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Another Democratic budget land mine is about to explode

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Illinois

* A Senate committee took a quick look at the budget mess today. Let’s start with the $300 million child care shortfall..

Top Rauner aide Rich Goldberg told an Illinois Senate committee Democrats knowingly shorted the program and then-Gov. Pat Quinn did nothing to manage the smaller budget in his final six months in office. That leaves Rauner with his first immediate budget pressure.

“And so we find ourselves in this crisis today,” Goldberg said. “Hardworking families should not have to suffer because of the prior administration’s mistakes.”

Goldberg said the crisis has to be solved without raising taxes or borrowing money from elsewhere in state government.

* And then…

“Some of those prisons are going to start missing payrolls,” Rauner budget chief Tim Nuding said.

Yep.

Worst. Budget. Ever.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:27 am

Comments

With the GRF shortage, layoffs have to start some time.

Comment by AC Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:36 am
I think at this point we should stop referring to it as a ‘Budget’ and just say “we totally eye-balled a spending plan.”

Comment by PMcP Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:36 am
How about Rauner and his people start figuring out solutions and stop whining about the past administration? The campaign is over, it’s time to actually govern.

Comment by slow down Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:38 am
Really looking forward to Rauner eating his words on that income tax rate, though.

Comment by PMcP Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:40 am
==How about Rauner and his people start figuring out solutions and stop whining about the past administration? ==

I’d give them a little time. Obama blamed Bush (for good reason) for years.

Comment by Robert the Bruce Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:43 am
Schools (especially those not fortunate enough to have reserves) could also be at risk of not making payroll if the state can’t make the last few payments owed. http://www.sj-r.com/article/20150202/NEWS/150209915/-1/json

Comment by Anon2500 Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:44 am
==How about Rauner and his people start figuring out solutions ==

I’m pretty sure the whole negotiations going on, referred to in the article, is doing exactly that

Comment by Anonymoiis Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:44 am
=== “Hardworking families should not have to suffer because of the prior administration’s mistakes.” ===

So, maybe you should like, you know, do something.

Comment by MikeMacD Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:46 am
I’m not paying all that high priced hedge fund management to whine Bruce. Fix it. The honeymoon is over.

Comment by Rural Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:47 am
Pretty much anyone who’s been paying attention has known about this since the budget passed last May. Certainly Rauner’s budget experts knew this was coming. He’s entitled to affix the blame, and it’s the smart political play. But he’s in the big chair now and it’s on him to fix it.

The blame game will continue for a while, but it’d be nice to hear some ideas for fixing the mess instead.

Comment by 47th Ward Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:48 am
There’s a lot of agreement on “who” to blame here. Quinn will wear the collar that justifies the Dems loosening up some funds in a sweep and tapping into the special fund.
Plenty of cover for GOPers on it too. Should happen fast.

Comment by A guy Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:49 am
I’d be happy to be proven wrong but so far we’re hearing a whole lot about who should be blamed for the shortfall, and not a whole lot of how we should address the shortfall.

Comment by slow down Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:50 am
the Quinn legacy?

Comment by Dozer Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:51 am
===stop whining about the past administration===

This is all the Democrats’ fault. Period. End of story. They have a right to complain.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:53 am
Good luck fixing this mess “without raising taxes or borrowing money from elsewhere in state government”. Hardworking families will suffer no matter what due to the mistakes of prior administrations, figuring out which families and how much is the job this administration wanted. Having the legislative branch agree on some of the governor’s solutions, and disagree with others is representative democracy, more or less.

Comment by AC Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:53 am
Yesterday he is hiring more officers, today prisons would be making payrolls. This guy is all over the place.

Comment by Strobby Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:53 am
Goldberg said. “Hardworking families should not have to suffer because of the prior administration’s mistakes.”

How the state employees suffering because prior administration didn’t make the pension payments.

Comment by Strobby Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:55 am
=== Rich Miller - Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:53 am:

===stop whining about the past administration===

This is all the Democrats’ fault. Period. End of story. They have a right to complain.===

Just copied because this bears repeating often.

Comment by A guy Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 11:58 am
How in the world do you deal with this problem, WITHOUT taking money from elsewhere?

