I finally figured out the word that best describes Illinois’ budget plight: absurd, defined as “so unreasonable as to be ridiculous.”
To blame a two-year governor for many years of fiscal mismanagement is absurd. Although he may be unrealistic with the severity of potential cuts, asking for a balanced budget is a responsible expectation.
The recent failure to pass a budget before June 1 provides a clear example of the majority party’s strategy. When it had more than 50 percent of the votes needed, it did not pass a balanced budget or one with a deficit. Now, needing 60 percent to pass a budget, majority party leaders will blame the minority party for not working with them to pass a budget. The majority has no intention of passing a budget that does not include what it wants. Instead it will focus the blame on the minority party in order to win the next election.
The majority party expects this governor to succumb to its tactics — as all previous governors have — to get a budget passed. This time its playbook is obvious and has met the resistance the people of Illinois voted to end when this governor was elected.
It is absurd to put the blame on the Illinois governor who insists the state spend no more than it receives in revenue.
— Randy Noble, Rockford
