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Quinn Budget Address

March 6, 2013 By 2 Comments

Gov. Quinn gave his budget address today.  You can read the full transcript here.

Early in the speech, Gov. Quinn made the following remark:

“But this is also an honest budget that reflects our fiscal challenges…pays down the backlog of bills…and addresses funds that have been under-appropriated for too long.  There are no gimmicks or fake numbers in this budget.”

It is rather funny and sad that statement had to be made, but it is common place for the IL Budget to use fake numbers and gimmicks to make it appear there is a balanced budget.  There hasn’t been a balance budget in a very long time in IL even though it is constitutionally required.

Gov. Quinn called pension reform the biggest hurdle and if it is not fixed,

“Without pension reform, within two years, Illinois will be spending more on public pensions than on education.”

He highlighted what has been done to supposedly fix the budget problems the last few years:

  • Reduced spending to historic lows
  • Closed and consolidated 54 expensive state facilities
  • Medicaid reform - moving toward coordinated managed care
  • Consolidated and eliminated lease space
  • Executive Order to officially eliminate or consolidate 75 boards and commissions
  • Reached an important contract agreement with our public employees union, AFSCME
  • Signed into law Senate Bill 1946, which significantly reformed our public pension system for new employees

Proposals:

  •  Firm guarantee that the State of Illinois will pay its full pension amount every year
  • Reform to the pension cost of living adjustment (COLA)
  •  Suspend COLA for those with higher pensions
  • Paying down the backlog of bills by suspending corporate tax loopholes
  • More public works projects
  • Hydraulic fracturing – commonly called fracking to create jobs
  • Preserving early childhood education spending
  • Keeping MAP scholarships for college students
  • Includes increased funding for our Veterans’ Homes
  • Preserved funding for veteran service offices and mental health care
  • Includes an additional $25 million to improve mental health
  • Supports three new cadet classes for the Illinois State Police
  • Expands ReDeploy, program to reduce crime by repeat offenders

You can also watch the video at http://multimedia.illinois.gov/gov/budget-030613.asx

 

 

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Filed Under: Economics, Fracking, State Legislature, Top Stories, Uncategorized Tagged With: ,
  • Wolf

    The last thing the Illinois “Quinn” Budget is an honest budget for the taxpayers of the state. When the fraud and corruption is at these epic levels claiming to achieve a balanced budget is fraud personified. The Pension Reform would require capping all the existing Pension Plans at $50K annually and aligning any COLAs with that of Social Security COLAs. The payout of these plans based on a conservative investment strategy appropriate of a retirement plan would limit the actual payout at $44K annually not the 85% of final pay which is inflated by another 40% in the final years as seen in any Public Sector Labor Agreement. All new employees and anyone under the age of 35 should be placed in a standard Social Security, Medicare and self-directed 401K plan with a 3% match. The restructuring of the bloated operations would require a 50% headcount and compensation level reduction. At this point there has been no progress to reverse the irresponsible and corrupt operations of this Public Sector. In fact, the insane spending programs and ideas continue and the massively bloated operations continue to be expanded not controlled in any meaningful aspect. There are several solutions the taxpayers take to start the restructuring and reform process via petitions for Referendums that take control for ratifying all Public Sector Labor Agreements, capping the total annual Public Sector spending per Public Sector Student at $7K annually and a K-12 Voucher System essentially capping the runaway taxation and introducing competition. It is clear from the levels of outright fraud here that there is no longer a representative government operation here serving the interest and will of the taxpayers.