By Scott Stantis | PUBLISHED: May 8, 2026, The Baltimore Sun
Archive for the ‘Pritzker’s Rules of Order’ Category
Midterm message
Posted in Elections, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Scott Stantis on May 11, 2026| Leave a Comment »
A review of Pritzker scandals
Posted in Commodius Maximus, Deception, Elections, Ethics, Illinois Policy Institute, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Taxes on May 4, 2026| Leave a Comment »
With Gov. J.B. Pritzker stepping further onto the national stage and priming for politics outside of Illinois, let’s not forget his scandalous past.
By Lilly Rossi | Illinois Policy Institute
J.B. Pritzker’s bid for a third term as governor doesn’t seem to be the only race he has his eye on.
Pritzker, who’s up for re-election Nov. 3, is on tour building a national profile and says a bid for the White House hasn’t been “ruled out.”
While he mulls that, don’t forget the trail of scandals Pritzker has left across Illinois:
- Hiding millions of dollars in trusts in the Bahamas.
- Cited on federal wiretaps with a politician convicted of corruption.
- Removed toilets in his mansion for a $331,000 tax break. (He ended up paying the money.)
- Scrubbed internet of photo with someone accused of murder.
- Blurred the lines when giving out political contracts.
- Hypocrisy during the COVID no-travel order.
- Skirted rules to appoint brother-in-law to a political position.
Pritzker also has prioritized traveling to build his personal brand over concerning himself with his constituents in Illinois.
Here are details:
Hiding millions of dollars in trusts in the Bahamas.
While Pritzker has consistently pledged to raise taxes on the rich in Illinois, he has exempted himself.
When he was challenging incumbent Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner for governor in 2018, the Chicago Tribune connected Pritzker to trusts in the Bahamas that were avoiding taxes. Reporting then indicated Pritzker may have avoided millions of dollars in taxes from 2008 to 2018.
At the same time, Pritzker has levied at least 57 tax and fee hikes on Illinoisans since taking office, punishing Illinois with the highest tax burden in the nation.
Article continues here.
Daily Herald opinion: ‘The real question’: It’s time for leadership, not politics, on Bears stadium development
Posted in Daily Herald, Elections, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield, Taxes, Unions on May 2, 2026| Leave a Comment »
(Joe Lewnard/Daily Herald)
By Daily Herald Editorial Board
There was a lot of hand wringing and brow mopping last week over whether or how the state Senate should sign on to somewhat problematic legislation the House has approved to try to keep the Chicago Bears in Illinois.
Gov. JB Pritzker offered the politically non-committal “(The goal) is what’s good for the taxpayers. Second is, we want the Bears to stay in Illinois.”
Des Plaines Democratic Sen. Laura Murphy, the assistant majority party leader, added, “There’s lots of work to be done. We’re going to take our time and analyze everything that’s in the bill. We have one chance to get this right.”
And there was more in that vein, from both chambers and both parties, all of it fine insofar as things go. But it was a House Republican whose remarks provided the most acute assessment of the situation facing the Senate — and for that matter, the whole state.
In an interview with our Marni Pyke, Barrington Hills state Rep. Martin McLaughlin observed, “Without politicians fumbling this deal locally, then in the city of Chicago, and now in Springfield for the past three years, the Chicago Bears stadium project would be roughly 80% complete by now at one-third of the price today. We would be looking at a stadium opening probably next fall. The broader $8 billion regional development would be at least halfway complete.”
The details of McLaughlin’s optimistic predictions may be argued, but his fundamental premise cannot. Lawmakers have dithered on this deal for far too long out of an inability to find a political position that accommodates both criticism of providing development assistance to a multi-billion-dollar business and enabling a transformative project that can reap millions of dollars for the state and the Chicago region.
Editorial continues here.
U.S. Supreme Court decision puts brakes on Illinois redistricting amendment
Posted in Commodius Maximus, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield on May 1, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Louisiana v. Callais prohibits using race to draw districts. That would make the proposed amendment unconstitutional.
