Election 2012: Dan Duffy

Name: Dan Duffy

Position Sought: State Senate, 26th district

Campaign contact information:  dan@electdanduffy.com

Age and birthdate: 3/11/1966   

Family: Married to my wife, Kris and we have five children.

Education: B.A. Augustana College

Occupation: Small business owner

Political Party: Republican

Previous Elected or Appointed Offices: Current State Senator for 26th District

Is there any additional experience you believe qualifies you for the position?: Small business owner for 20 years. 

What would your priorities be if elected for this office?:

Job Creation - Many politicians say they want to create jobs.  However elected officials can only create government jobs - which must be paid for by taxpayers.  Our government should provide an atmosphere where the real job creators, small businesses, can thrive.        

Small businesses create 80% of all new jobs.  This is because new products and markets are created by individuals willing to take risk and invest hard work to realize a dream.  Examples of this abound in our country.  Apple was a small business 35 years ago.  Google was a small business 14 years ago and Facebook was a small business 8 years ago.  

How can the government create a pro-business atmosphere?  The government must provide a fair and stable business environment.  We do not have a fair and stable business environment in Illinois.  We need less taxation, less regulation, and less litigation.  

Last year, Gov. Quinn and the Democrats increased the income tax by 67%.  When large companies like The Chicago Board of Trade, among others, threatened to leave the state, they received a special tax deal.  I refer to those deals as “corporate welfare”.  Meanwhile small companies, which provide most of the jobs in our state, got stuck paying the higher taxes putting them at a competitive disadvantage and making it difficult for them to survive in today’s economy.  The politically connected and powerful get special deals while everyone else has two basic options:  pay up - or leave the state.  One needs only to cross the state line to Wisconsin or Indiana to see all the companies that have moved from Illinois.  The solution is to have lower taxes for ALL businesses – large AND small.  

We must eliminate corporate welfare and stop legislators from picking “winners and losers”.  We must also reduce the barriers the State creates from the crazy maze known as our “workman’s compensations system” that only helps create jobs for Illinois lawyers.  Our workers compensation laws drastically discourage corporate expansion in Illinois.  Reducing corruption and balancing the budget are also required if we want to spur job growth in Illinois.  Both - corruption and balancing the budget - are also top priorities for me.

Balance the Budget - Balancing the budget and corruption go hand-in-hand since billions of dollars in Illinois disappear in our corrupt system.  Job creators are not going to start, expand, or stay in Illinois if we do not get our budget under control.  We are on the brink of bankruptcy and job creators are aware of our situation.  

They also know that if a state cannot pay its bills, it is only a matter of time before the infrastructure starts deteriorating, crime increases, and talented workers move away.  There is no incentive to risk starting a business in Illinois with the precarious financial situation of the state and with the largest city, Chicago, ranked as the most corrupt city in America.  

Job creators and innovators understand the significance of falling bond ratings. Right now, we are essentially using a credit card to pay our credit cards.  Governor Quinn and the Democrats are blatantly violating the Constitution of Illinois, which requires a balanced budget. Last year Governor Quinn and the Democrats tried raising taxes to balance the budget and the deficit increased.  Illinois needs fundamental reform in order to survive.  Tax increases are not the answer.  

Exposing Corruption:  Four of the last seven governors from Illinois have gone to jail.  That is more than the remaining 49 states added together.  It is the first time in the history of the United States that two governors - from one state - are in prison at the same time.   

But the corruption doesn’t stop there.  Public corruption in Cook County and the City of Chicago is legendary.  We have become a punch line for late night comedians.  It’s embarrassing and shameful.  Corruption in Illinois is unpredictable.  A small business owner never knows when he/she is going to be shaken down for a new business regulation “expense / tax” – or how much it will cost.   When it happens there is no place for them to go to report the corruption because the whole system is corrupt.  Uncertainty will strangle even the most stable business plans and impede job growth.  

Corruption occurs regularly in our state yet how many cases of public corruption has the Attorney General, Lisa Madigan, prosecuted?  Are we to believe our corruption problem was solved when the second Governor went to jail?  Is it now completely the responsibility of the Federal government to prosecute corruption in Illinois?  Imagine if our local judicial system was also properly pursuing corruption.  

