Fed's Billion Dollars to Illinois 'Magical Fairy Dust'

By Prescott Carlson in News on Aug 14, 2010 3:00PM

Remember when we opined how confident GOP gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady was about fixing Illinois' financial mess? Well not only is Brady sure he can right the state's $13 billion budget deficit, but he doesn't even think the state should take any federal money to do it.

According to the Associated Press, Brady spoke with reporters before marching in a Springfield parade, and was quoted as saying that he thinks it was a mistake for the U.S. Congress to pass legislation that would mean almost $1 billion dollars coming our way (although it should still cash the check). That money is part of a $26 billion bailout signed by President Obama on Tuesday that he claims will save approximately 300,000 jobs, specifically teachers and other public employees. Illinois' piece of the pie includes $500 million to pay for Medicaid and $415 million to be used to prop up the state's education budget.

But Brady just thinks that's merely robbing Peter to pay Paul and was quoted as saying:

"It just avoids the inevitable. At the end of the day, we have to learn to live within our means and we cannot ask the federal government to continue to bail us out."

Lt. Governor GOP candidate and quasi running mate Jason Plummer chimed in, calling the federal funds "magical fairy dust."

Brady has made spending cuts a core of his campaign for governor, yet despite promising he will be "opening the books and scrutinizing every dollar spent" and that "he’ll take the budget apart and build it back to 90 percent of its current spending level," he has not indicated specifically where those billions of dollars in cuts would be made.