For the past four years as a state legislator, I have watched Democrats introduce bill after bill on the House floor that spends taxpayer money. In 2015, my first year as an Illinois representative, I repeatedly stood up and asked Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie why we don't first determine how much taxpayer money we have to spend before we start spending it. My questions were brushed aside with flippant answers along the lines of "We'll do that when we actually do a budget."