CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Wearing the jacket

Re: Wearing the jacket

Sheryl — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 20:39:14 -0000

Blago wears the jacket alright, the strait jacket.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Capitol View — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:53:31 -0000

Community based human services are on the verge of colapse in Illinois today, due to state underfunding. Not every state delegates its social services to the private sector; California and some other states give that responsibility to the counties, as Illinois does for court probation - and the state rate is close to actual cost. Some smallest of states do it all themselves. But when the responsibility gets outsourced to the private sector, there is always the risk of fiscal abuse. Many community based non profits are paid 70% for their services to state agency clients, and now the governor is proposing that all IDOA Community Care Program providers get paid their 12th month in the next fiscal year -- the stretching out of reimbursements already an abuse of commmunity hospitals. It's all on the verge of collapse, and state officials have been told this in recent years.Higher ed is similarly in crisis, but endowment funds have helped some of the public universities avoid fiscal disaster - as some non-profits have endowment funds and annual donor campaigns. But donations are being challenged by major donors to human services agencies, as the books of the requesting local organizations clearly show that the reason for their need for their outside funding is overcoming the budget deficit caused by State underfunding. It makes for a lousy fund raising campaign -- "give to us because the State is killing us on the clients that they refer to us". Or, "give to us and help us subsidize state government services."

Every few months. another hadful of agencies shut their doors in Illinois. Every fiscal year, local agencies have to end their grants and contracts with state government just so the rest of their local organization and their other functions can survive. Volunteers on non-profit boards are expected to run their organizations in a feduciarily sound manner - contracting with the state for health and human services conflicts with that responsibility.

Waant to compare state to private agency management, as to cost and effectiveness? Each year, the state inches closer to running its own CILAs in Lincoln or elsewhere - residential group homes for DD clients. If these ever get of the ground, watch how their annual costs compare with the state rate for CILAs.

Re: Wearing the jacket

How Ironic — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:39:03 -0000

Little Egypt-

Anecdotal. If you were really concerned perhaps you could have asked the workers what they were doing/why they were doing it.

All you have done is post a story about a situation you don't understand, nor took action to figure out.

Maybe it was a waste. Maybe it wasn't. But it doesn't further the discussion either way.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Little Egypt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:15:00 -0000

OK, some of you want an example of waste. Here's a really good one. I was driving a few weeks ago from Springfield out to Petersburg on Rte. 97. At about the intesection of 97 and 123 (Talulla turnoff), there were two (2) IDOT tractors pulling mowers just tooling down the road towards Petersburg. The mowers were not down cutting the extremely tall growth on the side of the road. They were in an up position. All along that stretch of road there is not one good area to pass any kind of vehicle so I was stuck behind these two tractors/mowers until they turned onto the Athens Blacktop. I decided I didn't have anything else to do and was willing to sacrifice a couple of gallons of gas to see just where these two guys were going. They went all the way into Athens, out again, came out on Rte. 29 and only then did they drop their mowers. Now I ask anyone reading this. Why in the world could they not have dropped those mowers and accomplished something along the way. The general public has no perception of why this was not done but all we see is a couple of mowers going down the road, passing up areas that need to be taken care of and instantly think this is a huge waste of taxpayers money for the gas it is taking. Perhaps the Athens Blacktop is the county's responsibility but Rte. 97 is certainly the State's. Someone at IDOT maintenance needs to coordinate things a lot better than this. And this was after IDOT suddenly found money to go back out and begin mowing.

Re: Wearing the jacket

cover — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 15:06:55 -0000

Cassandra, your choice of Howe as an example of a "poorly performing social service agency" doesn't work, Howe is a state-operated facility within the Department of Human Services.

