SPRINGFIELD — Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan is calling on the governor to concentrate on the budget in the face of another downgrade of the state's credit rating.
Fitch Ratings on Monday downgraded Illinois's rating on $26 billion in outstanding bonds because of the crisis, and Moody's Investors Service warned that the state's inability to make its November pension payment could further hurt its already dismal credit rating.
Madigan said that the lack of resolution on the state budget and the credit downgrade are direct results of the governor's continued focus on issues other than solving our budget crisis.
Catherine Kelly is spokeswoman for Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner. She said Rauner is fighting to "put the state on the path to fiscal health," but the Democrat-led Legislature is standing in his way.
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It is apparent to me that Spanky, oops, I mean Brucey and his rich rascals are card carrying members of the He-man Union Haters Club. When Rauner visited The Southern Illinoisan editorial board during his campaign, he said he was not anti-union and supported collective bargaining. He lied. He is obsessed with destroying the unions in Illinois. Hence, he holds the budget hostage until he gets his way, much like Spanky taking his baseball home when things on the ball field don’t go his way. This is horrific public policy, is childish and the only thing Rauner has been able to accomplish so far, is to unite Democrats.
In principle, changes do need to be made to this state; however, the way Rauner is trying to achieve those results is wrongheaded. The reality is the Democratic majority is not going to provide votes to gut unions and collective bargaining. Besides when Rauner took his “Right to Work” dog and pony show around Illinois, he got ran out of towns all over the state.
Rauner owns this downgrade. The state needs a comprehensive budget with cuts and revenue and then Brucey and the Gang can focus on his Turnaround Agenda.
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