Get rid of Illinois' one-party rule

The one-party political monopoly here in Illinois must change. How many times can Illinoisans be snookered into believing that by awarding Democrats with their votes, who now have super majorities in both houses of the General Assembly, that things will be different this time around?

As the saying goes, "Fool me once, shame on you; fool me twice, shame on me."

Are things really all honky dory in Illinois as Gov. Quinn would have us believe? Here are facts about Illinois that were not manufactured to spin the truth, but which represent solid research by reputable organizations and government agencies:

Illinois is dead last of all 50 states in recovering from the Great Recession.

Illinois' workforce suffered the largest monthly workforce loss in recorded state history in June of this year.

Food stamp growth has outpaced new jobs in Illinois by nearly two to one in the past four years.

Sky-high property taxes make home ownership a pipe dream, and the job market is terrible.

The bleeding is bad; on net, one person leaves Illinois every 10 minutes.

Youth and minority workers have been hurt most by the state's ongoing policy errors.

The result of Illinois' anti-business environment and tax-hiking ways is a recovery that is estimated to drag on for seven more years and that's just to get back to the number of Illinoisans who were working in January 2008.

Three candidates running for state office in northern Illinois who want to shake up Springfield are Don Wilson, challenging Democratic state Sen. Terry Link, District 30; Dr. Mark Neerhof, challenging Democratic state Rep. Scott Drury, District 58; and Leslie Munger, challenging Democratic Rep. Carol Sente, District 59.

Let's return Illinois to its once grandeur as the "Land of Lincoln" and to a state we can all be proud to call home.

Nancy Thorner

Lake Bluff