Will County Gazette

GOP Congressional candidate Rick Laib wonders when the bulb in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s head will switch on and he'll realize the numbers in this year's budget have no chance of adding up. 

“If the governor is unwilling to cut spending in the middle of a pandemic, when would he be willing to cut it?” Laib told the Will County Gazette as news of the governor taking that very stance during a recent special pandemic session in Springfield quickly spread. “There is no economic platform or path to economic freedom that allows for overspending. We cannot, as a rule, spend more than we have. Any home budget or business that consistently spends a little more than it has will always result in economic failure.”

Early reports are the governor is even considering borrowing several billion more from a Federal Reserve program just to make sure his plan gives the appearance of being able to hold together.

Laib, running against incumbent U.S. Rep. Bill Foster (D-Aurora) in the 11th District, argues it’s all just more smoke and mirrors.

“We already know the formula for economic success: cut taxes, deregulate, and spend less than we have,” he said. ”Borrowing more money does not fix poor spending practices.”

Laib adds the fact that the governor has been so rigid in his handling of the ongoing coronavirus crisis only highlights how poorly he has handled the situation.

“It says he lacks clarity on what will bring our economy back towards a path of thriving,” he said. “For people who ‘need’ government, what they need is not a path towards greater dependency and bankruptcy. But this can be the only result. This governor has prided himself as doing the 'hard things' in leadership, and now he struggles to deliver where it's needed.”

Laib said the governor continuing to push his progressive income tax proposal at such a volatile time likewise falls into the category of not being in the state’s best interests.

“He shouldn't be pushing them at all,” he said. “The flat tax is one of the last advantages to the Illinois tax system. If COVID-19 doesn't destroy our economic base, a flat tax will.”