Jack Baker, columnist

My solution to the budget problem is pretty simple: Stop spending money! The State of Illinois can’t keep raising taxes and borrowing money in order to pay the bills if they’re then going to still increase the overall budget by $1.7 billion. Illinois doesn’t have much as it is; that is the problem. I don’t see how spending even more money is supposed to fix that.

Aaron Brooks, columnist

Can more be done? Of course. The Governor’s budget, however, is the right first step. Consolidation of the 868 school districts is truly needed. I know my old high school has 11 administrators for one school, costing the district per year over a million dollars. The governor’s point about uncompetitive bids due to slow payment also needs to be corrected this year, so the people are not overpaying when constructing the infrastructure of tomorrow. Let us move quickly to complete all of the tasks assigned so next year we can do more.

Nathan Fulkerson, columnist

Gov. Quinn’s budget proposal seems pretty well on the mark, though I cringe at the predictable cuts to education and Medicaid. Surely there is something more frivolous to cut. I’m just not sure what it might be. Cutting the “World Trotting Derby” and “High School Finals Rodeo” seem like sensible decisions in the face of our budget crisis. After all, better them than more cuts to the MAP Grant.

Jessica Jenks, columnist

Word on the street is that the world is going to end in 2012. Money and the law are quickly becoming irrelevant. Anarchy in Illinois! Everyone should spend all of their money on spaceships to fly to the moon. We should just relocate Illinois to the moon. That way we can have the best seats to watch the world burn. I know what you are thinking, and I am not sure why I am not the governor either. I am obviously the only one who is thinking realistically about the future.

Alyssa Pracz, columnist

After reading an article in the Chicago Tribune, I saw that Gov. Quinn proposed “cutting aid to poor seniors, eliminating a prescription drug discount program and reducing spending on social services like alcohol and substance abuse treatment.” I just don’t know if cutting aid to the programs that help people is a good idea if Illinois is going to also ask that the people pay more taxes.

Logan Short, columnist

I mean, what DO you do if you’re Gov. Quinn? Borrow money and raise taxes on already suffering citizens to help pay debts like the much needed $77 million to NIU? Or, cut spending, stop borrowing and lower taxes and let similar institutions crumble? I like his aim to increase higher education funding, but I feel like he should have made a greater effort to work with what we’ve got by putting a cap on high school sports spending for new jerseys every year or astroturf football fields, they’re high schoolers for crying out loud. Cut or tax the unnecessary and redundant, then go from there.