From the Prairie Advocate (http://www.prairie-advocate-news.com/9-3-08/bivens9_3_08.html)

State Sen. Tim Bivins (R-45, Dixon) says it is no coincidence that the majority of funding cuts for state parks and historic sites occurred in regions represented by lawmakers who have not supported the Governor’s misplaced budget priorities.

Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s office announced Aug. 28 that it would close a number of historic sites, parks and natural areas, and eliminate 450 jobs, many of them front-line employees for social service agencies.

“Take a look at where the funding cuts are, and what park districts and historic sites are affected and it is pretty obvious. The Governor’s cuts are blatantly political,” Bivins said. “They affect the districts of lawmakers who continue to try and hold Blagojevich accountable ­ like Senate Republican Leader Frank Watson or Senator Mike Jacobs, an East Moline Democrat who has been a vocal critic of the Governor on more than one occasion. And it is no coincidence that more than half of the affected sites are in my district and slightly southeast in the 38th District, an area represented by my Republican colleague State Sen. Gary Dahl of Granville.”

The 45th District Senator says he does not support the Blagojevich Administration’s misplaced priorities or its slap-dash approach to budgeting, which are among the reasons he did not vote for the Fiscal Year 2009 budget in May.

“The Governor continues to expand programs and create new ones when he can’t pay for the ones that are already in place. He continues to expand Medicaid when he cannot pay bills owed to healthcare providers. He treats the budget like his personal piggybank, promising state grants to private groups then not releasing funds to schools that have been waiting years for construction money. He worked with Senate Democrat leaders to give $9 million to ‘after school’ programs that were later exposed by the Chicago Tribune as frauds and political rewards,” Bivins said. “Then when lawmakers finally call his bluff, he makes the kind of funding cuts that are designed to cause a lot of public pain.”

The 45th District Senator said the Aug. 28 cuts are another example of the Governor’s failed leadership, his bad management and his “reward and retribution” style of governing.

“He will have a hard time ‘hugging’ his way out of this one,” Bivins added, referring to media reports of a Democrat National Convention meeting at which Blagojevich and House Speaker Michael Madigan reportedly hugged each other, after years of political infighting and backstabbing.

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