Speak Out Illinoisans!

I try to avoid political topics because of the extreme reactions to the very subject, but on this instance I can't sit silent. Budget cuts. Specifically budget cuts in Illinois, my home state.

At the moment they are trying to decide how to handle the budget crisis in Illinois, and the options on the table are to defer pay raises for state employees or to lay off state employees. I'm sure many readers are thinking either option seems feasible, you have to do what you have to do. What does that have to do with me?

It depends on what services you utilize on how, or if, it affects you. If you receive child support in the state of Illinois, there will be fewer case workers to help you secure your support. If you receive public assistance, public education, services from the Department of Transportation, Department of Children and Family Services, probationary services or services through the State Police you will be affected.

Both of the leading candidates for governor are proposing lay-offs or deferring pay raises for state employees. These state employees were only getting a 12% raise over a four year period, and they are being asked to allow 2% to be deferred. This comes after several state employee lay-offs and hiring freezes that have occurred over the past six years. Our state offices, working class level, are slashed to the bone already. We currently have individuals handling the caseloads of 4-5 people because of being short staffed in various offices.

My question, my complaint, is why are working class people making less than $60,000 a year asked to postpone their raises, or possibly lose their jobs, while our elected officials once again neglected to vote against their own pay raises? Why are retired legislators getting full pensions that are worth ten times as much as they paid in to their pensions, while the working class state employees are barely getting back from their pensions the amount they paid in? That's right, their raises are automatic if they don't vote against them, and it is the legislators' pensions that Governor Quinn spoke of honoring earlier this year.

Being an Illinois legislator is technically considered a part-time job, yet they receive $67,836 yearly salary plus $139.00 per day they are in session. So even if they're only in session 100 days of the year, they are paid $81, 736 for a part-time job without even including what they are also paid for the various committee chairmanships and leadership posts they serve on.

Only four other states have higher base pay for their legislators than Illinois. Pennsylvania ($78,314.66), New York ($79,500), Michigan ($79,650), and California ($95,291). We are heading for the same type of financial disaster that we recently saw California suffer, I personally don't think that thousands of of working class state employees should be the ones to suffer instead of legislators that are making all of these poor financial decisions for us.

A small disclaimer here, as many Illinoisans, I don't discriminate between Republican or Democrat when it comes to criticizing our governors. We have had pathetic governors from both parties, and this election season we are choosing between two poor selections when it is narrowed down to the two primary parties. Our political options have looked like the pickings from a third rate dating service over the past several years, with party being of little consequence.

I believe that if legislators want to convince our state employees that we all have to sacrifice to help our state, they should be prepared to set an example by cutting their own salaries, cutting their own pensions. Legislators from the other 45 states can manage on less income from their constituents, ours should be able to as well.