Comment by Langhorne Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:00 pm
AC
Rule of thumb for career employees is much past January 1st paying them through June 30th costs less than paying the lump sum for accrued vacation time. Obviously, not true for less senior employees, but there may not be the money to pay for accrued time, either. What a mess.

Comment by Anyone Remember Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:01 pm
This is what happens when you pass a temporary tax increase and do absolutely nothing to plan for its easing out.

It’s becoming more astonishing by the day how Quinn got as many votes as he did

Comment by Very Fed Up Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:01 pm
Totally true. Worst budget ever. The dems passed the budget assuming Quinn reelection and income tax hike made permanent.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:01 pm
Whether they have a right to complain does little to solve the problem. You wanted to be Governor, then govern.

Comment by slow down Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:02 pm
Reading the tea leaves on quotes from Rauner aides, I suspect the administration is holding off on possible fixes to see if they can coerce the GA into giving Rauner the omnipotent power he is seeking.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:03 pm
The finger pointing and blaming is tiresome. Let’s get on with it. Let’s hear the whole plan he has for the entire state of Illinois.

Comment by Emily Booth Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:05 pm
Geez you guys, it sounds like you expect Rauner to solve the fiscal problems in the first month of his administration. Cut him some slack, this was decades in the making and it will probably take decades to finally resolve.

Comment by Kerfuffle Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:07 pm
=== Worst. Budget. Ever. ===

Worse than the FY 2003 budget?

I don’t think so. Not even close.

Moreover, Rauner demanded the General Assembly not do anything to amend the budget during veto session.

And, he has known about these financial problems for eight months now. Plenty of time to come up with a plan and sell it to the people of Illinois.

Comment by Juvenal Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:08 pm
The same thing happened with the budget as when they passed the income tax increase. A two step plan that didn’t follow through on the second step. When they passed the temporary income tax it was supposed to be matched with borrowing to pay down debt and save money. Didn’t happen which had a detrimental effect on the budget. Last year they passed a budget that depended on extending the income tax. Didn’t happen and we see the result. (The budget for next year would still be bad, but not as much.) Yes, it was the Democrats’ fault. And now they have to pass whatever the solution is. If a tax increase and cuts put you in anew electoral noose, too bad.

Comment by Demise Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:08 pm
You got it Rich but there was no management during Quinns time just like Obama. Dems don’t manage they just pass feel good bills. Nice suit RICH

Comment by scott aster Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:15 pm
===I don’t think so. Not even close.===

Oh, please.

03 was nothing in comparison to this one. And it was fixed with vetoes.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:15 pm
The current income tax rate is right where the new Governor wants it to be at this time. Therefore, it’s all the Democrats fault.

That’s funny.

Comment by MikeMacD Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:18 pm
Makes it easier to cut payroll if you have no money.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:20 pm
=== Geez you guys, it sounds like you expect Rauner to solve the fiscal problems in the first month of his administration. ===

He paid for the job. You’ve got vital program already out of money and more to come. Rauner has to come up with something fast. Although, I think he is waiting for his omnipotent powers approval before acting.

Comment by Norseman Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:22 pm
He is trying to fix it and has asked for the power to transfer money and fill the hole.

Haven’t seen Madigan or Cullerton jump up to help yet.

Comment by 1776 Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:23 pm
“Every (state) gets the government it deserves” — Joseph de Maistre
“We have met the enemy, and he is us.” — Pogo

Comment by up2now Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:24 pm
Quinn said the income tax hike needed to be extended. Rauner said no, we don’t need it.
We are waiting for a rabbit out of the hat. What, no rabbit and no hat!

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:26 pm
===Wordslinger - Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:20 pm:

Makes it easier to cut payroll if you have no money.===

“Never let a good crisis go to waste.” — Churchill (and/or Rahm)

Comment by up2now Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:28 pm
==Quinn said the income tax hike needed to be extended. Rauner said no, we don’t need it.==

Only one of those two had the power to sign the budget

Comment by Anonymoiis Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:29 pm
==Goldberg said the crisis has to be solved without raising taxes or borrowing money from elsewhere in state government.==

Really? I’d like some of those magic beans you have.

