Stef and I went to a Brady fundraiser last night as guests of our boss.  It was a great turnout and it was also great to see some familiar faces and some new faces there.  We were able to talk to Sen. Brady and as always, he was very nice, and listened to what he had to say and what our concerns were.  I've met plenty of elected officials in my travels in politics and I've met politicians that give you canned answer, a canned speech, and/or seem to look through you as opposed to looking into your eyes.  Sen. Brady answered our questions last night in a truthful manner and didn't deviate from positions I already knew where he stood on. 

Somebody asked Brady at one point in the night whether or not he'd stick to his guns, even if it cost him re-election.  Sen. Brady stated that he would indeed do the things necessary to bring Illinois back from the brink, even if it cost him re-election. 

I've heard Brady speak many times, each time it was no canned speech (and no teleprompter!).  In fact, there were some technical difficulties during his speech, and Brady kept the crowd energized even without the microphone working properly.  In my humble opinion, Brady understands that cutting Illinois' budget is only one step in the process of correcting the wrongs of Blagojevich/Quinn.  The other side of the coin of righting the ship is increasing revenue.  Brady wants to raise revenue not by raising taxes (as Gov. Quinn and Speaker Mike Madigan want to do), but by getting people to come to Illinois - in essence bringing in people that pay taxes.  Illinois has lost 700,000 people which not only endangers our budget, jobs, and communities, but also threatens to have Illinois lose a Congressional seat in the House of Representatives (19th Congressional - John Shimkus (R)).  Brady wants to lower taxes so it is cheaper to do business and live in Illinois in order to stem the flow of people moving to other states where it is cheaper to live and do business - and hopefully draw those people and business back - plus more.  It's a breath of fresh air to see a social and fiscal conservative on the ballot.  When Brady wins, maybe, just maybe the higher ups will realize that a conservative can win state-wide office in Illinois.

We also ran into Judge Douglas Jarman last night.  I've met the Judge before elsewhere, and he seems like he's done a good job on the bench.  He was appointed to the Fourth Circuit bench and must now run for the office.  He needs our support. 

Back to BIll Brady.  Brady has released a campaign commercial.  Take a look.  I'll just say this.  We're with Bill!