McHenry County Blog

State Senator and now candidate for the GOP nomination for lieutenant governor Matt Murphy while speaking against the Democrats 67% income tax hike proposal earlier this year.

The following press release has been received from the campaign of State Senator Matt Murphy (R-Palatine). He is running for the lieutenant governor spot on the Republican ticket in the February 2nd primary. He has endorsed gubernatorial candidate Andy McKenna.  You may remember I was favorably impressed with his comments on the Senate floor during the debate on the Democrats’ attempt to hike income taxes 67%.

Radogno Endorses Murphy for Lt. Governor

Murphy secures both House & Senate GOP Leader’s Endorsements

CHICAGO – Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno today endorsed State Senator Matt Murphy for Lieutenant Governor.

“I am supporting Matt Murphy for Lieutenant Governor because I believe he is the right candidate with new ideas to help Illinois through the current financial crisis,” said Radogno.

“Matt Murphy has a proven track record of leadership and accomplishment in the state senate and I know he will take those same qualities to the Lieutenant Governor’s Office.”

Radogno also noted that it was Senator Murphy who authored legislation to cut both the income and corporate tax rate and, as a member of the Deficit Reduction Committee, led the charge to cut $3 billion in wasteful spending from the state budget to avoid a tax hike.

Murphy has also secured House Republican Leader Tom Cross’ endorsement along with over twenty members of Illinois’ General Assembly, including Senator’s Brad Burzynski, John O. Jones and Dale Righter, and State Representatives Mark Beaubien and JoAnn Osmond who are both members of Republican House leadership.

Lake County Republican Chairman Dan Venturi and Northfield Township Republican Chairwoman June O’Donoghue have also personally endorsed Murphy’s campaign. The Republican Township Organizations of Addison, Barrington, Cuba, Evanston, Palatine and Schaumburg have also voted to give Murphy their endorsement.

“I am honored to receive the support of my good friend, Christine Radogno and with her help, we will win the primary in February and we will continue this momentum through November,” said Murphy. “As I travel around Illinois, I am proud of the support we are receiving from all corners. I am running for Lieutenant Governor because I believe we can do better for Illinois.”

Matt is a member of the Illinois General Assembly representing the 27th Senatorial District, a graduate of The John Marshall Law School and is a practicing attorney in Chicago.  He and his wife, Julie, have four children and live in Palatine.

At last Wednesday’s meeting of the McHenry County Democratic Central Committee State Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) talked about “what really happened in Springfield.”

Let me skip to what he said Republicans did and didn’t do.

“Twelve brave souls said they would (vote for the income tax increase.) We only needed five of those brave souls.

“Their leader Tom Cross said, ‘No.’”

Lang said he was told there were two arguments:

• It’s against our (Republican) philosophy
• We’re not helping Democrats

“Once is was June 1st, it made it impossible to pass the income tax,” Lang explained, pointing out that passing a bill took an extraordinary majority of 71 votes and the Democrats only have 70 House members.

“The leader of the Republican Party personally killed the income tax increase,” the House Democratic Party Floor Leader said.

“There was one woman on the Republican side of the aisle that I sat beside in a meeting in the Governor’s office after the vote,” Lang elaborated.

“She’s a person who actually cares about human services.

“She was sitting there crying real tears.

“Do you recall you voted ‘No?’” Lang said he asked.

“This is the kind of hypocrisy that go4s on in Springfield on a daily basis,” he added.

“So, the reason we did not pass the income tax was the Republican Party.”

In the question and answer question, McHenry County Board member Paula Yensen asked Lang to comment on what a not-for-profit lobbyist had told her:

“The reason Republicans wouldn’t cross over was because they wanted a greater say in reapportionment and wanted $2-3 billion more cut.”

“Cross was most interested in getting to June 1st (when an extraordinary majority higher than the number of Democrats in the Illinois House took effect),” Lang said.

“The idea that the Republican Party was protecting the taxpayer is a bunch of bull.

“Mr. Cross was protecting the Republican Party.”

Other articles in the series:

• Part 1.
• Part 3.

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From left to right, those sitting at the table are Jeff Jenkins, BJ Rendine, Bill Nowaskey, Mark Freund, John Darger and John Farnick. Standing is Carolyn Quinn.

You may have noted that the Chicago Tribune is putting a story with the logo

on its front page.

Everyday, I guess, but I only looked at Friday’s and Monday’s papers for this article.

Friday the upper right hand story was entitled

It was by Springfield Bureau Chief Ray Long, with the assistance of Ashley Rueff and Robert Becker.

