Be a discerning voter

After spending years “trusting” that candidates are qualified, I’ve recently learned a few things.

From political committees I was disturbed to hear “____ is our friend. We’ve known him for years and trust him.” Friendship has nothing to do with it. Where has this method of recommending friends and selecting candidates gotten us?

I’m fed up with cronyism and running our government into the ground because of “friends.” I want the best person for the job. We must research candidates, not take recommendations from career politicians and mayors who might be padding their nests for the next time THEY are up for election and possibly have a different agenda than we do.

Don’t discount those with new ideas to shake up the system in favor of those who are “friends we’ve known for years”. I WANT the system shaken up..

Are you happy with what is happening to Illinois jobs, to our tax base, retirement funds, income taxes, property taxes? If not, get out and vote. The primaries and general elections are important. State senators, representatives, judges and state and county representatives in the various agencies are important. Don’t ever think your one vote is useless. If everyone decides they can’t make a difference, our state and country are lost.

Find out who you agree with. Don’t listen to negative ads and negative fliers. Become cynics. Ask questions. Negativism works if you accept it as fact. We need new ideas and new ways of doing business.

Republican Jim O’Donnell represents the fresh new ideas that I’m looking for in the Illinois 28th District Senate race. Exercise your rights as citizens and voters. You count.

Louise Rees

Elk Grove Village, IL