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Archive for the ‘Pritzker’s Rules of Order’ Category

Some blame taxes as Illinois grows on paper but loses residents

Posted in Cost of Living, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Fat Bastard, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, The Center Square, The Chicago Way, Unions on March 31, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

Illinois’ population has continued to narrowly grow this year, despite a significant number of cities in the state losing residents to other states.

Some say the trend of increasing tax rates is to blame.

The majority of metropolitan areas in the state have lost residents again in 2025, with Census Bureau data estimates showing only two major areas with any real domestic growth, Rockford and the Illinois portion of the St. Louis metro.

Bryce Hill, director of fiscal and economic analysis for the Illinois Policy Institute, said taxes are driving Illinoisans beyond state boundaries.

“Illinois already imposes one of the highest tax burdens in the country, with the nation’s highest property taxes, among the highest sales taxes, and a 32% income tax increase in 2017,” Hill said. “If state leaders are serious about reversing domestic outmigration, they must focus on tax relief and reducing regulatory barriers to make Illinois more competitive and affordable.”

Rockford is the only main metro in the state that saw true population growth, according to the data. The gain came from all areas, domestic and international migration, and a natural population increase.

The Chicago metro, including surrounding counties, saw a domestic migration loss of almost 34,000, with the area only growing by 4,200 people when accounting for international migration.

Darren Bailey, the Republican nominee for Illinois Governor, also pointed to state taxes as a big reason people are leaving Illinois.

“It’s pretty simple. It’s affordability. People can’t afford to live here. I mean that is the number one far and away issue. I have been in Chicago for the last two weeks,” Bailey said. “Property taxes are too high – especially for our friends here in Chicago, they have escalated in the last three years much faster than ours have in the rest of the state.”

Article continues here.

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Cook County property taxes doubled the rate of inflation in past 30 years, Treasurer Maria Pappas study finds

Posted in 220, 300, BOHICA, Chicago Tribune, Cook, Cost of Living, County, Look For The Union Label, Overhead, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, School Districts, Taxes, Unions on March 30, 2026| Leave a Comment »

By Rick Pearson | Chicago Tribune

Property taxes imposed by government bodies within Cook County’s borders have grown at twice the rate of inflation over the past three decades, outpacing wage growth and driving an affordability crisis, a study by Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas’ office has found.

Pappas’ report, released Monday morning, condemns political leaders — many of them Democrats like herself — for exploiting loopholes in a state law designed to limit real estate tax increases. It calls on Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker and the Democratic-led General Assembly to enact significant reforms and find ways for local taxing agencies to cut spending.

“Illinois in 2025 had the dubious distinction of having the highest residential property tax rate in the nation. Chicago has the highest commercial rate in the U.S.,” Pappas said in a statement accompanying the study. “It’s time for the governor, state lawmakers and local government leaders to come up with a reform plan that works for taxpayers.”

Pappas’ report, titled “How State Laws Failed to Stop Decades of Skyrocketing Property Taxes: A Case for Reform,” arrives as the Illinois Department of Revenue is completing its own study of the state’s property tax system, due at the end of July. But Pappas said in her report that it was time for politicians to act “rather than produce another report that gets put on a shelf to gather cobwebs.”

Her study also comes in an election year when high property taxes are sure to be a major campaign issue in Pritzker’s race for a third term versus Republican Darren Bailey, as well as other statewide and scores of state legislative races. But large-scale remedies, such as finding alternative sources of revenue like a general tax increase to offset property tax cuts, are less likely when lawmakers and Pritzker are seeking reelection — though political pressures are lessened after the November general election in a lame-duck session.

Pappas’ study found that taxing bodies within Cook County levied $19.2 billion in property taxes in 2024, up nearly 182% from the $6.8 billion in real estate taxes imposed in 1995. During that time, inflation rose by 91% and average wages increased by 161%, the report said.

