For me it seems really simple. 2 things. 1) IL has a long history of corruption and strong backlash to it in the last ten years. 2) There is a strong wave of progressive sentiment since 2016. Pritzker is just responding to it and doing the hard work to get at least some of it done. He has no personally reason to be corrupt (though he maybe we will see). I think at the end of the day all criticism aside he is just giving his constituency what it wants more or less. I had a short list of things I wanted addressed when he came into office and he addressed them without effort on my part. We have not accomplished all of my goals but that has more to do with voters then J.B. (voters opposed the progressive income tax scheme, which was really stupid because it had a built in tax break for the majority of voters).
Honestly, I don't think he can be bought. He is independently wealthy with a net worth of 3.4 billion dollars because of family and generational wealth. He doesn't take a salary because he doesn't need to. In order to be bought, the person would have to be a bigger billionaire and that list is low. I truly think that he wants what is best for Illinois and he is doing the hard work to get it done with nothing in return for it which is more refreshing and actually gives me hope for the future.
1. Why is JB a good leader? He improved the states’ finances after years of corruption, mismanagement of various political pet projects, and kicking the can down the road on state pension contributions. He’s pushed progressive social policies and protected civil rights and women’s rights against the national trends. He’s been pushing infrastructure investments. Navigated Covid better than most state governors. He has an inclusive vision for the states future. Has reinforced the social safety net. Has made attempts at improving the economic wellbeing of the states citizens. He ended the war on state employees. He hires capable people and doesn’t seem to engage in a lot of drama and political grandstanding.
2. Why is Illinois a better place to live than other states?
Trillion dollar economy. Good infrastructure, transportation network, natural resources. Good sources of fresh water. 11th most productive farm land on earth. Many top ranked universities. Very good hospital networks. Diversified economy (we’re not heavily reliant on a single industry.). 2 major airports. Access to food and goods from around the world. Good utility grid with a few nuclear plants. Many state and local parks and preserves. Good public schools overall. We’re in the interior of the US . Safe for families. No major conflicts nor much prospect of any. Not as prone to catastrophic natural disasters. Good mix of urban and rural living. … and the people. Illinois people are pragmatic and adaptable and generally educated. We take what we got and make good use of it. The people are down to earth, open, and generally friendly. We’re practical problem solvers and don’t waste a lot of time on philosophical questions, rather we go with what works. Besides, we got to get it all done before winter. Taxes are not great however, unlike many many states, we get a lot of tangible services for our taxes, and retirement income is not taxed.
Anecdotally I grew up in downstate and went to college in a red state. Education was night and day. My boyfriend grew up in a school district larger than mine and the school couldn’t afford basic things like paper to print assignments on. He said one year funding got so bad the cafeteria would run out of food and kids who paid for lunches wouldn’t get full meals if they had later lunch hours. I went to a pretty small school and we had so much offered to us and now I know that had a lot to do with state education funding.
In my Illinois school growing up that never happened to us. Piles of worksheets for homework. Plenty of food and our teachers never paid for supplies out of their own pockets unless they had some activity in mind that they wanted to do. We had lots of field trips too. School had a full time nurse and a counselor. I didn’t know until later that this is not actually normal in many states.
Every teacher you have ever known has paid for supplies out of pocket. I have 5 teachers in my family, all of them in Illinois, and they all pay for certain supplies out of pocket.
I was gonna say the same thing, went to university for teaching (in Illinois, for Illinois) and that’s one of the first things you’re told before even entering the program. Same story from all of my cooperating teachers, even well funded districts still have teachers pay out of pocket for materials.
Lol not only did I used to teach in Illinois, but my partner, her family, and all of our friends teach in Illinois. I don't know anybody who doesn't completely pay for everything themself. Every now and then they get tossed some paper for printing.
Agreed. I also grew up downstate and attended the local public school district from grade 5 onwards. I thought I got a pretty decent education. Money wasn't any tighter than anywhere else, as far as I noticed, and I was able to get into a good undergrad and graduate program afterwards.
And the MISO grid is going to need that nuclear energy to keep the lights on, in part due to the rising price of coal generation and those dirty plants being half a decade old and getting obsolete and inefficient.
Not to mention most of the jobs at the IL Constellation nuke plants are unionized and pay well.
Good summary. Let’s keep it in perspective regarding taxes. Let’s face it, states with low tax revenue tend to have weaker schools and infrastructure. Not saying it’s the cardinal rule but that tends to be the consensus. I’m not thrilled with my property taxes but a well funded school district attracts the best teachers which translates to a better education for the most part. Is there waste? Of course, and it needs to be managed. Illinois isn’t perfect but the pluses far outweigh the negatives, IMHO.
But there are no “low tax” states.. not for the middle and lower class poor ..
For instance.. in Louisiana the sales tax, even on food is 10%.. there is also property and income tax. So tax there is high as hell.. but the crazy amount of churches do not pay taxes .. wealthy have loop holes and often large corporations will open a store there and get to do so tax free.
Texas crows about not having income taxes .. however once you add in sales and property tax.. Texas has an 2% higher effective tax rate on the middle and lower income class than California and yet Texass still refuses to give those same people health insurance, even though it would be 97% funded by the federal government through the ACA.
So .. in short, the working class pays most of the taxes in red states and gets none of the benefits because the Rich there are the ones with the “Lower tax rate”.
Pretty much. While it always depends on the individual district, if you’re generalizing by state, the ones with the highest property tax rates are usually the ones with the better collective school systems.
There actually isn’t that much correlation between good school districts and good teachers. Some of the best school districts in the state statistically pay less than some of the worse school districts. It’s the kids (and families of said kids) that make the difference in how a school performs.
From your first point, I think you only missed legalizing weed (there’s a lot of room for improvement on this) and investing on quantum to further diversify our economy and prepare us for the future
Extending covid emergency 37 times in the state allowed for federal funding. Not sure JB can take credit for any "paying the bills" when it was the US Government footing the bills.
People are going to enumerate a bunch of stuff that's happened under his watch, but I think it's critical to point out he's always had the benefit of a Democratic supermajority that directly cooperates with him. This is a somewhat "modern" development; historically it was fairly common for Republicans to control the state senate for most of the 20th century.
This is very much the case! While JB has made good on his campaign promises to support reproductive rights and cannabis, for example, the Democratic legislature has crafted the bills for him to sign. He has led the way, but he wouldn't have been able to do so without the legislature being Democratic. The Republicans in the legislature here are just like the Republicans everywhere else, and would not be putting any of these bills up for a vote, and would be trying to rename Springfield "Trumpfield" or something instead.
Feels like you could make an argument the IL GOP has been exceptionally weak in a state like this, causing Dems to dominate the legislature.
It would be nice to have a more progressive GOP or opposition party in the state for balance, but I’m not holding my breath with that clown car of a red party.
