Lavish Plans

Gov. Pat Quinn apparently has big plans for Illinois this year.

During Wednesday’s State of the State address, he outlined a series of initiatives that he said Illinois needs to embrace to keep the state “moving forward.”

What Quinn didn’t outline was how the state of Illinois, with an $8 billion budget deficit and an additional $9 billion in unpaid bills, was going to pay for these initiatives.

In fact, Quinn didn’t mention the state’s budget deficit or backlog of bills at all. He also didn’t mention the massive income and corporate tax increases that he and the lame-duck General Assembly dumped on workers and businesses a year ago January.

Instead, he used his speech to tout how “Illinois is back on course” and a better place to do business in now than before he took office.

His words ring hollow when the state’s unemployment rate remains near 10 percent — it was 9.8 percent in December, the last month for which statistics are available — and those with jobs are overburdened by massive income and property taxes.

Among Quinn’s proposals:

•   Investing in higher education so that 60 percent of Illinois adults will have a post-high school degree by 2025.

•   Investing in classrooms, equipping them with 21st century technology.

•   Eliminating the natural gas tax; adding a child tax credit that would give families of four a $100 a year break; and offering employers who hire veterans tax incentives.

•   Reforming Medicaid and public pension systems.

Quinn offered few specifics on his initiatives, particularly how they would affect the state’s budget.

The governor is scheduled to give a budget address Feb. 22. We hope he provides taxpayers with a more honest assessment of the state’s’ massive fiscal problems during that speech. By glossing over those many problems Wednesday, he sounded out of touch with Illinois’ true condition.

Talking about big plans and being able to execute them are two different things.

Deeds, governor, not empty words.

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The Morris Daily Herald Editorial Board is led by Publisher Gerry Burke and editors Patrick Graziano and Mark Malone. It makes its editorial decisions in consultation with other members of the Herald staff.