Rep. Larry Walsh Jr. Votes With Mike Madigan and His 3rd Consecutive Unbalanced Budget

LARRY WALSH JR. (ILLINOIS HOUSE REP. DIST.86) VOTES WITH MIKE MADIGAN, AGAIN!

WALSH JR. VOTES "YES" ON MADIGAN'S 3RD CONSECUTIVE UNBALANCED BUDGET

"A BUDGET WILDLY OUT OF BALANCE"

Remember the names, listed below, as you lament this state's financial disaster and the unbalanced budgets that got us here!

May 26, 2016
Chicago Tribune Editorial Board Reports:

"Republican lawmakers protested loudly on the Illinois House floor Wednesday night after Democrats rammed a 500-page state budget through the chamber less than three hours after it was introduced.

The next day, House Speaker Michael Madigan capitulated — on a procedural point, not on his budget with its dishonest promises to people who rely on state spending. Madigan allowed a revote on the bill — an acknowledgment that the chamber, under his stewardship, had spun into chaos the night before.

Thursday's revote was calm and collected. But it too ended with Madigan's proposed budget, some $7 billion out of balance, passing the House. That's $7 billion that does not exist — $7 billion in spending promises intended to assure doe-eyed voters that we're down here in Springfield taking care of you. So don't forget to vote for us.

Madigan's bogus budget bill now heads to the Illinois Senate, where Senate President John Cullerton has to decide whether to once again tag along behind Madigan. We hope Cullerton read this passage, with its devastating quotation from one of his caucus members, in a Tribune news story:

"I am not a fan of the budget. I think it's a fantasy budget, but the reality is that it really hurt people," said Sen. Heather Steans, D-Chicago. "There's not the revenue to support it, and it delays us to getting to a real solution."

For the third year in a row, the Democrat-led General Assembly appears poised to sign off on a budget wildly out of balance. Rather than make the necessary cuts or put votes on a tax increase, lawmakers take the easy road. They send a bill to the governor's desk because they're afraid to include all the new taxation their spending would require. This budget would spend about $39 billion for the fiscal year that begins July 1. Even Democrats admit the state is expected to take in only $32 billion in revenue.

It's unclear what will happen this time. Rauner has said he'll veto this budget too if Cullerton again does Madigan's bidding. But Rauner might not be able to preserve education funding because it's not in a separate bill this year.
Last year, Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the spending plan Madigan and Cullerton sent to him, which Rauner estimated to be $4 billion out of balance. He signed off on education spending, though, allowing schools to open their doors last fall.

The sick and needy people who rely on state-funded programs are getting crushed by the dysfunction. Democrats perpetuate the pain by intentionally passing these unbalanced budgets — flouting the Illinois Constitution — for the purpose of making Rauner the bad guy who says no.

On the re-vote Thursday afternoon, 60 lawmakers voted for spending increases for which Illinois has no revenue. They knew the promises inside their 500-page bill could not possibly be fulfilled. They voted for museum funding, state fairground money, high-speed rail, state fairground improvements, a south suburban airport and more.

The House members who supported Madigan's third consecutive unbalanced budget were:

Edward "Eddie" Acevedo, D-Chicago;Carol Ammons, D-Urbana; Jaime Andrade, D-Chicago; Luis Arroyo, D-Chicago; Daniel Beiser, D-Alton; John Bradley, D-Marion; Daniel Burke, D-Chicago; Kelly Burke, D-Evergreen Park; Katherine Cloonen, D-Kankakee; Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park; Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton; Fred Crespo, D-Hoffman Estates; Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago; John D'Amico, D-Chicago;Will Davis, D-Homewood; Anthony DeLuca, D-Chicago Heights; Marcus Evans, D-Chicago; Sara Feigenholtz, D-Chicago; Laura Fine, D-Glenview; Mary Flowers, D-Chicago; LaShawn Ford, D-Chicago; Robyn Gabel, D-Evanston; Jehan Gordon-Booth, D-Peoria; Will Guzzardi, D-Chicago; Sonya Harper, D-Chicago; Greg Harris, D-Chicago; Elizabeth Hernandez, D-Chicago; Jay Hoffman, D-Swansea;Fran Hurley, D-Chicago; Eddie Lee Jackson Sr., D-East St. Louis; Thaddeus Jones, D-Calumet City.

Also: Lou Lang, D-Skokie; Camille Lilly, D-Chicago; Michael Madigan, D-Chicago;Natalie Manley, D-Joliet; Robert Martwick, D-Chicago; Rita Mayfield, D-Waukegan; Emily McAsey, D-Lockport; Christian Mitchell, D-Chicago; Anna Moeller, D-Elgin; Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines; Michelle Mussman, D-Schaumburg; Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg; Pamela Reaves-Harris, D-Chicago; Al Riley, D-Olympia Fields; Bob Rita, D-Blue Island; Sue Scherer, D-Decatur; Elgie Sims Jr., D-Chicago; Andrew Skoog, D-LaSalle; Cynthia Soto, D-Chicago; Silvana Tabares, D-Chicago; Arthur Turner, D-Chicago; Patrick Verschoore, D-Milan;Litesa Wallace, D-Rockford; Lawrence Walsh Jr., D-Elwood; Emanuel "Chris" Welch, D-Hillside; Ann Williams, D-Chicago; Kathleen Willis, D-Addison; Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake; Michael Zalewski, D-Riverside.

Democrats Linda Chapa LaVia, of Aurora, and Monique Davis, of Chicago, voted for the bill Wednesday but were excused absences Thursday. Andre Thapedi, D-Chicago, was recorded as not voting Thursday but said he meant to vote for the budget. Rep. Mike Smiddy, D-Hillsdale, voted a cowardly "present."

Remember those names as you lament this state's financial disaster and the unbalanced budgets that got us here."

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