Totaling the unsustainable tax increases and windfall revenue during Pritzker Administration – Wirepoints
May 26, 2026
10 Comments
With $162 billion more from taxpayers, couldn’t you deliver a few bond upgrades, too
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A largely unasked question is becoming glaring: Is Illinois doing all it should to use artificial intelligence to make government cost less and work better? So far, the evidence says no.
PPF is 100% correct. Sociopathic predators hold all the power. If you can’t beat ’em, join ’em. Does Illinois need teachers more than it needs licensed healthcare professionals? Illinois acts like it HATES Illinois healthcare professionals, because Illinois not only demands HC Pros serve the entitled demands of Illinois Teachers demanding ‘entitled’ healthcare to live longer lives (all the while collecting entitlements growing at 3% compounded), Illinois demands HC Pros PAY for the teachers’ extraordinary entitlements through property taxes which are so high they destroy property value, AND income taxes (which teachers do not pay because much of their compensation… Read more »
Some ideas for Sullivan:
Are those ideas to serve as soundbites for the candidate? Clearly neither one would pass a democrat majority. Your first idea doesn’t help the state improve its financial footing. The second one is designed to penalize unions and their members. Hardly something either party is willing to do. Other than firing up the base for a campaign, I’m not what the point is for ideas that you suggest. Fooling voters may get you elected but it doesn’t help govern.
This first one is both an equity stance and promotes personal savings. It’s something within the govt’s power to equalize public vs private retirement plans without diminishing the former. At the very least, it forces the GA to vote down encouraging people to invest in their retirements. Not a good look. The pension systems keep reminding us how much retirement savings goes back into the economy. This is no different. Pays itself off in the future. The second idea forces the union to pay their fair share for services rendered. If it’s too expensive, they can opt out and collect… Read more »
“Not a good look”
Again, it will never get voted on so what’s the point of the idea?
Using political capital for ideas that won’t solve the problems doesn’t seem to make sense. Then again, that’s typically what ILGOP has been offering up so who knows.
There is nothing the ILGOP can do to fix the problems with a gerrymandered state legislature. Nothing. They are a 40% minority with about 25% representation, even less in some places through gerrymandering. Larry Elder has the same problem, and he said elect me so I can issue executive orders over coronavisu, veto bad laws that will be overriden and chose a R senator when the current D senator retires. She is currently drooling on herself with terrible dementia is the rumor, she hasn’t been seen in weeks, if not months. That’s the position the ILGOP is in. They’ll remove… Read more »
The average low information voter in this state thinks the orange man is bad, masks work, men can turn into women through surgery, nuclear families are white supremacist and idolize bad cultural behaviors.
The problem with the state is the people who live here. Sure, there’s a few good ones here and there, but they’re mostly just, as Rush used to say, Reprobates.
The state is beyond fixing; and to the average Democrat, there is nothing to fix. They like it this way.
If Rauner hadn’t already won, he might have a chance. He’s definitely going to look charismatic next to JB. But he’s going to need some fresh ideas besides cuts to move the needle.
If California recalls their gov. and elects Larry Elder, and Virginia elects a Republican Gov., as does NJ, then maybe, just maybe, that trend will extend to deep blue Illinois to elect a Republican Gov. He’ll be neutered from day one of course, with a gerrymandered supermajority in the legislature, so even a veto won’t do anything, but at least he can veto as much as he can and use the power of his executive orders now that JB has set a precedent. Otherwise, there isn’t snowball’s chance in heck that IL will ever elect another Republican to statewide office.
The key question for any GOP candidate for Gov is how they would deal with the Dem majority, probably supermajority. Dems will have passed all radical bills they want by 2022, so veto power after that will mean little. Any GOP gov will face the same situation Rauner faced, which is simply saying no to everything.
No to everything except funding abortion with medicaid, he was all about that.
Correct, which is why GOP should let the Dems finish bankrupting the state. Nothing significant will change until the public turns on the Dems. Best for the GOP to get out of the way so the public won’t be confused about who to blame when it all collapses.
Right, the questions are going to be how far left he can move to get things passed, not how far right the GA would need to move. It’ll be the ole “why don’t you tell us what you would cut?” where they box him in between the pension clause and mandated spending and there is little wiggle room. Sullivan will be competing against a spender with lots of people who benefit from that spending and a nice big cash cushion from the Feds that will get JB through the election cycle.
“where they box him in between the pension clause and mandated spending and there is little wiggle room” Therein lies the problem with any Republican candidate. Most will claim they want to cut spending and taxes but they don’t want to outline where they will cut spending. Mandatory spending will not be cut so how are they going to turn the state around? Instead we get soundbites that appeal to the base with no real plan. Every now and then we get a Republican governor because the public grows tired of Democrats. What’s the point of winning office without a… Read more »
PFF is correct, doesn’t deserve a down vote. But Rauner did have a plan, to make state more business friendly, to increase revenue to pay off pensions and debt. The Turnaround Agenda. It had like 60 points or something. It was DOA in the legislature. Literally, DOA. It was mocked by Democrats and so on. The problem with IL are the people. We mostly suck. The good ones left the state years ago. And because our people mostly suck, the only way to change the state is to make structural changes that will never occur without some other force stepping… Read more »
My favorite part of the Turnaround Agenda? The right-to-work ZONE. Not state, not county, not township. Just a very small area to beta test what could either be applied elsewhere if successful or rolled back if it failed. It wasn’t a permanent change, just a tiny freakin’ test, and he wasn’t even allowed to try it out.
In fairness, his “right-to-work zone” idea was his way of working around the GA and getting what he wanted into conservative local areas.
“Working around the GA” Again, this is what is called compromise. A “zone” is the compromise over a much larger jurisdiction like the entire state, which I’m sure Rauner would’ve happily implemented if he had the power. A compromise would be the GA allowing this zone and setting metrics and timelines to properly judge the performance. That’s compromise. Not a blanket no. That’s just one example of how unbalanced the “compromise” conversation is.
Supermajorities don’t compromise. They are in charge.
You’re right, just as Texas did too. Just as Tennessee is going to do when it gerrymanders 8R-1D seat in congress.
It’s a one party state, and as people Balkanize and separate ideaologically into different regions, it becomes easier and easier to totally screw over your ideological enemies.
As much fun as it would be, Newsom isn’t going to be recalled.
Not when he sends a preprinted ballot to every registered person on the list, and from the posts on twitter, sometimes even two ballots…
It’s flooding the electorate with ballots expecting the fraud to just do its thing and ensure that No+1 is counted and returned.
Newsom is really unpopular.
You’re probably right. Elections cant be trusted anymore, all elections from here on out will be rigged. The counting equipment cant be trusted, spreading the vote out over more than a day also gives anyone the chance to dump a load of ballots, as-needed, at any time. Voting in general is no longer worth it.
Yes, people want a change but never do anything about it but complain.