Opinion: Blagojevich told the truth once! New gov <em>does</em> plan tax hike. 50%?

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Remember not too long ago that Illinois political reality show where the feds alleged having wiretaps showing Gov. Rod Blagojevich auctioning off his nomination to fill Barack Obama’s vacant U.S. Senate seat and the governor denied it and his fellow Democrats including Obama said he should quit but he wouldn’t and instead named a veteran African American Democrat that Harry Reid had to seat until they could get something on him?

And the Illinois legislature started impeachment proceedings against Blagojevich who said -- well, actually, he shouted -- WATCH OUT, lLLINOIS, these Democrats want to get rid of me so they and Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn can raise taxes on the regular people I’ve been protecting? And the Democrat-controlled state legislature did throw him out?

Well, turns out the disgraced Blago was dead-on -- about the taxes.

The Chicago Tribune broke a story this morning that for the first time in 20 years, only six weeks after succeeding Democrat Blagojevich as governor, Democrat Quinn plans to jump/boost/expand/explode/reform state income taxes by 50% and really nail those fat cats making more than $56,000 a year.

Corporate business taxes would also go up. And so would many state fees, including on those social parasites driving vehicles with Illinois license plates.

This afternoon the new governor was forced to confirm that, well, uhm, yes, there is a state income tax increase in the works. He wouldn’t say how much. “There will be some that will have a higher tax burden,” he admitted. But it’s all part of a “fundamental reform” that will benefit others. A kind of redistribution of wealth. And there’s really no choice, see, because the state is spending more money than it’s taking in.

(Oh, and if the voters take out their anti-tax anger on Quinn as fall-guy in next year’s Democratic gubernatorial primary and that opens the way for current Democratic Atty. Gen. Lisa Madigan to become governor, well, then her father, Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, a leader of the assault on Blagojevich, will just have to learn to live with controlling two branches of state government.)

Another chapter for Blagojevich’s book.

Oh, BTW, the feds still haven’t gotten around to filing official charges against the former governor they handcuffed in his pajamas last December.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credits: M. Spencer Green / Associated Press (ex-Gov. Blagojevich); Office of Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn.