Politicians need to reassess spending
Since the U.S. economy seems to be in a state of decline, politicians need to reassess programs, budgets and taxes.
The State of Illinois is not receiving sales tax money in the volume it expected. Delays in state payments are said to lag by a couple of months and may go longer. Home foreclosures and decreasing home values will also decrease the amounts of revenues government agencies take in.
Without budget and spending cuts, government will go broke and be forced to shut down. People can't afford any more taxes and still survive.
Politicians lately have not come to any agreement on budgets. All the politicians want to do is argue and raise taxes without making any concerted effort to cut unnecessary or duplicate programs. And God forbid anyone suggest politicians' cut funding for their pet or pork projects.
There are many programs that are duplicated by federal, state, county and local village taxes. Politicians should cut or combine those resources. Programs that don't work should be abandoned.
No one has said it's easy being a politician… unless politicians do nothing.
During the Republican debates,, the income tax code was said to be outdated and needed to be fixed. Comments were about reducing taxes, installing a flat tax and even a suggestion that if taxpayers don't like what the government is doing, they can withhold paying taxes.
Even the death tax was said to be unfair. The main point was to keep income in the taxpayers' pockets. Those are all good ideas that won't see the light of day once the elections are over.
During the Democratic debates, little was said about cutting taxes or about balancing budgets. They seemed to say that we need to sacrifice in the coming years, which has been interpreted tax increases.
Politicians should not be allowed to give themselves a pay raise at any time. That decision should come from the taxpayers.
Tax and spend must stop. Politicians must look to downsizing the bureaucracy they created and cut programs even if it means cutting jobs given to the friends and family. Nepotism, greed and government expansion/intervention should end for the good of the people.
If this type of change doesn't occur soon, the American Dream will be just that… a dream that can never be accomplished.
Wayne Oras Sr.
Schaumburg