MADISON - ST. CLAIR RECORD

To the Editor:

The state of Illinois and the Metro East is not in the very best financial situation, to put it mildly. Illinois has a $120 billion debt and higher than average unemployment with the Metro East at an even higher unemployment rate. Among the states, Illinois ranks 46th in economic development and is currently in decline.

We need a state representative who knows how to adhere to a budget, who knows what it takes to create jobs, besides adding to the government payroll, and who understands the full impact the government has on the private sector.

Dwight Kay is a lifelong resident of the Metro East. He worked his way up from the loading dock to become Vice President of Cassens Transport, the largest privately held transportation company in the country.

I work in the financial industry. People come to me to invest their hard-earned money and prepare their family for life's uncertainty.

In economically tenuous times like these, I advise people to take personal responsibility for their own financial future and support people like Dwight Kay who will focus on the next generation not the next election.

Joshua A. Schuette
Glen Carbon