Why not allow for flexibility?

The overall impact of the Illinois tax system is regressive. When all state taxes are combined, lower-income earners pay more of their incomes in state taxes, and higher-income earners pay the least. I doubt that many people think that is “fair.”

A constitutional amendment is desirable not only to alleviate that, but also to enable flexibility. Constitutions should not prevent flexibility in economic policy. You may not trust current legislators, but if you believe in democracy (regrettably not a given these days), let each generation address its economic challenges as it deems best.

Part of the reason Illinois is in this fiscal mess is due to the overly restrictive manner in which the state Supreme Court interpreted our constitution on public sector pensions. I wish that Gov. J.B. Pritzker had the courage to seek an amendment on that issue, too. — Lawrence Casazza, Chicago