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| NewsSaturday, August 25, 2007 8:18 PM CDT |
Lawmakers and experts: Budget cuts clearly political
SPRINGFIELD -- Some Illinois libraries are set to get the grants lawmakers asked for under the state's new budget. Others aren't. Some fire stations could get new equipment or much-needed station upgrades. Others were snubbed. Gov. Rod Blagojevich's selective vetoes this week of parts of the state's budget have confounded lawmakers who asked for money for local projects. Lawmakers and experts generally agree on the results: Blagojevich's enemies were punished, and his friends and people he needed favors from were rewarded with millions in local projects. ''Unless you include politics in the analysis, there doesn't seem to be much rhyme or reason to the cuts that were made,'' said Charles N. Wheeler III, director of the University of Illinois-Springfield's public affairs reporting program. The cuts were part of a $463 million reduction of the $59 billion budget Blagojevich made in hopes of finding money to pay for his plans to expand health care coverage. State Rep. Patrick Verschoore, D-Milan, saw his projects cut out of the Quad Cities area, while his nearby colleague state Sen. Mike Jacobs, East-Moline, were spared. ''What's wrong with this guy?'' Verschoore asked about Blagojevich. ''I just don't understand him.'' When asked about lawmakers' accusations of Blagojevich's political motivations, governor spokeswoman Rebecca Rausch downplayed the idea. ''Again, we had to make some difficult decisions about what the state can really afford, and what our most critical spending priorities should be,'' she said. ''We think we ended up with a budget that better reflects the needs and values of the people of our state.'' Even though the veto details were released Thursday, state Rep. David Miller, D-Calumet City, said Friday he hadn't yet reviewed which of his projects survived or were cut. But he said the controversial budget cuts this week resembled the months-long state budget impasse that was marked by name-calling and political deals among Blagojevich and top lawmakers. ''I think this whole process has been very divisive,'' Miller said. |
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