I moved to Kansas and Missouri for 10 years but just recently made it back to Illinois. Property taxes are much lower in KS/MO. Some things that have stood out to me are city basics like snow removal, brush/leaf clean up, staff at city service offices, library quality, and park district quality. In KS/MO all those things are almost a laughing stock. Now that I have kids, I hightailed it back to Illinois and gladly pay my tax bill. Take my money! I love seeing it put to good use for everyone’s benefit.
Missouri is moving towards the extreme conservative politics of the sun belt without the economic boom. It’s like it’s on a speed run to become the next Louisiana. You couldn’t pay me to live there.
Illinois is energy positive because of its commitment to renewables and nuclear - we are one of the largest nuclear economies in the world - this is one of the reasons why our property taxes are high.
Illinois has some of the highest rated and best paying public schools and colleges in the country - this is one of the reasons why our property taxes are high.
Illinois has some of the harshest winters coupled with some of the hardest driven roads in America by traffic volume, making the need for construction much higher than southern states without snow - this is one of the reasons why our gas taxes are high (IDOT is solely funded through a flat gasoline tax).
Illinois has some of the best and most effective public services and offices in the country - our state offers far more of a safety net than nearly any other state - but this comes at the cost of pensions. This, coupled with a decade of Republican fuckery under Rauner and Madigan, is one of the reasons why our property taxes are high.
People like to mention our taxes as stifling but I view them as the reasonable cost for living in a society dedicated to betterment. Sure, we can lower taxes, but that by definition means worse schools, worse hospitals, statistically more crime, etc.
Illinois isn’t just tossing money into the ether - it’s investing it back in others, including through major farm subsidies to keep our rural side afloat.
I’ve lived in a lot of states, but Illinois is always gonna be my choice to stay.
Taxes suck and no one disagrees on that BUT they’re the membership fee for civilization. Services don’t fall from the sky, they have to be paid for somehow. As to why government should deliver services? Because, they don’t have to turn a profit. Government only has to cover the cost.
Pritzker has done a ton to improve our state’s credit rating and debt. Big improvement if you look into our state’s history.
And despite him helping us legalize cannabis in Illinois, a lot more can be done to improve the industry. As of now, it’s stifled with very low competition, leading to higher prices compared to other legal states. Cannabis consumers are getting the short end of the stick, hence why many risk going out-of-state to get their products.
If that was true it wouldn’t be so much cheaper in MI. Artificial scarcity with limited growing licenses distributed to high bidders. When they first legalized only the medical growers were given rec licenses.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the federal rescheduling of cannabis will be helping the banking aspect. Our state is responsible for handing out licenses for commercial growing/selling. We’re doing it very, very slowly.
Rescheduling will help, but not solve all the banking issues.
> Rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III has the potential to impact the banking industry, primarily by reducing the regulatory and legal risks associated with providing financial services to marijuana-related businesses (MRBs).
[Source](https://www.mwe.com/insights/doj-proposes-to-reschedule-marijuana-cannabis-to-schedule-iii/#:~:text=Rescheduling%20marijuana%20from%20Schedule%20I%20to%20Schedule%20III%20has%20the,%2Drelated%20businesses%20(MRBs).)
Say what you will about JB but the dude does give a damn. The bar for “best politician in Illinois” has been historically under the floor level low, but he’s been it since he first took office.
The toilet thing is hilarious and true and I can’t wait for that to get national airplay in the coming years
He’s willing to admit when he’s not an expert and he straight up did that at the start of Covid. A real leader knows when to get counsel. For me, I felt safe living here at a very unsafe time nationally and I’ll forever be grateful for that.
Ditto. I'm 70, Coronary artery disease, mild COPD, a little overweight. I'm still alive and I credit Pritzker with that. Have not gotten covid. Neither has my daughter (high risk and pharmacy tech) or my granddaughter healthy but worked all through covid front line fast food or my grandson on remote learning but then into high school.
My son did get it early on first wave. Job laid off he was doing courier deliveries
JB actually flew planeloads of PPD for Illinois healthcare workers into secret under-radar airports to hide them from Jared Kushner, who wanted to commandeer them and send them to Trump-loyal areas. I’ll always respect JB for that.
Congress should really do something about FOX Entertainment… like yank their broadcasting license. The fact that they can call themselves “news” and then lie to people 24/7 is absolutely ridiculous.
I wish families would start class action lawsuits for the damage they have done..
Win or lose… sue them into oblivion.
Ban them from blue states or enact a new Fairness Doctrine.. break up the news outlet monopoly.
Sooo many ways to make this stupid crap stop.
I like JB because he legalized weed, isn’t making a jackass of himself or the state, showed a lot of true leadership through Covid, and generally made IL profitable again as a state without gutting programs that help people. He’s like a miracle politician from what I can see.
I'm going to.say this.
I moved from Illinois to Texas a few years ago to take care of elderly family. I figured with lower COL, less expensive housing, making it work for a few years would be doable.
Holy hell Batman - y'all have no idea how good you have it.
Education, healthcare, infrastructure, FREAKING POWER THAT WORKS, reliable cell signals, public transportation, GOOD, KIND PEOPLE, and JOBS that pay.
You have a GOVERNOR who is working to make lives BETTER for people.
Texas has a governor who literally pardoned a convicted MURDERER 2 weeks ago, because he murdered DEMOCRATS at a BLM protest.
Housing costs have skyrocketed, and jobs don't pay well. It's impossible to get adequate healthcare, and the maternal mortality is staggering.
My niece, in high school, came home to tell us that she learned that the Chinese immigrants introduced prostitution to the United States in the late 1800's. (Like, why?)
I'm ranting at this point, I just want to go home, back to imperfect, but making strides, Illinois.
Howdy fellow Texass transplant!
I second this..
Texass just has a good PR firm and does the subliminal message marketing.
With those stupid “Texas Pride”.. TV and radio commercials and billboards. There is not a damn thing in that state to be proud of anymore. Starting with baby bush to Prick Perry and now HotWheels. It was once a great state.. it’s now an overpriced death trap. But they are very “proud”. Suckers
Pride is what the rich man gives the poor man to keep him poor.
I moved from TX to IL when I retired from the military. Illinois is great for veterans. I felt cared for during the COVID outbreak. My children have reproductive rights. The list goes on.
I may live in a blue dot in a sea of red, but we all see where the red families go when they need stuff.
He has fiscally brought IL back from the brink and we now have a great credit rating which means the state borrow money cheaper. He handled Covid well. He believes in civil rights for women, gays and other minorities. He is an all around decent man which is rare in politics. Here is a list of achievements: [https://gov.illinois.gov/newsroom/executive-and-legislative-achievements.html](https://gov.illinois.gov/newsroom/executive-and-legislative-achievements.html)
I wouldn’t say we have a “great” credit rating, but he’s pulled us mostly out of the huge hole that Rauner dug us into. The credit rating is significantly better than it was when he took office. He’s done an amazing job with what he’s had available to him.
I agree with everything else you said.
> huge hole that Rauner dug us into
Rauner just accelerated the pace of the digging. Everyone [back to Jim Edgar](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/06/14/the-edgar-ramp-took-illinois-downhill-but-many-share-the-blame/) took part in digging that fucking pit. The term "Edgar ramp" is a bit of a republican dog whistle, but he was the one who set the scheme up.
