Chicago State meltdown? Democrats' fault, Rauner says - Monique Garcia and Celeste Bott, Chicago Tribune

Whether it's layoffs of workers who care for the elderly, cuts in programs like autism therapy or a new contract with state workers, Rauner's answer has been the same during the nine-month budget impasse: It's those Democrats orchestrating chaos to build pressure for a tax increase to ease the state's financial woes. When it comes to higher education, however, Democrats counter that it's Rauner who should take responsibility for the unraveling of the state's system. Steve Brown said Rauner "doesn't understand the facts." "He's the one who put out a budget a year ago that cut higher education by roughly 30 percent. He's the one who while signing one education appropriation bill, vetoed the appropriation bill for higher education," Brown said. "The one who is trying to destroy higher education — and the destruction is pretty significant already — is the governor." http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/politics/ct-bruce-rauner-higher-education-met-0331-20160330-story.html