We here in ‘flyover country’ have long been ignored by the national media. If ever mentioned, it usually is in some kind of denigrating manner, somewhat like a former President who claimed we ‘cling to our guns and Bibles’. Another Democrat said that he could ‘smell Wal-Mart on Trump voters’. Those are some of the milder put-downs we in the middle of the country have had to endure over the years.
But you would think that with the COVID pandemic, Illinois would be included in the roll call of the would be tyrants. Just think about it. What governors have shown they have a hidden dictator within their bodies?
Start with the Atlantic coast. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat, leads the list by being ‘forced’ to resign because his orders sent thousand of elderly New Yorkers into nursing homes where they contracted the deadly virus and died. We still don’t know how many expired, but even then it was a sexual scandal which ended his more than 10 year reign in the Empire State.
Next door were two governors who also imposed lockdowns and mandates which impacted their citizens. Tom Wolf of Pennsylvania and Phil Murphy of New Jersey, two Democrats, have also been roundly criticized for their actions to ‘combat’ the coronavirus. Both are surviving, but have found themselves on the receiving end of charges of trying to control their constituents like monarchs of old.
Then there is Michigan’s governor, Gretchen Whitmer, a Democrat (full disclosure — she IS NOT related to us Witmers!) She shut down her state perhaps more than any other. And when her order to not travel included even a second home in the state, her attitude seemed more vile than anything Catherine the Great did in Russia in the 18thcentury. Gretchen tried so much to be the absolute ruler that she lost her emergency powers when the legislature took them away, by law. Her attempt to shut down an 80 year old barber from plying his trade rightly got her bad publicity, in addition to not being able to keep him from clipping hair.
Two other governors were excoriated for their malfeasance during the ‘George Floyd’ riots. Minnesota’s Democratic leader, Tim Walz ,showed he had spaghetti for a spine in Minneapolis during the summer of 2020, even refusing President Trump’s offer of the National Guard to help control the rioting, looting and burning in that fair city. Over the border in Wisconsin, Tony Evers (another Democrat), showed the same lack of control when the city of Kenosha erupted in riot, looting and burning. (Notice a pattern here?)
Going west, California’s Democrat governor, Gavin Newsom, is now facing a recall election on September 14 for his inept handling of the COVID crisis. Lockdown after lockdown have occurred in the Golden State, and even he could not abide by the rules he set down. Poor management of wildfires, and a homeless population that is about half of the national totals have added to his woes. He is so unpopular that many thousands of signatures than was needed for the recall were swiftly obtained.
North of California, Kate Brown, the Democratic governor of Oregon, has also shown a tendency toward absolutism. (Notice again the similarity of political party these would be tyrants claim?) Anyway, Ms. Brown has instituted policies that have been longer in duration than any other state in the union. And, just recently, she signed into law a measure keeping high school grads from having to prove proficiency in reading, writing and math.
Washington state also has its tinpot tyrant, Jay Inslee, another Democrat.
But why have we here in Illinois been overlooked? Our governor, J. B. Pritzker, of course a Democrat, must feel slighted for his ‘control’ over the Land of Lincoln. Pritzker, who is described as a member of the affluent Pritzker family, is a billionaire who seems out of touch with his people. Some of the measures he has helped pass, and his actions during the pandemic surely earns him a place alongside his Democratic colleagues.
When he first became governor, one of the first measures he signed was a 19 cent tax increase per gallon of gasoline, double the previous amount. In a state as large as Illinois, this means every citizen is paying for his measure. Supposedly to ‘fix’ the roads and other infrastructure, those of us who ply the highways and byways of Illinois have seen precious little improvement in them. Since we live within ten miles of the Indiana border we buy our gas in the Hoosier state.
When the pandemic struck, Pritzker became as autocratic as other Democratic leaders. In March 2020, businesses were shuttered and gatherings were limited. He decreed that churches could not meet within their buildings, and when that was eased, 10 per church was limit. Schools were closed. Of course abortion clinics were exempt, as were marijuana shops. Beauty salons and gyms were closed, restaurants were closed to indoor dining and other businesses not deemed ‘essential’ had to close their doors.
Then the usual liberal tendency to gut the 2nd Amendment was part of his agenda. He proposed bills that limited sales of guns and ammo, but in this state even many Democrats pushed back on that. Eventually several measures that did limit the right to ‘keep and bear arms’ were signed into law.
Just recently (last week), Pritzker took his battle against COVID to another level. Schools were forced last year to have children and staff masked. Many health experts and other scientists are convinced that masks for children are ineffective, but the first ‘rules’ out of Springfield (the state capitol, for the non Illinoisans who read this) was that masking would be mandatory. After a petition started by our local education leaders was supported by over 200 districts, that was eased, and a local option for masking was put in place. But the day after most parents realized that if they did not want their children wearing a cloth diaper on their faces, Pritzker unilaterally decreed that that was no longer the case. His executive order made mandatory masks for all who are in a school building — pupils, teachers, aides, administrators and janitors!
Pritzker himself could not abide by the lockdown and travel restrictions. His family traveled to a Florida ‘vacation’ home during the height of the pandemic, and he made his way to Wisconsin to check on his horse farm that was being built. ‘Rules for me, but not for thee’ seems to be the motto for these Democratic governors. (See the aforementioned Cuomo, Whitmer, Newsome families for other such examples.)
Illinois is just being ignored when it comes to governors abusing their powers. I would like to see a post office style wall with the names and pictures of these (among others) who have tried to lord it over their bailiwicks. Cuomo, Wolf, Murphy, Whitmer, Walz, Evers, Newsom, Brown, Inslee — and tacked up with them, the overlooked ‘king’ of Illinois J. B. PRITZKER!