Chicago Coalition for the Homeless is an active member of the Responsible Budget Coalition, made up of more than 150 organizations across Illinois.
After Gov. Quinn’s “State of the State” address on Jan. 13, a press release was issued by the RBC:
"The governor spoke today about the Illinois budget, what we believe is the most urgent issue facing our state. That broken budget is now a full-blown crisis. Each day we hear of new, devastating cuts toschools, health care, human services and public safety in every part of the state. Basic services for every Illinois resident are on the brink of collapse,more than 100,000 jobs providing those services in the public and private sectors are threatened, and lawmakers will return to Springfield in February to an even bleaker picture. We have to confront this crisis – not with more painful cuts and payment delays, but with a balanced approach that includes responsible tax reform. Responsible reform like House Bill 174 will raise adequate revenue and make taxes fairer. It is essential to protecting public services, jobs and our economy, and it has to be Job One."
Despite these compelling arguments, there are some who refuse to support a tax increase. For some, it is purely about their own bottom line, for some it may be because of a lack of trust in government and Illinois’ particular history of corruption. Those who oppose a tax increase propose that the state needs to rein in spending.
But the fact of the matter is that the state has a $26 billion budget and a deficit of $12.8 billion. This deficit equals the entire amount that the state of Illinois spends to operate the Department of Human Services, the State Board of Education, the Department of Public Health, and the Department of Child and Family Services. There is no way to cut ourselves out of this hole. This is not a matter of “tightening our belts” in a tough economy.
That would be like asking you to choose between eating and keeping a roof over your head. Which half of your budget could you cut out and continue to survive?
This is also not a matter of corruption, waste and fraud. The state has been operating with less than it needs to do business for many years, and all the borrowing, band-aid fixes, and, of course, a deep recession, have brought this fiscal crisis to a head. The state’s administrative costs are 4% of the budget. That is not wasteful. How many businesses can say that their administrative costs are that low? If one were to cut out any potential redundancy or waste, it would not even make a dent in our budget sinkhole.
The majority of the state’s budget goes to private vendors. It funds the community-based organizations that you know and trust. These agencies provide the services that keep people stable and safe. They keep us housed,employed, and healthy. We literally cannot afford to address this long-term structural budget deficit -- exceeding a $5 billion debt backlog -- and see these essential, life-saving services be destroyed.
We need everyone to do the right thing, and we need a balanced, fair, and responsible budget. This is why we support the tax reform package in House Bill 174, and why you need to do the same.
For more information, recent news reports about the budget,and ways to get involved:
http://www.voices4kids.org/getinvolved/files/securingthefuture120109.pdf
- by Daria Mueller, Senior Policy Specialist
