* Legislators are getting heckled by social service advocates. As I told subscribers this morning, GOP Rep. Mike Bost was booed off the stage…
The cheering gave way to heckling and shouting after State Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, took to the microphone. Bost urged those in attendance to remember that even if lawmakers pass a proposed income tax increase the state will still have a $5 billion budget deficit, which will require more cuts.
“Then cut from the top,” one woman yelled.
“Raise more money,” another followed.
Bost continued on and said that he didn’t want to “give false hopes” and that people should remember how the state’s finances arrived at their current state.
Here, the shouts tumbled one on top of the other drowning out Bost’s voice.
“Quit politicking,” one man shouted.
“If you don’t want the truth, and you can’t handle the truth, I’m out,” Bost said before dropping the microphone and walking out.
Rep. Sullivan…
State Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr., a Mundelein Republican, said he was protested and picketed while marching with his wife and two young children at this past weekend’s Libertyville Days parade by local social service groups scared into a frenzy by the governor’s doomsday talk.
“It is absolutely immoral what the governor is doing,” Sullivan said of the governor’s tactic. “If you want to picket me, that’s great. But leave kids out of it.”
Pat Quinn is not Rod Blagojevich. Rod Blagojevich would’ve ordered protesters to shout taunts at legislators. Quinn is not that sort of fellow.
* Parents are some of the most afraid, and angriest…
“I’m infuriated at the lack of responsibility (of state legislators),” said Dianne Hall of Moline, whose son receives aid from the Department of Human Services. “They’re hitting and striking at the most vulnerable population.”
There’s also a lot of activity among organizations as well…
AFSCME members have “picketed, marched and met one-on-one with dozens of lawmakers,” Lindall said. “For the last several weeks, we have sustained an intensive e-mail and phone campaign by our members that has generated many thousands of calls and messages to lawmakers, and those calls and messages are continuing.”
The AARP set up a hotline to connect members with their legislators. So far more than 5,000 people have used the service, according to AARP Spokesman David Irwin. […]
People involved with the Ounce of Prevention Fund, an early childhood education advocacy group, have sent almost 6,000 e-mails and made hundreds of calls to their lawmakers, spokeswoman Jelene Britten said.
Dan Schwick, spokesman for Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, said his group has called on about 1,000 members of a grassroots network to bombard lawmakers with calls and e-mails.
Madigan…
From the Southwest Side campus of Daley College, they marched a dozen blocks to the district office of the man some regard as the most powerful figure in Illinois politics: House Speaker Mike Madigan, D-Chicago. They found his door locked. […]
Madigan’s House Democrats have blocked a big increase in the state income tax sought by Quinn. It’s been approved by the state Senate. The protest at Madigan’s district office was organized by the AFSCME union local representing some 700 adult education instructors at the City Colleges.
“The Speaker could work harder,” Mark Freeman, president of AFSCME Local 3506, said. “There are a lot of Democrats waiting for his leadership.”
* But there’s not a lot of optimism about a solution this week…
But lawmakers, both Republican and Democratic, said Monday there were no signs an income tax increase would pass.
“Our expectations are very low,” said Rikeesha Phelon, a spokeswoman for Democratic Senate President John Cullerton.
Yet the governor remains optimistic…
“I think a number of legislators who voted `no’ on May 31 understand that when it comes to this crisis, and it is a crisis, they may have to switch their vote,” Quinn said.
But in late May, Quinn also expressed optimism lawmakers would approve. They didn’t.
And he doesn’t have a lot of reason to be…
A memo [fixed link] obtained by the Sun-Times and circulated by House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) to his Democratic members lays out an array of “legislative items” to be considered during the Quinn-called special session that begins today.
But one thing missing on Madigan’s to-do list for the week is a vote on a tax increase, which is likely recognition that the Quinn plan seems to be barely registering a pulse in the House with Republicans en masse against it.
