Home care and child care workers demonstrated in front of the offices of Representatives Holbrook and Hoffman on Wednesday to call attention to the devastation their budget votes will cause the seniors, people with disabilities, children and working families in their districts who were counting on them to protect essential programs by voting for an income tax increase. Similar protests have been happening statewide.
From the Belleville News Democrat:
Several dozen health care and child care workers rallied Wednesday outside the offices of local state representatives to oppose what they called the “doomsday budget” with $9 billion in cuts to Illinois human services.
Nursing home workers and parents of children with autism held signs and chanted, “Have some guts, stop the cuts,” and “Save our elderly, save our children” outside the Belleville office of state Rep. Tom Holbrook, D-Belleville. Another group was at the office of state Rep. Jay Hoffman, D-Collinsville.
Debra Buchanan, of the Service Employees International Union, said budget cuts would decrease and eliminate services for the elderly, veterans, special-needs students, those with mental disabilities and those with substance abuse problems.
“These are real lives that this budget is going to affect. They need to find another way to balance the budget besides on the backs of our most vulnerable citizens,” Buchanan said. “We need increased revenue, a fair income tax increase.”
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