SE Illinois News

A downstate Republican lawmaker is blasting Gov. J.B. Pritzker as an “arrogant bully” only concerned with his own whims in the way he governs.

“He is so full of arrogance and foolish pride that when he says something he wants to do he sets out to do it no matter what,” state Rep. Darren Bailey (R-Xenia) told the SE Illinois News. “It’s just frustrating that he’s not taking this money and doing something useful with it instead of using it to raise taxes on people and make their lives even harder.”

The Chicago Tribune reports the governor recently contributed $51.5 million to a ballot initiative committee launched to sell the progressive tax proposal he’s been pushing since his days as a candidate. Vote Yes to Fairness, a committee headed by the governor’s former deputy campaign manager, recently received the funds and is already at work selling legislation that would convert the current flat-tax to a progressive tax system.

In addition to being the only individual to contribute more than $250, Pritzker’s latest gift comes on a top of an earlier donation of $5 million.

“He has single-handedly destroyed Illinois with his crazy budgeting and all the added spending,” Bailey added. “Right now, I think he’s throwing all these resources behind his misguided proposal because I think he’s desperately waking up to reality that people are seeing this thing for what it is. Comptroller (Susana) Mendoza recently went public with her prediction that this is going to be an even tougher fiscal year than what everyone has been saying.”

From Day One, Pritzker has sought to sell the tax as a change that will only mean higher rates for the state’s most affluent residents. Voters will finally have their say in November’s general election, where approval from 60% of those who vote on the issue or a majority of those who vote in the election overall is needed for passage.