Editor's Note:
January marks a new phase in our journalism. Due to the merger between WUIS and Illinois Issues, we now have a number of journalists that enable reporting on a beat model. Beats allow a reporter to learn the events and people more thoroughly than general assignment reporting. Each reporter is focusing on key issues in the state. We're calling it the "Illinois Issues Initiative." Here are the issues:
PAST DUE
Jamey Dunn
For my own beat, I chose sustainability in government. That means I will write about the big budgetary challenges facing the state. But I also plan to look at how our fiscal problems affect the potential for reforming state government. From implementing rehabilitation methods that have a proven track record of reducing recidivism, to tracking the needs of children who are receiving services through multiple state agencies, to having health information that follows patients from doctor to doctor — we are living in a time when data and technology could reshape the way government works. But reforming these systems requires broad investments that Illinois is unable to make when it is careening from budget crisis to budget crisis.
My January feature story is about the ways Illinois’ aging population will affect state government. As Baby Boomers reach retirement age, and they and their parents live longer, the state and the nation will likely struggle to fund programs such as Medicaid, Medicare and Social Security. Meanwhile, the public sector will have to cope with filling jobs as a wave of retirements wipes out a larger portion of its workforce. And on top of all of that, Illinois’ revenues will likely take a hit because the state does not tax retirement income. The story in this issue is an intro to the topic meant to give readers a quantifiable idea of the challenges, but there is, of course, more to the story than statistics and budget lines. My own family is reaching a point where we often discuss such issues as my grandparents are in their 80s and 90s, and my mother is working her last year as a kindergarten teacher before retirement. The topic cuts across all generations and includes very personal decisions about work, family and quality of life. And so do many budgetary issues. Can the state afford to pay the in-home workers who care for our loved ones a living wage? Can it properly fund schools, so our children can excel? Can it address the pension shortfall, so public servants have secure retirements? Will Illinois continue to share income tax revenues with the local governments — which pave our streets and maintain our parks — and face their own post-recession budget woes?
I hope to bring attention to such issues, which will impact all of us in the future, shed light on the state’s fiscal planning — or lack thereof — and provide you with the information you need to understand Illinois’ budget and how it affects you and your community.
Illinois Issues, January 2015
