Jehan Gordon’s opponent says she is directly to blame for Pat Quinn, Rob Blagojevich and Mike Magigan’s budgets, even in years when Gordon wasn’t in office

Press release:

Montelongo: Jehan Gordon can’t run from state budget mess

Changing Illinois starts right here

(Peoria) Jim Montelongo, candidate for State Representative, 92nd District, responded to opponent Jehan Gordon’s press conference today decrying Governor Quinn’s proposal to cut state aid to municipalities.

“Jehan Gordon can politically try to distance herself from the Governor that she supports to get political cover on this issue. But her support of new spending, Governor Quinn and especially Speaker Michael Madigan demonstrate that she is part of the ongoing problem that has brought Illinois to this point and that there will be no fundamental change in state government if she is re-elected.”

Over the last eight years one party has controlled our entire state government. The results are economically devastating.

Devastating to municipalities that now face unconscionable cuts in police, fire protection and other basic services because of the result of the worst management of state finances in the nation.

Devastating to local health care providers who are now going to have their payments from the state extended even more than the nine months they now must wait to get paid. This hurts low income people who rely on these providers who can’t get treatment any longer because providers are unable to get loans to finance the irresponsibly long wait for state payment.

Devastating to taxpayers burdened with the worst unfunded pension liability system in the nation.

Devastating to unemployed workers who are suffering higher unemployment in Illinois than in surrounding states because of our own onerous policies on employers.

During the past eight years of total one-party rule, every economic indicator in our state has gotten tremendously worse. It is an incontrovertible fact that every one of these problems, such as our unfunded pension liability, have gotten exponentially worse in the past eight years.

Each year in the past eight years, the Democratic majority in the House and Senate along with a Democratic Governor have increased state spending by one or two billion dollars. This was new spending on programs that needed to be re-appropriated every year. This was beyond irresponsible. It was noted each year by conservatives that such spending was unsustainable, but the majority kept spending.

Since the early 1980’s we have had Republican Governors and Democratic Governors, we have had Democratic Presidents and Republican Presidents, we have had a booming national economy and a national economy in recession, but there has only been one constant through it all—an all powerful Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan.

Until he is no longer Speaker and the reckless budgeting he has supported and passed year in and year out is gone, nothing will change.

Not long ago people were led to believe that the problem was an individual named Rod Blagojevich. He was a reckless spender and fought bitter personal battles with the Speaker on a regular basis. But Blagojevich has been gone for over a year and still our General Assembly can’t get a full year budget passed. Still we can’t balance the books. Still the Governor (now a new Governor) and the Speaker trade personal insults and bicker in the press. Nothing has changed. Illinoisans are still suffering as a result of state leaders not having their act together.

Now we have a Democratic State Representative pointing her finger at the Democratic Governor. It is a pathetic sight. The problem is the Speaker of the House that all Democratic State Representatives have put in power over the last quarter century. Until Michael Madigan is no longer speaker and his irresponsible budgeting follows him out the door, nothing will change and those who depend on state aid will suffer along with taxpayers and those looking for jobs.

There is no one else to blame. Our neighboring state, Indiana, had a one billion dollar surplus last year. Economic management of a state is relevant to each and every household in the state—one just has to compare unemployment numbers.

Changing Illinois starts right here in the 92nd District. If people are fed up with cuts to essential services, threats of new taxes, wasteful corruption and infighting among statewide officeholders—all members of the same party—then they need to revert to the tried and true two-party system of checks and balances to fix the mess.

This mess is why I have stepped up to run. It doesn’t have to be this way and things can be better. My first vote in office will be to clean the House and vote Speaker Madigan out of power—the one constant who has presided over this economic calamity. Jehan Gordon doesn’t need to be pointing fingers at Governor Quinn, she needs to get the backbone to stand up the one person who has been in office 25 times longer than Pat Quinn has as Governor, and that is the Speaker of the House she voted for and who she relies on for almost all of her campaign funds.

Jehan Gordon will never do that and that is why I have stepped up to offer the people of the 92nd District an alternative. It can’t get any worse and Jehan Gordon’s press conference today proves my point.