Simon Institute Poll Results Would Not Have Surprised Simon

By Jim Broadway, Publisher of the State School News Service - October 27, 2009

The late Paul Simon submitted to more than 600 unstructured town meetings over his long career. He would invite the audience to ask their questions and then would stay at the microphone until he had answered them all, no matter how long it took. Questions about taxes came up at most meetings. His answers would relate to the specific context of the moment, but he also added a context-setting parable of his own.

He would tell of the letter he received from a constituent soon after he was first sworn in as a member of the Illinois House of Representatives in 1955. The citizen called upon him to support a long list of demands - better roads, better schools, safer workplaces, services for senior citizens and veterans, lower crime rates, a cleaner environment - the man had a dozen such demands for state action on all fronts.

His 13th demand was for lower taxes.

Simon would not be surprised at poll results reported last week by the Public Policy Institute that bears his name at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, results suggesting public attitudes haven't changed much in the last half-century. We pretty much want the state to continue, or even to increase, funding for most services generally considered the state's responsibility - but we also oppose raising taxes to pay for all those things.

He might have been disheartened by such an unrealistic set of public expectations, but he would not have been surprised because in the last couple of decades of his life he witnessed the primary cause of such citizen short-sightedness. In fact, he wrote a book about it. It is entitled, Our Culture of Pandering.

Rather than using town meetings or political campaigns as "teachable moments," as Paul did, today's "leaders" fill that space with pander, denigrating government generally and doing their best to say what they think people want to hear. People generally want to hear the truth. That's why Simon drew support even from those who disagreed with him. But when truth is not on the menu, people will vote for the guy who tells the most appealing lies.

Folks are lining up this week in Springfield for a chance to win that very trophy.

A contender might be Comptroller Dan Hynes, candidate for governor on the Democrat side. Hynes has built a reputation for honesty and dedicated public service. He and Simon were good friends. Simon would have endorsed him in the 2004 primary for the U.S. Senate if a dynamic young man named Barack Obama had not surfaced. But he surely would have seen Hynes' recent abandonment of his own upright political persona as disappointing.

Some consultant who has Hynes' ear must have reminded him that "politics ain't beanbag" and advised him that to achieve victory on February 2 he must step out of character and vilify his opponent, incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn, and in particular he must mislead the public about Quinn's approach to the key issue of the campaign - which is (taking us back to the top of this commentary) how to generate the revenue to pay for state programs and services.

Both Hynes and Quinn support higher taxes. Hynes' plan is to seek a constitutional amendment for a graduated tax to raise the rate only on folks with taxable incomes over $200,000 per year. The flaws in his plan include: (1) It focuses the burden narrowly on just the most affluent 3% of citizens; (2) it requires voter approval in 2010, which is by no means a certainty; (3) it could not take effect until FY 2012 at the earliest. There are many other flaws.

Hynes' approach, rather than justifying his own proposal, is to denigrate Quinn and mislead the public about the governor's proposal. Quinn's proposal is to raise the personal income tax rate to 4.5% and to triple the value of dependent deductions from the current $2,000 to $6,000. Hynes ignores the exemption increase Quinn proposes and simply describes Quinn's tax plan as a "50% across-the-board" income tax increase on everyone.

Hynes has a "calculator" on his web site to further this misleading statement. For example, if your family of four has an income of $60,000, Hynes' calculator tells you that your tax bill under his plan would remain at $1,560 but would increase under Quinn's proposal to $2,340 (a 50% increase). But if Quinn's proposed increase in dependent deductions is included in the calculation, that family's tax bill would be $1,620 (a mere $60 hike).

Hynes further departs from his own established political character by persistently engaging in personal attacks on Quinn, suggesting he is running for "governor of 'Fantasy Island'" and other such nonsense.

Quinn has not yet responded in kind. He is vulnerable to legitimate criticism. He has, for example, been nudged by legislative leaders into a position of accepting a more regressive tax structure than he has proposed. In this and in other respects he may be seen as too willing to compromise, not strong enough in his populist principles. And he's been guilty of true political malpractice in the past.

Sometime back, we observed that either of these candidates would represent a vast improvement over Quinn's predecessor (current reality TV personality Rod Blagojevich), but also that neither seemed particularly inspiring. We still believe those things. We also predicted however that we would see a campaign relatively free of outright falsehoods and focused instead on issues of honest disagreement. This shows you not to have too much faith in our opinions.

Fortunately, Hynes and Quinn will not be our only choices for governor in 2010.

One of the two is certain to become the Democrat nominee on February 2. Rich Whitney of Carbondale will be the Green Party nominee for the second time. There will also be a Republican - the Institute's survey on candidates suggests that nomination is up for grabs - and a few throw-aways representing parties not officially established in Illinois. The nominees will not face off until November 2 of 2010. There will be plenty of time for you to decide.

Getting back to the Institute's survey on taxes and services, it is worth noting that respondents were strongest in their opposition to state reductions in funding for public schools. (Review response calculations starting on Page 4.) They opposed all suggested revenue ideas, but their opposition to expanding the base of the sales tax to include commonly taxed services dramatically declined from last year. Their relatively mild opposition to expanded gambling increased since 2008. They definitely do not want state to put its assets (the Lottery, toll roads, public facilities) up for sale to balance the budget.

Here's a somewhat stunning response: Nearly 58% of respondents believe they receive a "fair" to "excellent" value "in terms of services for taxes you pay to the federal government," but barely half would say the same about their return on "tax dollars paid to the state." They like Washington better than they like Springfield. Obama effect?

