69 Comments - shore - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 9:51 am: Apologize for the question. Does the legislature get paid extra for this? - Scooby - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:06 am: The LaRouchebags amassed outside the JRTC yesterday to protest Obama’s healthcare plan, and were completely oblivious to Godwin’s Law. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:10 am: Apparently, the Illinois General Assembly isn’t the only place you’ll find ostriches. Many human services agencies targeted for steep cuts — cuts that will force many of them to close their doors — still haven’t notified their employees that they are about to lose their jobs if nothing changes in Springfield. Internally, they still hope that the General Assembly will do the right thing. Let me give you all some advice: There’s a reason Republicans are complaining about the Governor’s dire pronouncements: its working. And keeping the likelihood of your agency closing a secret is the BEST way to ensure that a tax increase doesn’t pass. - Quacktastic - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:10 am: I find this elevator music offensive! - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:11 am: Me too - Ghost - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:11 am: Ghost’s law: As a budget discussion grows longer and degrades into partisan finger pointing, the probability of a special session approaches 1. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:12 am: You can count on the LaRouchies to have a simple solution to every problem. Insane, but simple. - what happened to rich? - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:34 am: “Um, the General Assembly passed the budget without the governor’s input, yet almost everybody refers to it as “Quinn’s budget.” It’s not. He’s against it.” Um, in the past, the Rich Miller I know had always said “Deal with it.” when the governor’s office was blamed for things that weren’t their fault. They are the guys in charge, it’s their name on the door - deal with it. - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:43 am: Even FDR cut federal employee salaries by 15% when he became President in the Spring of 1933. Stermer shouldn’t expect the public to support additional state operation expenditures during an economic downturn. - steve schnorf - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:44 am: Louis, have you ever heard the term “collective bargaining agreement”? Do you know what it means? - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:50 am: God this press conference is painful…Quinn is Governor not a community organizer - casual observer - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:52 am: I didn’t know there was going to be a test. - Bob Dylan - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:55 am: Any link to the handout that is being referenced? - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:55 am: Steve….Yes I’ve heard of union contracts, but the economic conditions have radically changed since that contract was signed. Have you ever been elected to a public office and answered to voters for a budget that exceeded $1 billion? - anon - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 10:59 am: The auditorium at the Bilandic building is filled to capacity and security guards are telling about 100 people to leave. Aside from listening to the audio feed is there any way to get a copy of the handouts provided at the meeting? - anon 2 - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:03 am: I wish there were video…and hopeful to see handouts at some point… - Princess - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:05 am: Louis the economic conditions have radically changed for everybody. Why is it okay with you to ask workers to take $5,000 to $7,000 (what’s on the table) out of their households but baaaaad to ask all the working citizens of this state to take out a few hundred? The pain should be all on state workers, right? - Bill - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:05 am: Well, Louis, I suppose that when the state is flush again it will be ok for the workers to demand raises and benefits far in excess of what they agreed to in their contract.The collective bargaining agreement binds both sides to what was agreed to and signed off on. Neither side will be allowed by the courts to renege unless the state is declared bankrupt. Hey, wait a minute! - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:09 am: –Neither side will be allowed by the courts to renege unless the state is declared bankrupt. Hey, wait a minute!– Under federal law, bankruptcy is not an option. Under the state and federal constitutions, the state has to honor its current contracts. - Mike an Ike - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:10 am: Lay offs for state workers only come to those who are during the work not the chosen ones who hang around a office part time and golf part time.Check to see how many golf outings are planned by office people. - Bob Dylan - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:10 am: Q: Budget cut letters sent by departments last week are directives or just possible scenarious? A: They are considered to be directives, we are working with what we have. - Bill - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:11 am: Word, I hope that you are right but I seem to remember labor contracts being declared null when Oakland went broke. