-By Warner Todd Huston
The Associated Press asked the Illinois Gubernatorial candidates where they stand on both taxes and state spending this week. Interestingly, they asked what programs the candidates would cut to save money. With this question it was telling that the Republicans had specific programs that they’d cut while both Democrats dithered, hemmed and hawed on any cuts. Nearly all of them said “Medicaid spending” should be cut, but that doesn’t really answer to the question in my opinion. Of course Medicaid spending should be reformed as it is filled to the brim with waste and fraud, but no one is going to cut the program and cutting of programs was the question.
The AP’s questions on spending can be seen on the CBS Channel 2 website.
The AP also did one on taxes and that one can be seen on bnd.com, here the GOP contenders are interesting for one thing all but one of them said they’d hold the line. Only Dan Proft said he cut the state income tax. Naturally, both big spending Democrats (Dan Hynes and Pat Quinn) said they’d raise taxes.
In any case, both these AP pieces really shows the difference between the GOP and Democrat candidates. The Republicans want to cut spending and at least hold the line on taxes rates if not cut them and Democrats want to hike taxes and spend, spend, spend.
And let me say this about Dan Proft. He is always dead right on his answers to these issues. His points on these two AP pieces are perfect pitch.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson
Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.
He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
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