In the early days of Monday Night Football, announcer \u2018Dandy\u2019 Don Meredith used to mock his colleagues\u2019 claims that, \u201cIf only (someone) had (done something differently), the game would have had a different outcome.\u201d\u00a0 In response, the former Dallas Cowboys quarterback, in a singsong voice, would recite:<\/p>\n
\u201cIf If\u2019s and Butt\u2019s were candy and nuts, oh what a Christmas we\u2019d have!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Which reminds us of Sunday\u2019s Chicago Tribune editorial<\/a>, which highlighted a University of Illinois study and found that, if<\/strong> Illinois had the same number of jobs as it had a decade ago, the state economy wouldn\u2019t be in the toilet.<\/p>\n Cash-strapped Illinois would collect an additional $2.1 billion in annual tax revenue \u2014 enough to fill roughly half of its (anticipated) fiscal 2011 budget hole \u2014 if the state had as many jobs as it did a decade ago.”<\/em><\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n If.<\/strong><\/p>\n The editorial continues,<\/p>\n <\/em><\/p>\n Factoring in population growth over the last decade, Illinois needs 600,000 new jobs just to get the employment level back to where it was. The cumulative cost to Springfield of those lost jobs: $6 billion in tax revenues through fiscal ‘09 and, barring some miracle, $10 billion through fiscal ‘11.<\/em><\/p>\n Regular Tribune readers won\u2019t be surprised to learn that the Great Satan of the Illinois economy is \u201cpublic employee pensions.\u201d Those readers would be equally unsurprised by the Trib\u2019s failure to mention that, if <\/strong>the legislature and past governors had not used the pension systems as a credit card, the severe underfunding that is impacting the Illinois economy wouldn\u2019t have occurred.<\/p>\n One would expect a little more forthrightness from the the editorialists at the (self-described)\u00a0World\u2019s Greatest Newspaper,<\/em> at least when it comes to the present and immediate future of our state.<\/p>\n Illinois is about to see, perhaps, 20,000 education employees get laid off.\u00a0 If that happens, it will be a crushing blow to the state economy because those people, who today are taxpayers and spenders, will become reliant on state support.\u00a0 <\/span>In addition, states that refuse to invest in education don\u2019t attract employers seeking a well-educated\/well-trained workforce.<\/span><\/p>\n IF you make an appointment<\/strong><\/p>\n The people who can do something about the disaster facing Illinois are in their home legislative district offices.\u00a0 They read the Tribune editorials, so they need \u00a0to hear the other side of the story.\u00a0 They need to know that motivated voters like yourself, your colleagues and the parents of the students you serve, expect the legislature to end the madness.<\/p>\n They need to hear this directly from you, their constituent, because, next week, lawmakers return to Springfield and will remain in session until a budget is passed.<\/p>\n Will that budget reflect the obsessions of the editorial page of a bankrupt media dinosaur?<\/p>\n Or will it be shaped in part by input from the people who are dedicated to providing a high quality education to Illinois students?<\/p>\n Click here for information about Back home Lobby Days<\/a> .<\/p>\n