Will County Gazette

Michelle Smith, Republican candidate for state Senate District 49, recently said via her Facebook page that “Illinois needs to stand up” against corruption, referencing flaws in Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s plan to reduce wages and living standards.

Madigan (D-Chicago) has voiced opposition to reforms for their potential to “drive down middle-class wages and the standard of living,” but other states have managed to rebound under similar circumstances. Additionally, Smith said his concept, if implemented, would have direct consequences on Illinois residents by raising taxes and generating proportionately lowered earnings.

Smith said property taxes in Illinois have grown at triple the speed of median household income since 1990, creating an impossible challenge for most families struggling to stretch their dollars. Research has shown that tax hikes suppress natural economic growth. Not only are wages compromised, but fewer job openings result, for a double whammy.

On top of that, Smith said Madigan’s reluctance to embrace compromise in the form of regulatory reform spells more trouble. Statistics reveal that the number of residents choosing to leave the state for others is at an all-time high; Illinois is losing over 100,000 citizens annually, becoming the only state in the entire Midwest whose population is shrinking.

“Illinois needs to stand up against the corruption this November or it will be business as usual,” Smith said. “Change is coming.”

As part of that move Smith issued a statement on term limits, arguing they would serve to rejuvenate the state.

In her letter she stated, “For the past 30 years, our state has endured the corrupt rule of House Speaker Mike Madigan. He rewards his foot soldiers in the General Assembly with hundreds of thousands of dollars in campaign donations in exchange for supporting the agenda of Madigan insiders. That agenda has given us fewer jobs, less opportunity and more dysfunction.”

Smith said she believes that Illinois can make a comeback, but only with a reformed system. This includes term limits for the Legislature.

“Term limits will rejuvenate our Legislature with civic-minded officials who value good government. They will eliminate entrenched politicians whose interests too often align with those of their donors,” she wrote. “Most importantly, they will make it impossible for a single individual like Mike Madigan to hold Illinois hostage to a policy program that puts the interests of political insiders over those of our citizens. Our state needs legislators who will vote for term limits to protect government of the people from the career politicians who only care about their next election.”