==This is all the Democrats’ fault. Period. End of story. They have a right to complain.==

And how’s that working out actually solving the problems? Anyone? They can complain all they want. But I’d like to see, you know, a few solutions in there too.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:55 pm
==Only one of those two had the power to sign the budget==

It’s Rauner’s budget to deal with now. He was left a mess. He ran for Governor, knowing there was a mess. Now he has to put on his big boy pants and do something about it. None of us are going to like what he’s going to do.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:56 pm
==This is what happens when you pass a temporary tax increase and do absolutely nothing to plan for its easing out. ==

I suspect they had a plan — extend the high rates after the election, if Quinn won, and dump the mess on the newbie if Quinn lost.

Comment by Anon. Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 12:58 pm
===But I’d like to see, you know, a few solutions in there too. ===

Dude, they just had their first hearing on the topic. Take a breath, for crying out loud.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:03 pm
Talk about “feel good” policies. Giving everyone more in their pockets courtesy of tax decrease is making lots of people feel good. But we still have that annoying gaping hole of debt. How you can pay off bills with less income is a mysterious concept to me. If slashing incomes and eliminating jobs (contributing to the unemployment that will have to be paid to those people and the taxes they won’t be paying) is the solution, that sure doesn’t seem to contribute to the economy. But I guess each politician has their own definition of how to make things better for everyone and make them feel good.

Comment by AnonymousOne Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:04 pm
And your point is? Of course I don’t expect a solution to be made up in 5 minutes. But how about we spend a little more time talking about it instead of blaming somebody else for it. If that ticks you off then bite me.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:05 pm
Wait. The Dems passed a budget that funded what could be funded until the tax ran out. The Republicans ran that TEMPORARY TAX up their backsides for 3 years. They scream and holler about not spending what you don’t have. So the Dems didn’t appropriate what they knew they wouldn’t have. The Republicans screamed that all the Dems were gonna do was pass income tax increase in the lame duck (remember the Quinncome tax hysterics?) and the guy who RAN on the fact that the tax should go away and then demanded that no one do anything until HE WAS SWORN IN AS GOVERNOR but its all DEMS fault? The election was between one guy who said we needed to keep the money and one guy who said we didn’t. The party who swears we don’t need new revenue is now whining that its Democrats fault that we don’t have new revenue! Amazing. The Republicans. They got exactly what they demanded and have been demanding for years. Now what?

Comment by unbelievable Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:05 pm
===but its all DEMS fault?===

Yep.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:06 pm
Consider yourself bitten.

These things take a bit of time. If you are a subscriber, you know what Rauner has asked for, some of what the Dems are willing to give him, etc.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:07 pm
==I suspect they had a plan — extend the high rates after the election, if Quinn won, and dump the mess on the newbie if Quinn lost.==

So instead of passing a budget that was balanced, and not put child care are risk, they chose to intentionally short child care funds to use it as a political pawn in their game of gotcha chess. Well when you put it that way, it sounds much better. \snark

Comment by Anonymoiis Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:09 pm
I can understand the new administrations thinking that they need to address the budget deficit as a whole rather than crisis by crisis. But unfortunately, a lot damage will be done and a lot of people will be much worse off while they try to figure things out.

Comment by Because I said so..... Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:09 pm
==These things take a bit of time.==

Yes, they do. But I’ll say it again . . . blaming somebody else wastes that time.

End rant.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:10 pm
Posters complaining about “Rauner doing something” in his 4th week in office are likely the same posters who blame George Bush for all of Obama’s shortcomings.

Comment by anon Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:12 pm
I don’t see the point in pretending a budget was passed last May, or complaining that there isn’t enough money now for status quo spending.

The budget got punted, pending a referendum in November on the

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:12 pm
The rabidness of Dems on here, or Dem sympathizers, is incredible. Rauner JUST gave you ideas yesterday. Is he supposed to implement them today and magically solve the problem?? What no Dem sympathizer seems to want to understand is, as soon as you give a tax increase, it gets spent, and more. The ONLY way to stop the madness is to force changes by not being able to pay for things, at which point maybe, just maybe, our legislature can get to the point of understanding that we have plenty of money for education, veterans, essential state services, etc, but do NOT have money for all of their local pet projects they need to get reelected. As long as there is money there for it, they will spend it. In my view, the only way to stop it is exactly what Rauner is doing - no tax increase, and no borrowing from other agencies. What is so hard to understand about this?

