Ill. Policy Institute: Laughable‏

“Unlike the United States, New Jersey Can’t Print Money”

With Illinois legislators continuing with “business as usual”—see below for our update on the latest Springfield budget snafu—Governor Chris Christie has been shaking things up in New Jersey. After a series of budget cuts, Christie is now proposing a property tax cap and a state spending limit. He’s also having some colorful interchanges with his constituents, which you can watch by clicking the video above.

It Would Be Laughable…
…If it weren’t so sad. This week’s brilliant budget solution from legislators in Springfield? You got it—borrow, to the tune of almost four billion dollars, while refusing to touch the root causes of our state’s budget crisis. Meanwhile, multiple austerity measures aimed at legislators themselves were shelved. You can watch the Institute’s take on the borrowing package in this Fox television clip here, read our statement on the budget here, and check out a roundup from the State Journal Register here.

Tune In Tonight…
Want to hear more about the budget debacle? John Tillman will be giving the inside scoop tonight on Fox Chicago, channel 32, at 9 pm. Tune in! You can also check out John’s letter in today’s State Journal-Register on the issue of government transparency here.

Now for the Good News
All was not lost in Springfield this week. Two good government reform measures—both of which were supported by the Illinois Policy Institute—just headed to the Governor’s desk. You can read more here.

Free Healthcare Isn’t Going to Sell Itself, Folks
Illinois spends $70 million a year on All Kids, which provides health coverage to uninsured children from families making above 200 percent of federal poverty level. The program apparently doesn’t sell itself, however: The government recently spent a hefty $8 million to “market” it. You can read more here.

America’s Next Culture War
Join us and American Enterprise Institute president Arthur Brooks on June 23! To learn more or to RSVP, click here.


Copyright Publius Forum 2001