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A closer look at the budget battle
Tuesday, May 11, 2010 - Posted by Rich Miller * The Decatur Herald & Review editorial page writes about something I told subscribers this week…
Actually, it’s more involved than that, but thanks for the hat tip anyway. The table is being set for a deal on the worst possible budget ever, but it’ll still be more politically palatable than forcing citizens to face up to the harsh realities that deep cuts and revenues are both needed. * I seriously doubt that this is the case…
First, the House Republicans have only one real targeted member, Rep. Reboletti. The rest of the game will be played on almost purely Democratic incumbent turf. That means the Republicans can easily afford to stay in Springfield and keep vulnerable Democrats pinned down behind their desks, instead of out walking precincts. I have yet to ever see the minority party exclusively blamed for an overtime, or for an overtime dragging itself out. So, if this thing goes past June 30th, the Republicans have no real incentive to cut a deal until, well, election day. And I’m not sure, either, that Brady will ever get smoked out on his full budget plan. Most likely, he’ll just introduce some amendments to eliminate things like the State Board of Education, which is one of his campaign promises, but only accounts for about $27 million in personnel and operating expenditures - and all but $3 million of that is slated for running student assessment programs. * SJ-R…
We’ve had a nasty structural deficit in this state for years, but the latest problem goes back to the 2001 recession. Nine years, not seven. George Ryan did a yeoman’s job of cutting the budget, but it wasn’t enough and ever since then they’ve been using one-off patchwork solutions to “fix” the problem. As Steve Schnorf has said before, they’ve been spending like they passed a major tax hike without ever actually passing a tax hike. Not to mention the revenue crash.
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- John Bambenek - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 10:57 am:
“As Steve Schnorf has said before, they’ve been spending like they passed a major tax hike without ever actually passing a tax hike. Not to mention the revenue crash. “
And that’s the problem. You can only spend what you don’t have for so long. The revenue crash accelerated the inevitable.
The solution to that problem is not to bailout a legislature who has no interest in spending within their means because we’ll just be here again in a few years. Thanks but no thanks.
- dupage dan - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 11:06 am:
I pictured Mickey Mouse as the sorcerer’s apprectice when I read Rich’s comment about MJM. Does that make PQ the broom?
Stop the spending! Just stop it.
Since we know they can’t - FUMIGATE!
- Fan of the Game - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 11:06 am:
Someone needs to show leadership to make the decisions that will pull us out of this economic and political stagnation. Whoever steps up will be reviled and ridiculed but in that political martyrdom may save the state from collapse.
- Wumpus - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 11:09 am:
Who cares? It is parade season!
- wordslinger - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 11:13 am:
I seriously doubt Dems want to delay to involve the GOP in the budget. I don’t see the upside. The Dems control everything and would wear the jacket. It appears Madigan couldn’t get his ducks in line.
- inkers - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 11:42 am:
I do not expect anything from this General Assembly in the election year. There is not enough members that will actually look outside their districts. Their main concern is getting reelected, not to fix the problem. And robbing from the pensions for 30+ years to fund government programs has not helped. State employees have always made their contributions to their pensions (taken from every check on payday).
The state will now crash and burn… The majority of members in the General Assembly are spineless. They talk the talk but never walk the walk.
- Confused - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 11:47 am:
==They talk the talk but never walk the walk.==
I wouldn’t even given them credit for talking the talk. Did anyone talk about any sort of plan that would really try to address the budget? They pulled out last years budget and changed the date on it. (You didn’t think they drafted a 2000 page amendment from scratch, did you?) No new ideas. No leadership from either party. Another wasted year.
- Truth Seeker - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 12:05 pm:
Rich, any word on how things are working out in New Jersey? Earlier in the session you spoke of the comparisons with Illinois. Any updates? Thanks.
- George - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 12:27 pm:
Truth…
Source
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 12:37 pm:
It is time to stop calling this a budget “battle”.
What we have been seeing is a budget “capitulation”.
What the Democrats have been doing is negociating the terms of our capitulation. They are surrendering to their personal political needs, debt holding banks, unions, and taxpayers. The Democrats are throwing up their hands and telling us that if others think they can do a better job, then vote them in. Our current political leaders are daring us to throw them out, and willing to bet that they won’t be. Instead of taking a ugly stand and then treating voters like adults, the political status quo in Illinois is refusing to take a stand, and daring us to make them take a stand.
It isn’t just a violation of the duties they were sworn to perform as elected legislators, it is a violation of public trust to the people who elected them.
Over the past several years, I have been saying that our government is broken with the hope that we could somehow not pay a heavy price for having broken government. I now better understand what happens when government breaks down, because we are living with it right now.
As to New Jersey, it seems that they have a political leader willing to make ugly decisions, make voters unhappy, pull the plugs on costs, and treat New Jersians as adults who understand basic economics and budgeting. While Governor Christie may be seeing the political costs of this kind of leadership, we cannot fault him for not trying.
What we have in Illinois is worse.
