Republican governor candidate Bill Brady makes campaign stops in region

</element><element id="paragraph-1" type="body"><![CDATA[Republican gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady said he is partly in the race for governor for his own survival - or at least the survival of his business.

The cost of doing business in Illinois has become so high it is driving out small and mid-sized business, who are seeking greener pastures, Brady told a small audience in Shawneetown Tuesday during a series of campaign stops. Brady plans to stop in 24 communities during a two-day tour through Southern Illinois. His travels on Tuesday brought him to the Eldorado Holiday Tournament and Bob Downen Enterprises in Shawneetown.

Brady emphasized he is the only downstate candidate in the race on either side of the fence and called himself, "Someone who understands there are 96 counties in Illinois outside of Cook and the Collar Counties."

Job growth, Brady said, is key to the state's economic future. Despite our natural, potential economic and geographic resources, Illinois is the worst job-producing state in the nation, Brady said.

The tax and regulatory structure in the state means it's easier to do business in nearby states like Indiana, Brady said. One example cited by Brady is worker's compensation. Illinois businesses on average spend $2.70 per $100 of payroll for worker's compensation insurance; in Indiana businesses only spend $1.30 per $100 in payroll.

"In some businesses $1.40 per $100 payroll is the difference between making it and not making it," Brady said.

The state's debts seem out of control -- $70 billion unfunded pension debt, $8 to $12 billion short-term debt and $20 billion in bonded indebtedness, Brady said. Getting the state back to solvency is an uphill task for anyone.

Despite the state's massive deficits, Brady does not advocate a tax hike as a way of closing the budget gap or paying off long-term debt.

"If you further raise the tax burden in Illinois you are going to drive more business out of state," Brady said.

The long-term solution to the state's fiscal problems is job growth, he said. The state has lost 700,000 jobs in recent years, which translates to $3 billion in state revenue.

"The solution is to create an economy that works," Brady said.

One idea Brady touted is a $2,100 tax credit for businesses that create new job. Since the state receives $4,200 on average in the first year of a net job gain, the state will come out ahead while new or expanding businesses will be helped during their startup phase, he said.

Brady wants to cut 10 percent of state spending, or about $7 billion through outright cuts and savings. A tax cut of $1 billion and accompanying spending cuts will also help get the state back on track and improve the business climate.

Savings of $7 billion can be reaped by managing Medicaid, creating a Department of Education and eliminating the State Board of Education and reforming the Department of Corrections.

"In two or three years I think I can have us in a flush position," Brady said.

Brady, a state senator, was first elected to the legislature in 1992 as a state representative. He defeated Bloomington-area Rep. Gordon Ropp by eight votes in the 1992 GOP primary, Brady said. He served a few terms in the house and then the senate. Brady ran in ht gubernatorial primary in 2006 against Judy Baar Topinka.

"It was my first run. The legislature for me was more of a contribution than a career, so I never really got to be well-known statewide," Brady said.

Brady got about 20 percent of the primary vote in 2006, but met a lot of people and received a lot of statewide exposure, which he believes has put him in a good position for the 2010 primary.