Once again, you damn politicians respond to external stimuli (the current financial crisis) with another hair-brained knee-jerk reaction. Governor Quinn of Illinois unveiled his budget Wednesday, and its guaranteed to hurt, everyone. Quinn asked lawmakers to support a $26 billion construction program that would build new roads, bridges and schools around the state, supporting some 340,000 jobs.
Paying for the massive initiative would mean raising the fees for driver’s licenses, license plates and title transfers. Quinn also wants smokers to pay more. He proposed increasing the tax on cigarettes, now 98 cents a pack, by an additional $1 over two years.
I can tell you really thought about this Quinn, perhaps not from a disabled persons point of view though. We disabled are already struggling to maintain our independence because of higher food costs. We disable now also have to contend with higher rent because more people have been forced into the renting sector by the foreclosure crisis and on top of that we the disabled have also been hammered by 10 percent medical cost increases year upon year for the last 7 years. And now you, Gov. Quinn, want to slam us to the ground with higher fees for licenses, car plates and car titles. And a lot of disabled folks smoke, nothing much else to do other than watch tv or lay in bed being sick, and while not the best of enjoyments, it is a little pleasure in the lives of some of this societies most neglected citizens.
So while your proposed budget puts 340,000 able bodied back to work, it will unfortunately send 10-20,000 disabled into nursing homes (which will increase the costs of the state significantly) because they cannot drive to their medical appointments because they can no longer afford the stiffer fees your wanting to impose on us. For those of us that do go ahead and pay your higher fees, it will be a choice of freedom that transportation affords us or food or medical care or prescriptions or seeing family. All of Which will be made worse because you said spending for the disabled will be held constant.
Upon further reading I have one big question, How did the state of Illinois go from a $250 million dollar surplus under Jim Edgar to an $11.5 billion deficit under Rod Blagojevich? What the hell could this state possibly have spent all that money on? It sure in the hell wasn't the roads, or better health care, or better education. Oh, but thats not the worst of your packet of good news, I read in your proposal that you want to put our state into further debt, to the astounding amount of another $26 billion! Are you insane?
You talk about having the $11.5 billion dollar deficit to erase, but in the same breath you state Illinois has plunging tax revenues and increasing demand for services which in my way of accounting means a longer payoff period for that $11.5 billion, if it ever could get paid off under those conditions.
By one of the many ways to measure the state budget, your proposal would push spending to $52.9 billion in the fiscal year beginning July 1. That’s up $2.1 billion, or about 4.1 percent. Again, are you insane? The people are losing homes, going without food, have no jobs and yet you want to increase state spending not by simple and manageable millions, but billions!
Gov. Quinn, here is a new and scary idea for you and that cabal of elected thieves in Springfield. Stop Spending! Reduce Spending! The Illinois Policy Institute suggested "lower taxes, restraint in spending, and working to create a business-friendly environment that empowers entrepreneurs, investors and workers instead of expanding the government’s role in our lives."
According to the Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois ranks 48th in economic performance, doing better than Michigan and Ohio. Wow, that's something to be proud of. Keep in mind there are 50 states and the even bigger den of thieves known as the District of Columbia (while technically not a state, its counted as one).
Sure governor you know your asking a lot of lawmakers heading into an election year, telling them: "I hope you’re applauding at the end of this (budget) speech." You forgot one thing. You forgot to ask us how we, the disabled in Illinois, feel about your budget. For the fact of it, did you even ask anyone in the state?
For you citizens of Illinois who are serious about bring state spending under control, Please Read Illinois' Sunshine Report. And well come to Illinois Stupid.
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Update 08/27/2009: In reviewing the source information at the link below it now seems the site has included each persons middle initials. Eric M. Wallace who is running for US Senate did not make monetary contributions to democrat organizations. I do apologize to you, Eric, for writing something that turns out to be based on inaccurate information.
