Author: jnjhackler

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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It’s been reported that Governor JB Pritzker will be at the Lincoln Statue at the State Capitol this morning to commemorate the Illinois State Police’s centennial anniversary with a press conference to follow.

As a reminder, a man who was previously denied parole and had served roughly 15% of his sentence for the murder of a state trooper was recently released by Pritzker’s Prisoner Review Board (PRB), utilizing new measures signed into law by the Governor to gain his freedom. The slain trooper’s family was not given the opportunity to object to the killer’s early release.

As reported by the Effingham Daily News…

The man who killed Illinois State Police Trooper Layton Davis in 1976 was released from prison Thursday under a new law that allows parole for medical reasons.

Aaron Hyche, 71, who fired the shot that killed Davis, had been denied parole after a hearing in August. A relative of the trooper said the family was initially told the medical hearing would not be until March, and was surprised when Hyche was released before they could object.

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The trooper’s family is upset they didn’t get to voice opinions about Hyche to the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

It’s hard to square Pritzker’s honoring of state law enforcement today when he continues to stand by his handpicked PRB that voted to release Hyche. 

PRB member Eleanor Wilson, who voted to release the cop killer’s accomplice, James Taylor, resigned this week rather than face further scrutiny for her decisions to release violent criminals from prison early. Pritzker praised Wilson, saying, “The Governor is disappointed that a highly qualified nominee will no longer be able to serve on the Prisoner Review Board and he thanks Eleanor Wilson for her service and dedication to justice.”

We have just one question for the Governor. On a day meant to remember the history and sacrifices of our state troopers, will Pritzker apologize to the family of Trooper Layton Davis?

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For Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx, the answer for rising crime in Chicago and its surrounding suburbs always seems to be a refusal to charge, more leniency, and early releases for violent criminals. Oh, and demonizing law enforcement. Policies and attitudes that have been detrimental to the safety of the public.

Take her recent initiative (allowed under a new law signed by JB Pritzker) that will have her office arguing in courts “that certain longtime inmates deserve more lenient sentences.” That’s right, Foxx’s answer to skyrocketing crime is to use her office’s time and energy releasing convicted criminals early onto our streets.

And let’s not forget, Kim Foxx was a corrupt actor shielding a celebrity and personal friend from accountability in the Jussie Smollett hate crime hoax case. After Foxx decided against pressing charges against Smollett for staging a fake hate crime, an independent investigation found that Foxx’s office had committed “substantial abuses of discretion and operational failures.”

Even after Smollett was eventually convicted of his crimes and sentenced to jail, Foxx called the court’s decision a “kangaroo prosecution” and “mob justice.” Yikes.

In light of Foxx’s unwillingness to protect the public from violent criminals and a wave of like-minded progressive prosecutors currently facing recalls across the country for their radical ideology, State Representative Tim Butler (R-Springfield) has introduced a bill that gives the residents of Cook County the ability to mount a recall effort against Foxx as well. Butler gave his motivation, saying, “The numerous issues surrounding Kim Foxx, and the complete lack of confidence the people have in her abilities as State’s Attorney, underscore the need for citizens to have the ability to recall someone in this vitally important position.”

So, here’s the question: does Governor JB Pritzker support or oppose the Kim Foxx recall bill? Is he happy with the way Foxx has handled her duties?

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After helping kill the Keystone Pipeline, Budzinski now campaigning on ‘energy independence’

Given the latest global events surrounding a murderous tyrant in Russia – who America buys oil from – invading another sovereign country in Ukraine, it’s not surprising that the anointed Democrat candidate in Illinois’ 13th congressional district has made the political calculus to campaign on American energy independence.

Candidate Nikki Budzinki makes a pledge on her website to reduce “our dependence on foreign energy from unstable regimes around the world.”

There’s just one problem for the carpetbagging Budzinski – in her former role within President Joe Biden’s administration, Budzinzki led the implementation of Biden’s executive order canceling the Keystone Pipeline which would have directly aided in America becoming less dependent on oil from “unstable regimes around the world.” The pipeline would have carried hundreds of thousands of barrels of oil every day from Canada into the United States. 

Oops.

“Nikki Budzinzki is a longtime political hack who personally helped implement a plan to make America more dependent on foreign oil from unstable regimes. Now she’s running for office claiming to do the exact opposite,” said ILGOP Executive Director Shaun McCabe. “Budzinski is wildly out of touch with the families of Central Illinois and the Metro East. That’s not surprising since she’s never lived there and calls Chicago and DC home.”

