Eisendrath Webcast-Cablecast on taxes, spending, public corruption and much more.
Jeff Berkowitz: Rod Blagojevich said ... he would not raise the income tax; he would not raise the sales tax. He says, and he can say this now—he did not do either... Will you make that pledge, that if you are elected—
Edwin Eisendrath: I won’t make that pledge. It was a cruel pledge. What he did instead, he raised all those fees and all those small taxes, so that Illinois is more regressive than when he got here. The tax system is less fair than when he got here...
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Our show with Edwin Eisendrath, candidate for Governor in the Democratic Primary who is taking on the incumbent office-holder, is now available as a video Podcast/Webcast at the Public Affairs Cinema [See here]. This is the first thirty minute televised interview with the former Chicago alderman/Clinton appointee as HUD Regional Administrator in his week-old role as Challenger to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The show with gubernatorial candidate Eisendrath will air on Comcast Cable TV in 34 Chicago Metro Suburbs the week of Jan. 9, with the Public Affairs suburban airing schedule detailed at the conclusion of the blog post here. The Eisendrath show will also air through-out the City of Chicago on Monday night, Jan. 16 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
A partial transcript of the show is included, below. For another partial transcript of the show, see here.
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Jeff Berkowitz: …Blair Hull could spend 40 million dollars [in the 2004 Democrat U. S. Senate Primary]. There was no law, federal or state, that could limit [how much he could give to himself].
Edwin Eisendrath: I can’t. You know, I don’t have that kind of wealth, notwithstanding all the rumors about this. I can’t self-fund this campaign and I wouldn’t if I could. I’m not Blair Hull and I wish I were [laughter].
Jeff Berkowitz: And, if you were [Blair Hull], you might give yourself 10 million to spend on this campaign, right?
Edwin Eisendrath: I think, as I have said before, it’s very important to raise money all over the state. I’ve said that everywhere and I haven’t changed, I mean that- I’ve said it every time.
Jeff Berkowitz: Rod Blagojevich said- [he] made an important pledge before he became governor: he would not raise the income tax; he would not raise the sales tax. He says, and he can say this now—he did not do either, a lot of people give him credit for that. That’s what you are up against. Will you make that pledge, that if you are elected—
Edwin Eisendrath: I won’t make that pledge. It was a cruel pledge. What he did instead, he raised all those fees and all those small taxes, so that Illinois is more regressive than when he got here. The tax system is less fair than when he got here. Fee raises--
Jeff Berkowitz: Eight hundred million dollars in fee increases.
Edwin Eisendrath: So, lower income payments, not even lower income, all but the top twenty percent pay a higher percentage [of taxes] than they used to—
Jeff Berkowitz: Has that made the Illinois Economy one of the worse in the nation?
Edwin Eisendrath: Not by itself.
Jeff Berkowitz: But one of the factors? What else? Republicans say it is a terrible business climate. Would you agree that Illinois has a terrible business climate now?
Edwin Eisendrath: The No. 1 priority. At least according to the Chamber of commerce, which is sort of generally thought of as a Republican point of view—the thing that people want to see—are our colleges and our schools preparing [a] better work force. You know what, if that makes us a bad working environment, you bet.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, where are you going to get the money to subsidize higher education more? Does it inevitably mean that you would raise either the income tax or the sales tax?
Edwin Eisendrath: It doesn’t mean that.
Jeff Berkowitz: [Then] you have to cut spending somewhere [else]. How are you going to do it?
Edwin Eisendrath: Well—
Jeff Berkowitz: Cut spending [or] raise taxes.
Edwin Eisendrath: I think what you are going to end up seeing is spending cuts and the tax system looked at across the board. My guess is some taxes go down; other taxes go up—because the tax system isn’t fair. So, we have to—
Jeff Berkowitz: Do you favor a tax swap? Lower the—lower the property tax, raise the income tax?
Edwin Eisendrath: I certainly am open to looking at that in great detail. I wouldn’t do what the Governor did, which is to threaten to veto it, so it never even saw the light of day. It never got—
Jeff Berkowitz: You would have considered House Bill 750, which was not only a tax swap but an increase of total taxes of about 3 billion dollars. Would you have given that some thought?
Edwin Eisendrath: Well, I wasn’t there, so I didn’t get a chance to work on it.
Jeff Berkowitz: Hypothetically.
Edwin Eisendrath: Hypothetical questions are, are—
Jeff Berkowitz: Good questions. They are ways of finding out what you would do before you get there.
Edwin Eisendrath: If I were there, I would have worked on a bill like that to see if we could craft one that makes sense. I don’t know enough about--
Jeff Berkowitz: So, you are open to that? You are open to House Bill 750, or some variant?
Edwin Eisendrath: Yeah, I am open to looking at all things and that was taken off the table and I think it does need to be looked at.
********************************************
Edwin Eisendrath, running for Governor in the March 21, 2006 Democratic Primary in Illinois. The show was recorded on December 27, 2005 for a forthcoming Public Affairs episode that will air in the City of Chicago on Monday, January 16 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV], the suburbs the week of January 9 and on the Public Affairs Cinema [starting now and continuing at the Cinema for at least a month], which currently is also airing a five minute interview with Eisendrath, taped about a month ago [See here]. The Cinema also houses a dozen recent, other Public Affairs episodes, each of which is available here
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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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Edwin Eisendrath: I won’t make that pledge. It was a cruel pledge. What he did instead, he raised all those fees and all those small taxes, so that Illinois is more regressive than when he got here. The tax system is less fair than when he got here...
