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One man’s pork…

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Illinois

* Any time the General Assembly passes a capital bill [which you can peruse here], you’re gonna see stories like this…

Before bolting from Springfield Monday morning, Democrats and Republicans took out their knives and participated in what has become a tradition: carving up a fortune in pork-barrel projects around the state.

The article was entitled: “Illinois lawmakers feast on bigger slice of pork - Legislators take home $500 million chunk for pet projects.” And it even makes this argument…

Legislators also took care of Chicago aldermen, doling out millions to repair roads and lights.

Repairing roads and fixing street lights are now considered pet projects?

* But you’ll also see plenty of stories like this…

The statewide capital bill passed by the Legislature early Monday morning includes $38.1 million to virtually rebuild the Lincoln’s Challenge Academy in Rantoul.

East Central Illinois also gets money for a great number of other projects, large and small, that were submitted by lawmakers as part of the $28.3 billion construction plan. But the money set aside for Lincoln’s Challenge, an Illinois National Guard youth intervention program, dwarfs almost every other project in the state.

And this…

The most recent spending proposal, approved by lawmakers Sunday night, includes:

$2.1 million for the Decatur Metropolitan Exposition, Auditorium and Office Building Authority.

$250,000 for fire sprinklers for St. Mary’s Hospital in Decatur.

$120,000 for a pedestrian corridor for Decatur Memorial Hospital.

$100,000 for better drainage of Illinois 32 through Sullivan.

And this…

For Southern Illinois, that means projects like the $103 million widening of Illinois 13 between Marion and Carbondale will be in limbo until things are sorted out in Springfield.

The following is a rundown of some of the other projects that are part of the proposed statewide construction program.

• $925,000 for Saline Valley Water Conservancy District for improvements to Stonefort Water Supply Line;

• $740,000 for sewer work in Benton;

• $163,000 for a new water tower in Christopher;

• $205,000 for road work in Colp;

Etc.

* There are always gonna be items that can be pointed to with glee. The House Republicans steered me to this one…

The sum of $200,000, of so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Black on Black Love for costs associated with the acquisition and renovation of a new facility.

* But then there’s stuff like this…

The sum of $125,000, of so much thereof as may be necessary, is appropriated from the Build Illinois Fund to the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity for a grant to the Southeast Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center for costs associated with replacing the roof at the facility.

Hard to argue with something like that. Trouble is, the state is slashing program money for drug and alcohol abuse centers. So, they may end up with a nice, new roof and no clients.

posted by Rich Miller
Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 10:51 am

Comments

One of the things you realize when you work in the executive agencies and the legislative branch is that just because someone wants to spend money on something and can claim it “will do good”, doesn’t mean it’s a good way to spend money. Roads that may not REALLY need repair but happnen to be well located. Programs that may “help low income kids” turn out to be ineffective and large wastes of money. The media eats it up and says whose against roads and glad we got that guy in there working for us, but the reality is some other bum would have gotten the dough and maybe not been as awful as these democrats have been.

The final issue with pork is that it amounts to extra credit for failing government officials. Sure you got 1 million for a road, but if the state is raising taxes, unemployment’s high and you’ve spent the last 2 years working on obama’s presidential campaign, watching your party get its own wing in the u.s. attorney’s office and waste 6 months on reform you promised 7 years ago, maybe you aren’t such hot stuff.

Comment by shore Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:13 am
Everybody gets something — that’s why Quinn holds such a big card. We’ll see how he plays it.

He’ll get a nice barnstorming tour around the state over the next few weeks. I’m sure he’s never traveled in greater comfort.

Comment by wordslinger Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:23 am
Or, maybe if you belong to the party of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney, who, with their aiders and abetters in the Congress controlled by Republicans for 6 years of his presidency, drove this nation off a financial and moral cliff and created a lot of the problems we are dealing with at the state level, you aren’t such hot stuff either.

All I mean by this comment is to say, let’s dispense with the “my party is holier than thou’s” schtick. It’s tired. Democrats and Republicans have fallen far short of what this country needs right now, but let’s not pretend that neither party is blameless.

Comment by Willie Stark Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:23 am
Ahhh editorializing in a “news” story…

FYI News-Gazette: $38.1 million for a school is dwarfed by $103 million for widening a road.

Maybe all the clients who can’t get into the Southeast Alcohol and Drug Abuse Center with the new roof can go to the Plainfield church with the new roof … or that new gazebo in Willowbrook.

(And here we though Minority Leaders Cross and Radogno were complaining about the budget and spending and ethics.)

Comment by Rob_N Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:25 am
Add to the list of nice, but perhaps not needed are 17M for improvements to the Brookfield Zoo, an expansion to the Peggy Notebaert Museum (1M) a number of war monuments. The list goes on.

As the legislators are contemplating cuts in services to real people, do any of them recognize that deferral of the non-essential projects is the decent thing to do?

How many children’s museums does the state need to support? Whose heat do we cut off so that the DuPage Childrens’s Museum (1.9M) does not have to move?

