Pro-tax groups protest budget cuts at Ill. Capitol - story with pics

[Kadie]

Makeba Rogers, center, and others who depend on Illinois government for services and paychecks hold a rally in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol for higher taxes in Springfield, Ill. on Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. They say the state cannot fix its $13 billion deficit solely through spending cuts and argue that such deep cuts would gut state programs, from road repairs to prisons to addiction treatment.
(AP Photo/Seth Perlman)


More than 1,000 people who depend on Illinois government for services and paychecks rally in the rotunda of the Illinois State Capitol for higher taxes in Springfield, Ill., Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2010. They say the state cannot fix its $13 billion deficit solely through spending cuts and argue that such deep cuts would gut state programs, from road repairs to prisons to addiction treatment.
(AP Photo/Seth Perlman)

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Posted: Wednesday, 17 February 2010 1:37PM

Pro-tax groups protest budget cuts at Ill. Capitol

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) -- More than 1,000 people who depend on Illinois government for services and paychecks are visiting the state Capitol to lobby for higher taxes.

They say the state cannot fix its $13 billion deficit solely through spending cuts. They argue that such deep cuts would gut state programs, from road repairs to prisons to addiction treatment.

They held a rally Wednesday and then fanned out through the Capitol to lobby individual lawmakers.

snip...
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn supports a tax increase and wants to pass it this year, but the Republicans competing for his job say they would balance the budget without raising taxes.


http://www.wbbm780.com/pages/6383042.php?contentType=4&contentId=5599865

[bluestateguy]

1. Pro-tax groups?

Here's one way to save money and maybe save yourself a tax increase too: release all non-violent drug offenders from prisons, and end free health care for people in prison serving life sentences.

[DonP]

2. They already tried that

The only problem was our idiot Governor Quinn wound up releasing violent offenders too.

Then some of them went out and within a few days went back to their trade.

We wound up with one woman in a coma for three weeks with major brain damage from a street beating from one of the released prisoners.

[gratuitous]

3. 600 Tea Baggers = Media Saturation

1,000 people rally against state budget cuts, and oooh, listen! Crickets!

I wonder why that is? Wait, no I don't.