Sen. Brady's statement on State of the State address

[February 02, 2012]  SPRINGFIELD -- State Sen. Bill Brady, R-Bloomington, issued a statement about Gov. Pat Quinn's State of the State address, presented Feb. 1 to a joint session of Illinois lawmakers in the chambers of the House of Representatives.

"It reminds me of 'Groundhog Day,' the movie. It's the same event every year, and unfortunately, I think we are looking at more winter. I don't think he has grasped the real difficulties we face in Illinois," Brady said.

"Not once did he mention an apology to the vendors that are owed billions of dollars in unpaid bills that have put them at hardship. He gave lip service to some minor tax breaks after he imposed the single largest tax increase ever on families and businesses -- a 67 percent tax increase that has hurt jobs and leaves us in the unenviable position of being one of the worst states in the nation when it comes to unemployment.

"While other states have grown jobs and reduced their unemployment rolls, Illinois has lagged far behind. I didn't hear much in his speech that leads me to believe he is willing to do the tough work that needs to be done to put Illinois truly on the right track," Brady said. "He says we are on the right track, but if you ask those families who are dealing with unemployment and can't make their mortgage payments, they would not agree that we are on the right track."

[Text from file sent on behalf of Sen. Bill Brady by Illinois Senate Republican staff]