Topinka on state budget: Numbers don't add up

Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka on Wednesday released the following statement in response to Gov. Pat Quinn’s Budget address:

“I applaud Governor Quinn for offering specific cuts to the state budget. We all know there are no easy answers, and I appreciate him detailing some of the options for digging our state out of this mess.

“But taken in totality, today’s budget proposal amounts to a hodgepodge of ideas that are not thought through, and that will do little to address the state’s mountain of unpaid bills. In fact, while the Governor proposes saving money by closing prisons and other state facilities, he increases spending on existing programs. He calls for closing tax loopholes even as he offers new tax breaks for certain segments of the population. And while he highlights 9 percent cuts for state offices, he simultaneously increases the budgets of other agencies. Sadly, the numbers don’t add up – and in truth, appropriations from the General Funds are up more than $500 million over the current budget.

“Perhaps most importantly, the Governor failed to provide any specifics for dealing with the state’s biggest budget ‘eaters’: Medicaid and pensions. I appreciate his stated intention of working with the General Assembly to find solutions, but hoped that he would share more of his vision in this budget proposal. At the end of the day, nothing else matters until Illinois deals with those costs.

“Governor Quinn has provided a starting point for discussion. I look forward to working with him and the General Assembly to move us forward, and get Illinois back on track to fiscal stability.”