An honest assessment of Gov Fatso
- snitzoid
- 2 hours ago
- 4 min read
Vallas speaks the truth.
The Boy Who Cried Trump
By Paul Vallas
May 8th, 2026
Governor JB Pritzker has spent the last year making his pitch to be the Democratic candidate for president in 2028. He has wrestled with California Governor Gavin Newsom and others over who will lead opposition to Trump in the wake of the election. This has served not only to elevate his national profile, but also to deflect criticism of his own leadership of a state that, by many measures, is among the worst run in the nation.[4]
He’s been instrumental in giving legitimacy to characterizations of Trump and his supporters as Nazi-like lending fuel to anti -Israel and pro-Hamas protesters who regularly use Nazi euphemisms against Jews, calling them “genocide” perpetuators. Pritzker frequently invokes his Jewish identity to condemn what he describes as rising antisemitism and authoritarianism within the Republican Party, while failing to criticize members of his own party for their anti-Semitic rhetoric, actions, and alliances.
He’s led the charge in threatening the jobs and even the freedom of ICE and told CBS News that CBP agents in Illinois “are eventually going to lose their jobs and even their freedom,” pointing to a database his administration is helping compile. Yet he has not pursued a similarly prominent public database on the hundreds of victims of shootings and murders allegedly committed by criminals on pretrial release, or on criminal illegal migrants granted sanctuary by the state. [6][7]
He’s demanded an $8.6 billion refund for Illinois families and threatened legal action against President Trump, calling tariffs a “tax on the American people” and “stolen money,” while new tax and fee burden under Pritzker wants more tax have cost taxpayers more than $77 billion as Pritzker has raised taxes and fees 55 times since 2019, despite the state receiving a combined $55 billion in COVID funding. [6]
Pritzker rebrands the Supreme Court ruling on Louisiana redistricting as “voter suppression that will silence Black and brown voters,” even though the decision held that the creation of a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana was an unconstitutional racial gerrymander. Meanwhile, Illinois Democrats have drawn maps that have limited Republican representation in the U.S. House to 3 of 17 seats and ensured Democratic veto-proof majorities in the state House and Senate. [5][8][9][4]
Pritzker needs a diversion as he presides in my opinion over the worst run states east of California and south of Minnesota. Illinois has a massive economy, surpassing $1.2 trillion in GDP and often ranking among the five largest state economies in the nation. Yet the state is reeling by most key indicators, with no change in sight, given Illinois’ dominance by one party and the influence of a billionaire governor willing to spend whatever it takes to stifle opposition and advance his preferred narrative.
By virtually every financial, economic, and demographic indicator, Illinois is rapidly becoming a failed state, as the Democratic Party has become the government and the government the party, where growth in government and enrichment of those associated with it drive policy. There are five key statistics that effectively illustrate the abysmal condition of the state under the leadership JB Pritzker and the gerrymandered permanent Democratic majority.
Illinois is frequently ranked as having the highest combined state and local tax burden in the United States. A March 2025 report from WalletHub found that Illinois residents pay the highest combined taxes, taking more than 16.5% of their annual income, which is over 50% higher than the national average. [1]
Illinois consistently ranks among the worst states for debt. The Reason Foundation reported that Illinois has about $15,804 in unfunded public pension liabilities per person, the highest in the nation, with total unfunded liabilities of roughly $218 billion. Meanwhile, Pritzker recently added another $11 billion in pension debt to Chicago, bringing obligations to $53 billion. [2][10]
Illinois ranks among the weakest states for private-sector job growth. Illinois Policy reported that the state added only about 15,500 net private-sector jobs since January 2019, while other states such as Texas and Florida added hundreds of thousands more over the same period.
Despite Illinois progressive agenda, WalletHub ranks Illinois last in economic equity using key economic metrics like income, housing, employment, and cost of living, while Illinois Policy reports that Illinois ranks poorly on mobility and economic outcomes for Black residents.
Illinois has seen over 1.6 million residents leave since 2000 with high-income earners are leaving at twice the rate of other groups. In 2023, this resulted in a net loss of over $6 billion AGI. In recent years, an influx of international migrants has offset, albeit slightly, Illinois loss of residents.[3]
Half of the remaining Illinois residents, when surveyed, say they would leave if they had the means, citing taxes, cost of living, job opportunities, schools, safety, and corruption. Illinois is experiencing a major demographic shift where higher-income residents are leaving, replaced by much lower-income residents and migrants, the majority of whom are in need of public assistance of some kind. This colossal demographic upheaval” is driving the cost of government up while diminishing the tax base.
Such is the state of the state. Understanding that the best defense for incompetence is a good offense, Pritzker is attacking Trump seemingly daily as he vies for national leadership of the Trump resistance and diverts to attention or scapegoats for the state’s considerable problems. Unfortunately for Illinois, with its gerrymandered federal and state legislative maps limiting any real political accountability, Illinois residents with the means will continue to vote with their feet.[9][5]
Sources
[1] https://www.illinoispolicy.org/report-illinoisans-pay-nations-highest-combined-state-local-taxes/
[2] https://www.illinoispolicy.org/1-million-a-day-x-600-years-to-fill-illinois-pension-hole/… https://www.illinoispolicy.org/chicago-pensions-carry-more-debt-than-44-states/
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Paul Vallas formerly ran the public school systems in Chicago, Philadelphia and the Louisiana Recovery School District. He was a candidate for Mayor of Chicago.
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