Democrats must be honest on state finances

A recent Herald article said that suburban Democrats aren't supporting Gov. Pat Quinn's recommendation to retain the 3 percent Illinois income tax increase. The article cited state Reps. Crespo and Moylan. Most suburban Democrats are opposing retention of the increase.

I strongly suspect that those representatives know in their hearts that Illinois desperately needs revenue to pay for vitally needed services, but they are afraid that if they openly say so they won't be re-elected. To them I say this: "You are moral cowards and you don't deserve to be re-elected." I am a Democrat and I want to be represented by real Democrats that have the courage of their convictions even if it means defeat in the next election.

I'm old enough to remember a time when members of both parties discussed tax issues on their merits; sometimes taxes were increased, sometimes they were decreased, but they were not straight party votes. Then, in 1978, California passed Proposition 13, which drastically reduced property taxes. Suddenly politicians, especially Ronald Reagan and the Republican Party, discovered that you could win elections by appealing to voter's greed by promising to cut their taxes.

California once had the best schools in the nation, including free college. Now they're near the bottom.

Some places now require a super majority to raise taxes, as proposed by Bruce Rauner. If you need a super majority to raise taxes, you should also require a super majority to cut taxes. Most of the demagoguery is on the cut taxes side.

I urge our citizens to be responsible and pay in full to meet our statutory commitments. Those of us most able should be willing to sacrifice for the common good. Will Mr. Rauner support a graduated income tax in which those most able contribute according to their ability?

Kent Kirkwood

Mount Prospect