One of the House Democrats opposed to a tax extension says she thinks Republicans have done a better job of communicating with voters on the issue.
Representative Deb Conroy, D-Villa Park, says she doesn't think her constituents are paying much attention to state government yet.
She says they've heard a lot about Governor Pat Quinn's proposal to keep the income tax rate at 5 percent, but not about why Quinn wants that. The governor says if the 2011 tax increase is not made permanent, there will have to be significant cuts in education and other state services.
"Nobody understands why-- all they understand is that you're going to increase our taxes. And some people actually think they're going to increase it over what it is now, because they're not informed enough. And the other side's message is much louder, and much scarier."
Conroy says she realizes the state's finances are in bad shape. But she says Quinn ought to have begun making the case for a permanent tax increase much earlier than he did.