Tuesday, March 31, 2009

Better than Schieffer w/President Obama: Berkowitz w/Senator Garrett on party brands, charter school caps, taxes, ethics and more; Cable and Streaming

Jeff Berkowitz: Our total tax burden is ... 14th [among the states]. That’s not really so good. Our state income tax is relatively low, but the property tax is high [making Illinois a net high tax state].

State Sen. Garrett: People come to Illinois because you’ve got Chicago, we are centrally located [and] our corporate rate is really pretty low compared to other states.
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Jeff Berkowitz: John Tillman [Illinois Policy Institute] says lift that cap and have many more charter schools. Right now we have only two or three percent [charter schools]. [We could] have fifteen, twenty, thirty percent. Charter schools perform better, produce for the state education more effectively, less expensively. [Watch Tillman here]. You’d save money. You might save two billion dollars there, without hurting the kids. Your turn, Senator Garrett.

State Sen. Susan Garrett[D-Lake Forest]: That makes sense. I think opening up the doors to charter schools, literally and figuratively speaking, is the way to go. And I also believe that when we talk about this budget, that these are the types of reforms that have to be on the table. These absolutely have to be on the table. There’s all sorts of accountability and oversight that we’re not talking about right now. And my hope is that when Governor Quinn gives his speech on Wednesday [March 18], and by the time this program airs [this program was taped on March 15], , we will know-- [watch Senator Garrett here].
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This week’s Chicago metro suburban edition of Public Affairs features State Senator Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest; 29th Dist.) [See below for the Chicago metro suburban, City of Chicago, Aurora and Rockford airing schedules for the show with Senator Garrett]. Senator Garrett, a North Shore suburban Democrat, debates and discusses fiscal, ethical, educational and healthcare issues with show host and executive legal recruiter Jeff Berkowitz. See, below, for a more detailed list of topics discussed.
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The "Public Affairs," show with Senator Garrett (D-Lake Forest) can be watched on your computer.
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Topics discussed on the show with Senator Garrrett, who was in the State House for four years and is now in her seventh year in the State Senate, include the following: whether she thinks school vouchers and more charter schools should be offered to parents in Chicago? Whether she thinks Illinois has a spending problem or a revenue problem? What she thinks about a possible increase in the income tax? Is Illinois economically attractive to businesses? Should Illinois keep its pension commitments to its state employees and state legislators? Should state legislators disclose their family's net worth and annual income? Does the Illinois Democratic Party have a brand? the Illinois Republican Party? Is competition between the Democratic and Republican Parties a good thing? What kinds of reform does Senator Garrett support? And, much, much more.
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--Saving money for the State by increasing the number of charter schools

Jeff Berkowitz: …The State [tax and the fed tax and the local government property taxes] are [used for] spending $11,000 per kid per year on education, K-12 [as an average number throughout Illinois]. In Chicago, we’re spending $16,000 per kid per year [on public school education]. ..but Susan Garrett, do you think if your constituents said to you, “Is that enough,” are you saying, we need to spend more on education… John Tillman, of the Illinois Policy Institute, sat here and said you could save a tremendous amount by lifting the cap on charter schools, which the state sets—I think it’s forty five [charter schools that are allowed in the state of Illinois--in fact it is sixty]

State Sen. Garrett[D-Lake Forest, 29th Dist.]: Yes and we are actually negotiating that right now.

Jeff Berkowitz: Tillman says lift that cap and have many more charter schools. Right now we have only two or three percent [charter schools]. [We could] have fifteen, twenty, thirty percent-- charter schools perform better, produce for the state education more effectively, less expensively. You’d save money. You might save two billion dollars there, without hurting the kids. Your turn, Senator Garrett.

--Does Senator Garrett want more charter schools?

State Sen. Garrett: That makes sense. I think opening up the doors to charter schools, literally and figuratively speaking, is the way to go. And I also believe that when we talk about this budget, that these are the types of reforms that have to be on the table. These absolutely have to be on the table. There’s all sorts of accountability and oversight that we’re not talking about right now. And my hope is that when Governor Quinn gives his speech on Wednesday [March 18], and by the time this program airs [this program was taped on March 15], , we will know--

Jeff Berkowitz: So, you’re for reform in education--

State Sen. Garrett: I am absolutely.

Jeff Berkowitz: Are you for more charter schools?

