NEIUPI

The fate of education, health care, human services and public safety is in the hands of our state representatives. The Responsible Budget Coalition has invited state representatives, Deb Mell, John D’Amico, John Fritchey, Lou Lang, Joe Lyons, and Mike McAuliffe, to a Town Hall Forum on March 20 (Saturday) at 11 am. It is time for us to show up and convince these representatives to make the right decision. Information about the event and the Responsible Budget Coalition follows. Please consider attending the forum.

March 20th @ 11 am
Town Hall Forum
5216 W. Lawrence Ave
(Copernicus Center)
Chicago, Ill

What’s the Responsible Budget Coalition?

The Responsible Budget Coalition brings together many diverse organizations that represent and serve millions of Illinois residents. We are committed to building the support needed to solve Illinois’ budget crisis, prevent harmful cuts to essential public services, save jobs, eliminate the state’s long-term structural deficit, and make taxes fairer.

What’s the problem?

The Illinois General Assembly threatens or has already forced deep and damaging cuts to education, health care, human services, and public safety.

What’s the solution?

HB 174 is comprehensive tax reform to raise new revenue that’s desperately needed to close the state’s huge budget shortfall AND make taxes fairer. The bill would raise the income tax by 2 pennies on the dollar, broaden the sales tax base, and expand tax credits for middle-class and low-income taxpayers, homeowners and seniors.

From the Tribune:

Not even close

“We cannot afford to duck our responsibilities.”

That’s how Gov. Pat Quinn opened his budget address Wednesday. Then he ducked.

He posited that we can “sacrifice the future of a generation of children” or we can raise the state income tax rate by 33 percent. But he set out a budget that would hack at school funding or whack taxpayers and would still leave the state with a grossly unbalanced spending plan.

Read more of this editorial at the Chicago Tribune