Thursday, November 12, 2009

Illinois and the Big, Bad Budget Crisis

The Pew Center has declared that the state of Illinois is spiraling out of control with its spending and is headed down the same road as California. Illinois, along with nine other states (Arizona, Michigan, California, Nevada, Rhode Island, Wisconsin, Oregon, New Jersey and Florida) are facing horrible budget crises and have been declared to be in "fiscal peril". I don't doubt the findings. The state of Wisconsin are disputing the findings, but as far s Illinois goes, I can see how we fall short every year. My only question is: HOW???? How can a state like Illinois, or better yet California or Florida, be facing billion and billions of dollars in the deficit column? The deficits cannot be blamed on a certain party per se, lawmakers are members of both major parties. The states rely on very different products for income, so what is the deal?? How do you have a tourist attraction, like both Disney states (CA and FL), that is not making money? I am so confused.

I guess that I can see that Michigan would be having some financial issues. I used to live there, the fiscal problems are not new. Now the biggest employers are having their own fiscal problems, so of course the people of the state are being affected. But the dairy state? Really? Jersey? Don't they have Atlantic City? And then there is Illinois. Ok, I already know why Chicago is having fiscal problems. There is SO much waste. People not working and getting paid a ton of money to do nothing- examples are people that I have already talked about. As a tax payer, I really want to know how it is possible that I pay MORE taxes in Cook County than residents that live in NY and CA?? And we still have a budget deficit? Seriously- wrap your head around this... in Cook County, Todd the troll has made it so we pay a whopping 10.25% in taxes, yet we can't go a year without asking for state assistance for the CTA (that is the el train for all those who don't live in Chicago). And you know what all this excessive taxing is going to get? An empty city. Chicago could turn into Detroit. No one will be able to afford living in Chicago. All because some of the people in charge take advantage of their position. Would it ever be possible that the Cook County Board, Aldermen or (gasp) the Mayor would take a pay cut so that police can continue to patrol the streets, garbage men can keep on collecting, people in the city can actually get all the amenities OF the city? I mean we ARE paying for it, right?

1 comments:

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