Why should someone who is on any number of worthy assistance programs be punished because Tom Cross wants to spend 150K for lights for a ball fields in Shorewood?

The word is triage folks. Separate the essential from the non-essential and fund the needs before the wants. Its so easy that even a legislator can do it. or is it?

Comment by Plutocrat03 Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:30 am
Rob N-

At least the spending is transparent. A welcomed addition since the Ryan days, don’t you think?

Comment by Easy Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:46 am
I’ve seen what is done at the Lincolns challenge academy and I would pay for the complete renovation myself if I could. I saw some really troubled kids earn a new lease on life. They learned respect and what it means to be a decent member of society. Illinois needs this place so teens in trouble can find that there is plenty to live for and no reason to give up.

Comment by anon Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:47 am
Quinn should just item veto the capital bill. Defer any capital spending to next year, or whenever the recession ends. Use the $1.2 billion in new revenue/taxes to help with operating. And remember, there is no “budget shortfall”; there is a “spending surplus”! That should be the mindset.

Comment by Legaleagle Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:51 am
===And remember, there is no “budget shortfall”; there is a “spending surplus”! ===

Please.

Have you seen the revenue situation?

Besides the drastic revenue crash, just three things drove spending increases: Medicaid, education funding and pension payments.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:54 am
Completely agree with both Plutocrato3 and Legaleagle’s remarks.

Comment by Just a Citizen Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:56 am
Have you seen the revenue situation?

Yeah..The Wall Street disaster and the fallout — lay offs, closings, no consumer credit, etc. left IL with over $5 billion LESS in GRF.

There Capt Fax is the heart of the problem.

Comment by Reddbyrd Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 12:11 pm
Easy -

All kidding aside, good point. I just wonder where all the critics (many of them conservatives) of the Blago grants to the Chicago church are going to come out on that particular line item of the Catholic Church’s roof in Plainfield.

If the church is providing a service the government would otherwise be providing then it’s a reasonable connection (just as the Chicago church which burned was providing services).

Comment by Rob_N Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 12:27 pm
So each pol will use the taxpayer money (for good or ill) and use it to promote themselves as though it came from their pocket - just watch the “informational newsletters” coming your way. Is there a correlation between those that got a lot (major suck ups to the “leaders) and those that showed some spine/independence and got only a little? (There must be one or two that fall in the latter catagory)…I obviously don’t know the actual process, but my respect for most of them is near zero.

Comment by You Go Boy Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 12:27 pm
I think we’re wondering when the 4 journalists left in the state will realize people might start reading their work or buying their product if instead of the weekly play by play on the latest underqualifed, under achieving democrat political heir who wants to move up they instead asked why the state is wasting money on all these things and why Republicans haven’t stopped this. People in Glencoe should have to have their taxes raised so DuPage County, a wealthy county can have a childrens museum because they can’t drive 20 minutes to navy pier?

Over on Team America’s blog last night we had an interesting discussion about Senator Bond (whose website is now up) and the nerve he has to seek higher office when he and his state democrat colleagues don’t seem to be capable of succeeding at the one they have.

Comment by shore Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 1:21 pm
===they instead asked why the state is wasting money on all these things and why Republicans haven’t stopped this===

First of all, this second capital bill just passed Sunday, so give them time. And it passed unanimously in both chambers.

===DuPage County, a wealthy county===

Um…

===The median income for a household in the village [of Glencoe] was $164,432, and the median income for a family was $200,000+===

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 1:34 pm
On the capital bill, one of my local legislators was on TV last night and said it (the bill) takes affect in 60 days even if the Gov doesn’t sign it. Seems like a little statehouse education is in order.

Comment by Deep South Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 1:58 pm
Reading the list saddens me. My honest impression is the state is facing a major fiscal crisis. Then I see this list with non-essential funding. The roof to a catholic church? a green market structure? a children’s museum? etc. etc.

Now when Gov. Quinn makes his case that we should all be good Samaritans and support a tax hike, people will point to these projects and say no way.

I would like to see what representative/senator is responsible for these projects. I will happily complain to mine that they may have brought money into the district but they are hurting the state.

Comment by Objective Dem Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 2:10 pm
Just to point this out to those unable to figure out the point of a “capital” bill.

1. The state does need to update infrastructure, roads, and other capital projects. Parks, roofs, playground equipment do help communities in ways that might otherwise not be funded.

2. Unlike playing “sim city” these projects also spur economic growth in the areas where the money is being spent. The roadwork, parks, and new roofs don’t magically appear. People have to be employed, do the work, and be paid. They in turn, spend the income in the community via resturants, fuel, housing etc.

Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 2:18 pm
My problem with these pet projects is that there may be/probably are more important capital projects that lack cheerleaders lobbying for them.

The series of bridges that comprise Halsted Street from Grand to Division are in rough shape. Will they be getting repaired soon? That’s more important to Chicago than some of these non-profit handouts which should wait or be funding by private donors not the public coffers IMO.

