McHenry County Blog

NTU President Jim Tobin will be at Christ the King Church in Wonder Lake Sunday afternoon at 1. The hottest school board race in the county is in McHenry High School District, in which the east side of Wonder Lake lies.

Yesterday, National Taxpayers United of Illinois President Jim Tobin revealed the top 50 judicial pensions in the state.

I recognized some past Illinois Supreme Court judges and some Lake County judges from times past.

Today, in the second top highest 50, if your eyes are sharp, you’ll find at least one local retired judges.

The range from the highest on this list to the lowest is only $944, so ranking them doesn’t tell much.

• FABIAN, DONALD – 48,445
• FERGUSON, EDWARD – 148,445
• FOSTER, DON – 148,445
• FOSTER, TERRY – 148,445
• FROBISH, HAROLD – 148,445
• GARDNER, SHELDON – 148,445
• GLOWACKI, FRANCIS - 148,445
• GREANIAS, JOHN - 148,445
• KAVITT, RICHARD – 148,445
• LECHWAR, RODNEY – 148,445
• LEWIS, LOREN – 148,445
• PETERS, STEPHEN – 148,445
• RILEY, RONALD – 148,445
• WALLER, JANE – 148,445
• DEMOSS, RICHARD – 148,169
• HUBER, DENNIS – 148,169
• KEENAN JR, ROBERT – 148,169
• KERNAN, STEPHEN - 148,169
• ONEILL, PAUL – 148,169
• ORLANDO, FRANK – 148,169
• OROS, GEORGE – 148,169
• PETERSON, K - 148,169
• SIRACUSA, FRANK – 148,169
• UNDERWOOD, DAVID – 148,169
• DOCKERY, PETER – 148,158
• LOCALLO, DANIEL - 148,158
• SAUER, DAVID - 148,158
• SCHREIER, JAMES – 148,158
• TERRELL, LAWRENCE - 148,158
• WEBER, DANIEL – 148,158
• WEGNER, GRANT - 148,158
• DOUGLAS, LORETTA – 147,882
• GROSSI, PATRICK - 147,882
• LYNCH, DANIEL – 147,882
• TOWNSEND, JOHN – 147,882
• WALLER, ASHTON – 147,882
• WATT JR, DAVID – 147,882
• WELCH, ROBERT - 147,882
• ARNOLD, WARD - 147,451
• BAKER, LARRY – 147,451
• CASCIATO, JOSEPH - 147,451
• CASHMAN, DENNIS - 147,451
• FLYNN, JERRY - 147,451
• JAFFE, AARON - 147,451
• LICHTENSTEIN, DAVID – 147,451
• MADDEN, JOHN - 147,451
• SCHILLER, STEPHEN – 147,451
• BEATTY, JOSEPH – 147,301
• BRONSTEIN, PHILIP – 147,301
• DUNCAN JR, EDWARD – 147,301

Jim Tobin at a Crystal Lake press conference where he passed out a list of the top 100 local (non-school) government pensions. He will be at Christ the King Church in Wonder Lake at 1 on Sunday afternoon.

National Taxpayers United of Illinois is an equal opportunity offender.

For the past several years he has been blowing the warning whistle about the generosity of public employee pensions.

He has gone county-by-county revealing local government, including school government, pensions and compared those to the average household income.

He has published state employee pensions. The highest are medical professionals who worked for universities.

Tobin has published the top 50 legislative pensions. (I didn’t make the list.)

Today, the figures below are going to make retired judges angry. As a group they are the highest paid pensioners. (Because of my inexperience with tables, I’m limiting the information to the annual judicial pension.)

Top 100 Judges Pensions as of 10/1/2010 (funded by state taxes)

