Jobs and Employment

Keith is committed to attracting and keeping business in the 30th Senate district and throughout the state. Illinois is currently listed last nationally in the creation of new jobs. Keith believes we must get back to being an employment leader by lifting barriers on the creation of new jobs, by cutting taxes, and by attracting high-paying employers to our community in order to boost the local economy.

The State Budget, Taxes and Fiscal Responsibility

Keith wants to return Illinois to fiscal responsibility. The district’s current senator, Terry Link, and Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich think state taxes are not high enough, and Link has voted with Blagojevich 100% of the time for tax increases totaling over $8 billion, including the Gross Receipts Tax (SB1) in 2007. With a record of continuously supporting an increase in taxes for Illinoisans, Terry Link has allowed for elected officials to earmark funds for their own personal agendas, including his own, while leaving taxpayers out to dry. There is a better way.

Keith believes our state has the revenue to sufficiently fund relevant programs without raising taxes, but wasteful government spending has driven our state into the red and jeopardizes the welfare of all taxpayers.

He does not support gambling expansion or lottery leases that politicians like Terry Link are pushing into our communities for purposes of funding the state’s general revenue. The state should not rely on unstable casino revenues to fund the necessary functions of state government. The socio-economic costs of gambling casinos in our district would be more than our fragile economy could handle.

Cutting out pork-barrel projects and responsibly appropriating resources to neglected areas will help stabilize the state’s economy and prevent us from incurring more unnecessary debt. Keith pledges stewardship and responsibility by not burdening future generations with an insurmountable deficit.

Education

Keith is passionate about the current state of the education system in Illinois; he wants to eliminate the wasteful spending our leaders have allowed and guarantee teachers have all the necessary tools and resources needed to guarantee every school district has the capabilities to provide a quality education to each child. Keith supports legislation that will ensure state education funds are directly invested in our kids and not on excessive levels of spending for administration. He believes our best teachers should be rewarded and those who are failing our children should be replaced.

The Cost of Fuel

Keith supports efforts to reduce gas prices, including lifting the ban on off-shore drilling to soften the blow of fuel prices, with a corporate and government commitment to ecological responsibility and environmental preservation. Additionally, Illinois is one of four states that applies sales tax on top of gasoline taxes, so consumers are paying a tax on a tax, resulting in the most expensive fuel in the nation. Keith wants to remove this additional tax on gasoline to keep more dollars in the pockets of families and to stimulate economic growth. Also, reducing costs by allowing one fuel mixture (instead of the required 14 different) to be sold would significantly increase production efficiency and competition, resulting in lower costs to consumers.

Transportation

Keith understands that the transportation systems in our communities are in disarray. One reason is the General Assembly has consistently failed to pass a capital bill for over 10 years, leaving our roads, bridges, and public transportation systems underfunded and under-maintained. Misallocated funds to other programs and to areas requiring no improvement have left many roads neglected. Keith will actively lobby for an environmentally responsible northern expansion of Illinois Route 53 to Route 120, and will work to add more trains, not just cars, to accomodate an increase in ridership.

The Environment

As an environmentalist, Keith is passionate about the stewardship of natural resources, our environment, and our roles in preservation. He wants to shift responsibility of environmental restoration and preservation from government to the private sector. He strongly believes it is the duty of citizens and businesses to maintain, preserve, and protect our environment to make certain resources are available for future generations.

Safety and Gun Violence

Violence in our communities threatens all Illinois citizens, and owning a firearm is a responsibility that should not be taken lightly. Keith feels that those who break the law should give up the right to own or posses a firearm, and people who are mentally unstable should also be prohibited from possessing guns. Keith thinks offenders found guilty of breaking gun laws should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and the state should provide adequate funding to law enforcement and corrections system in order to adequately protect our families and communities. Keith also supports mandatory minimum prison sentences for those convicted of violent crimes.

Healthcare

Keith believes all American citizens have the right of access to high quality health care. With sky-rocketing health care costs, the state must allow businesses and organizations to pool together to purchase healthcare at reasonable rates for their employees. Medicaid must be fully funded and vigorously audited to prevent fraud that costs these programs billions of dollars every year.

Immigration

As a business owner, Keith knows the value of hard work and what it means to chase the American dream, and he supports immigrants who pursue opportunity in our nation legally and responsibly. Keith will protect Illinois families and legitimate businesses by supporting legislation that would require all employers to hire only legal workers and impose criminal penalties for those breaking this law. He also supports making English the official language of the state of Illinois.