The SJ-R calls out the GOP…
Poe and Brauer also favor reforms to the budget process, reforms that the Republican leadership insists are a pre-requisite for Republicans to even consider a tax increase.
They must have amnesia. Dozens of Republicans voted for a menu of tax and fee increases in order to fund projects in their districts, including $500 million in member-initiated, re-election greasing projects. Those votes came before the governor signed a single reform into law.
And the guv may call the GA back in next week as well…
Last week, Quinn said he wanted them to vote on a tax increase by Wednesday. But he now says that might not happen.
QUINN: I think we want to keep working and working until it’s the right time to take a vote whether it’s this Wednesday. Certainly by the end of this month we got have a vote.
* Check out the drop in personal income taxes, compiled by Stateline.org…
* Here’s one bit of “good” budget news: Illinois’ welfare rolls aren’t up nearly as high as some other states…
…for the first time in 15 years, welfare numbers are up in at least 26 states. In Illinois it’s 3 percent, but in South Carolina that number is 23 percent; in Florida, it’s 14 percent and in California, it’s 10 percent.
…Adding… Via NewsAlert, we have this visual of state budget deficits…
* Related…
* Crisis is real; tax hike alone won’t solve it
* Budget cuts back on the table today in Illinois: Brady, who is running for governor next year, disputes the deficit numbers that Quinn is using, and insists the state can get by with its existing funding “if the governor stops his scare-tactics crusade for a tax increase, acts like a leader and manages the state’s finances within the resources we have.”
* States Turning to Last Resorts in Budget Crisis
* Quinn: Won’t cut human service funding in half: But just how he will work with the legislature to enact a balanced budget before July 1 is a mystery
* People Over Politics
* Hundreds rally in Quad-Cities against feared service cuts by state
* Officials warn of danger of cutting health services
* County leaders warn of effects of budget cuts
* Society will suffer from budget cuts
* Citizens need health, not just wealth, protected
* Cuts could end Stark’s mental health service
* Foster parents worry about effects of budget cuts
* What about the taxpayers?
* ATR Urges Illinois Legislature to Reject All Tax Hikes
* URF Calls for Support of Republicans in Opposing Tax Hikes
* LTE: Don’t Blame IL GOP for Illinois’ Fiscal Mess
* Illinois, Missouri governors pledge to work together for high-speed rail
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:34 am:
Things are starting to heat up on many levels.
I hope Quinn has a stress test before he does that jumping up and down thing again on a scorching day in a tie and long sleeves. That wasn’t a natural color in his face when he was all done!
- give me a break - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:35 am:
Hey, Rep. Sullivan, if you wanted to leave the kids out of it you should have left my son with disabilities out of the budget cuts. What is immoral are the cuts, not the scare tactics.
Personally I am beyond angry, I just want to sit and cry as I try to figure out how to keep my chld at home and cared for.
- Concerned Observer - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:43 am:
Bost is a very, very popular…what, seven-term? (six? eight?) legislator. I know the people at that rally were likely generally Democrats, but I’ve seen those groups deal with Republicans in the past and they’d always been quite respectful.
So his getting booed off the stage is…surprising, and disappointing.
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:47 am:
Angry parents are a force of nature. And in the heat…
- montrose - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:48 am:
The fact that welfare (TANF) rolls are not up that much is not good news. All that means is the people that need that support are not accessing it. Before the recession hit, only 1 in 5 people that were eligible for TANF were accessing it. In a recession, we want people to use this program, we want enrollment to go up, so folks have the support they need to get through tough times. Keep in mind the majority of those that have lost their job are not eligible for unemployment.
With the doomsday budget shutting down 42 of the 120 DHS offices and frontline staff getting laid off, it is only going to get harder to access those supports. Not good at all.
- lake county democrat - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:50 am:
There’s a lot of voter anger out there and any pol not named “Obama” is at risk of catching it (yes, I know, plenty of people dislike President Obama — just mean he’s got more teflon at the moment than most). At the somewhat ridiculed “Tea Parties” some GOP congressmen who had gone along with the Bush deficit spending were booed.
