Remarks of Dan Hynes
Southern Illinois University/Paul Simon Public Policy
Institute
INTRODUCTION
I’d like to
thank Mike Lawrence and Ralph Martire for hosting us
here today. And I’d also like to thank
both of you for keeping a focus on the financial condition of our state – and
the state of our politics.
Actually this is the second time this year I’ve been asked
to give opening remarks for a budget symposium co-hosted by the Center for Tax
and Budget Accountability. And I readily
agreed. I don’t know – maybe I find
comfort in being around people who really want to understand, and address, the
state’s budget problems. I feel less
alone. A form of group
therapy.
And therapy is what most of us need after what we’ve seen in
How did it get this bad? Well, where do I start?
For too long, our state government spent money without the
slightest concern for the future.
When we felt times were good, we spent. When we felt times were bad, we spent. When we weren’t sure whether times were good
or bad, we spent.
And the consequences . . . well, those could be put off
until the next year, the next administration, or the next decade.
Well, those consequences are here. Not as red numbers on a balance sheet -- but
as kids who can’t go to a good school, parents who can’t see a doctor, and
teachers and police officers worried about how they’ll make ends meet when they
retire.
You see, more than any number on a spreadsheet, the budget
is about our actions in
That’s all we have to do.
And I say -- it’s time.
CURRENT SITUATION
Take a look at where we are today. We face some challenging economic times --
the mortgage crisis; volatile world markets; gas and food prices going up. And
the first three-quarters of our fiscal year reflects
these problems. Sales tax revenues have
shown almost no growth. And payment
delays have gotten worse.
These are the choppy waters into which we’re sailing. And our fiscal ship is leaking.
What do I
mean? Multi-billion
dollar deficits. Underfunded
pensions. Failing schools and a broken healthcare system caused by
chronic financial neglect.
In fact, not
only is our ship leaking, it is headed in the wrong direction.
PENSIONS, HEALTH
Let’s start with pensions.
Today, the state’s five retirement systems are among the most poorly
funded in the country. And that’s
without taking into account the staggering increases that are right around the
corner – in retiree health care benefits.
How about health care?
Despite a substantial jump in health care funding during the past 5
years, about 1 out of every 7 people in
And education? Point blank, we’re near the bottom in state
funding of schools.
Now there’s
an old saying: don’t tell me what your
priorities are; show me your budget.
And today,
with our neglect of pensions, health care and education, our budget is telling
a story about who we are – and who we’re not. The characters are the citizens of
In one
chapter of this story, there are people who wake up every morning and go to
work – patrolling our highways, fixing our roads, teaching our children. And they’re worried about their retirement.
And 10, 20, 30 years from now, there will be another
generation who will also consider serving us.
And they’ll wonder: Will my retirement be secure?
If the answer is an uncertain one, then they’ll choose
another path. And we’ll be the worse for
it.
In the next chapter of this story, there are people who work
hard, pay their taxes, and try to get ahead.
They do everything they’re supposed to do -- but they don’t have health
insurance. So they’re not able to see a
doctor. Or if they do -- without insurance
-- they find themselves stretched to the limit.
They’re buying groceries, paying for gas, taking care of the mortgage --
and then paying medical expenses out-of-pocket.
And what about those who have health
insurance? You know,
the lucky ones?
Many of them are afraid of losing it. They’re holding onto jobs that are holding
them back, they’re curbing whatever entrepreneurial instincts they have – all
the while clutching their insurance cards.
Finally, in
this story, we have the chapter about a broken education system.
In some places, kids are lucky to get out alive, let alone
educated. In others – maybe a little
better off -- they’re firing teachers.
They’re using equipment that was outdated 3 years ago. And after they’ve done that, they get a
4-word memo from
And in this story, every time we fail to educate a child, we
don’t just create a statistic. We create
an empty space. The
absence of something profound from the world around us.
The boy who doesn’t read Hemingway -- never writes his great
novel.
The girl who
doesn’t learn about
The child who doesn’t find a passion
-- never helps someone else find theirs.
That’s what we find
in this story.
The story where we don’t preserve retirements.
Where we
don’t help every person see a doctor.
