Gidwitz: To Pledge or not to Pledge on no new taxes, that is the question.
Jeff Berkowitz: Would you possibly raise the state income tax in Illinois?
Ron Gidwitz: I am not going to sit here Jeff and speculate on what I might do because frankly we haven’t put the time in to be able to make those kinds of judgments.
******************************************
This week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features Ron Gidwitz, a possible candidate for Governor in the Republican Primary. See the end of this blog entry for a detailed suburban airing schedule and for more about the show with Ron Gidwitz. The show with Mr. Gidwitz will also air throughout the City of Chicago [in the regular “Public Affairs,” City of Chicago time slot] on next Monday night, March 14 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
**********************************************
A partial transcript of the show with Ron Gidwitz is included, below.
****************************
Ron Gidwitz: … Unfortunately, this is a state that chases jobs out of Illinois.
Jeff Berkowitz: By taxing and [imposing] fees on business?
Ron Gidwitz: By fees, taxes and-- and by-- by regulation which is just not very thoughtful.
Jeff Berkowitz: Now, would you raise taxes elsewhere if you cut those taxes, how would you do it?
Ron Gidwitz: I think that is what we are doing in this exploratory, looking at—
Jeff Berkowitz: Trying to decide?
Ron Gidwitz: Looking at all kinds of things of which revenue policy and tax policy are certainly a part of it.
Jeff Berkowitz: Would you possibly raise the state income tax in Illinois?
Ron Gidwitz: I am not going to sit here Jeff and speculate on what I might do because frankly we haven’t put the time in to be able to make those kinds of judgments.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, let me ask you if you would do the reverse. Would you take a pledge not to raise the state income tax, not to raise the general sales tax in Illinois?
Ron Gidwitz: I think the problem is—how serious is the fiscal crisis that the State is facing? Uh, and my first inclination is to say what we need to do is we need to cut back. I mean, this Governor, that we have now if this budget passes in any way, shape or form that he has proposed will have increased spending in the state of Illinois more than 2 billion dollars on an annualized basis.
Jeff Berkowitz: Where would you cut spending?
Ron Gidwitz: Well, I think that’s, again, I am not going to let you pin me down on those kinds of questions right now.
Jeff Berkowitz: That’s my job, here. Do you want me to lose my job? I’ll get fired if I don’t pin you down.
Ron Gidwitz: You’re terrific at your job, but those are the kinds of questions that I am going to be in a position to answer when we get into the campaign, assuming that we do.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, as of today, you have no specific areas that you would talk about in terms of cuts in state spending.
Ron Gidwitz: What we are trying to do is spend the time, go around the state, listen to people, find out what the local problems are, find out what some of the issues are, get better versed on some of these, uh, particularly thorny problems.
Jeff Berkowitz: …Would you possibly, later on, when you decide to be a candidate, would you take a pledge not to raise the state income tax or the state sales tax?
Ron Gidwitz: Well, Jeff, I am certainly not going to sit here today and tell you what I am going to do in—
Jeff Berkowitz: I said, would you possibly take that pledge?
Ron Gidwitz: I think there are all kinds of things I might do.
Jeff Berkowitz: But, you are not going to do it today.
Ron Gidwitz: I am not going to do it today. Absolutely not.
Jeff Berkowitz: But, you know, [Governor] Rod Blagojevich essentially made that pledge when he ran for Governor and he has kept it for two years-
Ron Gidwitz: I know.
Jeff Berkowitz: Do you think people respect him [Blagojevich] for that and does that—the fact that he has kept that [pledge] for two years—and might keep it for four years, would that make him a more formidable candidate for you to run against.
Ron Gidwitz: That’s very possible. That doesn’t necessarily make it the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do…I frankly don’t know the fiscal condition of the state, today.
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t know?
Ron Gidwitz: I don’t know.
Jeff Berkowitz: Would you say we have a two billion dollar deficit?
Ron Gidwitz: I would say we have at least a two billion dollar deficit.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, then you know the fiscal condition of the State.
Ron Gidwitz: No, I only know part of it.
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t know? Why? You mean you need to study the budget more?
Ron Gidwitz: The question gets to be--How much is it really? If you remember back in the last election—
Jeff Berkowitz: You mean it could be worse?
Ron Gidwitz: Well, certainly, if you remember back during the last election campaign, there were numbers anywhere from five billion dollars on the one hand to 1.6 billion [dollars] on the other.
***************************************
Ron Gidwitz(R), recorded on February 27, 2005 and as is airing on the Suburban edition of Public Affairs this week [week of March 7] and on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs on Monday night, March 14 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21. See the end of this blog entry, below, for a detailed suburban airing schedule.
*******************************
Ron Gidwitz (R) debates and discusses with Show Host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz growing the number of jobs in Illinois, spending, taxes, pledges, Pay to Play, school choice, “Students First,” Helene Curtis, guns, assault weapon bans, tort and medical malpractice reform, abortion, corruption, Mayor Daley, Governor Blagojevich, Attorney General Madigan and much, much more.
*******************************
The suburban edition of "Public Affairs," is regularly broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
The suburban edition also is broadcast every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette and every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
***********************
Ron Gidwitz: I am not going to sit here Jeff and speculate on what I might do because frankly we haven’t put the time in to be able to make those kinds of judgments.
