‘The rich are getting richer,’ and power keeps growing for a select few

By CARL GREEN

Illinois Correspondent

Brendan Kelly, the St. Clair County state’s attorney and Democratic nominee for Congress in the 12th District, attended the recent SOAR Chapter 7-34-2 awards luncheon and used the occasion to speak out against policies such as the “fast track” trade authority that contributed to the recently ended shutdown of the U.S. Steel mill in Granite City and the loss of other jobs.

Kelly noted that his opponent, incumbent Mike Bost (R-Murphysboro), joined in the vote for fast track.

“He’s absolutely on the wrong side of that issue, and that’s something we have to change so that we’re not sending our jobs to other countries and having a race to the bottom that hurts our environment, that hurts workers and hurts wages,” Kelly said.

Kelly also warned about the unlimited reach of money in politics since the Citizens United decision by the Supreme Court that allows corporations to bankroll candidates as if they were individual donors.

“The rich are getting richer, and power keeps growing for a few people at the top, while the rest of us in southern Illinois are really hurting,” he said, warning that the next targets will be Social Security and Medicare.

“Since Citizens United, money has corrupted democracy in both parties.

This election is it, folks, this is our opportunity to change it, whether or not we’re going to continue to be America or something else.

“The guy I’m running against, he just does whatever his party tells him. And that does not help southern Illinois.”