Will County Gazette

Republican Congressional candidate Rick Laib fears Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s phased plan for restarting the state’s economy stands to do more harm than good.

“The governor says it’s all about flattening the curve, but we have to remember the actions he’s taking are leading to people losing their businesses and many more being out of work,” Laib, who is running against incumbent Rep. Bill Foster (D-Aurora) in the 11th Congressional District, told the Will County Gazette. “He’s basically bankrupting everyone along the way."

With the state already under a stay-at-home order enacted in late March that runs through the end of May, Pritzker’s five-phase “Restore Illinois” plan will operate on a region-by-region basis. Pritzker said the state is already in Phase 2 of the plan, which allows nonessential stores to open on a limited basis as the spread of the infection ideally begins to wane. 

But the governor doesn’t envision the state reaching Phase 5, or fully reopening for business, until a vaccine or effective treatment for the virus becomes available.

“Everyone suffers when the governor is in the business of deciding who is essential and who’s not, but small business people are really getting hammered by this,” Laib said. “The governor has placed himself in the authoritative position of deciding everything all on his own.”

Laib argues that making things all the more difficult to digest is the nonsensical way he thinks the governor has gone about deciding things.

“All these different businesses aren’t allowed to operate because he’s deemed them nonessential,” he said. “Yet, marijuana stores are still open even though that’s a drug known to weaken the respiratory system and the coronavirus is a virus that causes respiratory issues.”