- Captain America - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:51 am:
The anger and frustration, the booing and heckling, are entirely in order. There is ablsolutely no justification for the magnitude of cuts to human service agency cuts caused by partisan politics and the political cowardice of many state legislators. none iof these humans service agencies ot thier clients/client have anything to do with the chronic systemic corruption of Illinois politics/government.
- fed up - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:52 am:
Give me a break,
so you deciede to have a child and now you want the state to pay for it. The state doesnt have the money to pay for a child you decieded to have and you think its a good idea to attack someone elses children yeah you have my sympathy now. When you let political differences turn into this type of hate you drive away the moderates. relying on the goverment to provide for you is always a mistake.
- sal-says - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:52 am:
State Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr…..”If you want to picket me, that’s great. But leave kids out of it.”
Uhhh. Just a thought. Maybe YOU should leave YOUR kids out of YOUR politics?
- montrose - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:52 am:
==we want people to use this program, we want enrollment to go up, so folks have the support they need to get through tough times==
Not everyone views welfare as an option. For me it would be an absolute last resort that I would do anything to avoid.
- Deep South - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:53 am:
People are getting very angry. They’re not stupid…they know that this is all about politics. Lawmakers won’t vote on a tax increase because they might not get re-elected, Democrats won’t vote on a tax increase because it gives Republicans ammunition, Republicans want cuts but offer no specifics, etc. It goes on and on. This is the third time in three years this thing has gone into over time. Can’t blame Blago anymore. Yeah, these gutless wonders gerrymandered themselves safe districts, but they’re still afraid what might happen if they vote on a tax increase. These people all need to be replaced…people are gettin’ fed up.
- Wumpus - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:55 am:
“Raise more money”. That is all I needed to read.
Ed, if you want them to leave the kids out of it, don’t take them campaigning on the parade. As long as it was not vulgar, what is the problem. You can take your family for a photo op, but not deal with disgruntled voters.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:57 am:
===drive away the moderates===
Um, considering this part of your comment…
===so you deciede to have a child and now you want the state to pay for it===
I’m not sure you qualify as a “moderate.”
Just sayin…
- montrose - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:57 am:
For clarity, montrose @ 10:52 am ain’t me.
- fed up - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:58 am:
Wow I bet all the commetators here would be up in arms if someone said something to Obamas kids at a parade, with Obama the kids are off limits and he put them on stage all the time and had them in plenty of parades. No matter whet the kids should be off limits
- Justice - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:58 am:
As I see it the great difficulty with budget cuts is that no legislator wants to see them in their districts and no organizations or associations want them to take away their bounty.
It has gotten to the point that we do not rule by how it affects the entire population, but simply how it affects me. It we are to survive as a community, a state, and as a nation we must change the way we manage and hold responsible those managing our overall resources. That will be difficult, if not impossible, but the fact is that we are simply trying to do too much for too many with too little.
We must renegotiate or void union contracts, rethink the way we dole out entitlements, and cut the state payroll by 20% to 25%. That will mean cutting programs but the hard cold fact is that we are going broke faster than a politician can twist the truth.
If we want reform, a cold dose of a doomsday budget might just be the only way to get it. We have become an “I want it now and I want it free” society. We have allowed lobbyists and pandering legislators to put us in debt beyond our ability to get out of it in the short haul.
We are in this mess as are many states because we were not using good financial common sense. Wait till the severance packages run out, the unemployment checks stop, and the five year ARMs come due next year. Combine that with no new industries and income will drop even lower. Then what will the politicians do…..tax what we don’t have? We are all going to feel the pain so we had better start shouldering the blame, and acting responsibly. That will mean cuts and more cuts!
- Bill - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:00 am:
fed,
That remark was mean and uncalled for even from you.
Bite me.
