Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has handed out raises — some of more than 20 percent — to his staff while proclaiming a message of "shared sacrifice" and planning spending cuts of $1.4 billion because the state is awash in debt.
The Democrat has given 43 salary increases averaging 11.4 percent to 35 staffers in the past 15 months, according to an Associated Press analysis of records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act.
They include a $24,000-a-year bump for the man promoted to shepherd the state through the fiscal storm. Budget Director David Vaught got a 20 percent raise to bring his pay to $144,000 in October when he moved to his new position from Quinn's staff, where he was a senior adviser.
Quinn said Tuesday the raises did not prevent him from making deep spending cuts in his office.
"Overall, the amount of money spent by taxpayers on the governor's office is significantly lower today than it was when I took office," he said at a Chicago news conference planned for him to sign legislation to speed up the processing of evidence in rape cases.
Quinn said he'd cut spending in the office by 25 percent since he took over 17 months ago. But his staff said spending was down 10 percent in the budget year that just ended, with plans for another 25 percent reduction this year.
They did not specify what had been cut.
Lawmakers, whom Quinn has asked to raise income taxes and borrow billions to meet its obligations for employee pensions reacted with skepticism and anger.
"It's insulting," said Rep. Jack Franks, a Woodstock Democrat who voted "no" on Quinn's proposal to borrow $3.7 billion for the pension payment that the House OK'd but Senate has not.
Here's more
[A related story: Illinois Stops Paying Its Bills, but Can’t Stop Digging Hole]
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2 comments:
I wonder how much the bee keeper is costing us that that Obamas just hired.
This state, more specifically, the city of Chicago, IL, is where our President learned the political ropes. The state is in some REALLY deep stuff and is unable to meet its obligations and is paying interest on interest on high interest loans it takes out to continue to operate. Obama is spending money JUST LIKE THAT. Anybody think there is a different possible outcome at the Federal level?? The government continues to spend, spend, spend with NO idea where the money comes from...and doesn't seem to even worry about it. We are in some very serious financial trouble.
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