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Illinois General Assembly --
Bassi: Democrats Shirking Responsibility
to Current Financial Obligations
Springfield, IL (May 3, 2006) -- State Representative Suzie Bassi (R-Palatine) said state Democrats are shirking responsibilities to current financial obligations. Her comments came in response to the passage of a state budget along Democrat party lines Wednesday which shorts the pension systems, raids special funds, and increases spending.
“Democrats are shirking obligations,” said Bassi. “We have an obligation to fund pensions for our state workers. We have an obligation to reimburse our healthcare providers for treating Medicaid patients. We have an obligation to pay back the money we borrow. Yet instead of addressing these issues, they avoid funding them and continue to increase the state debt to fund new programs and pet projects.”
According to Bassi, the Democrats passed a budget which increases spending by $1.4 billion funded by borrowing. The state currently has a General Obligation Bond debt of $20.3 billion which has tripled from $7.6 billion because of Democrat spending sprees over the past three years.
Illinois will also end the fiscal year with $2 billion in unpaid Medicaid bills owed to healthcare providers. Meanwhile doctors, pharmacists, nursing homes, and others who treat the sick and disabled have been forced to turn away Medicaid patients because the state has not reimbursed them. “We have a commitment to our healthcare providers to reimburse them for their services,” said Bassi. “By neglecting this commitment, we are neglecting our elderly and disabled who depend on these services.”
Bassi said the Democrats plan to divert $1.1 billion from the state pension systems this year as part of their 5 year, $3.5 billion pension raid plan. “This plan is will cost taxpayers $38.5 billion to repay in the future – that is $3,500 for every citizen in this state,” Bassi said.
“This pattern of borrowing and spending has got to stop,” said Bassi. “The Democrats are placing a huge burden on our children to pay off these debts in the future. It is time to buckle down, cut unneeded spending, and start paying off our current obligations.”
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