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Waste watch: Illinois uses tax money on pig races?

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    Report lists Prairie State's wasteful spending

  • Duration 4:15
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-- state of Illinois facing the worst budget deficit in the nation and it still has 200000 dollars in taxpayer money.

I've spent on things like eco friendly zip lines so why isn't the state putting an end of this frivolous spending joining us now is the president of Citizens Against Government Waste.

Tom Schatz Tom nice to see this morning.

Good morning -- You know these local services local governments and state governments -- and we'll torso straps were having a difficult time paying for.

The essential services fire departments police departments etc.

Do you buy that argument once you've done this new report.

Athlete now we have done these state -- books since 2002 more than forty of them we've done Illinois several times.

In conjunction with the Illinois policy institute.

The state raised the income tax rates by 67%.

Last year about 15100 dollars per family.

And are still claiming that they can't do enough to balance their budget.

-- got an eight billion dollar annual deficit 44 billion cumulative deficit the largest in the nation is just a mess and they're not addressing the obvious wasteful spending.

You released this new Illinois piglet -- for government waste -- among the things that you found in here are things like this we'll put them up on the screen you can take them through it.

Through them for us top here Bobble heads but we're -- Bobble heads.

This is the Springfield park district it's for collegiate summer baseball things on the go the prospect -- which I never even heard of and they're modeling it after their -- the eternal mascot that's how ridiculous that one is glad taxpayers are paying for that here's another one swine -- pig racing.

More than 20000 dollars for a local pig racing contest in rock county these go on all over the country no reason any taxpayer dollars should be used for this purpose.

Among some -- -- -- those are some of the smaller ticket items if you can believe that 9020000.

Respectfully but now here we have some larger.

-- one's one -- we talked about here.

Eco friendly zip lines how much we -- -- 200000.

Right Williamson county again something that is a private operations should be paid for by the people that want to go on the zip line they seem to be popular enough.

Let -- pay for itself.

Yeah I mean it's a tourist attraction when you go on vacation somewhere you go to Alaska users place on the side of -- mountain you pay hefty sum to go on these things I can't understand why they would need taxpayer dollars to work on that.

Also unfortunately that was a lot of recreational activities these days another thing in this just blew me away.

A vacant lot.

For two million dollars I could see some sort of brand new school facility.

Or some sort of public public center -- library -- or something like that.

But for an empty lot.

Well these are tax increment financing funds supposed to reduce polite in villages towns urban areas and certainly.

Filling the vacant lot is just going to create more polite in that town.

I can come in -- -- -- flight I twenty granting a -- I could come in there and do that appears I would two million dollars -- getting cable.

To prison inmates.

The Illinois -- prison inmates are.

Cost on average about 38000 dollars a year more than any other neighboring state most other states in the midwest.

Cable for prisoner is really let's do something better with them and get them rehabilitated and off.

You know the public dole and back into.

Some kind of productive life.

-- one months in prison is watching FOX & Friends this morning if you're if you're -- though hopefully not offended by that time when you do these studies you've taken to these different states what's the response from the state legislature of the governor's office.

-- the legislators appreciate the work that's being done again the expertise of the local group Illinois policy institute the state think tank it's been.

The tremendous help we've done in many other places best example perhaps that they.

The policy that was proposed was the Oklahoma.

-- -- many years ago helped start the transparency movement for government information around the country so many cases these recommendations do have a big impact.

But the principle is whether it's the fiscal cliff for the state budget.

Get rid of the waste first and then.

Start thinking about possibly raising some taxes whatever would we do without those Bobble heads Tom Schatz thanks so much for joining us -- the great work.

Thank you coming up.

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