Creating jobs, extending homebuyer tax credit key to growing Illinois economy
“Poland is an important ally abroad and Polish immigrants are indispensable members of our communities here at home,” Giannoulias said. “As State Treasurer, I have been honored to serve our state’s Polish community and have offered programs that help Polish-Americans start a small business, own a home, and send their kids to college.”
Giannoulias is the son of immigrants who came to Chicago’s North Side from Greece because they believed in the promise of the American Dream. But during these difficult economic times, that very promise is becoming harder to achieve as middle-class families struggle to make ends meet.
Giannoulias’ comprehensive jobs plan calls for tax breaks for small businesses that add jobs, a payroll tax holiday for workers making up to $75,000, and the closing of tax loopholes that reward companies that send jobs abroad to countries such as China and India. It also would extend the first-time homebuyer credit to make purchasing a home more affordable.
“Nothing is more important right now than creating the next generation of good-paying American jobs,” said Giannoulias, who grew up in Edgewater and is the only candidate with a comprehensive jobs plan. “It will mean ending business as usual in Washington and the failed policies that reward companies that ship our jobs overseas. Instead, my plan rewards small businesses that create jobs and first-time homebuyers who hold the keys to future growth.”
Giannoulias has a record of standing up for workers. He helped saved 600 jobs at the Hartmarx factory in Des Plaines by threatening to pull the state’s $8 billion investment portfolio from the company’s main creditor, Wells Fargo, after the Wall Street bank threatened to close the plant and liquidate the jobs.
In addition, Giannoulias has developed a broad foreign policy agenda that promotes more collaboration between Poland and the U.S., and initiatives designed to further strengthen Poland’s economy to serve as a model for Central Europe.
As the next U.S. Senator, Giannoulias will fight to ensure the U.S. visa waiver program includes Poland and removes the barriers that make it difficult for friends and relatives to visit. He also intends to set up a bilateral working group between the U.S. and Poland to support regional financial reform, and work with Poland to advance renewable energy research. Giannoulias’ federal proposals build on his record as an ally to the Polish community during his tenure as Treasurer.
His Employ Illinois program helped create hundreds of jobs across the state, while his Finally Home program helped more than 200 families secure or refinance an affordable mortgage. Under his direction, the state’s Bright Start College Savings program went from one of the worst ranked in the nation to one of the best. Giannoulias is also proud to have started the Fallen Heroes Scholarship Fund, which provides college money to the children of the state’s fallen military personnel.
Giannoulias is also committed to bringing a reform-based agenda and an independent perspective to federal government, which is sorely in need of greater accountability, innovative thinking and above all else – inspired leadership. Giannoulias is the only candidate in the race who rejects contributions from corporate PACs and federal lobbyists.
“We need to restore the public’s trust and confidence in government,” said Giannoulias, who signed an executive order on his first day as State Treasurer that enacted the strictest ethical safeguards in state government that ended pay to play in the office. “Illinois residents are tired of scandal and ethics abuses surrounding their elected officials and cannot afford more distractions during these difficult times.”
To learn more about Giannoulias’ comprehensive FutureWorks plan or his foreign policy initiatives involving Poland, visit www.alexiforillinois.com.