Will County Gazette

Matthew Besler, president of the Illinois Opportunity Project, is calling out Democrats in the General Assembly for putting their political interests before the needs of families and businesses in Illinois.

Besler said the notion that the General Assembly is a “Do-Nothing” legislature because it failed to pass a balanced budget before the end of the legislative session last month is not accurate.

Democrats in Springfield have been quite busy protecting their political power instead of focusing on the needs of Illinoisans, according to Besler.

“The truth is we saw some dramatic efforts from state Democrats, such as the push for a progressive income tax — a policy that hurts middle-income families,” Besler said in the video posted on Upstream Ideas.

In April, House Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang (D-Skokie) introduced the Lou Lang’s Progressive Income Tax. The proposal sought to amend the state’s current flat income tax rate.

Democrats contend that a flat tax is unfair because it disproportionately affects low-income households since people with high incomes pay a smaller percent of their income.

A progressive, or graduated, income tax system applies higher rates on higher incomes and lower rates on lower incomes.

Besler said he believes the plan, which has a long history of hurting middle-class families in the 34 states it was implemented in, is continuously being proposed by Democrats “to engage in class warfare, and to redistribute income from private citizens to the public sector unions.”

Democrats then went on "to demand that the governor sign a bill allowing a powerful public sector union to negotiate its own contract,” Besler said.

H.B. 580, which passed the Senate with a 38-17 vote in March, sought to allow a panel of arbitrators to negotiate contract offers with unions that contract with the state of Illinois — the largest being the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME).

The bill also sought to grant $3 billion in taxpayer dollars to large unions over the next several years from a state in financial devastation.

Gov. Bruce Rauner vetoed the bill. His veto stood after the House failed to gain the 71 votes needed to override the veto — falling short by three votes.

Another indication that Democrats are more interested in protecting their power instead of focusing on passing a responsible budget is the Madigan-proposed budget House Democrats passed last month, Besler said.

“Undeterred, Democrats tried to raise your taxes by an additional 47 percent," he said. "Why would they do these things? Because it doesn’t matter to (House Speaker) Mike Madigan and his super veto-proof majorities that families are being taxed out of their homes."

The Democratic leader and members of his party upset House Republicans when they approved Madigan’s proposed budget for the upcoming fiscal year that called for the state to spend $7.1 million more than it rakes in, and appropriate hundreds of millions of dollars for Chicago Public Schools.

Although the proposed budget passed the House with a vote of 63-53, the out-of-balance spending plan was subsequently rejected in the Senate.

Besler said Democrats aren’t concerned that Illinois has the highest unemployment rate in the nation.

“What does matter to them is keeping the people that put them in power happy! There is no argument over the need for a responsible budget,” he said.

The only way social services can be guaranteed for decades to come is by “not surrendering to the will of Michael Madigan,” he said.

“Appeasing Madigan may give us a budget, but the cost will leave us with no choice between solvency and bankruptcy. Illinoisans are hurting,” Besler said. “It’s time to summon the courage to draw the line across which Mike Madigan and House Democrats will not drag us. It’s time to replace kept politicians with independent thinkers who work for Illinois families and businesses. Not union bosses and trial lawyers.”

Besler has extensive experience in public relations and social media, including in-house corporate communications, governmental affairs, and issue advocacy.

The Illinois Opportunity Project promotes and advocates for social good and common welfare by educating the public on public policy driven by the principles of liberty and free enterprise.