Democrat Neil Hartigan is the change Illinois needs in the governor’s office.

Republican Jim Edgar is merely a torch bearer for Jim Thompson. Illinois needs someone who is willing to attack the system head on.

Hartigan promises to cut 2 percent of waste in government spending to be used to fund education as a whole. Taken as a promise, not to mention one during an election, this may seem noble but unrealistic.

However, one reason why it may seem unrealistic is that Hartigan’s plan has never been attempted before. As Sen. Art Berman said “It is easier to understand a surcharge than cutting a budget.”

Fear is another factor involved with skepticism toward Hartigan’s plan. People are afraid their budgets will be one of the ones cut, perhaps because wasteful spending is evident in their budgets. If that is the case, their budget should be cut.

Cutting budgets will hurt. But the hard facts remain it must be done. People will be hurt when programs are scaled back, but they’ll be hurt more if it isn’t done.

Although critics of Hartigan are probably right that his estimates of state growth aren’t as much as he would suggest, at least he is willing to begin to cut spending.

And the fact remains that Illinois cannot afford wasteful spending if it expects to grow at all.

Edgar also supports the tax surcharge which has become a heated issue in the gubernatorial debate. Originally, the surcharge was approved as a temporary measure to help fund education. A band-aid.

Although, the measure assisted NIU to support programs for students, it obviously isn’t enough because the budget for this fiscal year shows only a 2 percent increase. All of which was used for faculty salaries.

If the surcharge is Edgar’s way of supporting education, Illinois education will be in a tight predicament. If Hartigan’s promises end up being nothing more than promises, he would still be one step ahead of Edgar. Hartigan has shown that education is a top priority.

Edgar claims with the possibility of a recession, “We’re going to have to tighten our belts.” However when he says “we,” his constituents cannot be sure he is included in the one notch closer to a better economy. Hartigan has said flat out he will cut wasteful spending from the state government.

The choice is clear. For those Illinoisans who look forward to more of the same, including education being one of the smaller priorities, Edgar is your man.

But if stopping wasteful governmental spending and then using the excess to help fund Illinois needs such as education is considered high on your list of priorities, vote Hartigan.

Face facts, Illinois needs a change and Hartigan is willing to give it.

Due to circumstances beyond the editorial board’s control, the final endorsement is running on the day of the election. The editorial board regrets the error.