Will County Gazette

A Will County Board member said one-power party control is destroying Illinois.

Steve Balich, a retired 30-year teamster running for another four-year term, responded to a Truth in Accounting survey, which ranked Illinois 49th in the country for how its debt burdens taxpayers. 

The ranking comes after years of single-party control under Democrats.

Stephen Balich, Will County Board Member

“Illinois is a Democratic state where corruption runs rampant,” Balich, who calls himself a conservative Republican, told the Will County Gazette. “The Democratic leadership has one goal, which is to keep power at all cost."

Truth in Accounting reports it would cost $50,400 per Illinois taxpayer to the average Illinois taxpayer to cover the state's estimated $235.9 billion in liabilities. 

“Looking at the graph for me and any taxpayer in Illinois makes us want to puke in disgust,” Balich said. “Madigan has absolute power and other elected officials are just minor pawns.”

He said Democrats continue to ensure public sector employees are given pay increases and benefits that are far greater than the private sector even though it is unsustainable. Balich also pointed to recent legislation that will put the state further in debt, including a bill allowing taxpayer-funded abortions to state employees and those residents on Medicaid.

“We are the only state in the Union giving free abortion, yet Illinois can't pay existing bills,” Balich said, adding Illinois now a sanctuary state is another cost killer. “Again, Illinois has no money to pay bills, but wants to attract illegals.”

Balich said the tax burden is as heavy as other diverse social issues including abortion and gun control, but even those issues are dominated by politicians.

“Maybe gun control is more about taking the guns away, so the citizens can't protect themselves from an out of control government,” Balich said. “Even the founding fathers said that.”

Bottom-line, Balich said the recent survey reveals nothing new.

“We taxpayers don't need a graph to tell us we are swimming against the current in Illinois when we talk about the tax burden,” Balich said. “Since Illinois has no money, it is illogical to create new expenses which come with social issues. If you can't pay your bills from your household budget, you cut expenses or increase income."