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Sorry, but there’s no getting around this
Thursday, Sep 19, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller * News-Gazette editorial…
That was a fairly common mid-year spike. In the preceding July (just after the end of Fiscal Year 2014), the backlog had been brought down to $4.60 billion. The backlog at the end of Fiscal Year 2015 (before the impasse began) was $5.03 billion. A 30-day payment cycle would leave about a $2.5-3 billion backlog or so (maybe even higher). So the real backlog at the end of the last Pat Quinn budget was about $2 billionish, mainly because the 2011 income tax partially rolled back in the middle of the 2015 fiscal year. The backlog then peaked in late 2017 at $16.675 billion. Today, it’s at $7.058 billion.
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- Steve - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:11 am:
Let’s all hope for no national recession anytime soon.
- efudd - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:19 am:
I guess the Editors of the News-Gazette are hoping for a collective amnesia/gloss over of the Rauner years?
If the backlog of bills two years from now is half what is was when Pritzker took over, will they cede that?
Rhetorical question, obviously.
Steve, a recession is long over due. Negative interest rates, upside down inversion curve. As Hal Holbrook said in Wall Street, “there’s too much cheap money floating around.”
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:32 am:
At least there won’t be a manufactured crisis like the one that ballooned the bill backlog—the one Rauner hoped would bust apart the relationship between Democrats and unions.
- Steve - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:46 am:
- efudd -
You are right but we have to stay positive.
- DuPage - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 10:54 am:
“Operational efficiencies”=Deferred maintenance.
Similar to saving money on oil changes, by not changing oil. Saves money now, but results in much greater expense later when the engine goes out.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 11:10 am:
I hope “operational efficiencies” doesn’t mean cutting head count. All agencies are so understaffed as it is.
- Blake - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 12:13 pm:
There may be understaffing, but there’s also areas where no one’s needing overtime & their still filling a vacancy even without that vacancy creating a need for overtime.
- Naperthrill - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 12:25 pm:
–mainly because the 2011 income tax partially rolled back in the middle of the 2015 fiscal year.–
…and no spending cuts where actualized during the temporary tax hike years to correct the budget imbalance going forward, even though that was what was promised by Quinn and Democrats.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 12:25 pm:
===and no spending cuts===
lol
Wrong.
- jdcolombo - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 12:43 pm:
I live in Champaign. I read the N-G (well, at least the sports section). You wouldn’t want the N-G Editorial Board writing an important term paper for you. They are “fact-challenged.” As in, they can’t be bothered to do any research when they cite “facts” in their editorials. Sigh . . .
- Naperthrill - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 12:53 pm:
–Rich Miller
The selective quote you took seemed to forget the “to correct the budget imbalance going forward, even though that was what was promised”
There weren’t anything close to budget cuts to this magnitude. Every years during the temp tax hike we were billions out of balance still. No significant structural cuts were made. Not sure why that is funny.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 1:17 pm:
Blake- so sorry. I totally didn’t get what you were trying to say.
- Tim - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 2:07 pm:
I find it funny that anyone thinks this state has cut any spending to the extent it is needed. Actually, i find it sad that many Dems and state workers are so mathematically challenged. Remember the old axiom, whatever you make, spend less. Doesn’t seem to mean anything in Democratically run governments in this state.
- Naperthrill - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 2:27 pm:
Naperthrill, it’s funny because you are simply ignoring the fact that cuts were made to Medicaid to the tune of $2 billion. And cuts to all levels of education were enacted. Human service providers were cut further. State operated mental health hospitals and DD facilities were closed. Prisons were closed. This was all under Democratic control when the temporary tax hike was in place.
- Juice - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 2:27 pm:
Sorry, the response to Naperthrill was from me.
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 3:15 pm:
“Doesn’t seem to mean anything in Democratically run governments in this state.”
Where were those balanced budget proposals from Rauner?
https://www.politifact.com/illinois/statements/2018/feb/02/bruce-rauner/rauners-dubious-balanced-budget-claims-again/
- Skeptic - Thursday, Sep 19, 19 @ 3:24 pm:
“this state has cut any spending to the extent it is needed.” Ok, specifically what do you cut that’s (a) Constitutional and/or (b) Not covered by a court order and (c) will get the savings you claim? I’d add (d) Gets the votes to pass, but since the first three rules out pretty much everything, we’ll just start here.