Income tax increase will help kids, others

With the legislative session quickly drawing to a close, it's more important than ever that our state's elected officials take action and address Illinois' budget shortfall in a balanced, responsible manner.

We all have a moral responsibility to dispel the myth that cutting state spending is a viable option for erasing our state's budget crisis. Without substantial new revenues that are morally responsible, we will be forced to cut or eliminate altogether vital programs and services that support children and families throughout Illinois.

State-supported preschool, health care for children and low-income adults, mental health services, child care supports - these are a few of the programs that Illinois families depend on in their daily lives. Such initiatives help children to learn and grow and become healthy and productive members of society; they help parents get to work and support their families and foster their children's healthy development. They are part of the very fabric of our American values.

We have an opportunity to restore balance and fairness to our system. Let's not squander it. We must raise the state income tax, our country's lowest, to at least 5 percent and strengthen fairness measures such as the Earned Income Tax Credit.

Illinoisans, contact your legislators and insist that they approve a balanced income tax increase to maintain adequate funding for vital programs for children and families. Avoid budget cuts and service eliminations that would hurt communities across our state.

Laurel Bault

Elgin