Month: April 2022

Under Governor JB Pritzker’s leadership, Illinois has become one of the most radically pro-criminal, anti-police states in the nation. So, it’s no surprise that state’s attorneys – the top prosecutors in each of their respective counties – are no fan of Pritzker’s new criminal “reform” of eliminating cash bail.

As reported by WGEM, even a Democrat state’s attorney, Will County’s James Glasgow, has serious concerns about the new law as he relayed a frightening scenario. “If someone murders a person, and that’s the only person that we’re aware of that they’re a danger to, that doesn’t fulfill the burden,” Glasgow said. “I mean any normal sane person would say that’s insane, that’s absurd, that’s ridiculous it can’t be in the law but it’s in the law.”

You’re right, James. Any “normal sane person” would say a law immediately releasing violent criminals onto our streets to commit more acts of violence is “absurd” and “ridiculous.” More importantly, it doesn’t keep our communities safe.

Governor Pritzker has the abnormal and insane governing philosophy that prioritizes the thoughts and feelings of violent criminals above law enforcement and public safety.

Four more years of JB Pritzker is dangerous for Illinois.

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House Republican Leader Jim Durkin calls on DCFS Director to resign

Another day, another contempt charge for DCFS Director Marc Smith as he and his agency under the direction of Governor JB Pritzker continue to fail vulnerable children. 

WICS…

Marc Smith, the director of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS), is being held in contempt of court for the ninth time.

This new order involves a 15-year-old boy who has been kept in a psychiatric hospital for more than two and a half months since he was ready to be discharged.

According to the cook county public guardian, the courts ordered DCFS that the boy be discharged to an appropriate placement by March 25.

As a result of this latest news and the a continued failure to immediately address the situation, House Republican Leader Jim Durkin called on Smith to resign, saying, “Governor Pritzker clearly isn’t bothered by a ninth contempt of court charge against DCFS Director Marc Smith and has done nothing about it – that is simply unacceptable. The Governor has had three and a half years to get this agency under control – he owns this ongoing tragedy. Since the Governor has failed to take action, I call on Director Smith to resign for the good of the children in this state who depend on DCFS.”

Pritzker is again burying his head in the sand as tragedies occur under his watch. After waiting months to push out former veterans affairs chief Linda Chapa LaVia because of her negligence in protecting our veterans at LaSalle Veterans Home, and his ongoing public support of Smith, it’s clear the Governor does not care about protecting our state’s most vulnerable populations.

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 Families to face massive rate hikes, rolling blackouts

Just last week, we learned that ComEd – the company connected to the federal indictment of Mike Madigan’s criminal enterprise – plans to increase costs for ratepayers to the tune of $199 million starting in 2023. Now we understand that residents in other parts of the state may soon see eye-popping rate hikes, too. Combine those rate hikes with rolling blackouts and the months and years ahead will be painful for Illinois families thanks to Pritzker’s radical energy policy.

As media reported last Friday, ComEd filed a request to increase residential electricity rates by $2.20 a month to offset the costs of new mandates imposed under Pritzker’s energy tax law. 

And now, a new bombshell report from Crain’s Chicago details how the Pritzker Administration’s war on coal and natural gas will significantly impact customers in downstate Illinois.

From Crain’s…

The cost of losing coal-fired power plants downstate is proving steep already, with many central and southern Illinoisans expected to pay an extra $150-plus on their annual electric bills beginning in June, due to inadequate power supply.

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Critics of policies phasing out coal and natural gas in favor of renewable power are seeing their doomsday forecasts start to come true far faster than even they thought. 

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The statute requires the closure of all fossil fuel power plants in Illinois no later than 2045. Effectively, it’s made the usual method of addressing power-supply shortages—construction of new natural gas-fired plants—uneconomic and significantly reduced the tools available to address the shortage that’s emerged.

And not only will ratepayers be paying more, Pritzker’s misguided energy agenda will likely cause rolling blackouts this summer according to Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, the regional power grid overseer for much of the Midwest, including central and southern Illinois. 

Again, from Crain’s…

MISO sounded the alarm last week, saying it was concerned about the rapid closure of coal-fired power plants, which have kept the lights on for decades in much of the Midwest. Replacement sources aren’t being established fast enough to offset the loss.

Pritzker is currently running TV ads right now touting his temporary, election-year “relief” for taxpayers while those same taxpayers will be using all those “savings” to pay for energy rate hikes caused by his ill-advised, Green New Deal inspired war on reliable energy generation. 

And downstate Illinoisans will most likely have to dig into their wallets even further to purchase generators and battery powered lights to deal with Pritzker’s rolling blackouts this summer.

Taxpayer savings? What savings?

And this is just April 2022. Experts expect things to get much worse in the years ahead.

We simply cannot afford another four years of J.B. Pritzker.

