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Archive for the ‘Commodius Maximus’ Category

Pritzker vetoes 5th lowest of 16 Democrat-controlled states

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Ethics, Girlie man, Illinois Policy Institute, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order on November 5, 2025| Leave a Comment »

In Illinois, 99% of state bills passed by the Democratic supermajority become law with no objection by Gov. J.B. Pritzker. Democracy suffers without checks and balances.

By Lilly Rossi | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker rarely sees a bill he doesn’t like from his Democratic supermajority in the Illinois General Assembly, making him a rarity even among governors in Democrat-controlled states.

He ranked fifth-fewest vetoes of the 16 governors in states where Democrats control the governor’s mansion and both legislative chambers.

More than three-fourths of state governments are controlled by one party. With one party dominating the legislative process, the focus veers towards party wins rather than wins for the people.

One party controls 38 state governments across the United States.

States with a Republican-controlled government vetoed an average of 11 bills in 2025 while states with a Democrat-controlled government vetoed an average of 20 bills.

More here.

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Gov. JB Pritzker won $1.4 million via gambling, 2024 tax returns show

Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Commodius Maximus, Fat Bastard, Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Taxes, The Chicago Way on October 16, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Gov. JB Pritzker and his wife, MK Pritzker, greet supporters at a campaign rally at Crossing Park Field House in June. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times

The governor and first lady MK Pritzker more than tripled their income in 2024 to $10.7 million, according to documents released by his campaign. A good chunk of that came at a casino.

By Mitchell Armentrout | Chicago Sun*Times

Last year brought good fortune to Gov. JB Pritzker in his investment portfolio — and at the casino, too, according to 2024 income tax returns released by his campaign Wednesday.

In his joint filing with first lady MK Pritzker, the billionaire Democratic governor reported an adjusted gross income of almost $10.7 million, more than tripling the roughly $2.8 million they reported in 2023.

The latest windfall was boosted by $1,425,000 in gambling winnings, their federal filing shows, in addition to $4.2 million in capital gains, nearly $3.9 million in ordinary dividends and more than $800,000 in taxable interest. Pritzker doesn’t take a salary as governor.

A campaign spokesman said Pritzker “had winnings and losses from a casino” in Las Vegas, but didn’t name his game(s) of chance, nor exactly where he beat the house.

Gambling options have proliferated in Illinois under Pritzker, who signed legislation in 2019 that legalized sports betting, authorized six new casinos and expanded the pool of tens of thousands of slot machines in bars and restaurants to help fund his signature $45 billion capital infrastructure upgrade plan.

Pritzker’s billionaire family, whose wealth is rooted in the Hyatt hotel chain, has held financial interests in casinos for decades. Before he was first elected in 2018, Pritzker previously invested in a company that had a 1% stake in Elgin’s Grand Victoria Casino.

The governor, with an estimated net worth of $3.9 billion, doesn’t own a piece of the action anymore, and he’s had his investments in a blind trust since taking office. That allows him to profit off the investments but removes him from decision-making in an effort to avoid potential conflicts of interest.

Read more here.

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Illinois checks, balances? Not under Pritzker

Posted in Clown Car, Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Ethics, Fat Bastard, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes on October 14, 2025| Leave a Comment »

As veto session begins and power goes back to the Democratic majority state legislature, the consequences of a single-party state are more evident than ever.

By Lilly Rossi | Illinois Policy Institute

Pritzker could have used his veto power when the regular session ended to address the numerous bills that will make it harder for those living, working and paying taxes in Illinois.

Instead, he was a rubber stamp for Illinois’ Democratic majority, signing 433 of 436 bills into law.

Of those 436 bills that passed both chambers, 59 were introduced by Republicans.

Only three bills were vetoed and the state budget implementation bill had a $161 million error in capital spending that Pritzker corrected by vetoing just that line – passing the rest of the bill. That means less than 1% of bills received some type of veto.

Senate Bill 2510, the fiscal year 2026 budget appropriation bill, was chopped, swapped and passed within 24 hours. The need for Pritzker to fix the state budget after the fact shows the recklessness of a dominant political party putting a record $55.2 billion budget together at the last minute and in secret.

Veto session is when the legislature has the opportunity to override any gubernatorial vetoes. But this year, Pritzker has made sure there is a light load with only three vetoes to consider.

Read more here.

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Four Percent Budget Cuts For Illinois? Not so Fast.

