If you haven’t read the story, the usual cast of characters including the head of the Legislative Black Caucus, the man who is everywhere—in the church, in politics, passing the plate, filling the plate, both at the same time, endorsing Democrats from the pulpit and mixing hard endorsements and brimstone fire at the same time—State Sen. James Meeks, wants the governor to back off his no-tax-hike pledge, or else. Or else what? These blacks won’t vote for the Democratic governor after he is re-nominated March 21? No, not really. There was Meeks, venting his anger (easily kindled for the television cameras) and who else? PUSH, headed by the Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., Sun-Times columnist (although the grand pooh-bah couldn’t attend in person), a cast of indignant faces and good old Ralph Matire, Sun-Times columnist who writes the same column over and over fighting for higher spending and tax hikes. What? No Carol Marin? No Cathleen Falsani? Hey, Meeks is a minister! Meeks ordered that the state needs to come up with at least $1,000 more per student to improve education. Either that, or… Or what? Well, not commission of political suicide, which shows that Meeks hasn’t fully taken leave of his sense. But “it would be responsible government to say to an electorate, I don’t know what’s going to happen or what catastrophes may occur.” Oh. That’s all.
Were I cynical, I would think that Blagojevich orchestrated this news conference himself to show how he can stand up to tax-hike pressure, facing up to tax dollar recipients who bang their cups and want more. Great press that.
If Sen. Meeks wants to spend $1,000 more for education then why not just take the money of road construction, or school construction, or Medicaid or how about another fund sweep? It seems to me that out of a $55 billion budget the money could be found to hike state education spending by $1,000.
ReplyDeleteMaybe the reason Sen. Meeks doesn't want to shift funding priorities is because he really doesn't believe education is a priority. Because if it were, he wouldn't be for spending all that money on everything else, and then go back to the taxpayer and say, "Well, I spent all that money on other things and now I need to shake you down for more, Mr. taxpayer."