The State Senate candidates seated side by side in debate Tuesday evening at the DeKalb Farm Bureau shot words at each other like bullets as members of the League of Women Voters looked on.

Republican candidate Nancy Beasley’s stand to “just say no” to new programs Illinois can’t afford was fired upon by Welch as a mark of her lack of understanding of the way things run in Springfield. Welch came under fire by Beasley for what she sees as a clash between his voting record on budget spending and his campaign promises.

Like parents saying no to their children, legislatures must realize Illinois can’t afford everything, Beasley said. She scolded legislators for using state lottery profit as a “cookie jar” fund instead of as its intended use as an education support.

Welch ridiculed his opponents plan saying, “This is a good example of how my opponent does not understand how the budget process works,” he said. By separating the lottery money out, DeKalb and Sycamore schools would lose $700,000 to already grant-funded Chicago schools, he said.

Beasley’s proposal would be based on a dollars per student basis as opposed to the current policy that allocates funds based on number of students, wealth of community, and on how many poor people live there.

Both sides see revamping the state budget as a must, but it was clear they are divided on where cuts should be made, and where support for necessary programs will come from.

“I think there is room for new programs, and I will continue to support worthwhile programs that are in the interest of senior citizens, students, and citizens in this community,” Welch said.

Beasley fired on her opponent’s flip-flopping to pro-choice on the abortion issue in June after weighing the Webster case, and questions arose as to Welch’s possible indecisiveness on future promises.

“If somebody doesn’t change their mind when the facts change, I think they’re more like a fossil than a representative,” Welch said.