Home for the Holidays, Sadly All They Want for Christmas Is a Job

A lot to watch: Four big films 12 FILM | Chuck Koplinski FREE December 24-30, 2020 • Vol. 46, No. 23 Home for the holidays, sadly All they want for Christmas is a job. 8 UNEMPLOYMENT | David Blanchette December 24-30, 2020 | Illinois Times | 1 OPINION It is time to Stocking stuffers show our There’s something for everyone resilience UPON FURTHER REVIEW | Bruce Rushton GUESTWORK | Lee H. Hamilton It’s Christmas Eve, and I know what you’re thinking. If you pay attention to global affairs, Too late. Santa’s departed, the post you know that increasing numbers of office is closed, Victoria’s Secret has left the people believe U.S. leadership in the building and you’re out of Amazon points. world is coming to an end and the West But always remember: It’s the thought that more broadly is being eclipsed. I think counts. And so here are some gift ideas for these predictions are exaggerated, but those who matter most. they are not without some basis. Our challenges have grown. It is time for us The Springfield Park District: Praise. to re-establish ourselves by showing our More than ever, parks have been sanctuaries, capacity for change and adaptation. and they’ve looked immaculate despite The biggest external challenge everything. we face is the rise of China and the competition it offers to the democratic The Springfield City Council: Ambien. model. It is not just that its wealth, Long meetings were bad enough before military power and leverage around pandemic forced folks to breathe on each the world have all grown. It is also other while listening to the usual. that China has had an astonishing rise, pulling millions of people out City Water, Light and Power: A lump of of poverty, drawing attention for coal to keep lights on. its innovation and infrastructure development, and building one of the Illinois Republicans: Someone better than world’s leading economies. Bruce Rauner in 2022 and straight faces Gov. JB Pritzker: Thirty-six hours to a day. He’ll Restaurants with multiple tickets for This is an important point. You do while they watch Democrats implode. need it during the coming legislative session. coronavirus-related violations: Footage of not build prestige abroad by collapsing hospitalized COVID patients streamed into at home. You cannot separate domestic Bureaucrats: Longer lunch breaks so they’ll Tim Timoney: Decorum. dining rooms. and foreign policy, especially when have something other than coronavirus to you are the U.S. The world pays close blame for stuff not getting done. Justin Fowler: A Pulitzer Prize. Sangamon County Department of Public attention to how we deal with internal Health: Backbone to shut down repeat problems, and our actions within The homeless: Steel Reserve for the thirsty The Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library scofflaws and keep ’em shut down until we’ve our borders profoundly affect our and a shot for those ready to move on. and Museum: A director who’ll last longer all been vaccinated. standing and leverage as we assert global than three years and won’t embarrass the leadership. White Oaks Mall: An all-you-can-eat buffet place. Restaurants that followed the rules: More So how do we reenergize our global in a supersized food court for coming hordes business than they can handle when this is role? We begin at home, by bringing the of state employees. Adam Lopez: A solid trial date, because this over. pandemic under control, reinvigorating has gone on long enough. Oh, wait: That’s our own economy and recommitting Economic development efforts: $1 billion, what we got him last year. Ward 2 Ald. Shawn “I Never Said That” to the rule of law, to basic, long- because hundreds of thousands of dollars Gregory: A rifle plus membership to a gun established democratic processes and to hasn’t been enough. Springfield School District 186:A real first club so that he might learn to shoot straight. the core values of justice, fairness and day of school. opportunity for all our citizens. Michael Madigan: A tenured professorship Illinois cannabis industry: Owners who Then we need to return to the at the Harry Houdini College of Impossible St. John’s Hospital and Memorial Medical aren’t white. basics, which have taken a beating in Escapes Center: Less coronavirus. recent years. We built our preeminence Architects of Illinois’ pot legalization law: by using an international approach New jobs. during the post-WWII period, working skillfully with European and other allies Editor’s note Mister Rogers: Reincarnation. The world, to lead the West. If we try to lead by where so many have acted like children, could ourselves, the task is far more difficult than if we join