Show us where the money's going
The Daily Herald provided some very interesting reading last week.
Page 6, on Saturday, April 19, featured a story about the Illinois Department of Corrections authorizing the use of Solvaldi to treat incarcerated persons infected with the hepatitis C virus. With approximately 3,750 inmates treated to the tune of $122,000 each, the IDOC is prepared to spend $450,000,000. The IDOC then threatens the release of up to 15,500 inmates if the "temporary" state income tax increase is not made permanent.
Also on Page 6 of the April 19 paper, we read about an innocent "typo" which may throw the entire higher education system into chaos. Legislators said, "But correcting it could create complications." "What would happen if it were reopened? If you start changing some aspects of the bill, where might it stop?" Wow.
A story on Page 7 then details how $12 million of Medicaid funds have been paid for deceased persons. We then learn that our present "leaders" have terminated the services of a private firm which appears to have been extremely effective in rooting out Medicaid fraud.
The April 18 Daily Herald featured a front-page article about establishing the President Obama library. It seems that the committee reported a 9 to 0 vote to spend $100 million to help locate the library in Chicago. However, four of nine committee members were not even present. Once again, our "leaders" committed taxpayer money they do not have to fund this project.
An April 19 story outlined the horrendous cuts to school funding which loom if the "temporary" income tax increase is allowed to expire. The four big losers of Kane County districts stand to get $11 million less. Statewide, $450 million of funding is at risk.
Let the prisoners pay for Obamacare, dump the library, and let's fix the pensions.
Wayne Kinzler
St. Charles