* Tribune…
The state’s debt to Chicago’s Catholic Charities, Illinois’ largest social services agency, now tops $25 million because of the state’s ongoing budget impasse, forcing the agency to do something it’s never done before — appeal to priests and parishioners to lobby politicians in Springfield on behalf of the needy.
The cash reserves that have kept the archdiocese agency alive until now are quickly running dry as the state falls further behind in paying its bills. Services that for years the state has hired the charity to provide are not covered by the budget proposed Wednesday by Gov. Bruce Rauner, said Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat who heads the House Human Services Appropriations Committee.
In a letter going out to parish priests Friday, Monsignor Michael Boland, president and CEO of Chicago’s Catholic Charities, is urging parishioners to remind their legislators that lives are at stake if the financial crisis isn’t resolved. The agency provides services across Cook and Lake counties, from in-home care and early childhood education to feeding the homeless and substance abuse treatment.
“The safety net is fragile to begin with in social services,” Boland said in an interview Thursday. “Our elected officials have to realize these are human beings we’re talking about — human lives. Once these things start to unravel, it creates less options for people. … For us, some of these situations can be life or death.”
* I asked Catholic Charities for the appeal they’re sending out. Here it is…
Every 30 seconds someone counts on Catholic Charities for help. We are now asking for your help. Please lend your voice to advocate for the State of Illinois to end its budget stalemate and pass a budget that cares for the poor and most vulnerable in our communities.
Catholic Charities is currently owed more than $25 million by the State of Illinois - a number that grows by at least $2 million per month.
Please take time today to call your state elected officials with this simple message, “I am a voter in your district. I am contacting you on behalf of the poor and vulnerable people who depend on our state’s safety net of human services, especially the more than 1 million people served by Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Chicago.”
If you do not know who your state representative and senator are, please call the State Board of Elections at (217) 782-4141 or visit www.elections.il.gov and click on “New District/ Official Search.” You can find more information and a template advocacy letter at www.CatholicCharities.net on the homepage.
So far, they’re being pretty polite. But if they crank this up full bore, watch out.
*** UPDATE *** Gov. Rauner was asked about this today and said, essentially, that Catholic Charities ought to put pressure on Madigan…
“I’m glad they’re doing it… Speaker Madigan is holding up the entire process. Unilaterally, one person is holding up the process. Many Democrats in the General Assembly have told me in private they’d like to work out a grand compromise. President Cullerton, in private, we could’ve already worked things out. But every time we work out a compromise on an issue, like this pension bill that he and I agree [on]… Speaker Madigan? Crush it. Hold it off. One person, one person is holding up progress here. And that one person is trying to force a big tax hike, but he won’t support a tax hike unless Republicans vote for the tax hike. This is not right. This is not gonna happen.”
- Ghost - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 11:57 am:
thi is what Rauner wanted… the ultimate question is will people demand that elected officials remove unions to get it, ir will they demand the gov be held accountable for using the needy as pawns.
This wont get better until Rauner wins control and gets what he wants, or gets removed from office. The gov just doesnt care about the actual harm to people, we are just pawns/tools in his game to end unions.
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 11:58 am:
Mike Madigan and Bruce Rauner can need this any time they choose.
But they have to do so together.
- Skokie Ben - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:04 pm:
One thing I learned from over a decade in Catholic schools — don’t tick off the nuns and priests!
- WhoKnew - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:06 pm:
“The prayers of a righteous man availith much”!
I know something needs to happen.
Please do the doable!
Hat tip OW!
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:06 pm:
I am sure that the Donald thinks this appeal a disgrace.
- Cubs in '16 - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:08 pm:
I see grassroots efforts like this as the best/only way to apply enough pressure to get something done. Still, how many Catholics will follow through with this if the impasse isn’t affecting them or their families directly? Might take something bigger like no appropriation for K-12 funding to prompt people into action.
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:15 pm:
–So far, they’re being pretty polite. But if they crank this up full bore, watch out.–
Please — stop being polite.
–I have long since come to believe that people never mean half of what they say, and that it is best to disregard their talk and judge only their actions.–
Dorothy Day.
- Nick Name - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:20 pm:
“Mike Madigan and Bruce Rauner can need this any time they choose.
But they have to do so together.”
This oft-repeated distortion by “anonymous” Raunerbots was already tiresome last July. Seven months later, it’s inexcusable.
“Both sides must compromise/work together” is a straw man. Nobody holds Madigan blameless. But for events of the past 12 months, and the destruction of the state’s social safety net and higher ed, 100 percent of the blame goes to Rauner.
- Neglected stepchild - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:21 pm:
If the Catholics want to do charity work, the Catholics can pay for it. There’s plenty of bling back at the Vatican.
- How Ironic - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:25 pm:
@- Neglected stepchild - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:21 pm:
“If the Catholics want to do charity work, the Catholics can pay for it. There’s plenty of bling back at the Vatican.”
I pray you never need assistance. That’s all I can say w/out being banned.
You must be one of those ‘compassionate conservatives’ I hear about.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:32 pm:
Rauner has done something I didn’t think I would see in my lifetime. He has taken abortion away as the top issue for catholics, now the focus is on the very services they provide.
- Jack Stephens - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:44 pm:
Cheaper to privatize the prisons and provide these services there.
Ask Bruce.
Plus he’ll make millions when they are privatized too.
- Pressure - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:44 pm:
If the gov. Wants to play hard ball with the Catholics he would lose, all you need is all the cardinals in Illinois to close their schools, your move then Bruce
- Anonymous - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:58 pm:
@FakeMikeMadigan - no compromise, no reforms, no suggestions of my own, no surrender. The war must press on.
- 360 Degree TurnAround - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 1:09 pm:
Anonymous at 12:58pm - you must be new to springfield.
