A week in review, Priorities, Pork, and Party

This week the General Assembly and Governor Quinn made clear to all taxpayers that they lack the courage to make the tough decisions. They opted instead, to approve borrowing schemes that places our state in more debt while providing themselves with one “Ribbon Cutting” ceremony after another…

The week began with a BANG when Governor Quinn signed into law HB 312, a $31 billion capital plan. Funding for the program (HB 255) is tainted, unreliable and includes long-term leveraged borrowing (service and fee increases, video poker, borrowing from General Obligation and other bonding mechanisms).

For those that don’t remember, Illinois’ last capital plan was almost 10 years ago under George Ryan’s “Illinois First” program. That capital program was wrought with pork barrel spending and marked the beginning of our state's financial collapse.

This year’s capital plan seems to have much of the same. One only needs to look at the 87-page list of approved projects under this year’s capital plan, to identify pet projects that lawmakers stuffed in this bill.

Now, I believe our state is in need of infrastructure repairs, no doubt. But one must seriously question the thought process and priorities of our lawmakers when they can ask taxpayers to foot the bill for things like:

* Puerto Rican Cultural Center - $450,000 for renovations

* Southwest Special Recreation Association - $25,000 for a new electrical marquee

* New Northwest Neighborhood Center Arts Building - $100,000 renovations

* Fulfilling Our Responsibilities to Mankind - $200,000 renovations

* Mantu Dawa Theater - $750,000 total for renovations

* Best Creators - $1 million for capital improvements

* Back of the Yards Neighborhood Council - $800,000 for a new community center

Of course, once the capital bill was signed and after lawmakers began scheduling their ribbon cutting ceremonies to celebrate their pet projects, lawmakers needed to pass a “balanced” budget in order to avoid a “government meltdown.”

But before they got back to business, they needed a break. Soooo…what else to do but check into their respective caucuses for an hour or so, receive their taxpayer funded per diems’ and then take the day off to party at the ALL- STAR game in St. Louis!

The party break must have worked as lawmakers were inspired and passed another budget that calls for more borrowing, increased deficits, and disregards any real effort to fix the many wrongs in our state government's spending habits. The bill was signed into law on Wednesday night and brings to an end another year of legislative shenanigans, poor leadership, and total disregard for making the tough decisions on behalf of the people of Illinois.

I digress for a second and ask that you read the following quotes from some of our lawmakers and ask you, “What have we elected these people to do for us when they don’t have the courage to do the right thing?”

Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago: “We’re doing this because we have to do it, but it’s wrong to do it. … A temporary budget fix will not discount the need for a permanent budget solution. We will be back to finish the job.”

Rep. Raymond Poe, R-Springfield: "It's another Band-Aid. It's a solution that might get us through til a year from now, but there's going to be a bigger hole in next year's budget.”

Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington: “There’s no state in the nation that’s doing what we’re doing to our children and grandchildren today.” “This isn’t even a Band-Aid. This is something that we should defeat today and come back tomorrow.”

House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago: “There will be cuts. There is no way the governor can manage this budget without significant cuts.”

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno: "It does avoid a meltdown .... More importantly, it avoids a tax increase."

Rep. Jack Franks, D-Woodstock: "We are on the brink of a manmade disaster."

This is amazing! After watching this week's fiascoes, one might be disillusioned, pack it up and say enough is enough.

Let’s be clear, this is NOT the time to become disillusioned by the dysfunction of our government. In fact, this is potentially one of the most significant election seasons we have faced in the last 20 years. We MUST hold our elected officials accountable for their actions no matter what side of the aisle they sit.

Remember, when government oversteps its bounds, it’s up to citizens like all of us to bring it back into line.