Press Release: BLAGOJEVICH'S FUNDING GIMMICK

Whitney for Governor Press Release

"BLAGOJEVICH'S FUNDING GIMMICK"

CONTACT: Jennifer Rose, Campaign Manager (618) 528-VOTE, campaignmanager@whitneyforgov.org

Carbondale, May 24, 2006 - Rob Blagojevich's new education funding initiative announced May 23rd is a bigger disappointment than the "Da Vinci Code." At least with the "Da Vinci Code" the luckless few are only losing seven or eight bucks. Here the governor wants to permanently deprive the state of one of its principle assets, the state lottery, worth billions of dollars of long term revenue for a short term gain. It's typical Blagojevich: come up with a gimmick that sounds good on the surface so that he can claim to be doing some good without raising taxes and get himself elected with no concern about fiscal responsibility or long term consequences.

It's too bad that state senator James Meeks sold himself out to Blagojevich for such a dime store proposition. I guess that goes to show that he was never that serious about building a real third party alternative.

Unlike Meeks "a flash-in-the-pan independent" who remained under the influence of the Democratic party, the Green party and its candidates have been working in the trenches for years to build a genuine and viable people's political party. And with Meeks officially out  of the race, that leaves me the only candidate in the race that supports Illinois House Bill 750, the tax reform package that will allow us to fully fund our schools, fully fund our needed social services, universities, and pension system, and provide mandatory property tax relief, all in a fiscally responsible manner.

 Judy Baar Topinka talks about more money for schools, but doesn't explain how she is going to do it. She has no plan. Rod Blagojevich has a plan to fund his pet projects, but it's a bad plan.

I have good plan that will not only solve the problem of our badly under funded schools, but will solve the structural deficit, over reliance on property taxes, and the pension crisis at the same time.

 If Illinois voters will just do the math, the best choice for governor in this race will be made clear.

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