New report gives Quinn failing grade
Updated: December 6, 2012
SPRINGFIELD -- It looks like Pat Quinn is falling behind in class. His latest report card is out and the governor isn't doing well.
The Cato Institute hands out a fiscal report card every year. Quinn was one of five governors to get an "F."
So why did he get such a bad grade? Well, the group says it all comes down to how he managed the state budget and handled taxes. Quinn's Office says this report really holds no merit. One of his aides released this statement:
Had the Cato Institute adequately researched its rankings
of the country's governors, it would have discovered that Illinois
Gov. Pat Quinn is doing precisely what the institute praises many
of the Republican governors to whom it awards "A's" for doing.
Gov. Quinn has cut state spending in Illinois, which has one of the
lowest per capita state employee ratios in the nation, back to
2008 levels. He slashed $2 billion in liability from the state's
Medicaid budget. He reined in pension benefits for new hires
in the state, a move that will save Illinois taxpayers tens of
billions in the coming decades, and is focused on passing
a similar pension reform package for current employees.
To check out the report visit: http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/fiscal-policy-report-card-americas-governors-2012
The Cato Institute hands out a fiscal report card every year. Quinn was one of five governors to get an "F."
So why did he get such a bad grade? Well, the group says it all comes down to how he managed the state budget and handled taxes. Quinn's Office says this report really holds no merit. One of his aides released this statement:
Had the Cato Institute adequately researched its rankings
of the country's governors, it would have discovered that Illinois
Gov. Pat Quinn is doing precisely what the institute praises many
of the Republican governors to whom it awards "A's" for doing.
Gov. Quinn has cut state spending in Illinois, which has one of the
lowest per capita state employee ratios in the nation, back to
2008 levels. He slashed $2 billion in liability from the state's
Medicaid budget. He reined in pension benefits for new hires
in the state, a move that will save Illinois taxpayers tens of
billions in the coming decades, and is focused on passing
a similar pension reform package for current employees.
To check out the report visit: http://www.cato.org/publications/white-paper/fiscal-policy-report-card-americas-governors-2012
