The $12 billion deficit question

If Crystal Lake Republican state Rep. Mike Tryon's take is even close to accurate, it doesn't sound like Gov. Pat Quinn made much progress convincing suburban lawmakers to vote for his tax hike.

And Tryon rhetorically asked the one question that is probably the biggest political hurdle Quinn faces.

“Would you give these guys more money to spend?”

Here's Tryon's postgame recap ...

“It didn’t go too well. I don’t think the governor won any votes for his tax increase,” Tryon said.

He suggested Quinn start over and put education and health care on the chopping block even if it means losing out on some federal stimulus dollars.

“Maybe we don’t take stimulus money because some of that money is coming with a price tag that inflates over the years,” Tryon said.

He said Republicans have opposed the past budgets that led the state to where it is today and without dramatic changes to state spending Republicans remain opposed.

“For us to vote for a tax increase is justifying every expenditure we voted against,” Tryon said.

“We need a Quinn budget that isn’t based on a Blagojevich strategy."