By: Ted Dabrowski and John Klingner | Wirepoints
There’s no denying Gov. J.B. Pritzker should be one of the state’s biggest cheerleaders, consistently accentuating Illinois’ positives. It’s what any good governor should do.
But Pritzker too often corrupts his message with dishonest spin and, in the process, buries the real day-to-day struggles ordinary Illinoisans face. The governor was at it again when he spoke to Crain’s recently about the state of Illinois’ economy. Watch his talk here.
His comments to Crain’s were particularly dishonest when it comes to employment and crime. Jobs up, he says, crime down. It’s all part of the governor’s refusal to acknowledge Illinois’ extreme outlier status on the problems of high taxes, spiraling crime, poor economic growth, massive pension debts, dismal education results, and much more.
Below we show how Pritzker’s jobs and crime rhetoric doesn’t match the facts on the ground – the facts that Illinoisans and Chicagoans must deal with every day.
1. Illinois employment growth lags entire nation under Pritzker
Gov. Pritzker had a lot to say about Illinois’ jobs climate, telling Crain’s the state is attracting new employers and jobs and that it’s in the best position in many years to boost its economy. He also told Crain’s: “Companies are coming to us. They want to do business in Illinois…we’re now in discussions with 25 companies, big companies with billions to invest and up to 4,000 jobs.”
Pritzker’s 4,000 jobs claim may sound impressive until you look at just how behind Illinois has fallen on employment during his tenure.
Nearly 125,000 fewer Illinoisans were employed in October 2023 than when Pritzker took office in Jan. 2019 – a decline of 2 percent.
Not only is that equivalent to the entire population of Springfield losing a job, but it’s the 2nd-worst employment growth performance in the entire county, behind only Massachusetts.
Read more here.
Dishonest, out of touch, and unfit to govern.