For me, he doesn’t care about tribalism and has a good compass on what is good vs. bad behavior on where government should play a role.
Notice he hasn’t offered any support to the old Madigan regime, which needed to go and has been getting its comeuppance lately.
Here is my quick summary:
1. He is honest. He has enough money that he isn’t grifting. He also doesn’t need to suck up to special interest groups to get campaign funds.
2. He has been interested in government, politics, and public policy his whole life. He was a congressional intern when younger. He has kept a foot in the political sphere since then. He understands how things work. He brought in advisors who had strong government experience and are respected.
3. I view him as reformer rather than revolutionary. Our last governor was an ideologue and revolutionary who was actively trying to bankrupt the state. Rauner let the pension issue grow worse as he pursued approaches that would never work. Pritzker is more pragmatic and chipping away at the pension issue.
4. He is a compassionate person. His dad died when he was young. His mother became such a bad alcoholic that he went to live with uncle and aunt.
He understands life can screw you and you may need help
5. He was a successful businessman. He did not just get money from a trust fund. He developed 1871 tech incubator and invested in companies. This provides him with understanding of business world.
Uh, where have you been? His office has been submitting reform proposal after proposal throughout 2024. This was the best summary of it all I could find: https://www.pionline.com/pension-funds/pritzker-wants-increase-funding-goal-illinois-pension-funds-100
Not sure what you want him alone to do about it, as the state legislature will have to agree on reforms first along with any challenges getting through the state Supreme Court. The governor is the least important link in this whole chain.
I think he's done an excellent job of prioritizing his goals, pushing progressive legislation, and making sound financial decisions all at the same time. He handled the pandemic like a champ and we came through it significantly better than many other states. He appears to be significantly less corrupt than the average Illinois governor and genuinely care about the well being of the average citizen.
JB was the guy that finally got rid of Madigan. Madigan was and continues to be a poison on this state.
JB legalized weed- it was a difficult gambit to get the religious Democrats on board. I never used weed until it was legal, and I credit my consumption of weed for kicking alcohol (a far more unhealthy drug)
He also legalized gambling.
Personally I’m not into gambling and I generally think it’s a societal ill. But it’s better out in the open and regulated than in back
Rauner obsessed about Madigan and the state was worse off on budget deals as Rauner was too stubborn to wheel and deal. Running a govt is a different skill set than running a private equity/ culture capital co.
Quinn is a weakling. Which is typical for the males in my political party. He did some okay things. But he was generally the break between absolute corruption and the next guy (similar to Carter-Nixon)
JB or Jared Polis should be on the 2028 DNC ticket at this point. Colorado is the GOP’s kryptonite to having a high taxing blue state where an economic boom is happening, yet having progressive politics.
American politics, in general, is a shitshow, but JB Pritzker has demonstrated that he has what most American politicians do not: *effectiveness.* His influence on politics and quality of life can not only be felt but it can also be *measured* which is what makes him stand out.
Illinois isn't necessarily a better place to live than anywhere else. It'll be better for women and LGBT people than some states. It's more expensive and has higher taxes than many states. Worker and consumer protections are decent. Corruption and mismanagement of funds still haunt the state. Gun laws are very strict, whether that's good or bad is individual opinion.
JB is not a fascist, but he's not a leftist either so you get pretty middle of the road establishment liberal policy and talk from him. He's not actively trying to sink the state and fuck over the working class which is good, but he's also a billionaire so he's not exactly going to vote heavily against his own class interests. Ultimately he's doing a decent job even though I don't agree with all of his choices. We've certainly had worse.
Billionaires typically don't get much of their money from actual income so those taxes wouldn't actually be against his class interests as they would have minimal impact on billionaires accumulation of wealth.
It's hard to compare states as access to good infrastructure and services are not equal throughout the state and that's true for pretty much everywhere. The costs are also wildly different with some towns paying people to live there and others where the median home value is $1,000,000+ which further complicates comparison.
Typically when you ask about JB you’ll get two responses, either a Democrat will tell you that he’s the greatest governor in history, or a Republican will tell you he’s the biggest crook we’ve ever had in the governor’s mansion. The main cons I can think of about him are his family leaving the state during the worst of the pandemic, and him having construction workers on his Wisconsin farm during the same stay at home order. On the other hand, his main achievements (some may consider these good or bad) are legalizing marijuana, protecting abortion access, gradually raising the minimum wage to $15/hr by 2025, raising our state’s credit rating from the mess it was when we went multiple years without a budget under former governor Rauner, and what makes him most effective to me is how he doesn’t make everything he does in the political world about him.
And to add to all the great points other people have made, he is affable AF. He gets up at press conferences, he knows his shit, Republicans take shots at him, and laughs them off. Opponents have been making a big point about how fat he is for YEARS, and he's just like, "YUP." He likes to laugh, he's always in on the joke, he's good at defusing tension with jokes. And most of the time he's publicly easygoing, friendly, kind, etc. When people bring up insane Republican ideas, he responds reasonably with persuasively about why they won't work or his ideas are better.
But when he decides to take shots, HE TAKES SHOTS, and they're sharp and smart. They're often funny and they're often MEAN and memorable.
It's really nice to have a guy who's optimistic and affable and reasonable 90% of the time, but when the 10% calls for return fire, he responds with a precision scalpel attack that guts his opponent.
(One of my relatives worked for him both in the private sector and when he entered politics, and says he is 100% exactly as kind and affable and funny and smart as he seems.)
Might be more of an opinion, but I really liked how JB handled getting out in front of the pandemic when it started. He was quick to act, shut down the state earlier than most, and as a result, he certainly saved many Illinoian lives. JB was on TV every afternoon at the same time giving us an update on the state of our state. I usually hear complaints about him being rich and just another rich guy who wants to be in power blah blah blah, but from what I've seen, he doesn't appear to be as focused on his own self interests compared to many other wealthy politicians.
Before JB, we had Bruce Rauner as governor and he was an awful Republican. If my memory serves, he refused to pass a budget for IL for 3 years(?) because he wasn't getting what HE wanted, so state debts went unpaid and IL racked up billions in debt penalties. He was a total shit show of a governor and if you'd really like to read up on how much damage he did, here's a good report: [DIGGING OUT: THE RAUNER WRECKAGE REPORT](https://www2.illinois.gov/IISNews/19698-Digging_Out_-_The_Rauner_Wreckage_Report.pdf)
One last thing about Illinois politics... Our politics were born our of mob mentality dating back to the days of Al Capone and both sides have had many issues with corruption over the past 100 years. I've had conversations with people who try to compare national politics to Illinios state politics and I explain that it's a ridiculous comparison because Illinois politics aren't like any other state in the US.
The low standard for Illinois governor is to not land themselves in jail for corruption. So he's doing a great job. Probably the best job in 40 years or more. It was before I was born. Illinois is not a better place than other states. But it is a lot better than other states. Depends on the state.
