Put money toward real needs, not concrete

We hired a governor who told us he would use his business acumen to fix our broken finances, stop the financial bleeding, and point our state in the right direction. How's that working for us?

Not so well, as we watch the stalemate between our elected officials intensify. Our governmental officials refuse to compromise and work to solve problems together, like two big schoolyard bullies who haven't yet met their match.

Meanwhile, the Illinois Tollway Board, appointed in part by Gov. Rauner, plans to spend an eye-popping $40-50 million just to study a highway project that promises to be the most expensive stretch of road ever constructed in North America, despite crumbling public support for the project.

Our tax and toll dollars will flow in great, fat torrents to consultants and contractors who will, yet again, ponder and study a road some people wish they had built 40 years ago.

Now we hear that existing Illinois road repair projects are to be halted and extra expenses incurred to stop work on fixing our infrastructure indefinitely because there is no assurance of money, while our schools wait to find out if they will open in the fall because there is no assurance of money, and our most vulnerable citizens - the disabled and the elderly - lose the support of governmental programs that ease their burdens because, you guessed it, there is no assurance of money.

One thing is most assured - our taxes and tolls will still be due and paid. Let's demand that those dollars be used to pay for supporting and creating great schools, fixing our crumbling infrastructure and caring for our most vulnerable residents. Not more new concrete. We're better than this, Illinois.

Vanessa Griffin

Hawthorn Woods