Mayor’s Row…..by Ned Mitchell

          There should be no if, ands, or buts about it, but we are fully involved in the annual season of buts coming out of Springfield.  This is a time of year when those we elect to run this state come up with novel ideas to make our lives better or worse, whichever you believe.

          We have budget to put together and a much anticipated capital building program and reform issues that are all on the table supposedly.  I say supposedly because nothing really happens in Springfield until the final hour of the legislative session and if this year is anything like the past 30 years it will be the same way.

          Reform seems to be on everybody’s mind these days and legislators from top to bottom have their index finger pointed in the air trying to figure out just how much reform voters want.  Last year they knocked the idea of term limits and the right to recall legislators and state office holders in the proverbial head.  With the huge fiascos that the last two governors, one a republican and the other a democrat have caused a vast majority of voters think they should have term limits and the right to recall.  The only problem with those two ideas that many other states already in enjoy is the fact that politicians in Illinois will not pass any legislation with those concepts onboard.   We hear a loud chorus from legislators and their leadership who say we are for reform; BUT, and they go on to run circles around the issue.

          Budgets are always fun to put together.  On one hand every legislator has their own spending plan.  They all want to build new schools, roads, buy fire trucks, and other worthy projects but they have wildly different ideas on where to get money to pay for these projects.  As we all know Illinois is facing a budget problem unlike we have ever seen in most of our lifetimes.  While other states seem to being doing well even in the bad national economic times, Illinois leaders have made seriously flawed decisions on pension matters and other programs until the doomsday we have heard about is actually here.  This has been an ongoing problem for decades in Illinois to the point that one former governor referred to legislators as spending money like drunken sailors, whatever that means.  So once again, legislators from top to bottom want to pay the bills and want to do all of these good works, BUT they can’t seem to say where the money is going to come from.

          Obviously most legislators would rather someone else pay the bill and I suppose all of us are that way, BUT that won’t get the job done.  Will we see an income tax increase, an increase in sales tax, expanded gambling, an increase in fees or a combination of all of the above?  What troubles most voters and put me at the top of the list is the fact that no matter how much additional revenue is raised we seem to be in a pattern of creating new programs without the funds to pay for them and also ignoring the bills that should be paid.

          Going right along with the budget issues many legislators are calling for cuts in the actual budget.  We hear all kinds of horror stories about waste in government and everybody seems to want to make all types of draconian cuts, BUT nobody has any specific idea on where to make those cuts.  It gets comical sometimes watching these folks talk about cuts that need to be made, BUT of course none of those cuts need to take place in their respective districts.

          Just to make this simple I thought maybe we should just cut to the chase and offer up some ideas so legislators can have a map to travel one.

          First, we simply must have more income to run this state and to pay for a capital program.  A simple income tax increase of 1.5 percent would be in order.  Couple that with a sales tax increase on some items that are now not taxed would help.  We could leave alone the exempt status on food and medicine and be fine.  Tough decisions must be made on cutting programs and feelings are going to be hurt but if we are to survive this crisis we have to seriously look at programs that have been created in the last few years that were not coupled with a means to pay for them.

          As for reform issues why not put the idea of term limits at least for legislative leaders on the table and let everyone vote on it?  Add to that concept the right to recall elected officials and take a vote on it.  If legislators don’t want to promote such novel ideas then lets’ do as Governor Pat Quinn has suggested put those ideas on the ballot and let folks in the neighborhoods vote them up or down.

          Of course our legislators have made it practically impossible to vote in a change by ballot in Illinois, but it can be done.  Just ask any of them who put the issue on the ballot that eliminated one third of their positions several years ago.

          So it is a season of BUTS in Springfield, BUT will you and I see any meaningful change or will we get the same song and dance we have settled for in years past?  You and I have the opportunity to change things and to shake up the system BUT will we take the time to contact our own legislators and their leaders by phone or mail and demand change?

          I’m happy to report my mother Rose Mary is home recovering and done better each day.  We appreciate your cards, visits, and concerns.