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* At first, I was just going to update an earlier post with this e-mail from Emily Miller at Voices for Illinois Children. But then I figured it was probably worth its own post…
“Continuing to sell lottery tickets with no plan to pay winners short of saying ‘we’ll owe you’ is not only another embarrassment for Illinois, it’s a threat to the state’s overall financial health,” Franks said. “The lottery funds a number of important services and generates economic activity in every corner of our state, and that will all disappear if the lottery looks more like a shell game than an honest wager.”
This is not new with the lottery.
Does Franks know that social service providers were told to continue services at last year’s levels, but they should not expect payment unless or until there is a budget?
We’ve been operating the main functions of the state with a string of IOUs since July 1st, asking non-profits to continue providing services and make payroll with only the vaguest of assurances that they will get paid someday.
Yeah, it’s embarrassing to not be able to pay lottery winners. But it’s more embarrassing to ask non-profits to go get loans and exhaust their lines of credit and reserves so that lawmakers and the Governor can buy a little more time to make each other look bad.
How about some outrage about that?
Point taken.
* Also, somebody else pointed out to me via text that, aside from the lottery money, those other special state funds in Rep. Moylan’s bill could be swept to help close the big hole in the GRF budget.
Point taken on that, too.
posted by Rich Miller
Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:37 am
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@Emily Miller
Don’t let your jealousy become envy. Let progress be progress if it is possible. Getting the ball rolling on issues not important to you could get the ball rolling for the issues that are. But with this press release, you are feeding the governor’s talking points to not get anything done.
Comment by Ducky LaMoore Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:42 am
And as I understand it, public universities are still ‘expected’ to function without state funding.
That seems to receive far less attention. Wonder why?
Comment by Federalist Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:42 am
I’d be interested in details as to who is telling the non-profits to continue services at last year’s levels.
On whose authority? Is there an “or else” component, as was referred to in the Register-Star a while back?
Comment by Wordslinger Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:47 am
Go Emily! And with the lottery winners, at least they are not worse off than when they started. Human service providers that have laid off their staff, exhausted their lines of credit, burned through their cash reserves, shut down programs and turned away clients — they and the people they serve will be much, much worse off before this is all over.
I’m sympathetic to the lottery winners and I am totally on board with the injustice of their situation, but the actual harm they experience is trivial compared to the human services side of the street.
Comment by Pawn Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:47 am
===public universities are still ‘expected’ to function without state funding.===
And the private colleges are told to continue enrolling low-income students without MAP payments. How long do you think that can continue?
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:49 am
Why not ask Franks if he’s against ***any*** negotiated-among-Democrats budget, which could be passed by the supermajority. Because the implication that he is because he wouldn’t go along with Madigan’s phony-boloney budget is the only reason that’s been given for why the Democrats can’t end all this suffering to the disadvantaged.
Seriously, for all the ink/pixels spilled in newspapers and other news sources on this crisis, when Rauner says the Dems are free to pass their own budget, doesn’t that deserve a soupcon of journalistic exploration?
Comment by lake county democrat Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:56 am
It’s why I don’t understand the fixation on when we cut the checks. The state has signed contracts with vendors and providers, but can’t cut checks because there’s no appropriation, I get that. What I don’t understand is how they can ask for services in the first place, knowing they can’t pay the bill when it arrives. Asking for services dependent on an approximation seems inappropriate for the same reason making a payment would be.
Comment by AC Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:57 am
Another source of outrage with the Illinois Lottery are the number of contracts with consulting firms to market and promote the games which have been less than successful in terms of driving sales. How much advertising does the Lottery actually need? Some commercials may be helpful, but at a certain point it seems to be a waste.
Comment by After Further Review Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 12:00 pm
What possible right does Franks have to comment on the budget? Aligned himself with the tea party by voting down the millionaire surcharge last year that would of plugged some of this hole.
Comment by Very Fed Up Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 12:11 pm
My heart does not bleed for Lottery players. They know up front that the state is passing out IOU’s. My heart does bleed for all of the individuals and families in our state who are not receiving vital services because our Gov. does not know how to do his job and govern. Nothing would give me more pleasure then to force the Gov. to walk in the shoes of those who he is denying vital services. Let him run out of food, have to sleep in the streets, not be able to afford decent childcare…wonder how that would work out for him?
Comment by Former Hoosier Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 12:13 pm
Won’t be much longer until social service agency LoC’s and reserves run out. A lot of them drained a lot of reserves to stay open during the last fiscal crisis and haven’t rebuilt those reserves.
So, once the LoC’s are tapped, unless banks are willing and able to extend MORE credit, you’re going to see a lot of agencies close their doors for good.
Probably won’t be much longer…
Comment by jerry 101 Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 12:33 pm
Hoosier - due to the desperation factor of poor you do deed for, they are a significant constituency of the lottery system. Has always been that way, back from the ‘numbers’ racket’ days
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 1:00 pm
Sorry, “bleed’ for
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 1:01 pm
@ 47th Ward - Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 11:49 am:
===public universities are still ‘expected’ to function without state funding.===
“And the private colleges are told to continue enrolling low-income students without MAP payments. How long do you think that can continue?”
Depends on the private school. Many have huge endowments. In any case they are PRIVATE universities and not public. As to MAP grants, with the way state finances are the privates may have to learn to do without state money as there is little left or our public universities. Last data I could find from IBHE was that over $182 million in such grants went to the private schools.
Of course Rauner and all his allies would naturally disagree as they would like to slowly, or not so slowly, public universities.
Comment by Federalist Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 1:31 pm
===Last data I could find from IBHE was that over $182 million in such grants went to the private schools.===
And do you know what the state got in return from those PRIVATE colleges? Double them number of college graduates.
Don’t forget, the state isn’t funding the PRIVATE universities, they are giving grants to students, who weigh their options, and choose where to take their grant. Turns out, a lot of low-income, first-generation Illinois college students choose to attend PRIVATE colleges.
There is an enormous return on this investment. Time was even Republicans used to care about ROI. Not anymore apparently.
Comment by 47th Ward Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 1:49 pm
For lottery winners to wait for their winnings isn’t the huge issue. The fact that the publicity around it will likely cause fewer people to play, is the issue. Less money goes to education, and that’s the issue. If 20% less people play, the revenue decrease will impact all the groups depending on that revenue only realized because of lottery sales.
Comment by Lincoln Lad Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 2:07 pm
How can you really hold the lottery hostage?
Comment by Anonymous Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 2:20 pm
At what point do we being issuing literal IOUs like California did?
Comment by Formerly Known As... Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 4:40 pm
= public universities are still ‘expected’ to function without state funding. =
Tell them that in January.
Comment by Dirty Red Friday, Oct 16, 15 @ 4:44 pm