Category: PerformInk

Blagojovich Cuts Arts Budgets!!

An article in PerformInk, by Jonathan Abarbanel, explains the bad (but hopefully temporary) news:

Blagojovich Cuts Arts Budgets

BY jonathan abarbanel

In a high-risk game of political brinksmanship, Governor Rod Blagojevich in mid-August used his line-item veto to slash hundreds of millions of dollars out of the state budget passed by both houses of the Illinois General Assembly. Playing partisan power politics pure and simple, Blagojovich cut 100 percent—every last penny—of the usual Member’s Initiatives, many of which were intended for performing arts organizations.

But the governor only eliminated the earmarks of Democratic legislators—his own party—letting the initiatives of Republican members stand. His action was intended as a direct slap at Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, one of only two or three Democrats statewide who has as much power as the Guv, and perhaps more. In what can only be described as a game of “my clout is bigger than your clout,” the two servants of the people have measured each other for months, pushing the state to the edge of economic shut-down several times.

To read the rest of the article, go here.