Building schools, roads, and bridges is a good thing...if it's done properly.  However, passing a capital spending program during an election year is a bit like grocery shopping when you're hungry.  

There's nothing that some politicians love more during a campaign than cutting ribbons at projects in their districts paid for by taxpayers.  Yet, most taxpayers whom I listen to would like to see their politicians go on a fiscal diet instead.
 
There is little doubt that Governor Blagojevich will trumpet his spending largesse for All Kids taxpayer-subsidized healthcare for all resident children in Illinois, including those of illegal immigrants.  He will tell us how he has solved the budget crisis that he inherited from George Ryan, without mentioning how he has doubled the public debt in Illinois and raided the public pension funds for $2 Billion.  And, he will sell the benefits of a massive Capital Spending Program without disclosing essential details. 

When you hear the pitch, please ask yourself the same questions that I'll be asking his staff on your behalf.  First, after his failure to fund the existing teachers' pension commitments agreed to in the 1994 law and failure to fund necessary projects around the state promised in the 2002 budget, why should we believe that he will keep his promises under a new proposal?

Where is a comprehensive list of the spending projects?  We want a plan, not just a press release.  Does this list include the necessary matching funds to secure the federal dollars for Illinois that Speaker Hastert obtained?  And, does the Blagojevich plan include the correct amount of money to finish the project completely?  How can he assure members of the Senate that he'll release the funds on time?

How will he pay for $3,000,000,000 of new debt?  He is already diverting $650M each year of our gas taxes away from roads and bridges to general spending.  This is $400M more per year than even free-wheeling George Ryan spent in his final budget. 

And, does "Keno for Kids" really send the right message to our kids that we pay for their books and schools by gambling?  The news reports of two campaign contributors to the Blagojevich campaign who are deeply involved in the Keno industry further demonstrates that this administration is hopelessly submerged in politically-connected special interest proposals.  Two or three years down the line, what will federal prosecutors uncover that is not being disclosed now? 

What concessions have been obtained from road-builders so that roads don't buckle in 5-7 years?  These contracts need to be competitively-bid in a way that both citizens and federal prosecutors don't call for even more investigations of pay-to-play allegations that have hounded an administration that solemnly promised us to "end business as usual in Springfield".

The funds need to be equitably allocated throughout the state and based upon need.  For example, the best capital spending program that I'm familiar with in Illinois is the School Construction Matching Grant.  In order to receive state taxpayer funds, school leaders need to successfully run the gauntlet of passing a referendum after full review by school taxpayers.  Then, funds are matched on a sliding scale based on property wealth need, i.e. poorer districts get up to approximately 55% of the project cost and wealthier districts receive approximately 35%.  There was a "waiting line" that was deliberately and carefully assembled according to publicly-reviewed criteria under the Edgar and Ryan Administration which I understand is no longer in place in the Blagojevich Administration.

If angry phone calls from constituents are any indication, taxpayers are pretty sick of Blagojevich arbitrarily making commitments of $10M of public money to embryonic stem cell research, commitments to Katrina survivors (no matter how deserving they may be), and $1,000,000 to rebuild Pioneer Baptist Church's school despite general insurance proceeds, contractors' liability insurance, and an out-pouring of private donations. 

All we want is good public policies.  We want honest competent government.  We should manage taxpayer's money as scrupulously and carefully as we manage our own. 

Route 47 widened through Yorkville, bridge repairs properly done on Rt. 47 over I-88, road-work done in Hampshire, Sugar Grove, and St. Charles, along with other necessary infrastructure improvements and $500M into the School Construction Matching Grant are important to all of us.  But, we will exercise prudence and fiscal discipline rather than just reflexively grabbing for goodies. 

I hope to vote "yes" eventually on a Capital Spending Program, but only if it's properly done.  In the past we've sent a whale-of-a-lot of money to Springfield but only got a minnow in return.