He doesn’t slobber on himself.
“Gov. Quinn is a good-hearted man and I appreciate his efforts in delivering today’s State of the State address. The fact is that despite our many challenges, there are good things happening in Illinois and many reasons to be proud to call this state our home.
Rest of the press release
SPRINGFIELD – Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka on Wednesday released the following statement in response to Gov. Pat Quinn’s State of the State address:
“Gov. Quinn is a good-hearted man and I appreciate his efforts in delivering today’s State of the State address. The fact is that despite our many challenges, there are good things happening in Illinois and many reasons to be proud to call this state our home.
“Unfortunately, our continued financial predicament overshadows these accomplishments. Today my office has more than 161,980 unpaid bills totaling more than $6.5 billion – and the state’s total bill backlog reaches $9 billion. Our unfunded pension liability is $97 billion, and growing by $17 million each day. And the nation’s bond rating agencies have downgraded Illinois 12 times in the last four years – giving us the worst credit in the nation and costing taxpayers more whenever the state borrows.
“This fiscal calamity hovers like a storm cloud over the state of Illinois. It will not lift until we take long-overdue steps to balance our books in the long run. We cannot afford tangents or distractions – we have to address our finances, and time is of the essence.”