Republican senator Dan Duffy visited Lake Zurich on October 10 to speak to Social Studies students about politics.

            Duffy covered a variety of subjects, including how he became involved in politics and some of the difficulties he has faced in a largely Democratic state.

To begin his speech, he described his transition from being a small business owner to becoming a successful senator.

“As I was working, I started to understand that politics and business are two sides of the same coin,” Duffy said. “Down in Springfield and Washington, D.C., all the legislation, taxation, litigation, all those type of things impact my bottom line.”

Duffy fielded several questions about how politics can relate to students as well, especially with the policies regarding small businesses and employment out of college.

He also criticized some aspects of the state government, including the 67 percent raise in individual state income taxes passed by the legislation and governor, saying that it hurts businesses as well as the individual citizen.

“When you raise income taxes by 67 percent, you just raised that on small business owners, who make up 80 percent of the jobs in Illinois,” Duffy said.

Duffy encouraged the students to pursue their goals in politics, despite the public’s general dislike of the demeanor of politicians. He began and ended with his mantra, “Dare to Dream,” handing out wristbands with that slogan and his name.

“I never thought about running for office before to tell you the truth,” Duffy said. “I grew up on the South Side of Chicago. When I grew up, my father, who was a very hard worker, always talked to us about dare to dream [and] work towards that every day, and I guess it worked. I encourage you all to do the same and follow your dreams.”