Speaking before
 a group of local Republican supporters on Tuesday,
the Bloomington state senator said Quinn was out of touch with
Illinois voters."When you're criticized by Gov. Quinn for not
having the courage to … raise taxes, I tell him ‘Governor, you need
to listen to the people of Illinois.' They're looking for a governor
who has the courage to balance the budget without raising taxes,"
Brady said.
Quinn wants to raise the state's income tax by 33 percent, with
the majority of the income aimed toward funding the state's schools,
while Brady is proposing a 10 percent cut across all state agencies.
Neither proposal is likely to affect the upcoming budget. The
state is facing a $13 billion budget shortfall and billions of
dollars in unpaid bills, but lawmakers will likely rely on
substantial borrowing to temporarily fill the gap.
If lawmakers adjourn the legislative session in early May as
planned, they may not tackle the shortfall until early next year.
Brady blamed Quinn for the distinct possibility of the General
Assembly and Quinn approving a "six-month budget."
"He owes it to the people to provide a one-year budget, as the
constitution calls for, that's balanced, that lives within our
means," he said. "It's ridiculous that the governor doesn't have the
gumption to make the tough choices that the private sector has had
to make and families and businesses."
Throughout the last week, Brady has been on the defensive over
his reluctance to make public his tax returns.
Under pressure from Quinn, the GOP candidate and owner of a
family business named Brady Homes made the last six years of his tax
returns available, but only for a limited time to reporters in
Springfield.
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Brady said he made his tax returns temporarily
available in order to protect his business partners.
"We're in a business where we sit down and we try to sell a home
to people, and I don't feel it's proper that my competitors should
have a copy of my tax returns that they're going to show people when
we're negotiating about whether or not we're going to build them a
home or not," Brady said.
With a little more than six months to go before November's
general election, early poll returns show Brady with a double-digit
margin over Quinn.
Brady is hoping his candidacy changes state government, which he
feels has not adequately served its constituents.
"We have failed over the last eight years to deliver for the
people of Illinois," he said. "Illinois has become too expensive of
a place to live, work and make a business investment," he said.
[Illinois
Statehouse News; By KEVIN LEE]
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