Blagojevich: Eye on Wall St, not Main St., asserts Sen. Rauschenberger-- Cable and streaming soon
Sen. Steve Rauschenberger: The health care was an excuse. He [Gov. Blagojevich] has a structural deficit because of his unbalanced budgets for the last five years that approaches about 3.2 or 3.3 billion dollars. Isn’t it interesting that the tax increase that he was looking for was about 3.3 to 3.5 billion dollars?
Jeff Berkowitz: No, it was about 6 billion dollars.
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Steve Rauschenberger, former State Senator, member of the Fab 5 and President of the United Republican Fund of Illinois, is featured on Tonight's City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. The show airs throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm, Cable Ch. 21.
Sen. Rauschenberger is featured also on tonight's City of Aurora edition of Public Affairs , airing through-out Aurora and in some surrounding areas on Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10 at 7:30 pm. The Aurora station reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
If you miss tonight's show on cable with
Senator Rauschenberger or this week's Chicago Metro suburban show with 14th CD Republican Primary candidate Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns , you can Go here to watch, soon, either show on your computer.
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For more about the topics and questions discussed in tonight's show, go here.
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What Blago really wanted?
Jeff Berkowitz: What he [Gov. Blagojevich] really wanted out of this was a big increase in state taxes, his Gross Receipts Tax, which got shot down.
Former State Senator Steve Rauschenberger (R-Elgin): I think that is what they really wanted, yes.
Berkowitz: And, he wanted a lot of that to go to his expensive health insurance program.
Sen. Rauschenberger: Perhaps.
Berkowitz: For low income people and also for education, about which he sort of had a deal with Rev. [and Senator] Meeks (D-Chicago), that he didn’t keep. Would that be accurate?
Sen. Rauschenberger: …What the Governor wanted was a large tax increase.
Why Blago wanted a large state tax increase.
Berkowitz: But, what did he want that money for.
Sen. Rauschenberger: The health care was an excuse. He has a structural deficit because of his unbalanced budgets for the last five years that approaches about 3.2 or 3.3 billion dollars. Isn’t it interesting that the tax increase that he was looking for was about 3.3 to 3.5 billion dollars?
Berkowitz: No, it was about 6 billion dollars [See here].
Sen. Rauschenberger: Well, if you add in the employer payroll tax, right? But, the Gross Receipts tax, the main tax that he was—
Berkowitz: Was only about three and a half billion dollars?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Was about three and half billion dollars. Just enough, if you imposed it that he could have covered his structural deficit and hid his budget problems from Wall St.
Blago and Bond rating companies
Berkowitz: So, he [Blagojevich] is afraid that someday soon the bond rating companies are going to say, “You want to issue more bonds? Fine, but we are lowering your ratings. You are going to have to pay higher interest rates.”
Sen. Rauschenberger: I think that is going to happen. Yes.
Berkowitz: Okay, so that is what Blagojevich was doing. Speaker Mike Madigan, what did he want?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Mike Madigan wanted to go home.
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Speaker Mike: A Blago Enabler?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Well, Mike Madigan endorsed and passed all of those budgets that created that structural deficit.
Berkowitz: So he is a part of that?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Yes, he is a part of the pension underfunding. I mean this man has been Speaker of the House for 28 of the last 30 years. I think we should hold him accountable for some of the problems the State has.
Berkowitz: But, the Republicans had the Governor’s chair for 25 of those 28 years, or —
Sen. Rauschenberger: That’s correct.
Berkowitz: … they had it for 25 years, from 1976 to 2002—
Sen. Rauschenberger: Correct.
Berkowitz: So, they get their share of the blame.
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President Emil: Even more of a Blago Enabler?
Sen. Rauschenberger: My point is when the Democrats control the legislature is when you don’t fund pensions, when you have unbalanced budgets and when you run up bills. We have now seen five years of the Blagojevich Administration with Mike Madigan running the House and Emil Jones running the Senate. I think you have to hold those leaders accountable for their budget.
Berkowitz: Emil Jones, he is a part of the problem, then?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Emil Jones—he is a big part of the problem, yes.
Berkowitz: Emil is the President of the State Senate?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Yes.
**************************************
Steve Rauschenberger, former State Senator and President, United Republican Fund of Illinois, interviewed on Public Affairs on August 26, 2007 and as is airing tonight in Chicago [8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21] and Aurora and surrounding areas [7:30 pm on ACTV, Comcast Cable Ch. 10], and as is now streaming on your computer at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
*************************************************
This week's suburban edition of Public Affairs features,
Kevin Burns, Geneva Mayor and 14th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary candidate.
