Editorial: Quinn, Legislature failed to fix budget

Editorial: Quinn, Legislature failed to fix budget
CCopyright by The Chicago Sun-Times
July 2, 2010
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/2455774,CST-EDT-edit02a.article


When a state supposedly run by grownups fails to do its job, the result is the budget Gov. Quinn signed Thursday.

It's built around borrowing and whacks people who can least take the hit. The latest victims are people with developmental or other disabilities and those seeking mental health services.

If you're not Medicaid eligible and you received state-funded counseling in June, you'll probably be cut off soon.

If you're not dirt poor and disabled, you could be out of luck if you need rehabilitation services.

And the pain you'll suffer really gets Illinois nowhere.

Even with these cuts, the state will remain massively in the red. The accumulated debt -- half owed to struggling agencies that already have provided day care, foster care and other badly needed services -- is at least $12 billion.

For the fiscal year that started Thursday, the budget includes $1.4 billion in cuts, with the largest trims in human services, at $313 million. And that's likely just the first wallop for already pared down human services. More details on the bulk of the planned $1.4 billion in cuts will be revealed by Quinn's administration in the next month.

What money there is for the services Illinois still will offer comes in part from borrowing. Quinn is moving ahead with $3.3 billion in borrowing, and he hopes the Senate will approve $3.7 billion more to cover the state's pension bill.

To be fair, Quinn had few choices. Intense pressure to slash spending came from all quarters, including this newspaper. Quinn rightly spared education from draconian cuts. And we do expect that some of these cuts will reduce fat in the budget, including in human services.

But Quinn was forced into adopting an irresponsible budget -- one that inflicts the most pain on the neediest while doing little to fix the state's long-term financial mess -- by a General Assembly that dumped the problem in his lap but gave him no tools to work with.

• The Legislature refused to pass an income tax increase, though the tax burden in Illinois is among the nation's lowest and the state needs the revenue to continue offering the most basic services.

• Both Quinn and the Legislature failed to put an end to free health care for state retirees who worked at least 20 years. This is a luxury Illinois cannot afford.

• The Legislature refused to take further steps to streamline Medicaid, though Healthcare and Family Services Director Julie Hamos on Thursday outlined plans for some commonsense reforms, such as tighter eligibility requirements. To achieve real change, though, she'll need legislative help.