January 5, 2015
Less than12 percent of the people voted in the last election in St. Clair County. That’s why this county and state are in trouble. Madigan, Cullerton, Hoffman and Clayborne are perfect examples of career politicians whose interest is not in representing the people and doing what’s best for the state, but in furthering their own agenda.
There is no doubt Illinois is in dire financial shape. All an intelligent person needs to do is go to the Adam Andrzejewski website "Open the Books" and find out just how bad it is. In the state of Illinois in the year 2017, 10,000 retired educators will be getting $100,000 in pensions. That figure is more than three times the pension I am receiving. In 2010, 3,062 public employees earned more than our governor. With almost 13 million people in the state of Illinois, one million of those people will have received a paycheck or a pension check last year.
Now for the eye-opener — private sector pay increases were up only 27 percent, according to the National Average Wage Index. Illinois public employees were paid increases between 60 percent and 100 percent, since 2001. There’s an old saying, "You get what you pay for." Well, if votes were money, we would be buying trash. Wake up people, go to the polls and vote! Quit sending career politician’s back into office. Please.
CLAUDE T. CABLE, FAIRVIEW HEIGHTS