* Kristen McQueary…

These are not “Rauner’s cuts.” They are called “consequences.” The hostility aimed at Rauner seems to suggest his budget cuts are motive driven. They’re not. They’re math driven.

Cuts to a program for autistic children are the consequence of an underfunded budget that the Democrats deliberately approved last year. They knowingly left Springfield with the state’s checkbook in the red. State agencies, including those that deal with vulnerable populations, would not have enough money to get through the fiscal year. Rather than staying in Springfield beyond their May 31 adjournment to figure out how to pass a balanced budget, lawmakers hit the campaign trail last year. They spent the summer and fall at political fundraisers and golf outings and receptions.

When Rauner won in November, they knew exactly what he would be facing.

And sure enough, Rauner is portrayed as the cruel Ebenezer Scrooge, picking on disabled children.

She’s right about the Democrats screwing up this fiscal year’s budget. It was a disaster.

However, the FY 15 deal with Rauner to close the budget gap fully funded programs like autism. He made the choice to cut them. Those cuts are now on him.

* And as I told subscribers last week, Rauner is now offering an olive branch to Democrats…

Rauner now says he wants to sweep more money from special funds in order to stave off at least some of the recent cuts — an option he says Democrats weren’t open to when they negotiated the original budget fix last month.

“We in our administration had actually advocated more sweeping and fewer cuts, and we said to them if they would consider looking at the sweeps again,” Rauner said Friday during a stop in tornado-ravaged Fairdale. “Some of those (special funds) could be swept and potentially some of the cuts could be restored, or some of the necessary cuts could be reduced in size.”

* But let’s get back to the Democratic budget that was passed last year. Remember when Fox Chicago’s Mike Flannery righteously slammed the Dems?…

“I can’t recall seeing as irresponsible budget as was just approved… You’d think that the whole General Assembly was on medical marijuana when they were passing this thing. It’s grotesquely out of balance… They emptied their whole dirty bag of tricks to make it look balanced.”

As we all know, the Democrats deliberately underfunded the budget to the tune of $1.6 billion. The governor’s proposed FY 16 budget, however, has a much bigger hole in it, including a $2.2 billion savings from pension reform even though there’s almost no way that the governor’s legislation will clear the courts during the upcoming fiscal year.

* Flannery put that to Rauner during his Fox Chicago Sunday show. The governor’s reply…

“We are recommending doing a constitutional referendum. So, we’ll change the language so we’re not in court for years. We’ll make it clear in the Constitution what we can and can’t change.

* From the Illinois Constitution…

AMENDMENTS BY GENERAL ASSEMBLY

(a) Amendments to this Constitution may be initiated in either house of the General Assembly. Amendments shall be read in full on three different days in each house and reproduced before the vote is taken on final passage. Amendments approved by the vote of three-fifths of the members elected to each house shall be submitted to the electors at the general election next occurring at least six months after such legislative approval

Now, perhaps the governor could also call for a special general election this fall to take up the matter, but I’m not sure if the attorney general and the courts would agree with that. I’ve asked the AG’s people for their thoughts on this particular matter, and I’ll let you know what they say.

Obviously, if they wait until the next regularly scheduled general election, they can’t possibly draw down any savings this fiscal year. And even if they attempt to push through a special election, the courts could still hold up the pension reform law, meaning no savings this fiscal year.