It probably tilts toward the reformers’ point of view a bit, but it tells what’s happening in the State Capitol.

Monday’s article, by Rick Pearson, is not so objective.

Pearson starts with the premise that reform could be linked to an income tax hike.

As if taxpayers would willingly accept a 50% income tax hike for any change in the way of doing business that led the Democrats to hike spending by a billion dollars a year since they took control of all three branches of state government, thus, getting the state into the mess it now has.

Did you know

“rank-and-file legislators may decide the more reforms they enact, the more it could give them cover for raising the state’s income tax…”

Didn’t think so.

Having established the theme of his article, Pearson goes around and asks whether such a quid pro quo is likely.

Needless to say, he found someone to agree with the strategy he advances. And he got quoted first.

But others, like Senate President John Cullerton and House Republican Leader Tom Cross disagreed.

House Speaker Mike Madigan is the only significant voice to support Pearson’s thesis.

And the “let me continue doing what I’ve always done, but limit what others (excluding newspapers) can spend” approach to finance reform is not meaningful reform.

Pearson doesn’t even point out that most of the so-called reform folks are liberal enough to be in favor a massive income tax hike anyway.

Keep an eye the Tribune’s coverage of this strategy for passing a huge tax hike this week.

I’m pretty amazed that the issue I stressed when I ran for governor against Rod Blagojevich and Jim Ryan in 2002 is getting attention during this year when the media is pushing reform:

When my Libertarian Party running mate Jim Tobin and I kicked off our campaign in his National Taxpayers United of Illinois office in the South Loop, the sign we held up is the one you see below.

The sign went everywhere in the campaign and might have gotten some real play had Blagojevich and Ryan not conspired to skip the Illinois League of Women Voters gubernatorial debate after I managed to reach the 5% threshold in the Daily Southtown’s 1,000 person survey. (That was the largest in the entire campaign, by the way.)

It seemed perfectly obvious to me that legislative leaders should not be leaders for life.

Except for two years after Republican Lee Daniels managed to elect a Republican majority in 1994—the year that the GOP’s Contract with America clicked on the national level—Mike Madigan has been speaker since George Ryan held the office in the early 1980’s.

Pate Philip stopped all sorts of bad legislation in his leadership of the state senate during the 1990’s, but it still seems to me that there ought to be turnover.

While the old guy/gal may pick the new guy/gal, at least the newbies would have different friends.

When Daniels got deposed during a staff-campaign-work-on-state-time scandal initiated by Rich Means–part of which took place in McHenry County–successor Tom Cross won votes by promising not to try to follow Daniels’ example of being Republican leader as long as he could.

Cross promised term limits.

In 2008, that 2002 promise went bye-bye.

And, of course, nothing will happen on the issue because Madigan is not willing to see an end to his regime…even if it were ten years from now.

The Daily Herald has polled suburban legislators on how they stand on various reform proposals and how the term limits for leaders issue shakes out can be seen below.

First House members:

• Susanne Bassi – Favors
• Mark Beaubien (Republican representing eastern part of McHenry County) – Favors
• Bob Biggins – Favors
• Linda Chapa-LaVia – Favors
• Franco Coladipietro – Favors
• Sandy Cole – Favors
• Michael Connelly – Favors
• Tom Cross – Opposed (Big surprise there.)
• Keith Farnham – Opposes
• Mike Fortner – Favors
• Jack Franks – (Democrat representing northern & western McHenry County) Favors
• Paul Froehlich – Opposes
• Kay Hatcher – Favors
• Emily Klunk-McAsey – Did not respond to Daily Herald
• Sidney Mathias – Favors
• Rosemary Mulligan – Favors
• Elaine Nekritz – Favors
• JoAnn Osmond – Favors
• Sandra Pihos – Favors



• Randy Ramey – Opposes (Step-father is Pate Philip.)
• Dennis Reboletti – Favors
• Kathleen Ryg – Favors
• Skip Saviano – Favors
• Tim Schmitz – Favors
• Darlene Senger – Favors
• Ed Sullivan – Favors
• Mike Tryon – (Representing southeastern McHenry County) Opposes
• Mark Walker – Opposes
• Eddie Washington – Favors

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The top sign is the one used in the 2002 campaign. The bottom one was the first version. I concluded that 8 years as leader was better than 6, hence the change in toll free phone numbers.

One of the proposals which has the greatest potential to break the logjam in Springfield is the one I campaigned on for governor in 2002:

Needless to say, legislative leaders think this is horrible idea.

New Republican Senate Leader Christine Radogno told the Chicago Tribune “she would not support term limits for legislative leaders.

