|
Comptroller's report notes record debt Concerns continue to
mount following a financial report from Illinois Comptroller Dan
Hynes showing the financial maneuvers the Blagojevich administration
has employed to defer some $2.9 billion in Medicaid bills in 2005,
bringing the state's total deficit to more than $3 billion.
The Comptroller's Comprehensive Annual Financial Report shows the
backlog of unpaid bills to be at $3 billion, an all-time record high
in Illinois. This figure is more than $1.6 billion higher than the
fiscal 2004 number reported by Hynes.
Hynes' report reveals how the backlog of Medicaid payments is
hurting medical providers across the state. His report echoes the
same statements my Senate Republican colleagues and I expressed
during the budget debate last spring.
While the comptroller's warning is certainly appreciated, it
tells only half the story.
This administration has not only deferred billions in unpaid
Medicaid bills; the governor has also deferred more than $2 billion
in payments owed to the state's pension systems. And in the
meantime, state spending has increased by more than $3 billion under
the Blagojevich administration.
Under the governor's watch, the state's bonded indebtedness has
more than doubled, going from $9 billion to nearly $21 billion in
just three years. When pension debt is factored in, Illinois is
second only to California in state indebtedness. Factoring in
pensions, every man, woman and child in Illinois would have to pay
$4,800 just to pay back the state's bonded indebtedness. In
addition, the state has short-term borrowed more than $4 billion,
compared with less than $5 billion in the previous 20 years.
The state must alter its fiscal course, because the continued
pattern of increased spending coupled with the backlog of unpaid
bills is taking the state toward financial disaster.
Illinois State Fair set for Aug. 11-20
The 2006
Illinois
State Fair opens in less than a month's time.
[to top of second column] |
 The entertainment this year includes Bow Wow with Mario, B5 and
Jibbs on Aug. 11; Montgomery Gentry with Jeff Bates on Aug. 12;
Foreigner and Blood, Sweat and Tears with special guest Chuck Negron
and Loverboy on Aug. 13; Illinois Symphony on Aug. 14; Big and Rich
with Cowboy Troy and Hello Dave on Aug. 18; Counting Crows and Goo
Goo Dolls with Eliot Morris on Aug. 19; and Carrie Underwood on Aug.
20.
The Illinois State Fair called many places home in the first few
years of its existence. The roots of the state fair are embedded in
its grounds, where the fair now resides. As the fair enters its
152nd year, the commitment to excellence and the focus to showcase
its agricultural history, educational values and art continues.
The first fair was held in Springfield in 1853, at a site on the
west side of town. The fair of 1853 promoted not only improved
methods of agriculture and raising livestock, but also displays of
improvement for labor, industry, education, arts and sciences. The
admission fee was 25 cents.
The fair has been held in 12 cities throughout Illinois,
including Chicago, Alton, Peoria, Freeport, Jacksonville, Decatur,
Quincy, Ottawa, DuQuoin, Olney and Centralia.
The fair has had its home in Springfield for over 100 years. Many
buildings on the fairgrounds have also celebrated over 100 years of
history in Springfield.
The fair now runs 10 days and is filled with many exciting
attractions and outstanding entertainment. Through the years, the
Illinois State Fair has had one of the most extensive agriculture
shows in the country. It is a place to congregate and learn the
history of Illinois agriculture. The premiums that are offered serve
as an incentive to have exhibits in areas other than just
agriculture.
Currently, the fairgrounds covers 366 acres. The Illinois State
Fair is legendary to Springfield and the state of Illinois. It has
provided many memories to the hundreds of thousands of visitors each
year. Roaming through the beauty of the fairgrounds and experiencing
the historic essence, visitors will make their own history at the
Illinois State Fair.
[Column from
Sen. Bill Brady] |