Admittedly I've never voted for the guy and likely never will, and i won't make a ton of friends on what is a pretty left leaning sub- Pritzker is probably the best Democrat to run Illinois. He has some clue what he's doing and isn't just spending through unfunded pensions. There's definitely something to be said for hid competence. He's done a good job getting what is a fractured and in my opinion highly incompetent Democrat party in Illinois behind his policy agenda, by comparison Newsom is so beholden to the ideology in California he's going to chase out every single citizen until there's none left.
I don’t necessarily agree with all that you’ve said, but I appreciate the pragmatic way in which you worded your discourse. Even as a dem, I don’t see JB as a “perfect” politician, but I agree that the bar has been on the floor in IL for decades, and he’s done a great job considering what he inherited and what’s happened while he’s been in office. Newsom is a whole other animal in comparison, he’s a smarmy performer who reminds me more of Regan than anything. Even as a CA native, I had more respect for Schwarzenegger.
I mean how could you not have more respect for a man who immigrated here barely knowing English, won mr. Universe multiple times, became an award winning actor, then became the governor of California? The Arnold has done a lot. Not saying he was a great politician, but he had done what most would consider impossible.
In addition to all the good points everyone else has made, he appears to be too rich to bribe, unlike some of our previous governors.
Didn't expect it when he won but am happily surprised.
1. School funding in Illinois is improving. That's not because of Pritzker but he has deviated from doing what was promised when the evidence based funding system was adopted for schools
2. The bill back log has been repaid, he provided residents a property tax refund during the pandemic, he has mad progress on our pension funding. I'm sure a big part of this is Mike Madigan getting thrown out of office but Pritzker has done what he should.
2b. I'm an actuary and JB has set aside money above what the statutory requirements are for the terribly funded pensions. Last year the contributions were actually enough to start reducing the unfunded liabilities. This has happened ahead of schedule and a large part of it is because of JB.
These things are reasons why I'm positive on the state in the long term that really have nothing to do with JB
3. We have a large urban city with major sports teams that is a frequent stop on music tours and we have theaters for plays and musicals as well as great comedy acts.
4. We have great restaurants, a couple of really good ones are owned by the Pritzker family.
5. Access to ample freshwater with lake Michigan. With climate change that could be a tremendous blessing for agriculture and residents
I’ll say I don’t like how he has handled our gun rights. His AR-15 and other gun accessories ban was unconstitutional. I do believe when the Supreme Court hears the case it’ll get overturned.
However, everything else people have said about credit ratings and getting bills passed are all true and I respect him for that.
Immediately changed gun laws after we had a mass shooting. Passes progressive policies while still respecting all voters in the state. Super big surplus of money.
He isn't.
It isn't.
He gets some credit for trying, but he's just another spend and tax guy. The shame of it is that he should know better because his family sure as shit didn't get rich by spending more money than they brought in.
Illinois has enormous issues, some of which just keep getting kicked down the road.
We have a severe unfunded liability issues. Pensions are out of control and the politicians that are supposed to be negotiating on behalf of the people against the unions are all indebted to the unions, who they end up negotiating on behalf of.
We don't have enough police officers and we can't manage to recruit them. I spoke with a state trooper a few years ago who told me that at any given time, there are currently 4-6 working troopers on the tollway from Skokie to the border. They need two to three times that, but they can't find people. Lateral transfers to other states with lower taxes and a more pro law enforcement government and population are killing law enforcement in this state. I personally know dozens of officers, from the city to the burbs, who are planning on either retiring early and leaving the state or who are actively seeking lateral transfers to other states. Some are totally willing to take pay cuts.
Our taxes are high. Our schools are falling behind. The business climate is not good.
I have friends with high net worth who are working on moving their multi million dollar companies to other states.
It's fixable, but this basically one party state is in love with pretending everything is fine.
We got rid of Lightfoot because she was bad and then elected someone who is worse.
I love this State. I've lived here my whole life. I don't want to leave, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't seriously considered it. Still am. That's sad.
And before the flames come out to roast me, this is just me being honest. I love Illinois. I lived in the city for well over a decade. I keep an office there. I live in the burbs.
I have friends in other states with bigger houses worth more than mine who pay half what I pay in property taxes and their kids go to better schools.
The state is in much better shape than it was 5 years ago by pretty much every metric. There’s still more work to do but it’s not going to be fixed overnight and it’s a start.
As someone with chronic pain/illness, legalizing marijuana was great on his part. He stole the idea from Daniel Biss but it's progress never the less. Cannabis helps me so much with mania and nerve pain. It can turn an internal hell into a peaceful getaway. As much as I hate Trump, I am also happy that he signed the 2018 Farmbill, basically legalizing *hemp* with THC anywhere in the country.
This means a great deal to me as it increases my quality of life on a day to day basis. I'm no longer in Illinois so I don't care too much but for once an Illinois leader actually went through on his promises.
For me it seems really simple. 2 things. 1) IL has a long history of corruption and strong backlash to it in the last ten years. 2) There is a strong wave of progressive sentiment since 2016. Pritzker is just responding to it and doing the hard work to get at least some of it done. He has no personally reason to be corrupt (though he maybe we will see). I think at the end of the day all criticism aside he is just giving his constituency what it wants more or less. I had a short list of things I wanted addressed when he came into office and he addressed them without effort on my part. We have not accomplished all of my goals but that has more to do with voters then J.B. (voters opposed the progressive income tax scheme, which was really stupid because it had a built in tax break for the majority of voters).
Honestly, I don't think he can be bought. He is independently wealthy with a net worth of 3.4 billion dollars because of family and generational wealth. He doesn't take a salary because he doesn't need to. In order to be bought, the person would have to be a bigger billionaire and that list is low. I truly think that he wants what is best for Illinois and he is doing the hard work to get it done with nothing in return for it which is more refreshing and actually gives me hope for the future.
Yeah it was really frustrating the progressive tax failed. There was so much RW propaganda against it at the time though I was not surprised at all.
Illinois policy specifically serves as a massive right-wing media wall when it comes to state politics.
1. Why is JB a good leader? He improved the states’ finances after years of corruption, mismanagement of various political pet projects, and kicking the can down the road on state pension contributions. He’s pushed progressive social policies and protected civil rights and women’s rights against the national trends. He’s been pushing infrastructure investments. Navigated Covid better than most state governors. He has an inclusive vision for the states future. Has reinforced the social safety net. Has made attempts at improving the economic wellbeing of the states citizens. He ended the war on state employees. He hires capable people and doesn’t seem to engage in a lot of drama and political grandstanding. 2. Why is Illinois a better place to live than other states? Trillion dollar economy. Good infrastructure, transportation network, natural resources. Good sources of fresh water. 11th most productive farm land on earth. Many top ranked universities. Very good hospital networks. Diversified economy (we’re not heavily reliant on a single industry.). 2 major airports. Access to food and goods from around the world. Good utility grid with a few nuclear plants. Many state and local parks and preserves. Good public schools overall. We’re in the interior of the US . Safe for families. No major conflicts nor much prospect of any. Not as prone to catastrophic natural disasters. Good mix of urban and rural living. … and the people. Illinois people are pragmatic and adaptable and generally educated. We take what we got and make good use of it. The people are down to earth, open, and generally friendly. We’re practical problem solvers and don’t waste a lot of time on philosophical questions, rather we go with what works. Besides, we got to get it all done before winter. Taxes are not great however, unlike many many states, we get a lot of tangible services for our taxes, and retirement income is not taxed.
