The Illinois General Assembly is living up to its reputation. Fourteen weeks after we were set to adjourn on June 1, we don't have a budget. It is clear that we need more than spending changes; we need an entirely new culture of government in Springfield. Because of this budget impasse, the important issues we should be tackling have been pushed to the backburner. The challenges we face, including Illinois' poor reputation and years of financial mismanagement are what led me to get involved and are what continue to motivate me.
No matter party lines, we all agree that we deserve better from our state government. We deserve thoughtful conversation, compromises and common sense. It's too bad that throughout my first seven months in office, I can't recall much progress on any of these fronts. Too often, amidst having $6 billion in unpaid bills, a $111 billion unfunded pension liability and having the worst credit rating in the nation, the agenda in Springfield has been "look busy" instead of "get things done."
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