Pat Quinn isn’t much of a prize, but jeebus this is amazing:
* Sen. Bill Brady said today that he won’t know how he can cut 10 percent out of the state budget until after Auditor General Bill Holland helps him identify specific cuts. But Brady also said he would “demand of every agency that they come back with a budget of 90 percent – show us what your priorities are with that 90 percent.”
Asked if he was saying that he wouldn’t talk about details of that 10 percent cut until after he was elected, Brady said, “I think I’m pretty precise. A dime of every dollar is pretty precise.”
When it was pointed out that ten percent only gets him maybe about a quarter of the way there, he said, “No it doesn’t.”
“I didn’t say it’s going to be easy. And I didn’t say all of it will come from rooting out corruption, fraud waste and mismanagement. Much of it will. Much of it will. Look at the Department of Corrections.”
Rich has good video and more as well.
“No it doesn’t.”
The only response to this is something akin to my twins fighting, “Yes it does.”
Brady has been in office for 15 years since 1993 and yet he cannot identify significant budget cuts. Claiming to want to rely on Howland for budget cuts misses the point of the office of the Auditor General. The Auditor General doesn’t make policy choices, he evaluates adherence to the law and regulation by state agencies and programs. He can offer excellent advice in terms of efficiency and streamlining in some cases, but it’s not his job to make the value judgment required to cut budgets. That’s the point of the office actually–to provide quality audits on the performance of state agencies and programs in regards to practices and accounting.
This is why Howland is so useful. He doesn’t engage in political nonsense (other than defending himself from Blagojevich the once). He issues fact based reports. Some savings can be found from his reports, but nothing near what needs to be done to create a sustainable budget for the State of Illinois. Cuts and tax increases are going to be required whether Bill Brady can admit it or not. He is using this supposed strategy to avoid having to answer important questions about value judgments and where Brady would cut the state budget to pull off his promise of not raising taxes. Cuts are going to have to come from programs that serve people and before anyone votes, the citizens of Illinois deserve to hear what Brady would prioritize in his reductions. If he can’t do that, what good is all of his experience in the State Lege?
Pat Quinn hasn’t been honest on the budget either, but does at least acknowledge the need to raise taxes as well. His answer on how much and how changes depending on the moment you ask, but it is much closer to reality. Then again, Pat Quinn’s mouth tends to answer all questions differently from moment to moment.