purchases of pop and other sweetened drinks targeted by the tax when the reality is folks are going to hold their noses and still make those purchases or when possible will most assuredly flee to businesses in areas and counties neighboring Cook County for those purchases.