with European allies, Here’s gratitude for Illinois Times making it through another year, and for all who helped IT do so use his wisdom now. Japan, other Asian countries and allies – our readers, our writers, our newsmakers, our staff and drivers, our subscribers and donors, in South America and elsewhere. our advertisers and friends. Some weeks we marvel, not at how few ads we have, compared to Donald Trump: Happy trails. We also must restore basic before, but how many, compared to where we could be. Thank goodness for illinoistimes.com, democratic values – promotion of for Food Weeks and Capital City Visitor, for our sister Springfield Business Journal, and for PPP Joe Biden: Good luck. democracy, treating people decently, (we’re ready for Round Two). Thank you. –Fletcher Farrar, editor and CEO Contact Bruce Rushton at [email protected] continued on page 5 2 | www.illinoistimes.com | December 24-30, 2020 OPINION Too late for a tax increase now POLITICS | Rich Miller “What if” games are never quite accurate, of hand. Bruce Rauner’s attempt to wipe painted the 2020 constitutional amendment but I don’t think it’s a stretch to say that Gov. AFSCME out of existence backfired so vote as a very real and substantial income JB Pritzker had the opportunity -- and most badly that the union has been strengthened tax cut for 97% of the populace instead of probably, the votes -- to balance the state budget to the point where even asking for minor the few dollars he ended up promising. with an income tax hike during 2019, his concessions is beyond difficult. Also, the governor said that he’ll need honeymoon year with the General Assembly. The governor pointed to the failure the General Assembly’s cooperation to make Instead, the governor came into office of his Fair Tax proposal as a big reason more cuts than the $711 million he outlined. and proposed what was essentially a pension for the need to make cuts, and AFSCME That’s not totally true. Under Rauner, the payment holiday and other magic budgetary countered by saying it was also all-in vast majority of the state’s budget was put on solutions. on the graduated income tax. But while auto-pilot, either by statute or by judges. A I was told in early 2019 by a high-level Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden big chunk of that money falls under various administration figure with influence over lost Sangamon County to President Donald consent decrees entered into by the state. the budget that the Pritzker administration Trump by just 4.3 percentage points (way The administration could attempt to change would not take the easy route of raising taxes down from Trump’s 9-point winning margin those consent decrees without any help from and wanted to instead focus on the hard in 2016), the Fair Fax lost AFSCME’s home- the legislature. But doing so would bring choices. base county by a whopping 26 points. enormous heat on the governor because But hiking the flat tax to balance the Heckuva job. those consent decrees involve things like budget ahead of a hoped-for 2020 change We can’t go back and change history minimum funding and staffing levels for the to the state constitution to allow for a and it’s often maddening to engage in the state’s care of children. graduated income tax would not have been exercise. But, if the governor had just done I’m only writing this now because when the easy route. A pension holiday was the the responsible thing in 2019 and used a I laid out this very scenario in an early 2019 easiest route he could’ve possibly taken. flat tax hike to balance the budget when he meeting with that high-level Pritzker person There was nothing hard about that, except could’ve drawn on an almost infinitely deep who has significant budget influence, I was for convincing legislators that shorting the well of goodwill among his super-majority laughed at and waved off with “We’re not pension funds was the right thing to do. legislature, we wouldn’t be in nearly this taking the easy way out with a tax increase, Pritzker’s budget was eventually saved mess right now. And he could’ve then Rich.” by an unexpected tax receipt boost in the spring which eliminated the immediate need 1240 S. 6th, Springfield, IL 62703 for a pension holiday, budget cuts or a new PO Box 5256, Springfield, IL 62705 revenue infusion. And then came 2020, the mother of all Office phone 217.753.2226 Fax 217.753.2281 lousy years. The international pandemic has punched all states and local governments in www.illinoistimes.com the fiscal gut. But the lack of preparedness hit Illinois even harder. EDITOR/CEO The state’s current revenue situation isn’t Fletcher Farrar .........................

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