“The annual increases in taxes are relentless, taking more and more money out of people’s pockets,” said Pappas, who has been treasurer since 1998 and who is seeking reelection in November while declaring her interest in a Chicago mayoral bid in 2027. “I see it every day in my office, with people wondering how they are going to pay their tax bills or even whether they can stay in their homes.”

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THE MURDER OF SHERIDAN GORMAN AND THE STIFLING OF CHICAGO

Posted in Crime, John Kass, OP/Ed, Pritzker’s Rules of Order on March 29, 2026| 4 Comments »

By John Kass | johnkassnews.com

The worst sound in the world comes from the throat of a father or mother of a child killed by an illegal protected by powerful politicians as the news media begins to edge away from them, ignoring their child and their pain.

It is the sound of anguish. You can hear it in Chicago.

I’ve been hearing it far too much lately, that desperate sound in the throat of a grieving parent. Their sorrow overwhelms them. The fact that their sorrow is ignored by journalism as journalism serves political lords overwhelms them. Their throats begin to clench and what remains is a climbing ladder of anguish and a high-pitch screeching for desperate breath.

You may think of the many angel moms and dads out in America mourning those kids, from Kate Steinle, shot in the back in 2015 while holding her father’s hand as they walked on a pier in San Francisco. “Dad, help me,” she said as she collapsed, “Help me.”

Laken Riley was a Georgia nursing student who also was senselessly killed in February 2024. And Katie Abraham from Illinois, slaughtered and forgotten as she sat quietly in a car waiting at a red light in Urbana with friends, as a car driven by a drunken illegal hurtled down upon them at 75 miles per hour. And so many, many others killed by migrants here illegally in the United States, all of the illegal migrants ushered into the United States by Democrats and former President Joseph Biden.

Billons of  dollars were spent on the illegal migrants by American taxpayers whose children were killed by those tax subsidized illegals, some by gunfire, some by a crushing blow with a rock, some by the impact of a vehicle driven by the illegal while drunk. In each case there was silence from Democrats, and silence from the news media lest mention of the dead anger the partisan leftist subscribers.

In the midst of that crushing silence, anguished parents want their murdered children to have mattered, but the media and leftist political indifference angers them and their throats begin to close up as they raise their voices. Their screeching digs deeply into anyone who hears them and are possessed of human souls.

And now Sheridan Gorman, the 18-year-old freshman at Loyola University who was recently out with friends at the lake shore hoping to catch a glimpse of the Northern Lights when illegal Jose Medina-Medina—who had already been arrested for another crime–fired shots at them with a gun.

Gorman was hit in the back as she tried to run away. She died. Chicago Police detectives used facial recognition technology to track her killer down.

(Posted on X)

Illinois Governor JB Pritzker (D) placed the blame for the murder of Sheridan Gorman not on the Biden Democrats protecting illegal migrants–or lavishing billions upon them as they wreak havoc in the cities–but on President Trump.

The governor said part of the blame for the murder belongs to the Trump administration because they have not stuck to their “edict” of targeting the “worst of the worst” when it comes to illegal migrants.

“This has been a terrible tragedy, and I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily,” he said. “I agree, there have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois. It’s their national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst.”

That’s about the most disgraceful thing I’ve heard come out of J.B.’s mouth.

A terrible tragedy like JB Pritzker playing Illinois for fools and getting elected? I kept waiting for editorials condemning Pritzker, but I didn’t see them. That tells you what you need to know about Chicago media. It’s dead. A feast for crows.

Kass’ commentary continues here.

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Olympics Bans Transgender Athletes From Competing In Women’s Events

Posted in Daily Caller, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Girlie man, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order on March 27, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Photo by Piero CRUCIATTI / AFP via Getty Images

By Alexis Lapp | Daily Caller

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) barred transgender athletes from competing in women’s events Thursday and mandated genetic testing to ensure the safety and fairness of women’s categories.

The committee will screen for the SRY gene to determine eligibility in the female category, according to an IOC press release. Athletes who test positive for the gene will still be allowed to compete in the male category. The screening is a one time test.

