Katherine Martino

[Yogi @Houseofyogi]

Chicago lost the Bears this week. A team that's been in the city since 1921.

They didn't lose them to a bigger market or a better deal. The Bears decided they'd rather be a tenant in Indiana than deal with Illinois for one more year.

Think about how badly you have to run a place for that to be the smart move.

They lost them for two reasons.

The people running Illinois would rather villainize a builder than keep one. And they're bad at their jobs.

In 2021 the Bears spent $197M on the old Arlington Park racetrack.

Before they could break ground, Cook County valued the empty lot at $192M (Bears said $60M). They were salivating at the chance to extort a building that didn't even exist yet.

That fight dragged on for years.

The Bears were ready to put $2B into the stadium. All they wanted was a promise the county wouldn't reassess them into oblivion, plus $855M for infrastructure everyone uses. Roads, transit, utilities. A $3B project, two thirds of it private money pouring into Illinois.

Springfield had since 2021 to get this done. They dragged it to the final night of session, passed it through the Senate at 3:39AM, and the House went home without voting.

So now it's all gone.

The funniest part? This started because Cook County tried to grab the tax early. They knew a built stadium would pay $53M a year. Now they get under $4M on a vacant lot. No jobs, no buildout, no new anything.

Congrats on fighting for scraps and losing the whole prize.

Pritzker: they're "an $8.5B valued business" that doesn't need propping up.

But be smart for a second. Almost every NFL city throws in public money for a stadium. Not charity. The return is real. Tourism, hotels, restaurants, jobs, game days, property tax on a huge development. The math works.

Indiana did the math. While Illinois sat on it for years, Indiana passed a bill in months, put up $1B, and took the team.

And the Bears took a worse deal to get there. In Illinois they were going to own their stadium. In Indiana they rent it from the state. A team that wanted to build its own home gave up ownership just to escape Chicago.

Nobody won but Indiana. The Bears lost their stadium. Illinois lost the team, the $2B, and $53M a year in taxes.

Pritzker after they left: "I wasn't willing to give up billions of dollars of taxpayer money to give it to a billionaire-owned family or team."

There it is. "Billionaire-owned."

That's how Democrats talk about any business right before they run it out of town. Call them a billionaire, act like you're saving working families, take a victory lap while the tax base drives across the state line.

Meanwhile they're running the whole state into the ground. And you already know how this ends. You're living in it.

Pensions are $143B in the hole, worst in the country and not close. You pay $6,285 a year in property taxes, double the $2,969 national average, for a city that's $1.15B in the red. The mayor called its finances "the point of no return."

When you run things this badly, you sell what's left.

They leased the parking meters for 75 years to Morgan Stanley and a sovereign wealth fund in Abu Dhabi. Took $1.15B and burned through it in two years. The investors already made it all back, with 58 years left to collect.

Sold the Skyway. Sold the downtown garages. Every asset that made money, gone for one check.

But a fixed property tax rate for a team that's been here 106 years? That's "propping up billionaires."

Companies are leaving. Boeing for Virginia. Caterpillar for Texas. Citadel for Miami. In 2023 alone Illinois lost 56,000 people and $6B in income to other states. The ones who left earned a third more than the ones who moved in.

Indiana didn't outbid anyone. AAA credit, 16 years straight. A $676M surplus. Fourth-lowest debt per person in the country. They just weren't a disaster.

Illinois could have collected $53M a year. It chose zero. Ignore all the bad management but make sure to stick it to those evil, pesky billionaires.

[SCOTUSblog @SCOTUSblog]

The ripple effects from the court’s April 29 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, in which the justices struck down Louisiana’s congressional map, made their way to the court for the first time on Friday afternoon.

https://t.co/umVCAMI1sM

[James Woods @RealJamesWoods]

When you send in your check to the IRS, just know you are working two jobs so these Democrat grifters can get even more disgustingly rich. But keep voting for them because “they care for the working man.”