- Princess - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:00 am:
I’m not sure, Concerned Observer, that ‘quite respectful’ is getting the message across. Some who have meet and run into the hold back Republicans are not really feeling they are getting much respect in exchanges. Seems to be arriving at a 2 way street now.
Meeting with one Republican Rep. for almost 2 hours and when finished bottom line was no, he won’t vote for taxes revenue must come from elsewhere. A nice sounding stand, but where are we going to get that much revenue elsewhere?
Another states his area people say no to income tax increase, yet these same people just willing voted to increase their taxes for a museum. Museum good, social services bad?
Another marching by in a local parade this last Saturday when asked about increaing taxes stated no, not until ‘we’ make cuts. Being he was talking to a DNR employee I assume ‘we’ making cuts meant DNR. How much more cuts can that dept take? One knows already how it’s budget has been treated for years under Rod.
And my mother , a longtime 40 yr mental health workers in social services is getting the same attitude from the people she and her friends are meeting with. Sorry, find revenue elsewhere.
Many are feeling the representatives are blowing them off and none are suggesting to them the ‘where’ this magical ’somewhere else’ is.
- fed up - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:03 am:
Rich compared to the far left bent you have here I am very moderate, pro choice, slightly pro labor when they dont over reach, pro envirorment, dont like religion mixed with politics, just not be fan of taxes being raised and sick of corruption. Big believer in people working and providing for themselves and their families.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:04 am:
LOL
Bite me.
- give me a break - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:04 am:
To fed up -
As a taxpayer take note of this, the small amount of money that we get to keep him at home is way less expensive than what it would cost to put him in an institution. An institution, which is where my child would have to be places, would cost approximately $120,000/year. That is a low ball estimate. That compares to $8088 we got each year that is being cut.
As someone with a law degree I could “afford” my child, in fact I can afford all that I have. What we are doing is keeping a child at home and in a family which in turns saves you - and every other taxpayer some money. Who is going to pay for the children who are placed in alternative care when the families do not get the supports they need? The taxpayers.
- fed up - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:05 am:
Bill, so its ok to go after someones kids if you disagree with their politics but if their in the same party as you the kids are off limits, typical very typical. bite yourself
- Bill - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:08 am:
?
LOL
- Greg - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:09 am:
I’m fine with subjecting kids to extreme political heckling in exchange for one demand: that it becomes kosher to heckle seniors for their programs…
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:13 am:
Bill and fed up, enough. Move along or deletions will begin. No more warnings.
- fed up - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:15 am:
give me a break,
I apologize for coming off so mean, I do believe in home health care it saves money and is best for the child/elderly. I do believe we have become a state/nation of people looking for handouts from the goverment and the cost of everyone saying wheres mine with their handout has caught up to us. Now comes the painful part telling people the money isnt there after we have let them get used to having the goverment take care of everthing. We have been giving people fish every day instead of teaching them to fish for themselves.
- Concerned Observer - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:17 am:
Princess, without getting into any of the specifics you brought up….
I was referring to a single instance of a specific legislator and his dealings with social services groups in the past. I wasn’t trying to make a blanket statement, and I also wasn’t passing judgment on those at the rally.
I was just saying that it’s sad that things have progressed to the current point.
- montrose - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:17 am:
Montrose @ 10:52-
Many folks, like you, would avoid using TANF for the same reason, but there also many that don’t access simply because they don’t think they are eligible, the system is hard to navigate, etc. These budget cuts will only make those problems worse.
- cover - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:19 am:
Rich, I think it would be a good time to dust off your $1 billion and $4 billion cut questions from a few months ago. This would remind everyone what is really in the state budget, and what programs / which constituencies are affected by those proposed cuts. I say this not to advocate for any specific solution, but as a way to attempt to have a more informed discussion of the budget options and consequences facing the Governor and General Assembly.
- Secret Square - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:22 am:
And how are those people who have disabled children (and didn’t necessarily “choose” to, disabilities can be the result of birth injury, later disease, accidents, etc.) supposed to be able to work and support themselves if there’s no one around to care for their children? What are they supposed to do — quit their jobs and go on welfare? What if they don’t have any family available that can do it?