IOC President Kristy Coventry issued a statement in the press release.

“As a former athlete, I passionately believe in the rights of all Olympians to take part in fair competition,” she said. “The policy that we have announced is based on science and has been led by medical experts. At the Olympic Games, even the smallest margins can be the difference between victory and defeat. So, it is absolutely clear that it would not be fair for biological males to compete in the female category. In addition, in some sports it would simply not be safe.”

“Every athlete must be treated with dignity and respect, and athletes will need to be screened only once in their lifetime,” she said. “There must be clear education around the process and counseling available, alongside expert medical advice.”

The Independent Council On Women’s Sports (ICONS) has advocated to ban biological men from women’s sports.

ICONS and Reduxx broke the story on the 2024 Paris Olympic boxing scandal, revealing that two biological males competed in the women’s category, OutKick reported.

Penn University’s transgender swimmer Lia Thomas prepares to swim the 500 yard freestyle race. (Photo by JOSEPH PREZIOSO/AFP via Getty Images)

Article continues here.

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Illinois school cell phone ban progresses as many districts already enforce policies

Posted in 220, 300, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, School Districts, Springfield, The Center Square on March 26, 2026| 1 Comment »

 

A person writes mathematical equations on a whiteboard in a classroom or research setting. Photo: ThisIsEngineering / Pexels.

By Sean Reed | The Center Square

A bill banning students from using cell phones during the school day was unanimously recommended to be adopted by an Illinois House committee Wednesday. The bill, which was introduced in the state Senate during the last legislative session, has bipartisan support and has been a focus of Gov. J.B. Pritzker in recent months.

Senate Bill 2427 and its associated amendments were heard by the House Education Policy Committee early Wednesday.

The bill, which was also passed unanimously by the Senate last April, would require school boards across the state implement a policy prohibiting the use of cell phones and other personal communication devices from the beginning to the end of each school day, with some exceptions.

Rep. Laura Faver Dias, D-Grayslake, questioned Lindsey Volz, a legislative advisor with the Governor’s Office, on how the bill would address students’ access to phones in the event of an emergency at school.

“Schools are able to allow exceptions if they choose to in the case of an emergency, and it’s up to the school districts on how the phone is stored as well. So, it might be as simple as reaching into their backpack or going to their locker,” Vols said.

How to securely store devices is left to the discretion of school boards, with public input on the new policies being required, according to the bill’s text.

Article continues here.

Editorial note: CUSD 220 refers to cell phones as a “non-academic device” for the benefit of readers wishing to view policies.

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JB Pritzker Blames Trump For Student Allegedly Murdered By Illegal Alien — But Suspect Released Under Biden

Posted in Chicago Tribune, Crime, Daily Caller, Deception, Ethics, OP/Ed, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, RealClear Politics, The Chicago Way on March 25, 2026| 1 Comment »

By Jason Cohen | Daily Caller

Democratic Illinois Governor JB Pritzker on Tuesday blamed President Donald Trump for the murder of female college freshman Sheridan Gorman, allegedly at the hands of a criminal illegal alien.

Jose Medina-Medina, a Venezuelan national released twice under former President Joe Biden in 2023, allegedly shot and killed Gorman on Thursday near the Loyola University campus as she tried to flee, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Despite the suspect’s history, Pritzker placed the blame on “national failures” and the Trump administration when speaking to reporters.

“This has been a terrible tragedy. And I know that the Gorman family has suffered mightily … there have been real failures. Those failures, of course, extend beyond the borders of Illinois,” Pritzker said. “They’re national failures, a failure to have comprehensive immigration reform, a failure of the president to follow his own edict to go after the worst of the worst.”

“And in my view, we have a lot of work that we need to continue to do,” Pritzker also said, according to the Chicago Tribune. “But it is the job of the federal government to go after immigration enforcement, and it is the job of our local and state law enforcement to prosecute or catch violent criminals and prosecute them, and we should continue to do that both on the state level and the national level.”

