Blago Budget

At the end of his first term, Dan Walker, the last Democratic Party governor, held a press conference and bragged he had passed a budget.

Governor Rod Blagojevich’s comments to the press after the General Assembly sent him a two-month+ late, but record-setting $59 million budget was that it was “all about pork, politics and false promises.”

Blagojevich did not bow to the inevitable and claim victory as his predecessor did in 1973. Instead, in his fifth year in office, the Democrat hinted of a total or partial veto, calling legislators to stay in Springfield, as he had done repeatedly since the session should have ended.

Legislative leaders ignored that call and sent members home.

With a 98–8 vote in the House and a 52–5 vote in the Senate, however, the General Assembly showed a unanimity not seen since the Walker days. There could be little doubt that any veto could be overridden.

All four legislative factions showed a willingness to prevail over an Executive Branch whose leader has become increasingly estranged from even his closest legislative ally—Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) and his friend from his legislative days, House Republican leader Tom Cross (R-Oswego). The governor’s legislative forces were down to lower double digits—again reminiscent of the Walker days.

Most legislators had campaigned on providing more money for education. They delivered $597 million, a nine percent increase, and, at $400 per student, the biggest increase in per-pupil spending in the state’s history. Still income tax hike proponents like A+ called for budget opposition because schools didn’t get enough.

But, to make near-unanimity easier for the partisans to swallow, each state representative got $650,000 of projects and grants to prepare the way for re-election. Each state senator got twice that amount. There are two state representatives in each senate district.

The General Assembly went home with the second term governor still pushing his unannounced-until-after-the-election goal to pay health care for all residents of Illinois—including illegal aliens—and saying the increased budget “hurt” people.

Meanwhile, mass transit proponents saw their cries of “Wolf” go unheeded. And motorists would continue driving on potholed asphalt state roads last paved in the George Ryan days of license fee doubling financed Illinois F.I.R.S.T. road and bridge construction program.

While ruining their summer, the governor did do one favor for legislators. By calling special sessions, he made sure state taxpayers paid their Springfield living expenses. Without the special sessions, they would have had to eat the costs under a law passed to encourage timely adjournment.

With their leaders acquiescence, members
could now attend to fund raising and petition gathering for the February 5th primary. The signature gathering part of the campaign began last week.

And wonder if they personally would get their share of the $7.2 million huge retroactive pay increase that is hidden in the budget. Judges got theirs several years ago.
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With visions of pay raises and pork dancing in their heads, legislators headed home to gather money and petition signatures for the early February primary election.

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