Do you remember seeing the blog posts and polls asking you to vote for the most ridiculous spending project in the stimulus bill? It looks like we have enough fodder for round two- this time just in Illinois. I was recently perusing IllinoisOpenGov.org, the transparency portal sponsored by the Illinois Policy Institute, and came across several examples of wasteful spending in Illinois.
Here are a couple of my favorites:
- In 2008, the Department of Transportation paid over 30 bridge tenders $2,515,550 in combined total wages. The 13 highest-paid tenders all made over $90,000 and 29 made over $60,000.
What I found most interesting about this is that bridge tending requires one to be responsible for operating a vertical lift or horizontal swing of the electrically controlled bridge. The position requires the knowledge, skill, and mental development equivalent to completion of four years of elementary school.
- The state of Illinois spent just shy of $90,000 on entertainment. $10,000 paid for the Dark Knight Gala to honor film director Christopher Nolan. $6,500 went to a 4,000 gallon, 40-foot tub for bass fishing.
Hmm, I don't know about you, but when my budget is tight, I cut out unnecessary expenses like entertainment. Somehow the Illinois State Government missed Personal Finance 101 and chose instead to spend their constituents' money on performances and other forms of entertainment.
Illinois' finances are grim. With a committed effort, legislators can get the state back on track but citizen participation is crucial. You can do your part by providing input to your elected officials. You can check out the state's accountability portal at Accountability.Illinois.Gov or you can find more information by going to IllinoisOpenGov.org. You may also want to check out IPI's 2010 Illinois Piglet Book, an excellent resource for citizens concerned about wasteful spending.