Holding a banner that read “Do your job – raise income tax now!” eight caregivers and community activists were taken into custody in the State Capitol Tuesday in a peaceful protest calling on the General Assembly to stop devastating cuts to human services by passing a tax increase.
Over 200 health care and child care workers rallied in support, calling a “quick fix” pension bond sale plan that will force billions of dollars in cuts to vital services no solution to the state’s budget crisis.
“These arrests should serve as a wake up call to the members of the General Assembly who have failed to take these cuts seriously and think that the pension bond sale plan solves the state’s budget problems,” said Sandra Wiekerson, a home care worker from Chicago and one of the eight arrestees. “Legislators cannot leave Springfield thinking that they’ve done their jobs and protected our families—not when we’re still looking at tens of thousands of seniors being forced out of their homes and children cut from the child care program.”
In May, the General Assembly passed a budget that slashed funding by 50%. In recent days, the freeing up of $2.2 billion in state pension bond sales has been touted as the solution to the state’s budget crisis, but a remaining $3.4 billion deficit—a 30% funding cut—would still mean drastic cuts to human services. Under this “quick fix” plan 30,000 seniors would lose their home care, 80,000 working parents would lose their child care assistance and many other critical programs would be slashed or eliminated.
“Our elected officials already failed us once by passing a budget that slashes critical programs,” explained Elizabeth Dukes, a child care provider from Chicago and another one of the arrestees. “Today is about showing them that these cuts are real and that our families will be devastated if they don’t right their wrongs and pass a budget that includes a fair income tax increase—the only way to stop these cuts and protect Illinois families.”
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Linda Larrigan says:
I work for an agency in pontic IL MOSAIC, there are 6 group homes for mentally challenged adults, 5in pontiac ad 1 in dwight IL. We as staff are all very concerned for our clients and thier well being and our jobs as well. Some of these people that I care for have aging parents or no families at all to look out for them. Where are they sppose to go if this budget does not pass? I have worked for MOSAIC for 6yrs and we are like a little family. The clients are very attatched to most of the staff and dont deal with change very well and we all would be very hart broken to see them be misplaced because the govenor wants more of out money.. my impression is its his way or the highway..there are no winners here…