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* Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal was one of the more obtuse I’ve ever seen. For example…
[Quinn] estimated the savings would reach $663 million, though Quinn’s budget officials said in a briefing before the speech that cuts would total roughly $1 billion.
Contradictions like that don’t help matters at all.
* Meanwhile, Speaker Madigan kinda misspoke yesterday, or wasn’t completely clear…
House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago), who praised Quinn’s speech as good “by the governor’s standards,” said he believes Quinn’s plan exceeds caps on state spending that were imposed as part of the January income-tax hike.
“We feel that this budget is in violation of those spending controls by about $720 million so that will be the first point of difference between the governor and the Legislature,” Madigan said on the “Illinois Lawmakers” public-television program.
“I’m confident we’ll work our ways through those differences, but my commitment in Illinois budget-making this year is to live within those spending controls,” Madigan said.
His aides admitted later that the proposed budget doesn’t exceed the spending caps. Madigan was talking about something else. Subscribers know what that is all about.
Even so, when Madigan highlights a problem, then it’s a problem. The governor is in some hot water with the Speaker.
* Few are ever happy with a governor’s budget, and this one is no exception. For instance, human service groups are outraged at the steep cuts aimed at them so soon after a tax hike…
Health and human services providers were looking at a bitter pill Wednesday, worried that they’ll actually be asked to swallow it.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposed budget calls for cutting payments for doctors, hospitals and nursing homes to treat poor patients on Medicaid by $552 million, or about 5 percent, and eliminating Illinois Cares Rx, which helps senior citizens and people with disabilities in financial need to pay for prescription medicines.
Other proposed reductions are to substance abuse treatment programs, crisis nurseries, child care funding assistance for low-income families and home-delivered meals for older adults. […]
Eliminating funding for crisis nurseries would devastate the nursery at the Children’s Foundation, where admissions are up, Pieper said. “This couldn’t have come at a worse time. We’re already turning families away.”
* Others, like the Tribune editorial board, were enraged at the spending in the budget and the borrowing proposal…
Based on the details of the state budget he’s proposing, this is the speech Gov. Pat Quinn could have delivered Wednesday:
///
“Fellow Illinoisans, I’m thrilled to report that your higher income tax payments already are pouring into Springfield!
“So I want to increase spending from our operating budget — the general funds — by $1.7 billion, to $35.3 billion. That’s nearly $100 million a day, year-round, and you’ll be glad to know we need every penny! Cuts to current employees’ future pension benies, ending freebie health care for retirees, outsourcing costly internal services like janitorial and info technology, a hiring freeze — don’t worry, I propose none of that. In fact, I want to grow the state payroll by 800 heads, which is 800 more lifetime pensions. But never you mind because … Great news! Sure, our debt plus unfunded pension and retiree health obligations may total $160 billion, but if you just let me borrow another $8.75 billion, I get to pay some old bills and keep right on spending and … even spend more!!
“Now before you whine about sticking taxpayers with a little more debt they’ll have to pay on for 15 years. …”
* Even the Sun-Times editorial board has jumped on the “you need to make huge cuts” bandwagon…
Paying off those debts should be a top priority, but massive borrowing isn’t the way to do it.
The answer is to radically reduce government costs, including taking on some of the state’s biggest-ticket items. Scaling back pensions for some current employees and reducing state costs for retiree health benefits must be on table. Controversial, we know, but Quinn failed even to mention them on Wednesday.
Let’s see their list.
* Then again…
Local educators are scrambling to plan for massive cuts proposed by Gov. Pat Quinn Wednesday — and even question whether some of the cuts are legal.
“It’s devastating,” said Belleville 118 Superintendent Matt Klosterman.
* The governor’s defense on that one…
Education funding for transportation is slated for a $95 million cut, a move that local districts can handle, according to Quinn’s chief of staff Jack Lavin.
“When you see layers of layers of administration — you see 240 superintendents making more than the governor of the state of Illinois makes — I think that they can afford to tighten their belts and be able to pay for transportation,” Lavin said.
* But…
“I think he’s absolutely wrong, and he doesn’t understand schools,” said Granite City Superintendent Harry Briggs. “I take offense to a bureaucrat in Springfield saying, ‘You can just cut administrators.’ I would challenge him to come down here and tell me how I can cut my admin staff to make up $750,000.”