Comment by Kodachrome Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:17 pm
===our legislature can get to the point of understanding that we have plenty of money for education, veterans, essential state services, etc, but do NOT have money for all of their local pet projects===

LOL

Nice little fantasy. Not close to being true.

Comment by Rich Miller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:19 pm
Excuse me.

Pending a referendum in November on taxes and spending.

The guy who sad taxes and spending were too high won.

So taxes were cut before he even got the big chair (and, per his request, the GA took no action in lame-duck session to try and extend them).

Now, he gets the chance to implement some cuts on his own (grants, employee head count) and propose more.

What’s the beef? That’s the way it’s supposed to work, and from the governor’s perspective, the reality of reduced revenues is ideal for moving forward on that spending problem we’ve been hearing about for so many years.

Comment by Wordslinger Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:19 pm
“I can fly the plane with less fuel”. The engines are sputtering, running out of fuel. “I can’t fully understand this, I told the plane to fly on less fuel, so how can it be running out of fuel?”
What now, are we going to glide to July 1st? The ground is coming up pretty fast.

Comment by DuPage Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:23 pm
So Rich, and everyone, how do you prioritize spending in this state, pick the top 10, 20, 30 areas of spending at the top of that list, and say you know what, that’s it? That’s all we have to spend, and everything else has to fall by the wayside until next year, at which point we will figure out where we are at and if we can afford more. The pension cost is obviously the big elephant here, but the vast majority of the current legislature is what put us in that position by not paying what they knew they owed. The ground is coming up pretty fast, but I’d rather hit it now than keep pretending we aren’t going to hit it in the near future.

Comment by Kodachrome Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:31 pm
This is Quinn’s budget minus the 2+billion from the income tax extension he wanted. Blocking the extension was at the top of Rauner’s list. He got his wish. He should stop complaining. He’s gone from the wine club to the whine club.

If the R’s don’t want the cuts, they should reinstate the revenue.

Comment by truthteller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:33 pm
I wonder how many people here whining for Gov. Rauner to stop blaming Quinn and do something also support(ed) Pres. Obama.

Two wrongs don’t make a right, but come on guys. He hasn’t even been the Governor for a month. Of course it’s the previous administration’s fault.

Comment by ChrisB Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:33 pm
Rauner and his people do have to quit whining and start working. But what was Quinn thinking? One quote was he was misunderstood. Really. He should have known what a mess this budget was. He wasn’t that clueless. And what right do the Democrats have to be smug when they also of this fiasco. Nobody said anything? Really. If this is their idea of leadership we’re in trouble. The budget battle should resemble something out of Jersey Shore. I don’t think they realize how much pain they are causing to ordinary people. Jeez. What a crew.

Comment by Ginhouse Tommy Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:40 pm
==He should have known what a mess this budget was.==

Everybody did. And they let it happen anyway. As much as I griped about the blame game, I’d also like to line everybody up who voted for the think and kick them in the rear end. We all have to pay for their stupidity now.

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:59 pm
“thing” not think

Comment by Demoralized Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 1:59 pm
Absolutely the fault for this lies at the feet of Quinn and the GA. Quinn proposed two different budgets preferred with tax increase and non-preferred with out. Once the GA passed the preferred budget W/O increasing the tax. Quinn should have either outright vetoed it or Amendatory Vetoed it to account for the drop in tax rate.

On this budget Rauner deserves to get a free hand to resolve it. Next budget is all on him.

Comment by Mason born Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:02 pm
===Goldberg said the crisis has to be solved without raising taxes or borrowing money from elsewhere in state government.===

If there is to be no tax increases and no borrowing, I wonder if Rich Goldberg is saying that Rauner will cut spending in some other part of the budget? If tax increases, borrowing, and spending cuts are all ruled out are there any other options available?

Comment by Hit or Miss Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:02 pm
I specifically remember Democtratic members of the House voting for the budget with the understanding that they thought the projected revenues would cover the cost of the budget without a tax increase. They didn’t want their budget vote to be mistaken as a vote for a tax increase so they made it clear on the floor.

Comment by Phenomynous Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:03 pm
At least Quinn knew what was really important to a lot of people - he properly pronounced words ending in g.