“House Majority Leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego) declined to take a position…”

Some with long memories will remember that he said he would serve no more than ten years when campaigning to replace Lee Daniels in 2002.

That promise went by the wayside last year.

Newly elected Senate President John Cullerton (D-Chicago) “wants to read the report before taking any position, spokeswoman Rikeesha Phelon said.”

And Lisa Madigan surely is speaking for her father when she says,

“That’s something that I’m skeptical of. You don’t necessarily want to put into place a situation where it’s staff and lobbyists and special interests who control a lot of government. There’s no harm in having some institutional knowledge. Voters always have the ability to make sure that someone’s not re-elected.”

She has a point, but there’s nothing saying the term-limited leaders couldn’t remain in office in order to offer their expertise.

April 14th, a pollster called one of McHenry County Blog’s friends in Algonquin.

Here’s my contact’s description of the phone call:

She said she was located in Asia and representing Western Wats. I tried to jot down her questions, not word for word, for you;

1. Will you vote in the Republican primary for IL governor?

2. Is IL heading in the wrong or right direction?

3. Approve or disapprove of the job state legislature is doing?

4. Who would you likely vote for governor? This was her list to choose from;

• Joe Birkett
• health care
• Kirk Dillard
• Bill Brady
• Doug Whitley
• Dan Proft
• Tom Cross
• Bob Schillerstrom
• Ron Gidwitz

5. What issue(s) concern you or you think legislature should focus? She
quickly read off this list;

• abortion
• lowering taxes
• reform and ethics
• improving education
• reducing crime
• family values
• wasteful state spending
• Second Amendment rights
• protecting the environment
• creating jobs/improve state economy

6. Do you subscribe to cable or satellite TV?

7. Who is your provider?

8. How often do you watch:
MSNBC; daily, few times a week, once a month, etc.,
Fox News; daily, few times a week, once a month, etc.,
CNBC; daily, few times a week, once a month, etc.

9. Do you listen to the radio?
How often do you listen to Hannity?
Limbaugh?

10. What year were you born?

11. Are you Evangelical or born-again Christian?

12. Support or oppose abortion?

You can pretty well guess that the person paying for the survey research is listed among the names read.

If anyone else gets a political polling call, please make notes and let me share them with McHenry County Blog readers.

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Seen on top are Joe Birkett on the left and Kirk Dillard to his left. Next comes Bill Brady. Under him is a photo of Ron Gidwitz. Dan Proft is to the left. Below him is Tom Cross.

For starters, let me say my self-interest is involved in this story.

Thanks to Illinois taxpayers, I am paid a pension that is higher than $50,000.

I periodically thank people for it. Among other things, it allows me to spend my time on McHenry County Blog.

As some will know, retirement income is not taxed in Illinois.

That is one of the reasons that more people don’t move out of state after they
they retire.

Certainly, the real estate tax burden is crushing, especially, in the collar counties.

Our property tax bill exceeds $8,000.

The same home in a Southern state would have a much, much lower tax bill.

Now Greg Hinz is reporting in Crain’s Chicago Business online that one of the three state representatives who has a part of McHenry County—a Republican—is proposing to tax retirement income.

From the article, it is evident he talked to him.

It is interesting that the Barrington Hills resident is identified as “North Shore” State Rep. Mark Beaubien.

He is identified as the lead negotiator for House Republicans on “big picture financial issues.”

Beaubien, one of the more liberal Republicans on social issues, is reported to be suggesting

raising “about $900 million a year by taxing retirement payments above $50,000 and pensions paid to any one who retires before age 65.”

OK, so my pension is a good one for which I often thank people in person. But, it won’t just me that gets hit. All those early retiring teachers will be, too.

Maybe that’s why it could bring in almost a billion dollars.

Probably more, if the push to raise the income tax rate 67% is part of the package.

That would cut retirement benefits by 5% right after private retirement assets have tanked.

Great position for a Republican to espouse.

Not only is the McHenry County legislator proposing imposing a new income tax, but Hinz uses this phraseology about current retiree health benefits:

“cut spending on Medicaid pensions for state workers.”

Retiree health benefits are the same as for all state employees, including state legislators, and have nothing to do with Medicaid.

Those on pensions who reach age 65 are forced into Medicare.

Later in the Hinz article House Republican Leader Tom Cross says the GOP is not behind the proposal, but what message does it send when one of his top lieutenants is the first to surface the idea of taxing senior citizens?

You know, the ones who most consistently vote Republican.

The subject, of course, was impeachment.