* Back to the spending side…
Republicans, who vehemently opposed the tax hike and are resisting taking on more debt, said part of the bond sale would be used by Quinn to lift spending $1.7 billion from a year earlier. Republican votes are needed to approve the bond sale.
“Some of that borrowing is actually used to support a level of spending we can’t afford,” Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno told Reuters.
* And then there’s the higher headcount…
However, the budget proposal also calls for hiring more than 550 new state workers at an as yet undetermined cost, while still calling for an apparent $53 million cut for new social services field workers to handle a growing caseload.
“There will be some slow growth and already has been in some areas,” said Vaught. “When we’re running a capital program, for instance to give you two or three examples, you need more engineers at IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation). When you’re adding nursing home inspectors under the nursing home reform law, you need more nursing home nurses that you’re going to add. When you have a larger prison population and you have overtime problems at Corrections, you’ve got to stem the attrition there. So, there’s going to be hiring in all those areas.”
Quinn said he has made significant cuts, but will be open to any ideas for further cutting. He also challenged people to avoid simply saying “No” to his budget proposal, and instead have specific ideas to bring to the table.
That statement didn’t sit well with state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, who said Republicans have had plenty of ideas, only to have them fall on deaf ears in the Democrat-controlled Legislature. Last year, Bost said, more than 60 specific ideas were proposed, most of which were summarily dismissed.
“To stand and say we don’t have our ideas - we presented those ideas,” Bost said. “The only one they’ve taken up with us was Medicaid reform.”
The House Republicans have not proposed a single line item appropriations reduction the last two years. They ran away from the Illinois Policy Institute’s appropriations proposal because the cuts were just too steep for them. It’s time to truly get in the game.
* But even Democrats want more cuts…
“Perhaps his actual budget has those cuts outlined and he didn’t mention them in his speech. But if that’s it, there will have to be significantly more cutting to have a balanced budget,” said Sen. Mike Frerichs, D-Champaign.
“Obviously for someone who is as involved in human services as I am, (budget cuts are) always a concern. But we can’t spend more money than we’ve got,” Jakobsson said.
Deeper cuts are needed, she said, “and some of the increases I saw in there are not going to be able to happen.”
Let’s see ‘em.
* Related…
* Quinn calls for cuts to treatment programs
* Mixed message: Quinn calls for cuts, but wants to borrow billions
* “Decimation” Of Human Services Seen In Quinn Budget Pitch
* Quinn’s Budget: Not the Turnaround Illinois Needs
* ILGOP responds to Governor’s Budget Address
posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 9:56 am
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Obtuse, unbalanced, contradictory and highly controversial = The OUCH(c) Budget
Comment by Montrose Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:09 am
=“There will be some slow growth and already has been in some areas,” said Vaught. “When we’re running a capital program, for instance to give you two or three examples, you need more engineers at IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation)=
Agreed. Hire one more engineer for every Blago hack you get rid of.
Comment by Leave a light on George Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:10 am
“The House Republicans have not proposed a single line item appropriations reduction the last two years.”
Incredible. Or guess not really given the sad sacks running that caucus.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:17 am
–The House Republicans have not proposed a single line item appropriations reduction the last two years.–
That’s astounding.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:17 am
Good one, Montrose. Never even noticed it. Thanks.
Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:18 am
More spending AND more cuts. That’s lose-lose for Quinn. From the minute he started speaking, he lost almost all credibility. Look for the GA to write and pass its own budget, again, and hand it to Quinn in May. This Governor is getting really close to being irrelevant in Springfield.
Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:19 am
LOL, one of you should put a TM on that and sell T-shirts.
Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:19 am
Reality is forcing these cuts, not politics as in most other states. You see, CA and IL returned Democrats to office, not TeaPartyGOPers who preached on cuts and smaller government. Consequently, we have pols trying to figure out the mixed voter message from November.
The was no mandate to cut. So the cuts are forced upon pols who recognize this lack of a mandate. Understandably they are unable to lead.
We got pols that know how to raise taxes, not cut budgets. We got a gov elected by Cook County with poor support elsewhere. We need leadership but got Quinn.
Cuts demand leadership and sacrifice. There is not enough courage in the GA and no voter direction.
Cuts will not be made until reality forces our reluctant progovernment politicians to cut. And when cuts come they will do it badly.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:20 am
*LOL, one of you should put a TM on that and sell T-shirts.*
I would happily to a 50-50 split with Rich.