By Joe Tabor | Illinois Policy Institute
A fresh U.S. Supreme Court decision poses a setback to Illinois’ proposed redistricting amendment and highlights the need for real redistricting reform in the state.
The Illinois House passed House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 28 and sent it the state Senate just the day before the high court decision. The amendment would do little to combat Illinois’ problematic history of gerrymandering to avoid competition and gain unfair partisan advantage.
It would, however, among other things, require the creation of racial influence districts and racial coalition districts, where practical, in any state or congressional redistricting plan.
But in its 6-3 decision April 29 in Louisiana v. Callais, the Supreme Court ruled that under the 14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause, complying with Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act is not a compelling reason to draw congressional districts based predominantly on race.
By contrast, the decision explicitly recognized that gaining partisan advantage and protecting incumbents from competition were “legitimate goals” for redistricting.
The ruling leaves Illinois partisan gerrymandering practices untouched, but it means the racial district requirement of HJRCA 28 would violate the 14th Amendment. The Illinois Senate has paused any movement on the amendment to assess the decision for what steps to take next, if any.
Article continues here.
5 things to know about Illinois’ new school rating system
Posted in Agendas, Barrington Education Association, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Elections, Ethics, FUBAR, His Master's Voice, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, SNAFU, Springfield, Taxes, Transparency, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on April 30, 2026| 2 Comments »
Labels on the familiar state report card are poised to change.
By Hannah Schmid | Illinois Policy Institute
Illinois plans to revamp how it rates public schools, meaning familiar labels on the state report card will change.
The Illinois State Board of Education in April approved a new school accountability system beginning in fall 2026.
The board says the overhaul will make school ratings clearer and fairer. The changes also remove some key measures and reshape how performance is judged.
Yet at a time when nearly half of Illinois students can’t read at grade level and even fewer are proficient in math, the board’s overhaul will change how schools are labeled but not how they perform.
Here are five things you should know about the changes while the plan awaits federal approval.
1._Schools will no longer be graded on a curve.
Illinois’ rating system ranks schools against each other. Only the top 10% can be in the top category and only the bottom 5% are ranked in the lowest.
The rankings are based on a school’s performance against other schools rather than strictly on how well its students meet specific criteria.
The new system will grade schools based on fixed standards. The goal is to eliminate moving goalposts, where a school’s rating could change based on comparison to other schools even if its performance doesn’t change. That could make ratings more consistent over time.
Article continues here.
Top Illinois Democrats call U.S. Supreme Court ruling on voting rights a ‘crushing blow to our democracy’
Posted in Chicago Sun*Times, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Immigration, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield on April 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Gov. JB Pritzker is speaking out about the U.S. Supreme Court striking down a voting map in Louisiana, which opens the door for other states to redistrict their maps. | Anthony Vazquez/Sun-Times
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon said on Wednesday that a proposed state constitutional amendment on redistricting will not advance this legislative session so that legal experts can review the ruling and evaluate the best response for Illinois.
By Tina Sfondeles | Chicago Sun*Times
Former President Barack Obama and key Illinois Democrats, including Gov. JB Pritzker and Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth, are condemning Wednesday’s U.S. Supreme Court decision to dilute a Voting Rights Act provision, which is likely to lead to redistricting across the country and could help Republicans continue to control the House.
The Supreme Court struck down a majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana, diluting a Civil Rights-era law aimed at increasing minority representation in Congress and elsewhere. In the 6-3 ruling, the court’s majority found the Louisiana district represented by Democrat Cleo Fields relied too heavily on race. Justice Samuel Alito called the map “an unconstitutional gerrymander.”
The ruling is likely to impact elections in 2028, since many filing deadlines for this year’s elections have passed, including in Illinois. Louisiana may have to change its redistricting plan to comply with the ruling, however.
Illinois Senate President Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, said on Wednesday a proposed state constitutional amendment on redistricting will not advance this legislative session so that legal experts can review the ruling and evaluate the best response for Illinois.
Obama said the ruling “effectively guts a key pillar of the Voting Rights Act, freeing state legislatures to gerrymander legislative districts to systematically dilute and weaken the voting power of racial minorities — so long as they do it under the guise of ‘partisanship’ rather than explicit ‘racial bias.’”
