As Illinois voters make their 4th of July holiday preparations, Governor Bruce Rauner and Illinois lawmakers are racing toward what could be a state shutdown if a budget compromise is not reached for the new fiscal year which begins July 1.
Republican Governor Rauner has called for cuts to programs such as home services for seniors and the disabled, childcare for school-age children and heating assistance to low-income people.
Democrats, however, led by longtime state House Speaker Michael Madigan and state Senate President John Cullerton, are pushing for increases to education and other programs and are asking for a tax hike to fix the state’s budget deficit.
Rauner has demanded a balanced budget, minus the tax increases and reforms to workers’ compensation, as well as a property tax freeze and term limits.
So far, compromise and negotiations have been stagnant as the fiscal year draws to a close, looking more like political brinksmanship, with Rauner even resorting to TV attack ads to vilify Madigan, characterizing him as unwilling to change.
Meanwhile, Madigan has attacked Rauner as being similar to disgraced former (now incarcerated) Governor Rod Blagojevich in his leadership style.
But if no compromise is reached by June 30, the voters of Illinois will be the ones who truly suffer.
Without a budget compromise new Medicaid provider payments would not be made, state employees would go unpaid, state aid payments to public schools wouldn’t be made, new state vendor payments would go unpaid, small businesses and nonprofits would not receive expedited payments and certain state services and buildings could shut down.
Obviously, neither Rauner nor the Democrats will get everything they want when they eventually reach a compromise. However, being politicians, I’m sure that they’ll agree that they don’t want to do any of the suffering. That’s why taxpayers should insist that they spread the pain around starting at the top, with the legislators themselves.
Rauner’s staff makes nearly 36 percent more (about $380,000) than his predecessor’s staff. Why not cut their salaries?
And while we have the axe out, why not reduce the salaries of the legislators and reduce some of their perks?
I think state Senator James Clayborne and his colleagues could get around just as efficiently in a Chevy, as opposed to a Cadillac (which burns more gas at taxpayer’s expense).
I’m sure voters have a plethora of budget cutting suggestions for their overpaid representatives. Give them a call at 1-844-311-CUTS and tell them that you would prefer that the state budget not be balanced on the backs of the poor and middle class.
Email: jtingram_1960@yahoo.com; Twitter@JamesTIngram.