Really, human service programs like those that allow disabled people to live at home or independently aren’t all that expensive. For example, the SPARC summer camp for developmentally disabled children and adults in Springfield costs less than $200,000 per year, and it’s being cut — shut down as of June 30. At the same time a proposed children’s museum project that’s still at least 2 or 3 years in the future is getting a $1 million grant in the current budget. Now the proposed museum is a nice project, and I look forward to seeing it some day, but it can wait another year or until the economy improves, while the SPARC clients cannot.
The problem, as Rich points out, is not that human services to the disabled, elderly, etc. are enormously expensive or burdensome to taxpayers — it’s that so much of the rest of the budget is “untouchable” due to federal or state laws, union contracts, etc. That is where the focus ought to be, but it isn’t.
- Secret Square - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:27 am:
By the way, the state budget visual looks like something one might see on the “Strange Maps” website.
- True Observer - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 11:31 am:
Let’s cut to the chase.
If there is a tax increase, which Republican lawmakers will lose their primaries?
If there is no tax increase, which Democratic lawmakers will lose their primaries?
The general will be a wash.
- Will County Woman - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:01 pm:
@give me a break/ capt american
the governor decides what will get cut, not rep. sullivan. the governor has decided that social services will get cut first and most, so getting angry with republicans and booing them off stage is misdirected anger.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:07 pm:
===the governor decides what will get cut, not rep. sullivan.===
Not quite. The GA mandated the cuts.
- Will County Woman - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:14 pm:
@ princess,
I agree with you that the republicans are dropping the PR ball. while i would like to agree with the social service providers and protestors, i cannot and will not. is there some reason why only social services are being offered up for slaughter?
- steve schnorf - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:15 pm:
Wow, Rich, this far into it and some people still believe there would be simple fairly painless answers if it weren’t for the mean old Governor or the mean old Speaker or the mean old GA. DNR can’t take any more cuts and I’ll lose my job if I lose child care and now would be a terrible time to raise taxes and the government just p—-s it all away anyway. Guess its going to have to get a lot worse before people wake up.
- Will County Woman - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:20 pm:
“Not quite. The GA mandated the cuts.”
@ rich
before or after May 31st?
this all puts blago’s non-alleged criminal actions withy/against the GA into much better perspective. and you despised him for years before he was removed from office, why?
- Will County Woman - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:35 pm:
the madigan memo…the sun times doesn’t want people to read it??????????????
- anon - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:37 pm:
==Not quite. The GA mandated the cuts==
Yes, the GA that is controlled by the Democratic party.
- How Ironic - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:43 pm:
@WCW
The GA’s Budget is 50% of the requested GRF that the Gov asked for in his March 18th address.
The 50% budget goes into effect July 1, 2009 UNLESS something else is passed.
Blago has nothing to do with this crisis.
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 12:44 pm:
===this all puts blago’s non-alleged criminal actions withy/against the GA into much better perspective. and you despised him for years before he was removed from office, why? ===
That comment made absolutely no sense to me whatsoever.
Seriously, what the heck were you trying to say?
- Phineas J. Whoopee - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 1:42 pm:
Yes Rich, we all want to know why you despised blago for his non-alleged criminal offenses-allegations found not in evidence not withstanding. Why have this perspective?
- Will County Woman - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 1:57 pm:
@rich
just saying that perhaps blago didn’t deserve to bre vilified the way that he was seemingly all of the time for everything.
@how ironic
i wasn’t attempting to draw blago into this per se. i was just thinking back to the budget problems he faced. it’s interesting how the GA is more of a focus now than it was when he was in office. only he and jones are gone, yet problems still abound.
