McHenry County Blog

When Rod Blagojevich and the Democrats took total control of state government, Blagojevich claimed the deficit was $5 billion.

That was after the election.

I figured that was over a two-year period.

He raised all kinds of fees, virtually asking the trucking industry, for example, to leave Illinois.

Each of the next six years, the Democrats proceeded to increase the state budget about $1 billion a year.

Lo and behold, the deficit is now $11-12 billion.

That is such a big surprise.

Now we know that Democrats can add.

The real question is whether they can subtract.

My guess is “No,” because Governor Pat Quinn’s answer to the situation is…

Will you be a winner or a loser in this slash and burn approach to your check book?

Are you a tax eater or a taxpayer?

Of course, all of us are both, to one extent or another.

Even those on welfare pay some sales taxes.

I’m reading about the so-called “Doomsday” Budget outlined today by Governor Pat Quinn.

I can’t find the exact quote, so this summarized prediction from Rod Blagojevich will have to do:

I’m a state legislative pensioner, but I’m not worried about that not being paid because the Illinois Supreme Court members are in the same pension system. I figure the judges won’t allow their own pensions to go down the tubes.

Health insurance is another matter, however. Quinn is promising that state subsidized (read teachers, university and state) government retirees will have to pay the cost of their health insurance, which is now paid by the taxpayers.

Since I’m old enough to be forced into Medicare, that means the cost of a supplemental policy.

Humana says $148 a month with $6,000 maximum out of pocket.

So, stay relatively healthy and the cost will be $2,500-$3,000 a year.

Crystal Lake School districts get a small proportion of their budgets in State Aid to Education. The Quinn proposal would probably look like what will happened if the Chicago Urban League wins its suit for a revised state aid formula.

My son is seven years from college, so no hit on the Skinner family if MAP scholarships disappear. This person seems to say the program is not much help anyway.

All Kids, the program with which Governor Rod Blagojevich replaced Governor Jim Edgar’s KidsCare in order to allow illegal aliens to get subsidized health care is on the chopping block. Not all the covered kids are here illegally, of course, although the Rod Blagojevich administration would never reveal how many. Low income parents would also lose coverage.

Circuit breaker property tax relief and pharmaceutical assistance would be gone for seniors and the disabled. Home health care and other services would disappear, too, a really, really stupid decision because it costs more to care for people in nursing homes than at home. For most seniors in McHenry County, the property tax part is only worth $75.

1,000 veterans would have to vacate from four state homes. Other veterans services would be eliminated. When George Ryan privatized one home to save money, the legislature forced it to be staffed by more expensive state employees.

1,000 State Policemen would be eliminated.

McHenry County would probably be back where it was under the Edgar regime—no State Policemen.

Oh, well.

Downstate areas who use the State Police as a replacement for their sheriff’s departments would be hurt most. And, don’t forget, there would be fewer ticket writers like these and more on last July 4th.

6,000 inmates would be released early. Maybe they will be those with non-violent crimes.

All the state museums would be shut down. (That does include the pricey Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, right?)

Good thing we saw the free State Museum last weekend twice. (If you haven’t been there, you really need to click on the above photo to see the exhibit hall that is closed for lack of specimens.)

Half the state parks would be scheduled for closure. I’ve noticed that Downstate counties have state parks that would be forest preserves or conservation areas in the Chicago metropolitan area. This beautiful big black and brilliant yellow spider was found at Silver Springs State Park near Yorkville. We stopped on the way to Utica.

The spider reminds me that the Democrats plan to suck our bank accounts dry after they weave their web of higher taxes.

The park is located across the flooded Illinois River from the Farnsworth House, a privately owned Mies van der Rohe-designed house, whose rules precluded my then 10-year old (who as a toddler never broke any of our crystal) to tour. At least it won’t be closed.

The state fairs in Springfield and DuQuoin would be toast.

No more subsidies for county fairs or 4-H. I guess we’ll see if ribbons are sufficient motivators for 4-H’ers, as they were when my father became a 4-H All Star in Maryland, or whether cash prizes are a necessity with today’s youth.

Mass transit subsidies would be gone.

AMTRAK subsidies, too.

Local governments, presumably municipalities and counties, would lose their share of the state income tax. I think the sales tax is safe since it is a locally imposed tax.

Of minor impact, but making so much sense, is the elimination of the salary subsidy for state’s attorneys and county treasurers. (There is just no reason for subsidizing county treasurers. They do less for the state now than they did when I was McHenry County Treasurer in the late 1960’s. Then, at lease, county treasurers collected inheritance tax.)

Addiction services subsidies would be lower.

Human Services offices would be consolidated. Maybe every county doesn’t need a Secretary of State’s Office either.

And the $225,000 to promote Illinois wineries that Blagojevich pledged to end, but ended up keeping in the budget would disappear. Bye-bye Old State Capitol Art Fair Wine Tasting.

But, with wine and liquor taxes doubling, the local wineries may not survive anyway.

So, Quinn wants a 50% income tax hike, but that’s not enough. He now says he is open to video poker, too.

I wonder if Quinn is selling off and of the state’s air force. Other states have sold some planes off, although their fleets weren’t as large as ours. I’ve heard it is bigger than that of a lot of countries.

What you see on the screen is Rod Blagojevich taking his last ride back to Chicago on a state plane.

We need those planes, however, to take the legislative leaders and their pals to and from Springfield, so don’t get your hopes up. It wouldn’t do for them to have to drive back and forth to work like their compliant followers.