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ILGOP Chairman Don Tracy released the following statement in response to Governor JB Pritzker signing the state budget this morning:

“This Pritzker-Democrat budget has record spending, insulting temporary election-year gimmicks, and pay raises for politicians – all while ComEd files to raise rates on hard-working families and businesses using Pritzker’s energy tax law. What Pritzker’s budget doesn’t do is give permanent tax relief to overtaxed Illinoisans, fully replenish the unemployment trust fund, or construct a path to budget stability for when the federal bailout cash runs out soon. Pritzker approved a cynical budget that positions Democrats to push for tax hikes in the future and attempts to buy votes instead of providing financial stewardship and meaningful tax relief to working families.”

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Temporary gimmicks, irresponsible spending, and a pay raise for politicians provide triple whammy to taxpayers in Democrat budget

With their chances looking bleak in November, Illinois Democrats have literally resorted to handing voters $100 dollars and calling it ‘relief’ in the face of record high inflation and Illinois’ highest in the nation tax burden.

In addition to a multitude of temporary gimmicks that conveniently end right after the election, Democrats are painting a rosy picture of our state’s finances, pretending an influx of $12 BILLION into the state from the federal government didn’t have anything to do with it.

What Democrats won’t mention is that they used the temporary federal bailout to go on permanent spending spree. The budget spends a state record $46.5 billion which amounts to a massive increase in our operating budget despite state revenues projected to decrease over the same time period. Pritzker has increased state spending by over 20% since taking office. Unsustainable.

And what did they use this extra federal bailout cash on? Fully replenishing our unemployment insurance trust fund to avoid massive tax hikes or addressing structural deficits to provide meaningful and permanent tax relief? No, Democrats packed their budget with over a billion dollars in pork projects in Democrat districts as well as a pay raise for legislators. 

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Don Tracy released the following statement in response:

“Instead of permanent solutions for working families like real tax cuts and reduced spending, Democrats passed temporary election-year gimmicks, a massive increase in spending, and pay raises for politicians. In the face of record inflation and a crushing tax burden, Democrats gave taxpayers a handful of candy and told them to suck it up. They failed to provide real relief to taxpayers and all but guaranteed tax increases when the federal bailout money goes away.”

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After running for Congress five times previously and spending nearly a decade in office, one would think Democrat Congressman Brad Schneider (IL-10) would know what he’s doing. Not the case for Schneider as he embarks on another re-election campaign.

First, Schneider has a pending challenge to his petitions because he claimed he lived in a house that he clearly didn’t. 

From the Daily Herald…

The newly constructed Highland Park house that U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider listed as his residence on nominating petition sheets circulated this winter and on voter registration documents in January didn’t receive a certificate of occupancy until late last week, city records indicate.

[…]

That objection, filed Monday with the Illinois State Board of Elections, alleges Schneider doesn’t live at the address he identified as his home on petition sheets and a statement of candidacy.

Those documents were submitted to the election board March 7, more than a week before occupancy was approved.

Congressman Schneider is in serious danger of being removed from the primary ballot and having the embarrassment of hoping his local Democrat leadership rewards his blunder by slating him on the ballot for the general election.

But there’s more. Schneider’s new home is at the center of another controversy as he improperly took two property tax homestead exemptions last year on both his new home and his old one.

Also from the Daily Herald…

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider improperly received homeowner exemptions on two properties at the same time for one year, but he recently paid the balance of what he should have been billed, Lake County officials said Monday.

Brad Schneider is defrauding taxpayers in his district in two distinct ways. First, by swearing under oath he lived at a house that he didn’t, and second, by improperly taking a property tax break on the house he didn’t live in. 

Whether it’s sloppiness, laziness, or intentional deception – Schneider doesn’t deserve re-election. 

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Last Friday, the Sun-Times reported on more outrageous, pro-criminal consequences of Governor JB Pritzker’s anti-police bill (SAFE-T Act). Criminal defendants on home confinement while awaiting trial are now required to be set free at least two days a week with no monitoring.

“During that time, they’re supposed to be working or looking for a job, undergoing treatment for mental illness or drug addiction, attending school or buying groceries, according to the law.”

They’re “supposed” to be doing those things. But, unsurprisingly, criminals are using time off monitoring to commit more crimes.

From the Chicago Sun-Times…

“Since Jan. 1, about two dozen people have been arrested in Cook County while on essential movement time —about 1% of the people in the sheriff’s electronic-monitoring program, according to Cook County sheriff’s reports.

One man was accused of committing an armed robbery.

Others were charged with illegal gun possession and drug dealing.

Three went on shoplifting sprees, police say.

Two others were shot to death.

Even fellow Democrat and Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart finds this provision of the SAFE-T Act not particularly safe, saying, “At a bare minimum, they should say, ‘If you’re charged with a violent offense, and you’re given home monitoring, you don’t get to wander around free for two days a week.” Dart also said that the 1% figure might be understating the issue because violent crimes like shootings do not always result in an arrest being made.

Yet again, as Illinois and Chicago experience a rising wave of violent crime, the Governor’s pro-criminal policies get exposed as wildly out of touch and downright dangerous to the public. 

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