Don’t Say He Didn’t Warn You: Ultra-Rich Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner Spells Out Anti-Union Agenda

[marmar]

(In These Times) Private equity near-billionaire Bruce Rauner made no bones about his plans for Illinois as he ran for governor: unions, especially public employee unions, were the cause of most of the state’s problems. And when he took over, he would follow the lead shown in recent years by other Midwestern Republican governors, such as Mitch Daniels in Indiana and Scott Walker in Wisconsin, who decimated public sector labor rights and unions.

Now that Rauner has taken office, he is staying consistent in his attack on public workers but including more private sector workers as his target. His first “state of the state” address, delivered yesterday to a legislature with both houses controlled by Democrats, was strongly anti-union and catered to conservative business groups.

Public workers are still Rauner’s main nemesis; after all, they are paid more than private workers (in large part reflecting their higher average skill and education). Then again, it’s hard to blame them for all of what Rauner sees as the state’s competitive failings, since Illinois has the fourth lowest number of state employees per capita in the country.

Yet aren’t their pensions too generous, creating this huge deficit dragging down the state’s credit rating, as Rauner argues? Or are the state’s “precarious” finances a result of political leaders of both parties refusing to set aside needed funds for pensions they had approved, according to a new report on the state from Moody’s Analytics? ....................(more)

http://inthesetimes.com/working/entry/17606/bruce_rauner_anti_union

[rurallib]

1. why would any worker either not vote or vote for a repug?

yet they do and do so in droves. Even union folks.

[HelenWheels]

8. In WI Union members voted for Scott (ugh) Walker

Correctional officers voted for Walker because they think Democrats want to take their guns.

[busterbrown]

14. Take their guns, enable the LGBT Community too much, cater to minorities especially thugs and kill

innocent babies... By the way plenty, of union members vote for anti-union politicians who are not correctional officers..

Maybe when these anti union state officials lay enough hurt on these unions will these people finally figure out whats going on..

Union Leaders and Officials should bear much of the blame..

[AwakeAtLast]

10. Dem. IL governors didn't do the Dem party any favors

Hello, Blagoiovich? Quinn?

Then you have Chicago Mayor Emmanuel.

My parents and their friends who live in So. IL will never vote for another Dem., ever.

[dicksmc3]

16. Hello WHO???

You blame Quinn, Blago for all the problems in Illinois. Think again both parties have contributed to this problem of not enough workers pension money. Quinn raised the income tax from 3 to 5% and you thought that the world was ending. He knew that with a somewhat higher tax base some of the problems could be solved. Then Quinn also realized the state would have to revise pensions although he never said it publicly because it was election time. Rauner and his cronies jumped on those and thus we got a repug governor who is business minded and not people oriented. Case in point Free Enterprise Zones coming to Illinois. In other words, Right-To-Work (for less)
status. Rauner also made a "PROMISE" to the parents and relatives of loved ones living in Centralia at the Murray Center that he would keep it open no matter what. The state argues that there was no money to allocate to keep the center open. Murray Center is a place I know well, my niece has lived there for over 30 years and there has always been money to keep it open. Until recently when the institution at Jacksonville was closed because citizens in the state were upset with the financial state of Illinois so Quinn shuttered Jacksonville much to the surprise of many Illinois residents. Now he was talking about closing the Murray Center. That didn't sit well with my feelings about my niece being there and perhaps being sent to a home that really didn't care to look out for her special needs. She doesn't walk, she doesn't speak and she is blind. She is in her late 50's. So, I can agree somewhat to your complaints but, I think after 4 years of Rauner your folks will have a different opinion on democrats in the state. I will ALWAYS VOTE DEMOCRATIC. To me the dems always look out for the interests of the people whom they govern...

[AwakeAtLast]

24. I guess I was thinking about

The errors of their ways. I will also only vote Democratic, but I live in Indiana. My parents will never again, and they cite their less than glowing records as their reasons.

Sorry to ruffle your feathers.

[brooklynite]

25. Maybe nobody asked them to vote for the alternative...

...My inside sources say Quinn's campaign never put any money into GOTV on Election day.

[onecaliberal]

26. If you are a working stiff and you vote republican

You are not only fucking yourself over bit most of America as well. When in the hell are people going to grow a fucking brain.

[ND-Dem]

2. Rauner was a known, proven and outspoken prime a=hole.

[whathehell]

3. + 100 n/t

[stillwaiting]

20. He seems like the perfect Republican then.

That is the personality that Republicans love to vote for (especially if they act like an asshole towards the left/liberals).

[ND-Dem]

21. as a forbes 400 member, he funds both sides.

[Cha]

4. At least the Dems control both HOuses in Illinois.. that's got to be helpful, eh?

[MohRokTah]

29. With veto proof majorities

Rauner can do some damage, but he cannot do the worst possible damage.

With any luck, he'll be the next Illinois governor to be indicted.

[djean111]

5. And some wonder why others of us pretty much barf at the notion that the TPP will protect

workers rights. The United States does not protect workers rights in the United States. People in power are doing everything they can in order to exterminate unions and roll back rights. So - at least stop using that ridiculous excuse or reason for the TPP.

[3catwoman3]

6. It's going to be...

...a long 6 years here.

[Scarsdale]

9. Claims

He claims he will only serve one term. We will see about that. Also, he is working for $1.00, but has already hired his own people who are much more expensive than the aides of the former governor. I think this job is an ego thing for this person. I live in Illinois, but have NEVER liked this person. His daughter tried to enroll in a school, but was rejected. Daddy donated a large sum to the school. Daughter was accepted! Strange how that happens for rich people. Shades of W getting into Yale.