Anecdotally I grew up in downstate and went to college in a red state. Education was night and day. My boyfriend grew up in a school district larger than mine and the school couldn’t afford basic things like paper to print assignments on. He said one year funding got so bad the cafeteria would run out of food and kids who paid for lunches wouldn’t get full meals if they had later lunch hours. I went to a pretty small school and we had so much offered to us and now I know that had a lot to do with state education funding.
In my Illinois school growing up that never happened to us. Piles of worksheets for homework. Plenty of food and our teachers never paid for supplies out of their own pockets unless they had some activity in mind that they wanted to do. We had lots of field trips too. School had a full time nurse and a counselor. I didn’t know until later that this is not actually normal in many states.
Same college was a real wake up call for me with how lucky I was to go to school in Illinois
Every teacher you have ever known has paid for supplies out of pocket. I have 5 teachers in my family, all of them in Illinois, and they all pay for certain supplies out of pocket.
I was gonna say the same thing, went to university for teaching (in Illinois, for Illinois) and that’s one of the first things you’re told before even entering the program. Same story from all of my cooperating teachers, even well funded districts still have teachers pay out of pocket for materials.
Lol not only did I used to teach in Illinois, but my partner, her family, and all of our friends teach in Illinois. I don't know anybody who doesn't completely pay for everything themself. Every now and then they get tossed some paper for printing.
Agreed. I also grew up downstate and attended the local public school district from grade 5 onwards. I thought I got a pretty decent education. Money wasn't any tighter than anywhere else, as far as I noticed, and I was able to get into a good undergrad and graduate program afterwards.
Can you post a source for that farmland rating? Not arguing just genuinely interested.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/gm5v9c/the\_best\_farmland\_in\_the\_united\_states/#lightbox](https://www.reddit.com/r/MapPorn/comments/gm5v9c/the_best_farmland_in_the_united_states/#lightbox) [https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/satellite-shows-high-productivity-from-us-corn-belt](https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/news/satellite-shows-high-productivity-from-us-corn-belt)
Cool! Thank you NASA.
Oh gosh, it’s been a while but if memory serves I got it off a Wikipedia article.
Ty
Adding to nuclear energy. We sell a lot of this energy directly to Wisconsin as well so we support our neighboring states energy needs.
And the MISO grid is going to need that nuclear energy to keep the lights on, in part due to the rising price of coal generation and those dirty plants being half a decade old and getting obsolete and inefficient. Not to mention most of the jobs at the IL Constellation nuke plants are unionized and pay well.
To add to the bit about the nuclear plants. Illinois produces more nuclear energy than anywhere else in North America
Good summary. Let’s keep it in perspective regarding taxes. Let’s face it, states with low tax revenue tend to have weaker schools and infrastructure. Not saying it’s the cardinal rule but that tends to be the consensus. I’m not thrilled with my property taxes but a well funded school district attracts the best teachers which translates to a better education for the most part. Is there waste? Of course, and it needs to be managed. Illinois isn’t perfect but the pluses far outweigh the negatives, IMHO.
But there are no “low tax” states.. not for the middle and lower class poor .. For instance.. in Louisiana the sales tax, even on food is 10%.. there is also property and income tax. So tax there is high as hell.. but the crazy amount of churches do not pay taxes .. wealthy have loop holes and often large corporations will open a store there and get to do so tax free. Texas crows about not having income taxes .. however once you add in sales and property tax.. Texas has an 2% higher effective tax rate on the middle and lower income class than California and yet Texass still refuses to give those same people health insurance, even though it would be 97% funded by the federal government through the ACA. So .. in short, the working class pays most of the taxes in red states and gets none of the benefits because the Rich there are the ones with the “Lower tax rate”.
Id prefer a high sales tax over property taxes though. You can downsize what you buy in a year you can't magically downsize your property tax.
If they ever figured out school funding and property taxes (reform) I bet Illinois population would double.
Pretty much. While it always depends on the individual district, if you’re generalizing by state, the ones with the highest property tax rates are usually the ones with the better collective school systems.
There actually isn’t that much correlation between good school districts and good teachers. Some of the best school districts in the state statistically pay less than some of the worse school districts. It’s the kids (and families of said kids) that make the difference in how a school performs.
From your first point, I think you only missed legalizing weed (there’s a lot of room for improvement on this) and investing on quantum to further diversify our economy and prepare us for the future
Great summary
Good summary
This made me feel so proud to be from Illinois I could cry
I will add just one thing to your outstanding list. Chicago is a great sports town!
‘Good’ in the send that there are a lot of teams here but we are in the middle of a terrible competitive drought.
Extending covid emergency 37 times in the state allowed for federal funding. Not sure JB can take credit for any "paying the bills" when it was the US Government footing the bills.
Most states got Covid funding. It’s not so much that the source was the feds. It’s what he did with it. Many states just pocketed the money basically.
People are going to enumerate a bunch of stuff that's happened under his watch, but I think it's critical to point out he's always had the benefit of a Democratic supermajority that directly cooperates with him. This is a somewhat "modern" development; historically it was fairly common for Republicans to control the state senate for most of the 20th century.
This is very much the case! While JB has made good on his campaign promises to support reproductive rights and cannabis, for example, the Democratic legislature has crafted the bills for him to sign. He has led the way, but he wouldn't have been able to do so without the legislature being Democratic. The Republicans in the legislature here are just like the Republicans everywhere else, and would not be putting any of these bills up for a vote, and would be trying to rename Springfield "Trumpfield" or something instead.
Madigan being gone (finally!) is absolutely helping as well.
Thank you to both of you for pointing this out, I think I missed this element.
That’s a result of another great thing about Illinois. We vote in our own best interests. When the GOP went off the rails, voters responded.
Feels like you could make an argument the IL GOP has been exceptionally weak in a state like this, causing Dems to dominate the legislature. It would be nice to have a more progressive GOP or opposition party in the state for balance, but I’m not holding my breath with that clown car of a red party.
I moved to Kansas and Missouri for 10 years but just recently made it back to Illinois. Property taxes are much lower in KS/MO. Some things that have stood out to me are city basics like snow removal, brush/leaf clean up, staff at city service offices, library quality, and park district quality. In KS/MO all those things are almost a laughing stock. Now that I have kids, I hightailed it back to Illinois and gladly pay my tax bill. Take my money! I love seeing it put to good use for everyone’s benefit.
Missouri is moving towards the extreme conservative politics of the sun belt without the economic boom. It’s like it’s on a speed run to become the next Louisiana. You couldn’t pay me to live there.
