Proof that Dems must change course

A recent list has been circulating around the Internet that lists the top ten or so major cities in the country with the highest poverty rates. All of those cities are run and have been run by Democrats. Add to that the states with the largest budget deficits thus relying on tax increases or proposed ones, i.e. Illinois, New York, California and New Jersey, that are also dominated by Democrat legislatures and you pretty much understand where the country as a whole is headed under an Obama presidency and a Democratic-controlled Congress.

In Illinois we are faced with a sitting governor and an announced primary opponent to our governor who are fighting over the best way to increase taxes. Where is the discussion about cutting spending and shrinking government? Our neighbor, Indiana, is currently sitting on a $1 billion state surplus. Since 2004 Indiana has cut state employee rolls by 5,000. Indiana state spending, on a per-capita basis, has been cut 1.4 percent each of the past five years, according to The Wall Street Journal. For years our national leaders have admonished us that our savings rate was the worst in the industrialized world, hovering many times at zero. Today that savings rate is above 5 percent and looks to be stabilizing at that level. The American taxpayer realizes the salad days are over and are adjusting their lifestyles and finances accordingly. Our national and local leaders had better come to the realization that past revenue streams, i.e. taxes, may never bounce back to the glory day levels before 2007. The adage "you can't get blood from a turnip" is something Washington and Springfield need to realize, and realize quickly. The "turnips" have been bled dry. Those that haven't might just decide to move to Indiana and take their businesses with them.

Steve Sarich

Grayslake