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The Long Lost Leadership in the Illinois Legislature -- Part 2

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Some recent news for those of you following the goings-on in Springfield.  The governor, Pat Quinn has made a slight step in the right direction, calling the Illinois state lawmakers back to the capitol for a special session on June 19th. 

His impetus,  Fitch Ratings cut the state's credit ratings Monday and Moody's Investors Service did the same on Thursday.  It is now official, Illinois has the lowest rating among all of the U.S. states per the Wall Street Journal, with Moody's analysts quoted as saying the "legislature's political paralysis to date shows not only the magnitude of Illinois' unfunded benefit liabilities, but also the legal and political hurdles to legislation."   In plain speak, they're all a bunch of idiots!!  My interpretation of course. 

This shortfall currently amounts to $96.8 billion dollars.  That's right $96.8 billion dollars and the legislatures left without resolving it at the end of their term rather kicking the can further down the alley and not fixing the problem.  I guess their vacations were more important.  Now if the Governor had acted as the leader he should have, he would have done something similar to the approach I made in Part 1 of this blog.  He should have taken Messers Madigan and Cullerton into a room, locked the door and chained them to the table, not allowing them out until they came to a reasonable, fair compromise to this fiscal nightmare. 

That's what a leader would have done!  But no, not this bunch of clowns.  Now instead the taxpayers have to fund a special session of the legislature, because these three politicos could not get their act together.  I wonder how much this session is going to cost the taxpayers.  Maybe we should make Quinn, Cullerton and Madigan pay for it out of their own pockets.  I can only wonder what they would think of that proposal. 

Comments

  1. AnonymousApril 7, 2014 at 11:10 PM

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