Illinois Taxpayers….Meet Your Enemies!

The beat of the drum grows louder and louder calling for massive state income tax increase. In both the Illinois House and Senate, Democrats representing Chicago and its suburbs are the primary sponsors of legislation that will increase the state income tax by 67% and the corporate tax by 44% resulting in a loss of 100,000 private sector jobs. One downstate Republican is also a sponsor of the tax hike legislation. Those bills are Senate Bill 2288 (SB2288), House Bill 750 (HB750) and Senate Bill 750 (SB750). Almost every day a new politician or group is demanding more money from taxpayers.
A+ Illinois – A government employee union-funded front group is pushing hard for a 67% state income tax increase. In December 2006, A+ Illinois announced the hiring of a new Campaign Manager to “direct a growing statewide staff, manage a multi-million dollar budget, and tap the energy and resources of the more than 150 member organizations of A+ Illinois”. They also hired four more full-time Regional Organizers in December. Leading up to the November election, A+ Illinois “dropped somewhere around $200K worth of mail and robocalls to targeted voters in over 4,000 precincts across roughly ten days,” to use their own words.
Ralph Martire – Martire has been the drum major for the 67% income tax increase in Illinois for years now. His Center for Tax and Budget Accountability (accountable to government employees, not taxpayers) is also funded by the government employee unions that would love to see higher taxes so their pay and pensions and union memberships continue to grow.
Illinois Farm Bureau, The Civic Federation – These two groups have joined the beating of the drum for more income taxes as they look after their own special interests who will directly benefit from an income tax increase.The Illinois Farm Bureau and The Civic Federation also supported income tax increases in 1989, 1991 and 1993.
Commercial Club of Chicago, Civic Committee – These big business executives released a flawed report in 2007 calling for a 33% state income tax increase and more sales taxes without ANY tax relief elsewhere. Many of the Commercial Club of Chicago’s members receive large sums of corporate subsidies from Illinois taxpayers, such as the Chicago Bears, Chicago White Sox, Chicago Bulls, Quaker, Hospira Inc., Boeing, and Motorola to name a few. Even more of their members enjoy large government contracts.
Metropolitan Mayors Caucus – Of course the 200 plus Chicago area Mayors want higher income and sales taxes, because they will be big beneficiaries of higher taxes. On January 4, 2007, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley held a press conference demanding higher income and sales taxes for his schools.
Republican Politicians – A December 26, 2006 article that ran in several Illinois newspapers quoted Ex-Governor Jim Edgar and said he “believes a tax hike is necessary because of the state’s financial problems.” Current Hutsonville CUSD # 1 School Superintendent AND State Representative Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville) recently let it slip when he told the Belleville News-Democrat, “If it takes an income tax increase, it takes an income tax increase.” State Senator Dave Syverson (R-Rockford) was interviewed on Public Affairs TV Show by host Jeff Berkowitz and Syverson said, “I think we have to raise the income tax.” In 2008 State Senator John O. Jones (R-Mt. Vernon) stated that he was agreeable to looking at raising income taxes. Both Senators Syverson and Jones signed the Illinois Taxpayer Protection Pledge. State Representative William Black (R-Danville) has signed on as a co-sponsor of HB750, and is the worst of the bunch.
The tax raisers mentioned above are dangerous, but not as dangerous as a group that was just formed by State Representative Robert Pritchard (R-DeKalb) who recently told the Chicago Tribune, “I want to make sure we’ve got a coordinated package here before I sign on to a tax increase.”
Bipartisan Legislative Education Reform Caucus – Rep. Robert Pritchard is spearheading this caucus that is seriously considering raising the income and sales tax. This group has already held a two-day retreat where they featured Ralph Martire and A+ Illinois, but no one opposed to tax increases. Joining Pritchard in this dangerous group are Rep. Roger Eddy (R-Hutsonville), who is double-dipping as a School Superintendent, Rep. Paul Froehlich (D-Schaumburg), and Rep. Jerry Mitchell (R-Sterling) a former government school superintendent.
