The fiscal woes that face the State of Illinois have been directly caused by a slow economy and poor budget planning. A slow U.S. economy cannot be helped at the state level, but bad budget planning and priorities can.
President Harry Truman made it clear: The buck stops here. Responsibility must be taken, and it has to be taken by our state’s chief executive, Gov. George Ryan. Ryan and his party are the ones responsible for spending to high heaven as if there was no tomorrow. Well, tomorrow is here, and the chickens have come home to roost.
For 25 years now, the Republican Party has had the keys to the governor’s mansion in Springfield. That is a long time for any political party. Politics, like economics, goes through cycles. The mood at the moment is for a party change in the governor’s mansion.
The people of Illinois are a smart bunch; they can see more clearly what needs to be done. They certainly can see it better than the crowd now running the show. Change seems to be coming this November.
