Wisconsin governor has it right

After reading Mr. McGrath’s comments of May 6 about the failed leadership of the current Wisconsin governor, I researched how the Democratic governor in Illinois compares to the performance of this alleged failed governor.

Unemployment: Wisconsin 7.2 percent; Illinois 9.4 percent.

State deficit: Illinois $11 billion; Wisconsin $0 (plus, Illinois has $80 billion in unfunded pension liabilities).

State income tax increase: Illinois 67 percent; Wisconsin 0 percent (the Illinois rate changed in 2011 from 3 percent to 5 percent).

Because the Illinois governor and his Democratic legislators cannot or will not address the financial crisis of Illinois (second-worst of the 50 states), taxpayers are now asked to pay more in real estate taxes while Wisconsin property owners are seeing lowered real estate taxes.

What I admire is the Wisconsin governor’s priority to reduce the burden on the Wisconsin taxpayer while the action of a Democratic governor and leadership in Illinois is to ignore the pleas of the taxpayer and continue to cater to special interests so Democrats can stay in power. As an Illinois taxpayer I would welcome the leadership policies of Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin as opposed to Illinois political leadership that values the interests of public worker unions over the taxpayers.

Raymond W. Jagert

Buffalo Grove