A Little Election Night Venting

Posted on November 3, 2010 7 Comments

It’s election night in the U.S., and in Illinois I was supremely disappointed in our choice of candidates for the highest public offices. Our state is out of cash, Chicago can’t afford to fully staff the police force in 2011, foreclosed houses litter the streets of our neighborhoods (including my own), the job market is horrendous, and yet our candidates seem totally stumped by the problems. Instead of proposing new ideas, candidates are content to attack each others’ personalities. If the major party candidates have platforms in this election, they’re doing a great job hiding them. (One candidate for governor here has actually pledged NOT to share the details of his budget plan until AFTER he is elected!) All I can gather this November is that those fortunate enough to wage a campaign in Illinois have no idea of what it actually takes to balance a budget, prioritize needs, set goals, or measure success. All the basic budgeting principles that millions of us do each day at home and at work seem totally lost on our next generation of Illinois lawmakers.

If we are going to get out of this mess in Illinois, we need elected officials with vision, creativity, passion, common sense, and intelligence. We need those who can draw on their experience across a variety of industries to apply lessons learned to the governing of our state. We need those who can put aside party politics and remain uncorrupt, as difficult as that may be. We need them to be honest with us about what it will take to get us out from under ourselves. We need problem solvers. We need reformers. In short, we need leaders.

Unfortunately, I don’t have any reason to believe this crop of candidates can do more than maintain the status quo in Illinois. And it breaks my heart to admit that.

I still believe Chicago is one of the greatest cities in the world.  My family and most of my friends live in Illinois. But as an Illinois native I do question what this state will be like in 10 years and whether it will continue to be a viable place to someday raise a family. I hope we can do better than candidates who run simply to hold an office, to hold onto power.  I hope we can find those with the cajones to make the tough decisions and the compassion to do what’s best for the good of the people.  Until then, I’ll be looking for someone to surprise me.

Category: Life

Comments