1. BARRY, TOBIAS – 176,043
2. HARRISON II, MOSES – 171,561
3. RARICK III, PHILIP – 170,728
4. HEIPLE, JAMES – 169,743
5. MILLER, BENJAMIN – 169,743
6. MCMORROW, MARY – 169,731
7. SCOTT, RICHARD – 168,209
8. NICKELS, JOHN – 162,428
9. BYRNE, ROBERT – 161,771
10. CALLUM, THOMAS – 161,771
11. CAMPBELL, CALVIN – 161,771
12. COOK, ROBERT – 161,771
13. GREIMAN, ALAN – 161,771
14. GROMETER, ROBERT – 161,771
15. MCNULTY, JILL – 161,771
16. BUCKLEY, ROBERT – 161,469
17. COHEN, JUDITH – 161,469
18. COUSINS JR, WILLIAM – 161,469
19. SOUTH, LESLIE – 161,457
20. TULLY, JOHN – 161,457
21. WOLFSON, WARREN – 161,457
22. BARTH, FRANCIS – 160,224
23. CHAPMAN, CHARLES – 160,224
24. CLARKE, BARNES – 160,065
25. INGLIS, LAWRENCE – 159,759
26. RAKOWSKI, THOMAS – 159,759
27. GEIGER, FRED – 158,579
28. HOURIHANE, JOHN – 158,071
29. DIXON, PATRICK – 157,510
30. NOTTOLINI, GENE – 155,300
31. KAPALA, FREDERICK – 155,096
32. SCHWARTZ, DENNIS – 152,137
33. MCGANN, PATRICK – 152,010
34. OMALLEY, MICHAEL – 152,010
35. ROCHFORD, MARY – 152,010
36. SCHUERING, MARK – 152,010
37. SCHUWERK JR, WILLIAM – 152,010
38. STUTTLEY, MICHAEL – 152,010
39. HARTMAN, CHARLES – 151,806
40. GRUBB, GERALD – 151,790
41. AULT, JAMES – 150,200
42. EVANS, STEPHEN – 150,019
43. LEWIS, WILLIAM – 148,708
44. OBRIEN, THOMAS – 148,708
45. WILHELM, CHARLES – 148,654
46. DI VITO, GINO – 148,564
47. BARRA, JOHN – 148,445
48. BERLAND, RICHARD – 148,445
49. BYRON, NICHOLAS – 148,445
50. COOGAN, DAVID – 148,445

National Taxpayers United President Jim Tobin is out with the corporate tax rate rankings how that Illinois has raised its tax rates. We’re not number one. I guess that’s a small blessing.

But we are higher than Taxachusetts.

NEW ILLINOIS CORPORATE INCOME TAX RATE NOW 4th HIGHEST IN USA

A new report by the non-partisan Tax Foundation, headquartered in Washington, D.C., reveals that the Illinois corporate state income tax rate, recently raised from 7.3% to 9.5%, rose from being the 21st highest overall corporate tax rate in the country to 4th highest. Almost all nearby states have lower state corporate state income tax rates, putting Illinois in a very unfavorable position competitively.

Jim Tobin

The states with the higher corporate state income tax rates are Iowa, 12%, Pennsylvania, 9.99%, and Minnesota, 9.8%.

Illinois’ corporate state income tax rate of 9.5% contrasts with that of Wisconsin at 7.9%, Indiana at 8.5%, Missouri at 6.25% and Kentucky at 6%.

A January 24 article in the Chicago Sun-Times, “Does state tax hike spell doomsday for business?” incorrectly stated that the new Illinois corporate state income tax is 7%.

“The increase in Illinois’ state corporate income tax rate is a devastating blow to our state’s economy,” said Jim Tobin, Chairman of the Illinois Taxpayer Education Foundation (ITEF). “When the governor of Wisconsin said ‘Come to Wisconsin,’ he meant it. Illinois is going to lose many businesses, large and small, to the surrounding states.”

“Even Massachusetts, called ‘Taxachusetts’ for good reason, has a state corporate income tax rate, 8.25%, that is lower than Illinois,” said Tobin.

The Tax Foundation report can be found at this website.

= = = = =

The Sun-Times did not add in the Personal Property Replacement Tax, which is an income tax.

Jim Tobin in Crystal Lake

National Taxpayers United of Illinois President Jim Tobin held a press conference at McHenry County College on Wednesday in which he released pensions for the top 100 educators in the Teachers Retirement System.

Yesterday, the highest pensioners were posted. All had annual pensions exceeding $100,000. Today, after the first two, the annual payouts dip beneath that threshold.  The lowest annual pension in the top 100 pensions is $90,138.

Again, most–58%–were employed by Crystal Lake High School District 155.

The number per district follows:

• 29 – Crystal Lake High School District 155
• 6 – Cary Grade School District 26
• 3 – Johnsburg Unit School District 12
• 3 – Crystal Lake Grade School District 47
• 3 – McHenry Grade School District 15
• 2 – McHenry High School District 156
• 1 – Harrison (Wonder Lake) School District 36
• 1 – Prairie Grove Grade School District 46
• 1 – Woodstock Unit School District 200



Jim Tobin at McHenry County College press conference.

The following pension data for McHenry County pensioners in the Teachers Retirement System was provided by Jim Tobin, President of National Taxpayers United of Illinois at his McHenry County College press conference Wednesday.

