This week’s headlines offered a sharp contrast between the best of Illinois and the worst of Springfield politics. We honored the life and legacy of Jim Bolin, whose “Big Things in A Small Town” vision brought pride, tourism, and opportunity to rural Illinois through creativity and community spirit. Meanwhile, in Springfield, Democrats continue advancing higher taxes, bloated spending, union-driven activism, and failed public policies that are making life more expensive and less safe for working families. From calls to pause Illinois gas taxes to rising unemployment, violent retail crime, and another looming Pritzker tax hike, the divide between common-sense priorities and government excess has never been clearer.
Brad
This week, State Representative Brad Halbrook (R-Shelbyville) joined Rep. Adam Niemerg, Rep. Chris Miller, and Rep. Blaine Wilhour in supporting House Resolution 684 to honor Jim Bolin – the creator of “Big Things in A Small Town” in Casey, IL.
Jim’s vision for “Big Things in A Small Town” put rural Illinois on the map and brought smiles to thousands of people from all over the country. From the world’s largest wind chime to the giant rocking chair and seesaw, his creativity made Casey truly one of a kind.
Jim’s impact on Casey — and on Illinois tourism — will not be forgotten. Keeping his family and friends in our thoughts.
May 6th, also known as Bacon Day, commemorates and recognizes the Illinois Pork Industry and the work they do to employ workers and feed Illinoisans. On this day, though, I couldn’t help but comment on the pork-laden budgets that are endemic in this state.
“Illinoisans deserve the kind of pork that brings home the bacon and not the kind that empties their wallets.”
I am calling for a six month pause on the state motor fuel tax to provide direct and visible relief at the pump and a pause on the July 1st increase in the tax. We have more than enough money in the motor fuel tax fund to maintain and repair roads for this year’s construction season.
“Today, I rise to call for immediate, common-sense relief for Illinois motorists, farmers, truckers, and every resident who depends on gasoline or diesel to live and work” said Halbrook. “The 6.25% motor fuel tax tax is applied not just to the base price of gasoline—but to a price that already includes state and federal taxes. In other words, Illinois families are paying a tax on top of other taxes.”
Governor Pritzker either lacks ingenuity, discipline, or both. Why else would he continue to recklessly spend taxpayer money and endlessly codify additional tax hikes whenever he runs out of money?
Effective solutions to solve Illinois’ financial woes are never presented or discussed (let alone implemented) by the Democrat Supermajority that lords over everything in the state.
Now they’ve piled on a gas tax increase to Illinois’ already ridiculously high gas prices. Effective July 1, 2026, the state tax will rise to 49.6 cents a gallon because of the automatic annual inflation increase baked into the 2019 “Rebuild Illinois” infrastructure program signed by Governor Pritzker.
Read More From Illinois Policy HERE
As the spring legislative session in Springfield nears a close, lawmakers are headed into final budget talks about what should be included in the fiscal year 2027 budget that’s set to be approved by May, 31.
As usual, Republicans want to use fiscal restraint, and Democrats want more government spending. Proposals differ across the board, but revenue projections for fiscal year 2026 remain on track, (and are higher than lawmakers originally budgeted for), which could provide some flexibility in the negotiations.
This article goes into the details of what both parties and Governor Pritzker are endorsing.
Instead of promoting a robust education plan for all Illinois students, Union Boss Stacy Davis-Gates wants to use her power to run the public schools like her own personal political action organization. Her arrogance and greed infect more than just Chicago, since she also presides over the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) which wags its finger at more than 200 school districts statewide.
Instead of prioritizing teaching children to read and write, students were organized by her unions to attend and participate in ADULT protests on May 1st, being told that it was their ‘civic duty’. Two of the dominant activist groups in attendance were the Coalition Against the Trump Agenda and the American Federation of Government Employees.
That is hardly a ‘field trip’ a child would even understand let alone care about.
This 2025 Illinois Policy article tells the real story behind the IFT.
Despite Governor Pritzker’s best efforts to bamboozle us, new statistics are telling the hard truth.
Data recently released by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Illinois Department of Employment Security paint the real picture. Illinois’ unemployment rose by half a percentage point between March 2025 and March 2026, and the state lost 8,400 jobs during that same time.
This article breaks it all down.
Meanwhile, it’s almost hilarious that Pritzker wants to eliminate funding for the White House ballroom project because he needs that money to fix the disastrous job situation in Illinois that he has created.
Blaming President Trump for his own inept leadership is all he’s got.
This guide lists over 420 farmers markets in more than 300 cities across Illinois. It also includes ‘featured’ markets, new additions and fresh 2026 schedules:
No posts
Comments
Nothing yet. Say the first thing.
Sign in to join the conversation.