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Tribune editorial wants guv to back off spending plans.
Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s budget crew has spent recent months showing off a set of colorful charts and graphs that tell a heroic tale about how the governor pulled Illinois out of a monumental fiscal mess without a tax increase.Mission accomplished, so now is a fine time to expand state government. At least, that’s what the administration believes.
Not so fast, governor.
It’s an election year, so there is enormous temptation to offer a platter of delectable new initiatives on which to campaign. The governor hasn’t even waited for them to pass–he’s campaigning now on some of his spending initiatives.
Let’s be clear: By no means has Illinois emerged from its financial straits.
One of the big three bond-rating agencies last week gave Illinois a “negative outlook,” citing the growing unpaid pension burden that may eventually force state officials to raise taxes or impose massive spending cuts.
This follows a report last month by the Civic Federation that assailed Blagojevich’s proposed budget, arguing that it dangerously shortchanges the state’s pension funds by $1.1 billion. […]
A report on Friday by Tribune reporters Judith Graham and Christi Parsons cited a swelling pool of unpaid Medicaid bills to hospitals, doctors, pharmacies and other medical providers. The state expects to owe $1.7 billion in delinquent Medicaid payments by the end of June, triple what the unpaid tab was in 1997.
That’s all very sobering news. But Blagojevich’s assembly line keeps churning out spending ideas.
posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 5:55 am
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What do the economists call it when the deficit decreases while the debt keeps growing? Seems like a major collusion delusion that we are all party to. We realize the unsustainable nature of our way of living, but each of us keeps right on going like there is no tomorrow, blindly ignoring that irritating ticking sound in our conscience.
Comment by vole Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 6:24 am
“We outright reject the idea you have to do a massive tax increase or cut people’s health care or education funding.” Becky Carroll, Blagojevich shrill.
Hey, everyone. Are those the only options? Can anyone come up with ANYTHING that could be cut that will save money?
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 6:39 am
Who cares? Just borrow more. Let someone else worry about it later.
This is not the time to get special interests groups mad at you, because they will run stories in the newspapers saying ‘Illinois gets an ‘F’ in…’ and make you look bad. And then people will cringe in horror.
Just pay the secial interests groups off. It’s easier than confronting them.
Comment by Leroy Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 6:43 am
I love it when these big spenders wake up and their credit card is maxed out and they have to face the music uummm voter.
Comment by DOWNSTATE Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 6:55 am
Downstate- the real problem is that credit card may come due AFTER the Dems get voted out of office- which means guys like you and I are going to pay for it. They don’t care about the debt- they are only interested in the “quick fix”.
Comment by Anonymous Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 8:03 am
“The governor pulled Illinois out of a monumental fiscal mess without a tax increase”. Say what? How about changing that to “the governor delayed resolving Illinois’ monumental fiscal mess by borrowing more money than the State has the resources to repay”. Huge growing Medicaid bills unpaid, pensions billions underfunded, interest payments on those borrowed Billions, claiming savings on health care plans that have not even started, and now credit ratings are getting hit. All signs of good fiscal management? Increase that spending, do not cut back or save. Any CEO/CFO who acted like these were signs of success would be gone quick.
Comment by zatoichi Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 9:08 am
This kind of sounds like our Governor has taken a page out of the fiscal playbook of Enron or WorldCom. Don’t worry about our debts, keep spending, use creative math to explain it all away and let’s juggle the books in an attempt to hide it all. Someone else can worry about it down the line.
Comment by Sound Reasoning Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 10:10 am
Why doesn’t the Trib demand that the President and his rubber-stamp Republican Congress slow down their drunken sailor spending?
My kids are going to be paying off their 3 trillion dollar bar tab for years.
Comment by NW burbs Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 11:35 am
To those who are concerned they will be “left behind” to pay for the credit mess the state is getting into now -
You can always vote with your feet.
Come to think of it, that also applies to NW Burbs’ comment.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 2:17 pm
6° wrote: Come to think of it, that also applies to NW Burbs’ comment.
You want me to leave the United States so … what? … so I can leave our great nation to conservatives to ruin?
Ha!
I’d rather fight to take my country back from the radical right-wing that hijacked the GOP. That’s what patriots do.
Comment by NW burbs Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 4:33 pm
No, I don’t want anyone to leave the state or the US if they don’t want to…simply stating that’s an option. And as we were and are a nation of immigrants, there is no shame in transplanting yourself or your family for a better opportunity, or to leave what one perceives to be an oppressive situation. Granted, we are not used to thinking in those terms in the US except, for example, a few Hollywood types that occasionally threaten to leave the country if _____ gets elected or _____ happens.
Comment by Six Degrees of Separation Tuesday, Apr 18, 06 @ 7:59 pm