EDITORIAL

May 26, 2009 (McClatchy-Tribune Regional News delivered by Newstex) -- What will doomsday be like in Illinois?

Will it be the fulfillment of biblical prophecy?

Will it come through an exchange of nuclear missiles with a hostile power?

Will a wayward asteroid crashing through the atmosphere bring about the state's doom?

No one knows.

What we do know is what Illinois' "doomsday" budget will look like for 2009-2010, in the view of Gov. Pat Quinn, if the Illinois General Assembly fails to increase the state's income tax rate from 3 percent to 4.5 percent.

Without the extra money, Quinn prophesied a doomsday scenario for state government. It isn't pretty.

Laying off more than 14,000 teachers.

Cutting the Illinois State Police force in half.

Eliminating services for senior citizens and the disabled.

Ending health care for 475,000 children and parents.

Closing state parks and museums.

Ending state subsidies for the Illinois State Fair in Springfield and the DuQuoin State Fair in DuQuoin.

Quinn laid out his bleak forecast in a speech last week. Many Illinois residents have seen this coming for the last decade.

The state has been living beyond its means for far too long.

Lawmakers and previous governors -- Rod Blagojevich and George Ryan in particular -- hid the trouble by borrowing large sums of money, postponing payment of the state's bills, letting roads, bridges and schools crumble, and underfunding pension funds for state employees.

As long as politicians could pass enough pet projects to curry favor with voters, or withhold support for necessary proposals to score political points, they were satisfied.

Exercise fiscal responsibility? Spend no more than you take in? Save money for a rainy day? Such prudent management concepts were ignored.

Focused mostly on the next election, such misguided leadership was bound to bring trouble. It has.

Illinoisans face a deficit of $11.6 billion in the state budget that starts July 1.

With Illinois facing one of its biggest crises ever, we've got news for state leaders.

It's time to lead.

Make the tough decisions to put Illinois' debt-ridden government on the road to solvency. We'll accept the reality that some kind of tax increase is inevitable.

But we won't accept elected officials ignoring reality, shirking their responsibilities, and continuing to make bad choices for the sake of political gain.

With a return to responsible leadership, Illinois should be able to stave off its budgetary doomsday.

Without it, the state is doomed.

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