While I certainly agree with your concern that private social service agencies may not always make the best use of state $, to the extent that the Governor's reductions lead to fewer services, that just puts more pressure on the state to fill the gap. If Howe is an indicator of the state's capacity, whether in Human Services or DCFS or elsewhere, we're in real trouble.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Ivote — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:26:53 -0000

Some good (well, at least interesting) discussions on what should/should not be cut or increasd. What all that fails to recognize, however, is that the Governor neither knows nor cares about any of it, except for the PR effect and the ability to punish his perceived enemies. The Governor has shown throughout his tenure that he knows little and cares less about the nuts and bolts of state government operations. What state government does or doesn't do is irrelevant in Rod's world. Unfortunately, Emil has so dirtied the waters by reneging on his promise last year to override Guv's vetos that Madigan no longer finds it useful to negotiate with him on anything. Madigan wrote off the Guv a long time ago as a know-nothing, lazy suit who sees no reason to keep his word on anything, and doesn't begin to fathom how "negotiating" works.

What needs to happen is for the two people that DO know state government and what it can/should do, to sit down like adults and negotiate. Emil should realize by now that his chances of getting (some of) what he wants by negotiating with Madigan are FAR greater than by trusting the totally un-trustworthy Governor. Emil is the key here--and if anything is going to get resolved he has to get out of Rod's pocket and be his own man. Then he and Madigan--working together, and giving the Repubs a little--can run the state and make Rod even more irrelevant than he already is.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Rich Miller — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:22:18 -0000

Cassandra, I'll be plenty merciful, but what you've got there is an extreme. Not all government is that bad. Even you could admit that.

Plus, I would point to the outstanding work done by groups like Lutheran Social Servicees by underpaid frontline staff. Let's not just dismiss everyone as a freeloading bum. The competent, decent, honest, hardworking employees out there vastly outnumber the deadbeats.

Try a day in their shoes. Go work at an LSS youth home in Chicago for less money than many are paying on their mortgages, for example. Then tell me those people don't care.

Re: Wearing the jacket

the Other Anonymous — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:19:07 -0000

In response to my suggestions to "score this as a win for Madigan," Rich notes:

Just remember that this is one day.

Yup. That's what keeps it interesting.

But it also goes back to something Rich has been saying for years now: Madigan is playing chess, Blagojevich is playing checkers.

Mixing metaphors, if you keep score by Blagojevich's method, each day you start fresh. If you keep score by Madigan's rules, each day builds on each other. So, I am certain that Blagojevich and friends will try something else to put the jacket on Madigan. But right now, it looks to me as if Madigan's in a much better position than Blagojevich -- Madigan can survive a bad press day or two and recover. Blagojevich, not so much; he has to come up with something new all the time.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Cassandra — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:18:52 -0000

I'm over my allowed posts on this topic but I hope
Rich will be merciful.

Ironic--I just gave you an example, Howe Developmental Center. Tens of millions in federal funding lost (and ongoing) because they couldn't meet basic federal standards--and they are basic. Not to mention the terrible effects on the residents.

Re: Wearing the jacket

How Ironic — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 14:10:40 -0000

Cassandara-

Please enlighten us with your suggestions. Here is your quote "I said that the a common approach of social service agencies which rely heavily on infusions of state cash is to cry doomsday when in fact many of them could be run better and more efficiently."

Ok, please list an agency, and explain how it can be run better/more efficiently.

Not anecdotal either. I don't care if you once saw a guy in an IDOT truck sitting on the side of the road one time, so therefore IDOT is paying lazy workers. That ain't gonna cut it.

If you have a real problem and a real solution, please present it. Otherwise you are just bloviating, and not making a point.

-Heartless Libertarian-

While I understand that many of the "cuts" are not "cuts" in the sense that they go below the FY08 level, they are cuts nonetheless. Just because an agency doesn't get an increase, doesn't mean they are sitting pretty.

For example, if an agency doesn't see an increase in say...fuel expenditures (IDOT)...in reality, they have taken a "cut". The money given last year will not go nearly as far.

