Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

The FY 2010 Ostrich Award

Posted in:

Illinois

* Northwest Herald editor Dan McCaleb wins the head in the sand prize on the state budget deficit.

First, he says he’s against the governor’s income tax increase…

That’s too much to ask families already struggling to make ends meet.

And then he flatly opposes deep cuts in the state budget…

Enough threats about a “doomsday” budget, Gov. Quinn. Illinois is going to have to fund education, health care and other social services if it wants its piece of the federal stimulus money.

You can’t tell me, or other taxpayers in this state, that there’s no more fat to cut after 10 straight years of governors either convicted or accused of corruption.

Actually, Illinois is cutting K-12 education spending by almost $2 billion and filling in the hole with federal stimulus money, so I’m not sure what he’s talking about there and I don’t think he is, either.

And this idea that there’s still plenty of budgetary fat after all our gubernatorial corruption in Illinois is most certainly a widespread notion. Look, I’m positive that there is still some fat to cut. There just isn’t $12 billion in fat.

So, if the government doesn’t raise taxes, and doesn’t do super-deep cuts, and most of the proposed GOP Medicaid “reforms” have been shown to be a mirage, at best, and the state’s revenues are tanking almost daily and expenditures are increasing because of the economic climate, then how the heck is Illinois supposed to balance its budget? “Just cut the fat.” Yeah. OK.

The clear message in opinions like this is: “It’s your problem, Springfield, don’t include us in the solutions.”

That’s a dangerous fantasy in a democracy.

posted by Rich Miller
Saturday, May 16, 09 @ 3:24 pm

Comments

McCaleb has a future in cable television.

Comment by wordslinger Sunday, May 17, 09 @ 2:41 pm
It’s representative democracy, not a direct democracy. There’s a big difference, and you really cannot have both. We gave up the right to govern ourselves when we gave the right of governance to people we elect to do it for us. Once that happened, the mechanism to create the illusion of self-governance was set in motion. As has been said many times here and elsewhere, the we don’t choose who we elect, the elected officals choose who will for them.

Comment by Captain Flume Monday, May 18, 09 @ 8:51 am
== As has been said many times here and elsewhere, the we don’t choose who we elect, the elected officals choose who will for them. ==

Should read: As has been said many times here and elsewhere, we don’t choose who we elect, the elected officals choose who will vote for them.

Comment by Captain Flume Monday, May 18, 09 @ 8:53 am
I would support an income tax increase if the state would not add any new spending, and cut some things to balance the budget, but any time we have an increase, there’s always a bunch of special interests with their hands out, and the politicians don’t seem to be able to say no.

Comment by ChampaignDweller Monday, May 18, 09 @ 9:29 am
You said it, ChampaignDweller. I logged in to make almost exactly the same comment. Bottom line for Mr. Ostrich, though, it has to be one or the other, or both, it can’t be neither. We have a deficit, the money has to be added to the income side or cut from the expense side, or a little (lot) of both… there is no other way to address a deficit. Duh.

Comment by HoosierDaddy Monday, May 18, 09 @ 9:52 am
I don’t know where you think there is still “fat” in the state budget. The only fat left is in areas that cannot be touched because of federal/state law or won’t be touched because they directly affect the GA members, who will never vote to cut anything of their own. If you sent ALL state employees home for 4 years and lived without state troopers, judges, prison guards and snow-plow drivers, it wouldn’t fill the hole we are in. So exactly where is the fat to cut that will get us out of this? The GA has to face facts - raising taxes is the only way out.

Comment by lincolnlover Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:12 am
I concur with a “no new initiatives” strategy towards voting for a long over due tax increase and restructuring, with one exception — more guards at state prisons will reduce the excessive dollars being spent on overtime. So let that one logical headcount expansion take place as a cost savings item.

Comment by Capitol View Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:14 am
== Should read: As has been said many times here and elsewhere, we don’t choose who we elect, the elected officals choose who will vote for them. ==

Absolutely profound. Can I have your permission to print that up on a t-shirt, Captain?

Comment by Leroy Monday, May 18, 09 @ 10:24 am