Voters must remember what's at stake on November 8

Rock Island County Republican Chair BILL BLOOM had this op-ed published in the September 26, 2016 Dispatch Argus. ..... marks paragraph breaks. "We are approaching the 30-day mark to the election. Never ha there been more at stake for the people of the United States, Illinois and Rock Island County. ..... Our county has lost 20 percent of its manufacturing jobs since 2000. The state has lost 300,000 manufacturing jobs. The only sector where jobs have grown is in the government, and since government jobs are paid for by taxes, this does nothing to grow the economy, but does remove money from those of us in the private sector. In face, the tax environment encourages people to move to other states. ..... We now have the highest property taxes in the nation and, if you consider the cost of living, the highest paid public union workers, according to the Illinois Policy Institute (illinoispolicy.org). ..... We have the worst credit rating in the nation and one of the largest percentages of population on public aid. The debt per citizen in Illinois puts each of us $44,000 in debt. ..... As I write this, AFSCME is looking for billions more to funnel to its workforce. They may get it. Democrats in elected office count on AFSCME for "volunteers" to help campaign. They look to them for donations. It's a cozy relationship. Democrats vote for pay raises for AFSCME. AFSCME campaigns and funds Democrat campaigns. Taxpayers foot the bills. ..... Locally, taxing bodies, when confronted with intolerably high property taxes, have turned to sales taxes to "raise revenue". Our sales taxes are already higher than neighboring states. Our taxing bodies are run like a straw in an empty soda can, circling the bottom looking for those last drops of juice. ..... People should consider the thinking behind this trend. Taxes have hurt the property value of every homeowner in Illinois. Sales taxes already hurt Illinois businesses, but the thinking seems to be these can be raised higher. Businesses and jobs are already leaving. What will this accomplish? ..... Once they have raised the property taxes and the sales tax to an intolerable level, where will they go next? We must see this trend to know where it will go next. ..... It does not have to be this way. Cut the cost of government. ..... At the county level, divest operations that are not typically part of government. Reduce the number of taxing bodies. ..... At the state level, make Illinois more appealing to manufacturers. Make Illinois more competitive and these jobs will return. Elect representatives to Springfield who will not play the game of tax hikes in return for campaign donations. Reduce property taxes and watch home values rise. .... In the county and in the state, more Republicans in office will increase fiscal responsibility, transparency and voter accountability."