Of Coffers and Kiosks: Where Are Your Tax Dollars Being Spent?

by Alex Miller Today, businesses and jobs are leaving Illinois, thousands of students are trapped in underperforming schools, and the state unemployment rate is 8.7 percent.  In such conditions, Democrats and Republicans alike should be calling on their state government to be responsible in determining where to allocate scarce state resources. Yet, during this present malaise of economic...

by Alex Miller

Today, businesses and jobs are leaving Illinois, thousands of students are trapped in underperforming schools, and the state unemployment rate is 8.7 percent.  In such conditions, Democrats and Republicans alike should be calling on their state government to be responsible in determining where to allocate scarce state resources. Yet, during this present malaise of economic misfortune the priorities of our General Assembly still seem amiss. A prime example: two $50,000 tourist kiosks in downtown Springfield.

Last year, the Institute highlighted the purchase of the kiosks in our Spotlight on Spending Report.  Recently, Executive Vice President Kristina Rasmussen visited one of these kiosks and was dismayed by the fact that the touch screen was not even functional. In order to follow up on her investigation, Ms. Rasmussen asked me to drop by the other kiosk late last week and share what I found.

Although the kiosk near the museum had a functioning touch screen, its capabilities were underwhelming. The web-based kiosk allows visitors to look for places to eat, shop, and be entertained, but after using the kiosk, I found it little more than a $50,000 collection of restaurant menus, bar names, and museum listings. If those dollars had stayed in the pockets of taxpayers, they could have been use to pay for a student’s tuition, put food on the table or pay electric and gas bills. Instead that money was wasted on an unnecessarily expensive tourism gimmick.

It was Abraham Lincoln, himself, who once warned, “You cannot escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today.” Although the government of his native state seems to take great pride in his achievements, they do little to heed his advice. For years now the government has evaded their duty to provide an environment that fosters prosperity and growth. Responsible government spending is a priority that both Republicans and Democrats alike can support, and it is time that Illinoisans begin demanding more efficiency and accountability in state expenditures.