Stop and think about adding library district

Elk Grove Village and Des Plaines boards are contemplating a new library district to better serve rural residents. Elk Grove appears to favor other options while Des Plaines favors a new district. Jim Burns from school District 59 and some from Des Plaines are pushing this idea for another district. About $350,000 would be set aside, a legal firm would be hired to manage, a new board added, etc.

I do hope that these promoters will give more serious consideration to this problem.

Illinois is not a poor state, but is one of the most poorly run ones. One of the excesses is the huge cost to run over 7,000 bodies of government, far more than second-place Texas, which has 2,000 units.

We have townships, parks, libraries, forest preserves, schools, to name a few, all with boards, payroll, pensions, and political entities. Once a body is established, it is almost impossible to condense or dissolve it because those in charge do not want to lose their jobs. Excessive layers of government always lead to mismanagement and corruption. It is so easy to give grants, jobs, and spend other people's money.

Debt is slavery of the free. Whether Gov. Rauner can balance the current budget is doubtful because of union and Democratic opposition, but Illinois cannot continue this practice. It has reached a point where our children and grandchildren will not be able to afford to pay for all these past spending habits.

To create a new government body is a serious and expensive undertaking. The voters and the boards should carefully explore all options before creating more government.

William McNutt

Des Plaines