State Sen. Garrett: Yes, yes.

--Would Senator Garrett lift the limitation that restricts the number of Illinois charter schools to forty-five?

Jeff Berkowitz: Would you lift the cap completely? As many charter schools as people want in the state of Illinois. Just lift it, no caps.

State Sen. Garrett: If that’s what makes you happy right now, then-

Jeff Berkowitz: No. What makes you happy, Susan Garrett?

State Sen.Garrett: I don’t want to say just everybody lift the cap. I think we have to be a little bit more pragmatic about it and understand where that’s going to take us.

--Does Senator Garrett support school vouchers-school choice?

Jeff Berkowitz: Could you support school vouchers?

State Sen. Garrett: You’ve been asking me this for ten years.

Jeff Berkowitz: Just say--

State Sen. Garrett: No. I can’t. School vouchers isn’t part of the mix right now.

Jeff Berkowitz: Okay. Let’s go quickly, we don’t have a lot of time, let’s go quickly on to healthcare. Can we spend less and still treat people well in Illinois in healthcare?

State Sen. Garrett: Managed care.

--Is Senator Garrett willing to answer the tough questions

Jeff Berkowitz: We’re going to continue to speak as the credits roll but I very much want to thank our guest, Senator Garrett. Thank you so much for coming.

State Sen. Garrett: Thank you.

Jeff Berkowitz: Look. Senator Garrett deserves a lot of credit. A lot of people won’t come here, face tough questions, and engage in a thoughtful discussion. Senator Garrett will. You deserve a lot of credit. You should get it.

State Sen. Garrett: Thanks, Jeff. You’re tough.

--Would Senator Garrett allow Illinois families with annual incomes of $80,000 to continue to receive healthcare via Medicaid?

Jeff Berkowitz: Yes, but you’re good. Good for coming here, and we appreciate it. Thank you so much for coming. Managed care. Is that the solution?

State Sen. Garrett: Why not look at it?

Jeff Berkowitz: Could we cut costs in healthcare?

State Sen. Garrett: Yes, absolutely. These are the types of reforms that we should be talking about.

Jeff Berkowitz: We put people in the Medicaid program and we say they are eligible [for Medicaid with four times the poverty level-- annual incomes of eighty thousand dollars. Should we cut that down to forty thousand? That would push more people into the private sector [for health care insurance] and less on the subsidized government level. Save money.

State Sen. Garrett: Good idea.

Jeff Berkowitz: You agree?

State Sen. Garrett: Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: Maybe cut [the income eligibility] down to twenty thousand, the poverty level?

State Sen. Garrett [D-Lake Forest]:I would like to see that idea and about ten others on the table, so we can say, how can we … so it makes sense?

--Does Senator Garrett favor reduced pension benefits for new state employees?

Jeff Berkowitz: Pensions.

State Sen. Garrett: Two-tiered. I love, I love…

Jeff Berkowitz: Defined contribution instead of defined benefits. You would do that?

State Sen. Garrett: Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: Two-tiered. You mean for future employees?

State Sen. Garrett: Yes. Absolutely.

Jeff Berkowitz: Do it in a heartbeat? Adopt it tomorrow?

State Sen. Garrett: Yes. Yes.

Jeff Berkowitz: Will it happen?

State Sen. Garrett: I hope so.

Jeff Berkowitz: But the critics say--

State Sen. Garrett: I hope so. I don’t see how we cannot have that happen.

--Are the critics of Speaker Madigan and Senate President Cullerton right?

Jeff Berkowitz: But the critics say-Madigan and Cullerton talk about it because it saves some money, makes people feel good, but it doesn’t save very much, because it’s only future employees [who are affected].

State Sen. Garrett: Well, you’ve got to start sometime.

Jeff Berkowitz: Right. So what else could you do to really make a big dent on the pensions?

State Sen. Garrett [D-Lake Forest]:Well, if we had started four years ago--having a two-tiered pension system, we probably could have saved hundreds of millions of dollars, right now.

--Can and should the State of Illinois refuse to pay its state employees and legislators their pensions?

Jeff Berkowitz: Possibly. Should we consider reneging on some of those pension agreements?

State Sen. Garrett: We can’t.

Jeff Berkowitz: What would happen?

State Sen. Garrett: It’s in our Constitution. We cannot.

