Gov. Pritzker Budget Address This Week
On Wednesday February 18th, Governor Pritzker will deliver his budget address. I fully expect him to blame President Trump for the projected deficits. The truth is that Governor Pritzker has spent every last dime over the last seven years he has been in office and raised taxes so he can spend more.
Stay tuned – in next week’s email, I will have more to report on this topic.
Illinois Budget Scrutiny Intensifies
How are Springfield lawmakers spending YOUR money?
It turns out that the Democrat Supermajority is generously giving it to themselves, their political allies and organizations that align with their agenda. The little-examined line items of Illinois’ intentionally vague budget are adding up to the tune of tens of MILLIONS of dollars.
This episode of radio show Chicago’s Morning Answer captures the seriousness of the corruption that is taking place right under our noses:
This Illinois Policy article NAMES the NAMES of the pet organizations that are doing Democrats’ bidding for them:
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/waste-watch-illinois-gives-45m-to-select-business-groups/
This Illinois Policy article digs deeper into Democrats’ deceitful and essentially non-existent explanation for where all your money is going. It even sheds light on one chamber of commerce that is being rewarded for their outspoken anti-ICE stance. They actually published a guide for navigating ICE raids for business owners, and offered them resources for government audits and “unexpected immigration-related challenges.”
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/waste-watch-illinois-gives-1-5m-to-ice-opponents/
Are More Regulations Hiding Behind Their Masks?
Democrats and Republicans alike agree that data centers will play a crucial role the state’s environmental and economic plan going forward. The question is, will the Democrat Supermajority once again hastily ram through legislation without considering the consequences? And will that same legislation be counterproductive and drive businesses out of Illinois, leaving taxpayers to foot the bill?
Democrat sponsors, (Ram Villivalam and Robyn Gabel- pictured above) recently introduced a bill called the POWER Act which would establish comprehensive environmental, water and energy regulations for “hyperscale” data centers. (Define ‘comprehensive’ and ‘regulations’.)
The devil is always in the details, so Illinoisans need to pay close attention to how this legislation unfolds.
This Center Square article explains further:
https://www.thecentersquare.com/opinion/article_06046b64-33f4-4961-be34-89c746a5cfda.html
“We are our own worst enemy because of the bad public policy,” Miller said
Illinois Unemployment Rate Higher than U.S. Average
“We are our own worst enemy because of the bad public policy,” Miller said. “If we continue to do what we’ve always done, we’ll continue to get what we’ve always gotten, and that means that the exodus of families and the exodus of business is going to continue and it’s going to increase.”
I made the comment above in the article linked below from the Center Square, where they reported that Illinois’ unemployment rate is higher than the national average and that Illinois lost jobs over the last year.
“Since 2020, the state’s job market has struggled to recover from the pandemic, ending 2025 as just one of 16 states to shed jobs over the last year to now rank No. 46 in the country in job recovery over the last five years. By comparison, four of the six neighboring states (Missouri, Iowa, Indiana and Wisconsin) ended 2025 with an unemployment rate below 4%,” according to the article.
https://www.thecentersquare.com/illinois/article_f0c5ecf0-99d5-4631-a4e8-a606dbcaa9f7.html
The Choice Shouldn’t Be Hard- ‘Free the Kids!’
We now have proof that Governor Pritzker’s school lockdowns during the COVID pandemic had disastrous consequences. And he and his fellow Democrats continue to add insult to injury by annihilating any form of school choice in Illinois in favor of empowering unions, not children and their families.
One Illinois teacher isn’t having it. Claire Jakubiszyn has created her own ‘microschool’ because she strongly believes that education shouldn’t be standard- different kids need different things. And because of Pritzker’s horrendous education policies, alternatives like hers are gaining ground.
https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/free-kids-why-more-chicago-110000632.html?fr=sycsrp_catchall
The Chicago Teachers Union (CTU), (and now over 200 Illinois school districts run by CTU’s president, Stacy Davis Gates), wields tremendous power over Illinois’ education system, and this Illinois Policy article explains how the state feeds into their ravenous appetite for money and control.
However, it also spells out how Illinoisians can influence change and outcomes by shifting their focus from Chicago to Springfield to advocate for policies that benefit students, families and teachers- not unions.
Collateral damage resulting from a lousy education system is the racial wealth gap that exists in Illinois. The state ranks 8th largest in the country, according to a new study by WalletHub. Springfield needs to start investing its money and attention in children and not obscene opportunities for greedy union grifters.
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/illinois-has-8th-largest-racial-wealth-gap-in-the-nation/
There ARE Solutions For Illinois’ Financial Woes
Illinois’ ongoing fiscal nightmare is a result of gluttonous and corrupt Democrat-led government spending, which includes warped and selfish priorities, irresponsible stewardship of federal money and zero accountability for reckless behavior.
According to the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget, the state is projected to face budget deficits totaling nearly $21 billion during the next five years, while negligible expenditures are projected to grow by nearly 20% and revenues by only 11%.
It is disheartening to say the least, but things can improve! The following Illinois Policy article is LOADED with ideas and solutions to our toxic financial problems.
This article should be mandatory reading for ALL Illinois lawmakers:
https://www.illinoispolicy.org/reports/illinois-forward-2027-how-to-fix-illinois-state-finances/
Democrats have the opportunity to right the ship, but will they?
A wise person once said,
“Let people do what they want to do,
and they will show you what they would rather do.”
Where Is Heaven?
Illinois’ very own, Edwin Hubble, grew up in Wheaton and received his bachelor’s degree, concentrating in mathematics, astronomy and philosophy, from the University of Chicago by 1910. He went on to create the Hubble Space Telescope which is one of the largest and most versatile of its kind. It is renowned as a vital research tool for astronomy and is the only space telescope designed to be maintained in space by astronauts.
You can view some of its most astonishing images (like the one pictured above) here:
But is Edwin Hubble’s powerful creation more than just a telescope?
Fox News contributor and scientist, Michael Guillen, believes that time may ‘stop’ where Heaven ‘begins’- at the ‘Cosmic Horizon’, and the Hubble Telescope has captured this phenomenon.
His theory is fascinating, and you can read about it in his opinion piece here:
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/is-heaven-real-science-may-reveal-where-gods-eternal-kingdom-exists
District Information
Here is a map of the new 101st House District. Use this link for a clearer picture and to enter your address to see if you live in the district: https://repcmiller.com/district/
As your state representative, my office is available to assist you with any issues you may have when interacting with a state agency.
Please call our office at 217.508.4108 to get help or schedule an appointment to see me.
The office is located at 1113 Lincoln Ave, Charleston and is open Mon-Fri from 9am- 4 pm.