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Ethics, Perjury, Politics, Wirepoints on October 6, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Pritzker’s budget directive has no teeth and he has pulled this stunt often, even as the budget soared. | Courtesy NPR

By Mark Glennon | Wirepoints

Headlines across the state recently claimed Gov. JB ordered 4% budget cuts across the state, thanks to stingy federal budget action. “Gov. Pritzker orders 4% cuts across state agencies, blames federal policies,” said a FOX Chicago headline, for example. Politico even reported that Pritzker issued an order “codifying” his distrust of President Donald Trump’s economic agenda.

“Show me” should be your response. Pritzker in fact ordered no budget cuts and he has pulled this stunt many times before, with no results.

First, you have to go to the operative document Pritzker signed, which is an executive order, and you have to skip past the “Whereas” clauses which are rhetoric with no effect.

You will find that the supposed budget cuts are just aspirational, not mandatory. The order directs state agencies to submit a report outlining progress on their undertaking of a review to identify spending reductions. Agencies are directed to manage State funds and other resources “with a goal to reserve 4 percent” of FY26 General Funds appropriations, but only “To the extent possible, and without compromising essential operations,” the meaning of which isn’t provided. It orders a “pause” in non-essential purchases and expenditures, but there’s no description of what that means or how much would be saved.

That’s it. Nothing firm or binding.

Read on here.

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Illinois taxpayers each owe $38,800 for state’s unpaid bills

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Economy, Illinois Policy Institute, Overhead, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Unions on October 3, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Illinois taxpayers in 2024 owed an average of $38,800 each, ranking No. 3 in the U.S. Illinois earned an “F” for fiscal management.

By Patrick Andriesen | Illinois Policy Institute

Illinois amassed the third-highest debt for each of its taxpayers at $38,800, earning an “F” grade for fiscal management, according to experts from Truth in Accounting.

But it could be worse by now. The report compared other states’ data for 2024, but was forced to use Illinois’ 2023 data because Illinois has yet to account for its spending a year and three months after fiscal year 2024 ended.

The 2024 State of the States report found Illinois had $51.5 billion to cover $224.3 billion worth of bills. The outcome was a $172.8 billion budget shortfall, which would cost each taxpayer $38,800 to pay down.

The accountants found of the $224.3 billion in bills Illinois needed to pay down, over $148.6 billion of the cost stemmed from unfunded pension benefits for government employees. The next largest line item was bonds.

Illinois ranks among the 16 U.S. states deemed “excessively tardy” for not publishing their annual financial reports within 250 days of the end of fiscal year 2024.

Illinois’ financial report for fiscal year 2023 took 774 days to publish, setting a national record for tardiness. There is currently no estimate on when the 2024 report will be published.

Read more here.

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Pritzker, who now says Trump has dementia, played major role covering up Biden’s infirmity

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Ethics, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, The Chicago Way, Wirepoints on October 2, 2025| Leave a Comment »

And Pritzker’s diagnosis came just as we learned that Biden needed a palm card with pictures to recognize Pritzker and other key Democrats.

By Mark Glennon | Wirepoints

The irony couldn’t be richer.

Just a day after we learned that President Joe Biden needed palm cards with pictures to recognize Pritzker and other key Democrats, Pritzker said Tuesday that it’s Trump who has dementia and should be removed from office.

But the hypocrisy is still richer still because Pritzker played a big role in the scandalous coverup of Biden’s mental decline.

Pritzker, while serving as a proxy for Biden, frequently and firmly attested to Biden’s mental health. Pritzker became vicious about it, attempting to smear a respected special prosecutor for concluding the Biden was too impaired to stand trial.

It’s all in a column I wrote last year describing how Pritzker helped cover up Biden’s decline. That column is reproduced in full below.

Read more here.

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New iPhone launching soon, but Illinoisans will pay nation’s highest taxes to use it

Posted in BOHICA, Commodius Maximus, Illinois Policy Institute, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes on September 9, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Apple’s new iPhone launch on Sept. 9 may be a celebration for tech consumers, but it also makes the Illinois taxman smile. Illinois already had the nation’s highest tax rate on cell phone plans before it bumped up even more July 1.

By Dylan Sharkey | Illinois Policy Institute

With the new iPhone launch Sept. 9, Illinoisans’ excitement may quickly fade as they realize they are charged the highest state and local taxes on cell phone bills in the nation.

Illinoisans already paid the nation’s highest wireless taxes, but then the taxes were pushed even higher July 1 by state leaders. Illinois increased its share of wireless taxes from 7% to 8.65% to support a 9-8-8 suicide and crisis hotline.

