GHS
Posted May 22, 2008
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So dysfunctional is Illinois government that two guys outside of it - Southern Illinois University President Glenn Poshard and former U.S. Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert - have come up with a capital spending proposal, at the governor's urging. A few first-blush reactions:
First, the construction program has ballooned from $18 billion to $25 billion to now $31 billion, which arguably diminishes its chances of passage.
Second, it would rely on revenue streams - expanding gambling, leasing the state Lottery - the Legislature has consistently rejected before, and for good reason. They're not stable, and they're socially injurious. Should state government's funding foundation for anything be gambling? If the investment is that important, shouldn't we be talking about more reliable sales and/or income taxes?
Third, needful as Illinois may be of infrastructure investment, the state isn't keeping up with the bills it has now. With a structural deficit some have pegged at $3 billion, the Legislature may need to keep its taxing options open to deal with first things first.
Complicating the matter is that if we're in a recession, it may not be the best time to be raising any taxes.
Fourth, this is another one of those last-minute deals that provides precious little time for thorough analysis or debate. Indeed, this gets sprung on Illinois taxpayers 10 days before the scheduled end of the legislative session, though no one should be surprised if the budget squabbling and the inertia it produces go on all year again.
Fifth, again we can't even get solid answers about what's at stake from some of the biggest backers of this legislation. Its sponsors trot out this hazy threat about Illinois losing matching dollars from Uncle Sam if lawmakers don't pass something this very second. Yet ask what the deadline is, and you get this answer from Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Milton Sees: "It's kind of a mushy thing." Sorry, but "mushy" is not an answer, it's an evasion, and it ought not be enough for Illinois taxpayers. We are fed up with state government being run this way.
Finally, there is one other issue here, and it's the monster in the attic. We've written before that Illinois really does need a public works program after years of neglect, because its roads and bridges and schools are crumbling. That said, we just do not trust our current state government to spend this much money efficiently, fairly, responsibly or perhaps even legally, "lockbox" spending protections written into this legislation or no lockbox.
So long as Rod Blagojevich is governor and so-called "pay to play" is the alleged norm, it's very difficult to support any spending plan this mammoth. Cleanse Illinois government of the corruption that criminal trial after criminal trial confirms flourishes in the Land of Lincoln as in perhaps no other state, and then we can talk about a capital plan that spends our money as it should be spent.