If you don’t vote, it’s all your fault

People are finally paying attention to the problems our state and federal governments are dealing with today. Some say that those bad radical tea party people are behind this effort. What I see is that the tea party helped to bring your attention to this out-of-control spending by governments at all levels.

The federal government has been borrowing to pay some bills since after World War II. It grew a little at a time over the last 60 years to the point that it is now unmanageable.

How sick has this situation become and how long will we allow our government, at all levels, to continue on this path to destruction?

For sure, it was not caused by (wink) the 70 or 75 percent of the voters that did not have time to study the candidates’ credentials and choose a candidate and actually vote. In the last election it was hard to find a voter turnout more than 25 percent here in the Fox Valley. In Campton Hills, we had 18 percent voter turnout. That’s embarrassing.

There has been plenty of reason to come out and vote. Reporter Jake Griffin just wrote about retired school employees, the top 100, who were receiving on average of $227,000 a year from their pensions. Every dollar that every school district spends is taxpayer-funded.

On the same day I read that the average American had real disposal income after taxes of $33,064, as of last May. These are the same people who contribute to the top 100 who use up $22.7 million from the retirement fund. Another good reason to vote.

Same week, same paper. Our Kane County lobbyist may be out of a job. He was paid $64,000 last year in taxpayer money and board members are wondering what does he does for them. The article offers that he provides a newsletter after he spends much time in Springfield, but board members do not remember seeing any such newsletter.

Ladies and gentlemen, we all contributed to our current sorry situation by not paying attention and not voting for the right people when we have the opportunity. Thousands of our servicemen and women gave their lives so you could live in a free society and vote for the candidate of your choice. When you do not use that right, you insult their service and sacrifice.

Ron Petrucci

Campton Hills