WHO IS MINDING THE STORE?
Do you ever get the feeling that nobody is minding the store when it comes to government here in Illinois?
Well, I wish I had better news for you but a couple of recent developments are not helping matters..
But, there is a silver lining...we have someone out there looking out for pocketbook even if the government isn’t.
Government is Now a Mystery to Itself
A recent report conducted by the Auditor General of Illinois found that the state government could not provide a comprehensive list of programs it runs. Let me repeat that…the state government spends our tax dollars, hires staff and runs programs on behalf of Illinois citizens but cannot list them.
Often times, these reports go unnoticed but thanks to the policy experts at the Illinois Policy Institute shined the spotlight on this report. John Tillman who serves as Chairman of the Institute appeared on the Greg and Dan Radio Show in Peoria talking about this report during their morning program. As John Tillman pointed out, the audit indicated that there are a minimum of 1,750 programs the state administers and that is on the conservative side. As a result, they are calling for a sunset commission to eliminate unnecessary and duplicative programs, which makes a lot of sense. How much of an impact are they making if nobody is making a list?
CTA Doomsday?
We all agree that the CTA is a vital element to moving around the City of Chicago. But, that doesn’t mean it can’t use a tune up.
Although there has been an enormous amount of media attention about the CTA doomsday scenario, there has not been a whole lot of talk about tightening the belt at the CTA or making sure we don’t face future budget problems. Instead, we look at the posters on trains in the morning that say we just need more money.
Once again, the Illinois Policy Institute is shining that spotlight on some problems that I think we all know exists but really nobody is talking about. A recent column by Dennis Byrne in the Chicago Tribune highlighted a series of common sense proposals that would right the economic ship at the CTA instead of asking taxpayers to write a blank check and hope for the best. In fact, these proposals will also help the CTA avoid further doomsday scenarios and actually operate more like a business than a bloated agency.
In the coming weeks, we might have a deal on the CTA. Hopefully, some of these proposals that actually solve short term and long term problems at the CTA can be included in the deal. If not, we can always go back to “Where’s Waldo” in our state government.
Ryan McLaughlin
VP/Group Director, Public Affairs
Zapwater Communications, Inc.
4 comments:
The Illinois Policy Institute is not important.
Didn't you hear them get ridiculed on the floor of the House when they came in to dis the GRT?
Those novices were on the same side as the legislators who voted unanimously against the GRT, yet they still got ignored, at best, and ridiculed, at worst, during the Committee of the Whole.
All these shining spotlights, and yet no one ever actually does anything.
Show me a group with the reproductive organs to do more than just recite the usual litany of empty recommendations, and I'll pay attention.
"there has not been a whole lot of talk about tightening the belt at the CTA or making sure we don’t face future budget problems."
Ummm ... except for a massive, multi-million Auditor General's report prepared at the direction of the General Assembly. And except for an historic labor-management agreement that set the benchmark for how the rest of the state should fix pension and retiree health care problems. But apart from the 30,000 google hits for CTA and efficiency, you're right, no one has made this an issue until now.
Thank goodness for the Illinois Policy Institute. If you hadn't come through in November of 2007, about 3 years since RTA first approved a budget requiring additional state funding, 2 years after the creation of the House Mass Transit Committee, and almost 1 year since that Committee began almost weekly discussions of how to both fund AND reform regional transit, NO ONE would have paid any attention to the issue of efficiency at all.
Hooray for IPI!
Anon1,
Even more ridiculous than the IL Pol. Inst. is some one who posts rumor and innuendo anonymously.
For my part, being ridiculed by members of this legislature (either party) or by Illinois' castrated and cowardly business community would be something of a badge of honor.
No one is more ridiculous than an Illinois Legislator (excepting maybe anonymous attackers).
Anon 2,
Good point. Try this on for size.
Re: Illinois.
1 Vote Yes on the IL Const. Conv.
2 Run as a delegate promising to scrap the toilet paper Const. and to give the state back the citizens.
How?
1. Ballot Initiative/Recall
2. Term Limits
3. Mandated open Government with FOIA reform, Check Registers for every governmental entity posted on-line with every entity posting its all public info within 24 hours
4. Eminent Domain Protection disallowing private to private use and "blight" abuse.
5. Property tax reform
6. Home Rule that empowers local citizens - not local the local political class.
7. Balanced budget defined to eliminated debt as "revenue."
The Illinois State Constitution is a joke, and Illinois has become a banana republic bacause this document empowers politicians at the expense of the citizens.
The most important vote next November will be on the IL Const. Convention.
There is no intellectually sound argument against voting "Yes."
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