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The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

The Student Newspaper of DePaul University

The DePaulia

Runaway Rauner: Confrontation, not collaboration

Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner smiles as a crowd gives him a standing ovation as he speaks at a Peoria Chamber of Commerce event in Peoria, Illinois, Friday, Feb. 6. (Fred Zwicky | AP)
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner smiles as a crowd gives him a standing ovation as he speaks at a Peoria Chamber of Commerce event in Peoria, Illinois, Friday, Feb. 6. (Fred Zwicky | AP)

Feb. 12 marked the one-month anniversary of Bruce Rauner’s tenure as governor of Illinois. In that span, there have been plenty of PowerPoint presentations breaking down the bad economic shape the state is in, there was a State of the State address where Democrats openly laughed at some of the governor’s suggestions and then there was Rauner’s executive decree curbing the power of the state’s unions. To translate, there was a lot of talk, unlawful action and not enough action.

Of course, many are prone to give the governor the benefit of the doubt since it is early in his tenure. After all, he inherited a mess. Illinois is probably in the worst financial shape of any state in the union. Anyone in that position should be given the opportunity to turn the state around.

However, the rhetoric and actions the governor has taken so far are troublesome and reflect someone who is looking for confrontation not collaboration. After his win on election night, Rauner pledged to find bipartisan solutions to the state’s problems. Fast forward three months, and one of the first real actions taken is banning fair share agreements, which curb union power and essentially will make Illinois a right to work state.

Unions are not the problem in this state. They are a blip on the radar of the state’s problems. Rauner going after workers’ rights is merely political. Unions are the lifeblood of the middle class, and, as that, they provide the money, manpower and votes on Election Day that often go to Democrats. It is all politics, nothing more.

Rauner tried to play it off as if it was a conflict of interest that leads to sweetheart deals, when unions give to political candidates who they will be negotiating with when it comes time for a new contract. Yet the governor would have no problem giving tax breaks to corporations that have given to his campaign. Again, all politics.

To solve the state’s massive problems, Rauner must move beyond politics. He must work with Democrats who have supermajorities in the legislature to find bipartisan solutions to the state’s problems. Everyone knows that the governor inherited a mess, but people are tired of hearing about it.

Instead of continuing to rail against his predecessor, the cronies in Springfield and state workers, the governor must start proposing solutions. That is what he was elected for. The people of Illinois did not vote for someone to tell them how much their state sucks. We already know the challenges the state faces.

Enough talk. More action. That’s what the people want and deserve.

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