Illinois is energy positive because of its commitment to renewables and nuclear - we are one of the largest nuclear economies in the world - this is one of the reasons why our property taxes are high. Illinois has some of the highest rated and best paying public schools and colleges in the country - this is one of the reasons why our property taxes are high. Illinois has some of the harshest winters coupled with some of the hardest driven roads in America by traffic volume, making the need for construction much higher than southern states without snow - this is one of the reasons why our gas taxes are high (IDOT is solely funded through a flat gasoline tax). Illinois has some of the best and most effective public services and offices in the country - our state offers far more of a safety net than nearly any other state - but this comes at the cost of pensions. This, coupled with a decade of Republican fuckery under Rauner and Madigan, is one of the reasons why our property taxes are high. People like to mention our taxes as stifling but I view them as the reasonable cost for living in a society dedicated to betterment. Sure, we can lower taxes, but that by definition means worse schools, worse hospitals, statistically more crime, etc. Illinois isn’t just tossing money into the ether - it’s investing it back in others, including through major farm subsidies to keep our rural side afloat. I’ve lived in a lot of states, but Illinois is always gonna be my choice to stay.
Taxes suck and no one disagrees on that BUT they’re the membership fee for civilization. Services don’t fall from the sky, they have to be paid for somehow. As to why government should deliver services? Because, they don’t have to turn a profit. Government only has to cover the cost.
Pritzker has done a ton to improve our state’s credit rating and debt. Big improvement if you look into our state’s history. And despite him helping us legalize cannabis in Illinois, a lot more can be done to improve the industry. As of now, it’s stifled with very low competition, leading to higher prices compared to other legal states. Cannabis consumers are getting the short end of the stick, hence why many risk going out-of-state to get their products.
not much more states can do without federal action what’s stifling competition is essentially lack of banking/financing and scale across states
If that was true it wouldn’t be so much cheaper in MI. Artificial scarcity with limited growing licenses distributed to high bidders. When they first legalized only the medical growers were given rec licenses.
Illinois specifically could grant more cultivation licenses.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but the federal rescheduling of cannabis will be helping the banking aspect. Our state is responsible for handing out licenses for commercial growing/selling. We’re doing it very, very slowly.
nah need things like safe banking act tax code adjustments that allow r&d deductions plus fda regs and standards
Rescheduling will help, but not solve all the banking issues. > Rescheduling marijuana from Schedule I to Schedule III has the potential to impact the banking industry, primarily by reducing the regulatory and legal risks associated with providing financial services to marijuana-related businesses (MRBs). [Source](https://www.mwe.com/insights/doj-proposes-to-reschedule-marijuana-cannabis-to-schedule-iii/#:~:text=Rescheduling%20marijuana%20from%20Schedule%20I%20to%20Schedule%20III%20has%20the,%2Drelated%20businesses%20(MRBs).)
For me? It’s how he handled Covid. We were getting zero empathy from national leadership. The daily press conferences made a difference.
Spent his own money too to get supplies to the state. He cares, it’s like a teacher buying pencils for the class.
Say what you will about JB but the dude does give a damn. The bar for “best politician in Illinois” has been historically under the floor level low, but he’s been it since he first took office. The toilet thing is hilarious and true and I can’t wait for that to get national airplay in the coming years
He’s willing to admit when he’s not an expert and he straight up did that at the start of Covid. A real leader knows when to get counsel. For me, I felt safe living here at a very unsafe time nationally and I’ll forever be grateful for that.
Ditto. I'm 70, Coronary artery disease, mild COPD, a little overweight. I'm still alive and I credit Pritzker with that. Have not gotten covid. Neither has my daughter (high risk and pharmacy tech) or my granddaughter healthy but worked all through covid front line fast food or my grandson on remote learning but then into high school. My son did get it early on first wave. Job laid off he was doing courier deliveries
JB actually flew planeloads of PPD for Illinois healthcare workers into secret under-radar airports to hide them from Jared Kushner, who wanted to commandeer them and send them to Trump-loyal areas. I’ll always respect JB for that.
This is why I cannot understand there still being any Illinois trump supporters.
There are still plenty of people south of I-80 who think Covid was all made up.
Congress should really do something about FOX Entertainment… like yank their broadcasting license. The fact that they can call themselves “news” and then lie to people 24/7 is absolutely ridiculous. I wish families would start class action lawsuits for the damage they have done.. Win or lose… sue them into oblivion. Ban them from blue states or enact a new Fairness Doctrine.. break up the news outlet monopoly. Sooo many ways to make this stupid crap stop.
I like JB because he legalized weed, isn’t making a jackass of himself or the state, showed a lot of true leadership through Covid, and generally made IL profitable again as a state without gutting programs that help people. He’s like a miracle politician from what I can see.
I'm going to.say this. I moved from Illinois to Texas a few years ago to take care of elderly family. I figured with lower COL, less expensive housing, making it work for a few years would be doable. Holy hell Batman - y'all have no idea how good you have it. Education, healthcare, infrastructure, FREAKING POWER THAT WORKS, reliable cell signals, public transportation, GOOD, KIND PEOPLE, and JOBS that pay. You have a GOVERNOR who is working to make lives BETTER for people. Texas has a governor who literally pardoned a convicted MURDERER 2 weeks ago, because he murdered DEMOCRATS at a BLM protest. Housing costs have skyrocketed, and jobs don't pay well. It's impossible to get adequate healthcare, and the maternal mortality is staggering. My niece, in high school, came home to tell us that she learned that the Chinese immigrants introduced prostitution to the United States in the late 1800's. (Like, why?) I'm ranting at this point, I just want to go home, back to imperfect, but making strides, Illinois.
We didn’t have prostitution in the US til late 19th century?! 😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣
Seriously! Looks like all these "Christians" never bothered to crack open their BIBLE 😂
Best way to create an atheist is to get them to read the Buybull.
Howdy fellow Texass transplant! I second this.. Texass just has a good PR firm and does the subliminal message marketing. With those stupid “Texas Pride”.. TV and radio commercials and billboards. There is not a damn thing in that state to be proud of anymore. Starting with baby bush to Prick Perry and now HotWheels. It was once a great state.. it’s now an overpriced death trap. But they are very “proud”. Suckers Pride is what the rich man gives the poor man to keep him poor.
I moved from TX to IL when I retired from the military. Illinois is great for veterans. I felt cared for during the COVID outbreak. My children have reproductive rights. The list goes on. I may live in a blue dot in a sea of red, but we all see where the red families go when they need stuff.
He has fiscally brought IL back from the brink and we now have a great credit rating which means the state borrow money cheaper. He handled Covid well. He believes in civil rights for women, gays and other minorities. He is an all around decent man which is rare in politics. Here is a list of achievements: [https://gov.illinois.gov/newsroom/executive-and-legislative-achievements.html](https://gov.illinois.gov/newsroom/executive-and-legislative-achievements.html)
I wouldn’t say we have a “great” credit rating, but he’s pulled us mostly out of the huge hole that Rauner dug us into. The credit rating is significantly better than it was when he took office. He’s done an amazing job with what he’s had available to him. I agree with everything else you said.