In other cases, agencies HAVE seen cuts below FY08. Extending payment times for Medicare is only going to work so long. Private providers are already not accepting it.

Also, keep in mind that FY08 budget wasn't much of an increase from FY07 on many agencies/programs. Inflation however wasn't so kind as to stay put.

Am I so niave to suggest that there isn't some fat in the Illinois budget anywhere? No. But I'm also not going to swallow the line that the Illinois budget is so packed with fat that it's dripping off agency budgets like a waterfall.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Anon — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:46:10 -0000

===Anon 12:04. Well that was not the answer I was looking for. â€œYou gotta spend money to make moneyâ€ is BS. ===

It was supposed to be funny. I even winked while I was typing it!

Re: Wearing the jacket

Cassandra — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:41:15 -0000

Well, I may not be able to grasp the issues at hand but I can read my paycheck, my 401k statement, and the prices of the food and gas I buy every day.

I didn't say that the politicians' raises were a major component of the state budget; I said that legislators and and high-level state officials are as a group, well insulated from the financial concerns of middle and working class taxpayers, and that these continuing, large raises insulate them from inflation...on our dime. That is why higher taxes on the middle class (or the selling of valuable state assets) appeal to so many of them.It simply doesn't affect them.

I didn't say anything about pork. I said that the
a common approach of social service agencies which rely heavily on infusions of state cash is to cry doomsday when in fact many of them could be run better and more efficiently. Before we give them whatever they want, we should take a closer look at their outcomes with respect to national norms, as well as looking at their staffing, executive salaries, perks, and fundraising efforts where applicable. Let me point out, for example, that I believe that Illinois has had to pick up the entire tab for the Howe Developmental Center since
early 2007 because they lost their federal certification and, therefore, federal matching funds. They are by no means the only poorly performing social service agency in Illinois but they are emblematic of the dangers of pouring cash into social services without adequate controls.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Heartless Libertarian — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:39:20 -0000

What you don't understand, "How Ironic," is that most of the cuts to the budget were proposed increases. So, in this case, it is pigs at the trough that are suffering. And what pork is in the Illinois state budget? Oh I don't know... wealth transfer payments (i.e. welfare, healthcare, subsidies). Maybe we should be cutting those programs and actually funding our state parks and universities... or maybe IDOT would have enough cash to pick up the dead deer along the roads... just a thought.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Little Egypt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:29:11 -0000

Anon 12:04. Well that was not the answer I was looking for. "You gotta spend money to make money" is BS. This is wasteful spending at its worst. All Blago has to do is put those Traffic Safety employees back into the Hanley building and give up the fight. Who are the advisors for this guy? Boy he sure can find them, can't he? Just remember - FIGURES LIE AND LIARS FIGURE.

Re: Wearing the jacket

How Ironic — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:09:57 -0000

Cassandara-

Your over the top statements only showcase your inablity to grasp the issue at hand.

Since you seem to feel qualified to spout such nonsense as "the happy recipients of endless state cash who are out there weeping and wailing claim...". Please....expand your arguement.

What programs specifically do you feel that are weeping and wailing needlessly? Tell us where the "pork" is exactly. Where is all this pork that you are talking about?

And the pay of the politicians while high, is really a non-issue in the budget crisis. Other than a public relations disaster, it's a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the state budget.

If you want to be angry at the politicians, then be angry. But don't try and equate cutting programs as a direct result of pay raises. They are not related.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Anon — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:04:12 -0000

===With all of the budget cuts, will someone please explain to me how POA has the coconuts and audacity to uproot families, move them to Harrisburg, reimburse those employees for their moving expenses, BUY HALF A BUILDING in Harrisburg and renovate it to the tune of $1.5M, and if some of those employees donâ€™t want to move he has promised them jobs in Springfield at the same salary, benefits, etc. ===

You gotta spend money to save money!