*************************************************************
Our show with Edwin Eisendrath, candidate for Governor in the Democratic Primary who is taking on the incumbent office-holder, is now available as a video Podcast/Webcast at the Public Affairs Cinema [See here]. This is the first thirty minute televised interview with the former Chicago alderman/Clinton appointee as HUD Regional Administrator in his week-old role as Challenger to Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
The show with gubernatorial candidate Eisendrath will air on Comcast Cable TV in 34 Chicago Metro Suburbs the week of Jan. 9, with the Public Affairs suburban airing schedule detailed at the conclusion of the blog post here. The Eisendrath show will also air through-out the City of Chicago on Monday night, Jan. 16 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV].
A partial transcript of the show is included, below. For another partial transcript of the show, see here.
**************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: …Blair Hull could spend 40 million dollars [in the 2004 Democrat U. S. Senate Primary]. There was no law, federal or state, that could limit [how much he could give to himself].
Edwin Eisendrath: I can’t. You know, I don’t have that kind of wealth, notwithstanding all the rumors about this. I can’t self-fund this campaign and I wouldn’t if I could. I’m not Blair Hull and I wish I were [laughter].
Jeff Berkowitz: And, if you were [Blair Hull], you might give yourself 10 million to spend on this campaign, right?
Edwin Eisendrath: I think, as I have said before, it’s very important to raise money all over the state. I’ve said that everywhere and I haven’t changed, I mean that- I’ve said it every time.
Jeff Berkowitz: Rod Blagojevich said- [he] made an important pledge before he became governor: he would not raise the income tax; he would not raise the sales tax. He says, and he can say this now—he did not do either, a lot of people give him credit for that. That’s what you are up against. Will you make that pledge, that if you are elected—
Edwin Eisendrath: I won’t make that pledge. It was a cruel pledge. What he did instead, he raised all those fees and all those small taxes, so that Illinois is more regressive than when he got here. The tax system is less fair than when he got here. Fee raises--
Jeff Berkowitz: Eight hundred million dollars in fee increases.
Edwin Eisendrath: So, lower income payments, not even lower income, all but the top twenty percent pay a higher percentage [of taxes] than they used to—
Jeff Berkowitz: Has that made the Illinois Economy one of the worse in the nation?
Edwin Eisendrath: Not by itself.
Jeff Berkowitz: But one of the factors? What else? Republicans say it is a terrible business climate. Would you agree that Illinois has a terrible business climate now?
Edwin Eisendrath: The No. 1 priority. At least according to the Chamber of commerce, which is sort of generally thought of as a Republican point of view—the thing that people want to see—are our colleges and our schools preparing [a] better work force. You know what, if that makes us a bad working environment, you bet.
Jeff Berkowitz: So, where are you going to get the money to subsidize higher education more? Does it inevitably mean that you would raise either the income tax or the sales tax?
Edwin Eisendrath: It doesn’t mean that.
Jeff Berkowitz: [Then] you have to cut spending somewhere [else]. How are you going to do it?
Edwin Eisendrath: Well—
Jeff Berkowitz: Cut spending [or] raise taxes.
Edwin Eisendrath: I think what you are going to end up seeing is spending cuts and the tax system looked at across the board. My guess is some taxes go down; other taxes go up—because the tax system isn’t fair. So, we have to—
Jeff Berkowitz: Do you favor a tax swap? Lower the—lower the property tax, raise the income tax?
Edwin Eisendrath: I certainly am open to looking at that in great detail. I wouldn’t do what the Governor did, which is to threaten to veto it, so it never even saw the light of day. It never got—
Jeff Berkowitz: You would have considered House Bill 750, which was not only a tax swap but an increase of total taxes of about 3 billion dollars. Would you have given that some thought?
Edwin Eisendrath: Well, I wasn’t there, so I didn’t get a chance to work on it.
Jeff Berkowitz: Hypothetically.
Edwin Eisendrath: Hypothetical questions are, are—
Jeff Berkowitz: Good questions. They are ways of finding out what you would do before you get there.
Edwin Eisendrath: If I were there, I would have worked on a bill like that to see if we could craft one that makes sense. I don’t know enough about--
Jeff Berkowitz: So, you are open to that? You are open to House Bill 750, or some variant?
Edwin Eisendrath: Yeah, I am open to looking at all things and that was taken off the table and I think it does need to be looked at.
********************************************
Edwin Eisendrath, running for Governor in the March 21, 2006 Democratic Primary in Illinois. The show was recorded on December 27, 2005 for a forthcoming Public Affairs episode that will air in the City of Chicago on Monday, January 16 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 [CANTV], the suburbs the week of January 9 and on the Public Affairs Cinema [starting now and continuing at the Cinema for at least a month], which currently is also airing a five minute interview with Eisendrath, taped about a month ago [See here]. The Cinema also houses a dozen recent, other Public Affairs episodes, each of which is available here
***************************************************************
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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