New vision needed for Illinois

The Illinois budget crisis can no longer be solved with smoke and mirrors. Tough times call for strong leadership, and Illinois' legislators need to step up to the plate and fix the state's social service funding shortfalls.

Not-for-profit agencies, such as Lutheran Social Services of Illinois, provide high-quality services on behalf of the state, but for too long have had to grapple with the growing gap between the cost of providing services and reimbursement rates the state pays.

Incredibly, in May the Illinois General Assembly passed a state budget that funds human care services at 50 to 75 percent below the current level of services. There's no question that state government must undertake serious belt-tightening, but it's clear that those savings don't come close to closing its colossal shortfall. Generating new revenue is the only responsible way to balance the state's budget while preventing huge cuts to services that are lifelines for Illinois residents. No one likes taxes, but a moderate income tax increase is needed to generate desperately-needed new revenue.

What's the alternative? The closing of programs, leaving people without essential services, and resulting in massive layoffs - some estimates go as high as 200,000 employees - of human service workers in Illinois. We need a new vision for Illinois, one that takes seriously it's constitutional mandate to support the care of all its citizens. How can we accept anything less?

Torie Arthofer

Naperville