So another election season has passed and once again, the Democrats in Illinois continue to flourish. Let's step back a minute and recognize their recent "achievements" and how the voters reacted.
Illinois' pension debt is approaching $100 billion dollars, worse than any other State in the nation and the Democrats haven't lifted a finger to address the problem. The voters said go ahead and ignore it.
We'll cross our fingers and hope Obama will send us a check. Illinois has the lowest credit rating of the 50 states and has America's second-biggest public debt per capita.
The voters said go ahead and spend and borrow recklessly. We'll let our kid's generation figure out how to dig out of this. In January of 2011, the Democrats pushed through a 67 percent income tax increase — the largest tax increase in the state's history. The voters said go ahead and raise our taxes all you want. We won't hold you accountable.
In Wisconsin, the Republican leadership erased their state's pension and debt problems by cutting spending — no tax increases. The Illinois voters said we don't need creative solutions like that. Let's stick to supporting the party that tries to solve problems by raising taxes.
So Democrats, go ahead and pat yourself on the back for all your recent election victories. And to the voters of Illinois, wake up and do your homework before you vote next time.
Larry Hoehne
Lake Zurich
