By: Diane Benjamin
One of Tari’s favorite lines: We have a “Structural Deficit”. He uses it to say all expenses are fixed and there is nothing we can do about it but raise taxes.
Sorry dude!
Maybe you need a new economist, or at least a new line. According to this site: http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-structural-deficit.htm
Structural deficit is a government deficit that is independent of the business cycle—it remains even when an economy is at its full potential. This is created when a government is spending more than a long-term average of tax revenue can bring in.
Economists generally maintain that structural deficit is much more serious than cyclical deficit, as it implies unsustainable spending.
Listen for it when the Budget Tax Force makes their presentation. Absolutely nothing can be cut because it’s a “structural deficit”.
Translation: We want to keep all our toys and keep hiding where the spending really is, so taxes just have to go up. Oh darn.
BTW, anybody find out how that $1.2 million of accelerated payments got to IMRF? Council – how does it feel to be absolutely meaningless and immaterial? Tari usurps your budget power with his hand-picked unaccountable cronies and Hales pays bills you know nothing about!
Congrats. The citizens (at least some) thought you represented them. An obvious error.
The structural deficit arose from the $11M worth of budget amendments (additions), recommended by Hales, for FY ending April 30, 2014. Mayor Renner knows even less about TIFs. One would think a professor should understand the value of doing research.
A quick review of his resume explains the apparent ineptness to govern effectively. Worked for the EPA, the ICMA or whatever that mayors association is, went to a top liberal college. Although he may understand the value of research he has no interest in it as the liberal agenda promotes the end justifies the means.
I concur. Sarcasm doesn’t come across well in print. I just really dislike when someone in his position spouts inaccurate information as if he is an expert when he obviously is not.
“BTW, anybody find out how that $1.2 million of accelerated payments got to IMRF?”
Those are not processed through AP, which is why they would not stand out on a bills list. They’d be run through a payroll distribution, just as unemployment insurance, FICA, et al are run.
I never saw BIG amounts to IMRF going through payroll.
Too sneaky for that–think CIAM