Monday, January 04, 2010

Better than ABC's This Week w/Terry Moran: Berkowitz w/IL Gov candidate Sen. Kirk Dillard on taxes, McKenna-Ryan and much more; Cable and Streaming

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Republican Primary Gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Naperville):...[I]t’s ridiculous for anybody to talk about a tax increase. I’m not for a tax increase and I believe I’m the best candidate, with my managerial skills, to stop a tax increase…
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Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Naperville): The stealth candidates [McKenna-Ryan] don’t show up. You know, if you want to be the Governor of Illinois, you’d better go out and meet people.
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The "Public Affairs," show featuring Kirk Dillard, State Senator (R-Naperville) and 2010 Republican Primary gubernatorial candidate is airing tonight throughout the City of Chicago at 8:30 pm on Cable Ch. 21 and on cable in Aurora and surrounding areas at 7:30 pm on ACTV-10. The program also airs at 3:30 pm tomorrow and Wednesday in Aurora on ACTV-10 and surrounding areas (all are regular slots for "Public Affairs" in Aurora). 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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You can now watch our show with IL Republican Gov candidate Senator Kirk Dillard (Naperville) streaming here.
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Go here and here for more about the show and for additional partial transcripts of the show.
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Dillard: The best Gov candidate to stop a tax increase?

Repubican Primary Gubernatorial candidate and State Senator Kirk Dillard: …I think if there is one candidate that is best suited to make sure that Illinois doesn’t have a tax increase, it’s me. I am the only middle class person running in this race with children at home. Who best, what profile do you think is going to protect [best] the working families of Illinois and I don’t know how anybody can talk about a tax increase when you’ve got a state that needs reform, culturally and ethically. There’s got to be massive school reform, so it’s ridiculous for anybody to talk about a tax increase. I’m not for a tax increase and I believe I’m the best candidate, with my managerial skills, to stop a tax increase…

Jeff Berkowitz: …Folks might legitimately turn to you and say, how are you going to cover that deficit of eleven billion dollars, if you don’t raise taxes at all?

Dillard on the difference between Republicans and Democrats?

Senator Kirk Dillard (R-Naperville): Well, I’ll be happy to tell them. First of all, the difference between Republicans and Democrats is the two Democrats who are running for Governor are both for major tax increases. I mean that’s the worst thing that could happen during a recession…I don’t believe that it’s a twelve billion dollar deficit. I think it’s probably closer to six to eight billion dollars…

Jeff Berkowitz: Real quick then, give us-- are you talking six to eight billion dollars in spending cuts?

Kirk’s cuts in spending

Senator Kirk Dillard: I’ll give you and I urge people to look, every week I put out another Kirk’s cut of the week, but Medicaid fraud, $1.3 billion- the New York Times estimates… ; Medicaid Management…if you manage Medicaid, there’s another billion to two billion

Jeff Berkowitz: So, conservatively, we’re up to two and half billion dollars, total, now

Senator Kirk Dillard: The Civic Federation of the Commercial Club says that if we manage our mentally ill population a little differently, we’d be eligible for another 700 million dollars in federal matching money for that population

Jeff Berkowitz: So, now we are up to 3.2 billion dollars

Senator Kirk Dillard: Right. Improved records and accounting and processing. Again, Civic Federation and business groups say that we could save… half a billion a year.

Jeff Berkowitz: 3.7 billion dollars, total.

Senator Kirk Dillard: Pension reform, we must have a new pension system…for state employees. That’s 162 billion dollars [in savings for state government] over thirty years.

Jeff Berkowitz: Yeah, but for the first year, you don’t really save much, do you?

Senator Kirk Dillard: But, over time, you can…re-prioritizing and zero based budgeting, I believe I can obtain another billion to two billion dollars, there, but most importantly…I have a plan… to make Illinois a destination economy…we need to grow our economy…I can whittle that hole down…I can do it without an income tax increase

More than six billion dollars in Dillard spending cuts?

Jeff Berkowitz: But, that totals up to abut 4.7 billion dollars, so you are saying you are close to the 6 billion dollars?

Senator Kirk Dillard: It’s way more than 4.7 [Ed. note, to be fair, it is 4.7 to 6.5 billion dollars, and that is not putting a number on first year pension reform savings, of which there might be some].
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McKenna trying to buy the election?

Jeff Berkowitz: McKenna’s got some money behind him, he’s got his father’s money…but are you suggesting [Andy McKenna] is trying to buy the election…?

Senator Kirk Dillard: His whole strategy, Jeff, you know he won’t appear on your show and he doesn’t really travel much in the state of Illinois, his whole thing is geared toward TV. He wants to be like Rod Blagojevich and—

Jeff Berkowitz: Paid TV. Is that what you’re saying?

Senator Kirk Dillard: And buy it with paid television. I would submit [McKenna] ought to get out among the state and meet people, like I do every day.
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Did McKenna-Ryan promise voters a Rose Garden?

Senator Kirk Dillard: Both of those guys [McKenna-Ryan] filed for the Governor’s race the very last day. They are both running sort of Rose Garden campaigns. You don’t see much of them. The rest of these gentlemen, who you mentioned [as doing your show-- Brady, Proft, Andrzejewski and Dillard], we’re everywhere. We’re in Metropolis, We’re in Pinckneyville. We’re in Carbondale. But, the stealth candidates [McKenna-Ryan] don’t show up. You know, if you want to be the Governor of Illinois, you’d better go out and meet people.
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More than 118 of our shows from the last two years are posted on the Public Affairs YouTube page . Now streaming are our most recent shows w/Paul Vallas, Supt. of the Recovery School District of New Orleans, 10th Cong. District Republican Primary Candidate Arie Friedman, M.D. (R-Highland Park), Republican Guv candidate State Sen. Kirk Dillard(R-Naperville); Cong. Danny Davis, Patrick Collins, former Chairman of the Illinois Reform Commission;
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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.
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