Over 5,000 seniors, children, health care workers, child care providers, students and community advocates marched to the State Capitol Tuesday to urge members of the Illinois General Assembly to pass a fair income tax increase while back in Springfield this week.
Protesters stopped at the offices of Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan and the Illinois Republican Party to call for leadership and political courage in the face of an unprecedented budget crisis that could destroy critical programs unless cuts are stopped.
“Our state leaders need to get off the fence and stand up for the people of Illinois,” said Telisa Richards, a child care provider from Springfield. “Seniors are going to forced out of their homes, children are going to lose the care and education they need – this budget will have serious consequences unless these cuts are stopped. It’s not just a political game. Our elected officials need to stop pointing fingers and get to work to pass a fair income tax increase today.”
“How can our elected officials think that eliminating home care for tens of thousands of seniors and people with disabilities is the best way to solve this budget crisis?” asked Alberta Walker, a home care provider from Chicago. “It’s time for our elected officials to put politics aside and protect Illinois families from utter devastation.”
From the Chicago Sun-Times:
Waving signs such as “GM got a bailout. Where’s mine?,” thousands of protesters converged on the Capitol Tuesday to pressure lawmakers into cutting a budget deal to stave off billions of dollars in cuts to human-service programs.
With some in wheelchairs, the rally drew more than 5,000 people, according to the secretary of state’s office, and aimed to boost Gov. Quinn’s languishing push to pass an income tax hike to fund spending for the state’s new fiscal year, which begins next Wednesday.
“This is a moment in history that we the people must seize and go forward on behalf of the common good to make sure our state has a balanced budget,” Quinn said to shouts of “No More Cuts!” inside the Capitol’s packed rotunda.
Quinn called the turnout of unionized workers, the disabled, elderly and child-welfare advocates the largest demonstration he had observed at the Statehouse in a more than three-decade-long political career.
And Deanna Bellandi at the Associated Press:
Unions and social service agencies worked behind the scenes Tuesday to try to save programs for needy Illinois residents as thousands of people flocked to the state Capitol to rally for a tax increase to avoid deep budget cuts.
The groups have been calling, faxing and meeting with lawmakers to persuade them to raise the state income tax instead of axing $9.2 billion in spending. Gov. Pat Quinn and others have warned the cuts will gut a host of social service programs for children, senior citizens, the poor and disabled.
“There’s not a human service provider that has gone untouched in the state so to find a lawmaker who has not received a call from a human service provider from Cairo to Rockford would be unimaginable,” said David Ormsby, the Illinois Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Association spokesman.
WAND and WICS have more:
© 2012 Campaign For Illinois' Future |