Cut salaries before you hike taxes

Gov. Quinn's campaign to shame lawmakers and taxpayers into a tax increase is shameful. Illinois state employees, professors, teachers and, yes, executive, legislative and judicial branch employees really have it good.

Great salaries, fantastic defined benefit pension plans and state leaders who cry "emergency if we don't increase taxes, you'll lose these highly needed services." Or my favorite "it's for the children, sob, sob."

Well I believe that I am finally tired of hearing "emergency." And as for being about the children, call me jaded because I translate that into "it's for the administrators, teachers and unions benefit."

Tell you what, if you manage to cut all, and I mean all, state employee, professor, teacher, legislative, executive and judicial branch salaries by 10%, minimum and you end all defined benefit pension plans and replace with cash plans or 401(k) plans, pass laws that prevent any increase in the size of government to growth or shrinkage of the state GDP, then you can talk to me about tax increases.

All these employees should be very grateful to continue to have jobs and any kind of benefits. Somehow when the taxpayer is asked to give more and suffer a little, the government employee is always off the table. Hmmm.

It is time that the bloated government salary and benefit situation reflect more of the private sector that pays for this mess called state government. Just think, you could be setting the real example of fiscal change and management that is needed in the ever-expanding federal government - you could have Illinois represent real change.

Please stop crying wolf and get down to some real difficult work.

William H. Gorski

Long Grove