Fritz Pfister

The governor is now painting his tax increase proposal, the largest in the history of Illinois, as a moral issue. He claims that the Lord is on his side, because everyone deserves health care. With the states’ lieutenant governor, comptroller, and treasurer either outright opposing the gross receipts tax (GRT), or casting grave doubt upon it, democrats all, the governor is switching gears to the moral claim.

The most successful magicians in history could take their audiences eyes off the ball, and viola, surprise them all with their trick. Sorry governor, your shift to the moral claim is an obvious move to deceive your audience, just as your TV ads are patently misleading.

Dozens of business groups, farm associations, and trade groups have provided the evidence that the governors claims are unfounded in reality, and that the GRT will have the opposite effect on low, and middle income families, small businesses, and family farmers. These families will suffer most as the Illinois economy struggles with the loss of businesses leaving the state, and the destruction of new business development. It has been proven beyond a shadow of a doubt, jobs will be lost, and the cost of living will go up, as businesses pass along the tax to the consumer. I guess the Lord would approve of health care over the ability to feed your family?

Realtor groups such as the Capital Area Association of Realtors through a press release by president Peter Steward stated;”This is nothing more than a $6 billion tax on Illinois consumers, will drive business out of the state, stifle new business development, and drive down the value of a family’s most valuable possession, their home.”

Perhaps by claiming the moral issue, that God is on his side, the governor can take the people of Illinois eyes off the truth. The people should understand what the governor is proposing is not ‘the light at the end of the tunnel’, ‘it’s a freight train’, about to destroy their economy.

Personally, I too believe this is a moral issue. I believe in the commandment, “thou shalt not steal”. That is exactly what the governor is proposing, to steal from the businesses of Illinois their hard earned money to be wasted upon new programs doomed to failure as all other, well intended social experiments.

There hasn’t been a person out of Chicago to have strong armed more money out of businesses, like the governor has with his hundreds of fee increases, since Al Capone, and now the GRT. The governor uses false and deceptive advertising, speech, and the strong arm of the law to steal from business. Capone used the strong arm of thugs. Their means are different, their ends the same.

The governor is trying to make people believe that he is Robin Hood. Good old Robin Hood stole from the rich to give to the poor, making a good story, popular with most. That’s the ‘take your eye off the ball’ move to deceive, because the fact is that Robin Hood was a thief and a criminal.

Hopefully for the sake of the people of Illinois, the light in that tunnel is headed toward Robin Hood.