John Shimkus tells newspaper there's plenty of blame to go around

A nation struggling to recover from a recession, a state battling a $13 billion deficit and a former governor awaiting a trial verdict provides 19th Dist. Rep. John Shimkus (R-Ill.) ample opportunities to question the status quo.

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"There is a pox on both houses (of Congress), but keep in mind who's in charge. Remember how unhappy the public is with us, the current elected officials."

Shimkus visited the (Marion) Daily Republican Friday.

He felt the public's wrath justified in Congress' handling of the national economy and health care reform.

"The public is right when it says, 'stop, don't do anything more,'" he said. "We've meddled enough trying to get the economy moving forward and nothing we've done has helped the people."

Health care reform passed earlier this year by a Democrat-controlled Capitol Hill may be costlier than some initially hoped. Shimkus thought the reform would add to the crunch in Illinois, where state legislators have expanded Medicaid over the years.

"In Illinois, the state pays half the cost. Illinois is broke because they expanded it without paying for it," he said. "This will force the state to pay more and we'll pay more when we don't have the money."

Major plans for the FutureGen project in Mattoon changed in recent weeks. Plans to build a new power plant in Mattoon changed to modifying a Meredosia plant with the option of storing carbon dioxide in the city.

Coles Co. officials balked at that proposal.

"It's frustrating and disappointing," Shimkus said. "The initial promise was a research facility. University communities understand people come to learn and take knowledge back. That was the promise for Coles Co."