How Illinoisans should vote

If you missed reading Matt Paprocki's op-ed, you missed some very troubling numbers regarding the state of Illinois. We all know that our state is among the highest taxed states in the country. Our population has seen decreases.

A few of Paprocki's statistics are alarming: Since 1910, the number of Illinois' congressional seats has been reduced from 27 to 17. Over the last decade, we've “lost a net of nearly 943,000 residents and $87.8 billion in adjusted gross income to other states.” These are numbers all of us should be concerned about.

Illinois doesn't boast about its high ranking in taxation, but it does highlight its abortion access, its status as a sanctuary state, how it is leading the battle against President Donald Trump and much more.

How do we deal with all this? First of all, do not reelect any of the current incumbents. Typically, we realize that if something isn't working, a change is needed. We do it in our personal lives all the time; let's do it in the political arena too.

The media need to change from reporting negative news to reporting facts. Reporting news of encouragement rather than embellishing the negative just to make money may go a long way in fighting the chaos in America.

Political candidates should return to telling voters how they will address issues rather than telling us all the negative reasons why we should not vote for their opponents.

I know this may be a little late, but think about what can be done the next time. Let's not just vote for someone because they represent a political party. Let's vote for someone who sees the problems and isn't afraid to address them.

Fred Dryden, Huntley