Budget better? No; in fact, it’s plain gloomy

Your paper published an Associated Press story that led with the line, “The good news for Illinois in 2012 is that the state budget is in better shape than it was a year ago” [“Economy, elections may mean sour 2012,” Jan. 2].

It’s important to set the record straight: The Illinois state budget is hardly in better shape this year. In fact, the outlook is downright gloomy.

State legislators failed to cut spending in 2011, although they’ll claim otherwise. Their protestations of fiscal responsibility are true only in the sense of the spendthrift who drops a daily latte habit but proceeds to charge a fancy trip to Hawaii.

What matters is that expenses grew as a whole.

Knowing that this wouldn’t sit well with taxpayers who lost a week’s pay to higher taxes, legislators papered over their profligacy by pushing major expenses into the next fiscal year. Combine those delayed charges with a growing pension payment, past-due bills, ballooning Medicaid costs, and the steady outflow of people and businesses leaving Illinois, the enormity of the fiscal challenge facing Illinois reaches new heights.

One year after the tax hike passed, it’s clear it didn’t work. We gave them more money; they spent it all and then some. As long as the politicians can tap taxpayers for more revenue, they’ll never reform the big problems – such as unsustainable pension liabilities – that threaten our very solvency as a state.

At best, state leaders punted on major reforms in 2011. At worst, they actively sabotaged them. This year can be different, but it will require all Illinois residents – including busy moms, minority business owners and rank-and-file government employees – to say “enough is enough” and demand better from the people we send to Springfield.

“Deadbeat Illinois” is a slogan we should and can shed in 2012.

Note to readers – Kristina Rasmussen is executive vice president of the Illinois Policy Institute.