Governor Blagojevich Delivers Budget Address???

Rumor has it that the Governor made his annual budget address to the General Assembly yesterday in Springfield. I was there and I must have missed the speech. The Governor did appear in the House Chambers at noon to a noticeably chilly and mostly silent reception. After a moment of silence in memory of the NIU tragedy, he spoke for 22 minutes. His speech was full of platitudes about the value and importance of the “family unit” and the need for tax cuts for some business interests and $300 tax rebates to children which will double the federal rebate program. All of this from the same man that last year proposed the largest tax increase in history with his GRT plan. To his credit, Blagojevich did make his presentation and rhetoric much more civil and conciliatory this year which was a big improvement over previous years.
In terms of a FY09 budget, details were scarce especially on the revenue side and there was no mention of the looming $750 million shortfall in the current FY 08 budget. It will take some time to distill what the Governor has in mind for this budget as details are revealed. The fact still remains that Illinois is in desperate financial shape and as the Chicago Sun-Times said today, now is the time for the Governor to lead! We will continue to track this issue and its impact on District 66.