BY MIKE CETERA
A state spending study released today by two taxpayer advocacy groups (I'm guessing these are conservative organizations) makes the point that Illinois faces a fiscal crisis not because it doesn't have enough money, but because the folks we send to Springfield spend too much of what taxpayers are compelled to give on non-essential programs.
State revenues have grown on average 5.5 percent each year between 2003 and 2007, according to the 2008 Piglet Book, published jointly by the Illinois Policy Institute and Citizens Against Government Waste.
Have you gotten raises that big over the last four years? If so, are you having a hard time with your checkbook?
From the executive summary:
The answer to Illinois' fiscal woes lies not in siphoning more money from taxpayers' wallets, but in greater transparency and accountibility by the state's elected officials. Legislators owe it to Illinois citizens to spend each dollar carefully. If they cannot justify their spending, then they shouldn't take the money in the first place.
The study identifies nearly $700 million in "wasteful spending" that can be cut from the state's budget.
There are no projects specific to the Fox Valley that are mentioned, although some of the statewide programs I'm sure have a local tie, such as the $1.25 million directed to the State Indoor Radon Abatement Program.
Here are the closest projects included in the report:
* $50,000 to the Northeast DuPage Special Recreation Association for renovation, acquisition and construction of facilities to serve people with disabilities.
* $100,000 to the LaSalle County PADS for the purchase and/or construction of a building for a resale shop.
The gist of the report is that Illinois citizens are taxed too much and the government funds programs that, while perhaps worthy, should be paid for through donations, not taxation. Do you agree? Disagree? Why? Any specific examples?
The Piglet Book sure was an entertaining read! It is as sarcastic as it is informative. However, I feel that sarcasm should be left for blog commenters like Anonymous and myself, and not used in reports that can potentially be used to convince legislatures to examine their methods. Its hard to take the report seriously when the title page has a picture of a pig, the first line reads "Illinois is a financial nightmare", and with sub-headings like 'Children of the Corn'.
I skimmed through the book but I was not sure that their statistics are completely transparent with the message they are trying to convey. By that I mean, is everything listed a direct expense of Illinois tax payer dollars? It seems to me that perhaps money could have come from the feds through some sort of grant allocated specifically for that cause. For instance, expenses like the State Indoor Radon Abatement Program could have been a direct result of funding acquired from a grant from the govt to the state specifically for Radon programs. It makes me question the truthfulness behind their claims on how Illinois Tax dollars are being spent.
While $10,000 for Salmon designed stamps is not the best way to spend money, I could not verify that that was actually spent with Illinois tax dollars through the report.
A few additional resource links for tracking pork and the money trails through the political systems and lobbying pipelines:
Earmark Watch
http://earmarkwatch.org/
Open Secrets:
http://www.opensecrets.org/
Sunlight Foundation:
http://www.sunlightfoundation.com/
Last Novemeber, CNet News ran an article about a new Google Earth
application that maps' Federal Spending and provides a nice GUI Interface futher information. Haven't used it in a while so can't vouch it's current or what the update cycle(s) may be. Not a comprehensive list either, primarily focused on Military-Defense 'earmarks'.
November 6, 2007 3:54 PM PST
Now on Google Earth: Map where Congress spends your tax dollars
http://www.news.com/8301-10784_3-9812197-7.html