Legislative Positions
Our Economic Future
The economic future of the State of Illinois depends on providing business with the workforce and business climate they need to prosper and grow. Good government economic policy should be focused on spurring economic growth, which strengthens the private sector and enables businesses to create new jobs. Continuous economic growth strengthens our country and helps provide opportunities for all Americans. The wise and correct course to follow in taxation and all economic legislation is not to destroy those who have already secured success, but to create conditions under which everyone will have a better chance to be successful.
Recently, a major employer in Lake County, ULINE, announced plans to move their headquarters just across the border of Wisconsin to Pleasant Prairie, and while many of their Illinois employees will just drive a little further, a number of jobs will be lost to Wisconsin forever.
Why are we not making every effort to stem the tide of businesses leaving the State of Illinois? What are we doing to help small businesses grow and hire more people? Small business accounts for nearly 47% of all employment in Illinois, generating nearly 60% of net new jobs annually over the last decade, and creating more than half of (nonfarm) private gross domestic product (GDP). With the dramatic evaporation of available credit by financial institutions like Wells Fargo and Bank of America, small business is stuck maintaining current operations and waiting for growth.
In prosperous years of the past, the State of Illinois funded programs to help small business. With our current financial problems, it may be years and years before these programs are available again. How is that going to help our residents?
Education
I believe that family values and a good education are absolutely essential to secure the future of the people of the United States and the State of Illinois. I believe that educational opportunity should be provided on an equal basis to all of our citizens and legal immigrants, and that the quality of that education should not depend on where we live.
There can be little doubt in anyone's mind that our state and our nation are in one of the most difficult financial times in recent history, and the consequences of this will have far-reaching effects LONG into the future. This is not only because of the tax burden we must now place upon future generations, but because the impact of these circumstances affect our ability to compete and prosper within the framework of a global economy. One of the hardest hit for Illinois will be the school systems, where Governor Quinn is proposing to reduce funding by $992 million for K-12 and $225 million for college scholarship and lending programs. How can we possibly hope to create an educated and productive workforce when we keep reducing the investment to make it happen? US national math and reading scores are already significantly behind other industrial nations.
According to the 2000 Census, one out of seven Illinoisans ages 16 to 24 was a high school dropout, and while that might also be a social commentary about family life in our country today, it paints a grim picture for the future of Illinois. Dropouts earn far less than their high school- and college-educated counterparts, rely more on public services like food stamps and subsidized housing, AND usually impart these values upon their own children, who also drop out of school.
The vast majority of our current elected officials in Springfield are college educated, so why is education always taking one of the biggest hits in the budget process? They should already be very aware of how education impacts someone's future. Shouldn't we be constantly seeking to improve our education system, not cripple it?
Fiscal Policies
I have served as a trustee for the Village of Hawthorn Woods for over 10 years and have been the outspoken voice on the Village Board, consistently demanding accountability and transparency in all aspects of Village operations in an administration that made secret deals and spent money like there would always be more.
I am a fiscal conservative. As a small business owner, I know what it takes to live within your budget, and I am always looking for ways to reduce spending. A good businessperson is constantly looking ahead to ensure that spending does not exceed revenues. I will bring this commonsense approach to Springfield.
I believe that citizens from other countries should be legally allowed to immigrate to the US, but should never be supported or dependent on US taxpayers. If they can’t make it here on their own, they can return to the county they came from.