Budget Crisis Resolved, Sort Of, Maybe, Not Really

5:38 pm, 8/24/07

Budget Crisis Resolved, Sort Of, Maybe, Not Really

Blagojevich edits the budget.

"As I said when the legislature passed this budget - it leaves a lot of important business unfinished. While I'm pleased that we're making a record investment in education, families across the state are still being priced out of health coverage and don't have a way to see a doctor when they need to. A budget should reflect the priorities of the people who elected us to make their lives better. That's why I'm removing almost $500 million in special pet projects and other spending that we simply can't afford. And at the same time, we're preparing new rules and administrative changes that will give half-a-million Illinoisans access to healthcare. 250,000 women in Illinois will be able to get screened and treated for breast and cervical cancer. These changes improve the budget that lawmakers sent me. But there's more to be done. I look forward to working with them on a capital bill to provide funding for mass transit, and aging infrastructure like roads and bridges," said Gov. Blagojevich.

So, basically, spending that Illinois can't afford is being removed, and more spending it can't afford is being added.

Lots of the cuts are actually good, but unfortunately, some of the "pork" being cut is, er, not all that porky. For example, Medicaid. Then there are the local agencies that won't be getting their usual funding.

Blagojevich cut about 75% of $200,000,000 in "member initiative" spending, leading to talks of a veto override, but Senate majority leader Emil Jones has promised to try to block any override. Naturally, this leads to accusations that Blagojevich cut a deal and protected Jones' pork.

"We don't exactly trust the governor's press release to tell us the truth," said state Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro.

"The trust that has been established since 1818 has kind of been broken by this group," he said.

Mistrust is well founded:

After reviewing the budget, Luechtefeld said none of Jones' requested initiative funding was removed. The 12 members of the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules also kept all their requested money, he said. The JCAR members will decide on the health care proposal Blagojevich hopes to start.

I foresee another year in which the State of Illinois ends up with hopelessly cooked books, runs out of money early and has to rob emergency funds to pretend to make ends meet.