Friday, September 09, 2005

Budget shenanigans of Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

Here in Illinois we have a governor, Rod Blagojevich, whose been playing a shell game for the last 2 1/2 years with the state budget.

A tipster sent this my way, from the Fox 32 Chicago site:

"We will not balance the budget by sacrificing our values..."(Blagojevich) "

...doesn't sacrifice our values..."(Blagojevich) "...priorities and values..."

But since his election, the Governor has taken $14 million from schools... about $34 million from healthcare... and $45 million from public safety agencies.

(Blagojevich) "I want to announce something else we're doing for veterans..."He's hit veterans, nurses, and firefighters. Environmental programs suffered most, to the tune of $60 million.

(Blagojevich) "I had bad timing in becoming governor. I became governor in the worst fiscal crisis in our state's history."We expect budget cuts in times like these. The state, like any family, must tighten its belt. But our analysis shows: that's not what's happening here.

"What I'm saying is that this is a backdoor tax. That's what you've done," says Topinka. The Governor is taking money from things like hunting permits, the gas tax, and traffic fines. Money collected for specific purposes: Wildlife. Railroad gates. Highway patrols. He's now using those dollars to pay other state bills.

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