Rauner must stop blaming middle class

Rauner must stop blaming middle class

When Governor Rauner blames the state's financial woes on unions and proposes local governments be allowed to make their towns "right to work" areas which have the effect of weakening or destroying unions in that area, he is saying that Illinois' problems are caused by workers who receive decent pay and benefits for their work.

Don't be fooled. When unions are gone, pay and benefits go down. There is less assurance that equal pay is given for equal work because there is no pay scale and no one to negotiate for the workers. The benefits for the companies are having cheaper labor and more profits for them, not the workers.

What happens when pay goes down, weakening the middle class? People have less money to spend, there are fewer taxes collected and the economy suffers. There is no guarantee that the his solution would improve jobs and the economy.

At the same time, Gov. Rauner is paying unusually high salaries to those he recruits to work with him in state government. He knows that an attractive salary is necessary to attract the best possible candidate. But he obviously thinks the workers in this state who don't work directly with or for him, i.e. the state police, the state attorney's office, those who work in the tax divisions, the universities, the public schools, don't deserve to be fairly compensated for their work.

Instead of blaming the middle class for Illinois' problems, maybe Gov. Rauner should look at revamping the Illinois income tax so that those reaping the most benefits (the very rich) would pay a higher rate, rework the payment plan for overdue pension payments so the amount is more affordable for the state, and find monies to improve our infrastructure. And then, maybe, Illinois could move forward.

Linda Dickey

Lombard