Beware the rich who oppose fair taxes

After reading the paper on April 21, I wanted to congratulate David McSweeney of South Barrington and Dan McConchie of Hawthorn Woods for standing up for the people who elected them: the rich 3% of Illinoisans who would have to dig deeper if the flat tax were to be replaced in Illinois by a graduated income tax.

They do not, however, represent me or the other 97% who would pay the same or less in state taxes. McSweeney claims that the state should cut expenditures for education, pensions, and Medicaid - all ideas supported by the richest persons in the country like the Koch brothers and their legislative tentacles such as the Illinois Policy Institute and Americans for Prosperity. They represent people who want to pay less in taxes no matter what the cost to the citizens of this state (and country).

Many aspects of our "support" for education in this state are already inequitable. Downstate schools receive fewer monies for educating their children than Barrington or Hawthorn Woods. I'd like to hear how McSweeney and the IPI think they are going to change the pension system, which rich people across the suburbs have been complaining about since the Illinois Constitution was changed in 1970. And to pay less into Medicaid would only harm those who need our support.

Yes, McSweeney and McConchie represent their constituents.

But the rest of us should be wary of those who merely echo the beliefs of the rich few and the Koch brothers (who are worth $84 billion). Let's change the tax system in Illinois to a more equitable and fair one - a graduated system where the rich 3% pay more than the other 97%.

Kevin Brewner

St. Charles