Better than Conaty w/Durbin: Berkowitz w/State. Rep. Walker on Tax cuts,Caroline Kennedy, school vouchers and impeaching Blago;Cable & Streaming
Jeff Berkowitz: How do you do it? Are you going to lower the income tax? Are you going to raise it? If it’s a big middle class tax cut—in Illinois, people pay fairly high income taxes, three percent across the board, that could be fairly high, depending on [your income level].
State Rep. Mark Walker[D-Arlington Heights]: I’d support cutting that tax.
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Jeff Berkowitz: Like Caroline Kennedy, who we’re seeing now. This broad—if we want to use that language, okay, I’ll get heat for that—this broad steps up out of nowhere and says she’d like to be the U.S. Senator from the state of New York, and she’d like... Caroline Kennedy? She was born into the aristocracy. See my point?
State Rep. Mark Walker: Of course, I do. And, it’s a problem for America.
*****************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t think people should have choice?
State Rep. Walker: I think it’s a responsibility of this government to support public education. It is a fundamental value of America.
*******************************
Tonight's Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," features newly minted State Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) on Caroline Kennedy and the political aristocracy tax cuts, school vouchers and impeaching Blago. Please go here for more about the show, the guest and partial transcripts of the show.
The show airs throughout the City of Chicago tonight at 8:30pm on Cable Ch. 21 (CANTV) and on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery. The show also will air in Rockford and surrounding areas this Thursday night at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17.
***********************************
You can watch the show with Rep. Mark Walker on your computer.
******************************************
Caroline Kennedy: Entitled?
Jeff Berkowitz: Is this [the political aristocracy] a problem for the Illinois Democratic Party…
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: I think it’s a problem for America.
Jeff Berkowitz: Like Caroline Kennedy, who we’re seeing now. This broad—if we want to use that language, okay, I’ll get heat for that—this broad steps up out of nowhere and says she’d like to be the U.S. Senator from the state of New York, and she’d like [Governor] David Patterson to appoint her. And you know what she’s done? She’s been a mom. There’s nothing wrong with being a mom, but for fifty-one years. And she’s a lawyer—she got a law degree. And she wrote a book. She was at the Book Stall in Winnetka, IL a year ago hawking her children’s book. No way she’s qualified. Think of all the Democrats who have earned their stripes, who are in Congress. If you want to have a woman, you could pick among six, [or so, New York Congresswomen]. Caroline Kennedy? She was born into the aristocracy. See my point?
State Rep. Mark Walker: Of course, I do. And, it’s a problem for America.
*****************************************************
Cutting taxes and cutting spending.
Jeff Berkowitz: Let’s go over to taxes, because that was a big issue you talked about during the campaign. You said you wanted to have the biggest middle class tax cut in history, right? Tell us, in the next minute or so, what’s that going to be like? The biggest middle class tax cut?
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: I don’t know the numbers.
Jeff Berkowitz: How do you do it? Are you going to lower the income tax? Are you going to raise it? If it’s a big middle class tax cut—in Illinois, people pay fairly high income taxes, three percent across the board, that could be fairly high, depending on who you are.
State Rep. Walker: I’d support cutting that tax.
Jeff Berkowitz: You would.
State Rep. Walker: I don’t think anyone can afford taxes that high.
Jeff Berkowitz: You would cut the income tax, what, from three percent to two percent?
State Rep. Walker: I don’t know.
Jeff Berkowitz: Would you raise any taxes?
State Rep. Walker: I don’t see any taxes that I would raise. I don’t think the economy can stand it. I really don’t. Now what do you do about government is the issue.
Jeff Berkowitz: Right, so there’s a four billion dollar deficit right now on the state level. How would you solve that? You’re going to go down there, you’re going to be a state rep. You’re not going to raise any taxes, so how are you going to solve that?
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights] : I haven’t come up with a solution yet, to tell you the truth. I’ll tell you some things I do know. One is that we have to take the pension liabilities of the state and not treat them as if they’re contingent liabilities, we’ll cover them or we won’t cover them, depends what our cash flow is. Two, fund actuarially what we need to do with long-term bonds. That’s the only thing to do, to put it as a hard liability on your balance sheet and manage your balance sheet.
Jeff Berkowitz: If you’re not going to raise taxes, and you’re going to fund these pension liabilities-it must mean you’re going to cut spending somewhere else, right?
State Rep. Walker: We have to cut spending.
Jeff Berkowitz: Where are you going to cut spending? In education?
State Rep. Walker: I would not cut spending in education. I would support education.
Jeff Berkowitz: Where would you cut?
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More parental choice of schools or more money for public education?
