CHICAGO, May 31, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- East St. Louis
parks littered with garbage, swimming pools without water, critical
programs such as Meals on Wheels cut for seniors and summer camp
programs no longer available for children are among the many tragic
consequences of years of fiscal mismanagement by the state.
The East St. Louis images are
evoking an emotional response on social media this week in an
alarming series of videos commissioned by AARP-Illinois to
demonstrate the urgent need for the Illinois General Assembly to
pass a balanced budget for Fiscal Year 2020 and improve the ongoing
fiscal crisis.
"These children sometimes only eat what they are fed here. The
cuts that we're going through right now, our parks are not getting
cut and cleaned like they should because I cannot afford to bring
back my four maintenance staff. We're barely making it," said
Irma Golliday, Executive Director
for East St. Louis Park District.
"I don't understand -- and it sort of gets a little hard when
you think about it, how the state can actually cut funds here in
East St. Louis."
AARP-Illinois, a non-profit,
non-partisan organization with 1.7 million members across the
state, developed the East St.
Louis videos as part of its continuing "Enough is Enough"
campaign, which calls on Illinois
politicians to make fixing the state's finances their number one
priority.
The 30-second videos include:
- Interviews with an East St.
Louis woman who fell behind on her bills and property taxes
after being laid off from a government job due to budget
shortfalls. Without a local unemployment office, she and her
husband lost her home. While she is now working, the couple must
take turns buying essential medication each month because their
income isn't enough to treat both.
- Scenes from the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House, which
has seen its senior programs dwindle from 19 a few years ago to 6,
including a drastic scale back of the Meals on Wheels program.
- Images of East St. Louis
tennis courts littered with garbage bags, as park district
officials lament a 75% reduction in summer programming and 50%
reduction in staff because of the lack of state funding.
"Our seniors are being neglected out here. We see it, but
there's not a whole lot we can do about it," said TraVonn Jones,
Job Developer for the Lessie Bates Davis Neighborhood House.
Illinois currently faces,
depending on the day, a $6-$8 billion
unpaid bill deficit; $1.7 billion in
unfunded liabilities; and according to the Comptroller's report of
April 30, 2019 an estimated
$1.8 billion in pending liabilities
that have not yet been invoiced. As a result of the unpaid bill
backlog, Illinois has, so far this
year, incurred over $440 million in
late payment interest penalties.
AARP Illinois demands that
action must be taken now to pass a balanced FY 20 budget that will
improve, rather than worsen, the Illinois fiscal crisis. Permanent
long-term solutions, such as passing a Fair Tax, must also be
implemented that will help restore Illinois' fiscal health, provide the services
our population needs, and ensure a bright future for our children
and grandchildren.
"Every day, Illinoisans continue to suffer daily from the harm
the fiscal crisis has inflicted on them," said Bob Gallo, State Director for AARP Illinois.
"Their suffering must end."
Watch the videos on 'Real Stories' here to see how real people
of all ages are suffering:
http://enoughisenough.aarp.org. Click here to see the
videos.
To learn more about Enough is Enough, visit:
http://enoughisenough.aarp.org.
AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan
organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to
choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members
and offices in every state, the District
of Columbia, Puerto Rico
and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP
works to strengthen communities.
View original
content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/plight-of-east-st-louis-residents-featured-in-emotional-video-series-going-viral-on-social-media-300859930.html
SOURCE AARP Illinois