Suburban lawmakers critical of budget

SPRINGFIELD - Here's what area lawmakers had to say about the proposed budget.

State Sen. Dan Duffy, a Lake Barrington Republican

"They created this over the past six years and to take this mess and hand it back over to Republicans and say, 'Give me a better idea.' Why don't we first take a look at all the new programs you're adding? It's not the time to add new programs. It's time to cut spending."

State Rep. Suzie Bassi, a Palatine Republican

"The budget is hurting the working families. It is specifically in my district, which is higher end. Oh, my constituents are going to pay from the bottom up and the top down, and we are already part of Cook County, where we have the highest sales tax in the nation."

State Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican

"We were told there would be cuts before there would be any tax increases and this budget actually increases spending during this recession. - I applaud the governor for having the guts to take on pension reform. I think that was a sincere effort on his part. I think you are going to have to find some relief in the pension payments. Nobody wants to cut K-through-12 (education) but in the near term, if that's what you have to do to keep people in their jobs, then I am willing to do it."

State Sen. Chris Lauzen, an Aurora Republican

"I was thinking the ruling majority had learned more from the Blagojevich six-years experience than what was indicated in this budget. Because rather than cutting unnecessary and wasteful spending, this budget actually spends more than ever."