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St. Louis Post-Dispatch

Lee Enterprises

Tuesday, July 14, 2009 10:34 PM CDT
LETTER: Cut waste and cut need for state tax increase

By ALAN SHICK, Charleston

After hearing much debate over cuts in the state budget and a 50 percent income tax increase I can’t help but wonder how Governor Pat Quinn sleeps at night.

When using such scare tactics as cuts in Health Care, Nursing Homes, Adult Education Centers and other needed community organizations and programs such as CCAR, I ask Mr. Quinn and our lawmakers who support this tax increase what is their sense of responsibility to the taxpayers of Illinois in these hard economic times.

There was no mention of cutting spending for the many pork barrel projects or shrinking the size of state government. What about stopping the waste of tax money for trips, vacations, parties, dinners and expensive vehicles and the cost to operate them or many of the other things our elected officials use our tax money for?

Why didn’t Rod Blagojevich and why doesn’t Pat Quinn pay for their trips to and from Springfield to Chicago out of their own pockets and not the tax payers. How much in tax dollars would actions like these save? I recently watched on the news as President Obama and Gov. Quinn signed bills into laws each had four or more ink pens to sign them, why?

If they used a ball point from a department store would the laws mean any less or be less effective? Maybe politicians should pay taxes on campaign contributions and if funds are used for different campaign races tax funds for each race. After all, our law makers have no problem with double taxing us.

The answer to balancing the budget is not to raise taxes on an already over taxed worker. But to cut uncontrolled government waste and spending.

Open up your eyes people of Illinois and see that just maybe there is a better way.

Let those who are in favor of this tax increase pay for it out of their pockets and stay out of the pockets of those who are against it. Just a thought — maybe it’s time for voters to clean house and sweep out all the big spenders on all levels of government.

Cuts in government and government waste and spending will stop the need for cuts on the state’s most vulnerable citizens and at the same time stop a big tax hike. I don’t know about the rest of the people of Illinois, but I have no need for government greed.

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father bob wrote on Jul 15, 2009 10:30 AM:

" wow.....those ball point pens are just killing the economy! "

devilishangel61401 wrote on Jul 15, 2009 6:38 PM:

" I belive what Andrew Jackson always said "everyone should live within their means, including the goverment."

How many times have we seen our taxes raised to still have a state with a huge amount of debt? We need to look for places to cut economic waste. Governor Quinn rather than cutting funding for education, nursing homes, medicaid/medicare, services for the elderly mentally ill and disabled you start cutting services to prisioners?

We tax payers foot the bill for criminals many of whom get to eat better than some of us do, have cable which many folks cannot afford and have better health and dental care than some of us get to have. They are in prison because they made the choice to do something wrong. Folks who are disabled did not make that choice God made it for them.

Why should my mentally handicapped child be treated worse than some common criminal is? My son did not make the choice to have autisim and other developmental delays.
Someone that is in prison for robbery or murder or cooking up a batch of dope made the choice to do something wrong, to break the law, and they do not deserve to have any of our tax dollars footing the bills for their food, cable and medical and dental care. I think every prison should be ran the way Sherrif Joe runs prision in Arizona, tent city prisions, the most basic of housing, ugly clothes, no coffee or extras, make them work doing jobs for the county like picking up garbage on the highway or training service animals for police and the disabled in the community, make the prisioners pay for everything they have and do not give them one single thing that is not a true neccesity. No cable tv for them, no more weights, no more "freebies" its not the Ritz-Carlton, you don't like it don't go back. "

just watching wrote on Jul 18, 2009 4:25 PM:

" Devils angle,obviously you've never been to prison,hope you never have to go.The govt.that you are complaining about is allowing batches of dope to be made and for lives to be ruined over greed,how about stop sending people to prison for non violent drug charges.About 75% of people currently incarcerated in Il. are there for drug offenses.Drugs this govt is allowing to either be made or brought into this country.Double dip.Sorry about your disabled child,This govt could care less though.Hang in there! "

warhorse67 wrote on Jul 23, 2009 10:23 PM:

" devilishangel61401, I like your style! Prior to cutting ANYTHING from the budget affecting law-abiding citizens, here should be the first cut: the $13-$15 million/year that we tax-paying citizens pay into inmate salaries (it could be more)! Each convict gets an average of $25/month. Some get more depending on their job assignment. Those few unassigned are paid $10/month to lay in their bunk watching tax-payer funded cable television! Mr. Senator & State Rep., if you allow programs to get cut from our disabled or kids, while allowing the dregs of our society to continue to suck us dry, you don't deserve to represent us any longer! Discontinue inmate salaries now! "