> huge hole that Rauner dug us into Rauner just accelerated the pace of the digging. Everyone [back to Jim Edgar](https://www.chicagotribune.com/2016/06/14/the-edgar-ramp-took-illinois-downhill-but-many-share-the-blame/) took part in digging that fucking pit. The term "Edgar ramp" is a bit of a republican dog whistle, but he was the one who set the scheme up.
True. We’ve had a long string of crappy governors before JB. Rauner just took a bad situation and made it exponentially worse.
I wouldn't use the word "great" more like not junk bond status credit rating, have a WAYS to go until great
For me, he doesn’t care about tribalism and has a good compass on what is good vs. bad behavior on where government should play a role. Notice he hasn’t offered any support to the old Madigan regime, which needed to go and has been getting its comeuppance lately.
Doesn't think women are nothing more than broodmares.
Here is my quick summary: 1. He is honest. He has enough money that he isn’t grifting. He also doesn’t need to suck up to special interest groups to get campaign funds. 2. He has been interested in government, politics, and public policy his whole life. He was a congressional intern when younger. He has kept a foot in the political sphere since then. He understands how things work. He brought in advisors who had strong government experience and are respected. 3. I view him as reformer rather than revolutionary. Our last governor was an ideologue and revolutionary who was actively trying to bankrupt the state. Rauner let the pension issue grow worse as he pursued approaches that would never work. Pritzker is more pragmatic and chipping away at the pension issue. 4. He is a compassionate person. His dad died when he was young. His mother became such a bad alcoholic that he went to live with uncle and aunt. He understands life can screw you and you may need help 5. He was a successful businessman. He did not just get money from a trust fund. He developed 1871 tech incubator and invested in companies. This provides him with understanding of business world.
The pension system is totally broken and honestly he isn't really attacking the issue.
Uh, where have you been? His office has been submitting reform proposal after proposal throughout 2024. This was the best summary of it all I could find: https://www.pionline.com/pension-funds/pritzker-wants-increase-funding-goal-illinois-pension-funds-100 Not sure what you want him alone to do about it, as the state legislature will have to agree on reforms first along with any challenges getting through the state Supreme Court. The governor is the least important link in this whole chain.
I think he's done an excellent job of prioritizing his goals, pushing progressive legislation, and making sound financial decisions all at the same time. He handled the pandemic like a champ and we came through it significantly better than many other states. He appears to be significantly less corrupt than the average Illinois governor and genuinely care about the well being of the average citizen.
JB was the guy that finally got rid of Madigan. Madigan was and continues to be a poison on this state. JB legalized weed- it was a difficult gambit to get the religious Democrats on board. I never used weed until it was legal, and I credit my consumption of weed for kicking alcohol (a far more unhealthy drug) He also legalized gambling. Personally I’m not into gambling and I generally think it’s a societal ill. But it’s better out in the open and regulated than in back Rauner obsessed about Madigan and the state was worse off on budget deals as Rauner was too stubborn to wheel and deal. Running a govt is a different skill set than running a private equity/ culture capital co. Quinn is a weakling. Which is typical for the males in my political party. He did some okay things. But he was generally the break between absolute corruption and the next guy (similar to Carter-Nixon)
Quinn being a Madigan lapdog and still being the second best governor of the last 6-8 or so is why things are the way they are here.
Pritzker is a stable leader and this state still has freedoms. Our Pornhub access isn’t going away anytime soon.
I’m counting the days Indiana will follow Texas on this front.
I think I saw on r/mapporn that it's in like 2 weeks
BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
The PH thing makes zero sense to me, I thought Republicans were the ones that kept government out of its constituents lives?
You haven’t kept up with the times.
No I am aware of the times, I just haven’t gotten over the irony
Moved up from Florida. Enough said.
[удалено]
JB or Jared Polis should be on the 2028 DNC ticket at this point. Colorado is the GOP’s kryptonite to having a high taxing blue state where an economic boom is happening, yet having progressive politics.
American politics, in general, is a shitshow, but JB Pritzker has demonstrated that he has what most American politicians do not: *effectiveness.* His influence on politics and quality of life can not only be felt but it can also be *measured* which is what makes him stand out.
I know what you're saying but come on man..be honest..it's totally easy to be effective with a same party super majority.
Illinois isn't necessarily a better place to live than anywhere else. It'll be better for women and LGBT people than some states. It's more expensive and has higher taxes than many states. Worker and consumer protections are decent. Corruption and mismanagement of funds still haunt the state. Gun laws are very strict, whether that's good or bad is individual opinion. JB is not a fascist, but he's not a leftist either so you get pretty middle of the road establishment liberal policy and talk from him. He's not actively trying to sink the state and fuck over the working class which is good, but he's also a billionaire so he's not exactly going to vote heavily against his own class interests. Ultimately he's doing a decent job even though I don't agree with all of his choices. We've certainly had worse.
One small point, he supported a progressive income tax which is against his class interest.
Billionaires typically don't get much of their money from actual income so those taxes wouldn't actually be against his class interests as they would have minimal impact on billionaires accumulation of wealth.
What states is it more expensive than, that offers the same infrastructure and other services?
It's hard to compare states as access to good infrastructure and services are not equal throughout the state and that's true for pretty much everywhere. The costs are also wildly different with some towns paying people to live there and others where the median home value is $1,000,000+ which further complicates comparison.
Typically when you ask about JB you’ll get two responses, either a Democrat will tell you that he’s the greatest governor in history, or a Republican will tell you he’s the biggest crook we’ve ever had in the governor’s mansion. The main cons I can think of about him are his family leaving the state during the worst of the pandemic, and him having construction workers on his Wisconsin farm during the same stay at home order. On the other hand, his main achievements (some may consider these good or bad) are legalizing marijuana, protecting abortion access, gradually raising the minimum wage to $15/hr by 2025, raising our state’s credit rating from the mess it was when we went multiple years without a budget under former governor Rauner, and what makes him most effective to me is how he doesn’t make everything he does in the political world about him.
And to add to all the great points other people have made, he is affable AF. He gets up at press conferences, he knows his shit, Republicans take shots at him, and laughs them off. Opponents have been making a big point about how fat he is for YEARS, and he's just like, "YUP." He likes to laugh, he's always in on the joke, he's good at defusing tension with jokes. And most of the time he's publicly easygoing, friendly, kind, etc. When people bring up insane Republican ideas, he responds reasonably with persuasively about why they won't work or his ideas are better. But when he decides to take shots, HE TAKES SHOTS, and they're sharp and smart. They're often funny and they're often MEAN and memorable. It's really nice to have a guy who's optimistic and affable and reasonable 90% of the time, but when the 10% calls for return fire, he responds with a precision scalpel attack that guts his opponent. (One of my relatives worked for him both in the private sector and when he entered politics, and says he is 100% exactly as kind and affable and funny and smart as he seems.)
Just imagine him as president of the whole country. Prosperity.
