When I was a reporter-type person at the Statehouse in Springfield, Ill., I got to know Rich Miller, the publisher of a newsletter that includes much of the minutia of state government. That newsletter has evolved to include a pair of sites on the Internet that government observers consider significant reading.
Which is how I came across Rich’s “Question of the Day” for Thursday, asking people to come up with the one word that best sums up Illinois government these days.
I COULD JUST add my word to his running list and be done with it. But because I want to elaborate in ways that would take up his precious space, I’m going to say it here.
That word is, “childish.”
Watching Gov. Rod Blagojevich and the Legislature’s leadership squabble over how to resolve a monetary shortfall in the state budget for the current fiscal year reminds me of the ridiculous shouting matches that would take place when I was a kid in Kindergarten.
This whole political dispute has been like all the other political disputes that have arisen in recent years – both sides want to one-up the other and come up with the rhetoric that makes them appear to be justified in their actions (or non-actions, as the case may be).
HOW ELSE TO explain Blagojevich breaking down and using his amendatory veto powers to make $1.4 billion in cuts to what was a $59 billion budget. Those cuts include $600 million for health care programs, $210 million for social services and $100 million for public education.
Since Democrats in the Illinois House were always saying that Blagojevich should quit threatening them and forcing them to remain in session during the summer and should just take the political hit for making such severe spending cuts, some might say they won.
Except that Blagojevich made a point of spinning the issue that he would like the Legislature to come along and over-rule him, which would then force the Illinois House and state Senate to decide how to balance out a budget that (until Wednesday) contained up to a $2.5 billion shortfall in income.
Even the lawmakers themselves see this as a matter of childishness run amok, except that each side seems to think (erroneously) it is the responsible adult in the relationship.
BLAGOJEVICH ON WEDNESDAY compared legislators who passed a budget in May knowing it was not balanced to the parent who lets their child run through the toy store picking out everything they want, while forgetting to bring their wallet with money to pay the bill.
This came a couple of days after House Speaker Michael Madigan loyalist Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, said Blagojevich’s problem was that he wouldn’t “play nice” in the sandbox with other lawmakers.
So what should we think about this political equivalent of a schoolyard shouting match, which threatens to turn ugly for the people of Chicago and the rest of Illinois when valued services start getting slashed because everybody waited until after the last minute (the old fiscal year ended June 30) before taking the problem seriously?
It is times like this I wish Mrs. Pugh (my elderly Kindergarten teacher) were on hand right now.
I COULD EASILY see her taking Gov. Rod and the other political loudmouths and sending them to separate corners (noses touching the walls) so they could contemplate how ridiculous their behavior is.
Considering how childish the political rhetoric has become, it makes as much sense as any other solution.
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EDITOR’S NOTES: If you want to add your comments on Illinois political behavior, the Capitol Fax (http://thecapitolfaxblog.com/2008/07/10/question-of-the-day-563/) weblog will gladly accept them.
At least we can postpone (for now) talk of a shutdown of Illinois state government and all the services (http://www.sj-r.com/news/x544083368/Blagojevich-vetoes-parts-of-budget) it provides.
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