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152 10 6AdjYZgKd^XZ While Cairo and SIU occupied much of the time of Simon and his staff, the tactic of providing regular commentary on state affairs continued. With a ready-made mailing list and fresh subject matter, Simon began his column “From the Statehouse” as soon as he was sworn in as lieutenant governor. He wrote nineteen columns in 1969, nine in 1970 when he was consumed with Cairo and SIU, nineteen in 1971 when his campaign for governor built steam, and four in 1972. Simon plowed new ground with his column.1 No lieutenant governor before bothered to write a column because it would have been presumptuous , to say the least, while serving with a governor of the same party. Governors had sent columns to newspapers across the state, but they were written primarily by staff members. Simon always wrote his own columns. He wrote primarily to establish a voice as commentator on the affairs of the state and occasionally the nation. As presiding officer of the state senate, he knew legislative affairs in detail and could comment on them, but he saw an opportunity to tackle subjects facing the executive branch of government not just the General Assembly. Governor Ogilvie provided a fresh target as well. What made the situation unusual was that Simon had no official role or responsibility in the operations of state government except to preside over the Senate. Some column subjects came to him through the ombudsman program. Also, it was fair game for Simon to comment on projects and programs put forward by Governor Ogilvie. He avoided personal comments or harangues and chose the subjects carefully. When criticizing an Ogilvie initiative, Simon usually offered alternatives. In this way, Simon established his credentials to participate in debates at the same level as the governor and the governor’s aides. He wrote on many of the same good government subjects that he had addressed in his legislative columns. Periodically, he returned to a subject with a fresh approach or additional comment. A number of familiar themes surfaced, especially those connected to current events in state government. During the first half of 1969, when the legislature and Governor Ogilvie wrestled with proposals for a state income A Louder Voice 153 tax, Simon wrote seven columns on various aspects of state revenue. He reiterated a preference for an income tax early in the year. His strong belief, developed early in his legislative career, was that Illinois had significant social needs that could not be met, and should not be met, by increasing sales, corporate, or property taxes. During the 1969 discussion about sources of revenue, Ogilvie submitted a budget that included an income tax. As a proponent, Simon did not take issue with Ogilvie on the idea but suggested changes that would have affected other taxes. Ogilvie’s plan, a flat percentage income tax on individuals and corporations, did not include any reduction in other taxes. Simon proposed removing the sales tax on food and eliminating the corporation franchise tax, “since corporations are paying their fair share under this proposal.”2 As further relief on property and personal property taxes, he suggested an income tax credit for payment on real estate and personal property taxes. When Simon figured the impact of the givebacks on Ogilvie’s proposal, the bottom line showed about $81 million more than the governor’s revenue estimate. Simon called this “much fairer.” As legislators reached a critical moment in the final weeks of the session, those opposed to an income tax proposed a higher sales tax. Simon had only to rely on his memory for a reply, reflecting the many times he had opposed adding to the sales tax. He recalled, “When I first was elected to the legislature in 1954, the Illinois sales tax was 2 cents. It has climbed steadily—always without my vote.” At 5 cents on the dollar, the Illinois tax ranked among the highest in the nation. Simon argued that a sales tax put a larger burden on those in lower income categories. “The lower your income,” he said, “or the bigger your family, the higher the percentage of your income is paid by a sales tax. The greater your income, the less you spend percentage-wise on a sales tax.”3 He called it a “soak the poor” tax. After many changes in the original proposal, the legislature passed an income tax of 2.5 percent on individuals and 4 percent on corporations. Another...

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