- Will County Woman - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 2:00 pm:
@phineas
thank you! you summed cleaned and summed it up brilliantly for me. you CLEARLY went to college. ;)
- Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 2:00 pm:
===just saying that perhaps blago didn’t deserve to bre vilified the way that he was seemingly all of the time for everything. ===
Then you’re blind or overly simplistic or an editorial writer. lol.
- Arthur Andersen - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 2:22 pm:
Good Lord, is it the heat or did the budget cuts cause the looney bin to be unlocked?
Some of the comments today appear to be from Bizarro Blogworld.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 2:37 pm:
By the way, the state budget visual looks like something one might see on the “Strange Maps” website.
I was trying to read the number inside the circle, to see if I was color-blind or not.
- Will County Woman - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 2:43 pm:
@rich,
thanks i’m all of them. lol!!!!!
- Obamarama - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 3:14 pm:
===Then you’re blind or overly simplistic or an editorial writer. lol. ===
Daily Herald is my guess.
- Princess - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 4:12 pm:
Mr. Schnorf, while you may think whining over the DNR budget cut backs over the Rod years is petty and hell, lets cut even more out of it, the money floating down to the sites has been cut to the point of safety issues in some cases.
Suddenly once a new director arrived a tad more was allowed to float down. But I don’t think that a vehicle long due for inspection with cracked windowshield, bald tires, parts taken from other vehicles (which part them out of commission) and bad brakes can take much more of a cut. I certainly doubt the vehicles you drove while working for the state had to dodge innspections nor that you had to call and beg to have parts replaced but were told, make do, get over it, team up more, blah blah.
Ever dangle without safety gear and then have your super toss a fit because he does see or care what your problem is and does not matter anyway cause ain’t no money to float down for it?
If you decide to make it worse and more painful could ya all at least consider worker safety on those office crunched numbers?
- Southern Gal - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 6:30 pm:
I suppose all of you legislators who think we need to pass the capitol bill to create jobs haven’t stopped to think about the jobs being lost due to the 50% social services budget you have sent the Governor.
I work for one of those “social service agencies” that employ people who help the most vulnerable citizens in our state. We haven’t had an increase in over 10 years, so where’s the fat? I just laid off 22 people of my staff of 70 today. Should I tell those families they can go get a job building roads or bridges, because all the legislature could manage was a mini-capitol bill??
We understand the fiscal situation the state is in, we understand that no one relishes paying more income taxes or any kind of tax, but Illinois has a problem that takes an approach of both increasing income and decreasing spending. We simply think the legislators are not doing their job of balancing this; they really haven’t done anything to correct the problem…Dems and Republicans alike. Cutting one sector of the budget (social services) will eventually cost the state more money, and don’t forget why the state contracts with not-for-profits instead of providing these services themselves: we can do it cheaper!
- Angry conservative - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 7:04 pm:
How much more of my income am I supposed to give away? I took a 20% pay cut this year due to the current economic conditions, and now you want me to pay even more in taxes on top of the already insane taxes in C(r)ook County. Why is it that the only people required to shoulder the burden are non-union private sector employees? With apologies to Robert Conrad, go ahead I dare you! Bring on your doomsday cuts.
- long time state worker - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 9:37 pm:
Hey that bubble bunch chart of the states’ deficits..was it designed by Martha Stewart?
- wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 23, 09 @ 10:05 pm:
–Wow, Rich, this far into it and some people still believe there would be simple fairly painless answers if it weren’t for the mean old Governor or the mean old Speaker or the mean old GA–
For the last month or so, the MSM — tv, daily papers, radio — have constantly been doing stories on the budget deficit.
What’s fascinating is, these stories rarely contain a number. Any number. How much is the budget, what is the shortfall is, where are current revenues spent?
It’s been a while since I went to J-school or was a reporter, so I guess times have changed. Still, I ask:
How can you write a budget story without the numbers? Where does the money come from, where does it go? Pie charts, graphs, the whole nine yards?
Literally, no one following the MSM, or writing or commenting in the MSM, has a clue as to what’s being talked about.