[Ryan Fournier @RyanAFournier]

This is INCREDIBLE! Currently over a MILLION people are marching in honor of Charlie Kirk in London.

Thank you. 🙏🏼 ❤️

[Isabella Maria DeLuca @IsabellaMDeLuca]

So far this year, the United States has given:

- $24,400,000,000 to Ukraine.
- $11,300,000,000 to Israel.
- $1,950,000,000 to Ethiopia.
- $1,600,000,000 to Jordan.
- $1,400,000,000 to Egypt.
- $1,100,000,000 to Afghanistan.
- $1,100,000,000 to Somalia.
- $1,000,000,000 to Yemen.
- $987,000,000 to Congo.
- $896,000,000 to Syria.
- $9,000 per illegal immigrant that has entered the U.S.

And Americans who have lost everything to Hurricane Helene will be getting $750, courtesy of FEMA.

[Benny Johnson @bennyjohnson]

JUST IN: President Trump introduces a new IVF policy that will take place under his next term

“Government will pay for or your insurance company will be mandated to pay for all costs associated with IVF treatment."

[SweetPeaBelle @SweetPeaBell326]

Wow…just wow.

Look at the faces on the CNN panel as a huge truth bomb is dropped.

“Democrats have controlled the White House for 12 of the last 16 years, and somehow, it’s still all Trump’s fault.”

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Yup

[aka @akafaceUS]

Hey leftwingers when you can’t afford groceries, a house, your 401k is in the gutter.. just remember Democrats are giving illegals 50k+ a yr passively, celebrities at the DNC convention are making 20k+ for a night and they aren’t giving you SHIT.

[DC_Draino @DC_Draino]

Trump releases 1st major campaign ad after picking JD Vance for VP

It will give you chills

[kira 👾 @kirawontmiss]

but it's me who needs to drink out of a soggy paper straw to reduce my carbon footprint

[Pete Pappas @PGAPappas]

DAY 3: PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas Golf Giveaway

🎁 New 2023 Cobra KING Tour or Forged Tec (4-PW) FULL Set of Irons (Choose any flex, RH or LH) #JingleBAMBigger

To enter:
🎄 Repost
🎄 Follow @PGAPappas and @cobragolf

#ReleaseTheKringle! https://t.co/tyahSI8mtx

[Lauren Witzke @LaurenWitzkeDE]

They pranced him around to shill their shot onto others until he died of a heart attack at 8 years old.

And the mainstream media is silent about it.

These people are so evil.

[Clay Travis @ClayTravis]

I don’t care who the speaker is. I care about 23 year mortgage rate highs, 40 year high inflation, a wide open Southern border, 21st century crime highs all over the US, & wages not keeping pace with price increases on basic goods. I suspect 95% of Americans feel the same way.

[The Eras Tour @TSTheErasTour]

RT if you want to meet her on #TSTheErasTour in Eras Room. ♥️

[Pete Pappas @PGAPappas]

PGAPappas 12 Days of Christmas KRINGLE Tee to Green FLASH FOUR Golf Giveaway 4

🎁 New 2022 Tour Edge Golf Wingman 700 Putter (choose any model: https://t.co/whSArGeMLm)

To enter:
🎄 Retweet
🎄 Follow @PGAPappas and @TourEdgeGolf

#ReleaseTheKringle! https://t.co/ChzgfqNjuZ

[Katherine Martino @Martino0807]

@AEO @MollyBreen11

[American Eagle @AEO]

😴 G I V E A W A Y! 😴 It's Lazy Day and we're gifting one lucky winner a full outfit from our Loungewear and PJs section! ✨

TO ENTER:
✨ Like this Tweet
✨ RT this Tweet
✨ Tag a friend in the replies

Ends 8/12 at 10:30am EST. GOOD LUCK!

[Iowa State Athletics @CycloneATH]

WIN IT WEDNESDAY!!!

Like & retweet for your chance to win this ISU mini helmet. 🚨
#cyclONEnation