"Property tax would have to fund hikes"

This is the headline after one jumps from page one of the Chicago Tribune Metro section (Ray Long and Diane Rado) to page eight.

I could give a detailed explanation of why the state income tax is better than the property tax, but I don't think this is the debate that's motivating G-Rod on this.

There's probably some desire to make local district "pay back" money they "stole" from the pension fund with end-of-career sweeteners. But more than this I see Rod as the kinda guy that really wants to keep problems off his plate.

He ducked the mental health issue and left his staff to deliver the bad news.

G-Rod likes local districts borrowing against the future, as long as it makes him look good.

He likes to say he wants to address school funding issues while knowing his tax pledge is more important to his political future.

And he has the chutzpah to say that the only commitments he should be bound by are the ones he signs.

BTW Rich Miller of Capitol Fax has a post on school funding too. He draws a parallel to Mayor Richard J. Daley getting fed up with Gov. Walker on school funding to the current situation.