Illinois Governor Pat Quinn must love spending taxpayers' money and funnel cake. That is the only explanation I can think of for his grand opening of the 157th Illinois State Fair in Springfield last Friday, an event that in 2009 cost $2.7 million morethan what it brought in for the state. "It's a good time to eat your way across the fair," Quinn said. "That's what I've done every time I've been here. We have the best food." He must love the funnel cake, fried Twinkies, and foot-long corndogs they serve at the fair, which is subsidized in part with taxpayer money.
Some reasoned voices, such as the Illinois Policy Institute, have asked whether Illinois can afford the expense of state fairs when the state is in the midst of a $13 billion deficit, especially when the fairs in Springfield and DuQuoin have lost a total of almost $42 million since 2001. Here's what Quinn had to say in response to criticism of the state fairs:
"There are, you know, pinheads who think that we should cut out the state fair," Quinn said after cutting the ribbon at the opening of the fair. "I think they're all wet. I think the people of Illinois want a state fair to celebrate our agriculture."
Personally, I think the people of Illinois want a state government that won't collapse under them before going to a state fair. To call for fiscal sanity in the middle of dire economic times is not a pinhead notion; it's common sense. Illinois's financial situation is "worse than any other state" according to a study by the National Conference of State Legislatures. Illinois' $13 billion budget deficit is the largest in state history. To balance its books, Illinois has been relying on such heavy borrowing that Moody's lowered its bond rating and the state is being compared to Greece. What's more, Governor Quinn's budget director has indicated that a massive $6 billion income tax hike is in the works for January 2011. That may be able to buy Quinn a lot of funnel cake, but it won't solve Illinois' problems.
At a time when Illinois is struggling to pay its bills and heading towards fiscal ruin, the last thing the state should do is spend millions on non-essentials. Instead of gorging on fatty fried food and financing a state fair that loses tax money, Gov. Quinn and Illinois should go on a diet of healthy eating and less spending.