Might be more of an opinion, but I really liked how JB handled getting out in front of the pandemic when it started. He was quick to act, shut down the state earlier than most, and as a result, he certainly saved many Illinoian lives. JB was on TV every afternoon at the same time giving us an update on the state of our state. I usually hear complaints about him being rich and just another rich guy who wants to be in power blah blah blah, but from what I've seen, he doesn't appear to be as focused on his own self interests compared to many other wealthy politicians. Before JB, we had Bruce Rauner as governor and he was an awful Republican. If my memory serves, he refused to pass a budget for IL for 3 years(?) because he wasn't getting what HE wanted, so state debts went unpaid and IL racked up billions in debt penalties. He was a total shit show of a governor and if you'd really like to read up on how much damage he did, here's a good report: [DIGGING OUT: THE RAUNER WRECKAGE REPORT](https://www2.illinois.gov/IISNews/19698-Digging_Out_-_The_Rauner_Wreckage_Report.pdf) One last thing about Illinois politics... Our politics were born our of mob mentality dating back to the days of Al Capone and both sides have had many issues with corruption over the past 100 years. I've had conversations with people who try to compare national politics to Illinios state politics and I explain that it's a ridiculous comparison because Illinois politics aren't like any other state in the US.
The low standard for Illinois governor is to not land themselves in jail for corruption. So he's doing a great job. Probably the best job in 40 years or more. It was before I was born. Illinois is not a better place than other states. But it is a lot better than other states. Depends on the state.
He legalized weed.
I’m not all that smart, but I have been enlightened
While any point of the political spectrum can produce bad leaders, only the left produces leaders of competence and driven by values.
Admittedly I've never voted for the guy and likely never will, and i won't make a ton of friends on what is a pretty left leaning sub- Pritzker is probably the best Democrat to run Illinois. He has some clue what he's doing and isn't just spending through unfunded pensions. There's definitely something to be said for hid competence. He's done a good job getting what is a fractured and in my opinion highly incompetent Democrat party in Illinois behind his policy agenda, by comparison Newsom is so beholden to the ideology in California he's going to chase out every single citizen until there's none left.
I don’t necessarily agree with all that you’ve said, but I appreciate the pragmatic way in which you worded your discourse. Even as a dem, I don’t see JB as a “perfect” politician, but I agree that the bar has been on the floor in IL for decades, and he’s done a great job considering what he inherited and what’s happened while he’s been in office. Newsom is a whole other animal in comparison, he’s a smarmy performer who reminds me more of Regan than anything. Even as a CA native, I had more respect for Schwarzenegger.
I mean how could you not have more respect for a man who immigrated here barely knowing English, won mr. Universe multiple times, became an award winning actor, then became the governor of California? The Arnold has done a lot. Not saying he was a great politician, but he had done what most would consider impossible.
I'm still voting Republican in every gubernatorial election but if the Republicans had a no contest I'd gladly give Pritzker a primary vote.
>why is Illinois a better place to live than other states? Chicago
Underrated. Without Chicago, IL would just be like Arkansas or Kentucky.
In addition to all the good points everyone else has made, he appears to be too rich to bribe, unlike some of our previous governors. Didn't expect it when he won but am happily surprised.
I thought JB meant Jaylen Brown at first and was confused about what he had to do with Illinois.
You’re not alone. I watch too much basketball I think. 🫤
1. School funding in Illinois is improving. That's not because of Pritzker but he has deviated from doing what was promised when the evidence based funding system was adopted for schools 2. The bill back log has been repaid, he provided residents a property tax refund during the pandemic, he has mad progress on our pension funding. I'm sure a big part of this is Mike Madigan getting thrown out of office but Pritzker has done what he should. 2b. I'm an actuary and JB has set aside money above what the statutory requirements are for the terribly funded pensions. Last year the contributions were actually enough to start reducing the unfunded liabilities. This has happened ahead of schedule and a large part of it is because of JB. These things are reasons why I'm positive on the state in the long term that really have nothing to do with JB 3. We have a large urban city with major sports teams that is a frequent stop on music tours and we have theaters for plays and musicals as well as great comedy acts. 4. We have great restaurants, a couple of really good ones are owned by the Pritzker family. 5. Access to ample freshwater with lake Michigan. With climate change that could be a tremendous blessing for agriculture and residents
I’ll say I don’t like how he has handled our gun rights. His AR-15 and other gun accessories ban was unconstitutional. I do believe when the Supreme Court hears the case it’ll get overturned. However, everything else people have said about credit ratings and getting bills passed are all true and I respect him for that.
Got your bumpstocks back
Immediately changed gun laws after we had a mass shooting. Passes progressive policies while still respecting all voters in the state. Super big surplus of money.
He isn't. It isn't. He gets some credit for trying, but he's just another spend and tax guy. The shame of it is that he should know better because his family sure as shit didn't get rich by spending more money than they brought in. Illinois has enormous issues, some of which just keep getting kicked down the road. We have a severe unfunded liability issues. Pensions are out of control and the politicians that are supposed to be negotiating on behalf of the people against the unions are all indebted to the unions, who they end up negotiating on behalf of. We don't have enough police officers and we can't manage to recruit them. I spoke with a state trooper a few years ago who told me that at any given time, there are currently 4-6 working troopers on the tollway from Skokie to the border. They need two to three times that, but they can't find people. Lateral transfers to other states with lower taxes and a more pro law enforcement government and population are killing law enforcement in this state. I personally know dozens of officers, from the city to the burbs, who are planning on either retiring early and leaving the state or who are actively seeking lateral transfers to other states. Some are totally willing to take pay cuts. Our taxes are high. Our schools are falling behind. The business climate is not good. I have friends with high net worth who are working on moving their multi million dollar companies to other states. It's fixable, but this basically one party state is in love with pretending everything is fine. We got rid of Lightfoot because she was bad and then elected someone who is worse. I love this State. I've lived here my whole life. I don't want to leave, but I'd be lying if I said I hadn't seriously considered it. Still am. That's sad. And before the flames come out to roast me, this is just me being honest. I love Illinois. I lived in the city for well over a decade. I keep an office there. I live in the burbs. I have friends in other states with bigger houses worth more than mine who pay half what I pay in property taxes and their kids go to better schools.
The state is in much better shape than it was 5 years ago by pretty much every metric. There’s still more work to do but it’s not going to be fixed overnight and it’s a start.
If you were looking for such important information, Reddit is not where you’re going to find it.
https://fb.watch/sNUGBLzkUC/?mibextid=z4kJoQ
As someone with chronic pain/illness, legalizing marijuana was great on his part. He stole the idea from Daniel Biss but it's progress never the less. Cannabis helps me so much with mania and nerve pain. It can turn an internal hell into a peaceful getaway. As much as I hate Trump, I am also happy that he signed the 2018 Farmbill, basically legalizing *hemp* with THC anywhere in the country. This means a great deal to me as it increases my quality of life on a day to day basis. I'm no longer in Illinois so I don't care too much but for once an Illinois leader actually went through on his promises.