And you are blaming whom?

An unbiased reading of the issue makes it clear that it isn’t the Governor who is at fault

Are you one of those people who thinks that the budget stalemate is all Governor Rauners’s fault?  If so, ask yourself this question.  Are you receiving your information from union sources and Michael Madigan’s political machine?  Are you subscribing to sites and publications that have union leanings or an interest in keeping Democrats in office?  If so, you must recognize that the demonization of the Governor is in the best interests of both the unions and Michael Madigan and the information they distribute will be biased.

Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, speaks to lawmakers during a Pension Committee hearing at the Illinois State Capitol Tuesday, Dec. 3, 2013, in Springfield, Ill. (AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

If you want to truly understand what is going on in the state of Illinois, you must look to sources that have no dog in the fight except the betterment of all the people who live here. The best source of this information is the better newspapers in the state, in particular, The Chicago Tribune and Sun-Times. Now I recognize that journalistically, each has had their problems, but in general, their editorial departments are reasoned, logical people without a particular agenda. To that end, I suggest that you read today’s editorial in the Tribune, The governor who won’t back down: A focused Rauner says he’s running in 2018. If you enjoy your slanted sites – as is completely reasonable –  recognize that they are preaching to the choir and balance out that information with slanted sites from the other side as well. Learn both sides of the argument to make yourself smarter.  You might also want to consider Politico.com, a very good source for political news of all sorts.

Back to the issue at hand, the Tribune does a very good of pointing out that Governor Rauner, who takes no salary and has spent millions of his own money trying to right the wrongs of his predecessors, has prepared a very reasonable budget deal which Madigan has simply ignored. And while Bruce Rauner is traveling the state working tirelessly trying to sell it, the Speaker is, well, on vacation.

For years, the Democrat machine has purchased votes with money that the taxpayers would pay down the road. As the end of that road approaches, we are in a position of not being able to meet those obligations without hurting the taxpayers of today – regular Illinois people – you! The governor acknowledges that this is an inevitability, he simply asks, requests, maybe demands, that in return the Machine stop engaging in the practices that got us into this mess.

Meanwhile, the Speaker realizes that the loss of those “tools” will make it more difficult to keep Democrats in power. Without the ability to promise teachers, first responders, and government workers more pensions, higher wages, more job security, and reduced workload, Democrat candidates will have to run on their own merit. The playing field will be level as it is in most other states.

Political bickering aside, the Governor’s requests are not just reasonable but they are requirements of a properly functioning democratic state (democratic with a small “d”). We should all see this issue for what it is, an old man trying to hold and increase the power of him and his friends at all costs vs a reformer whose sole objective is to prevent that from taking the State down.