Why I believe that one person can make a difference
History has shown us time and again that one person can make a difference, and the story of America is filled with these examples. But we don’t have to look too far to find individuals who have made a difference ... a teacher in our schools, a firefighter, a volunteer at a hospital, a Scouting leader, someone from our church or temple, a neighbor who helped us, that volunteer for the Red Cross at a disaster site, the community members who filled sandbags at a flood. While not in the history books, these individuals are part of the story of America, and I believe their contributions define who we are as an American people.
I go forward with the hope that I may be able to make a difference in the lives of the people of the State of Illinois. Some people pursue public office seeking recognition and glory, but I suggest that voters should probably be choosing candidates who seek service to the American public and the American way of life, not recognition. I have no interest in recognition or financial gain from an elected office. The problems facing the State of Illinois are enormous, and only hard work by our legislators will help solve those problems. I believe I have made a difference in Hawthorn Woods, and I believe I can make a difference in the State of Illinois.
Economic recovery needs to begin at the local level
While economists and newspaper comments tell us that “consumer spending” needs to come back to former levels in order to insure a full recovery, I would suggest that corporate spending has to participate as well, and that large corporations in our district need to help with that recovery by “buying local.”
Buying local simply means purchasing things you need from suppliers and service companies only in your own district. Does your company purchase 10,000 reams of paper every quarter? OK, fine, find a local distributor in the 51st District that sells paper and purchase it from them, not from some paper supply company in Elk Grove Village. I’m confident the local distributor will match your pricing, or come pretty close, especially if they know they’ll get an order for 10,000 reams every quarter.
You purchase 20 tons of HDPE resin every month? Find a local distributor in the 51st District that can supply a portion of your monthly purchase and purchase from them. Trucking services? Janitorial supplies? Copier machines? Foodstuffs for your cafeteria? Window washing company? Buy Local! Every $ spent in the 51st District by companies like Medline Industries, Inc., Fenwal, MacLean-Fogg, Sysmex America Inc, and Amcor Flexibles Inc. helps the economy of our district. Every $ they spend elsewhere helps someone else.
BUY LOCAL!
The elephant in the room
Everyone pretty much knows the State of Illinois is in poor financial shape. It’s been on the news and in newspapers on a regular basis. Layoffs at school systems, the CTA, police departments ... pretty much everywhere you want to look.
What nobody IS talking about is the numbers ... how big the problem really is, and it’s BIG. Because the state was so short of cash, it borrowed $3.5 billion to meet this year's pension obligations. Next year, debt service (interest due + loan repayment) on that loan will cost $800 million. That’s right - $800 million. The State of Illinois cannot even make its current obligations and has withheld payments to school systems, hospitals, and transit authorities. How are we going to come up with that? But wait, there’s more ... the State of Illinois will have more than $4 billion in new pension obligations for fiscal 2011.
There’s a big elephant in the room, but everyone is pretending it isn’t there.
