Illinois deserves a break, and the chance to become home for the proposed Superconducting Super Collider would be just the opportunity.

With any change there is always the bad that needs to be taken along with the good. And in this situation the positive aspects of the proposal outweigh any of the negatives.

Yes, there are homes and businesses which would face displacement by the proposed SSC, but studies conducted by state officials show only one house out of every 20 in the affected area is against having the super collider.

Proponents of the SSC have gathered 40,000 petition signatures favoring the proposed sight while the opposition group, Citizens Against The Collider Here, has collected only 20,000 signatures against the construction.

By building the SSC in Illinois, a total of $3.28 billion or more could be saved in construction costs because of the availability of the Fermilab site in Batavia. In addition, the possible financial and academic opportunities stemming from such an addition to the state are limitless.

The chance to construct the SSC in Illinois is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Such a chance would attract noted scientists and researchers to the area and would provide the state’s developing, high-technology corridor with the push it needs to become a reputable center for research in the nation.

Though there are disadvantages, the prospects of becoming home for the SSC is just too good an opportunity for the state to let slip through its fingers.