Only option is to move

The Nov. 6 election was a sad day for me. My family has lived in Palatine since the 1870s. My grandfather was a mayor in the 1920s, but based on the election, my days are numbered. Palatine has been reliably Republican as long as I can remember. But not anymore.

The district and state just went Democrat pretty much at all levels: Congress, county board, governor and most state offices. So in my opinion, I can now say that there is no hope for Illinois.

This state is in dire straits financially and now with Democrats in complete control, it's time for me to become a resident of Florida. The new governor is a classic tax-and-spend Democrat. He has promised more benefits and a graduated income tax. Illinois is in the top three states in debt, property taxes and out-migration.

I have worked hard and while I am not rich, I can't afford to continue to watch my property taxes go up by 25 percent even as I watch the value plummet as no one wants to pay the taxes that we pay in my neighborhood. Since the bulk of the residences in the suburbs now are OK with committing financial suicide, I have decided that I will now have to spend six months in Florida and shift my residence.

This state seems to be on its way to being desirable to only those that don't work for a living, own a house, or business. You better be on a government payroll, unemployed, or on welfare. Otherwise you're just a means for Democrats to buy more votes through dependency. I wish you well, but I for one will join the crowd moving on to a red state that has a bit more fiscal sanity.

Ed Meyer

Palatine