Rebel Media: Tracy and Schock talk

Rebel Media: Tracy and Schock talk

3 months, 2 weeks ago

State Rep. Jil Tracy (R-Quincy) says Quinn's State of the State was a "rosy overview."

Largest deficit and debt in state history right now and state continues to be behind in paying vendors. She says with cooperation Illinois' fiscal house could be put in order by cutting the state's overhead.

She says two major areas must be addressed: Medicaid and pensions. Says people are coming across state lines and using Illinois' Medicaid. Says the state has not asked for federal waivers to help in Medicaid reform, but did ask the federal government for 100,000 new Medicaid recipients in Cook County.

She said public pensions are not sustainable and won't be solvent soon. Pensions take up 20 percent of the state budget. Pension payment has increased from $4 billion to $6 billion since Tracy has been in office.

She said the state only has about 40 percent of its revenues available for all other state services because pensions and Medicaid are consuming the rest of it.

Congressman Aaron Schock (R-Peoria): At the end of the day, despite all the rhetoric in D.C., it is the people in the audience who will decide on creating jobs.

Said spending has been a problem for years, but spending has been supercharged over the last three years.

Country had a $10 trillion debt when Obama was elected and now it is at $15 trillion. If the president was serious about dealing with the debt when Democrats had complete control of Congress, where was the plan?

Why can't we find common ground? Says the House got $2 trillion in cuts for an increae in the debt ceiling. Says Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid have to be addressed. Says 65 percent of spending goes to these three things.

The House put forward a budget to reform Medicare and Social Security. The budget passed the House with more votes than any budget over the last 20 years. That budget did not see the light of day in the Senate. The President's budget has $1.5 trillion in new taxes went through the Senate and lost 97-0. Says that action by the president is irresponsible. This could be the first time since the 1972 budget act that a president won't pass a budget in his term.

The House has passed 30 bills to help job creation and all were bi-partisan. Says that has changed in the House since the GOP took the majority. But none of those bills has been heard in the Senate.

Says federal government must assist with infrastructure with highways, ports and airports. Said the House highway bill will fund highway and transit. Said funds by leasing natural gas fields on federal lands and offshore oil production can be shifted to support infrastructure.

The climate is difficult for business. Small business feels like it is under attack.

Says the president sells health care as fairness. Says the attack on religous freedoms has nothing to do with contraceptives.

Says the Obama administration would be even more radical in a second term with no fear of re-election.

Says the "All Kids" program, health care for all Illinois children, began the death spiral for Illinois budget.