Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Breaking Illinois' Impasse: Listen to Downstate Republican Lawmakers



The best article on the Illinois impasse is written by Tom Kacich, here.. He explains that downstate Republican lawmakers are bracing their supporters for a tax hike, and for unavoidable assistance to Chicago Public Schools. And they note that although it might feel good to make Chicago the 51st state, the reality is that we all need Chicago to avoid a disaster. These pragmatic lawmakers go on to say that a compromise won’t have any take-aways from public sector unions. So far, it sounds like it’s all-Democratic. Not so. They believe that workers comp will be seriously overhauled. Ditto tort reforms. They suggest that term limits and/or legislative redrawing of districts is on the table. Judge for yourself. This looks like a compromise; it entails structural reform; it addresses the near-death spiral of the State’s finances; it doesn’t blame one group for all the problems; and it is painful for everyone, including lawmakers. I vote yes.

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