Not Enough Cash Back To Buy Pritzker's Election-Year Budget Gimmick

CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker's "historic" election year budget puts cash directly in the hands of potential voters, the Chicago Way.

This is Pritzker's final budget passed by the Democratic Party's legislative supermajority that was assembled by now-indicted former House Speaker Michael Madigan.

It's the end of a four-year-long con on Illinoisans.

In 2019, for the price of $10 million in campaign donations, Pritzker relied on Madigan's political influence to double the gas tax, cash in on legalizing weed and sports betting, and put a casino in Chicago.

For months, even as gas prices soared, Pritzker flew around Illinois in private jets to announce infrastructure projects paid for by the gas tax in campaign stops disguised as official business that show up in political ads.

This week, Pritzker signed a budget handed to him by the Madigan supermajority in Springfield that sends most Illinoisans what amounts to an envelope of cash months away from a re-election bid that he's desperate not to lose.

MORE ON PATCH: Pritzker Signs Illinois Budget With $1.8B In Election Year Tax Breaks

None of the partial refund of Pritzker's previous tax hikes would be possible, of course, without federal coronavirus relief funding that bolstered the state's bank account. That's a detail Pritzker leaves out of his description of Illinois' temporarily improved financial picture.

It is my belief that Illinoisans of all political persuasions aren't suckers.

Even folks who accept our billionaire governor's soulless talking points as gospel know what's going on here.

Every four years, the Democratic Party suddenly decides to care about Illinois' working-class poor, neglected minority neighborhoods and forgotten farm towns.

After the votes are counted on election day, the political survivors hike taxes and hope we forget four years later when they concoct a budget that puts cash in the hands of voters — if they have the votes to pull it off. This year, thanks to Madigan's supermajority, the cycle continues.

Don't get me wrong. I'll take 50 bucks of my tax dollars back, save 50 cents on a tank of gas and accept a rebate on my property taxes.

But don't expect me to vote for a governor foolish enough to think all that's a good idea in a state with such an uncertain financial future.

Pritzker's plan to dole out $50 checks to people who pay income taxes isn't just an election-year gimmick. It's a terrible one.

Extremely poor people — folks who could use a fresh 50-dollar bill in their pocket — aren't required to file income taxes. A lot of them don't. Pritzker's $50 giveaway doesn't help them.

But maybe that's OK from Pritzker's perspective. After all, poor people don't vote as often as rich folks do. And fooling voters seems to be what the $1.8 billion in one-time tax relief is about.

It's laughable that Pritzker wants Illinoisans to be grateful that, for one year, we won't be among 13 states — most of them controlled by Republicans — callous enough to tax groceries.

The fiscal reality is that Illinois taxes the heck out of its residents. Living in the Land of Lincoln comes with one of the heaviest tax burdens in America. We have the second-highest gasoline tax. And Illinois is the least fiscally stable state in the country, according to U.S. News & World Report.

Rather than deal with our state's systemic financial troubles and reduce spending, Pritzker continues to spread around taxpayer money like, well, the trust-fund billionaire with offshore bank accounts to dodge paying taxes that he is.

While regular folks tighten their belts during tough economic times, Pritzker's state budgets increased from $40.6 billion in 2020 to $46 billion for 2023 — complete with a $1.8 billion cash giveaway.

That's $5.4 billion more than Pritzker's first year in office — a more than 13 percent taxpayer-funded spending increase.

And the governor has the guts to say Illinois is in such a strong financial position that "we are able to provide $1.8 billion in tax relief for our residents."

Why shouldn't you buy Pritzker's election-year gimmick?

Because after raking Illinoisans for billions in extra taxes over four years, there's just not enough cash in the envelope.

Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for local reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning series "Time: The Kalief Browder Story." He was a producer, writer and narrator for the "Chicagoland" docuseries on CNN and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary "16 Shots.

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