State Sen. Kyle McCarter, who has pledged not to vote for increasing state income taxes, said he hopes lawmakers will spend the next two weeks figuring out how to make government smaller - not figuring out more creative ways to take more taxpayers' money.
Earlier today, the Senate put off voting on an omnibus budget package that would have, among other things, increased individual income tax and borrowed $7 billion to offset a massive amount of unpaid bills.
After Senate President John Cullerton and GOP Leader Christine Radogno said they would continue working on a deal until reconvening Feb. 7, and before adjourning, McCarter said on the floor that he realized a lot of effort from both sides had gone into the budget package, but that he hasn't seen much effort put into how "we are actually going to reduce the size of Illinois government."
"I would hope that before we vote, we spend just as much time seeing how we're going to do that," he said.
McCarter also said that he's heard from constituents who are "insulted" that the first effort by legislators is "to take more of their money."
"These people are very generous...they even say they would tolerate another tax increase if we'll just reform pensions, like all these reforms. We have to step up first."
During a Facebook live video from his office after adjournment, McCarter lashed out for having the Senate assemble, only to do "almost nothing" for an hour.
He said it was known last night that a vote would not be taken today, yet leaders called them in, at a cost of at least $114,000.
"What a waste of our time," he said. "What a waste of your money."
"What's going to happen in the next two weeks...is this a government of the people? No. This is a backroom deal, without me and without a bunch of senators and representatives.
"The problem is they started with this creative energy on how to get more of your money, never asking how big this government should be."
He said eight years ago when he became a member, government cost $29 billion, and now "they" assume that government is going to cost $38.3 billion a year.
"Government has grown beyond what you can afford, what I can afford. Are you willing to give up two weeks of your pay just to make up for the fact that these folks failed to live within means? This is wrong."
He said that politicians have to tell people that they're not going to get all the benefits they've gotten in the past.
"It's not going to be the end of the world," he said.
"Sometimes you have to tell people the truth."
If lawmakers decide to impose a tax increase, people are going to leave "the same way they did in the last tax increase," he said.
"These weren't people on welfare these were people who were working and paying taxes. Why would we repeat this history."