"The People Will Suffer"

Gov. Pat Quinn is meeting with the four legislative leaders today to discuss the budget, after lawmakers sent him a spending plan that provides only about half of the funding that Quinn was seeking. The House rejected his plan to raise income taxes by 50 percent to help eliminate a 12 billion dollar deficit and did not even consider an alternative plan from the Senate. That plan would have generated even more money, through a 67 percent increase in the income tax and an expansion of the sales tax to many services.

Quinn has said he won't sign the budget plan. “We have to stay after school,” he said late Sunday. “Right now, the budget is not in balance. People will suffer.” Since the plan does not have enough funding for the entire fiscal year, he won't sign the capital plan that lawmakers approved last month. But he doesn't have that option right now. Lawmakers aren't happy with his vow not to sign the construction plan until he gets a full balanced budget. Rep. Lou Lang (D-Skokie) is using a parliamentary maneuver to essentially hold the capital plan hostage until Quinn will sign it. So much for stimulating the state's economy this summer.

Lawmakers went home after passing that half budget, but they did not technically adjourn for the summer. At some point, either Quinn or the legislative leaders will likely call them back to pass a full budget -- that is, if Quinn and the leaders can reach a deal. The big hang up in this seems to be what Speaker Mike Madigan wants. Senate President John Cullerton was able to get his members to approve a tax plan without Republican Help. Madigan might not have the super-majority that Cullerton does, but he's got 70 Democrats and needed 60 to approve a tax plan. If he really wanted it, he could have gotten it. He's made that pretty clear in the past. Is he trying to make Quinn look bad so his daughter, Attorney General Lisa Madigan can have another advantage if and when she runs for governor? Who knows. Madigan isn't exactly forthcoming about his motives.