The former president said in a statement that the conservative majority on the Supreme Court is “abandoning its vital role in ensuring equal participation in our democracy and protecting the rights of minority groups against majority overreach.”
Article continues here.
Pritzker’s 57 tax and fee hikes cost Illinoisans $77 billion
Posted in Barrington Education Association, Cost of Living, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Taxes, Unions on April 29, 2026| Leave a Comment »
The governor has presided over $77 billion in increases while Illinois’ economic growth lags.
By Ravi Mishra | Illinois Policy Institute
Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants more tax and fee hikes even after presiding over at least 57 of them since 2019 and with Illinois’ budget still in dysfunction.
New tax and fee burdens under Pritzker have cost taxpayers more than $77 billion. Last year alone, Illinoisans paid $16.5 billion more in state taxes than they would have if taxes stayed consistent with 2018 levels.
The median Illinois household now pays nearly $1,400 more per year in state taxes than it would have under prior levels.
Examples of recent tax policy moves in Illinois:
- The gas tax was doubled in 2019 from $0.19 to $0.38 per gallon and indexed to annual increases to inflation. It now stands at 48.3 cents per gallon.
- The net-operating-loss deduction was capped in 2021, effectively double-taxing Illinois companies.
- Late last year Pritzker signed a bill decoupling Illinois from federal business tax cuts.
Property taxes have risen 27% under Pritzker’s watch. While driven by local decisions, state policy, particularly around pension and school funding, has pressured local governments and contributed to those hikes.
Article continues here.
Pritzker pushes housing plan described as ‘all stick,’ no carrot
Posted in Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Fat Bastard, Immigration, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, The Center Square, Unions, Zoning Board on April 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Pritzker’s ideal community…
By Jim Talamonti | The Center Square
Gov. J.B. Pritzker is pushing to prevent local communities from restricting housing development, but local leaders say state preemption of local control may not address high housing costs.
The governor discussed his Building Up Illinois Developments plan during an AARP Illinois tele-town hall on Monday and said the high cost of housing burdens one in three older households.
Pritzker said said the state’s home listings have dropped 64%.
“Our failure to build is in part due to restrictive statutes and regulations in towns, cities and counties,” the governor said.
Several of Pritzker’s proposals would restrict local authority.
The Illinois Senate Executive Committee discussed House Bills 4060, 4061, 4062, 4063 and 4064 during a subject matter hearing that lasted more than five hours on Friday.
The five bills are all part of the governor’s BUILD initiative.
More here.
Related: “Pritzker’s affordable housing plan gets Senate hearing as municipalities remain opposed,” “Village of Barrington President shares perspectives on Pritzker’s BUILD plans,” “(Ignoring public opinion) Pritzker says of BUILD Plan for homes would not cost taxpayers,” “Gov. JB Pritzker’s ambitious housing plan for Illinois: More four-flats, looser rules,” “Pritzker to propose statewide zoning laws to spur homebuilding, limit local control,” “McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted,” “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential It’s just zoning”
Editorial: A self-inflicted energy crisis is brewing in northern Illinois thanks to Springfield. Fix it.
Posted in Chicago Tribune, Elections, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Springfield on April 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »
Scott Stantis editorial cartoon for Sun, Apr 26, 2026, on issues with Illinois’ clean-energy law. (Scott Stantis/For the Chicago Tribune)
By The Editorial Board | Chicago Tribune
Illinois’ clean energy law, meant to decarbonize the state’s power generation industry, has a loophole so large you could drive a flatbed truck through it.
We wrote a little over a week ago about how one power-plant owner has reacted to Illinois’ heavy-handed Climate & Equitable Jobs Act, or CEJA, by literally extracting six turbines from a large natural gas-fired plant in Will County and transporting them — by, yes, flatbed trucks — to Texas, where they will continue to run and support growing electricity demand in that state.
That facility, Elwood Energy, is the largest gas-fired “peaking” plant in northern Illinois (and perhaps the country). It was required under CEJA to be shuttered by 2030. Facing that deadline, the previous owner last year sold the facility in two pieces.
