Time to elect legislature willing to turn Illinois around

LAWRENCE BAY had this letter published in the August 18 Dispatch/Argus and Quad-City Times. ..... marks paragraph breaks. "Illinois is losing residents and businesses, in part due to high taxes. Illinois residents do much of their shopping in neighboring states because of high gasoline and other taxes in Illinois. What solutions do the Democrats in our state legislature propose? Raise taxes! ..... Last November, Illinois voters decided to try something different and elected Bruce Rauner as governor endorsing his "Turnaround Agenda" of reducing government spending, reforming worker compensation, streamlining government and making Illinois competitive with other states. Illinois voters saw Iowa, Indiana, Wisconsin and other bordering states reducing taxes and getting costs under control and wanted those results here in Illinois. ..... Predictably, the Democrats, who have a veto-proof majority in both houses of the Illinois Legislature, are blocking Governor Rauner's agenda. The Democrats even wish to add and expand more programs to our budget deficit. ..... The state labor unions are demanding pay raises far in excess of inflation, their salaries and benefits are much higher than salaries in the private sector. The Democrats in the legislature are trying to remove the governor and taxpayers from the contract negotiations. ......Illinois is surrounded by states with lower property tax rates; lower worker compensation costs; lower minimum wage; no Prevailing Wage Act; Right to Work; and so many other advantages. Are we going to make Illinois more competitive, or less competitive, with nearby states? ...... If our current legislature will not enact Gov. Rauner's "Turnaround Agenda" we need to elect a legislature that will. Let's work together to make Illinois great again."