Budget issues loom over all
Comments (...)There were plenty of complaints last week about Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State speech and its lack of detail about what he intends to do about Illinois’ ongoing financial crisis.
The response from Quinn and others was that a State of the State speech is not a budget speech. The spending plan is coming, so be patient.
“I didn’t expect to hear him talk about the budget,” said Sen. Donne Trotter, D-Chicago. Presumably, he wasn’t disappointed.
They’re correct, of course. The budget and State of the State are two different animals.
The problem is, budgetary issues continue to loom over everything. You have to assume that anyone listening to the speech is going put it in the context of that ongoing crisis. Do you really think you can propose a tax cut, even a small one, and not have people immediately ask how the state can afford it?
Quinn combined the State of the State and budget messages last year. Other governors have done the same. One publicist who works around the Statehouse suggested Quinn might have more impact giving one, rather than two speeches.
Until the state gets its financial problems under control, fewer speeches might be better.
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“Frankly, if you are the governor, I thought today was really not very good. You’re better off probably doing it all at once.”
– House Minority Leader Tom Cross, R-Oswego, stating his preference for one speech rather than two.
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Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka came up with an apt summation of Quinn’s speech.
“We are a state that is almost bankrupt, for heaven’s sake,” Topinka said. “I mean, the programs being proposed, it was almost like Blagojevich Lite.”
Ah, comparing Quinn to his old running mate, Rod Blagojevich, who had this habit of proposing grand new ways to spend tax dollars while adamantly refusing to do anything to increase those dollars (outside of the failed gross receipts tax).
Quinn’s agenda is far, far more modest than you’d get from Blagojevich, hence the “Lite” label. The general concept is the same, though. Spend money you don’t really have.
The General Assembly abetted Blagojevich plenty of times, which helped the state arrive at this point. Lawmakers say they know better now. We’ll see.
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Neither Democratic leader – House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton – had much to say after Quinn’s speech. In Madigan’s case, make that nothing to say, but that’s typical for Madigan.
Cullerton sometimes invites the media into his office after these speeches and answers questions. This time, his office put out a written statement that carefully avoided saying anything.
• • •
“Do you guys need to hurry to get over to the speaker’s office?”
– Cross joking with reporters at his post-speech news conference.
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In case you were wondering, the speech lasted 34 minutes and 29.341 seconds. Thanks to public radio station WUIS in Springfield for that.
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