Jun 7, 2009 5:48 pm US/Central
Quinn Takes Budget Plan To The Pulpit
CHICAGO (CBS) ―
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Governor Pat Quinn addresses Apostolic Church of God on Sunday, June 7, 2009.
CBS
On Tuesday, Governor Pat Quinn plans to challenge top lawmakers to come up with a fair budget. But Sunday morning, Quinn took his plan to the pulpit. The governor laid out his plan to members of Apostolic Church of God on the south side. But as CBS 2's Mike Puccinelli reports not everyone was ready to hear about tax increases.
When the applause stopped after the governor was introduced, the state's top politician spent the next eight minutes preaching the gospel of tax hikes in difficult times. But he never uttered the word taxes, instead relying on scripture, even invoking the words of the prophet Amos.
"And he said woe to those who afflict the poor. And I don't want to afflict the poor as governor of the state of Illinois and I don't think you do either," Quinn said.
Quinn says enacting billions of dollars of service cuts as some lawmakers have proposed would do just that, balancing the books on the backs of the poor.
"We are not in the course of getting a budget going to leave anyone behind," Quinn said.
So to pay for those services that he refuses to cut the governor wants to raise income taxes for two years until the state emerges from the current economic crisis. But it's risky.
Chicagoans voiced their opinion on whether they would prefer service cuts or tax hikes.
"I say service cuts, not taxes," said Mike Roberson.
"Living now in Cook County with the high tax rate that we have, we don't need any more tax hikes," said Deborah Coleman.
But after the service, the governor addressed the media saying he believes when the harshness of the cuts is publicized, more people will support the tax hike.
"We have to make tough choices on behalf of the common good. We can't make bad choices," Quinn said. "A bad choice would be to take people with developmental disabilities and throw them overboard."
CBS 2 asked the governor if he believed lawmakers who don't support his tax hike plan lack courage or are simply cowards.
He wouldn't go that far but he did say some of the social service cuts being proposed are shameful.
Dr. Helen Vallier agrees. She says she saw cuts firsthand while working as a psychologist for a not-for-profit social service agency after the state slashed its funding.
"The food for the clients, it cut personal services for those who are addicted, the homeless, the mentally challenged," Dr. Vallier said.
Dr. Vallier says she doesn't want to see that again and is supporting tax hikes to avoid it.
Quinn says two of his Republican predecessors also raised taxes to get the state through tough economic times. He says if raising taxes means he won't be elected to a term in his own right, he said, "Well, then so be it."
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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