Pritzker attempted repeatedly to portray Chicago as safe just months before the killing, despite the city suffering from a lengthy violent crime crisis. The governor has in recent months feuded with Trump over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and backed a January lawsuit brought by his state against Trump’s DHS.

Article continues here.

Related: “Sheridan Gorman’s Murder—and Chicago’s Silence,” “Gov. JB Pritzker acknowledges ‘real failures’ in immigration system after Loyola student’s killing”

 

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JB Pritzker’s Political Brand Is at Stake—in a Race He’s Not Even Running In – Wall Street Journal

Posted in Clown Car, ComEd Four, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Deception, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Elections, Fat Bastard, Illinois State Board of Elections, Immigration, Look For The Union Label, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, Wall Street Journal on March 14, 2026| Leave a Comment »

Illinois’s governor has given at least $5 million to a group backing his lieutenant governor and upsetting the Congressional Black Caucus. | Eileen T. Meslar / Chicago Tribune/Zuma Press

By John McCormick | Wall Street Journal

CHICAGO—Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker’s deep financial involvement in his state’s U.S. Senate primary on Tuesday has angered potential allies for his possible 2028 presidential bid.

The billionaire is helping finance a multimillion-dollar barrage of ads to boost Juliana Stratton, his lieutenant governor, in a race that is also testing Pritzker’s political clout in a state where he has leveraged his wealth to dominate the Democratic Party.

The contest has turned sharply negative in its closing weeks, while revealing divisions within the party over how progressive the Democratic brand should be. It has also become a debate about the influence of outside money.

Pritzker’s involvement has especially angered the Congressional Black Caucus, an influential party group backing one of its own, Rep. Robin Kelly (D., Ill.). Both Stratton and Kelly are Black.

“His behavior in this race won’t soon be forgotten by any of us,” Rep. Yvette Clarke (D., N.Y.), the CBC’s leader, said in a statement also critical of the governor for trying to “tip the scales” in a primary.

Black voter support is critical in Democratic presidential primaries. Clarke declined an interview, while Pritzker recently told reporters he has a proven record of supporting nonwhite candidates.

“I would like a Black woman to represent us in the United States Senate. I just want the best person. She happens to be a Black woman,” he said. “I stand with communities of color across the state and with candidates who are running for public office.”

Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton, taking a selfie, has stressed her progressive leanings. | Kamil Krzaczynski/AFP/Getty Images

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An easy way to get more education money for Illinois

Posted in Barrington Education Association, Commodius Maximus, Cost of Living, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI), Education, Illinois Federation of Teachers, Illinois Policy Institute, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, School Districts, Simple Minds, Springfield, Taxes, Unions, What the Ficke (Bradford)? on March 10, 2026| 3 Comments »

Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants more federal funding. A new program would provide donor money— but he must opt in.

By Mailee Smith | Illinois Policy Institute

Gov. J.B. Pritzker wants a bipartisan effort from Illinois lawmakers to demand more education money from the federal government.

Yet Pritzker himself hasn’t taken a simple step to get more funding for Illinois students.

If he wants to keep money in Illinois and away from the Trump administration, the answer is easy: Opt into the Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program, which provides a tax credit to donors who give money that can go to public, private or homeschool students.

If the governor doesn’t opt in, that money will flow out of the state — exactly where he doesn’t want it to go.

Pritzker demands more money from the federal government

Pritzker didn’t mince words in his annual budget address last month. He blames the Trump administration for stripping Illinoisans of billions of dollars — and he wants it back.

“I want to say to anyone on either side of the aisle: If you want to talk about our (fiscal) 2027 budget, you must first demand the return of the money and resources this president has taken from the people of Illinois,” he said.

Two days later, the governor sent a letter to President Donald Trump demanding a refund of $1,700 for every Illinois family. The letter followed the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision striking down the presidents’ tariffs. Pritzker says the tariffs have cost Illinoisans over $8.6 billion.

