Wirepoints.com: Why Rauner’s Failures Justify A Reform Agenda In Illinois

For Immediate Release

Wirepoints.com: Why Rauner’s Failures Justify A Reform Agenda In Illinois
“Gov. Bruce Rauner’s leadership failures have deflated the political pressure for spending and economic reforms in Illinois.”

February 24, 2018 – There’s Governor Rauner’s campaign rhetoric. And then there is the cold, hard, nonpartisan data that details both his lie about repealing the tax hike over which he presided and the truth of his general failure as governor.

Wirepoints.com analysts Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner published a new report on the impact of Rauner’s tenure in office on the state’s status quo. The report analyzes five key indicators - manufacturing, unpaid bills, credit rating, pension crisis, and outmigration – and Rauner’s impact on them.

Among their findings:

• “(Since the Great Recession) Illinois has regained just 24,000 manufacturing jobs. Meanwhile, Wisconsin has recovered over 56,000 jobs. Indiana, half Illinois’ size, has added nearly 100,000 jobs. And Michigan has recovered 150,000 jobs.”
• “Illinois was downgraded eight times during Rauner’s first three years in office. Those downgrades have left the state’s credit rating just one notch above junk.”
•  “In 2016 and 2017, Illinois netted record domestic outmigration losses of 110,000 and 115,000, respectively.”
• “Both Medicaid enrollment and costs have spiked. Property taxes have grown to the highest in the nation. Income growth is stagnant compared to other states.”

Commenting on Rauner, Dabrowski and Klingner say, “Few people knew where he stood, including his own caucus. As a result, he lost the 2018 budget battle. His unwillingness to engage in policy and negotiations contributed to his loss.”

“Today, though he still talks sporadically about term limits, fair maps and perhaps a partial property tax freeze, Rauner has abandoned most of his previous campaign’s 44-point reform agenda. He even used every dollar of the new tax hike to craft his record-spending$38 billion budget proposal for 2019.”

Dabrowski and Klingner conclude, “There’s no question that Rauner’s failure to lead and his abandonment of reforms have left Illinois worse off.”

Read the entire report here.

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