Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) | repcaulkins.com
Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) | repcaulkins.com
Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) has emerged as one of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s sternest critics over the governor's handling of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think it was a missed opportunity to show some leadership and to allow parts of the state that aren’t as affected as others to have more leeway in determining how to get back open and how to get the economy restarted,” Caulkins told the Chambana Sun after Pritzker recently announced plans to extend his statewide stay-at-home order through the end of May. “I think it showed a basic disregard for the needs of all the people of Illinois.”
Caulkins argues that part of the problem stems from Pritzker’s fixation on the city of Chicago at the expense of the rest of the state.
“I don’t think he particularly cares about what happens in this state outside of Chicagoland and some collar counties,” Caulkins said. “He should be focused on helping where there are issues while allowing places where there hasn’t been as much trouble to get their communities back operating and functioning as normally as they can.”
Instead, Caulkins believes that Pritzker spends too much time trying to micromanage things.
“He should be focused on getting his administration to a point where they can meet the demands this emergency has placed on them, like having the Illinois Department of Employment Security up and running where it actually works for everyone it’s supposed to,” Caulkins said.
Caulkins says that another way Pritzker can show that he’s willing to put the needs of the state ahead of his own agenda is by pulling the plug on the progressive income tax proposal he has been pushing since his days as a candidate.
“I think him still pushing the tax is a mistake, just like him not trying to do something to stop the next phase of the minimum-wage increase from kicking in,” Caulkins said. “With everything that’s going on now, all those things make even less sense than they did before. All they’ll do is make it more difficult to get small businesses back up and running.”
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