Amidst the growing pressures of a financial crisis, Illinois' Democratic Governor Pat Quinn took drastic action last July to address the state's $13 billion (with a "b") debt. He, like many other governors across the nation,took a scalpel to the state budget.
$241 million - 3.3% from education including cuts in transportation, grants, and the state board of education
$100 million - 4.5% from higher education including cuts to universities and community college grants
$17.4 million - 2.7% from aging including changes in eligibility for care
$312.6 million - 7.7% from human services including cuts from state hospitals and grants affecting the disabled
$162 million - 2.1% from healthcare
$17 million - 11% from public health
$6 million - 0.69% from children and family services
$15.4 million - 5.4% from state police
$41.9 million - 3.6% from corrections
All told, the cuts totaled $1.4 billion and couldn't even come close to closing the gap.
So what'd he do? He pushed for a tax increase. And he got it.
Throughout the 2010 campaign, Pat Quinn ran on the platform that Illinois needed to raise revenues. He recognized that the state couldn't cut its way out of the mess without doing great harm to some very vital public services and would need to take drastic measures. In the face of the worst recession in decades, Quinn wanted to raise taxes. His Republican opponent, state senator Bill Brady, naturally opposed it calling it irresponsible and proof that Quinn was for big government.
Do you know what happened? Quinn won. It was close, but in the end the people of Illinois voted for the candidate that wanted to raise their taxes. And early this morning, the lame duck state legislature did just that.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn defended a massive increase in state income taxes passed by lawmakers Wednesday and promised to quickly sign the measure to help heal the state's ailing finances.
Lawmakers worked overnight to pass the increase to raise the personal income tax rate from 3 percent to 5 percent for four years — a 66 percent increase. Corporate income taxes also will rise, but Quinn rejected the notion that it would decimate businesses.
The rate increase might be the biggest any state has adopted in percentage terms while grappling with recent economic woes. Nevertheless, Illinois' tax rate would remain lower than in several other states in the region.
"It's important for their state government not to be a fiscal basket case," Quinn told reporters outside his Capitol office.
When others like New Jersey's Republican Governor Chris Christie are selling out to his wealthy backers and slashing taxes on top earners while gouging state services that help the neediest, Democrat Pat Quinn is taking the bold step of raising revenues to cover the cost of doing the people's work. While California's Republican Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger was closing vital state departments and facilities, Democrat Pat Quinn was fighting to keep necessary services in place for the people of Illinois. Pat Quinn was being a grown up.
We've all heard the Republican stories about couples sitting around the kitchen table during hard times trying to decide what they can cut from their budget in order to make ends meet. However, Republicans always leave out the part of the story where the couple discusses how they can maybe earn some more money to cover the bills so that they can continue to provide for their children without having to go without life's necessities. It's a Republican fantasy to believe that a little problem like $13 billion in unpaid bills can be corrected without sacrifice from your rich buddies. But it's the Republican way. Quinn saw the writings on the wall and made the grown up decision. He was up front about it and he won.
It wasn't and won't be without sacrifice. Quinn'a already coming under fire from all directions. Raising the personal income tax rate from 3% to 5% is being framed as a 67% tax increase. (Get it? 5-3=2 and 2/3=67%) From MSNBC:
State's lawmakers pass 66 percent income tax increase
From Yahoo!
Note the prominence of the words "desperate" and "cruel."
Will this work? Only time will tell. But it's nice to say that despite Illinois' issues (and boy do we have our issues) we have a governor who acts like an adult and addresses a grown up problem with a grown up response. It's about time somebody stepped up and took the abuse and the criticism to do the hard work necessary. Thank you Governor Quinn for being the adult in the room.