The state of Illinois is really bleak, as Governor Pat Quinn delivered the State of the State address on Wednesday.
For starters, Illinois is facing a $95 billion pension crisis to go on top of the nation’s worst budget ranking.
Add gun crime in the state’s largest city, union strikes and a grumbling Democratic base, and things are not looking peachy for Illinois.
So what are Quinn’s ideas for solving a few of the problems facing his state? He aims to cripple businesses, restrict the Second Amendment and avoid all other issues.
Quinn asked legislators to increase Illinois’ minimum wage, one of the highest in the nation, from $8.25 to $10, almost a full $3 above the federal rate.
Needless to say, businesses are vehemently opposed to such an increase because it would increase their burden of employment. With Illinois’ unemployment rate being in the top five in the US, one would believe Quinn would push policies that would make it easier for businesses to hire employees.
Of course, Quinn points to data that suggest that full-time workers making minimum wage are living in poverty in Illinois.
However, he fails to point out that Illinois’ income and sales taxes are among the highest in the nation, meaning that Illinois workers are taking home less than their counterparts in other states.
If Quinn is truly concerned about the state of Illinois and her workers, and not just pandering to the Democratic Party, then he would recommend policies in the opposite direction.
After all, when something does not work after many years, pushing even further will only make matters worse.
Next, Quinn pushed for tighter gun control laws that show how little he really knows about policy.
He called for the ban of sale and possession of “military-style assault weapons,” along with high-capacity magazines.
If Quinn knew the military definition of assault weapons, he would know that these weapons are already banned.
Quinn is likely wanting to ban semi-automatic weapons, which are firearms that chamber a new round after each trigger pull.
These are not to be confused, although they often are by liberals, with automatic weapons which shoot multiple rounds with each trigger pull. Semi-automatic weapons include most rifles, shotguns and revolvers manufactured and sold in America.
The lack of understanding of basic definitions of firearms by liberals truly baffles me.
However, Quinn does not stop there. He goes on to claim that Illinois must “ensure that guns are kept out of everyday public places because they don’t belong in our schools, shopping malls or sports stadiums.”
He must have missed the fact that schools are already gun-free by law.
He also must have missed the fact that this law has done nothing to prevent school shootings. Apparently lawbreakers break laws. Who knew?
Wanting the governor of a state to be intelligent is apparently too much to ask these days, though I doubt it is coincidental that the ones with the least understanding of business, economics and gun crimes are members of the Democratic Party.
Trenton Winford is a junior public policy leadership major from Madison.