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Tragically, 36 veterans died of COVID at state-run LaSalle Veterans Home in late 2020 due to what an investigative report found to be massive failures within the Pritzker Administration which failed to protect the lives of our nation’s heroes.

Yesterday, State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) introduced a few pieces of legislation to force improved and more timely responses from IDPH to disease outbreaks in veterans’ homes.

From Capitol News…

Rezin is sponsoring Senate Bill 3170, which would require that a veterans’ home administrator provide written notification to IDPH and IDVA within 24 hours of learning of a second case of an infectious disease.

Another bill, SB1471, would require facilities licensed and operated by the state to conduct outbreak-related preparedness drills.

The Human Services’ department’s report found that the LaSalle home had not created a COVID-19 task force or committee for leadership and supervisors to establish responsibilities for managing and monitoring the virus. That, the report said, resulted in confusion among staff and led to tasks being left undone.

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A third bill, SB1445, would provide the inspector general subpoena powers that ensure cooperation with state investigations after [the state VA Director] refused to cooperate with the investigation.

Rezin’s bills currently sit in the Senate Assignments Committee ignored by Democrats hoping to avoid a continued spotlight on the Pritzker administration’s outrageous abandonment of our veterans.

But Rezin is focused on whether the Governor himself will support her protective measures, saying, “If the governor truly wants to say that he has changed what has happened in the past and that he has corrected the problems, then he should publicly support my bills.”

So, Governor, will you?

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The biggest political news since the arrest and indictment of former Governor Rod Blagojevich landed last week when federal investigators announced charges of racketeering and bribery against Ex-Speaker of the House Michael J. Madigan. After four decades of amassing more and more power at the expense of Illinois taxpayers, the man at the top of the Democrat political machine is inching closer and closer to seeing the inside of a prison cell.

Democrats through the decades – up and down the ballot and across Illinois – can be blamed for supporting and enabling Madigan’s corrupt reign. But one man in particular stands above the rest for being Madigan’s #1 supporter and chief enabler. 

That man is Governor JB Pritzker.

Here are some key questions for the Governor in light of Madigan’s indictment:

• Does the governor regret personally funding Madigan’s corrupt political operation to the tune of more than $10 million dollars?
• Does the governor regret hiring into his administration 35 people personally recommended by Speaker Madigan for patronage jobs?
• As the federal investigators swirled in and around the Madigan orbit for two years, indicting several close confidants, it was obvious who the main target was. And yet, Pritzker never asked for Madigan to step down as Speaker or Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois when others did. Why not? Does he regret standing by Madigan now?
• When Madigan resigned his seat in the Illinois House, Pritzker issued a statement saying, “The people of Illinois have much to be grateful for thanks to his dedicated public service, and the many sacrifices he and his family made to make a difference in our lives.” Why did Pritzker issue that statement and doesn’t that tell us everything we need to know about his support for Madigan?

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Pritzker invests in billion dollar state Medicaid provider, breaks campaign promise with massive conflict of interest 

This morning, it was revealed in reporting done by the Better Government Association (BGA) that Governor JB Pritzker’s “blind” trust bought stock options in one of the state’s largest Medicaid contractors.

Trust Buys Stock in State Contractor

From the BGA…

The blind trust set up to manage Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s vast wealth bought stock in one of the state’s biggest Medicaid contractors in 2020, the same year his administration made several decisions that benefited the company’s bottom line.

The purchase of stock in health insurance giant Centene Corp. was made on behalf of the billionaire governor by trustees at Northern Trust, appointed by Pritzker to independently manage his portfolio to separate those investment decisions from his role as the state’s most powerful elected official.

Did JB Profit Off of Investment?

From the BGA…

Neither Pritzker representatives nor the managers of his trust would say how much the investment in Centene is worth to Pritzker’s bottom line. They also declined to say specifically when the stock purchase was made.

Asked whether the governor — after learning he became invested in one of the state’s largest contractors sometime during 2020 — took steps to recuse himself from decisions that directly affected the company’s finances, his spokeswoman said he has not.

More Pritzker Promises Broken

From the BGA…

In 2019, Pritzker took office assuring voters he would divest his portfolio of companies with state contracts, and also promised to make charitable contributions equal to any trust investment that made money from a state contract during his term.

Questions That Need Answering

• Why didn’t the Governor avoid this conflict of interest by simply telling his trust managers to refrain from investing in state contractors?
• When was the stock in Centene originally purchased and how much has Pritzker profited from the investment?
• Will the Governor release all correspondence and documents relating to Centene since he became governor?

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