A group of seniors, teachers, home care and child care workers protested outside the office of Representative Jehan Gordon on Thursday to call on the legislator to stand up for families in her district and across the state by stopping catastrophic cuts to human services by supporting a tax increase.
The Peoria Journal Star and WEEK TV covered the rally and spoke with Rep. Gordon to get her response:
It’s not often that people protest for higher taxes.
But that’s what a group of about 35 Service Employees International Union members did Thursday afternoon.
“We need to raise taxes, because the people I take care of can’t do for themselves,” said Nancy Ponto, a union member who works with Community Care. “We need to find . . . revenue to keep (seniors) in their homes and to keep more kids off the streets.”
The group was demonstrating in front of the office of state Rep. Jehan Gordon, D-Peoria, on War Memorial Drive. That spot was chosen, they said, because Gordon voted against the tax increase.
After standing on the sidewalk for half an hour, about 15 members of the group moved inside to speak with the representative.
Inside her office, Gordon told the group she did not think the protests should be directed at her but at Gov. Pat Quinn and Republican legislators.
…Next week, legislators will take up issuing $2.2 billion in pension obligation notes that would essentially free up money that could then be used to pay for human-service programs that now face severe cuts. Notes are issued for a shorter term than bonds, saving the state interest money over the life of the issue.
Gordon said she supports the pension obligation notes, which could restore 93 percent of the funding to service agencies that Quinn threatened to cut, she said.
“We’ve got a long haul to go, but that will provide a little relief for some agencies and for families who are concerned,” Gordon said. “I think we’ll pass (a budget). We’ve got to.”
And WEEK:
About two-dozen protesters gathered outside State Representative Jehan Gordon’s office this afternoon. They say they’re upset the legislator approved state budget cuts, and voted down a tax increase.
Most of the picketers were health care workers who say if the 50 percent budget takes effect, and there’s no tax hike to give money back to social services, thousands will suffer.
“If that means that it costs me a few more dollars today, the few more dollars today will prevent someone from going into a nursing home so they can live their final days out at home, then I’m totally supportive”, said Conni Williams, an Addus Health care worker.
Gordon says she voted in favor of the 50 percent budget to make sure the state wasn’t left in a standstill while legislators were on recess.
And Gordon says she voted down a tax hike, believing there are other ways funds can be restored. She says there was no guarantee the tax hike would help her constituents.
“If I votes for a tax increase and Children’s Home is still losing six million dollars and Crittenton Center is still cutting 80 percent of their case load, there’s no way for me to explain that- that if I’m raising taxes but yet all of your services are still cut, or most of your services are still cut. That’s unconscionable”, said the legislator.
Gordon says next week the assembly will vote to approve pension obligation notes and she says that should give them two-point-two billion dollars in additional funds.
Notice in both stories that Rep. Gordon points to the $2.2 billion gained from pension obligation notes. This is not enough to save critical programs. In fact, there will still be deep, devastating cuts to home care for seniors, foster care, child care and other vital human services under the plan being touted as the solution to the state’s budget crisis.
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