Statement from Illinois Republican Party Chairman, Tim Schneider:
| And so begins the reign of the tax-hiking, tax-avoiding billionaire, Madigan’s hand-picked hand-maiden for the government unions and the special interests feeding on our tax dollars. The Democratic Party is in ascendency in Illinois: Democrats control every lever of government, unchecked by anything but their own shame and the strength of our voices calling out their abuse and extremism. We had a glimpse yesterday of what’s to come: more money for the folks who work for the government, increased debt and higher taxes for the rest of us. What a deal! Governor Pritzker announces that the highest paid government workers in the Midwest don’t make enough — and doubled the government salaries of the top folks around him with pay from his own pocket. Not only does this trample ethical limitations on private payments to public servants, but it sends a clear message to all other government workers too — more is coming to you. Will Pritzker supplement the pay for all these folks too? Don’t bet on it: recall this is the billionaire who dodged hundreds of thousands of dollars in property taxes on his Chicago mansion and hides his wealth in the Bahamas to avoid Illinois’ already high taxes — paying literally NO state income tax in 2014. This higher pay is coming from you. And, with Illinois’ appalling pension system, higher pay today means higher pay forever. So, generations of Illinoisans who don’t work for government and have no right to maintain their salary when they stop working for their current employer will pay for Pritzker’s “largesse.” Remember: it’s your money, not his, that he’s offering to spend. He won’t move his wealth from the zero-tax Bahamas to pay either the current taxes or the higher taxes he proposes and, being born a billionaire, he has no real idea what each dollar means to the rest of us. While it may be that marijuana eases suffering for some who are sick, but legalizing its sale here will not cure what ails Illinois. While taxing pot will generate some tax dollars, this new revenue is a minuscule fraction of Pritzker’s new spending — and it simply isn’t worth the terrible social tax that promoting pot imposes. Legal pot will lead to more DUI’s, more fatalities, more opioid use and more bad options for our children. Government should support moms and dads who are trying to teach values to their children; undermining Moms to pay for ever sweetened deals for government workers is not good government. It’s often said that voters get the government they deserve. I reject that: it’s often hard to see the truth about what’s happening in this age of fake news and biased media.People deserve a government that serves them, not a government that takes more than it serves. People deserve a government that produces real opportunities, not a government that undermines property values and family values. It breaks my heart to think of the damage Democrats will do to this state; you don’t deserve it. But, there won’t be any confusion or obfuscation about who has done what: everything that happens here now is done by Democrats. And, when you see what they do, come join us. Republicans are the party of people government. Democrats have all the power of government today, but there is no greater power than that of informed and concerned people. So don’t just worry, come help Republicans take your community and the state back for the good of all. |
| For Illinois, Tim SchneiderChairman, Illinois Republican Party |
