Sorry, Seniors — We Were All Taken For A Ride

By Andy Shaw, BGA President & CEO

Photo courtesy Salim Virji/Flickr

The BGA loves seniors. In fact, some of us watchdogs wear the gray mantle proudly.

But the old saying that “there’s no such thing as a free lunch” actually rings true in this daunting and sometimes frightening era of massive government deficits, bloated bureaucracies, unaffordable services and benefits, and intolerable patronage. So the BGA is proud to have waged a successful campaign to eliminate the unaffordable aspects of the “Seniors Ride Free” transit program. The freebie was an ill-advised political stunt by our disgraced former governor Rod Blagojevich, and it proved to be a mismanaged, abuse-ridden boondoggle, as we demonstrated in an investigative series with FOX Chicago News that we titled “Riding While Dead.” More than a third of the free rides were taken by seniors with incomes above $55,000 a year, at a time when the state is billions of dollars in the red.

So we applaud the Illinois lawmakers who followed our stories and approved legislation that restricts the program to the neediest seniors, those taking home less than $25,000 a year. And we appreciate Gov. Pat Quinn signing a measure he opposed until recently. There are, sadly, still far too many “free lunches” permeating government. That’s a big part of the public sector fiscal crisis. Ending free rides for seniors won’t end the free lunch mentality, but it’ll take a few fries off the plate. Now we’ll go after the budget-busting burgers.

Statewide update—Feb. 15, 2011

• (AP) State Journal Register—Quinn signs bill limiting free mass transit access, “Gov. Pat Quinn signed legislation Monday that ends a policy of letting all senior citizens ride free on mass transit systems. Now, elderly people above a certain income level will have to pay.”

• (Gatehouse News Service) Peoria Journal Star—Expect Quinn to seek more cuts, new taxes, “Even with higher income taxes, Illinois won’t have enough money to pay all its expenses for the coming year, let alone cover the billions in old bills that have been allowed to pile up.”

• State Journal Register—IDOT hiring case in hands of federal jury, “Either 16 Republicans were fired from their former jobs at the Illinois Department of Transportation early in the reign of Democratic Gov. Rod Blagojevich because of their party affiliation, or IDOT leaders at the time were just trying to follow budget office orders to reduce headcount – and didn’t even know which party label fit some of the 16.”

• Rockford Register Star—Late state funds mean school cuts in South Beloit, “The South Beloit School District is preparing to cut between $350,000 and $500,000 from next year’s budget on account of delinquent state money.”

• SouthtownStar—Preckwinkle donor gets job, big pay, “Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is recommending that the board approve a huge pay raise — more than $43,000 — for one of her newest hires, a high-ranking staffer who’s been a regular contributor to her campaigns.”

• SouthtownStar—Judge orders new hearing in Oak Lawn election case, “A Cook County judge on Monday ruled that a challenge to the nominating petitions of an Oak Lawn trustee candidate should return to the village’s election board for an evidence hearing.”

Statewide Update—Jan. 11, 2011

• State Journal-Register—Quinn sworn in as governor amid budget crisis, “In a 30-minute inaugural speech, Quinn said he would fix the state’s broken finances, improve education and revive the state’s economy during his term.”

• Chicago Tribune—Lawmakers vote to roll back free transit rides for seniors, “A household of two senior citizens with an income of less than $34,000 a year still would be eligible for free rides, said House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago.”

• State Journal-Register—House OKs bill to limit unionization of some state workers, “The Illinois House pushed through a bill on Monday that would limit certain state workers’ rights to join a collective bargaining unit.”

• Peoria Journal Star—Opinion: Taxing businesses out of Illinois, “In a time when we need to encourage investment and attract jobs to Illinois, current tax proposals threaten to do just the opposite.”

• Daily Herald—District 300 looks to trim budget by $8.3 million, “With the state lagging millions of dollars behind in payments, and contract negotiations under way with the teachers union and other employment groups, Community Unit District 300 school administrators presented a plan to ensure the ‘economic survivability of the school district.’”

• Champaign News-Gazette—Vermillion agency to cut some services to seniors, “The changes are roughly the same as last year at this time and for the same reason: The state owes the agency $436,144, which dates back to July.”

• Daily Herald/BGA—Oak Brook mayor, wife collect $142k from 4 pensions, “Oak Brook Village President John Craig portrays himself as a fiscal conservative who favors privatizing more of the fire department and laying off firefighters to scale back costs for salaries and for pensions ”we just can’t afford.”

• Southtown Star—Some Oak Lawn officials question referendum drive, “A group of Oak Lawn officials is working to remove from the April ballot a binding referendum that asks voters if the village should change its form of government.”