If someone claims he is going to move toward a balanced budget while simultaneously cutting taxes, he is either incapable of using a simple spreadsheet, mired in delusion or simply lying because he thinks that is what you want to hear.

The sad truth is that Illinois and many other states have been driven into serious debt because politicians on both the right and the left have not had the courage to raise taxes enough to cover spending.

At this point, it is not a matter of just cutting out wasteful programs. While I am sure that there are some, savings from such cuts won’t even begin to service the debt already accumulated. Not paying the debts already accumulated is not only morally irresponsible, it represents the same gutless posturing that got us into this mess.

Also, an inescapable fact is that even prudent government costs more than it used to cost. The barebones infrastructure to keep our economy afloat requires more revenue.

Caught up in the advice of their campaign consultants, most politicians live by such shibboleths as, “People won’t vote for someone who says he will raise taxes.” In the current circumstances, I won’t vote for someone who claims he won’t raise taxes. I look to someone who can offer a rational plan to move forward. I am tired of pandering from both the right and the left.

John B. Pryor, Bloomington