Bill Brady Is One Confident Guy

By Marcus Gilmer in News on Aug 11, 2010 4:30PM

How else to explain his claim that he can balance the state's budget within his first year in office by cutting spending by 10 percent? You know, the budget that's currently $13 billion in the red. The Quincy Herald-Whig reported Brady's comments earlier this week:

A state senator and business owner from Bloomington, Brady said he would run the state like a business, trimming expenses that have built up during the past eight years. He has pledged to cut 10 percent of state spending and balance the budget in his first year, but offered no specifics on how plans to achieve those goals and work to eliminate a $13 billion state budget deficit.

When challenged on whether 10 percent funding cuts would cripple schools, Brady would only say putting professionals in leadership will help. He suggested that employees who agree to forgo pay raises could help school districts. He did not say how that would help school districts recoup money they are owed by the state — $5.8 million for Quincy Public Schools alone — or offset earlier education cuts, including a 42 percent reduction in transportation funding announced last week by Gov. Pat Quinn.

So ... by firing everybody? By growing money on trees? In any case, it seems as if Brady was getting a bit of himself. The Capitol Fax's Rich Miller - who has audio of Brady's statement - spoke to Brady's campaign team who admitted it would take closer to two or three years to payoff all the state's bills. In a statement, Gov. Quinn's campaign shot back:

But, just as no magic beans can actually grow into a beanstalk that reaches the sky, no 10% cut of state spending can eliminate a $12.9 billion deficit. Even worse, it would require catastrophic cuts to our schools and police departments across the state. It would mean skyrocketing property taxes. And it would still leave an $8 billion hole.

But Miller also takes a deeper look at how Quinn's people have kept the budget deficit number at $13 billion in spite of cuts he's already made.