Blagojevich lets Illinoisans down

Every time you think the performance of our state government has hit bottom with its political gamesmanship and partisan gridlock, our governor proves yet again that he can exceed previous levels of foolishness.

His amendatory vetoes of the state budget bill recently, among other provisions, eliminated $37 million in reimbursements to public transit agencies for their offering discounted rides to seniors, individuals with disabilities and students.

Consider the irony: only six months ago, our glorious governor swooped in at the last minute of an intricately crafted public transit funding bill and mandated free rides for all senior citizens - many of whom didn't want or need the freebie - without the input of any legislators or transit professionals. Yet now, in this year's entire state budget, he finds only a handful of appropriations worth eliminating, and one of them is the reimbursement for the very program he insisted on mandating earlier this year!

After six years of Mr. Blagojevich, it is no surprise that his lack of leadership causes endlessly delayed and hopelessly illogical budget negotiations. But this latest amendatory veto is beyond comprehension.

Blagojevich's tenure has focused solely on enriching his friends and relatives at the complete expense of any forward progress on good public policy for the citizens of Illinois. I can only hope that the example he has set does not cause absolute mistrust of all elected officials among the voters.

Doug Sullivan

Batavia