Letter to Governor Quinn

Governor Quinn,
I felt today, on the heels of last night’s still undecided election, was an appropriate time to contact you. The citizens of the great state of Illinois must patiently wait for all votes to be counted before knowing who our governor will be. If you are victorious, I hope that you take time to pause and reflect upon the reasons that nearly half of the voters in this election did not support you.

This past May, you threatened to cut funding to schools because of a budget deficit, and many public schools are still awaiting payment. Yet in July, you announced raises that average 11.4% for certain state employees. While you later reversed the decision, you sent a strong, poorly received message to your constituents. That coupled, with the fact that the salary for the office of governor has risen a total of 14% over the three years, creates a negative image of your administration.

In my family, to compensate for the lagging economy, we’ve had to make sacrifices. Neither my husband nor I received a pay increase this year, and my take home pay was actually reduced due to a mandatory increase to my retirement plan. Our family has cut our spending to compensate. We were not able to take a vacation, do not go out for dinner, and now buy generic products. I am not saying this for sympathy because many of our family and friends have far more grave circumstances. I am saying this to demonstrate that we “tightened our belts” and I feel that the state government must do the same. The answer cannot be raising taxes for people who are already cutting expenses to make ends meet. The answer must be that the state spend less.

I realize you took office under less than desirable circumstances. Our state, thanks to past governors, has become a synonym for corruption. And I fear, under your administration, we will become bankrupt, both as a state and as individuals. If you are successful in this election, I urge to take a hard look at spending in the state. Any cuts, even small ones, could help our bottom line.