*************************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Richardson, Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox and many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
Jeff Berkowitz: No, it was about 6 billion dollars.
******************************************
Steve Rauschenberger, former State Senator, member of the Fab 5 and President of the United Republican Fund of Illinois, is featured on Tonight's City of Chicago edition of Public Affairs. The show airs throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm, Cable Ch. 21.
Sen. Rauschenberger is featured also on tonight's City of Aurora edition of Public Affairs , airing through-out Aurora and in some surrounding areas on Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10 at 7:30 pm. The Aurora station reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
If you miss tonight's show on cable with
Senator Rauschenberger or this week's Chicago Metro suburban show with 14th CD Republican Primary candidate Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns , you can Go here to watch, soon, either show on your computer.
******************************************************
For more about the topics and questions discussed in tonight's show, go here.
***************************************
What Blago really wanted?
Jeff Berkowitz: What he [Gov. Blagojevich] really wanted out of this was a big increase in state taxes, his Gross Receipts Tax, which got shot down.
Former State Senator Steve Rauschenberger (R-Elgin): I think that is what they really wanted, yes.
Berkowitz: And, he wanted a lot of that to go to his expensive health insurance program.
Sen. Rauschenberger: Perhaps.
Berkowitz: For low income people and also for education, about which he sort of had a deal with Rev. [and Senator] Meeks (D-Chicago), that he didn’t keep. Would that be accurate?
Sen. Rauschenberger: …What the Governor wanted was a large tax increase.
Why Blago wanted a large state tax increase.
Berkowitz: But, what did he want that money for.
Sen. Rauschenberger: The health care was an excuse. He has a structural deficit because of his unbalanced budgets for the last five years that approaches about 3.2 or 3.3 billion dollars. Isn’t it interesting that the tax increase that he was looking for was about 3.3 to 3.5 billion dollars?
Berkowitz: No, it was about 6 billion dollars [See here].
Sen. Rauschenberger: Well, if you add in the employer payroll tax, right? But, the Gross Receipts tax, the main tax that he was—
Berkowitz: Was only about three and a half billion dollars?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Was about three and half billion dollars. Just enough, if you imposed it that he could have covered his structural deficit and hid his budget problems from Wall St.
Blago and Bond rating companies
Berkowitz: So, he [Blagojevich] is afraid that someday soon the bond rating companies are going to say, “You want to issue more bonds? Fine, but we are lowering your ratings. You are going to have to pay higher interest rates.”
Sen. Rauschenberger: I think that is going to happen. Yes.
Berkowitz: Okay, so that is what Blagojevich was doing. Speaker Mike Madigan, what did he want?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Mike Madigan wanted to go home.
********************************************
Speaker Mike: A Blago Enabler?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Well, Mike Madigan endorsed and passed all of those budgets that created that structural deficit.
Berkowitz: So he is a part of that?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Yes, he is a part of the pension underfunding. I mean this man has been Speaker of the House for 28 of the last 30 years. I think we should hold him accountable for some of the problems the State has.
Berkowitz: But, the Republicans had the Governor’s chair for 25 of those 28 years, or —
Sen. Rauschenberger: That’s correct.
Berkowitz: … they had it for 25 years, from 1976 to 2002—
Sen. Rauschenberger: Correct.
Berkowitz: So, they get their share of the blame.
**********************************************
President Emil: Even more of a Blago Enabler?
Sen. Rauschenberger: My point is when the Democrats control the legislature is when you don’t fund pensions, when you have unbalanced budgets and when you run up bills. We have now seen five years of the Blagojevich Administration with Mike Madigan running the House and Emil Jones running the Senate. I think you have to hold those leaders accountable for their budget.
Berkowitz: Emil Jones, he is a part of the problem, then?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Emil Jones—he is a big part of the problem, yes.
Berkowitz: Emil is the President of the State Senate?
Sen. Rauschenberger: Yes.
**************************************
Steve Rauschenberger, former State Senator and President, United Republican Fund of Illinois, interviewed on Public Affairs on August 26, 2007 and as is airing tonight in Chicago [8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21] and Aurora and surrounding areas [7:30 pm on ACTV, Comcast Cable Ch. 10], and as is now streaming on your computer at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
*************************************************
This week's suburban edition of Public Affairs features,
Kevin Burns, Geneva Mayor and 14th Cong. Dist. Republican Primary candidate.
*************************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. You may watch "Public Affairs," shows with Presidential Candidates Richardson, Obama, McCain, Giuliani and Cox and many other pols at www.PublicAffairsTv.com
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