Chicago Sun Times Editorial: State's top Democrats bungle budget again

Chicago Sun Times Editorial: State's top Democrats bungle budget again
Copyright by The Chicago Sun Times
July 3, 2009
http://www.suntimes.com/news/commentary/1650490,CST-EDT-edit03.article


Remember back in February, when everybody thought drumming Rod Blagojevich out of Springfield would usher in a new era of responsible adult behavior?
How wrong we all were.

For a third year in a row, it's overtime season in Springfield.

The state's new fiscal year began Wednesday, yet the state has no budget, leaving social service agencies and their needy clients in the most painful kind of limbo. A massive deficit, as high as $9 billion this year, remains.

Some of the chaos, to be sure, can be blamed on the recession. Illinois tax revenues have dropped precipitously, as they have in states across the country, creating a hole so large it can't be filled by cutting state spending alone.

That's why we have consistently backed an income tax increase.

The good news is that Illinois' Democrat leaders say they agree, and they're talking to each other for the first time in years.

But each day, all that talk is sounding more like childish squabbling, which we've heard before. And though one powerful party controls it all -- the governor's office, the Illinois House and Senate -- its members have utterly failed to work together to pass an income tax increase.

Yes, Gov. Pat Quinn deserves some of the blame. He has fumbled much of the politics in his rookie season as governor, forgetting that goodwill and good intentions get you only so far in the hard-eyed world of Springfield.

And recently, he has been all over the map on budget issues, changing positions, contradicting himself and generally coming off as a novice.

But, lest we forget, Quinn, our accidental governor, really is a novice. His Democratic colleagues, particularly wily veterans such as House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, were obliged to extend a hand to him.

Cullerton has done his part, dispensing advice to Quinn -- including offering recommendations Quinn ignored, perhaps at his peril -- and working diligently to get an income tax bill passed in the Senate. That bill sensibly raises the income tax and expands the sales tax base while offering property tax relief and making the tax system more progressive.

In the House, a more modest temporary income tax increase failed, garnering only 42 of 70 Democratic votes. Madigan voted for it but did little else to get it passed. Historically, Madigan has been a fiscally conservative guy, so to an extent his recalcitrance on a tax increase fits. And House members tend to be more cautious than senators because they face voters more often.

But none of that fully explains Madigan's obstinacy. It's not unreasonable to suspect he has his own agenda -- one that has more to do with holding on to power or his daughter's political future than with what's best for Illinois.

Madigan may be worried about preserving his Democratic majority -- a tax increase vote could hurt a few legislators come election time. But what's the point of having a legislative majority if you don't use it to get things done?

We can't help but wonder if Madigan is loath to do anything -- such as push through a tax increase -- that might make Quinn look like a winner. Quinn, you'll recall, remains on a collision course to run for governor against Madigan's daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan, next year.

It's hard to know why Mike Madigan does what he does.

Right now, all we care about is results.

And what we see is not much.