Jeff Berkowitz: Let’s take education. What’s your plan to improve the quality of education? That was something you said—make it more accountable.
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do you want to do?
State Rep. Walker: I’d like to raise what’s called the foundation level in Illinois so that we have at least a minimal standard for school districts in expenses per pupil.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do they spend right now in the school districts in the 66th? Do you have any idea?
State Rep. Walker: I can’t give you numbers on that.
Jeff Berkowitz: Across the state of Illinois the average is eleven thousand dollars per kid, per year.
State Rep. Walker: It’s higher in my district.
Jeff Berkowitz: In the city of Chicago, it’s sixteen thousand dollars per kid, per year. It might be even higher in your district.
State Rep. Walker: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: You think we’re spending enough. You think the answer is to give more money on education? Is that your answer?
State Rep. Walker: My answer is to make people accountable for what they do.
Jeff Berkowitz: How about having competition? Would that make them accountable? You’re in business. You must believe in competition, right?
State Rep. Walker: What I do believe in, for instance, since I’m in business and I understand these things, is to walk away, as I think the country’s going to, from the No Child Left Behind act. The No Child Left Behind Act caused these institutions-
Jeff Berkowitz: You want to walk away from No Child Left Behind?
State Rep. Walker: Yes.
Jeff Berkowitz: Let me give you a stark example. Right now you can give people choice, you can take the money, whatever it is [that is being spent currently on public school education]—say it’s seventeen thousand, it probably is in many areas of the 66th district. Seventeen thousand dollars per kid per year. Say it’s fourteen thousand. I don’t know what it is. Give them choice. Give them a voucher and say, whatever is being spent on your kid now—federal, state, and local—fourteen thousand—if you’re happy in the public schools, stay there. If you’re not, go to the private school of your choice. School choice, school vouchers. You’d sign up for that?
State Rep. Walker: I would not sign up for that.
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t think people should have choice?
State Rep. Walker: I think it’s a responsibility of this government to support public education. It is a fundamental value of America.
Jeff Berkowitz: More than [supporting] the kids in the education system? So if the education the kids are getting, like in the city of Chicago, is almost uniformly believed to be pretty bad, in many schools, not all schools, and they’re spending sixteen thousand, don’t say to the parents, you can take sixteen thousand and go to the school of your choice, because we fundamentally have to do something about public education. I thought we had to do something about the kids at the public schools. Let them go where they want. Why wouldn’t you want to do that?
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: I would want to fix the schools.
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State Rep. Mark Walker[D-Arlington Heights]: I’d support cutting that tax.
************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: Like Caroline Kennedy, who we’re seeing now. This broad—if we want to use that language, okay, I’ll get heat for that—this broad steps up out of nowhere and says she’d like to be the U.S. Senator from the state of New York, and she’d like... Caroline Kennedy? She was born into the aristocracy. See my point?
State Rep. Mark Walker: Of course, I do. And, it’s a problem for America.
*****************************************************
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t think people should have choice?
State Rep. Walker: I think it’s a responsibility of this government to support public education. It is a fundamental value of America.
*******************************
Tonight's Chicago edition of "Public Affairs," features newly minted State Rep. Mark Walker (D-Arlington Heights) on Caroline Kennedy and the political aristocracy tax cuts, school vouchers and impeaching Blago. Please go here for more about the show, the guest and partial transcripts of the show.
The show airs throughout the City of Chicago tonight at 8:30pm on Cable Ch. 21 (CANTV) and on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery. The show also will air in Rockford and surrounding areas this Thursday night at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17.
***********************************
You can watch the show with Rep. Mark Walker on your computer.
******************************************
Caroline Kennedy: Entitled?
Jeff Berkowitz: Is this [the political aristocracy] a problem for the Illinois Democratic Party…
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: I think it’s a problem for America.
Jeff Berkowitz: Like Caroline Kennedy, who we’re seeing now. This broad—if we want to use that language, okay, I’ll get heat for that—this broad steps up out of nowhere and says she’d like to be the U.S. Senator from the state of New York, and she’d like [Governor] David Patterson to appoint her. And you know what she’s done? She’s been a mom. There’s nothing wrong with being a mom, but for fifty-one years. And she’s a lawyer—she got a law degree. And she wrote a book. She was at the Book Stall in Winnetka, IL a year ago hawking her children’s book. No way she’s qualified. Think of all the Democrats who have earned their stripes, who are in Congress. If you want to have a woman, you could pick among six, [or so, New York Congresswomen]. Caroline Kennedy? She was born into the aristocracy. See my point?
State Rep. Mark Walker: Of course, I do. And, it’s a problem for America.
*****************************************************
Cutting taxes and cutting spending.
