Spending III. tax dollars wisely

Editorial

When members of the Illinois Senate last week tied their own pay raises to the recompense for deceased soldiers, firefighters and police officers, they showed that their priority was lining their pockets and not helping Illinois residents.

The senators and their counterparts in the junior chamber had the opportunity to fund and work toward reducing the killings in Chicago and surrounding suburbs, but opted for larger paychecks for themselves and other state employees.

To get a favorable vote on the raises, the senate tied paying families of deceased soldiers and law enforcement officers to their pay increase bill.

Despite the soldiers' roles in an …