We will not have any improvement in Illinois government without as thorough a voter revolt in November as possible. Even if the current leadership actually discovered a way of saving Illinois, they no longer have enough credibility to pull it off. We have to hope that as many of our current group of state leaders is removed in order to get the fresh start we need in Illinois.
- Loop Lady - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 12:48 pm:
DD: when will you give up the delusion that fumigation of state employees is the answer to what ails IL? Yes, the state can just stop spending money in your dreams…GET REAL!
- Hank - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 1:13 pm:
In all honesty, is this really a “Budget Battle” or a full scale retreat? If this was a military battle history would record it as a rout with heavy collateral damage
- dupage dan - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 1:19 pm:
Loop Lady,
I am not sure how you got from my post that I want “state employees” to be fumigated. It is the GAGov that is engaged in the delusional spending. It is the GA/Gov that has the power to stop the spending. It is the GA/Gov that has failed to rein in the spending without first ensuring a source of revenue for the profligate spending. It is the GA/Gov that has stolen the revenue that was supposed to go into the pension fund and diverted it, along w/other monies into the General Fund for their own uses. That has put this state into one horrific position of having to curtail even reasonable spending because of their collossal failures. This puts the citizens in jeapordy. It puts state employees (of which I am one) into double jeapordy since we are also citizens of the state depending on services provided by the state like any other citizen.
And then we find out that the state is likely to increase spending in this new budget and that increase is the action I was targeting. If we can’t get real on that all we are in for a world of hurt.
Many who post here have used the term fumigate to include elected officials as well as certain RodB appointed officials. I have used the term several times to include elected officials. I didn’t specify here but thought that it was implied when used in conjenction with spending.
- Loop Lady - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 1:29 pm:
Thanks for your clarification…
- Fan of the Game - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 2:34 pm:
===As to New Jersey, it seems that they have a political leader willing to make ugly decisions, make voters unhappy, pull the plugs on costs, and treat New Jersians as adults who understand basic economics and budgeting. While Governor Christie may be seeing the political costs of this kind of leadership, we cannot fault him for not trying.===
Exactly the kind of political martyr I wrote about above. Whoever proves to be the leader to pull us out of this mess, that person will feel the political pain that comes from taking a stand.
- VanillaMan - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 2:48 pm:
Whoever proves to be the leader to pull us out of this mess, that person will feel the political pain that comes from taking a stand.
But the pain doesn’t exist if the leader isn’t a politician. Christie has repeatedly said that he has a bright career outside politics, so is willing to take any political “pain” metered out to him.
- Truth Seeker - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 2:54 pm:
News article from New Jersey….
Gov. Chris Christie today proposed a series of reforms he said would give New Jerseyans more control over their own property taxes and local governments more tools to cut costs.
The 33-bill package is anchored by a constitutional amendment that would limit annual property tax hikes to 2.5 percent, except when local voters decide to override it.
Contract awards for public workers like police, firefighters and teachers — including salaries, health benefits, vacation time and other perks — also could not increase by more than 2.5 percent a year. Christie also wants to allow towns to opt out of civil service rules governing hiring and firing, place a $15,000 cap on unused sick leave for current public workers, and move school board elections from April to November.
- dupage dan - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 3:36 pm:
It appears PQ must not have a bright career outside of politics - he sure ain’t acting like he can take the political pain. Without that weekly press conference and his populist meanderings he would be lost. It is clear, now, what PQ is all about: (re)-election. I would have no problem with that except that he has no vision, no plan, on what to do about the horrific state of the state except to kick the problem down the road until he can raise taxes so he can spend more and kick the can down the road until he can raise taxes………..
I think many, if not most, people here rooted for PQ in the beginning. I did. I wanted him to succeed, not for him but for the state. He has lost the support of so many with his inability to focus and be decisive. “Look, a kitty” doesn’t even begin to describe his aimless wandering. Well, it looks like the GOP will have a chance to show their quality. Howsaboutit, Brady? You got what it takes? Or can’t you remember which leg goes into which pants leg? Sheesh.
- 4 percent - Tuesday, May 11, 10 @ 4:01 pm:
I would say that the House GOP will have their hands full protecting the Coulson seat in addition to Reboletti.
- Obamarama - Wednesday, May 12, 10 @ 1:06 am:
You think the House GOP has their hands full with Reboletti? Take a look at the step son’s race (Ramey v. Brownfield). Brownfield has been working his you-know-what off for months going door to door.
As far as Reboletti is concerned, have fun running against a female, Catholic, school board member from Elmhurst who also works her butt off on the campaign trail. I find it hard to believe that Reboletti or Ramey (R-Pate; Goatee) have the time, stones or talent to hold on to these seats.
- Yellow Dog Democrat - Wednesday, May 12, 10 @ 8:50 am:
There will be a budget by May 31st.
The main opposition to the current proposals comes from proponents of a tax hike. But NONE of them believes that a tax hike can pass before November.
Their best bet is to pass a Doomsday budget that leaves the state flat broke in December.
I think they’ll do it by making the required pension payments, or as much of them as possible.
Politically and as a matter of public relations, its pretty tough to skip pension payments and claim credit for pension reform at the same time.