Jeff Berkowitz: Let’s go over to taxes, because that was a big issue you talked about during the campaign. You said you wanted to have the biggest middle class tax cut in history, right? Tell us, in the next minute or so, what’s that going to be like? The biggest middle class tax cut?
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: I don’t know the numbers.
Jeff Berkowitz: How do you do it? Are you going to lower the income tax? Are you going to raise it? If it’s a big middle class tax cut—in Illinois, people pay fairly high income taxes, three percent across the board, that could be fairly high, depending on who you are.
State Rep. Walker: I’d support cutting that tax.
Jeff Berkowitz: You would.
State Rep. Walker: I don’t think anyone can afford taxes that high.
Jeff Berkowitz: You would cut the income tax, what, from three percent to two percent?
State Rep. Walker: I don’t know.
Jeff Berkowitz: Would you raise any taxes?
State Rep. Walker: I don’t see any taxes that I would raise. I don’t think the economy can stand it. I really don’t. Now what do you do about government is the issue.
Jeff Berkowitz: Right, so there’s a four billion dollar deficit right now on the state level. How would you solve that? You’re going to go down there, you’re going to be a state rep. You’re not going to raise any taxes, so how are you going to solve that?
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights] : I haven’t come up with a solution yet, to tell you the truth. I’ll tell you some things I do know. One is that we have to take the pension liabilities of the state and not treat them as if they’re contingent liabilities, we’ll cover them or we won’t cover them, depends what our cash flow is. Two, fund actuarially what we need to do with long-term bonds. That’s the only thing to do, to put it as a hard liability on your balance sheet and manage your balance sheet.
Jeff Berkowitz: If you’re not going to raise taxes, and you’re going to fund these pension liabilities-it must mean you’re going to cut spending somewhere else, right?
State Rep. Walker: We have to cut spending.
Jeff Berkowitz: Where are you going to cut spending? In education?
State Rep. Walker: I would not cut spending in education. I would support education.
Jeff Berkowitz: Where would you cut?
***********************************
More parental choice of schools or more money for public education?
Jeff Berkowitz: Let’s take education. What’s your plan to improve the quality of education? That was something you said—make it more accountable.
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do you want to do?
State Rep. Walker: I’d like to raise what’s called the foundation level in Illinois so that we have at least a minimal standard for school districts in expenses per pupil.
Jeff Berkowitz: What do they spend right now in the school districts in the 66th? Do you have any idea?
State Rep. Walker: I can’t give you numbers on that.
Jeff Berkowitz: Across the state of Illinois the average is eleven thousand dollars per kid, per year.
State Rep. Walker: It’s higher in my district.
Jeff Berkowitz: In the city of Chicago, it’s sixteen thousand dollars per kid, per year. It might be even higher in your district.
State Rep. Walker: Right.
Jeff Berkowitz: You think we’re spending enough. You think the answer is to give more money on education? Is that your answer?
State Rep. Walker: My answer is to make people accountable for what they do.
Jeff Berkowitz: How about having competition? Would that make them accountable? You’re in business. You must believe in competition, right?
State Rep. Walker: What I do believe in, for instance, since I’m in business and I understand these things, is to walk away, as I think the country’s going to, from the No Child Left Behind act. The No Child Left Behind Act caused these institutions-
Jeff Berkowitz: You want to walk away from No Child Left Behind?
State Rep. Walker: Yes.
Jeff Berkowitz: Let me give you a stark example. Right now you can give people choice, you can take the money, whatever it is [that is being spent currently on public school education]—say it’s seventeen thousand, it probably is in many areas of the 66th district. Seventeen thousand dollars per kid per year. Say it’s fourteen thousand. I don’t know what it is. Give them choice. Give them a voucher and say, whatever is being spent on your kid now—federal, state, and local—fourteen thousand—if you’re happy in the public schools, stay there. If you’re not, go to the private school of your choice. School choice, school vouchers. You’d sign up for that?
State Rep. Walker: I would not sign up for that.
Jeff Berkowitz: You don’t think people should have choice?
State Rep. Walker: I think it’s a responsibility of this government to support public education. It is a fundamental value of America.
Jeff Berkowitz: More than [supporting] the kids in the education system? So if the education the kids are getting, like in the city of Chicago, is almost uniformly believed to be pretty bad, in many schools, not all schools, and they’re spending sixteen thousand, don’t say to the parents, you can take sixteen thousand and go to the school of your choice, because we fundamentally have to do something about public education. I thought we had to do something about the kids at the public schools. Let them go where they want. Why wouldn’t you want to do that?
State Rep. Mark Walker [D-Arlington Heights]: I would want to fix the schools.
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