Editorial: Signs of hope in state budget mess

Is common sense finally arriving in Springfield?

We shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves. It’s a little too soon to tell — particularly in a campaign year when appearances of disciplined spending and earnest problem-solving merely could be dancing photons in a mirage that vanishes like the fog once we reach the November elections.

And certainly, let’s be mindful that the practice of politics is frequently the art of illusion, not a commitment to face value. In an election year, in particular, incumbents in tight races coincidentally get pushed forward to be populist heroes.

But enough of caveats and stretched metaphors. When it comes to state government’s relentless budget crises, we’ll take our hope where we can find it.

As expressed in this space three weeks ago, we were encouraged by the small step in the right direction Gov. Pat Quinn took in his budget address. We wish he would have gone further, particularly with the hard details, but at least the governor’s tone seemed to grasp the reality of the state’s monumental fiscal problems and to provide a place to begin seriously slicing away at them.

We were encouraged further last week by more signs of responsibility.

The Illinois Senate, in a near-unanimous vote, passed a resolution effectively establishing a spending cap for 2013 that matches the $33.72 billion figure adopted by the House. While we hope the figure is lowered still further, it does amount to about $200 million less than the number Quinn has proposed.

At least, we’re heartened by the public commitment by legislative leaders and budget committee chairs that the state should spend no more than it takes in next year.

Given the state’s debt, of course, that commitment is only a start. You don’t pay off a credit card by making minimum payments.

In another hopeful sign, the Senate on Thursday unanimously passed legislation sponsored by state Sen. Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge to cut lawmaker’s pay by $3,100. We encourage the House to do the same, and we call on Quinn to reconsider the raises he has proposed for himself and for other state officers. They should be sharing in the sacrifices.

We agree with state Sen. Terry Link of Waukegan who said, “I hope that by giving up our own pay, we can keep a local after-school program or violence-prevention program funded next year.”

And with state Sen. Michael Noland of Elgin, who said, “I know most working families in Illinois are not seeing raises this year, so we shouldn’t either.”

But lest taxpayers get too optimistic about the mood of spending discipline in Springfield, consider these foreboding words Noland also used in explaining his pay-cut position:

“The truth is that we are not spending enough in almost every part of the state budget ... We need structural tax reform to properly fund our most important priorities.”

Hopeful or not, it’s a bit too early for us taxpayers to stop covering our wallets.