OFFICIALS SHOULD RECONSIDER DRASTIC BUDGET CUTS

The federal government has handed us an alarming series of
disappointments in the past few weeks.

Officials have announced cuts in funding for anti-drug task forces,
the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and job training programs. These
funding cuts will directly affect many programs in east central Illinois.

- -The East Central Illinois Task Force, which is mainly funded
through Department of Justice grants, will get a 67-percent cut in funding.

The task force, which covers Coles, Douglas and Moultrie counties,
received $107,122 in funding last fiscal year. In the fiscal year
beginning in October, it will receive $35,350.

The task force has been instrumental in combatting illegal drug
traffic in the area. This success has especially been evident in
their battle against methamphetamine production.

The task force commander, Illinois State Police Sgt. Mark Peyton,
said the funding cut could lead to the loss of two task force
members and, therefore, a reduction in enforcement.

- - The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers directly oversees many Illinois
lakes, including Lake Shelbyville, Carlyle Lake and Rend Lake.

At Lake Shelbyville, a reduction in federal funding will cause many
campgrounds to close for the season early - some closing as early as
July 4. Officials also plan less frequent mowing and trash removal,
and cleaning of facilities.

Other cuts include a 50-percent reduction in wildlife food plots and
migratory bird management. The invasive species eradication program
will be eliminated, and interpretive programs in the campgrounds and
visitor center will be reduced.

- - The Crossroads Workforce Investment Board is among the
job-training facilities that has been hit with cuts in federal
funding retroactive to last July. The Crossroads Workforce centers
in Mattoon, Effingham, Olney and Centralia will lose $200,000.

CWIB officials say 18 staff members have been cut throughout the
region at a time when an economic slowdown is making job training
even more vital throughout the country.

In all three of these instances, the residents of east central
Illinois lose. They lose the safety of added law enforcement through
the task force. They lose wildlife and nature programs and clean
facilities for outdoor recreation at Lake Shelbyville. And they lose
the extra help in job training and career counseling that many local
residents desperately need.

That's not to mention the federal government's decision not to fund
the FutureGen plant in Mattoon.

Some believe funding for programs such as these has been cut in
order to free up more money to support the war in Iraq. This may, or
may not, be true. Regardless, we believe our federal officials need
to remember that the decisions made in Washington directly affect
the daily lives of all Americans.

We urge federal legislators and officials to reconsider making such
drastic cuts to these and other programs. The stability and future
of the area and the country depend on it.

- - JG/T-C Editorial Board