As a State Senator I have been vigilant in shining a light on the cozy relationship between the Governor’s campaign contributors and the appointments they receive to high paying state boards and commissions.  Ultimately, the power to root out corruption rests with the voters.  As long as the voters in Illinois tolerate it, it will continue.  However I will continue to work hard to expose corruption.

What are the most important issues facing your district and what would you do as a legislator to address them?:

The most important issues in my district are the same as those in Illinois.  The lack of job growth, the 67% tax increase, the corruption, the pension liability and the out of control spending hurts everyone living in Illinois.  My area has been especially hard hit by the decline in housing prices which will not turn around until we get the economy growing again and begin to create jobs.  The surrounding states have reduced their unemployment rate by solving their state’s fiscal problems.  Ours will not go away magically.  We need strong leadership willing to do what is needed even if it is not popular with their financial supporters.   

Illinois’ state government has a terrible reputation in terms of corruption. What would you do to change the culture of state government that has seen recent governors from both political parties convicted of felonies?:

See priorities above.  In addition to that, we could post the Illinois check book on-line so anyone can see how every dollar is spent.  If this information is readily available, it would be possible for citizen groups and the media to analyze the costs and look for corruption.   We also need two strong parties so that they expose the corruption of each other.  Illinois is essentially a one party state at the moment.  The Democrats control houses, the governor’s office and the top judicial post (attorney general).  Add to that the overwhelming control of the Cook County court system and it becomes a breeding ground for corruption.  Until the voters decide they are tired of the corruption, high taxes, lack of reform, and an ever increasing pension liability, fundamental change is not likely.

Education in Illinois is funded primarily through local property taxes. What changes, if any, would make to that funding system? :

It is best to continue to fund schools with local tax dollars as it allows parents and the community to exercise more control over their local schools.  It also creates competition between school districts allowing parents to vote with their feet if they aren’t happy with performance.  

If the State of Illinois takes over the funding of schools, it will also get even more involved in the operation of the schools.   One size fits all is NOT the way to go.  Different districts should be allowed to emphasize different things.  

The State of Illinois already directs most of its education funding to the neediest school districts.  We do not want a state take over of the local schools resulting in declining quality for the best schools in the state.    

We need to make the state more efficient – not just cut the budget.  One of the largest costs to the state is Medicaid.  We need to implement the recent changes the legislature has passed in Medicaid.  We have limited resources and Medicaid should be used to serve only our neediest citizens.  Government efficiencies can be achieved by eliminating duplicate programs and by examining whether current programs work.   

We could reduce state operational costs without sacrificing service by implementing electronic data interchange (EDI) immediately.  We are in a crisis.  Every expenditure needs to be on the table and scrutinized for effectiveness and efficiency.

Illinois recently passed a significant increase in its income tax, yet the state continues to run a deficit. What specifically should be done to reduce the deficit? :

We need fundamental reform of our pension system and we should show leadership by starting with the legislative pensions (for elected representatives and senators) by eliminating double dipping, capping pension payments, reducing the COLA’s, and increasing the retirement age.  

I believe we could get overwhelming public support for this which could force bi-partisan cooperation.  Once the legislators have reformed themselves, they would have more strength to ask other groups to participate in reform.   

Pension costs are driving our state to insolvency.  The problem will not go away just because Springfield leaders refuse to tackle it.  Pensions should be our top priority and should be tackled immediately – in the lame duck session if necessary. We currently have a broken system. Special interest groups, representing public pension recipients, make generous campaign contributions to legislators in return for increased pension benefits.  Meanwhile the same legislature which has increased the cost of pensions, has failed to make the payments to fund them.  

The Democrats have held the majorities in the House, Senate and the Governor’s office for many years.  They have had the ability to pass any bill they want – whenever they want to.  They have never passed a pension reform bill because the political will requiring them to disappoint their top campaign contributors is not there.  As the minority spokesperson for the Senate Pension & Investments Committee, I have been fighting for fair and constitutionally accurate pension reforms since the day I took office.

Why would you do a better job representing the district than your opponent? If you are running unopposed, please just share why you are qualified for the position. :

I have been a small business owner for 20 years.  I know what it takes to create jobs, balance a budget and live within my means.  I have successfully steered my company through good times (tech boom) and bad times (tech wreck).   Also, I have been a vocal proponent of pension reform and tax reform while also exposing corruption whenever possible in Springfield.