What He Really Meant Pt. 1

Two weeks ago the Governor made his budget address, here is what he really said.

by Mark Cavers

Two weeks ago, Governor Quinn gave his budget address, over the next seven days, leading up to our own press conference for the release of our Budget Solutions 2012, we will be looking at what he said in his address and what he really meant.

The Governor uses the words “save” and “saving” throughout his budget presentation arguing that his policies, reforms, and plans will somehow save taxpayers money. In this specific context, the governor is pointing out that the pension reforms that passed for new employees will save taxpayers $220 billion. Although correct, the majority of these savings will not be realized for years, until the new employees start retiring. Additionally, the governor is only looking at one small portion of the budget. In much the same way that he said he was making spending cuts when the total spending in his budget increases by $1.7 billion, he is pointing out savings without taking into account the total increases in spending.

Finally, the governor signed into law a 67% tax hike that will confiscate $1,400 from the average taxpayer. With the governor taking an extra $1,400 from each citizen of Illinois, it is difficult to take seriously any claim that he is saving the people of Illinois money.

On March 8th, the Institute will release an alternative, workable budget: Budget Solutions 2012. It will be balanced, sustainable, and it will cut unnecessary spending and focus government on effectively delivering core services.