A memo from Bruce Rauner's budget chief continues to spell out how Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner sees Illinois' financial situation.
The three page document says, "Illinois' massive budget hole is the direct result of previous governors and General Assemblies giving away benefits they couldn't afford, deploying dishonest budget practices and kicking the can down the road." It lists borrowing, putting off pension payments, and the use of gimmicks as culprits.
Rauner's team is pretty forthcoming about the memo's objective -- it's meant to show Illinois got to this point, before "detailing solutions." But the memo gives no clues as to what those solutions might be, other than "structural changes."
Rauner's own budget problems will begin forming even before his Jan. 12 inauguration; Illinois' income tax rate rolls back at 2014's end.