******************************************
This week’s suburban edition of “Public Affairs,” features Ron Gidwitz, a possible candidate for Governor in the Republican Primary. See the end of this blog entry for a detailed suburban airing schedule and for more about the show with Ron Gidwitz. The show with Mr. Gidwitz will also air throughout the City of Chicago [in the regular “Public Affairs,” City of Chicago time slot] on next Monday night, March 14 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
**********************************************
A partial transcript of the show with Ron Gidwitz is included, below.
****************************
Ron Gidwitz: … Unfortunately, this is a state that chases jobs out of Illinois.
Jeff Berkowitz: By taxing and [imposing] fees on business?
Ron Gidwitz: By fees, taxes and-- and by-- by regulation which is just not very thoughtful.
Jeff Berkowitz: Now, would you raise taxes elsewhere if you cut those taxes, how would you do it?
Ron Gidwitz: I think that is what we are doing in this exploratory, looking at—
Jeff Berkowitz: Trying to decide?
Ron Gidwitz: Looking at all kinds of things of which revenue policy and tax policy are certainly a part of it.
Jeff Berkowitz: Would you possibly raise the state income tax in Illinois?
Ron Gidwitz: I am not going to sit here Jeff and speculate on what I might do because frankly we haven’t put the time in to be able to make those kinds of judgments.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, let me ask you if you would do the reverse. Would you take a pledge not to raise the state income tax, not to raise the general sales tax in Illinois?
Ron Gidwitz: I think the problem is—how serious is the fiscal crisis that the State is facing? Uh, and my first inclination is to say what we need to do is we need to cut back. I mean, this Governor, that we have now if this budget passes in any way, shape or form that he has proposed will have increased spending in the state of Illinois more than 2 billion dollars on an annualized basis.
Jeff Berkowitz: Where would you cut spending?
Ron Gidwitz: Well, I think that’s, again, I am not going to let you pin me down on those kinds of questions right now.
Jeff Berkowitz: That’s my job, here. Do you want me to lose my job? I’ll get fired if I don’t pin you down.
Ron Gidwitz: You’re terrific at your job, but those are the kinds of questions that I am going to be in a position to answer when we get into the campaign, assuming that we do.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, as of today, you have no specific areas that you would talk about in terms of cuts in state spending.
Ron Gidwitz: What we are trying to do is spend the time, go around the state, listen to people, find out what the local problems are, find out what some of the issues are, get better versed on some of these, uh, particularly thorny problems.
Jeff Berkowitz: …Would you possibly, later on, when you decide to be a candidate, would you take a pledge not to raise the state income tax or the state sales tax?
Ron Gidwitz: Well, Jeff, I am certainly not going to sit here today and tell you what I am going to do in—
Jeff Berkowitz: I said, would you possibly take that pledge?
Ron Gidwitz: I think there are all kinds of things I might do.
Jeff Berkowitz: But, you are not going to do it today.
Ron Gidwitz: I am not going to do it today. Absolutely not.
Jeff Berkowitz: But, you know, [Governor] Rod Blagojevich essentially made that pledge when he ran for Governor and he has kept it for two years-
Ron Gidwitz: I know.
Jeff Berkowitz: Do you think people respect him [Blagojevich] for that and does that—the fact that he has kept that [pledge] for two years—and might keep it for four years, would that make him a more formidable candidate for you to run against.
Ron Gidwitz: That’s very possible. That doesn’t necessarily make it the right thing to do or the wrong thing to do…I frankly don’t know the fiscal condition of the state, today.
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t know?
Ron Gidwitz: I don’t know.
Jeff Berkowitz: Would you say we have a two billion dollar deficit?
Ron Gidwitz: I would say we have at least a two billion dollar deficit.
Jeff Berkowitz: Well, then you know the fiscal condition of the State.
Ron Gidwitz: No, I only know part of it.
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t know? Why? You mean you need to study the budget more?
Ron Gidwitz: The question gets to be--How much is it really? If you remember back in the last election—
Jeff Berkowitz: You mean it could be worse?
Ron Gidwitz: Well, certainly, if you remember back during the last election campaign, there were numbers anywhere from five billion dollars on the one hand to 1.6 billion [dollars] on the other.
***************************************
Ron Gidwitz(R), recorded on February 27, 2005 and as is airing on the Suburban edition of Public Affairs this week [week of March 7] and on the City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs on Monday night, March 14 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21. See the end of this blog entry, below, for a detailed suburban airing schedule.
*******************************
Ron Gidwitz (R) debates and discusses with Show Host and Executive Legal Recruiter Jeff Berkowitz growing the number of jobs in Illinois, spending, taxes, pledges, Pay to Play, school choice, “Students First,” Helene Curtis, guns, assault weapon bans, tort and medical malpractice reform, abortion, corruption, Mayor Daley, Governor Blagojevich, Attorney General Madigan and much, much more.
*******************************
The suburban edition of "Public Affairs," is regularly broadcast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Bannockburn, Deerfield, Ft. Sheridan, Glencoe, Highland Park, Highwood, Kenilworth, Lincolnshire, Riverwoods and Winnetka.
The suburban edition also is broadcast every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette and every Tuesday night at 8:30 p.m. on Comcast Cable Channel 35 in Arlington Heights, Bartlett, Glenview, Golf, Des Plaines, Hanover Park, Mt. Prospect, Northbrook, Park Ridge, Prospect Heights, Schaumburg, Skokie, Streamwood and Wheeling.
*****************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Host and Producer of Public Affairs and an Executive Recruiter doing Legal Search, can be reached at JBCG@aol.com
***********************
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