Comment by Joe from Joliet Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:04 pm
All of this still is not yet as bad as the first couple Edgar years. Rauner knows what he is doing. He can use the threat of cuts to childcare to push his agenda. His budget director is not a newbie outsider, he knows the ins and outs of the current budget even if his caucus did not vote for the mess. Cut child care, parents (and child advocates like Mrs. Rauner) scream, makes it easier to get what you want. Everyone needs to take a deep breath and wait for the budget address.

Comment by 100 Miles West Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:05 pm
==How about Rauner and his people start figuring out solutions and stop whining about the past administration?==

How about the people who helped create this budget and these problems, ie Speaker Madigan and Leader Cullerton, also help figure things out? This was and is a Dem budget until July 1, drafted and delivered by the 3 tops. They own it. 2 of them remain. They also have a responsibility to help clean up this mess.

As for how we get through these problems, that is now on Rauner as well as Cullerton, Durkin, Madigan and Radogno. They will all have to do some heavy lifting in this.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:09 pm
Until enough Republicans are committed to supporting a budget to meet the expenses it will be many nice statements of cooperation and working through the process. In the mean time, many providers and vendors with state contracts had better check their lines of credit and defer major purchases so they can cover Friday payroll.

Comment by zatoichi Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:10 pm
===Plenty of time to come up with a plan and sell it to the people of Illinois.==

Uhhh, dems controlled all 3 branches for 12 years and could not figure it out. He has one office in the executive branch. I say give him 30 days anyway.

That is why the critics of Rauner not laying out his plan pre-election sounded so ignorant. 6 years in, we were still waiting for Quinn’s plan.

Comment by the Patriot Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:13 pm
Demoralized. If you want to kickem in the rear end I am afraid that you’ll have to get to the back of the line. There’s a lot of people in front of you and some of them might be Rich and the Wordslinger. Some legacy huh.

Comment by Ginhouse Tommy Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:19 pm
When a new budget is being worked out, and is delayed, there is some ‘rule/law’ that says state workers still get their paychecks - if I remember correctly? In terms of the prisons - isn’t this more/less the same thing? Don’t paychecks still have to be paid?

Now, as to the child care subsidy - we should help people who want to work as much as possible. It’s in our best interest, and surely costs less than them having to quit their jobs and line up requesting food stamps/rent money.

Comment by mythoughtis Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:27 pm
Somehow in all the pity whining these new administration types forget that Pat Quinn was fully aware of the problems with this budget and proposed a solution to it that Rauner rejected.

If Pat Quinn won, the temporary income tax extension would have passed through the Democratically controlled General Assembly to fix this.

The problem isn’t fixed because the Rauner administration hasn’t proposed a fix to it. If they didn’t want the Quinncome tax, then they had a year to find something else before they got into office.

Really. This whining is very unprofessional and amateur. Blaming the outgoing governor who ran for reelection to defeat you as some kind of a conspiracy or political set up is embarrassing.

Grow up and fix it. Do your job. You wanted it.

Comment by VanillaMan Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:42 pm
The budget has been in place for seven months. Quinn did not want to make cuts. Rauner didn’t want to extend the income tax. Rauner won on the income tax. Now let him make the cuts. Should be easy, no?
Just get rid of the waste, fraud and ineffeciency the R’s have said is the problem.
Rauner’s mantra was built on a lie. Revenue is the only pain avoidance remedy, but Dr. Rauner won’t prescribe it.
In his school of medecine it’s better to let the patient die

Comment by truthteller Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:47 pm
==Pat Quinn was fully aware of the problems with this budget and proposed a solution to it that Rauner rejected.==

Odd, I wasn’t aware that Rauner had veto power before he took office three weeks ago. Well this changes everything

Comment by Anonymoiis Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:53 pm
== When a new budget is being worked out, and is delayed, there is some ‘rule/law’ that says state workers still get their paychecks - if I remember correctly? In terms of the prisons - isn’t this more/less the same thing? Don’t paychecks still have to be paid? ==

My memory is a bit foggy on the details, but I seem to recall a time when the GA had not passed a budget and the State had no authority to actually meet the payroll for those paid out of GRF. I think the state issued some kind of voucher or IOU chit instead of an actual warrant (check) and expected the employees to just sit on the paper until the budget issue got resolved. And if I’m remembering correctly, the banks (at least in Springfield) said they would honor those chits, and advance / deposit the money in the employees’ accounts (without loan / interest charges), and get their money back from the State later. Can’t remember how long that budget impass existed, but I think it was more than one payroll cycle.