Candidates have until November 2 to file petitions. At that time, we will know pretty well who is running for what next year. As is said every even-numbered year - but still always has a ring of truth about it - the elections of 2010 may decide the most profound political questions in the history of our democracy. We'll be paying attention to them, particularly with regard to their impact on public education, and we will encourage you to do so as well.

Remembering Sen. Paul Wellstone: Sunday was the seventh anniversary of the death of Sen. Paul Wellstone (D-MN) in a tragic airplane crash. We remember Sen. Wellstone for his compassion, intelligence and willingness to stand alone on principle. He was in many ways a public service twin of Illinois' own last great statesman, Sen. Simon. Wellstone's warnings against an education system driven by high stakes testing predated the No Child Left Behind Act. His warnings were ignored in the enactment of NCLB, of course, and are being ignored by federal policymakers today. Ignored, however, does not have to mean forgotten. Advocates of education as a public service whose clients are the children should remember Wellstone by reviewing his wisdom.

Governor Quinn and U.S. Green Council Urge Illinois Schools to Go Green

From the Office of Governor Pat Quinn

CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn today joined with U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) National Board Chair Gail Vittori and Rep. Karen May (D-Highland Park) to urge Illinois schools to implement sustainable building practices as a way to save money and reduce energy use and pollution.

“It is important for schools and school districts to make sustainability a guiding principle for building operations, maintenance, grounds and classroom activities,” said Governor Quinn at the Tarkington School of Excellence. “I want to thank the U.S. Green Building Council for making a commitment here in Illinois to help green our state.”

USGBC, in partnership with local community groups, has announced a project to retrofit three Illinois schools: one in Chicago, one in the suburbs, and one downstate. The schools will achieve certification under the USGBC’s Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards for sustainable building.

Green schools represent a potential $32 billion in energy savings over the next 10 years nationwide. On average, green schools save $100,000 per year, which could pay for two new teachers, buy 200 new computers or purchase 5,000 new textbooks.

“Moving from conventional schools to green schools is one of the best investments we can make,” said Gail Vittori, USGBC Board Chair. “Green schools can help improve student learning and health, and they have the potential to save taxpayers and schools billions of dollars in energy costs.”

Buildings in the United States are responsible for 39% of CO2 emissions, 40% of energy consumption and 15% of GDP, making green building a source of significant economic and environmental opportunity. Greater building efficiency can meet 85% of future U.S. demand for energy, and a national commitment to green building has the potential to generate 2.5 million American jobs.

Tarkington School of Excellence has signed the Governor’s Sustainable Schools Compact. The compact challenges Illinois K-12 schools to pursue a number of sustainable best practices by December 2010. Since the launch of the compact in January 2008, more than 175 schools throughout the state have signed on to participate in the program.

Daley Puts 'Tax Swap' Concept Back on Table

From Jim Broadway, Publisher, State School News Service

The state's FY 2010 budget challenges just became even more complicated. For decades, all experts and blue-ribbon commissions studying how Illinois citizens pay for public services have arrived at the same conclusion: We rely too heavily on property taxes and not enough on state general revenue source, mainly the income tax. This imbalance cripples public services, mostly schools, where property values are low and over-burdens taxpayers where they are high.

As consequences, for example, at least one-third of Illinois schoolchildren are educated in cash strapped schools unable to meet their basic needs, while hundreds of thousands of moderate-income residents in high-property value areas are being taxed out of their homes. All experts' recommendations have called for a "tax swap" - lower property taxes and higher state taxes.

But that takes state action, and state officials are reluctant. For all the good property tax relief would do, they know they would not get credit for that; instead, they would just take the blame for the higher state taxes needed to make it possible. Thus, to address the state fiscal black hole confronting the state in the coming FY 2010, Gov. Pat Quinn has proposed a relatively small 1.5-percentage point increase in the state income tax - and no tax swap.

Combined with federal stimulus money, that would close the $11.5 billion state deficit and put the state on a strong footing to fund state obligations in coming years. But it would do nothing for property taxpayers, and Chicago Mayor Richard Daley says it is "unacceptable." He also objects to Quinn's plan to keep all revenue from his tax increase at the state level rather than sharing 10% of it with local governments as has been the law for decades.

Daley is just one more voice in the policy process, but his is a very powerful voice. With a quarter of the legislators representing his community, he exerts a huge influence on state policy. His position on the tax structure cannot be ignored.

What would it cost to add a tax-swap and maintain state-local revenue sharing in Quinn's budget?

The tax-swap alone would require about $3 billion in state funds. Let's guess the total impact of Daley's demands at about $3.5 billion. According to the most recent information on state tax proceeds [see pp. 54-62] it seems the state income tax on individuals would have to rise by 2 points, with a proportionate hike for corporations, for Daley to have his way.

That would seem to make a tax increase all but impossible to pass. But a letter is circulating now indicating that its signers will be reluctant to support any budget that does not include the tax swap Daley demands. Who signed that letter? - about 30 members of the Illinois Senate.

Complicating the argument is the fact that school leaders in areas with a huge property tax base are not keen on the swap notion. Although the citizens who fund their schools would benefit more than anyone in the state, they see the swap as a risk to their schools' funding. Tax relief for their taxpayers would rely on state funding for abatements. These school officials don't trust the state to keep its promises.

They don't feel state policymakers are very reliable. Imagine that.

At any rate, as they say at the Capitol, it's not soup yet. The legislators will finish out the week debating bills to beat Friday's third-reading deadline. Then they'll take two weeks off. Perhaps they'll confer with constituents. Perhaps they'll go some place and hide, as we all would be tempted to do. But when they return to the Capitol on April 21, they'll face five weeks of fury, more heavy lifting and politically risky votes than they've seen in six years.

Can they suck it up and get the job done by May 31? One way or another, they certainly will.