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Think Halloween’s scary? Consider Illinois’ future

The choice Illinois voters will face in next year’s elections is pretty simple: Live in a state in which government provides needed services (roads, health care, schools, police, prisons, etc,), or live in denial.

The Chicago Sun-Times recently looked into the future. It’s scary,

Simply put, the state does not have enough money to pay its bills — and we’re not talking about the bills for waste, corruption and inefficiency. Those make matters worse, to be sure, but Illinois is way beyond that. This state lacks money to pay for its core services — schools, health care, social services.

And

…the situation looks far worse for 2012, when $6.3 billion in one-time revenues, including stimulus money and bond proceeds, will evaporate. The Center for Tax and Budget Accountability expects the 2012 deficit to be, at a minimum, $12 billion.

Some say there will need to be “blood on the floor” before the legislature will pass the tax increase they should have passed years ago, when they let Rod Blagojevich mortgage the state’s future to avoid needed tax hikes.

With Halloween just around the corner, Sunday’s State Journal-Register editorial warns there will be plenty of blood unless there is a tax hike, because addressing the $12 billion shortfall will require a way bigger machete than Jason wielded in all of those Friday the 13th movies.

Here’s what cutting our way out of this problem means: Laying off more state prison guards; releasing inmates early; laying off police officers, firefighters, teachers and state workers; cutting aid to the mentally ill, alcoholics, drug abusers and the disabled; and slashing aid to schools and local governments.

Making those cuts will hurt people and send Illinois’ economy into a death spiral.

These editorial reminders are quite timely, as we are soon entering the season in which politicians traditionally meet with our members and seek IEA support for their next campaign. (Find out more about IPACE here.)

IPACE meetings are great opportunities to pin politicians down about what they are willing (and unwilling) to do for their constituents.

Should you attend an IPACE meeting, keep in mind these words from the S J-R:

As the 2010 campaign moves forward, voters should keep one thing in mind: Those candidates who promise you no pain, those who say things can be solved by just making nips and tucks and magically creating private sector jobs — they have just lied to you.

Those who refuse to promise not to raise your taxes, those who admit that the only way to solve this thing is by taking a mixture of actions, which will probably include both spending cuts and tax increases, are more worthy of your attention and respect.

Let’s make sure we’re not the only one’s afraid of what’s on the horizon.