The local banks bought a lot of goodwill / customer loyalty for not much risk or expense. Somehow I don’t see the big banks doing that today.

Comment by RNUG Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:55 pm
==This is all the Democrats’ fault. Period. End of story. They have a right to complain.==

It is primarily the Democrats’ fault, but I would not go so far as to say it is ALL the Democrats’ fault.

First, the problem of passing budgets where the spending outstrips the revenue goes back to the 1980’s and beyond. So, the setup includes plenty of Republican administrations. This history has led the voters of Illinois to expect more spending on inadequate revenue.

This year, the Republicans abdicated any and all responsibility for the budget. They are in the minority and have the right to do so. Their plan was to let the Democrats cut the budget or raise taxes and then use whatever was done in their campaigns: The Dems cut X, which is bad, so vote Republican OR The Dems raised your taxes, which is bad, so vote Republican. When the Dems punted, the Republicans did their best to point out the lack of a balanced budget, but without higher taxes or cut programs, their campaigns failed in all but one legislative race and the Gov race.

So, who is responsible for the budget situation? Both sides. They know the fix will require program cuts and higher taxes, but they are each waiting for the other side to make a move so they turn around and demonize their opponents for raising taxes or cutting programs. Until their is a truce, their will be no solution.

I want Rauner to stop whining because, as Wordslinger has pointed out, this is exactly what he asked for startin’ last Spring.

Comment by Pot calling kettle Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 2:55 pm
I see a lot of people here instructing the gov. to “fix it”.

Does the “fix it” solution have to be painless?
Is the only “fix” finding money to continue the programs, or can the “fix” be ending some social programs?

The tone here implies that fixing the broken system should not include difficult decisions.

Comment by Pete Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 3:21 pm
=Lawmakers of both parties say they want to shore up a state-subsidized child-care program that ran out of money this week, but no solution has emerged.=

Extend the 5% state income tax. Problem solved.

Comment by Enviro Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 3:45 pm
I am a Democrat, but this one is the Democrats’ fault. They passed a budget that required the income tax to stay at 5%, and then didn’t pass the tax extension.

That being said, the solution now has to be bipartisan, and has to include some new revenue, or the shortfalls will be catastrophic. So I would fault the new Republican administration spokespeople for not publicly recognizing the math.

I wish they would all stop playing games. I understand competing visions for the relationship between the government and the people. I don’t understand playing games with people’s lives, which is what is going on now. It is really disgusting.

Comment by jake Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 3:53 pm
I sat this out, but I remember Candidate Rauner calling into districts like President Cullerton’s district sayibg not to hold the Income Tax.

Well, Governor Rauner inherited that part of the equation from Candidate Rauner too. Too…

Comment by Oswego Willy Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 3:58 pm
OK Enough noise. Let’s recap:

Quinn very responsibly proposed two budgets, one with the tax increase extended, and one without. He recommended the one with, and also proposed extending the tax increase last year.

The General Assembly passed a budget that required the revenue from an extended tax increase, but failed to pass the extension. What Rauner said or didn’t say at the time is irrelevant. The GA caused the problem.

When Quinn signed, rather than vetoing, the GA-passed budget, then Quinn took ownership of the problem.

Quinn’s ownership should have caused him to manage the departments under the passed and signed budget from day one. He should have been cutting some of these programs starting last July, rather than having them run out of money now.

Those who blame Quinn for the loss of funding to children’s programs now, ignore the fact that they would have been cut earlier (if less abruptly) if he were doing the job correctly.

Quinn owns this not as a “budgeting” problem, but as a management one. Rather than managing and suffering thru the “fixes” over 12 months, he pushed them off to Rauner to try to cover in only 5.

Comment by walker Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 3:58 pm
==He wasn’t that clueless.==

Governor Quinn was not clueless. Neither were the leaders who crafted this disaster of a budget. They weighed the odds and went all-in on a clever, deliberate hazard.