And to judy and Cassandra, the problem with the Governor's approach is that it has nothing to do with performance or value of the programs being cut. Unless you think all government programs are equally bad, it would be in your interest as a taxpayer to have the Governor cut the bad and spare the good (or, for you real cynics, cut the worst and spare the merely bad.)

Re: Wearing the jacket

Cassandra — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 13:00:18 -0000

Well ivoted4judy has a point. Of course, we all know that if there are cuts, they will not be as draconian as the pols and the happy recipients of endless state cash who are out there weeping and wailing claim. But we taxpayers are having to cut too in order to deal not only with food and gas prices but with the shrinking value of our houses and 401k's and, increasingly, with inflation, which is not galloping yet but is stepping up to a nice trot.

Our mostly well off politicans are mostly insulated from all this; after all, they can always beat inflation by giving themselves a nice raise, which they have done repeatedly in recent years and are likely to do again shortly.

So, in exchange for that raise, which seems inevitable, back off the middle class taxpayer
and make the cuts and the sweeps. This year, of all years, is no time to get greedy.

I voted for Judy too, by the way. And I am 100% certain that were she governor, we would not be in this mess today.

Re: Wearing the jacket

How Ironic — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:41:47 -0000

The problem is "judy" is that some of these cuts are very deep. It's not pork projects, it's real cuts to agencies that provide valuable services.

Elderly voters care when their Dr. begins to demand payment before service because the state is paying 120 days late.

Taxpayers care when federal funding is lost for substance abuse recovery efforts, and family memebers are incarcerated versus getting treatment.

Your pig at the trough comment only showcases your ignorance in the cuts.

Re: Wearing the jacket

ivoted4judy — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:28:57 -0000

When Joe Public cant take his kids on vacation because of a bad economy and outragous gas prices, do you think he cares if G ROD is on TV telling him he has to cut the state budget?? HELL NO!! The only ones who care are the pigs at the trough..

Re: Wearing the jacket

Levois — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:23:07 -0000

Hardball politics putting only one person on the spot, the governor himself!

Re: Wearing the jacket

Little Egypt — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 12:13:34 -0000

With all of the budget cuts, will someone please explain to me how POA has the coconuts and audacity to uproot families, move them to Harrisburg, reimburse those employees for their moving expenses, BUY HALF A BUILDING in Harrisburg and renovate it to the tune of $1.5M, and if some of those employees don't want to move he has promised them jobs in Springfield at the same salary, benefits, etc. I would much rather the substance abuse agencies be able to stay open than for Blago to penalize Rep. Bradley in Marion for voting for a recall amendment. This guy is certifiably nuts - he just doesn't have the papers yet to prove it.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Rich Miller — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:55:34 -0000

===Score this as a win for Madigan===

Just remember that this is one day.

Re: Wearing the jacket

the Other Anonymous — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:52:51 -0000

Score this as a win for Madigan. All along he has wanted to put the burden of making tough, unpopular decisions on the Governor and/or the Senate.

Separately, Plutocrat03 wrote:
Unfortunately the aggregate tax, when you figure in all the taxes Illinoians have to pay is among the highest in the country.

This is simply untrue. The Tax Foundation estimates the total state/local tax burden in Illinois at 10.8%, just below the national average of 11%. This ranks Illinois as 22 of 51, right about in the middle. Illinois does pay a slightly higher share of federal taxes, but that is mostly tied to Illinois' higher than average per capita income.

The point is, that Illinois is about average in its level of taxation, even including local (i.e., property) taxes. Cook County may be an exception with its recent tax increases, but that does not affect the other 101 counties in Illinois.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Mr. Wizard — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:52:33 -0000

The solution seems to me to be simple: The House restores cuts important to the Leg. and those for const. officers, and finally a few for Social services. They then pass an amended fund sweep of about $300 m. This puts a lot of pressure on Emil and the Gov.

Re: Wearing the jacket

Kevin Fanning — Tue, 15 Jul 2008 11:51:46 -0000

lol. That is an unlucky number...