[Rincewind]

27. 4 years

The Governor is elected for a 4 year term.

[3catwoman3]

28. Thanks for that...

...correction.

[MerryBlooms]

7. The other day he said Scott Walker was one of his heroes. :puke:

[HereSince1628]

11. There is huge fear of the pension obligations...screwing union workers out of pensions

is a big deal for both government and corporations which have failed to properly vest the pension plans they contracted to provide.

Is there any place that has the pension problem as a bigger issue than Illinois?

The "greedy overpaid lazy" union members get blamed for malfeasance of politicians and corporate boards the public accepts that explanation to avoid coughing up the repairs to the pensions ..

[Scuba]

12. The only pension problem Illinois has is ...

... that they're unwilling to tax the people who have all the money.

Apparently it's easier to cheat people out of the pensions they EARNED than it is to raise taxes on wealthy people.

[HereSince1628]

13. They all read the same A.L.E.C. white papers in IL that they read in WI

Union contracts don't mean anymore than treaties that strip resources from the aborgininal peoples of the world.

I agree the money is there, but because we live in a plutocracy, we don't have the power to make the rich keep their promises.

[Chasstev365]

15. 30 % of Suburban IL Federation of Teacher Members Voted for Rauner

What does that say? It says that Citizens United is working out just the way they wanted it to. Parties and Union Membership means NOTHING anymore. Unlimited millions of "Free Speech" dollars means everything. Welcome to the Plutocracy Folks!

[Martin Eden]

17. Rauner wants to prohibit unions from donating to election campaigns

But he doesn't have a problem with corporations donating to political campaigns.

That alone should tell Illinois workers who this man is and whose interests he represents.

It's crystal clear Rauner is of and for the 1%.

Yes, there is a real mess to clean up in my state and the pension obligations are a huge debt. A few public employees (mostly administrators) have found ways to garner extravagant pensions, but the real problem here isn't that the vast majority of public workers are paid too much or their pensions are too generous. It's the corrupt and irresponsible state government (mostly controlled by Dems) that laid the groundwork for this looming debt crisis.

From the article:

Yet aren’t their pensions too generous, creating this huge deficit dragging down the state’s credit rating, as Rauner argues? Or are the state’s “precarious” finances a result of political leaders of both parties refusing to set aside needed funds for pensions they had approved, according to a new report on the state from Moody’s Analytics?

Gov Blogojevich was a sleazeball but Pat Quinn was a decent public servant who, like Obama, inherited a real mess that voters were persuaded to pin on him. Rauner is just another version of Mitt Romney, who made a fortune in private equity and seeks political office to stoke his own ego and rig the game even more in favor of himself and others like him.

[questionseverything]

23. i liked rod b as gov

every child had access to good health care, we had a good safety net and he wanted to tax businesses that operate in illinois but paid no income tax 1/2 a percent of their gross to fix our budget problem

the night before he was arrested he was on the steps of a shuttered factory fighting with workers to get them their final wages....he knew whr his walking shoes were

in the end he was convicted of asking other dems to do fundraisers for him...compare that to what christy is getting by with.....

[ND-Dem]

18. Rauner : friend of Rahm, purported Republican who funds Democrats, corrupt insider.

Of course, a board member of the Illinois Policy Institute sits on Rauner's exploratory committee for governor. Jack Roeser also sits on Rauner's board.

There are others on Rauner's board that are of note - Citadel's Ken Griffin - a major campaign bundler to Barack Obama ($200,000) and top contributor to Rahm Emanuel. Between Griffin and his wife, a former executive with Soros Funds, they have contributed in excess of $200,000 to Rahm. The massive contributions have paid off. According to city records, Griffin has regular private access to Emanuel.

Griffin has a history of funding liberal Republicans and powerful Democrats - thousands to Richard Daley, Rahm Emanuel, and ex-Gov. Rod Blagojevich among others. He's also been funding all of the John Tillman/Dan Proft political action committees and candidates.

Work with people? Rauner appears to have a habit of using his Democrat political connections to enrich himself. That's not "working with people." That's insider games. That's the pay-to-play politics of the "Combine." That's supposed to be what we, as Republicans, are against. But, then again, we have had many so-called Republicans who participate in "Combine" schemes with the Democrats.
http://www.chicagonow.com/kelly-truth-squad/2013/04/time-to-question-bruce-rauner-and-his-rahm-republicans/

Okay, I realize memories are short these days. So let me remind you that Bill Daley's the younger brother of Mayor Richard Daley, who's as much, or more, responsible for our state's financial woes as anyone else in or around Illinois.

Or at least the Chicago part of it.

But there Bill Daley was, standing front and center as part of the transition team Rauner introduced at yesterday's press conference.

Aside from being the brains of the Daley clan, Bill Daley is also—surprise, surprise—an investment banker, who made a small fortune working for JPMorgan Chase. He now works as a managing partner for Argentiere Fund LP, a Swiss-based hedge fund "whose principal place of business," according to a recent Tribune article, "was a post office box in the Cayman Islands."

No wonder Rauner likes him so much—they got that Cayman Islands thing going.

In all likelihood, Bill Daley also helped broker the deal in which President Obama dumped Rahm as chief of staff and sent him home to be our mayor.

For which I believe Bill Daley ought to be doing some kind of community service—as opposed to helping chart our state's political future.

http://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2014/11/07/bruce-rauner-keeps-it-in-the-daley-family

[Thekaspervote]

19. We just call him ruiner ....thank God for the stronghold of dems..leave the gov part off just ruiner

[xchrom]

22. du rec.