But Pritzker has the means to keep at least some Illinois tax money from flowing to Washington. The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program would do exactly what he wants: keep money in the state while costing nothing.

To do that, he must opt into the program.

Pritzker could get more money for kids

The Federal Scholarship Tax Credit Program provides a dollar-for-dollar annual tax credit up to $1,700 for donors to scholarship-granting organizations. Those organizations then provide money to eligible public, private or homeschool children for tutoring, fees for dual enrollment, educational therapies for students with disabilities and other academic needs.

It’s a win-win-win: Students get much-needed education funding, donors get tax credits, and no money is diverted from public schools.

Pritzker must opt the state into the program for students to get the money. Donors will get the tax credit even if he doesn’t.

If Pritzker doesn’t act, that money will go out of Illinois — either to students in other states as education donations or to the federal government in the form of taxes.

To date, at least 28 states have indicated they will opt into the program.

Article continues here.

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McLaughlin’s press conference video recording regarding Pritzker’s proposed municipal zoning powers grab posted

Posted in BACOG, Commodius Maximus, Elections, FUBAR, Intergovernmental agreements (IGA), Land Use, Lennie, Plan Commission, Politics, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Privacy, Public Safety, Real Estate, South Barrington, Springfield, Taxes, Topics Of Interest, Transparency, Village Code, Zoning Board on February 27, 2026| 1 Comment »

Screenshot via Facebook

“Rep. McLaughlin Hosts Press Conference with Northwest Suburban Mayors – February 26, 2026

Thank you to Mayors, Paula McCombie, Debby Sosine, Eleanor Sweet McDonnell, Dominick DiMaggio, Brian Cecola, and Richard Hayes”

The roughly sixteen minute recording can be found here.

Related: “‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential zoning”

 

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‘It’s just a bad idea’: Suburban officials oppose Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control over residential zoning

Posted in BACOG, Commodius Maximus, Daily Herald, Dinky, Land Use, Lennie, Plan Commission, Politics, Press Release, Pritzker’s Rules of Order, Property Taxes, Real Estate, South Barrington, Springfield, Zoning Board on February 26, 2026| 1 Comment »

Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin of Barrington Hills spoke out against Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to reduce local control of residential zoning rules Thursday during a news conference in South Barrington. Flanking him are Algonquin Village President Debby Sosine, left, and South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie. | Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

By Russell Lissau | Daily herald

Saying it will increase public safety and infrastructure costs and change the aesthetics of their communities, leaders of several Northwest suburbs gathered Thursday to oppose Gov. JB Pritzker’s plan to reduce local officials’ ability to control residential construction.

The proposed changes, which Pritzker unveiled during his recent State of the State address, address minimum lot sizes, residential density rules, parking requirements, inspections and other aspects of residential construction. They could increase development of apartments, condominiums, two-flats and other types of multifamily housing.

They also could allow homeowners to build additional, free-standing residential buildings on lots designed for single-family homes. Pritzker dubbed the plan Building Up Illinois Developments, or BUILD.

During a news conference Thursday, South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie urged legislators to reject Gov. JB Pritzker’s proposed zoning reforms. Republican state Rep. Martin McLaughlin listens. | Brian Hill/bhill@dailyherald.com

In a news conference at her community’s village hall, South Barrington Mayor Paula McCombie urged state legislators to reject the package of bills that comprise Pritzker’s plan, some of which already have been introduced. Zoning regulations exist to support property owners, McCombie said, and these proposed changes would “strip away that local control.”

The minimum residential lot in nearby Barrington Hills — an upscale community where many residents keep horses on their properties — is five acres, and the land is full of riding trails. Forcing the village board to allow smaller lots or multifamily housing “will destroy our town,” Village President Brian Cecola said (Wow! He actually showed up!).

Article continues here.

Related: “McLaughlin and Local Mayors to Discuss Pritzker’s Zoning Proposals Coming to Local Government Thursday”

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