Press Releases
February 17, 2016

Governor Rauner's second budget address continues with the same misleading rhetoric and doublespeak

In response to Governor Rauner's second budget address, CFL President Jorge Ramirez issued the following statement:

"Through today’s budget address, Governor Rauner continues with the same misleading rhetoric and doublespeak that he has pitched to the people of Illinois for the past 13 months. Throughout his speech, he talked repeatedly about the tax burden on the hard-working families of Illinois. So why didn’t he talk about fixing our regressive tax system that right now favors the rich and penalizes the poor? Or why won’t Governor Rauner address adding a millionaires’ tax that would raise much needed funding for education? He needs to remember that in 2014, more people voted in favor of a millionaires’ tax than voted for him for Governor. He claims to be following the will of the people, except when it comes to taxing the rich. He also failed to discuss taxes on corporations. Corporate tax loopholes in Illinois take away billions from our schools and other public programs each year and benefit big corporations instead.

"Governor Rauner wants to placate big corporations because he claims they are the job creators. However, any economist would say that the real job creators are in fact consumers. Increasing consumer activity increases the need for more jobs, which leads to hiring more employees. Corporations in Illinois need to have a vested interest in the well-being of their employees and begin to contribute their fair share to Illinois’s economic climate."