A VIEW FROM THE CHEAP SEATS
By Rich Trzupek
A Dose of Reality
We get our fair share of press releases here at The Examiner. Every publication does. But there�s a trend, in press releases from state politicians, that continues to make us scratch our heads.
Before we continue, let�s exempt State Senator John Millner from this discussion. Your humble correspondent, and the editorial staff here at The Examiner, are big fans of Millner�s. He�s got his priorities straight, he knows how to work with both parties and he is not only responsive to his own constituents, he�ll even go to bat for residents who live outside who live outside of his district. Besides all that, Millner is legally entitled to pack heat, as an ex-police chief. You don�t really think yours truly is going to offend him, do you?
In all seriousness, Millner is a gem. He represents the future of the Republican Party in Illinois, and we hope that the GOP will find more candidates like him (and less candidates like Judy Barr-Topinka.)
One senatorial district to the north, you�ve got Senator Mike Noland. His press releases are symptomatic of everything that�s wrong with a Democrat Party that holds a monopoly on state government today.
All over the state, Democrats like Noland are busily cranking out press releases, trumpeting the Great New Bills they are sponsoring, which will create Wonderful New Programs, absolutely, positively guaranteed to Make Life Wonderful.
Super. Thanks guys. We appreciate it. But, can we ask a small favor? Can you spend a little bit of your free time figuring out ways to keep businesses in the state and, while you�re at it, ways to keep Illinois from going bankrupt?
We do have something of a budget problem (dare we say crisis?) in Illinois. Many Democrats gleefully denied that a crisis even existed during the campaign (including Noland, who declared Illinois� budget balanced!). Now that election season is over, can we spend a little time in the real world?
That�s not just the opinion of a conservative publication, or of a crabby, old right-wing columnist. That�s also the opinion of several prominent Illinois Democrats. Asked if Governor Rod Blagojovich could solve the budget crisis, Speaker of the House Mike Madigan erupted in laughter. Comptroller Dan Hynes (our favorite Democrat) has expressed grave concern over the state�s inability to pay it�s health care bills.
And the time-honored Democrat solution, �tax, and then tax some more�
doesn�t sit well with everyone in the party either. State Treasurer Alex Gianoulis opposes the governor�s tax plan, which would sock it to already over-taxed businesses even more. Gianoulis perceives, quite clearly, what anyone with an IQ over room temperature should realize: taxes and fees are already driving businesses out of Illinois. Another hit will drive more of them out of the state and erode the tax base even further.
In that climate, with Illinois in crisis, where should our legislators� priorities lie? Should they be about creating Wonderful New Programs, which spend money that neither government nor businesses have to spend, or should they be about establishing reasonable spending priorities that recognize the simple fact that government can not, and should not, do every last good thing?
Yes, cutting spending isn�t nearly as politically satisfying as finding a new way to spend. No matter how obscure the program, someone is going to be angry if the state takes their meal-ticket away. Somewhere, there�s a �League of Left-Handed Citizens For Monkey Wrench Equality� who will issue an angry press release if research dollars for their pet cause are reduced.
Legislators, and their handlers, shudder at such prospects. Being against something will cost them votes, and the size or legitimacy of the voting block involved doesn�t matter much. Better to be for everything. That�s what the voters want!
The obvious conclusion is that politics is about what its always been about: getting elected, rather than doing what�s actually best for the people who cast the votes. Legislators in Illinois seem determined to tax and spend the state to death, at which point they will throw up their hands and say �It�s not my fault!�
Well, it is your fault guys and gals. It�s the fault of every Democrat state legislator who spends our cash like it was Monopoly money, every bit as it is the fault of Republicans in Congress who did exactly the same. In fact, it�s much worse, since Illinois is in much worse economic shape than the nation as a whole.
A press release or two that shows that you are willing to make some tough decisions - the kind of press releases we get from a no-nonsense Senator like Millner - instead of the press releases we get from guys like Noland, which simply pander for votes, would be most welcome in these parts. It might not get you re-elected, but it will go a long way to earning you something that you don�t have among the people�of any party affiliation�that are in the know.
That�s a little something we like to call respect. Check it out.
