As the budget season grinds on in Springfield, every Illinois citizen now sees up close the ugly reality: Our state government is in a financial crisis, and our elected leaders have so far responded with paralysis.
Countless words have been written about the problem: years of spending money we did not have, promises of future benefits we could not afford and, with a few notable exceptions, an active refusal on the part of those in power, Democrat or Republican, to do anything about it.
As leaders of Illinois’ largest philanthropies, we are not writing to play the blame game about how we got here. There has been enough of that. But we are writing to put this mess in its starkest terms: The stakes are high, the problems are big and the choices are tough — but failure to act will be catastrophic to our state.
What gives us standing to make this case? We do not claim any special wisdom here, just a point of view informed by our support of education, job training, human services, public safety and other vital needs throughout Illinois. Our foundations often work in partnership with government to find solutions to some of the most vexing policy issues facing our state and nation.
We are deeply familiar with the pain and hardship that will be inflicted on many more Illinoisans when the reality of inaction in Springfield comes home to roost — if that is, in fact, the dismal outcome of the current legislative session.
You might think our elected officials are stumped by some kind of strange, intractable problem, one that defies solution. But in fact, solutions exist. They are broadly known and widely circulated. Some involve making budget cuts, some involve raising taxes and all are unpopular with one group or another. But this is not a time to play partisan politics or think only of protecting parochial interests, trying to preserve a status quo that is not sustainable.
Instead, it is a time when all of us must accept the reality that shared sacrifices are necessary to ensure the future of our great state and city. Indeed, our foundations have very different priorities and interests. We do not agree on every issue. But we do agree on this: If a dramatic, long-term solution is not found in this budget season, the state will be on a steep path to decline.
We call upon Gov. Bruce Rauner, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton to put aside political gamesmanship and choose among the various possible remedies that have been offered up. As unpleasant as the task may be, it is what they were elected to do.
Time is running out. Will your legacy be a failure of leadership? The residents of Illinois deserve better.
Alberding is president of the Joyce Foundation.
Hiller is president of the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
Mazany is president of the Chicago Community Trust.
Stasch is president of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.