Six of the nine turbines at the site went to Bethesda, Maryland-based Hull Street Energy, which responded to the law’s strictures by making the audacious Texas move. Those six turbines together generate up to 900 megawatts when needed — about the same output produced by one of Constellation Energy Group’s northern Illinois nuclear reactors.
Myriad unintended consequences are flowing from the law’s foolish 2030 mandate to close a sizable number of the gas-fired plants that are critical to keeping Chicagoland’s lights on during summer heat waves and polar vortexes.
Today, we’re zeroing in on another pernicious CEJA effect, one that relates to the three remaining turbines at the Elwood site, along with other similarly critical facilities in our region.
Dairyland Power Cooperative, a power generator based in La Crosse, Wisconsin, has scooped up gas-fired plants throughout the area at what we are told are cut-rate prices. By virtue of these transactions, Dairyland will be able to operate these power stations until 2045, not 2030.
Editorial continues here.
A World Without Billionaires
Posted in John Kass, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Taxes, Unions on April 26, 2026| Leave a Comment »
By Steve Huntley | John Kass News
You’ll be reading this on a tablet, smart phone, laptop or desktop computer. Pause for a moment to consider the wonder and magic of these devices.
They and the software already embedded in them, or added to meet your needs, do so much: Written, voice and video communications, and those available on a global scale. Encyclopedia-like sources of information. Entertainment, music and movies. Instantaneous complex calculations. Electronic credit card payments. Help to do your taxes. GPS-based travel instructions. Photographic and video memories of your life. And many more functions that you could add.
And the devices are wealth creators, generating jobs to make, market and distribute these remarkable products and inspiring new jobs and commerce in new businesses made possible by the digital revolution.
Yes, there are downsides such as obsessive screen time, the poison of social media, especially for children, and fears about AI. But no one would give up these devices that have so transformed and enriched our lives.
And they have more directly enriched their inventors, making some people fabulously wealthy, the most successful of them billionaires.
Some of the names behind the digital revolution are familiar. Like the late Steve Jobs, the genius of Apple. Michael Dell of the eponymous Dell Technologies. Bill Gates of Microsoft. Elon Musk, a trailblazer in internet, electric car and space ventures. Jeff Bezos who made tens of millions of us turn from the shopping mall to e-commerce. Mark Zuckerberg, a pioneer in social media. There are many other names you can add to this list of those who have enriched our lives and thereby made themselves fabulously wealthy.
Not among the names of those responsible for our wondrous modern lifestyle: Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. New York Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren. New York Mayor Zohran Mamdani. Or any of the other advocates of special taxes on the “rich.”
They are not inventors like those who gave us the smart phone. They are not creators like those who saw these amazing devices and thought up Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter or other social media platforms. They are not far-sighted investors who saw new ways to make money in the digital world, such as through Amazon, PayPal, Ebay and the like.
No, Sanders, AOC, Mamdani, Warren and their like can only come up with ways to pick the pocket of those who have prospered from their creative imaginations. These politicians and activists have more in common with thieves, parasites and leeches than they do with the inventive, visionary and original minds behind the technologically advanced world we live in today.
The feeble imaginations of these rabble-rousing politicians can only feed on envy, can only come up with new tax schemes. And those machinations, for all the high-minded words pushing them, have but one aim: to expand the reach of government and make as many people as possible dependent on government. That of course increases the power of the politicians pushing the schemes. Sanders and Democrat Rep. Ro Khanna of California are proposing a new wealth tax on billionaires.
Unleash Prosperity, a free-market advocacy organization, counts eight states that “already have or are considering raising income or wealth taxes.”
Illinois Democrats are pushing a constitutional amendment for 3 percent tax on anyone making more than $1 million a year. That would hit far more than billionaires, ever increasing the tax burden of doing business in Illinois for enterprises large and small. The good news is that Democrat leaders in the Legislature don’t have the votes to get it on the ballot this year. The bad news is that they aren’t giving up and will try to get it on the ballot for the 2028 election.
Commentary continues here.
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