Comments on: Cook County Board Finally Gets it Done

By: K.S. Galhotra

K.S. Galhotra — Sat, 05 Apr 2008 00:03:38 +0000

We didn’t beg and that’s not what we do. FYI non union employees other than Ms. Dunning are about 5% behind union employees in salaries. Our 2% should be on the April 18 paycheck with retro to follow. But don’t spend the money just yet. The arbitration date hasn’t been set yet but we are seeking interest. Nobody was laid off but the board is trying to get rid of Ed. If you are related to Todd, maybe you too can get a huge raise.

By: trina smith

trina smith — Fri, 04 Apr 2008 17:39:47 +0000

curious to know when we will see the 2% wage increase that was to be effective dec. 2007??what is the status of the arbitration for interest on our retro checks?? where does our ofice stand as far as the passed budget is concerned (did we lose anyone to lay offs)??? and did stroger’s cousin get her 12% pay increase while we sit and twiddle our thumbs begging for a paltry 2%????

By: Marienne Branch

Marienne Branch — Sat, 08 Mar 2008 04:01:31 +0000

Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to get the budget passed.

Schwartz, Lay off of Dan. I do not believe that you are an APD. We are a cantankerous bunch who love a good argument (or even a fight), but your comments just seem nasty. Remember, if you can’t say can’t say something nice, then perhaps you should not say anything at all. After all the drama we just went through, it was just rude to submit a comment that was critical without being supportive of the hard work of others on behalf of others. It seems to me bullish and grasping for one to throw around parts of percentage points and wild numbers seeming pulled out of the blue. And you know what? Dan just might be dramatic. He is, after all, a professional actor. So, lay off of Dan and lay off of the un censored criticism. Thank you very much.

By: sschwartz

sschwartz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 17:04:36 +0000

FYI: you don’t need to be a politician to engae in “spin”.

From your tone (you might want to check your blood pressure) it looks like alternative arguments are really not welcome here.

If you think supporting a 66% increase in the county portion of the sales tax (.5 increase) means that I am not concerned about representation of PDs clients, you are grasping for straws.

You really think a 66% increase in the county portion of the sales tax (about $230 million per year) would lead to a “virtual halt” of the criminal justice system and lead to life terms for wrongful convictions for defendants?

I think you are being overly dramatic.

By: Dan Walsh

Dan Walsh — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:46:20 +0000

I am not a politician so I don’t engage in “spin.” I feel the increase was absolutely necessary and a long time in coming, thus making it modest in the overall picture.

If “S.Schwartz,” you are an assistant public defender, which you indicate that you are, you might considering being less concerned about our indigent client’s tax problems and a little more concerned about the criminal charges facing our clients. For, as you must know, if the County government cannot provide the funds to run an efficient criminal justice system, our clients will have a lot more problems than their taxes. I would rather see my client paying ten cents extra on a case of pop than spending 10 extra days in jail because the system has been brought to a virtual halt because of a lack of funding. Or what about spending 10 years because of a wrongful conviction? Or the rest of your life? A cheap, underfunded, on-the-fly system would virtually guarantee that. I would also think that everyone would want to contribute and pay a fair share to make sure that those violent criminals who need to be locked up for society’s sake, get locked up swiftly and for our own protection. Taxes simply had to be raised in light of ever-rising costs, and yes, due to some horrible mismanagement of the health bureau. Hence, the oversight committee was formed, as I understand it at least.

You may have a point that the reforms made are not “huge.” But they are certainly a start in the right direction. A direction that the County had not been exactly headed in the not so recent past. On that note, for the past 2 years, the debate over the budget has been meaningful and made open in an unprecedented manner. All sides having been heard from, your points about the RTA/CTA should and could be brought to your commissioner or proposed to the President. With the budget process having become transparent to many of us and having received full debate, I am sure that your input will be welcomed either by the Commissioners or the President. Thank you, however, for sharing your thoughts on this blog.

By: S.Schwartz

S.Schwartz — Wed, 05 Mar 2008 16:10:42 +0000

More than doubling the current cook county portion of the sales tax is a “modest tax increase”? That is the “spin” of the year.

I would have supported a .25 increase or even a .50 increase in the sales tax. A 1.0 increase is more than doubling the cook county share (currently .75) and brings in nearly $200 million more per year than the annual budget deficit. Last time I checked PDs and their families pay sales taxes also.

Also, sales taxes are the MOST regressive taxes and hurt the indigent people we represent the most.

One reform that SUNSETS after 3 years is not a lot of reform.

There was a huge fight to raise the sales tax just .25 for the CTA, RTA etc… I would have rather seen a .5 increase for the county and another .5 increase for the CTA/RTA. It would have closed the deficit and helped public transportation that helps everyone.

By: Dan Walsh

Dan Walsh — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 12:51:33 +0000

I wouldn’t say “high on taxes low on reform.” I understand there was a huge trade-off on control of the heath bureau. My understanding now is there will be an independent oversight board that will control the bureau of health. This could be a huge amount of reform for a bureau which had shown a failure to collect significant amount of revenue from the federal government, as well as private insurers. As far as “high on taxes” is concerned, when was the last time, this county asked for a significant tax increase? The cost of everything goes up, but the mandate to prosecute peoople and correspondingly to represent (poor) people is the same. The mandate remains the same to care for people medically, at least those who don’t have medical insurance as we dod . The mandate remains the same to arrest and incarcerate people, sadly. All of this costs money. Staffing is short, not just in our office, but, as I understand it, throughout the County government. Some patronage can be cut, but how much would that help? Some patronage is also constitutionally sanctioned. How therefore can the mandate to provides these services be met without seeking more revenue from those constitutuents who demand these services from their County government? I don’t think it’s “High on Taxes Low on Reform.” I think it was a good adjustment to get the bureau of health back in shape and make a modest increase to cover ever-rising costs. My thanks to Bob, Brendan, Bruce and the Board members for doing all the hard work they did meeting with the commissioners.

By: S. Schwartz

S. Schwartz — Mon, 03 Mar 2008 23:57:03 +0000

High on taxes low on reform.

By: Bruce Mosbacher, Executive At Large

Bruce Mosbacher, Executive At Large — Sun, 02 Mar 2008 01:40:05 +0000

The entire budget fight this year — down to the last minute — just highlighted for me three things that we sometimes tend to forget.
1 Every penny of our salaries and benefits, and for that matter our supplies and conferences, are paid for by hard working taxpayers.
2 As that tax money is controlled by elected officials, its critical that our members be involved in the political process…from voting to lobbying to contributing to PEOPLE.
3 Its good to have friends in high places.

Bruce