 "We can no longer bury our heads in the sand, hoping that things
will get better, and Gov. Quinn today at least peeked out of that
hole," Brady said Wednesday. "It amazes me it's taken him this long
to reach the conclusion and the reality of the condition we're in.
But his budget proposal today still calls for higher spending and
does nothing to give Illinois families and businesses any confidence
that last year's tax increase will expire as scheduled."Brady
said it is absolutely critical for our citizens and the businesses
that employ them that Illinois get its financial books in order. He
pointed out that Illinois already has the largest unfunded pension
liability in the country, the worst credit rating of the 50 states,
double-digit unemployment that consistently exceeds the national
average, and a growing list of unpaid bills to vendors that now
totals $8.5 billion, despite the Democrats' passage of a 67 percent
income tax increase last year.
"It appears that the governor may be taking the first step toward
curbing the Democrats' addiction to a long-held policy of taxing,
spending and borrowing," Brady said. "It's early, and he now must
show steady discipline in following through to actually reduce
spending as he has proposed, push the reforms he has suggested along
with others we in the Legislature will propose, and make sure the
reforms are implemented."
The Quinn administration expects additional revenues in the next
fiscal year to total about $700 million, while obligations for
public pension funding alone will increase by more than $1 billion.
"We all must share in the sacrifices required today," said Brady,
noting the governor's proposals to reform the Medicaid and pension
systems, shutter some state facilities, and reduce agency spending
by 9 percent.
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"But no one group -- not our most vulnerable, not our medical
providers, not dedicated state employees, not our public safety
system and certainly not future generations -- should be singled out
to pay the price of the Democrats mismanaging state revenues and
overspending over the last few years," he added. "What Illinois
needs is systemic change and a systematic prioritization of state
spending, as I have consistently suggested."
Brady also questioned the wisdom of closing state correctional
facilities when overcrowding already forces some inmates to sleep in
gymnasiums.
"I'm also concerned about the effect of those closings on the
economies of local communities throughout Illinois and employees who
will either face unemployment or be forced to drive even longer
distances to their jobs. If (Quinn) is using the threat of facility
closings as a bargaining chip for concessions from union leaders, he
is using state employees as pawns in a game not of their making or
their fault," Brady said.
[Text from file sent on behalf
of
Sen.
Bill Brady by
Illinois Senate Republican staff]
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