Families in Illinois pay an effective 37.7% tax rate on their cell phone bills. No other state is even above 35%. That includes 24.9% in state and local taxes and 12.8% in federal taxes. For a family of four sharing a $100 plan, taxes add nearly $38 a month. That’s $456 a year, compared to the U.S. average of $320.

Chicagoans pay even more. Illinois allows local per-line taxes of $5 per phone in the city, meaning a family with four lines pays an additional $20 each month.

More here.

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Ahead of Monday Night Football: When are Bears moving to Arlington Heights?

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Cook, County, Deception, Entertainment, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Unions on September 7, 2025| Leave a Comment »

As the Chicago Bears get ready for Monday Night Football, fans have heard talk about Arlington Heights since 2021. Here are the three biggest questions surrounding the move.

By Dylan Sharkey | Illinois Policy Institute

As the Chicago Bears gear up for Monday Night Football Sept. 8, fans wonder: when will the team leave Soldier Field and move to Arlington Heights?

Here are three big questions at play.

Are they moving to Arlington Heights?

Bears President and CEO Kevin Warren said Arlington Heights is the team’s sole focus. He told reporters Arlington Heights is “the only location in Cook County” able to support a fixed-roof stadium. But the team will only move forward if state lawmakers allow the team and surrounding businesses to freeze their property taxes.

Warren has said if the state passes a “mega project bill,” the new stadium would create 56,000 construction jobs and 9,100 permanent jobs. Gov. J.B. Pritzker has ruled out the state cutting a check to help pay for the new stadium, but he’s considering the property tax freeze.

When would they move?

If the Illinois General Assembly passes a bill, construction could start this year but likely wouldn’t end until 2028 at the earliest. Warren previously worked for the Minnesota Vikings when their stadium construction took 30 months.

State lawmakers return to Springfield in October, but only for six total days of legislative session. That leaves little time for the Bears to get enough consensus from lawmakers to pass their bill. It might also be tough to get state lawmakers representing Chicago on board with a bill, assuming they want the team to stay in the city.

More here.

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Illinois Gov. Pritzker floats conspiracy theory that Trump has ‘other aims’ for deploying National Guard to blue cities: ‘He would like to stop the elections’

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Elections, New York Post, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order on September 1, 2025| Leave a Comment »

Pritzker threatened to sue the Trump administration if National Guard troops are deployed to Chicago. | Youtube/Face the Nation

By Victor Nava | New York Post

Democratic Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker raised a wild conspiracy theory Sunday for why President Trump is considering deploying National Guard troops to Chicago and other blue cities plagued by crime.

“He has other aims, other than fighting crime,” Pritzker confidently stated, during an interview on CBS’s “Face the Nation.”

“The other aims are that he’d like to stop the elections 2026 or, frankly, take control of those elections,” the governor continued.

“He’ll just claim that there’s some problem with an election, and then he’s got troops on the ground that can take control.”

The White House dismissed Pritzker’s allegation.

“It’s amazing the lengths this slob will go to in order to deflect from the terrible crime crisis that has been plaguing Chicago for years,” White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson told The Post.

Jackson noted that the city has racked up more murders than any other US city for 13 straight years and that more illegal firearms are recovered in Chicago than in New York City and LA combined.

Read more here.

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WATCH: ‘Partisans’ who want to should ‘GET UP and MOVE’ from Illinois, Pritzker says

Posted in Commodius Maximus, Elections, Fat Bastard, Fat Man Walking, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, The Center Square on August 31, 2025| 1 Comment »


Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker in Southern Illinois on Aug. 28, 2025 | Illinois.gov

By Greg Bishop | The Center Square

If you’re not willing to stick around and help make the state better, Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker says you can “get up and move.”

Pritzker made the comments Thursday afternoon in Southern Illinois when asked about the movement to split the state into two.

“Look, if you want to leave the state, I would like you to stay, I’d like you to get involved and make it a better place by working together with us,” Pritzker said. “But if you want to leave, then get up and move.”

G.H. Merritt, the chairman of New Illinois, a movement to split the state in two, said 70 of the 102 counties in Illinois have a state split movement growing.

“One would think that if you’re at the helm of a state and this is going on, you would at least be a little curious about why are these people thinking this,” Merritt told The Center Square. “Why are these people wanting to do this? He has no curiosity about that.”

Pritzker said splitting the state was a partisan idea and won’t ever happen.

“That’s not how it works. You know, if they really want to get involved, they should show up, vote, make sure that their voices are heard,” Pritzker said.

Read more here and watch the YouTube video here.

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