BARRINGTON HILLS… State Representative Martin McLaughlin (R-Barrington Hills) had a strong reaction to hearing Gov. JB Pritzker’s latest budget proposal on Wednesday. Rep. McLaughlin issued the following statement.
“As I listened to the governor weave his finely polished and crafted fairy tales of financial stability and balanced budgets, I couldn’t help but ponder his line ‘we have met our pension payment obligations.’ Pritzker is so proud of making the absolute bare-bones minimum payment on our pension liabilities, but it is barely keeping them solvent.
“Illinois’ debt is like an individual family having a $30,000 credit card balance but making the $500 minimum annual payment and saying everything’s OK. Tens of thousands of hardworking families across this state rely on household budgets to keep their heads above water, except in our case, we do not get to use fake budget gimmicks to get by each year.
“Everything is not OK. Rampant inflation under the Pritzker Administration has caused runaway prices crushing our families. Everything we buy is more expensive, everything is higher in this state including the TAXES. Spending is outpacing revenues once again and now for the third time JB gains the title of offering up the largest budget in Illinois history.
“Our kids are on the hook for these political shortfalls, but only if they choose or can even afford to stay here. Our credit rating is still the lowest in the nation and barely above junk. The only reason it moved up one notch last year was from the Federal bailout and not fiscal reforms.
“The Federal spigot will shut off and with it, the financial fairy dust magically improving our bottom line. Where do we think our state will be then without significant spending reforms? The only way to get back on track is to acknowledge Illinois has a spending problem not a revenue problem.
“Now all we hear coming from the Governor’s corner is J.B. will put his thumb in a pie and pull out a plum called family tax relief. Call me the cynic, but maybe this magic proposal is only here because of the impending gubernatorial election.
“What’s the only solution to our state’s woes? Fire these maestros of fiscal malfeasance. We need fiscally responsible leaders recognizing our main problems lie in our unsustainable property tax spending addiction and pension shortfalls. We must support bi-partisan reforms on spending, property taxes, and pension payments, or we will not live in Illinois so happily ever after.”