Gov. Quinn named “Porker of the Month”

Last week, Citizens Against Government Waste, or CAGW, named Gov. Pat Quinn their September “Porker of the Month.” This monthly “award” is given to politicians and public officials who have “shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.” As we’ve previously reported, Gov. Quinn’s fiscal year 2012 budget floated the idea of having the federal government guarantee the...

Last week, Citizens Against Government Waste, or CAGW, named Gov. Pat Quinn their September “Porker of the Month.” This monthly “award” is given to politicians and public officials who have “shown a blatant disregard for the interests of taxpayers.”

As we’ve previously reported, Gov. Quinn’s fiscal year 2012 budget floated the idea of having the federal government guarantee the state’s pension debt. He later said he included the idea as a “precaution” and has since tried to somewhat distance himself from the proposal. According to his Budget Directorat the time, Gov. Quinn also met with Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner and other White House officials in 2009 over potentially guaranteeing $14 billion in pension obligation bonds.

Gov. Quinn’s language, as CAGW noted, only encourages other governors, mayors, and city council members with mismanaged finances to go to Washington with their hands out. Even if the federal government had the money to bail out state pensions, this would only punish responsible states and reward reckless ones. And as long as a federal bailout is on the table, state and local governments will continue to delay the structural spending reforms that are critical to their long-term fiscal health.

Quinn is running out of options. His 67 percent tax hike failed to close the gap. He failed to pass pension reform during the special session and the state still faces an estimated $8.5 billion stack of unpaid bills. Worse yet, the Chicago Teachers Union set a clear precedent for government unions to bully state and local governments into meeting outrageous demands that will place further strain on busted budgets and bankrupt pension systems. It’s only a matter of time until more and more state and local officials go to Washington with their hands out. Will Uncle Sam have the good sense to say no?