After all the yelling and screaming, it is time to get out and vote. Hope you make it to the polls. For me, as much as I want this to be about Trump, I am voting to help change Illinois politics, rather than as some sort of national statement. Trump isn't on the ballot, and I see little that will change national politics on the Illinois ballot. Illinois has a deep fiscal problem that needs to be immediately addressed. I am sorry to say that Illinois taxes are gong to go up no matter who is elected. The only question is if labor will contribute to the pot or if we just are going to pay. In every industry, workers have had to give up some portion of their defined benefit plan to move towards a 401k. Not the government worker. They still get defined benefits with cost of living increases in retirement, far in excess to what is given in the private sector. They deserve their promised benefits, but we have also had to give up distant promises. The state is on a collision course with the math. Just not enough in the coffers to pay everything that has been promised yet the state courts have made the promises unbreakable. This situation is untenable. We will have to pay more but the other side should be willing to give up some future benefits to get a more solid promise to pay. This has nothing to do with national politics. For me, it is just about the budget....and I get to post some pretty pictures from past trips to Washington.
