South Central Reporter

While most Republican candidates are sounding the warning alarm about the state's financial predicament, Blaine Wilhour is using his candidacy for the 107th House District to put a particularly emphatic spin on the situation.

"Obviously, our debt and our continued spending are out of control, out of line with what we could ever afford, and it has put our state into a death spiral,” Wilhour in an interview with the South Central Reporter. “This is what you get when you let the career politicians and the special interests run amok.”

As a March report issued by the Illinois Comptroller’s Office shows, Illinois lost 25 percent of its revenue last year, continuing a downward trend in place since 2008, according to a Wirepoints report.

Blaine Wilhour, GOP candidate for the 107th House District

As a result, the state’s cumulative net worth (assets minus liabilities, according to Wirepoints) has been taking a nose dive for the past decade, with no end in sight.

Along with other candidates, Wilhour is blaming the familiar targets of “special interests” and “career politicians,” but he advocates two remedies: spending restraint and economic growth.

“This has to be the focus of any real solutions,” Wilhour said. “A progressive income tax or any tax increases will just hasten our decline. We have to attract investment back to this state.”

To spur economic growth, Wilhour suggests a spate of business-friendly policy shifts that capitalize on the state’s strengths in location, logistical capabilities, natural resources and workforce quality.

“What we are lacking are effective policies on workers' comp, property taxes, regulations and no budget stability,” he explained. “To grow our economy, allow for creation of new jobs and opportunities, broaden our tax base and start working into paying down our enormous debt, we have to push for these reforms.”

If making the state more friendly for employers to come in and create more jobs requires tax reform, so much the better. Wilhour says the heavy tax burden is costing Illinois not only jobs but also taxpayers.

“It is clearly driving people out of the state,” he said. “We are facing a massive outmigration that is shrinking our tax base. This is a recipe for disaster … property taxes are growing six times faster than household income. Clearly (it’s) not sustainable.”

Some politicians are touting their victories in getting a balanced budget passed, but Wilhour said balancing the budget for a single year isn’t enough.

“A balanced budget is a step in the right direction,” Wilhour said. “It would provide some stability, but there is too much deception in our budgeting process. The politicians and special interests who are putting together the budgets have clearly shown that they are extremely untrustworthy when it comes to making responsible promises and controlling spending.”