No change without trust, cuts

I believe there are two huge issues at hand when it comes to the new way to tax income in Illinois. The first is trust. Those currently in power say only millionaires and billionaires will be affected. Let's examine some other statements they have made over the years: "Toll free in 73" the toll roads will be paid off, "A state lottery will benefit school children", they just shifted money already going to schools to other projects and did not increase it, "It's just a temporary income tax increase" four years later that promise was gone. There are multiple other promises that have been forgotten or were never intended to be kept.

The federal government has talked about going to a flat tax to make it more fair than the system we have now, which is loaded with exemptions or "loopholes" as they are often referred to, but all legally put there by the politicians who were lobbied by people who did not want to pay so much tax. How long will it take to have the new tax law filled from one end to the other with exemption after exemption so the millionaires and billionaires won't have to pay? Then when tax proceeds aren't as high as needed to get out of debt, the politicians will have no choice but to impose the tax on lower incomes. How stupid are we?

Of all the laws the voters have asked to be corrected such as term limits and redistricting reform, this is what they offer us. Before this should ever be considered, there should be cuts in spending to show good faith in what they are trying to do with our government instead of using it as their own private piggy bank for them and their cronies.

Bradley Sauer

Sugar Grove