New Illinois Senate leader typically seeks to raise taxes rather than cut pork

Illinois residents have been breathing a little easier with gasoline below $2 a gallon. But that is likely to change if Senate President John Cullerton gets his way. In an interview with the Associated Press on Wednesday, Cullerton said one possible answer to the state's budget woes is to hike the gasoline tax.

The Illinois tax on gasoline is already among the highest in the nation at 57.9 cents per gallon. Purchase gasoline in the city of Chicago and you can add another 12.75 cents per gallon to the gasoline tax. Add to that rate the federal gasoline tax rate of 18.4 cents per gallon and you're talking some real money each time you hit the pump. Cullerton did not offer the Associated Press an idea of how much of an increase on the gasoline tax.

Basically the Senator wants the residents to shoulder the burden of the state's financial crisis rather than lawmakers creating a fiscally sound budget. No mention of examining unnecessary programs or programs with a bloated budget. No, instead Cullerton believes the people must shoulder more of the burden in this tough economy. Of course with so many people out of work, it's a plan that is flawed from the beginning.