Deeds, governor, not empty words

Gov. Pat Quinn apparently has big plans for Illinois this year.

During Wednesday’s State of the State address, he outlined a series of initiatives he said Illinois should embrace to keep the state “moving forward.”

What Quinn didn’t outline was how the state, with an $8 billion budget deficit and an additional $9 billion in unpaid bills, would pay for those initiatives.

In fact, Quinn didn’t mention the state’s budget deficit or backlog of bills at all.

Instead, he used his speech to tout how “Illinois is back on course” and a better place to do business now than before he took office.

His words ring hollow when the state’s unemployment rate remains near 10 percent – it was 9.8 percent in December, the last month for which statistics are available – and those with jobs are overburdened by massive income and property taxes.

Among Quinn’s proposals:

• Invest in higher education so 60 percent of Illinois adults have a post-high school degree by 2025.

• Invest in classrooms, equipping them with 21st-century technology.

• Eliminate the natural gas tax, add a child tax credit that would give families of four a $100-a-year break, and offer employers who hire veterans tax incentives.

• Reform Medicaid and public pension systems.

Quinn offered few specifics on his initiatives, particularly how they would affect the state’s budget – an omission duly noted by state Rep. Jerry Mitchell, R-Sterling.

“Given the recent report that said [Illinois’] unpaid bills will top $30 billion in 5 years, I would have liked to hear him at least address the topic and lay the groundwork for what he may propose during his budget address in a couple of weeks,” Mitchell said.

State Sen. Tim Bivins, R-Dixon, heard Quinn utter the word “invest” quite a few times. That apparently troubled him.

“What investing means is more spending. Where are the dollars coming from?” Bivins said.

Quinn’s budget speech will be Feb. 22. We hope he provides taxpayers with a more honest assessment of the state’s massive fiscal problems.

By glossing over those problems, he sounded out of touch with Illinois’ true condition.