Comment by chimack Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 2:42 pm
The News Gazette here also reported that apparently the senate president’s wife is on the board of Lincoln’s Challenge, so maybe that explains some of the largesse. However, we also ended up with money for an interpratative center in a local park and repairs to the Solon House, which I think must be for architectural and historical significance.

Comment by ChampaignDweller Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 2:44 pm
Bridges were in the last bill. Check that one.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 2:47 pm
There is all sorts of bridges, streets, via ducts, sewer mains, resurface projects, and other seriously needed public works projects.

Try to avoid the histronics and read the bill. There is a lot of funding for disabled childrens facilities, VF posts, schools etc.

Comment by How Ironic Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 3:29 pm
I agree with How Ironic’s point that most of the funding makes a lot of sense. But the problem is the non-essential stuff that gets put in.

I’m sorry, but I don’t see any reason for a green market structure. In fact, this green market is directly competing against existing grocery stores who pay for their own roof and pay property taxes. The market is located in the heart of Lincoln Park so I don’t see any benefit to low/moderate income people. So why fund it?

The reality, which presumably the Governor and legislature known, is that the media will ignore 99% of the projects that are great projects and focus in on the 1% that are unnecessary. Thus resulting in articles about pork barrel politics and how the state has money to waste. Which then leads the public to say “*#%! you” when a tax raise is discussed.

Comment by Objective Dem Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 3:57 pm
did you see the $5 million for grocery stores?

Comment by Hank Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 5:33 pm
===did you see the $5 million for grocery stores?===

Food deserts are a big problem on the south and west sides. Try not to be so dismissive.

Comment by Rich Miller Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 6:01 pm
I certainly don’t disagree with Springfield supporting state facility and transportation life safety capital work. I’ve designed and managed many state projects with merit.

During these critical financial times, however, capital work should be limited to projects that are “needs” rather than “wants”.

Of course rusting and sagging bridges administered by the state should be repaired. They would be, if the state wasn’t stealing $650 million from the $1.4 billion motor fuel and vehicle fee fund.

Extension of roads that will spur development and pay for themselves in increased tax revenue from teh development also make sense.

From “spot checks” on the project list, it looks like less than 20% of the capital spending is really a “need”, and they didn’t need to raise taxes and increase gambling for that.

Comment by PalosParkBob Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 7:59 pm
I think there is a lot more to this State’s infrastructure than just roads and bridges, although they are very important. I believe quality of life is an underpinning every bit as important as roads and bridges, and I respect the fact that no one is better positioned to say what his/her district wants and needs than a legislator

Comment by steve schnorf Tuesday, Jun 2, 09 @ 11:17 pm
Steve, I agree that there are a lot of “nice” things we could build that improve quality of life in Illinois, but you don’t buy steak and lobster every night on your credit card when you have a hard time affording the kids’ milk money.

The capital bill wasn’t necessary, except to load up on pork to get campaign contributions from contractors and unions for the next election cycle.

Each substantial project should have been dealt with separately by the GA based on merit, and funded from the associated “bucket”.

For example, all state road and bridge projects (outside of the tollway) should be funded and appropriated from the motor fuel, vehicle and motor fuel sales tax revenues.

State parks capital work should be funded from the park revenues and appropiations.

School construction shouldn’t funded by the state at all. The project selection process is a corrupt, dysfunctional mess.

My local elementary district got a $3 million construction grant for new classrooms from the state even though our application showed that enrollment had dropeed by 15% and was going to drop by another 15%.

The district couldn’t even check a single “justification” box on the grant application because the age and size of the schools didn’t justify the grant.

Then a “friendly” state bureaucrat came to the district, and claimed that our classrooms were only “adequate” for 15 students each, and that 8 students in each classroom from the reasonable 23 student class size were “unhoused”.

Since grant priority was based upon percentage of students who were “unhoused”, we shot up to the 14th highest priority in the state, even though by any reasonable facility capacity standard we were more than adequately served.

Of course, the $3 million grant for an $8 million classroom “need” ballooned into a $21 million expansion, mostly for gyms and a “applied technology lab” that the Board created with no plan in mind other than the PR of every visitor to the school seeing a lot of “technology” when they entered the building.

They knew they couldn’t sell this boondoggle to the taxpayers, so they funded the entire project through working cash bond sales, for which the repayment was directly added to real estate taxes without voter approval.

When we successfully petioned to put this spending on the ballot, the Board cancelled the sale one month, then created a “new” bond sale of the same amount the next.

State law alows local governments to do this until petitioners are worn down.

This is the convoluted way state capital decisions for school construction grants are made, and it’s impossible to reform, so we should just end it and have communities decide by referendum if they want to fund capital work in their schools and municipalities.

We should only be funding “needs” now, not “wants”, and I hope this capital bill dies by veto and has to be redone and debated in an fair manner.

The pork will likely win out, I know, but I can dream, can’t I?

Comment by PalosParkBob Wednesday, Jun 3, 09 @ 9:26 am