In recent weeks, as I listen to my colleagues, I’m amazed by the comments I hear in response to the state’s financial crisis. I hear things like; “This ship is going to sink,” or “I have no answers, no ideas, no advice.” Seriously, these are real quotes from legislators. Others have said we are going to “punt the ball again” or “kick the can down the road again.” If these statements have not made it very clear to you that the intentions of many legislators is to DO NOTHING, look at this quote from one Democrat Representative who actually said, “We are not going to do anything until after the election in November.”

Getting Illinois’ financial house in order and putting people back to work must be the priority of every legislator in Springfield. We cannot afford to DO NOTHING.

Why are our legislators saying this? Are they truly not smart enough to know what can be done to balance the budget? I believe that many of them are simply unwilling to make the tough decisions necessary, like cutting the programs that got them the votes at election time and have kept them in office for years. Politics clouds the minds of many legislators and makes them incapable of imple...