Illinois Governor Says Without Big Tax Increase Football Teams Might Not Have Uniforms

The Chicago Sun-Times reports on Illinois strongman Rod Blagojevich's pitch for a giant tax increase :

He also said if lawmakers opt not to raise any taxes, his administration will have to make $1 billion worth of cuts to support a "do-harm" state budget -- a step Blagojevich said would be particularly acute for public schools.

"We will hurt people," Blagojevich said. "Schoolteachers will have to be laid off because school districts won't have the money they need to be able to fund our schools. New textbooks won't come because the school districts won't have the money they need. Football teams might not get the uniforms at their high school football games because we don't have the money."

His reference to football uniforms triggered a chorus of groans from Republicans and a handful of Democrats, who viewed the warning as an over-the-top scare tactic.

"I'm trying to envision . . . our high school football games this fall with only [players] having pads on and spikes," House Minority Leader Tom Cross said sarcastically.

This from a Governor who sends his kids to expensive private schools so his children don't have to mingle with children in the Chicago Public School system.Gee,what would we do without government buying football jerseys? Would the sky fall?