Right now, Governor Quinn and legislators in Springfield are planning to raise your taxes. Instead of taking a hard look at the budget, and the out-of-control spending that has led to our state's budget problems, politicians want hardworking taxpayers to bail them out. Governor Quinn's Fiscal Year 2010 budget proposal calls for increasing the tax rate by a whopping 50%. This despite the fact that Illinois already ranks 14th highest out of the 50 states in overall tax burden. The Governor and General Assembly should focus on reducing spending, which has increased by 45% per capita since 1998. The budget of Illinois should not be balanced by unbalancing the budgets of Illinois households. On Tuesday, May 19, 2009, citizens from across the state will gather in Springfield to make their voices heard, and deliver these petitions. Governor Quinn, on behalf of the people of Illinois, should balance the state budget through reductions in state spending, not through an increase in the state income tax.