Illinois leadership no where to be seen with $5 billion debt looming

Illinois could be $5 billion in debt by early next year.
It's no secret the state is hurting financially, and it's no secret that state leaders have rarely seen a project they don't want to fund. While it's true lawmakers love to spend money like a sailor on shore leave, not all of the blame can be placed at the feet of Springfield - some of it is fallout from the global economic crisis.

That being said though, it appears Democrats in Springfield are beginning to call for tax increases when the new session begins in January, according to a report in the Chicago Tribune. New taxes are not the answer. A tighter belt in Springfield is the answer. Slow down spending and while not probable, examine a budgeting system like zero-based budgeting. That will help the state right its course financially.

But in the meantime, the state is in a world of trouble.

State Comptroller Dan Hynes warned Gov. Rod Blagojevich that under this massive amount of debt burdening the people of Illinois many services the state provides, such as the highway patrol, food deliveries to prison or school funding.

But where's the governor's leadership on this issue? According to his spokesperson it's not the governor's to deal with. What?!?!? He's the chief executive of this state and he's not taking responsibility. Here's the spokesman's words to the Tribune:

"The reality is that this isn't just something the governor needs to deal with. It's something everyone will have to deal with," Blagojevich spokesman Lucio Guerrero said in an e-mail Thursday. "The national economy is in turmoil, and we have to make sure that everyone works together . . . to make sure we can get through these financially troubling times."

So Blagojevich is passing the buck. It's no surprise. He's no true leader and that's evident when his own party shunned him at the Democratic National Convention earlier this year. He was seen as a liability to Obama, and with a lack of leadership styles, he's a liability to the state of Illinois.

Change needs to come to Springfield and hopefully the likes of Blagojevich will be expelled in the next round of elections. The state Republican Party needs to carefully vet candidates who will promote true fiscal reform in the state and not mirror the "fiscal conservatives" who currently run Washington. Out of control spending needs to stop and the GOP should lead the way in not only reforming the state of Illinois, but the image of the party.