Dear Editor:
I was glad the Sun-Times acknowledged the education tax swap proposal being considered in Springfield is no “magic solution.” [“Use new state Senate votes to push for school tax swap,” Nov. 13] But your use of the phrase implies that a tax swap is a solution of some kind, when in fact it is not.
Would you “help” someone tackle a weight problem by increasing his food budget? If he’s just buying more of the same old junk food, his increased budget is more likely to intensify the problem than solve it. Throwing tax revenue indiscriminately at any problem wastes money that could have been spent on real solutions, making it that much more difficult to fund real solutions once we find them.
We have to stop using money to avoid addressing critical public policy issues. We might be able to buy off our consciences with a tax swap, but we can’t buy Illinois’ children a better future. The sooner we figure that out the better.
Sincerely,
Michael Van Winkle
Chicago, IL
Michael Van Winkle ([email protected]) manages media relations for The Heartland Institute
