This is powerful

(email from Proft for Governor)

National Review Takes Note of Proft's
Perspective on Public Sector

Dear Conservatives, Republicans and Independents Looking For Reform,

Our message is spreading, thanks to people just like you - people who play by the rules only to get scammed by the Illinois political establishment in return.

Today, on National Review’s “The Corner” blog John Derbyshire posted an email he received from an Illinoisan, and a friend, who had a few things to say about how the public sector cannibalizes the private sector in this state. He used our blog post on the City of Joliet as a prime example:

Public vs. Private [John Derbyshire]

A stirring short rant from a reader in the private-sector trenches, reproduced with permission.

Derb,

This seems like it would be down your alley. A friend of mine, Dan Proft, is running in the Republican primary for Governor here in Illinois — the only conservative in a solid field of RINOs. He's plugged me into a lot of the public pension stuff that I never really paid any attention to before.

He notes (see here) that the average salary for a city employee of Joilet, Illinois is $83,500/yr. The average taxpayer cost per city employee once you calculate in the pension is $127,000/yr. And city employees make no contribution to their health care coverage and are not particularly interested in changing that. The average household income in Joliet is $47,700.

I met with a couple of investment guys this week. They told me that I need one million in the bank at the time I retire for every $20,000 I want to live off in interest each year. (They make the point that once I retire I will want all my money in low return, high quality havens.) So I'll need more than $6 million to match the average Joliet employee. Oh, and when I die the Democrats want to keep me from giving that $6 million to my family.

Despite my current income (and my 1,300 sq ft condo), I don't see having enough time left to come up with that $6 million so that I can live like a government bureaucrat. And yet between federal and state taxes, plus property and sales taxes, I have to pay about half of everything I make to the government in no small part so that the average public employee can live better in retirement than I'll ever have a chance to dream about. And all the while I have to work 60-70 hour weeks, stressing about my competition, always at risk of losing the company, just so I can be sneered at by my President who tells me I'm not paying my fair share.

People who play by the rules in Illinois are tired of being fleeced to finance secure jobs and guaranteed pensions for the patronage armies that support and sustain the established political order in Springfield.

People who play by the rules in Illinois are standing up with our campaign and speaking out on our behalf.

People who play by the rules in Illinois recognize ours is the only campaign willing and able to take the fight to the political fixers in Springfield. Ours is the only campaign that offers system change ideas. And ours is the only campaign talking about expanded opportunity, not “shared sacrifice”.

I believe the people who play by the rules in Illinois have sacrificed more than their fair share. If you agree, then we need your help. We need your voice. We need you to stand up with us.

Please sign up to volunteer today. Please spread the word to family, friends and neighbors.

If you want better, you must stand up and demand better.

Sincerely,

Dan Proft
Republican Candidate for Governor

P.S. - Help us broadcast our message to people who play by the rules throughout Illinois. Your donation today will go to our voter contact program so that people who play by the rules - and not the political establishment - determine the outcome of this election.