Quinn really needs to consider the vote

The election is over, and Gov. Pat Quinn won, but he did so by less than 1 percent (20,000 votes). Quinn, with 47 percent of the votes, defeated Bill Brady, who received 46 percent of the votes. In a system where the winner needs a plurality, simply receiving more votes than his opponent does, a candidate can take office when the majority of voters do not even support him. Now that Governor Quinn has taken office, he is stating publicly that he has a “mandate” to increase the state income tax by 1 percentage point. How can he claim he has a mandate to raise our income taxes after 53 percent of the voters in Illinois stated they do not want him as their governor? In the current difficult economic times, the last thing people need is a decrease in their income.

In general, if people have less disposable income, they are less likely to spend, suppressing economic growth. The state should not use a contractionary fiscal policy. The state's first priority needs to be economic growth. Quinn needs to promote this growth in the state to right the economy and gain the trust of 53 percent of the voting population, not divide it further.

Quinn should consider what the majority of the state has called for, and whether we need a contractionary policy before calling for an income tax hike.

Garrett Stalker

Glen Ellyn