All of the top fifty pensions exceed $100,000 per year.

Of the top 50, I count

• 29 or 58% from Crystal Lake High School District 155
• five from Crystal Lake Grade School District 47
• four from McHenry Grade School District 15
• three from Cary Grade School District 26
• three from Woodstock Unit District 200
• one from Johnsburg Unit District 12
• one from Harvard Unit District 50
• one from Marengo High School District 154
• one from Huntley Unit District 158

51 to 100 will be published tomorrow.

The day after Illinois Democrats voted to increase state income taxes on families by 67%, National Taxpayers United of Illinois President Jim Tobin brought his public pension revelation tour to McHenry County College in Crystal Lake.

Jim Tobin

“They’re voting to line their own pockets,” Tobin charged as reporters were looking at the list of the top fifty legislative pensioners.

It got better:

“They’re all self-serving greedy bastards lining their own pockets.”

“This was a structured vote,” Tobin explained, calling for the defeat of all legislative Democrats.

“I don’t care if they voted against the income tax or not. They cut deals all day long to allow those in competitive districts to vote ‘No.’”

McHenry County Democrat Jack Franks voted against the tax hike bill (SB 2505), but was incorrect in his prediction that such a bill would fail.

“These government pension are bankrupting the state,” Tobin asserted. “Most of the income tax will go to fund these pension increases,” he explained after distributing the names and amounts of McHenry County’s top pensioners in various public pension funds.

“That doesn’t even include the health benefits, which are over $100 million a year.”

Tobin said that forcing retired government workers to pay half of their health care premiums wold save $230 billion.

“Within ten years there will be over 40,000 receiving over $100,000 per year,” Tobin predicted.

Such a prediction is possible because public pensions have a three percent annual “cost of living” increase.

Tobin predicted another income tax hike.

“The income tax ten years from now will be approaching 10%.”

Tobin talked of the employee benefits of state policemen, whose primary job was “to work precincts.”

The tax fighter noted that he first noticed that when state policemen were tasked to work precincts for State Rep. Ann Hughes in a primary fight (against Steven Robert Verr).

“There were six state cops out working precincts,” he said.

Christina Tobin, who is chairman of Free & Equal, identified six Republican legislators who were thinking of voting for the income tax increase.

Tobin pointed out that state policemen are allowed to retire at age 50 after twenty-five years, adding that if one lived to age 81, highly possible with their “low pressure” job, a pension would pay off $5 million.

An interesting back story was related.

Tobin’s 29-year old daughter, Christina, discovered that six GOP legislators planned to vote for the income tax hike. Four were state reps and two state senators.

Tobin claimed the pressure put on the four representatives was the reason Mike Madigan couldn’t pass the tax hike Sunday night.

“The Democrats obviously cut deals with other Democrats. I don’t know how much Madigan is bribing people.”

“Madigan is basically putting a nail in the coffin of the next governor of Illinois, Lisa (Madigan, his daughter, who serves as Illinois Attorney General).”

Tobin talked of the possibility of moving to his $300,000, 150-foot waterfront home in Wisconsin, “if the rate goes to 8-10%” in Illinois.

“All I have to do is change my residency.”

“If Wisconsin cuts their personal income tax rates, they’ll see more people like me paying Wisconsin income tax.”

Asked is retirement income should be taxed, Tobin said it should not be.

Even though it would be appropriate to tax pension income of retired government workers, he explained, most of the taxes would be imposed on private pensions.”

He pointed to the uniformity clause in the state constitution as the impediment to taking one type of retirement income, but not another.

“I myself will have to work until I drop,” Tobin said.

“They’re greedy, self-serving bastards…including those blood suckers over at Channel 11, Window To The World,” whom he pointed out get government subsidies.

I don’t smoke.

Never have.

But hiking cigarette taxes a buck a pack strikes me as discrimination against a minority portion of the electorate.

Even if it is phased in over two years.

How will Illinois rank with other states once the per pack taxes reaches $1.98?

Take a look.

The only border state that won’t draw new customers is Wisconsin, where the tax is already $2.52 per pack, according to the Tax Foundation.

Below, Jim Tobin, the man who ran as Lt. Gov. when I ran for Governor in 2002 on the Libertarian Party ticket evaluates the effects of the proposal:

Dear Taxpayer,

Once again, the greedy tax-and-spend Springfield politicians are planning to drive business and jobs out of our state, this time with Senate Bill 44. This proposed legislation will raise the state cigarette tax from $0.98 to $1.98 a pack.