Jeff Berkowitz: A judge would compel the state legislature to raise money?

State Sen. Garrett [D-Lake Forest]: That’s not the kind of state we are.

Jeff Berkowitz: Private companies are reneging, why shouldn’t… public sector-- governments...If private companies can do it, shouldn’t it be the same for state employees? Fair is Fair.

State Sen. Garrett: It’s in the Constitution that we must make our pension payments. We would need an amendment to the constitution. We had that opportunity last year. It didn’t happen. So, I think we have to abide by the rules and the laws and I think that’s what people expect. I don’t want Illinois to be like an outlaw state where we say one thing to a group and then we decide we don’t agree anymore and then we pull away their dollars that they need—pension dollars.

--Is Illinois no longer an economically attractive state for new businesses and new Illinois residents.

Jeff Berkowitz: Well, with those taxes going up that you talked about, income taxes, [do you worry that Illinois would become less competitive?

State Sen. Garrett: I don’t understand what is less competitive.

Jeff Berkowitz: There are states who have lower—our total tax burden is high.

State Sen. Garrett: Illinois is a great state. It’s not like we’re a ----

Jeff Berkowitz: Our total tax burden is like 14th, That’s not really so good. Our income tax is relatively low, but the property tax is high.

State Sen. Garrett: People come to Illinois because you’ve got Chicago, we are centrally located [and] our corporate rate is really pretty low compared to other states.
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The "Public Affairs," show with State Senator Susan Garrett (D-Lake Forest), now in Democratic Party Leadership, was taped on March 15, 2009.
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Amy Allen, a research intern for Public Affairs, prepared a draft of the above partial transcript of the show with Senator Garrett. Public Affairs appreciates the time and effort contrbuted by its in studio and research interns.
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Public Affairs Chicago Metro suburban airing schedule:

The show featuring State Senator Susan Garrett(D-Lake Forest) is airing this week in the North and Northwest Chicago Metro suburbs in its regular slot:

Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm on Comcast Cable Channel 19 in Buffalo Grove, Elk Grove Village, Hoffman Estates, parts of Inverness, Lincolnwood, Morton Grove, Niles, Northfield, Palatine, Rolling Meadows and Wilmette

and Tonight (Tuesday) at 8:30 pm 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.

and on 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.
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Chicago and Aurora:

The "Public Affairs," show featuring State Senator Susan Garrett(D-Lake Forest) will also air throughout the City of Chicago this coming Monday night, April 6 at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21(CANTV, aka Chicago Access Network TV) and that same night on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The Aurora station, ACTV-10, aka Aurora Community Television, Comcast Cable Ch. 10, reaches all of Aurora, Bristol, Big Rock and parts of Oswego, Sandwich, Sugar Grove and Montgomery.
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Rockford:

The "Public Affairs," show featuring State Senator Susan Garrett(D-Lake Forest) , will also air throughout the City of Rockford (and in surrounding areas) a week from this coming Thursday night, April 9 at 8:00 pm on Cable Ch. 17. The surrounding areas reached by Ch. 17 include Byron, Cedarville, Cherry Valley, Loves Park, Machesney Park, Mount Morris, New Milford, Portions of Ogle County, Oregon, Polo, Stillman Valley, Winnebago, Portions of Boone County and Poplar Grove.
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Jeff Berkowitz, Show Host/Producer of "Public Affairs," and Executive Legal Recruiter doing legal search can be reached at JBCG@aol.com. *************************************************************
"Public Affairs," is a weekly political interview show airing in Chicago on CANTV, in the Chicago metro area, Aurora and Rockford on Comcast and also often on the Illinois Channel. You can watch the shows, including archived shows going back to 2005, here.
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Recently posted shows on the Public Affairs YouTube page include the fastest five minutes on the web- a New York Times video about Obama-Berkowitz, a show with State Senator Susan Garrett(D-Lake Forest) about hot topics in Illinois state government, a show with State Rep. Susana Mendoza (D-Chicago), a show with IL 5th CD Dem nominee--Cook County Cmsr. Mike Quigley (who is now extremely likely to win the
April general election to decide who replaces Cong. Rahm Emanuel), the second fastest five minutes on the web- a segment of Bill O'Reilly with Berkowitz discussing a clip of Obama from 2002 on Blagojevich and many more shows. And, see here for very recent postings on our Youtube page.
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