- No. 9 - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 1:18 pm:
‘Pressure’ is absolutely right. The Catholic schools in the Springfield diocese alone save the taxpayers hundreds of millions of dollars each year. Close ‘em for a year statewide, then what are you gonna do? Imagine if the Lutherans, Christian, Jewish, etc do the same.
- Mason born - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 1:30 pm:
Stepchild
Fyi the state contracted with Catholic Charities to provide these services. The state is not paying for the services they contracted for. CC is trying to resolve the issue so that the folks they help aren’t abandoned. Try to keep up.
Fy
- DuPage Bard - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 1:55 pm:
This should have happened a while ago.
- hisgirlfriday - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 2:02 pm:
@pressure - what does bruce care if catholic schools close? they are competition for his charter schools.
- illini97 - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 2:33 pm:
This is a block of people I think will actually pick up a phone or write a letter to their legislator.
How much heat can the GOP reps stand? I guess we’ll know in March.
- Give Me A Break - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 2:34 pm:
Mike Madigan and the Catholics he controls.
- @his girl Friday - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 2:42 pm:
I’d like to see the math, but ILlinois govt would have to come up with a lot more billions in magic beans
- Will Caskey - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 2:56 pm:
To paraphrase Joe Biden, everything Rauner says is a noun, a verb and “blame Mike Madigan.”
- Thoughts Matter - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 2:58 pm:
Governor- you are the one holding the budget hostage for your Turnaround Agenda. I blame you.
- Oswego Willy - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:03 pm:
===Many Democrats in the General Assembly have told me in private they’d like to work out a grand compromise. President Cullerton, in private, we could’ve already worked things out. But every time we work out a compromise on an issue, like this pension bill that he and I agree [on]… Speaker Madigan? Crush it. Hold it off. One person, one person is holding up progress here. And that one person is trying to force a big tax hike, but he won’t support a tax hike unless Republicans vote for the tax hike.===
What an utter Crock!
“@RonSandack: I’m frustrated 2, but taking steps towards reforming IL more important than short term budget stalemate.”
The most disingenuous thing Bruce Rauner has done is the taking of hostages, and then lying about doing it.
Name the Democrats, or keep it zipped.
Have a Presser with President Cullerton or be quiet.
Rauner has no ground to stand on.
The protesters know, they always know.
Governors own, Mr. Rauner.
“Pat Quinn failed… ”
Remember?
Governors… Governors own.
- illini97 - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:21 pm:
@RonSandack: I’m frustrated 2, but taking steps towards reforming IL more important than short term budget stalemate.
Radogno also said that, while many social service agencies are struggling without state funding, and “seeing the bigger agencies have problems is very scary,” there “needed to be a shakeout.”
“Most legislators I talk to agree with that,” Radogno said. “I mean I actually met with an agency that had 36 clients. … Some of these very small, very weak agencies, where their clients were being taken over by larger agencies. … I think not all of that was a horrible thing.”
That’s everything one needs to know. Right there. This is a shakeout. It’s not a bad thing. Add that to the statement when you all call.
- burbanite - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:21 pm:
Wordslinger’s post on another thread seems more appropriate here,
- wordslinger - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 12:58 pm:
Below is a link to the 2015 annual report for Catholic Charities of Chicago.
I encourage everyone to read and learn about the magnificent work they do for all of us, in our names.
Please pay close attention to their revenues. Of their $184 million in revenues, $158 million comes from government contracts and grants.
Please understand — much of the labor that goes into their work is donated, it’s free. No salaries. No benefits. No pensions. It’s an amazing value for the taxpayers.
Please — be heard, and insist that his misanthropic sabotage be stopped.
Please — let’s be the people that we like to think that we are.
https://www.catholiccharities.net/Portals/0/Media/Publications/Annual%20Report/2015AR_FINAL_web.pdf
- burbanite - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:23 pm:
and the Lutherans already did No. 9:
https://capitolfax.com/2016/01/22/lssi-to-close-30-programs-eliminate-750-positions/
- Mason born - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:27 pm:
You see Madigan is to blame because he refuses to surrender. I’m no Madigan fan but this is pathetic. It seems the governor believes we should all be suffering from Stockholm syndrome.
- Macbeth - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:35 pm:
What a weak, impotent leader Rauner is.
How about *doing* something instead of blaming someone else?
Rauner is weak. Weak, weak.
- p - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:40 pm:
“President Cullerton, in private, we could’ve already worked things out. But every time we work out a compromise on an issue, like this pension bill,” somebody goes public with a total misrepresentation of the deal and it falls through.
Fixed it.
- Beaner - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:41 pm:
Mason born - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:27 pm:
Stockholm reference…nice.
- Democrat Man - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:41 pm:
I find it ironic Rauner wants the Democrats to vote for a Tax Hike but Madigan wants Replubican Lawmakers to vote for it to but Rauner says that’s wrong and is not going to HAPPEN! Everything has to his way. Why is that WRONG?
- Mason born - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:46 pm:
Beaner
Seems appropriate.
- Annonin' - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 3:49 pm:
Madigan is to blame even though the $uper$tars demanded the tax cut and vetoed the approp bills.
Lookin’ pretty silly Mr. $uper$tar
- Wensicia - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 4:02 pm:
Rauner: “You’re Madigan’s hostage, not mine!”
Ridiculous.
- Austin Blvd - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 4:05 pm:
If asked about Rauner’s refusal to negotiate a budget that helps people, one must wonder… What would the Pope say?
- downstate commissioner - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 4:59 pm:
Rauner!!! Now, I have to join the Catholic Church!!!
- Burke, Edmund - Friday, Feb 19, 16 @ 5:00 pm:
Finally, someone is acting responsibly to protect the taxpayers of Illinois.