State Sen. Kirk Dillard says Gov. Pat Quinn missed the biggest issues facing Illinois during his State of the State speech.
The GOP gubernatorial candidate says Quinn used ``perfume'' to cover up Illinois' economic outlook. Dillard says Quinn's speech was a populist, re-election speech.
Dillard also criticized the governor for not addressing plans for the income
tax increase set to expire in 2015. He says the budget is a ``foot on the throat
to economic development.''
Quinn's speech outlined a ``Birth to Five'' plan aimed at improving early
education. Dillard says he's interested in parts of the plan. But Dillard calls
such programs ``warm and fuzzy.'' He says Quinn needed to get down to the
``nitty gritty'' of Illinois' problems.
Dillard says Quinn isn't facing up to Illinois' problems.
Republican candidate for governor Bill Brady says Gov. Pat Quinn has ``failed over the last five years'' but painted a rosy picture during his annual address to the Illinois Legislature.
The state Senator from Bloomington noted that Quinn didn't mention the upcoming expiration of the state's income tax hike in Jan. 2015, which Quinn has billed as temporary.
Brady says Quinn's ``failure to recommit his promise to provide that tax cut''
puts questions in businesses and families' minds about whether to stay in
Illinois.
Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner says Gov. Pat Quinn's annual address to the Legislature was ``a campaign speech from a governor that is failing the people of Illinois.'' The Winnetka businessman says Quinn has been in office for five years and is now proposing a new five-year plan for jobs. Rauner notes Illinois has one of the country's highest unemployment rates and higher income taxes than when Quinn took office.
Rauner says Illinois is in an ``economic death spiral'' and Quinn ``is trying
to cover it up and put a rosy picture on it.''
State Treasurer and GOP gubernatorial candidate Dan Rutherford says Gov. Pat Quinn's annual address put a rosy spin on his tenure and avoided ``some of the hard stuff.''
Quinn delivered his State of the State speech to the Illinois Legislature on
Wednesday. The Chicago Democrat said Illinois is making ``a comeback.''
Rutherford says unemployment may be down, but Illinois still has one of the
highest jobless rates of any state in the nation.
He says he wanted to hear more from Quinn about a new capital construction plan
that could create jobs. He also notes that Quinn avoided talk of whether to
extend a temporary tax increase.