On top of this projected $1.98 per pack Illinois cigarette tax, Cook County’s cigarette tax is $2.00 per pack, to which Chicago adds $0.68 per pack and Evanston adds $0.50 per pack. Plus, the federal tax was upped to $1.01 last year. More than 40% of the Illinois population will see cigarette tax rates higher than $5.00 per pack if they pass Senate Bill 44.

High taxes on items such as cigarettes encourage people to shop across state lines where taxes are lower. The passage of Senate Bill 44 would place Illinois at a competitive disadvantage to the surrounding states of Missouri ($0.17/pack), Kentucky ($0.60), Indiana ($0.995), and Iowa ($1.36).
In Chicago, where the 10.25% sales tax rate also applies to cigarettes, one pack will sell for almost $10.00 under this proposed legislation. That kind of tax gouging not only drives economic activity out of Illinois, it invites more illegal black-market activity in—and everyone pays for the increased criminal activity this will bring to the state.

In 2004, Illinois tobacco tax revenues were $760 million, but in 2009 they were only $582 million. That is a decline of $178 million over those five years during which Cook County and Chicago raised their cigarette taxes. Clearly there is no assurance that the tax revenue generated by an increase would meet the projected revenue. In fact, a Reason Foundation study of cigarette tax increases across the US showed that 68% of cigarette tax hikes fail to meet revenue projections.

Because raising state taxes on tobacco actually results in lower tax revenues over time, even non-smokers end up paying more. Non-smokers currently pay $178 million per year to make up for lost revenue from past cigarette tax hikes.

I have sent a letter to every Illinois representative recommending they oppose SB0044 which guarantees a 100% cigarette tax hike. Please help me keep the pressure on by also contacting your state representative. The harm that a tobacco tax increase will cause Illinois is clear: fewer jobs and less business. Illinois needs lower, not higher, taxes!

Thank you,

Jim Tobin, President, National Taxpayers United of Illinois

P.S. If you need help finding your state representative call (217) 782-4141 or (312) 814-6440.

You may also call our office or use the Legislator Lookup function on the ILGA website.

Click to enlarge any image.

The following mailing has gone out to Jim Tobin’s National Taxpayers United of Illinois mailing list. It contains information I have not seen elsewhere that it seems Illinois residents might find of interest.

ILLINOIS TAXPAYERS…

MEET YOUR ENEMIES!

The beat of the drum grows louder and louder calling for a 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 would continue to grow.

Illinois Farm Bureau - The Illinois Farm Bureau has joined the beating of the drum for more income and sales taxes as they look after their corporate farming interests who will be getting a lot of the property tax relief if there is any. The Illinois Farm Bureau has made an income tax increase one of their 2008 Legislative Priorities and they will work with A+ Illinois to accomplish that.

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) 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.” 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 formed by State Representative Robert Pritchard (R-DeKalb) who 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 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!

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 like Abbott Laboratories’ Hospira Inc., Target, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Menard Inc., and Quaker Manufacturing. In 2006, the state of Illinois appropriated $37.6 million to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority that has already spent $200 million on US Cellular Field where the White Sox barely have to pay rent.

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.

The following mailing has gone out to Jim Tobin’s National Taxpayers United of Illinois mailing list. It contains information I have not seen elsewhere that it seems Illinois residents might find of interest.

ILLINOIS TAXPAYERS…

MEET YOUR ENEMIES!

The beat of the drum grows louder and louder calling for a 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 would continue to grow.

Illinois Farm Bureau - The Illinois Farm Bureau has joined the beating of the drum for more income and sales taxes as they look after their corporate farming interests who will be getting a lot of the property tax relief if there is any. The Illinois Farm Bureau has made an income tax increase one of their 2008 Legislative Priorities and they will work with A+ Illinois to accomplish that.

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) 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.” 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 formed by State Representative Robert Pritchard (R-DeKalb) who 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 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!

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 like Abbott Laboratories’ Hospira Inc., Target, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Menard Inc., and Quaker Manufacturing. In 2006, the state of Illinois appropriated $37.6 million to the Illinois Sports Facilities Authority that has already spent $200 million on US Cellular Field where the White Sox barely have to pay rent.

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.

If you wanted another study that says taxpayers get hurt when governments subsidize stadiums, here’s where to find it:

“Publicly funded stadiums are, at best, an inefficient investment of taxpayer dollars for the meager benefits produced and, at worst, massive payments to rich team owners and players at the expense of ordinary taxpayers,” said NTU Government Affairs Manager Andrew Moylan, who authored the study.