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:14 am: Bill, the federal law and constitutional provisions I cited are directed specifically to the states. Municipal governments can seek bankruptcy protections. - Sewanee - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:14 am: Maybe the budget process would be easier if people stopped gettind themselves addicted to crack, heroin, etc. Or if people stopped abusing their spouses and children. We have to spend so much on human services because of the terrible decisions of a small portion of the population. - Bill - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:15 am: OK, got it. Thanks. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:15 am: 1/3 of YWCA’s in Illinois set to close: That’s a headline. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:17 am: ===Maybe the budget process would be easier if people stopped gettind themselves addicted to crack, heroin, etc.==== And maybe my life would be infinitely easier if I didn’t have to deal with people like you. Just sayin… Seriously, do you get no Medicaid at all at your workplace? Really? Be honest now. I can see your IP address, remember. Are you willing to be the first to take a cut? Maybe we’d be better off if nobody ever got in a car accident and had to go to a hospital, too. - dupage dan - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:17 am: Hasn’t it been said here repeatedly that you can lay off all 60K+ state employees and barely dent the deficit? Most of my co-workers want to do what’s right to help with the crisis but are tired of the ignorant comments about lazy state employees. Gratuitous slamming of state employees reflects, I think, minimal neuronal activity. Easy to do but mostly boring. Read, listen, learn, debate. - How Ironic - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:20 am: @ Mike an Ike By “golf outings” and “office people” I am to assume that you mean a private companies no? I mean certainly there isn’t a single private company in the US that sponsers “golf outings”? There are not any CEO golfers in this country…that would be CRAZY. I mean, they ought to shackle state workers to their desks just like they do in private industry! Get a clue. I don’t think there are too many human service workers who during down time from helping Illinois’ most vuneralble are hitting the links. - Jason - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:21 am: Where can I find a list of how each legislator voted on the budget? - Sewanee - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:23 am: I’m saying it’s too bad that money that could go to low-income, disabled, or elderly people for medical care instead goes to drug-addicts or gets diverted to victims of too many terrible abusers. I know it’s a “wouldn’t it be nice” scenario, but it’s also a valid point that crime prevention and better social choices also help out the budgeting process. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:30 am: No, Sewanee, it’s sophomoric goofiness. Try to avoid comments like that here in the future. - Louis Howe - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:31 am: The critical question is….”How many GA votes will be changed by this press conference? My sense is none. - Flabbergasted - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:31 am: Jason, You can find a list of legislator votes as www.voices4kids.org, click on “Calls for kids”. They also have detailed and current information on talking to your legislator about how the cuts affect kids and families. Additionally, there is another rally planned for Thursday at 11:30 at the Thompson Center sponsored by IL Action for Children. - He Makes Ryan Look Like a Saint - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:31 am: This is a bad game of “Turkey”..I mean Chicken!!! The Governor is bringing out all the special interest groups laying guilt trips on everyone while Madigan and others are going on a Vacation to Turkey??? Here’s a better Idea…..Vote Patty off of I am a Clelebrity, and replace her with Quinn AND Madigan so they can bond in the jungle. Seriously Illinois Politics is a Joke (although isn’t too bad for Rich’s business). - No votes - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:31 am: House budget votes http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehistory/96/house/09600SB2252_05312009_018000T.pdf Senate budget votes http://www.ilga.gov/legislation/votehistory/96/senate/09600HB0174_05302009_052000T.pdf - dupage dan - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:32 am: Sewanee, There is no “Means Test” that can easily weed out deserving people down on their luck from the drug addled free loader. We seem to have a firmly entrenched welfare class in this country that sometimes believes the gov’t “owes” them their livlihood. It is tough to break that pattern. Welfare, like the proposed tax increase, should be last resort, limited and temporary. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:33 am: ===Welfare, like the proposed tax increase, should be last resort, limited and temporary.=== You missed the TANF reforms in the 1990s? Hint: The “T” stands for “Temporary” - Sewanee - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:34 am: Ok, sorry about that. