State Rep. Janet Yang Rohr, LTDO member and PC, has once again stepped up to advocate for the disability community. The issue at hand is a proposed move by the state to drastically cut hours and funding for services that benefit individuals with developmental disabilities residing in group homes. Rep. Yang Rohr joined with other members of the General Assembly to lobby the Governor’s office to rethink this decision. Thanks to this action, the state announced last week that it has postponed these proposed cuts indefinitely. We thank Rep. Yang Rohr for her continued advocacy for, and friendship shown to, the disability community.

Understanding Federal Government Financing of Long-Term Investments

Among the key policy battles going in Washington is how to pay for repairing and modernizing America’s infrastructure. Democrats are considering higher tax rates for corporations and upper income earners, positions that are popular among people of varied political persuasions. Meanwhile, Republicans regard even the partial restoration of taxes cut during the previous administration as a deal breaker and argue for a much smaller bill than proposed by the President.

Aside from the fact that Republicans in Congress are unlikely to vote for anything that looks like a victory for Joe Biden (though I’d wager that they’d go home to their districts to claim credit for such funding), there’s a more fundamental question here: why is maintenance of the nation’s infrastructure something that requires a so-called “pay-for”?

I’d argue that this is closer to normal wear and tear, just as a home or car tends to become more costly over time, and eventually requires overhaul or replacement. Our country has regularly spent (wasted?) trillions of dollars on weapons, warfare, and tax cuts for the wealthy, with no one on the right questioning how to pay for it. But propose programs to repair and update our infrastructure, and suddenly there are no dollars to be found.

A common argument among Republicans is that the Democrats are expanding the definition to include areas not traditionally considered infrastructure. This can easily be countered by pointing out that the internet, rural electrification and telephony, interstate highways, etc. also didn’t exist less than a century ago, yet are now key components of our infrastructure. Over time, what is considered necessary for a functional economy has evolved and will continue to do so in the future.

One of the fundamental differences between the way our federal government accounting works and the way state and local government units work is that the federal budget accounts for everything on a current basis, where there is no consideration of the value or of an asset or liability over time. Every dollar coming in or going out is counted within the current year’s budget. Under GAAP (generally accepted accounting principles), when a state or local government invests in property, plant, equipment, pension costs, etc., the lifespan of the asset or liability is taken into account. The federal government, however, is constitutionally prohibited from accounting in this manner.

Obviously, the federal government has the power to print money and incur debt in ways not available to local governments, but the requirement to use cash accounting exaggerates the effects of the federal deficit and debt by not, for example, recognizing the value of the government’s physical assets. While I do think that, as a means of moving toward economic equality, it’s beyond time to collect a greater share of taxes from the wealthy and from profitable corporations, infrastructure spending should not depend upon resolving the decades-old problem of our distorted tax system. The stimulative quality of infrastructure investment, coming in the wake of the most recent economic collapse under another Republican president, is reason enough to proceed with an ambitious national renewal program.

LTDO finished calendar year 2020 with a somewhat reduced balance compared to a year earlier. This is hardly surprising, given the substantial investments (including rental of an office, purchase of a printer) associated with 2020 being such a consequential election year, one that brought us many successes locally and nationally.

LTDO’s resources at 12/31/20 stood at approximately $9,700, vs. just under
$11,000 at the start of the year. Some very successful reimagined fundraising efforts (most notably masks, trivia nights, and the virtual beer tasting), strong membership numbers, and the generosity of numerous donors helped keep our financial position sound, even with the limitations imposed on us by the pandemic. Thanks to everyone who stepped up!

As part of my responsibilities as Treasurer, I am required to submit quarterly reports to the Illinois State Board of Elections, and recently filed our report for the 4th quarter of 2020. I am pleased to report that our bank statements and state reporting came out completely in phase. These reports, which are called D-2s, are a matter of public record, and can be accessed through the IL Board’s website, using the Committee Search tool.

The 2021 membership year is underway. If you have paid dues on or since 11/1/20, then you are current on your dues for all of 2021. If you are unsure of your status, feel free to email me at spectrio@juno.com.

Dues levels remain the same for 2021, and are as follows:

• $25 Individual
• $35 Household
• $10 Senior/Student/Disabled/Election Judge

Dues payments can be sent directly to me, or paid via ActBlue. If paying by check made payable to LTDO, please mail it to me at 641 Sunset Drive, Naperville 60540. If you choose to pay through ActBlue, the link is https://secure.actblue.com/donate/ltdo2021. If your circumstances allow, please consider including an additional donation, as dues provide only a small portion of LTDO operating costs.

If you are interested in other ways to contribute (becoming a monthly donor, contributing to one of our ongoing fundraisers, etc.), please contact me, or visit the LTDO website for more information.