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Perhaps problem is the voters themselves

Perhaps the problem is voters themselves

If someone asked me to write a short list of current and former Illinois governors and state legislators whom I admire for their intelligence, dedication and commitment to serving the people of Illinois, the list would be a very short one. So when I attended a town hall meeting recently hosted by state Sen. Matt Murphy at the Arlington Heights library, I suggested to the crowd of mostly 60+ and 70+ year-olds that maybe the reason we keep electing a plethora of despicable Illinois politicians is that we have the wrong voters. The people attending the meeting were almost all older folks like myself and understood all too well what I suggested. And they who, unlike so many younger Illinois citizens, vote in every election.

I suggested that one way to increase voter participation among all age groups was enact legislation that made voting a requirement for eligibility to receive state services. No voting record, no driver’s license. Or gun card or Medicaid payment. What was the response? Surprisingly, many of the audience members nodded their heads in support of the idea. But Sen. Murphy was not supportive, nor were a few of the senior citizens there, one who muttered, “I don’t want them voting.”

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results. Sad to say, that’s why the insanity that we call Illinois politics will continue to plague our state. Arghhhh!

George Peternel

Arlington Heights

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