Here’s the part of the article about State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo):

“State Representative Jack D. Franks, a Democrat of McHenry County who is chairman of the House State Government Administration Committee, said in an interview on Friday:

‘I don’t think the judiciary should be telling the executive branch what to do. We’ve got to make sure we do it right. And no matter how loathsome this governor is, we cannot trample on our constitution.’”

Franks is making the argument I would make.

Supreme Court, butt out.

The mention is contained in an article about Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s petitioning the Illinois Supreme Court to relieve Governor Rod Blagojevich of duties mentioned in the criminal complaint that led to his early Tuesday morning arrest.

The article also mentions Franks bill to prohibit a governor from appointing a United States Senator, “if the governor has been arrested, charged, or indicted for a felony offense” and the case isn’t settled.

There is no mention in the article of Tom Cross’ House Republicans’ filing of a resolution calling for the establishment of an impeachment investigation committee.

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State Rep. Jack Franks can be seen on top and State Rep. Tom Cross on the bottom.

The subject, of course, was impeachment.

Here’s the part of the article about State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Marengo):

“State Representative Jack D. Franks, a Democrat of McHenry County who is chairman of the House State Government Administration Committee, said in an interview on Friday:

‘I don’t think the judiciary should be telling the executive branch what to do. We’ve got to make sure we do it right. And no matter how loathsome this governor is, we cannot trample on our constitution.’”

Franks is making the argument I would make.

Supreme Court, butt out.

The mention is contained in an article about Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s petitioning the Illinois Supreme Court to relieve Governor Rod Blagojevich of duties mentioned in the criminal complaint that led to his early Tuesday morning arrest.

The article also mentions Franks bill to prohibit a governor from appointing a United States Senator, “if the governor has been arrested, charged, or indicted for a felony offense” and the case isn’t settled.

There is no mention in the article of Tom Cross’ House Republicans’ filing of a resolution calling for the establishment of an impeachment investigation committee.

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State Rep. Jack Franks can be seen on top and State Rep. Tom Cross on the bottom.

What can you say about Illinois House Republicans that none have filed an impeachment resolution against Governor Rod Blagojevich?

Yes, I’ve heard the argument from both Republican state senators and representatives that this is a Democratic Party problem and the Democrats should be allowed to stew in their own juices.

But, any rational person can see Democrats are going now going to get the credit for cleaning their own house.

No matter that they aren’t.

Here’s the day I would have filed an impeachment resolution, regardless of why my Republican party leader thought.

House Speaker Mike Madigan could have treated such a resolution the same way that House Speaker W. Robert (Bob) Blair did my impeachment resolution of Frank Kirk, “Chief Jerk” (Director) of the Department of Local Governmental Affairs did in 1974 while the impeachment hearings of Richard Nixon were being held.

For two years Kirk blatantly violated the law to equalize real estate assessments. It resulted in the misallocation of upwards of $100 million in State Aid to Education. I had him cold, but Blair told me that people had had enough of impeachment hearings in 1974.

This year Madigan could have ignored a spring impeachment resolution. But, he might have appointed a committee and followed advice to allow subpoenas and sworn testimony.

But, it would not have been a Democratic-controlled committee bringing forth the first impeachment resolution with all Republican members now so boldly voting in favor, as will be the case some day soon.

The best that House Republican Leader-in-Perpetuity Tom Cross can come up with was a resolution yesterday calling for a committee to investigate whether an impeachment resolution should be brought forth.

How bold of him and his Republican followers! (Sense sarcasm, please.)

When U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald treats Blagojevich as he would someone committing an ongoing crime by arresting him in his sweats, as was done yesterday at 6 AM, how would it be taking a chance to file the real thing?

Most of the whereases could be drawn straight out of the 76-page criminal complaint of FBI Agent Daniel W. Cain.

Not any heavy lifting for the resolution drafters.

They wouldn’t even have to do their own research, as I did.

Waiting until yesterday to do anything certainly is not a way for the Illinois Republican Party to win back a reputation for fighting corruption that former U.S. Attorney gave it by running for governor in 1976.

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The title’s last work is “Again.”

Think of any time that any Republican criticized Chicago Mayor Richard Daley when his minions were convicted of corruption.

The top photo shows Governor Rod and Mrs. Patti Blagojevich in happier times.

The head shot is of Tom Cross.

The picture below is of the Blagojevich home where the Governor was awakened yesterday morning with a call from FBI Agent-in-Charge Robert Grant telling him two FBI agents were waiting outside to arrest him. And, contrary to the Governor’s first instinct, it was not a joke.