Comment by Montrose Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:24 am
I think we taxpayers could be forgiven for believing that the extra monies from our tax increase (which started coming in immediately, I imagine, which means there are additional monies available now) would be going to pay down the backload of debt to outside vendors providing social and medical services. So what, exactly, are they doing with these new monies. Money is fungible, but still. Did Quinn and budget Machiavelli Vaught think that the taxpayers would just ignore the tax increase and stop watching what they did with the money? The taxpayer as clueless chump approach. Well, they elected Blago twice…..
Apparently the vendors forget that when the money started rolling in, there would be many claimants, among them, of course, AFSCME, which needs to be rewarded soon for its support for Quinn during the gubernatorial race. Need lots of money for that. And of course, if the state budget really gets fixed, there will be no pressure to reduce the tax increase on schedule.
Better to borrow.
As I understand it, a portion of the state’s debt is interest-free because it is owed to other state govt entities. Why not get a amaller loan to pay off some or all of the state debt owed to outside vendors for the first half of the fiscal year and pay the state agencies from incoming increases in revenues. Maybe they’ll be inspired to make a few cuts of their own.
Comment by cassandra Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:25 am
and the meaning on non essential spending is?
Try pinning Quinn down on that one. The press sure hasn’t.
Comment by vole Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:31 am
My last sentence came out badly.
These are not budget cutting pols. Do not expect a balance approach here. They are learning. Deriding them for not providing cuts is like deriding Burger King for their lack of french cuisine. We got spenders, not savers.
They will be forced into this. They have no heart or head to cut. So they will not handle cuts well.
Voters did not help. Quinn squeaked through.
I see more stalemate not progress. Illinois falls farther back.
Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:38 am
==I would challenge him to come down here and tell me how I can cut my admin staff to make up $750,000.”==
You could resign. That would put a big dent in it
Comment by Bill Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:52 am
I’m confident Mike Madigan will do what he’s gotta do to get things in order so the pain is done and the water’s safe for Lisa to become Gov in 2014.
GOPers will deserve and get no credit.
By the way wordslinger, I think you’re really that Watson supercomputer reading our minds. I for one welcome our new computuer overlords.
Comment by just sayin' Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:57 am
Here are a couple of suggestions, since the guv is supposedly seeking same:
Stop incarcerating (class A drug possession) black drug defendants in Cook County at eight times the rate of whites, a conclusion of the Illinois Disproportionate Justice Impact Study Commission. Even though both groups use illegal drugs at about the same rate. If blacks were incarcerated at the same rate as whites for similar infractions, we could shut down, not expand prisons. Of course, that would mean a loss of lucrative patronage jobs too.
Instead of cutting the money for crisis nurseries, cut DCFS administrative expenses. The agency still maintains duplicative and wasteful administrative structures, especially in Cook County. Oh wait. A lot of the excess administrators are in the union now (thanks to Democrats) and there’s that no-layoff agreement. The no-layoff agreement is also a deterrent to efficiency in many other state agencies.
Comment by cassandra Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:57 am
L a light on George..
Believe me… for every hack that Blago hired, Quinn has hired 3. He has stuffed the IDOC with (politically approved) attorneys and policy people that they don’t need or want. He has increased deputy directors at IDOT. And has many other made up jobs at the agencies. The media should quit giving him a free ride on all of this just because it doesn’t fit the narrative. He has hired many hundreds more state workers than was on the Blago payroll. I think Blago was a disaster, but let’s not give this Guv a free ride.
Comment by I know people Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 10:58 am
Also, increased deputy directors at IDNR.
Comment by I know people Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 11:00 am
I know People,
If what you say is true we should all be incensed.
Increased state hiring at this time is ludicrous. Where is the press? Only at Cap Fax do we get an inkling.
Comment by downstate hack Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 11:22 am
This a budget proposal from the Governor, not a budget. It’s only a starting point for discussion, as are all gubernatorially-proposed budgets. The GA will produce and pass the actual budget. The Governor will then approve or veto all or part of the budget and the GA will then approve or override any vetoes. We could proably get along just as well if the Governor proposed $0 for the budget. The GA still has the authority to pass the state’s budget. The Governor’s real input is the acceptance or modification of the GA’s proposal. May 31, or thereabouts, is when the real whining will begin.
Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 11:31 am
The massive cuts to child care come at the same time the federal government is planning on cutting child care funding to push that responsibility on to the states. Are Washington and Springfield talking?
Slashing child care funding will undercut our economy, drive up unemployment and welfare costs, and shrink state revenues. Folks forget that child care is a cornerstone of welfare reform, allowing mothers who couldn’t otherwise afford it to place their kids in safe care while they enter the workforce for the first time or earn a college degree.
If this passes, women will be forced to leave the work force, collect welfare, and stop paying income taxes.
It’ll rival Rod Blagojevich for the title “Dumbest Budget Cut Ever.”
Comment by Dumb and Dumber Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 11:40 am
I don’t need to go down to Granite City to help Harry Briggs save $750,000, and Jack Lavin doesn’t either. Harry could start by NOT filling the “Substitute Administrator” position posted on his website:
http://sharepoint.gcsd9.net/sites/EmploymentOpprotunities/Lists/Employment%20Opprotunities/Vacant%20Positions.aspx
He’s trying to hire secretaries too. I love em, but I’d reduce em and make the professional staff work harder before I go back to the well for more tax increases.
Oh yes, and the total compensation cost for the 30 administrative staff in his district is $3,545,100.07, with an average cost of $118,170.
So finding a way to get by with 24 instead of 30 administrators would be a start.
http://schoolcenter.gcsd9.net/education/page/download.php?fileinfo=MjAxMC0yMDExQWRtaW5Db21wZW5zYXRpb24ucGRmOjo6L3d3dy9zY2hvb2xzL3NjL3JlbW90ZS9pbWFnZXMvZG9jbWdyLzU0NWZpbGU0MzM1LnBkZg==
Comment by Vibes Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 11:47 am
@ I know people.
Make you a bet. I bet that at IDNR there are more deputy/assistant/associate directors than there are district foresters.
Comment by Leave a light on George Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 12:03 pm
With respect to school administrators: they could probably get by with fewer, but the state requirements for reporting are one of the drivers. And, since recent and future “school reform” efforts are requiring more and more intensive review of the teaching staff, the need for administrators is only going to go up.
Since the need is driven by state requirements, budget cuts should include mandate cuts. (That goes for transportation as well.)
Comment by Pot calling kettle Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 12:26 pm
L a l on George..
I have friends who work there so I will take your word on it.
Comment by I know people Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 12:28 pm
Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposal was one of the more obtuse I’ve ever seen. For example…
“Obtuse”? - Were you watching Shawshank last night too?
Comment by Moderate Repub Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 1:12 pm
=I know people=
Good thing you didn’t take the bet.
Comment by Way Way Down Here Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 1:21 pm
This administration has to be at least in the running for most inept…
And in other news, does anyone have thoughts on why Rutherford would come out in support of the Gov’s plan to pay off bills?
[From Chicago Public Radio this am http://www.wbez.org/story/budget-address/illinois-pols-weigh-state-budget-address]
“…Quinn said Wednesday he wants to borrow almost $9 billion and increase spending by $2 billion.
Some Republican legislators have said they would not support more borrowing.
But Republican Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford said he’s not opposed to borrowing billions of dollars to help the state pay its bills.
Treasurer Rutherford said without the borrowing plan, the state wouldn’t have money to pay its vendors.
“Yes, there is increased spending here. Some of it - there is reasons to it,” Rutherford said. “Yes, there is further borrowing that the governor’s called to, but, under the right configuration, it may be somewhat appropriate or configured to be appropriate.”
Legislators recently approved some tax increases. Rutherford says that new money hasn’t come in yet, so a borrowing plan would allow the state to pay its bills now and not put them off.”
Comment by 48th Ward Voter Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 2:10 pm
All I know is Quinn is lying if he says he reduced spending this budget spends more than the last one. Just like his promise to veto any tax increase above %4, Im guessing Quinn was paying attention when his partner Blago was always lying but the public was to dense to remember.
Comment by fed up Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 2:25 pm
48, that’s just plain silly. Rutherford didn’t say he supported the Governor’s proposed borrowing plan, he said he opposed it. He did say he wasn’t absolutely shutting the door on any borrowing as part of an overall budget plan.
Comment by steve schnorf Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 2:36 pm
===to dense to remember===
Sweet, sweet irony.
Comment by Obamarama Thursday, Feb 17, 11 @ 3:56 pm