Adding to the names mentioned above, these tax-and-spend members of the Illinois State Senate and State House have sponsored or supported a 67 percent increase in your state personal income tax! These enemies will continue to use every opportunity to try to raise your income tax, unless you put a stop to it!
Sen. M. Maggie Crotty (D-19, Oak Forest)* Sen. David Koehler (D-46, Pekin)* Sen. Kimberly A. Lightford (D-4, Westchester)* Sen. Debbie Halvorson (D-40, Crete)^ Sen. John M. Sullivan (D-47, Quincy)^ Sen. Michael Frerichs (D-52, Champaign)* Sen. Michael Noland (D-22, Elgin)* Sen. Louis Viverito (D-11, Burbank)* Sen. Martin Sandoval (D-12, Cicero)* Sen. Deanna Demuzio (D-49, Carlinville)* Sen. James Clayborne Jr. (D-57, East St. Louis)* Sen. James T. Meeks (D-15, Chicago)* Sen. Rickey R. Hendon (D-5, Chicago)* Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-13, Chicago)* Sen. Jacqueline Y. Collins (D-16, Chicago)* Sen. Mattie Hunter (D-3, Chicago)* Sen. Donne Trotter (D-17, Chicago)* Sen. Carol Ronen (D-7, Chicago) ^ Sen. Iris Martinez (D-20, Chicago)* Sen. Edward D. Maloney (D-18, Chicago)^ Sen. John Cullerton (D-6, Chicago)* Sen. Emil Jones Jr. (D-14, Chicago)* Sen. William Delgado (D-2, Chicago)* Sen. Heather Steans (D-7, Chicago)* Rep. Wyvetter Younge (D-114, E. St. Louis)* Rep. William B. Black (R-104, Danville)* Rep. Deborah L. Graham (D-78, Oak Park)* Rep. Karen A. Yarbrough (D-7, River Forest)* Rep. Elizabeth Hernandez (D-24, Cicero)* Rep. Eddie Washington (D-60, Waukegan)* Rep. George Scully, Jr. (D-80, Crete)* Rep. Robert Rita (D-28, Crestwood)* Rep. Al Riley, (D-38, Matteson)* Rep. William Davis (D-30, Riverdale)* Rep. David E. Miller (D-29, Dolton)* Rep. Susana Mendoza (D-1, Chicago)^ Rep. Luis Arroyo (D-3, Chicago)^ Rep. Esther Golar (D-6, Chicago)* Rep. Annazette Collins (D-10, Chicago)* Rep. Marlow H. Colvin (D-33, Chicago)* Rep. Cynthia Soto (D-4, Chicago)* Rep. John A. Fritchey (D-11, Chicago)* Rep. Constance Howard (D-34, Chicago)* Rep. Elga Jefferies (D-26, Chicago)* (defeated 2/5/08) Rep. Harry Osterman (D-14, Chicago)* Rep. Milton Patterson (D-32, Chicago)* Rep. Arthur Turner (D-9, Chicago)* Rep. Maria Antonia Berrios (D-39, Chicago)^
* = Current Sponsor of HB 750, SB 750 or SB2288.
^ = Have supported HB 750 or SB 750 in public or previous session.
The Service Employees Union, Illinois Education Association, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Chicago Teachers Union, and AFSCME are also among the groups demanding higher income taxes. Even some big businesses benefit from higher taxes. In 2005, the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity received $167 million from the state coffers to spread to business interests through programs like Opportunity Returns. The Build Illinois Act allowed Springfield to give handouts to large corporations.
Big business likes its profitable government contracts and subsidies and government employee unions like their lucrative jobs. These special interests have more money and clout,but the voters would still rather see tax cuts than tax hikes. Get ready though, because the battle over our income is going to be won or lost this year.
Click here to view Meet Your Enemies in pdf form.