A week ago Sunday, over 1500 like-minded downstate Illinoisans filled to overflowing the Effingham Performance Center to hear the latest about how Chicago Leftists in the State Capitol are ramming through radical gun control and abortion policies, forcing public school children to study historic figures based on their sexual orientation, and taking money out of their wallets while stealing basic Constitutional rights.
The frustration and resentment of Chicago political powers forcing their Leftist worldview on voters that supported Donald Trump in 2016 was palpable among the 1500 gathered as speaker after speaker tackled the issues.
That was especially true when State Rep. Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) asked the crowd midway into the program, “Who wants to separate from Chicago and Cook County?” The crowd stood and cheered in response. […]
“Everything that matters to the people in my district is under attack,” Halbrook told Illinois Review this week. “The issue of life, the issue of marriage, the school curriculum. Everything these people hold near and dear to their hearts - our hearts - is under attack by far left legislators from the city.”
Three downstate freshman state legislators - Rep. Darren Bailey, Chris Miller & Blaine Wilhour - rented the Center for a town hall, and within two weeks, over 1500 people gathered on a Sunday afternoon to hear what was going on in Springfield. Halbrook was invited to address the crowd.
Halbrook said he introduced the resolution at the urging of Gina Merritt of New Illinois - a separation group from the northern part of Illinois that has been working with Paul Preston of New California. The movement is catching on downstate under the leadership of Effingham County Board member Dave Campbell, who first introduced the Second Amendment Sanctuary county resolution last April.
On the same day hundreds of pro-life supporters rallied inside the state’s Capitol to protest abortion bills, the Illinois Family Institute quietly deleted a Facebook post and website article which compared Democrats to Nazis.
Despite the backlash and its decision to take down the post, the group’s executive director is defending its content.
“You cannot help but connect the torturous ways that human beings were treated in Nazi camps in the way that pre-born babies are being treated in the women’s womb,” David Smith told the Sun-Times Thursday.
Smith told the Sun-Times he took down the post “because people aren’t getting past the headline.”
“It’s becoming a distraction so I took it down, until we can come up with a better headline or flesh it out,” Smith said.
“It asked the question, Democratic politicians and Nazis, is there a difference? And considering the abortion holocaust that our country is going through and the push for extreme late abortion legislation, we were asking the question,” Smith said.
During his Effingham speech, Smith said “Southern Illinois has to be heard,” then quoted anti-Nazi minister Dietrich Bonhoeffer “who stood up to Hitler” and who said, “Silence in the face of evil is evil itself.”
* Related…
* Jettisoning Chicago has always been a dubious proposition: Cook County - where Chicago is located - gets back just 80 cents for every dollar it sends the state, according to the study. But Halbrook’s own Shelby County gets back $1.44 for every dollar it sends. Clay County, where Bailey is based, gets back $1.84.
Ideas Illinois launches digital ad asking voters if they trust Madigan & Pritzker with a blank check
Ad comes as Pritzker & Madigan seek passage of massive Jobs Tax on middle class families & jobs creators
Ideas Illinois today launched a digital ad asking voters if they trust Speaker Madigan & Governor Pritzker with a blank check when it comes to their taxes.
“The bottom line is we simply cannot trust Speaker Madigan and Governor Pritzker with a blank check when it comes to raising taxes,” Ideas Illinois Chairman Greg Baise said.
Announcer: There’s a debate going on about Illinois’ tax system.
The latest sales pitch from Springfield insiders?
Pritzker and Madigan want to change the constitution to allow a permanent jobs tax on middle class families.
‘Trust us,’ they say: we’ll use your money to fund our schools, fix our roads, shore up pensions and cut property taxes.
Do you trust them?
In the last 8 years these same Springfield insiders handed us two of the largest tax hikes in history.
…promising these tax hikes would solve all problems. But nothing changed.
We’re still burdened with debt – schools are underfunded – roads and bridges, crumbling – property taxes, still sky-rocketing.
But here they go again, asking you to pay more.
They’re putting a constitutional amendment on your 2020 ballot, paving the way for their jobs tax on the middle class.
It won’t say how much you’ll pay: a blank check for Springfield. Pritzker and Madigan want you to trust them to do the right thing.
But they broke their promise before… and they’ll do it again, if we trust them again.
Not this time.
Visit ideas Illinois.org/broken promises to learn more.
*** UPDATE *** Think Big Illinois…
Today, Ideas Illinois released a new digital ad in their latest attempt to mislead Illinoisans about a fair tax. The only problem is, they actually told the truth for a few seconds of it, and in doing so, detailed exactly why a fair tax is needed to help Illinois fix its $3.2 billion budget crisis and fund critical priorities in our state.
The ad details what the revenue from a fair tax would go to – addressing the $3.2 billion state budget deficit, funding schools, fixing roads, protecting pensions and cutting property taxes.
“In their latest effort to keep our current unfair tax system in place, Ideas Illinois actually showed exactly why we need to implement a fair tax,” said Quentin Fulks, Executive Director of Think Big Illinois. “Not only will a fair tax bring in $3.4 billion of much-needed revenue that will go to fund critical priorities like our schools, but it will do so while lifting the burden off middle and working-class families. That’s why Think Big Illinois is committed to fighting for a fair tax.”
Today, Think Big Illinois released its first television ad advocating for Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan. The ad details the $3.2 billion deficit the previous administration’s brand of irresponsible governance and mismanagement left the state in, and how Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan will put Illinois back on track.
Under Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan, 97% of Illinoisans will see no state income tax increase, with only those making above $250,000 paying more. A fair tax will bring in $3.4 billion in much-needed revenue each year, which will help solve Illinois’ budget crisis and fund critical programs, including our schools.
“Governor Pritzker’s fair tax plan will bring much-needed revenue into the state, while lifting the burden off middle and working-class families who are disproportionately hurt by our current tax system,” said Quentin Fulks, Executive Director for Think Big Illinois. “Think Big Illinois is committed to standing alongside our working families as we fight to implement a tax structure that works for all Illinoisans.”
* I talked about the ad with subscribers earlier this morning, so I’ll just let that be and monitor your own reaction…
And after years of ignoring it, we can’t keep doing more of the same.
Under Governor Pritzker’s fair tax, 97% of Illinoisans will not see an income tax increase.
Only those making above $250,000 a year would pay more.
The governor’s fair tax puts the middle class first, while making the wealthy pay their fair share.
Let’s do what’s right for Illinois’ future.
*** UPDATE *** ILGOP…
“It’s been two short weeks since J.B. Pritzker unveiled his jobs tax, and he has already broken his promise to middle class families. Pritzker called his plan ‘tax relief’ for the middle class, but now he says it’s ‘not…an income tax increase.’ Tomorrow it will be a tax hike on all Illinoisans.
“Pritzker’s change in rhetoric is further proof that his jobs tax proposal is nothing more than a blank check for Pritzker and Madigan to raise taxes on anyone, at any time, for any reason. J.B. Pritzker and Mike Madigan cannot be trusted with a blank check to spend more of your hard-earned taxpayer dollars.” - Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Aaron DeGroot
