State problems bigger than spill

We are bombarded by huge numbers from the media every day, and it's very easy to loose perspective.

About 200 million gallons of oil was released in the BP accident. Assuming 100 percent % of this went to fuel our cars, at $3 a gallon, the value of the product polluting the Gulf is $600 million. BP agreed to make $20 billion as restitution for the damage to the environment and to those whose livelihood is affected by the disaster. That's $100 for every gallon released.

These are big numbers by all accounts, but they pale when compared to what our state government spends. Those in power have been spending an average of $13 billion more each year than they take in! They've created $83 billion in unfunded public employee pensions and have total liabilities of $140 billion. No only do we have a negative cash flow, our state debt is 7 times more than the restitution BP has to pay to compensate for the worst oil disaster in our nation's history!

It's time to elect leaders who know how encourage job creation through private sector growth. We simply can't afford to keep the people who think that taxing you more and then giving it to the increasing number of people sitting at home is the answer to our economic problems.

I urge everyone to go to Prosperity101.org, a nonpartisan program available to any group or individual who would like to better understand the vital role business plays in America's economy so that informed decisions can be made when evaluating candidates.

Keith Gray

Mettawa