Any party in their place at that time might have been enticed to do the same.

While the Democrats overplayed their hand and are catching shrapnel as the land mines they buried begin to explode, this can still detonate in Rauner’s lap if he handles it poorly.

Comment by Formerly Known As... Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 4:02 pm
Thank you, Pete - at least one more non “insider” who understands, you cannot truly reduce spending in this state without keeping revenue lower. It just won’t happen, because legislators cant help themselves, on both sides. It’s. That. Simple. Whatever social programs have to suffer for this, have to suffer for the good of the whole of this state. No current pain, no long term gain.

Comment by Kodachrome Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 4:12 pm
I was surprised to hear at the Senate hearing today, the confessions about what a disaster the CCMS (Child Care Management System)has been. The system never should have gone live last February. The vendor was probably going to have to repay the State if the new system wasn’t started and just maybe there were no more extensions to be had. Taxpayers have lost a pile on that pile of junk. The total cost for the development, the non-budgeted vouchers taxpayers have probably been paying to fix it all year, and the amount of money wasted due to the confusion it created at the case level(hinted at during the Hearing) probably would have diminished the obnoxious $300m shortfall. C’est la vie dans l’Illinois!!

Comment by cdog1962 Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 5:07 pm
“per his request, the GA took no action in lame-duck session to try and extend them”

Does ANYONE seriously think that the GA would have passed–and PQ would have signed–an extension of the income tax hike during the lame duck *regardless* of what Brucey asked them to do or not do?

Didn’t know that the MedMar stores had opened today…

Comment by Chris Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 5:38 pm
@Kodachrome

“Whatever social programs have to suffer for this, have to suffer for the good of the whole of this state. No current pain, no long term gain.”

Read that again, then ask yourself what kind of a person thoughtlessly throws people off social services?

Do you really believe that recipients of child care assistance and food stamps are magically going to lift themselves from poverty by having the small measure of sustenance ripped from their hands?

Do you really believe we can balance the books on the backs of the working poor?

You’re off your rocker.

Comment by How Ironic Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 5:38 pm
“….then ask yourself what kind of a person thoughtlessly throws people off social services?”

See -Walker- @ 3:58

Comment by CapnCrunch Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 6:37 pm
===Revenue is the only pain avoidance remedy===

Increased revenue (aka increased taxes) is a pain avoidance solution to the problem for those who receive the money. However, increased taxes can be very painful to many of those who provide the increased revenue.

Comment by Hit or Miss Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 6:57 pm
To say this budget, in one breath, is all the a Democrats’ fault is to ask in the other, Why did the GOP members show up last spring? If even three or four of our GOP heroes would have had the courage to extend the tax rate, we wouldn’t be in this mess.
And let’s not forget the pressure Bruce a Rauner put on them to vote No to a tax rate extension.

Comment by Tim Snopes Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 7:36 pm
Here we come furloughs…

Comment by Anonymous Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 8:27 pm
Both the Democrats and the Republicans are correct in blaming each other.

They are both to blame for this mess, along with the people who feel compelled to vote for one or the other party while dismissing any other option as unrealistic.

So a realistic mess that gets worse with every administration is realistically all that can be expected.

Any office holders that cared about doing the people’s business could have brought up the decades long pension problem, among others, if they weren’t such party loyal careerists.

Comment by Glenn Thursday, Feb 5, 15 @ 8:51 pm
@ How Ironic

No one is looking to “throw people off social services”. The point is that there is tremendous waste and theft that goes on in all of these problems, in part by some recipients, but mainly by the government’s lack of oversight, proper management and ethics. My belief is simply, unless our legislature, and possibly our governor (don’t know yet on the latter), is not given more money to work with, they will never change the way they do things, and will keep pushing off the inevitable pain, which only makes that pain greater down the road. I, as are most of my friends and family, tired of this crap. There are plenty of departments and social services this state provides that are simply not priorities, and until we learn that they can and should often disappear, we will remain in this boat until it sinks. I don’t favor throwing poor people off of benefits, I favor politicians who know how to prioritize the needs of the state as a whole, even if it goes against their own self interest. Admittedly, I may be off my rocker believing anything like that could even happen in IL.

Comment by Kodachrome Friday, Feb 6, 15 @ 10:05 am

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