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:34 am: === drug addled free loader=== Nicely put. I hope you never have a problem with a junky on the street. Seriously, what the heck is with some of you people? You think addicts completely choose to be addicts? Or do you think talk like that makes you sound tough? It doesn’t. - dupage dan - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:41 am: Rich, It was those reforms that I was thinking about when I made the statement. There was much discussion then about that and many anecdotal stories were printed about how people were empowered by the process of requiring work/education involvement to continue receiving benefits. I wasn’t trying to say that we could balance the budget by coming up with a better means test, or that the budget is being busted because of the “freeloaders”. I probably could have done a better job of saying that you will have some people who don’t “deserve” benefits getting some and that is a “cost of business”. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:44 am: === I’m saying it’s too bad that money that could go to low-income, disabled, or elderly people for medical care instead goes to drug-addicts or gets diverted to victims of too many terrible abusers. === Let me enlighten you: You pay for drug addiction, one way or another. Either you pay to prevent it and treat it, or you pay for the after-affects. Studies show that every dollar invested in treatment saves taxpayers $7 down the road. Currently, the state spends about $46 million for treatment and prevention, and about $4 Billion for the after-affects. The $4 Billion we spend for NOT adequately treating or preventing drug addiction includes: - 80% of the budget of the Department of Corrections - 12% of the budget of the Dept. of Education (largely for the special education needs of children born to drug-addicted mothers). Let’s keep in mind too that there are two classes of people in treatment: - Non-violent drug offenders who are diverted from the Dept. of Corrections, that we’d otherwise be spending $20K + a year to house in a prison; - People with addiction problems seeking treatment that they could not otherwise afford, because private treatment facilities charge $20K or more. Because we ONLY spend $46M a year on treatment and prevention, we STILL have 13,000 non-violent drug offenders incarcerated in our prisons, at a cost of $260 Million a year. And there is currently a six-month, 10,000 person waiting list for people seeking voluntary help. Yep, that’s right. 10,000 people showed up saying they’d like to quit using heroin, or cocaine, or whatever, and we told them to come back in six months. If, instead of only spending $46 million a year on addiction prevention and treatment, we spent about $400 million a year to divert ALL non-violent drug offenders and eliminate the backlog of people seeking voluntary treatment, we’d SAVE about $2.4 Billion in costs from the impact of drugs. That’s a net $2 Billion in savings — money that could be used for health care for seniors, disabled, and low-income folks if you so desire. - Yellow Dog Democrat - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:46 am: Dudes, your Mike’s are still live! - taxpaying state worker - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 11:59 am: Addictions are diseases - proven through research - most individuals (and families) in need of intervention or treatment services do not commit crimes, are not on welfare - and the primary drug of abuse and addiction in Illinois is alcohol. - dupage dan - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 12:00 pm: Rich, I come from a family of persons who have addiction problems. I am well aware of the issues involved. I am also aware there are people who prefer that lifestyle even when resources are available to to assist them. People do not choose to become addicts but there are programs (Salvation Army, AA, etc) that are available to many if they choose to work on their addiction. When does the addict become a lost cause? How many chances do you give an addict? I know that cost as well as the next person. Perhaps you could suggest some persons who receive gov’t largesse who don’t deserve it. All who receive will have a compelling story that puts them above the rest and makes them out to be truly deserving. And that can include large corporations that receive “welfare” from the gov’t. I have heard the stories from all walks and they can be quite moving. There is a limit to what the gov’t can do to address these deep social ills. When my child was younger we were all exposed to the D.A.R.E. program and I was pleased to see the participation. Then the stats came out and showed what little effect the program had on drug use by children. Were the stats wrong? Was there a better way to reduce drug use among children or was it that the program needed to show that it was working without having to quantify? We have moved away from the local community/church involvement in the town drunk scenarios to the gov’t being involved in trying to solve social ills. Gov’t programs to deal with those issues has a poor track record. Perhaps my “short hand” use of free loading addicts gave the wrong impression of my feelings on the matter. I was just trying to make a point about the difficulties involved when we look to the gov’t to solve all our problems. - Leatherneck - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 12:44 pm: The link to the handout of the budget cuts is not working (both on here and apparently at the Illinois.gov page). - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 12:46 pm: It’s working for me just fine. Try again. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 12:47 pm: Wait. Nope. You’re right. Hold on a sec. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 12:51 pm: Fixed link. Try again. - Mike an Ike - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 1:07 pm: How Ironic read my first part “layoffs for those who are doing the work.There is a lot of political appointees whose job could be done away with and they would never be missed.That is the ones I was aiming at.I do have a clue I work for the state and I have seen how some in Springfield treat their job. - Cassandra - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 1:22 pm: I’m not sure that I agree with Stermer’s approach in this meeting, which seemed to have a strong flavor of demonizing the legislature for not voting up whatever amount of money he and Quinn want. Legislators are likely hearing also from other groups of citizens, including many who have been severely impacted by this recession although they are still working. Given a Illinois history of corruption, it is reasonable for citizens to wonder if the money will be well spent or if the numbers we are being given are accurate. Do we really want legislators to listen only to those who want to raise taxes? Plus, it’s not clear that Stermer and Co have their numbers straight. Why would we give more money to folks who seem to make such huge miscalculations when talking about basic matters like the size of the deficit, which has suddenly increased by a couple of billion in the last couple of days. Or maybe Stermer and Quinn are just too removed from reality.A billion here, a billion there….what difference does it make, it’s for our own good. We should just trust them. - wordslinger - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 1:35 pm: I wonder… Rather than attempting to tug at people’s hearts, perhaps Quinn should be grabbing at some of the state’s power brokers, um, well you get the idea. How about this? When Quinn gets the budget bills, he uses his veto to dramatically reduce funds to K-12 schools, universities and local governments as part of the formula to reduce the deficit? Maybe that will make it real to those who don’t believe in revenue shortfalls. That will - Larry Mullholland - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 1:41 pm: Eliminating 400 of blago’s appointees will save approx $40 million in payroll and fringe benefits. I realize that it will not plug the gap but it but will go along way to show good faith & savings by Quinn. It is unacceptable that Quinn has Blago hacks STILL on the payroll making in excess of $100,000 who do not work a full day and do not understand the programs they are claim to “manage”. It’s a joke. There have been NO real changes by Quinn from the Blagojevich regime at the working staff level. It is not a difficult task to gain the intelligence inside an agency to determine who actually earns their pay and who the people are that are a waste of tax dollars and impeding people and good programs. I repeated this comment on this post to continue (my) debate. I don’t think Quinn can be taken seriously until he attempts to eliminate part of the problem which is Blagojevich holdovers. All these press releases & pressers (Blago style) but yet only a couple of terminations and unfortunentely we have blago style threats to eliminate low level rank and file. Am I the only one? Anyone? - dave - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 1:47 pm: Um, the General Assembly passed the budget without the governor’s input, yet almost everybody refers to it as “Quinn’s budget.” It’s not. He’s against it. Well… if Quinn is opposed to this budget, than he could/should come out and say that he will veto it whenever it lands on his desk, even if that is at 11:59 PM on June 30th. Quinn has options to ensure that this is not his budget. Eliminating 400 of blago’s appointees will save approx $40 million in payroll and fringe benefits. $40 Million? This state has a $9+ billion deficit. $40 million is like lunch money in the grand scheme of things. Blago’s appointments are the least of the State’s problems. - OneMan - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:18 pm: === I’m saying it’s too bad that money that could go to low-income, disabled, or elderly people for medical care instead goes to drug-addicts or gets diverted to victims of too many terrible abusers. === Not to pile on here, but I remember something the guy who sold me my alarm for the house told me. Something like 80% of residential burglaries are done by someone under 25 who lives within a mile of your house, and this person is doing it to pay for a drug habit. You can help em now or pay for their health care and incarceration later. I may be a conservative but ‘it sucks to be you’ is not a way to run a society - Balance - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:38 pm: Isn’t it the case that Quinn’s income tax increase nets about $3 billion? If so, won’t there still be $6 billion of necessary cuts (rather than 9)? - How Ironic - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:39 pm: @Dave, You ought to research more. Quinn already said he didn’t want to sign the budget. And Cullerton used a manuver to “pull” the bill back so it can’t even get to Quinns desk! He doesn’t want this budget, and todays presser should have made it pretty clear. Not sure what else you want the guy to do/say about it. Quinn already presented his budget March 18th. The legislature rejected it, and the tax increase and sent him this flaming bag of poop. