Governor DeSantis and Governor Pritzker each just signed their 8th state budgets. The contrast couldn't be starker. And the lesson is that who you elect matters. Change out the politicians and you get different policies.
For reference, Florida is 1.8x more populous than IL, 23.37m people compared to 12.71m people. Now consider these points:
1. FL general revenue budget is $52B, IL is $56B. Because state's have different ways of budgeting, lookimg at the total FY27 budgets, FL =$117B, IL=$130B. This doesn't make sense.
2. Pritzker advocated for and signed the largest budget in state history this year and in previous years. DeSantis has lowered the amount spent every year for the last four years and vetoed over $10B in spending during his time in office. Pritzker's budget is up $16B since he took office.
3. Pritzker brags about his credit upgrades, but IL has the worst state credit rating, FL has the best credit rating.
4. FL has a rainy day fund of $18B. IL rainy day fund is $2B.
5. FL is pushing $78B in road programs and moving planned projects ahead 5-15 years. IL can't even get projects planned, permitted and built in a timely manner, so many projects are left undone and money sits in an account collecting interest. And now that surplus interest is being sent to the CTA to bail them out.
6. DeSantis has given back over $9B in taxes. Pritzker has raised taxes every year for a total of over $77B according to IPI.
9. FL is giving $5,000 signing bonuses for police officers. IL politicians want to defund the police.
10. FL is on the cusp of eliminating property taxes for 60% of home owners and they have no state income tax. IL has the highest property taxes, plus individial income and estate taxes, high corporate taxes, and there's been no attempt to meaningfully lower property taxes.
Yes, elections have consequences. But, it can all ve reversed. DeSantis barely got elected 8 years ago. Your vote matters.
Ok Tatuaje you finally got me! Thought the Mummy was a one-off epic pleasure…hadn’t had a cigar in two days. Grabbed a Boris Karloff this past weekend and it transitioned from baking spices, cinnamon and cream to chocolate and back to sweet. You “Monster”!
June 9: JB Pritzker: "Do people in Illinois want tolls raised to pay for the Bears? I don't think they do."
Two weeks later: He's defending the biggest toll hike in state history.
JB Pritzker is a slimy politician who talks out of both sides of his mouth.
My name is Ella, I'm 17 years old.
I do long jump. I play volleyball. I go to school in New Richmond, Wisconsin.
When my school allowed a biological male into the girls' restroom without telling parents —
I went to the school board.
With my name attached.
In my own town.
I got bullied for it. Harassed online. Even some of my own teachers came after me.
I'm still here.
Because here's what I know:
The net in women's volleyball is set nearly a foot lower for a reason.
A biological male can hit a ball across that net at force that could seriously injure a girl.
And in track — all it takes is three biological males entering the girls' category
and not a single girl in this state stands on a podium.
I didn't speak up because it was easy.
I spoke up because somebody had to.
The Supreme Court is about to answer the question every girl in America is asking.
We're ready.
@JenniferSey@xx_xyathletics
JUST IN: A school clerk on Long Island in Hempstead just got caught physically tearing up ballots and throwing them in a dumpster to help her favorite candidate win a school board election.
The candidate she was helping - Victor Pratt - won by just 81 votes, racking up 87% of absentee ballots while only getting 27% of in-person machine votes. New York State has now ordered a brand new election.
This is exactly why people don’t trust the mail-in and absentee ballot system - when someone with access to those ballots decides to play hero with an election, every legitimate vote gets stolen.
If it happened here, how many other small local elections has this happened in without anyone ever finding out?
https://t.co/LSIgTSKLBs
What is happening to @CaitlinClark22 right now is horrible.
This woman has carried the WNBA to new heights, yet they don’t seem to care that she is taking beatings left and right.
They even snubbed her on the WNBA's 30th-anniversary poster.
If the WNBA cares about the success of its brand, it needs to get smart and protect Clark.