Pat Quinn Gets Tough Question From Berwyn Child: 'Why Don't You Pay Your Bills?' (VIDEO)

Gov. Pat Quinn visited a school in west suburban Berwyn Thursday night where he was greeted with children and parents holding signs that read "Governor Quinn, Help My School!"

Local school districts are owed more than $725 million from the badly in debt state--and one Berwyn child wanted to know why.

"Why don't you pay your bills?" the child asked Quinn as he met with protesters outside Morton High School District 201, which may be forced to cut programs due to the lack of funds, NBC Chicago reports.

The crowd laughed--and Quinn replied "I tell you we're trying to get the money to pay the bills."

Quinn is trying to get money for the bills, as he stated in his Wednesday budget address, and NBC reports that he is touring education facilities throughout the state to sell his tax hike--which he says would save state schools from $1.3 billion in cuts.

Though Quinn said the cuts would be "unavoidable" without a tax hike, Republicans think he is bluffing and Democrats fear raising taxes in an election year.

Quinn heads to Andrew Jackson Language Academy in Chicago on Friday.

Watch NBC Chicago's video of Quinn's tough question here:

Comments

[donmarchi]

11:35 PM on 03/15/2010

While I appreciate the political courage Governor Quinn possesses, unfortunately his proposal does not go far enough and it piles on more borrowing.
The legislative branch needs to develop some intestinal fortitude and re-introduce and pass House bill 174. This bill increases the income tax rate by 1.5%, doubles the tax credit exemption for residential property owners and raises the earned income tax credit rate for low wage earners. The income tax rate in our state has not been raised for 20 years. The cost of EVERYTHING has gone up over the past 20 years yet Illinois politicians will not see the reality of the structural deficit and we now have a deadbeat state.
Look for the unemployment rate to skyrocket June 30 when the many teachers, not just the 230 in Morton District 201, will file for unemployment because the State of Illinois can not fill its own state constitutional requirement to be the primary source of funding for our public schools. The State owes Morton 1.7million in general state aid for this school year and has been told not to expect it...ever.

[westreal]

10:17 AM on 03/15/2010

I support Gov Quinn 1000%. He's done a good job and showed his heart when he fought for the budget he got last year.

[OneConservative]

03:17 PM on 03/13/2010

Quinn should have told the truth and said something like "I am a Liberal Democrat and don't believe in paying my bills. I believe in getting peasants like you to pay the bills from my inept administration."

[Ravi Abunijad]

11:30 PM on 03/13/2010

Very clever; Except for liberals don't usually refer to people as "peasants." That sounds more like the language of a wealthy conservative who believes that paying an equal percentage in taxes is unfair because rich people are "entitled" to keep all the money they "earned"... inheriting from their rich family and the superior education that only their family could afford while most other people had to work hard AND study.

Ronald Reagan... Tax Reform Act of 1986, eh? Raising taxes on the poor by 36% while lowering them for the wealthiest bracket by 56% That's conservatism, brother!

Thank you Mr. Reagan, for giving rich people their entitlement programs! Good to know our democracy is safe now that the gap between rich and poor has grown by HUNDREDS of percent!

[Mark Harker]

11:50 PM on 03/13/2010

i honestly don't see anything wrong with that- i believe rich people are entitled to keep MOST of THEIR money.

[donmarchi]

11:40 PM on 03/15/2010

How about I am a liberal democrat and I have to clean up the mess created 30 years ago by the antigovernment, (read anti people) policies of Ronald Reagan?
How about I am the Governor only in office for a year that is cleaning up the mess left by the previous two corrupt governors?

[crookedcountyillinois]

10:46 AM on 03/12/2010

Shouldn't he be in Springfield looking at vendor contracts?

[VOTER]

10:32 AM on 03/12/2010

Whew!

Thank goodness this youngster asked Quinn the question and not GOPer Brady.
Brady's "solutions" are truly frightening.

[Ravi Abunijad]

11:18 PM on 03/13/2010

What are you talking about? When we kill off all the unwanted dogs in giant gas chambers, quit funding our streets and schools, and make it legal to discriminate against gay and lesbian people trying to buy homes... won't that solve the budget crisis? Bill Brady can't be wrong on the budget, right?

[VOTER]

11:38 PM on 03/13/2010

Well Said!
I'm still laughing. Thanks.
Fanned.

[corwin]

02:10 PM on 03/14/2010

Ravi,
I had an ex gf whose husband was so jealous,he ordered me to quit sending his mother in law birthday cards a decade after I'd seen his ex. Untiltoday,I've never laughed so much.Call collect