What are the human realities of the budget brawl in Springfield? Political posturing, old feuds and recriminations have very effectively obscured the facts and the real effects on people of Illinois of the proposed budget cuts.
FACTS:
Is it true that Illinois has too many State Workers?
NO–Since 2001, Illinois has cut 22% of its state employees, leaving Illinois with a ratio of employees-to-population that is second lowest in the country and the lowest among the ten most populous states in the country.
Is it true that Illinois Citizens are more heavily taxed?
NO–In terms of state and local tax burden as a percentage of income, Illinois ranks 48th In the US.
Is it true that Illinois spends more than other states?
NO–Illinois is a low-spending state ranking 42nd in state spending relative to other states.
Would the proposed increase of the income tax to 4.5% (from the current 3%) place an intolerable burden on the average taxpayer?
NO–for a family of four with an annual income of $60,000 (with the proposed exemptions) there would be an annual increase in income taxes of $60; for the family of four with an annual income of $90,000, the annual increase would be $510. [Illinois ranks second lowest (only Missouri is lower) in our state and local tax burden as a percent of income.]
CONSEQUENCES OF THE CURRENT SITUATION :
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While all can agree that many areas of state government operations need cleaning up, all the proposed cuts taken together would not begin to close the budget gap faced by the legislature and the Governor. If the threatened reductions in health and human services come to pass, not only will the most vulnerable of our fellow citizens be seriously harmed, the domino effects of worsening unemployment, increasing numbers of people dependent on government and deepening of the recession will inevitably follow.
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Direct payments to people who depend on State funds for support are the most visible part of a much larger human and fiscal iceberg; those who provide child care, assist the elderly and disabled and mentally ill will lose their jobs, joining the ranks of the unemployed and uninsured. The estimates of State employee job losses range from 14,000 to as high as 40,000–and those numbers don’t include many tens of thousands of people who work for private sector agencies that contract with the State for community programs such substance abuse, mental health and home care for the physically disabled. Support for foster parents and those who try to save abused and abandoned children is threatened to be cut in half.
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Many of those fired will be thrown into poverty, because their jobs are most often at the lower end of the pay scale, increasing the numbers of citizens who will need State and Federal support, or go hungry and homeless.
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As an example of the trickle-down effects of the proposed state budget cuts, the effects on essential programs of the Chicago Department of Public Health will be profound: 5027 persons would lose mental health services; 5760 restaurant inspections will not be done, 1047 children will not be fully immunized by age 2, 1500 women will not be screened for breast and cervical cancer; 1177 children will not be screened for lead poisoning.
Do the legislators of Illinois want to add these horrible failures in essential services to their constituents to the already disparaged view of their state as a cartoonish political swamp?
Will the most needy be sacrificed for petty political gain, as the State tumbles into abandonment of its essential humanitarian role, and worsening of the chances of healing and economic recovery of its most vulnerable citizens?
We hope not. Even The necessary task of governmental reform must proceed. But to wait for that reform to meet the urgent responsibilities of government would be negligent, even criminal, and a disaster for the State of Illinois and huge numbers of its citizens.
WHAT YOU CAN DO:
Even though we do currently have a budget it is only for a few months. Share this document with colleagues and friends. And please be in touch with your legislators and do all you can to help them understand that we need a tax increase in Illinois to ensure that our health and social service safety net is there for the thousands who depend on it.
For more information, contact:
Arthur Kohrman, MD, Health & Medicine Policy Research Group
