Will County Gazette

GOP gubernatorial candidate State Sen. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) calls for greater assistance from the government to deal with runaway inflation.

Families need bigger tax relief to cope with rising prices, especially now as parents deal with increasing prices of school supplies.

“Working families are struggling to pay for school supplies," Bailey said to Will County Gazette. They need real help. Why aren’t we in Springfield dealing with these issues? Why aren’t we trying to do more for families who are having to put school supplies on payment plans?" 

Bailey also assailed the state’s tax holiday for school supplies, calling it part of “band-aid solutions.”

“The paltry sales tax holiday [Illimois Gov. JB] Pritzker is touting is not enough to help working families,” Bailey said. ”[Instead] Let’s go to Springfield and consider meaningful, permanent reforms to help struggling families. JB Pritzker talks about helping middle- and lower-income folks, but all of his policies have hit these hardworking families the hardest.”

An earlier report from Fox News said that parents are feeling the crunch, according to New York Post. Chicago mom of two, Ester di Filippo told Fox & Friends First that she believes that ”it’s going to be a struggle and a different situation this year.” She estimated that her daughter's TI-84 calculator alone costs $150. The same report said the price of school supplies is expected to rise by 40%. That’s according to the National Retail Federation.

The United States Gross Domestic Product shrank by 0.9% annually between April and June of 2022 as a result of inflation. The University of Illinois' Flash Index dropped for the third month in a row, going from 105.7 in May to 105.5 this month. 

“Small businesses that are discretionary spending, whether it be restaurants or even movie theaters or what have you – I would be most concerned about those folks who would be exposed to a consumer who thinks inflation is here to stay,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce president and CEO Todd Maisch told The Center Square.

Inflation has been hitting record highs, as demand for goods and spending outrace supply. Ironically, increased spending is propped by stimulus packages that put money in the pockets of businesses and consumers. But now the same influx of cash is pushing prices up, ensuring that consumers get less bang for their buck.

Gov. J.B. Pritzker's lack of efficacy in the face of financial constraints has been criticized by Bailey noting that “Being woke is not an economic plan but unfortunately it is all JB Pritzker has to offer," according to Prairie State Wire.