advertisement

Hold elected officials accountable

Once again the Democratic Party and legislature failed to address the pension problem. There have to be others besides myself who are frustrated and angry at Springfield. Illinois has almost $100 billion in pension debt, and to delay is costing millions more every day. Although a solution will anger some taxpayers, this problem has to be resolved.

Elected officials need only money and votes to retain their jobs. Political parties, lobby groups and unions provide these, expecting favoritism in return. We all have to realize that everyone has to give up something to fix this problem.

We can look for the “temporary” Illinois income tax to be extended when it expires because the legislature continues to spend and borrow. It is hard to keep good legislators in office when so many people fail to vote. Fewer voters enable unqualified people to get into office, those looking for the job and its perks, and willing to use that office to help friends who will keep them there with their votes.

Blame has to be placed on (many) selfish ambitious elected officials, on lobby groups pushing for unfair personal benefits which the public cannot afford, and on lazy voters who are ignorant of the drastic effects of not voting. No group, whether Democrats, Republican, or other can have all of the best candidates running for office. A wise choice is to read the papers and vote for qualified and honest candidates. A democracy requires that intelligent voters select good candidates to represent them if they want good government. When the legislators know that the voters are watching and holding them accountable, we will then get honest and more efficient government.

William McNutt

Des Plaines

Article Comments
Guidelines: Keep it civil and on topic; no profanity, vulgarity, slurs or personal attacks. People who harass others or joke about tragedies will be blocked. If a comment violates these standards or our terms of service, click the "flag" link in the lower-right corner of the comment box. To find our more, read our FAQ.