Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Gidwitz Tries to Preempt Governor's State of the State Speech
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Contact: Terri Hickey
312-822-0853 (w)
773-655-3035 (c)
terrihickey@sbcglobal.net
5 Things You Won't Hear Blagojevich Talk About in his 'State of the State'
Gidwitz says Governor will attempt to paint a rosy picture over a bleak landscape
CHICAGO - Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Ron Gidwitz and his running mate Lt. Gov. Candidate Steve Raushenberger today are making predictions about what you won't hear in Governor Blagojevich's "State of the State" address tomorrow.
"He should spare the people of Illinois the political prose for once and address the critical issues facing our state," said Gidwitz, former CEO of Helene Curtis Industries and the former chairman of the State Board of Education. "He'll attempt to paint a rosy picture over what is a bleak landscape."
"The state of our state can be summed up in two words: chaos and crisis," added Rauschenberger. "The fiscal affairs of the state and the stench of corruption are worse now than they have been at any time during my 14-years in the General Assembly and, without new leadership, it's going to get worse."
Here are the Gidwitz-Rauschenberger predictions for the "Top 5" issues voters are least likely to hear the governor address tomorrow:
1. Illinois' Debt Mountain: It took Illinois 185 years and 39 governors to accumulate $10 billion of bonded debt. In just three years, Governor Rod Blagojevich alone has doubled that debt to $20 billion. Now he wants to add another $3 billion to the pile in what amounts to flirting with Mt. St. Helens. Pretty soon his mountain of debt will erupt and it won't be pretty for taxpayers.
2. Schools' Failing Grades: The Governor will charitably describe himself as the "Education Governor" but he won't tell you the following:
- The number of schools on the state's Academic Watch List increased from 49 in the 2002-03 school year to 363 in 2003-04 to 541 in the 2004-05 school year. (Illinois State Board of Education figures)
- 30 to 40 percent of our students are not meeting expectations in reading and math
- Education Week's "Quality Counts 2006" report gave Illinois a "D+" for equity in school funding, the ninth worst score in the nation.
- He cut higher education funding by some $200 million putting a college education out of the financial reach of tens of thousands of Illinois families
3. Illinois' Economic Malaise: Count on Governor Blagojevich to brag about the jobs his administration has created. But he will fail to mention that the new jobs being created pay less and do not offer benefits like the good jobs Illinois is losing. Look for him to omit these facts:
- Forbes magazine recently ranked Illinois 46th in the nation as a state where businesses seek to locate.
- Last year, Illinois posted the second largest income drop in the nation (behind only Michigan)
- Illinois has lagged the nation and our Midwest neighbors in job creation
4. The Pension Pickle: Illinois has one of the most under-funded public pension systems in the nation, and this past year Governor Blagojevich raided another $1.2 billion from it to pay for more spending. Not only has he cast the pensions of our state workers in jeopardy but he also has passed the pension buck to our children who will have to pay for this reckless move long after he's left the Mansion. Illinois unfunded pension obligations are approaching $39 billion. The Governor won't talk about plans to reduce those liabilities because he's intent on adding to them.
5. Federal Probe Frenzy: Last but certainly not least, do NOT expect the Governor to acknowledge the feds that are crawling all over his administration. There are probes involving the tollway, DCFS, IDOT, CMS, the pension scam, and allegations of the exchange of campaign cash for state contracts and jobs. The Administration that has brought us "All Kids" has all also brought us "All Subpoenas."
[Note to Media: Gidwitz and Rauschenberger will be on hand at the Capitol in Springfield on Wednesday to comment on the Governor's State of the State address. For more information, please call Terri Hickey 773-655-3035.]
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Contact: Terri Hickey
312-822-0853 (w)
773-655-3035 (c)
terrihickey@sbcglobal.net
5 Things You Won't Hear Blagojevich Talk About in his 'State of the State'
Gidwitz says Governor will attempt to paint a rosy picture over a bleak landscape
CHICAGO - Republican Gubernatorial Candidate Ron Gidwitz and his running mate Lt. Gov. Candidate Steve Raushenberger today are making predictions about what you won't hear in Governor Blagojevich's "State of the State" address tomorrow.
"He should spare the people of Illinois the political prose for once and address the critical issues facing our state," said Gidwitz, former CEO of Helene Curtis Industries and the former chairman of the State Board of Education. "He'll attempt to paint a rosy picture over what is a bleak landscape."
"The state of our state can be summed up in two words: chaos and crisis," added Rauschenberger. "The fiscal affairs of the state and the stench of corruption are worse now than they have been at any time during my 14-years in the General Assembly and, without new leadership, it's going to get worse."
Here are the Gidwitz-Rauschenberger predictions for the "Top 5" issues voters are least likely to hear the governor address tomorrow:
1. Illinois' Debt Mountain: It took Illinois 185 years and 39 governors to accumulate $10 billion of bonded debt. In just three years, Governor Rod Blagojevich alone has doubled that debt to $20 billion. Now he wants to add another $3 billion to the pile in what amounts to flirting with Mt. St. Helens. Pretty soon his mountain of debt will erupt and it won't be pretty for taxpayers.
2. Schools' Failing Grades: The Governor will charitably describe himself as the "Education Governor" but he won't tell you the following:
- The number of schools on the state's Academic Watch List increased from 49 in the 2002-03 school year to 363 in 2003-04 to 541 in the 2004-05 school year. (Illinois State Board of Education figures)
- 30 to 40 percent of our students are not meeting expectations in reading and math
- Education Week's "Quality Counts 2006" report gave Illinois a "D+" for equity in school funding, the ninth worst score in the nation.
- He cut higher education funding by some $200 million putting a college education out of the financial reach of tens of thousands of Illinois families
3. Illinois' Economic Malaise: Count on Governor Blagojevich to brag about the jobs his administration has created. But he will fail to mention that the new jobs being created pay less and do not offer benefits like the good jobs Illinois is losing. Look for him to omit these facts:
- Forbes magazine recently ranked Illinois 46th in the nation as a state where businesses seek to locate.
- Last year, Illinois posted the second largest income drop in the nation (behind only Michigan)
- Illinois has lagged the nation and our Midwest neighbors in job creation
4. The Pension Pickle: Illinois has one of the most under-funded public pension systems in the nation, and this past year Governor Blagojevich raided another $1.2 billion from it to pay for more spending. Not only has he cast the pensions of our state workers in jeopardy but he also has passed the pension buck to our children who will have to pay for this reckless move long after he's left the Mansion. Illinois unfunded pension obligations are approaching $39 billion. The Governor won't talk about plans to reduce those liabilities because he's intent on adding to them.
5. Federal Probe Frenzy: Last but certainly not least, do NOT expect the Governor to acknowledge the feds that are crawling all over his administration. There are probes involving the tollway, DCFS, IDOT, CMS, the pension scam, and allegations of the exchange of campaign cash for state contracts and jobs. The Administration that has brought us "All Kids" has all also brought us "All Subpoenas."
[Note to Media: Gidwitz and Rauschenberger will be on hand at the Capitol in Springfield on Wednesday to comment on the Governor's State of the State address. For more information, please call Terri Hickey 773-655-3035.]
To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.
# posted by Cal Skinner : 10:36 AM
