Kendall County Times

Kendall County Republican Party Chairman James Marter said Illinois' dismal 2020 job numbers reinforce his belief that Springfield has become its own worst enemy.

"I think all our struggles are a combination of conditions brought on by COVID and a reflection of deeper issues like rising taxes that we've allowed to fester for too long and are now made worse by things like unconstitutional lockdowns and not allowing people to make a living for themselves," Marter told the Kendall County Times. "At the end of the day, everything we see coming from Springfield registers as a continued attack on free enterprise and has us in a slow death spiral in terms of hurting our economy."

Marter said the numbers speak for themselves, pointing to a recent article that reported the state lost approximately 423,000 jobs or nearly 7% of its workforce in 2020. In Chicago, where unemployment numbers piled up the swiftest of all, rates more than tripled over a yearlong period ending in December 2020 to 8.7%.

Marter said he sees just one way forward if the state is to have its best chance of becoming a place where businesses and individuals again want to be.

"The only way to stem the tide is to throw out the bums in Springfield and put enough people in the statehouse that will change the pattern of spending and high taxes that are killing businesses," he said. "Also, we've got to change this authoritative attitude toward business that exists in Springfield."

Marter said time would tell how serious Gov. J.B. Pritzker and company are about changing Springfield's tone.

"We'll be able to tell based on if he signs that horrible crime bill into law," he said. "To me, that's the bellwether in determining if he's serious about doing the right thing or just wants to be part of the socialist movement that's destroying this state."