After many years of not allowing a hearing on Republican proposals, of adding “sweeteners,” of underfunding and ignoring the problem, with lightening speed – roughly 10 hours from committee to the governor’s desk – the General Assembly passed legislation making changes to the state’s pension system.
But political cynics wonder…why now? Perhaps it is a little more about the November elections than a bond rating (which is horribly low, though that didn’t happen overnight). For me, this move is reminiscent of the swift and unexpected action the Democrat majority took in 2005 when they bucked another powerful, longtime political ally (trial lawyers) and passed medical malpractice (“med-mal”) reforms with caps on lawsuit damages.
Then, as now, the Democrats faced an energized and angry electorate (albeit mainly downstate on the med-mal issue) ready to make the majority party pay at the ballot for a lack of action on seemingly obvious policy choices (ex: a bill to cap the salary level used to calculate pensions has been around at least seven years). Then, as now, the Speaker muscled a bill through despite strong objections from organizations that for decades have provided the Democratic Party a wealth of campaign donations and election day muscle.
While the med-mal law was unfortunately overturned by the state Supreme Court (see my previous post on the topic), at the time, incumbent Democrats were able to wave the reform flag in a last-ditch effort to save their jobs. The pension reform law change sets that stage for a repeat performance. Let’s hope the electorate remembers the years of inaction and remains unsatisfied with a decade-plus of failed status quo and elects new leaders in November.
For more details, please see:
Springfield State Journal-Register article: http://www.sj-r.com/breaking/x1838107161/House-puts-pension-reforms-on-fast-track
The pension bill, SB 1946 (as enrolled): http://ilga.gov/legislation/fulltext.asp?GAID=10&SessionID=76&GA=96&DocTypeID=SB&DocNum=1946&LegID=44843&SpecSess=&Session=
Commentary by Rick Miller on pension law:
http://www.southtownstar.com/news/miller/2127729,032910miller.article
Monday, March 29, 2010
Monday, March 15, 2010
Governor's Budget
“Dead on arrival.” That’s how Gov. Quinn’s budget is being described. Despite a delay granted to him to propose his budget, despite universal control of state government operations within his party, and despite record debt, record unemployment, and a stagnant economy that has countless Illinoisans hurting, the governor calls for $3 billion in new spending and a 33 percent tax increase.
It is this kind of policy from the controlling Democrat party the past decade-plus that has helped put us in the financial straits we’re in as a state – essentially bankrupt.
So how do we get out of it?
First, this budget mess took years in the making and it will likely take more than one year to get out of it, but do you trust the same old Springfield Democrat to do it?
We should not have $3 billion in new spending. Freeze spending. We’re in a recession with people struggling day-to-day. We should not be spending any more (once again) than we take in.
It is a shame too that the governor singled out education for massive cuts if his tax increase isn’t approved. Meanwhile his majority party lets commonsense reforms to welfare, Medicaid, and state spending languish. Example: HB 4810 to require drug testing for welfare benefits failed in a Democratic-controlled House committee. And yet we test high school athletes for drugs.
It seems clear to me, and I hope thousands of voters across the state, that the one party Democrat controlled state government must end. All we have seen is failed ideas, excessive spending, and more taxes on our hard earned money, all while too many schools are failing students, our infrastructure is crumbling and we’ve not enacted real government reforms that put people’s faith back in the system.
I’m committed to working for sound policy that respects and prioritizes those that fund this government, the taxpayers.
For more perspective on the governor’s budget, see the following articles:
Associated Press: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5htoBBWAb5ILVe0HqQ1DGut3jWX-wD9EDCBQO0
The Journal-Gazette: http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2010/03/14/opinion/editorial/doc4b9afd24a8b8e969152350.txt
Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9ECMOJ00.htm
It is this kind of policy from the controlling Democrat party the past decade-plus that has helped put us in the financial straits we’re in as a state – essentially bankrupt.
So how do we get out of it?
First, this budget mess took years in the making and it will likely take more than one year to get out of it, but do you trust the same old Springfield Democrat to do it?
We should not have $3 billion in new spending. Freeze spending. We’re in a recession with people struggling day-to-day. We should not be spending any more (once again) than we take in.
It is a shame too that the governor singled out education for massive cuts if his tax increase isn’t approved. Meanwhile his majority party lets commonsense reforms to welfare, Medicaid, and state spending languish. Example: HB 4810 to require drug testing for welfare benefits failed in a Democratic-controlled House committee. And yet we test high school athletes for drugs.
It seems clear to me, and I hope thousands of voters across the state, that the one party Democrat controlled state government must end. All we have seen is failed ideas, excessive spending, and more taxes on our hard earned money, all while too many schools are failing students, our infrastructure is crumbling and we’ve not enacted real government reforms that put people’s faith back in the system.
I’m committed to working for sound policy that respects and prioritizes those that fund this government, the taxpayers.
For more perspective on the governor’s budget, see the following articles:
Associated Press: http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5htoBBWAb5ILVe0HqQ1DGut3jWX-wD9EDCBQO0
The Journal-Gazette: http://www.jg-tc.com/articles/2010/03/14/opinion/editorial/doc4b9afd24a8b8e969152350.txt
Business Week: http://www.businessweek.com/ap/financialnews/D9ECMOJ00.htm
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