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:40 pm: Revised, I think it raises about $4 billion. This is really, truly a screwed up situation. Still trying to figure out how they got to this new number. - Skirmisher - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:49 pm: Caseworkers in my daughter’s office at DCFS just got told that 38% of DCFS staff were scheduled to get the axe (Yes, 38%). A lot of these same folks were pawns in the game of chicken that was played between the House and the Guv last year. Aside from all of the human suffering (Not likely much of a concern to our legislators) that will result from this, there is also a heck of a wad of federal program funds that are going to be lost. - Skirmisher - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:52 pm: Oops! Now I got the link to Quinn’s summary paper. There is the 38% figure in black and white. From what I gather, this came as an enormous shock to DCFS management as well as the employees. - Anon - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:57 pm: ==Still trying to figure out how they got to this new number. == The handout references $2 b in lost federal matching funds. Could this be something “new” because the non-Quinn budget requires us to assume we won’t meet the requirements to get these funds? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 2:59 pm: Last week, it was $1.5, then $1.7. Now it’s 2 or 2.2. So, I’m wondering. - Balance - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 3:06 pm: Evidently, the legislature’s revenue estimate is $2 billion less than Quinn’s. This may be due to being more conservative with tax receipts given the economy or as (Anon) above counting on less federal money. Regardless, Quinn would need approval of his tax plan, plus pension fund deferrals, plus new employee pension reform, plus increased contribution to pension and health care from current employees, plus Quinn’s original $2 billion in cuts to avoid all of the $9 billion in current proposed cuts. Odds? - dave - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 3:31 pm: You ought to research more. Quinn already said he didn’t want to sign the budget. And Cullerton used a manuver to “pull” the bill back so it can’t even get to Quinns desk! Really? Do more research? Why don’t you show me where Quinn said he would veto this budget? Not wanting to sign the budget is not the same as vetoing it. At all. Quinn has not committed to veto this budget, and Stermer refused to commit to doing so in today’s budget briefings. There has been no commitment from the Governor’s office at all to veto the budget. And if he was planning on vetoing the budget, he would not be having his department heads sending out memos that lay out the directives to drastically slash all of these programs. He doesn’t want this budget, and todays presser should have made it pretty clear. Not sure what else you want the guy to do/say about it. Again… I think it is clear that the Governor’s office wants everyone to think that he doesn’t want this budget. But he also has not been willing to commit to saying strongly and clearly that he would veto it. And he is operating as though he will NOT veto it. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 3:34 pm: ===Quinn has not committed to veto this budget, and Stermer refused to commit to doing so in today’s budget briefings.=== That’s quite true. - 815Sox - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 4:02 pm: “Many human services agencies targeted for steep cuts — cuts that will force many of them to close their doors — still haven’t notified their employees that they are about to lose their jobs if nothing changes in Springfield.” I work for a private foster care provider. While our supervisor has informed us of very possible massive layoffs. The head of the non profit has not said anything about cuts. Just essentially that dramatic changes may be coming. - Pelon - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 5:32 pm: There are many good programs scheduled to be cut, but I don’t think there is anything that is going to concern your average taxpayer enough to agree to a tax hike. For instance, there isn’t one program being cut that would have a major impact on me or someone in my immediate family, and one of my family members is developmentally disabled. I would guess that this is also the case for the majority of Illinoisans. You can come up with whatever studies you want to show that spending money on these programs will make us safer or save money in the future, but that just isn’t tangible enough to make struggling people want to pay more taxes. After seeing the list, I think the likelihood of a tax increase is much less than I thought. - original stateworker - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 9:08 pm: They’d save a mint if they’d turn the thermostats up at the Harris 2 complex. 68 degrees for the last two week on floor 2. Geez.. - anonymous - Tuesday, Jun 16, 09 @ 9:46 pm: @mike an ike and how ironic, I have to concur with mike an ike. I think he’s on to something, he should make a list of what the state employees who survive the chopping block should and should not be allowed to do on and off state time and thus save them further villification. Make ‘em a new rulebook. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.