There is a growing disconnect between voters and advocacy groups, and never more so than in Illinois.

Teachers vs. Taxpayers - Teacher's unions are outraged at the slow payments for education funding due from the state of Illinois.  Actually, they should be mad at themselves, as every elected official that teachers have endorsed for state office have been elected.  Hence, it's their "people" that are causing the pain.  But teacher's unions have created their own dilemma.  The Illinois Education Association was successful in negotiating incredible contracts for their members.  For example, most teachers have an automatic 4-6% wage increase built into their pay packages.  Do you know anyone in the private sector that has averaged a 4-6% wage increase over the last two years?

More to the point, Teacher's salaries in most communities exceed the average wage, in those same communities, by 2-4 times.  So the average "Joe" is being asked to give an even greater percentage of his wages so the teachers can increase theirs.  That's a pretty hard sell.  Teachers have reached a stage where their jobs are seen as sufficiently compensated (particularly with the automatic increases).  Joe taxpayer no longer takes pity on their situation.  Just ask him.  Better yet, let him vote on it.

Taxpayers vs. Legislators - Legislators have avoided facing hard choices, as they could continue to borrow their way out of revenue shortfalls.  But just like the homeowner that has tapped all the equity in their home, the state officials are finding it hard to "create" new dollars.  So they face a hard choice.  Increase taxes and get tossed from office.  Or decrease spending and get tossed from office.  You can believe that they will have all 10 fingers in the air trying to sense which political wind is least likely to push them from reelection.

In Illinois, 45% of our spending goes towards Medicaid and Food Stamps.  Read that sentence again.  By 2020, it's estimated that 60% of our state budget will go towards these two programs.  I've recounted the abuses in this system extensively.  Here are the several laws that have been proposed to rein in the spending in this category:
    1. Restrict the foods that can be purchased with Links cards to prevent the Soda and Chips epidemic that has ensued.
    2. Require citizenship for participation in either program. That's right, we are currently paying for thousands of illegals to access these programs.
    3. Require a photo id on the card to curb fraud and abuse
    4. Require drug testing of recipients to curb abuse.

    All these bills have been presented.  And yet, not one can be voted on.  House Speaker Michael Madigan and Rep. Barbara Flynn Curry have held up every bill in the Rules Committee so that it can't see the light of day. 

The state legislators have kicked the can of state problems down the road, always putting off solutions till another day.  The can cannot be kicked any further.  It's time to face the music and the voters.