On February 18th, you addressed the people of Illinois regarding your plans for the financial future of our state. You expressed several demands for consolidating our debts and eliminating programs in order to save money. Calling for bipartisanship within the community of lawmakers, at one point you said, "Put it out there for all to see. Saying no is not enough unless you are willing to offer real alternatives."
During the course of your speech you said, "Since taking office, I have reduced our spending every year. No area is above review." Yet, in 2010 during the worst of the crisis, you felt the state was financially capable of providing your staff with pay raises. While most employees would agree that a paycheck should equal the responsibilities and effort required by a position, you and your staff are the servants of the people of the State of Illinois. You work for us, we do not work for you. Yet, we are increasing the pay of your staff when we are struggling to make ends meet, feed our families and in some cases find jobs. A reduction in the unemployment rate does not mean that there are people who are not still unemployed. I do not believe that your staff has made changes within our state that were effective enough to warrant a raise. The people of Illinois are being taxed and asked to give, give, give. When will your staff volunteer to do the same?
In response to the shellacking your office took as a result of this faux pas on your account, you compromised by making your staff take 24 unpaid days off. This resulted in a 9.2% salary cut and a savings for the state of $18 million. This, however, did not affect the salaries or pensions of the staff. I believe the people of the state would like to know how a 30% pay increase for Louis Bertuca was going to be offset by a 9.2% cut.
While this took place last year, I feel that it is an effective example of the nature of your policies as Governor.
You have again targeted the state's social services as the group that will feel the greatest effect of your budgetary restraints. Last year while your staff received financial increases, our state's most desperate people were left to struggle. You said during your address, "...we should never lose sight of the fact that our greatest asset is our human capital."
What is your definition of human capital? The people who attend expensive fundraising dinners or the people who serve the food and mop the floors at those very same dinners? Human capital includes people who utilize our state's services. Women who are victims of domestic violence seek safety within in the walls of our struggling shelters. The women who then move into transitional living and are trying to rebuild their lives. The women seeking employment to support their children. These women are our state's human capital.
You want to ensure that our state's children receive the proper training in order to gain success in post secondary education and later in business that will benefit Illinois. What about the children that are living in violent homes?
72% of women going to a shelter bring their children with them and 21% bring 3 or more children with them. If, through your budget cuts, you make it harder for women to access shelter, you are making it more difficult for them to provide safety to their children.
Boys who witness domestic violence are more likely to batter their female partners as adults than boys raised in nonviolent homes. Not only do shelters provide life saving security to the women and children who are victims of domestic violence, they allow an opportunity to regain a life and sense of normalcy for these children.
"Longer-term proposals to reduce the incidence of violence include providing assistance and job training to women, thus according them the opportunity to acquire the external resources they need to end violent relationships. Other long-term proposals advocate counseling and other intervention strategies for perpetrators. Still others underscore the need to conduct community education efforts to promote awareness of assistance available for victims and to reduce community tolerance of domestic violence."
Providing Refuge: The Value of Domestic Violence Shelter Services
SHARON A. CHANLEY
University of Illinois at Springfield
JESSE J. CHANLEY, JR.
HEATHER E. CAMPBELL
Arizona State University
Domestic violence shelters are a lifeline for people in need. Making it more difficult to turn a life around and create opportunities is putting our state into fiscal and personal debt. It is the responsibility of those who can to help those who cannot. We cannot close the doors and shutter the windows on domestic violence. Ignoring it will not make it go away. It is our responsibility to maintain a place for safety and understanding.
Advocates who are employed with shelters and the volunteers that spend precious time there assist shelter residents with counseling, employment training and job searches as well as the navigation of government's complicated systems. Advocates assist with obtaining restraining orders and locating transportation for children so they can continue attending school. These precious angels receive very little compensation for their efforts and in the case of volunteers, none at all. We cannot afford to lose them.
If a woman can obtain a safe place to live, she can also access job training and employment. This, Governor Quinn, would lead to more tax revenue. Especially in this time of need our shelters are all the more important. As I am sure that you are aware, in times of economic crisis, partner violence increases.
"We built the first skyscraper – Chicago’s Home Insurance Building– allowing our cities to climb into the sky." Through our unwillingness to provide help to those who need it most, the only thing in Illinois that will ever reach the sky will be our skyscrapers. As long as we knowingly allow our citizens to struggle we can not hope for success, nor would we deserve it.
I understand the need to trim the budget and tighten the collective belts of Illinois. However, the choice to cut funding for community resources will only create more financial strain. If an alcoholic does not have access to a treatment facility, drives drunk and kills a mother of two, then the people of Illinois will be paying to support him in prison. If a woman cannot find refuge for herself and her children and is murdered by her violent spouse, who will provide care for the children while their father is in prison? This is the sad side effect to a lack of resources. This is not necessary. We can change the future of the state by truly investing in our human capital. Our people.
I hope that you will take this into consideration when setting the budget in stone, Governor Quinn. When I voted for you in this past election, I voted for you hoping that you would be fair to all the people of Illinois. Please do not disappoint us.
Sincerely,
Michelle Cahill
Click here for Governor Quinn's speech.
Copyright 2011 Michelle Cahill
Quinn's budget and substance abuse programs.
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