Clara Peller asked, “Where’s the beef?” And the people are now asking, “Where’s the money?” There’s a budget problem in Chicago and in Cook County and Illinois is bankrupt. And governor Quinn is now saying taxes will have to be raised. But, even if they’re raised, it won’t add up to enough to cover expenses. And the expenses…ah, the expenses…now there’s the rub.

We taxpayers are paying for a huge number of state, county and city employees and their health care and their pensions – pensions that increase with or without a change in the cost of living index.

While the unemployment numbers remain the same, the government continues to hire. The government jobs pay more than the private sector jobs. Where else could you get $150 thousand to work a job on Navy Pier? Who in the private sector could retire and still get $180 thousand annually plus benefits? The answer: no one.

We are beyond the tipping point. Today, people who work in government jobs are making much more than people in similar jobs in the private sector, plus they’re getting free health care and big retirement packages.

Raising taxes on citizens isn’t going to fix the problem. Shrinking the size of government will. And, don’t worry; we don’t need to cut police, firemen, nurses, doctors or teachers. There is so much fat in government that thousands could be cut and no one’s safety would be risked.

Want some examples? Okay, the city of Chicago has the Department of Special Events. Col. Jack Reilly once headed it. He ran it…even with a King visiting…with three people. Today there are nearly 200 full time employees in that city department, all getting salaries, free health and vision care, and setting up for those sweetheart pensions. Fat to be cut? You bet – especially when you realize the department doesn’t raise a cent for the city; it’s purpose is to make the Mayor look good and make certain his name is atop everything. Then there’s the Mayor’s press office. Dozens work there as well. It’s a virtual public relations office, full time, full pay, and full benefits. Look at the Board of Education. Thousands working there, spending tax dollars – not in classrooms – but at the board. Thousands of employees compared with the fewer than 20 running all the schools in the Catholic Archdiocese.

As for Cook County…they can’t even tell a reporter how many cars the county has purchased or where they all are. In fact, they can’t even say how many employees and independent contracts there are in the county. How many are really working or how many are really just getting paychecks isn’t known because the paychecks are mailed and they don’t even have to come in and pick them up. Does a private business work like this? It can’t. It would go broke…which is just where the County will go if it keeps this up.

The state of Illinois is already broke but it just keeps on spending. Why not? The Governor can just raise taxes and, after all, it’s not the government’s money that’s being spent – it’s the taxpayers’ money.

So now we have people moving out of the city due to the highest sales tax in the nation. We see people leaving Cook County because of the high property taxes and sales taxes. And businesses are leaving Illinois because they just cannot survive in the anti business climate that exists here.

Raising taxes isn’t the answer.

Electing responsible leaders – who will cut runaway spending and hiring — is the answer.

That’s where the real meat of the issue lies.

It’s the future of Chicago, Cook County and Illinois.

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Mary Laney is a regular columnist for the Chicago Daily Observer