Where we don’t make
sure that every child has a chance at learning.
This is our
story. This is our budget. This is who we are.
SOLUTIONS: LEADERSHIP
Now, once we state it in those terms, it raises the
stakes. It puts the responsibility right
on us. And it places our behavior into
context.
Look, these problems are not insurmountable. And there’s no shortage of ideas out
there. Just last week, a proposal to
eliminate the flat tax made it out of a Senate committee. And there’s a different plan to boost the
income tax, provide property tax relief, and fund pensions, a capital bill and
education. And there may be other ways
to address our problems, including some we haven’t even discovered yet –
because we don’t work together.
And we don’t
– because we lack leadership.
Now we know
what leadership isn’t. Leadership isn’t
having a big title or flying around in an airplane. And it isn’t fighting. As Dwight Eisenhower once
said: “You do not lead by hitting people
over the head -- that's assault, not leadership.”
Last year, people forgot that. They called each other names. They ignored each other. They filed lawsuits. And we got nowhere.
Our ship drifted -- and water came flooding in.
We need something different.
And there are three elements of leadership that I think apply directly
to the budget. We need to put them to
use, and I’d
like to share them here today.
The first is – commitment.
It’s shocking to think that we’re almost three-fourths of the way
through the legislative session – because there’s been very little “getting
down to business.” You see, to be
committed, you first have to – for lack of a better term – show up. Be engaged.
And that starts at the top. A few
years ago, the Governor complained that the General Assembly was spending like
a bunch of drunken sailors. But I think
the real problem is a captain hiding in his quarters.
Think about it.
The economy is slowing.
Our revenues are disappearing.
The deficit is worsening. Our
infrastructure is crumbling. Our
backlogs are growing. And our hospitals
are closing.
And, all the while, our Governor – he’s hiding.
People say they want to recall the Governor. I say you’d need to find him first.
I mean, when you’re failing even at the Woody Allen test –
you know, “90% of life is just showing up” – not much is going to get done.
It’s so simple that it’s mind-boggling: we have to be committed to the work.
Then I think that we have to keep in mind a second element
of leadership: being principled.
We often hear that the justification for the combative
approach of the Governor is: hey, we’re
fighting for a principle. Well, you
know, the funny thing about principles is . . . they require you to be
principled. You can’t credibly say that
you’re for something -- and then contradict it at every turn. You can’t say, for example, that you’re for
health care – and then hold up hospital payments. You can’t say that you’re for education, or
agriculture, or children, and then arbitrarily cut off funding for the U of I
Extension offices. Being principled
means being consistent, being honest, and it means being fair.
Finally, there’s a third component of leadership that I
think we need to remember: respect the
process.
That’s right. Process – a derided term, in some parts –
matters. It’s a euphemism for how we
work with each other. And how we work
with each other reveals character. How
we work with each other demonstrates integrity.
Most importantly, how we work with each other determines if
we plan for the future -- or whether we simply slap together what’s
expedient. And in that case, all’s not
well – because it doesn’t end well.
Ultimately, how we work with each other determines whether
we can change people’s lives for the better –
All those
people who can’t go to a doctor, whose school is 4th rate, and whose golden
years are in doubt.
When we
respect the process – when we respect each other -- we show our respect for
them.
But every
time we bicker, every time we staple something together at the last minute, we
let them twist. We dishonor them.
And we say – this is who we are.
CONCLUSION
But it doesn’t have to be that way.
In the end, our budget – and the budget process -- is not
just a financial test, it is a moral test. It measures whether we’re doing the
right things in a responsible way. You
see, government can’t solve every problem.
But it can help people live better lives, as long as our public servants
– serve the public, and not themselves.
You see, when you break it down -- our problem isn’t really
a financial deficit. It’s a leadership
deficit. And that’s what must change.
If we’re
committed, principled, and we respect each other-- and the process of
governing-- we will provide that leadership.
And we can stop talking about doom and start focusing on
possibility. We can stop feeling beaten
and start feeling empowered. We can
write a new story, where we put you first.
And that’s the way it should be.
Because when the
people of
And more than any deficit or debt, it is that trust that we
must always remember to repay.
Thank you.