Walter's Perspective: Can General Assembly Balance Budget?
CHICAGO (CBS) - Vacation's about over for Illinois' General Assembly. The challenge when everybody returns? Deal with the state's $15 billion debt.
Can they fix it? Don't count on it. But there is a chance the Illinois Assembly will chuck the politics and balance the budget.
There's a chance because next week the Assembly becomes lame duck, a Senate and House load of politicians leaving office.
They'll be on the public payroll for just two more weeks, and then gone.
Two final weeks of opportunity to do good. To not play games and plot to get re-elected, but to set priorities and to legislate.
If they want to, the lame duckers can dig us out of debt and support public education, and provide jobs and health care and clean air. And guide us through an economic recovery.
They can do what they ought to do instead of what they prefer to do, to get those lobby arm twisters in Springfield to stuff more money into their pockets.
On the way to retirement, lame duckers can be productive, and then say goodbye with a clear instead of a guilty conscience.
Come on, give it a shot.
