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Editorials
Web site provides a chance to vent : Editorials : Oswego Ledger-Sentinel : Hometown Newspaper for Oswego and Montgomery, IllinoisWeb site provides a chance to vent
| 3/11/2010
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Illinois Governor Pat Quinn will soon present his annual budget for the state to the General Assembly. What Quinn and his staff come up with to address the state's estimated $13 billion and growing deficit should provide fodder for plenty debate down in Springfield this spring.
No doubt, Republicans will dismiss whatever is proposed as being more of the same tax and spending policies, while the majority Democrats will wait and see what their boss, House Speaker Mike Madigan, wants to do. Chances are, Madigan won't want his legislative minions to do anything concerning fee or tax hikes until after the November election.
In the meantime, Quinn is continuing to invite all Illinois residents to participate in the state's budgeting process by expressing their views on the new budget at the state's first-ever interactive budget web site: budget.illinois.gov.
The site "allows residents to offer suggestions on how to balance the budget while seeing first-hand the serious financial challenges our state faces," said David Vaught, director of the governor's office of management and budget.
Those who log onto the site are able to read thousands of comments left by concerned citizens, including teachers and other public sector employees seeking to maintain their pensions, and private sector workers with 401Ks that were wiped out when the recession hit in the fall of 2008 and don't want to pay more in taxes. You'll also find calls for increased state aid for education, medical programs and infrastructure, and plenty of conflicting views on whether or not taxes should be raised or lowered to close the state's budget deficit.
We don't know how the Governor and his staff will use the citizens' comments if at all. And we certainly don't envy the poor soul or souls on the governor's staff-if there are any-who have to parse through all of the comments in the quest for some constructive ideas. At minimum, however, the site does provide weary taxpayers with an opportunity to vent their frustrations.
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