Sunday, October 19, 2014

Peoria Journal Star endorses Rauner for governor

Grandview Park in Peoria
Yes, Bruce Rauner is playing in Peoria.

From the Peoria Journal Star:
Illinois has the worst credit rating of any state. It also retains title to the highest unfunded pension liability. Its overall business climate and actual economic performance rank 46th among 50, its economic outlook 48th. Illinois' unemployment rate is near bottom of America's barrel. Food stamp enrollment has outpaced job creation by nearly two-to-one. The state's share of public education funding on a percentage basis puts us 47th. If we're a leader, it's in the number of residents who have left or want out. Illinois used to be an economic powerhouse. It is no longer.

Rauner is right, “we can’t fix anything ... if economically we’re a low-growth state.” Which of these two has the best chance, given their backgrounds, of turning that around? We trust Rauner, the entrepreneur who’d model himself after former Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels, does.

To be sure, business and government are not the same, and sometimes we think it doesn’t make much difference who the governor is in a state where Speaker Madigan seems to call all the shots. Rauner’s potential relationship with legislative leaders is a cause of some worry, though he’s worked well with the Democratic mayor of Chicago and promises to be a more visible, hands-on presence in the capitol, on the floor "like Jim Thompson was."

If you believe as we do that state government — the whole culture of corruption and incompetence — really has to change and that single-party control just isn't cutting it, then our best bet is with an independent candidate of the opposite party who emphasizes that “I don’t owe anybody anything.” Bruce Rauner is endorsed.
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