Prairie State Wire

Illinois gubernatorial candidate Darren Bailey blamed Gov. J.B. Pritzker for high inflation rates.

Bailey's request for special meetings to start working on possible solutions to the issue has been unattended as the head of the state continues to work on his personal agenda. 

"Taxes in Illinois are only serving to make the impact of inflation even worse," Bailey said. "Thanks to Gov. Pritzker doubling the gas, Illinois has the second highest gas taxes in the country. What we are seeing at the pump is the Pritzker Price Hike. I have called for a special session to deal with the impact of inflation on Illinois families. These calls continue to be ignored. Instead, the governor remains focused on his far-Left agenda while families continue to struggle to make ends meet. As governor, my priority will be on resolving the real-world problems voters face every day. Illinois is not a laboratory to experiment with radical policies. The decisions our leaders make have consequences and people are hurting thanks to the indifference and incompetence of Gov. Pritzker. We deserve better.”

Over the last 12 months, the average Illinoisan needed a pay raise of $5,920 to keep up with inflation; the average worker got a raise of 3,057, which is actually almost a $2,900 pay cut due to inflation. People in Illinois are paying $4,675 more this year for the same goods and services than last year. As inflation hit 9.1% in June, there is little that can be done to avoid its effects. However, there will be a Constitutional amendment on the ballot that would make unions almost untouchable in the state and raise the average property tax bill by $2,100 in order to fund union demands. Illinois voters should vote no so as not to increase their property taxes, according to Illinois Policy.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics report on the consumer price index increasing to 9.1% from a year ago in June surpassed Dow Jones' estimate of 8.8%. These numbers show that inflation is still rising and that is across spread out across all sectors. Energy prices were up 7.5% on the month and 41.6% over the year, which is a core driver of inflation. The administration and Democrats have blamed the war in Ukraine, but inflation started well before that. They have also blamed greedy corporations for raising prices. According to CNBC, some economists see light at the end of the tunnel as gas prices are down from their June peak. Nevertheless, the numbers are still dismal no matter which way you cut it.

The report also showed that the prices of food increased 1% in June and 12.2% over the year. The index for all items but food and energy rose 0.7% in June and 5.9% over the year. In June medical care rose 0.7%, apparel rose 0.8%, and used cars rose 1.6%.