With the growing number lawsuits, demonstrations and public officials rejecting Governor Pritzker’s so-called “emergency orders,” ol’ J.B. has picked up a new hymnal. Yes, the well-healed governor whose wife and kids jetted down to their Florida ranch has started singing a new tune.
In a press conference today, Governor Pritzker appeared a little testy. Earlier in the day, at high noon, a pair of large protests took place, one in Chicago and one in Springfield. And the media – some of them – covered the event. Here’s The Center Square’s report:
(The Center Square) – Hundreds of protesters in Springfield and Chicago said they want the state to open right away, but Gov. J.B. Pritzker said he won’t be swayed by signs or protestors.
In Springfield, Chicago resident Brian Mitchell said his sound and lighting company has been hit hard because there are no events. Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s stay-at-home order limits all public and private gatherings to ten or fewer. Such edicts were put in place by the governor on March 21 and have been extended through May 30. Pritzker said it’s to stop the spread of COVID-19.
Mitchell wanted to bring his professional sound system to Springfield to protest the governor’s stay-at-home order.
“We’ve been patient, giving the hospitals time to make arrangements to prepare, the state to prepare, but at this point, quarantining at home is causing more damage than good,” Mitchell said. “It’s not going to stop the virus. It is certainly going to cause massive depression, it’s going to cause massive financial ruin and we’re not all billionaires like our fearless leader. So we need to get back to work.”
And a couple of hours later at his news conference, our feckless governor’s fears of looking weak or ineffective (or impotent) sure looked as if they weighed heavily on his mind.
The Center Square reported on his Friday Chi-com virus news conference.
(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Friday that some areas of the state could open sooner than others, the clearest indication yet that the governor will take a regional rather than statewide approach to reopening the economy.
Some regions could open up before the governor’s most recent stay-at-home order expires on May 30.
“Yes, if it’s heading down the other side of this slide – that even the national plan proposed – if it’s 14 days on a downslide of those numbers, then absolutely,” Pritzker said Friday at a news conference in Chicago. “Listen, I want as much as everybody else does for everybody to get back to work and for us to move toward normalcy, but I also want to say that I’m not going to do it until we know people are safe and it isn’t going to be because some protester has a sign that says, you know, ‘Liberate Illinois.'”
Looks like the slogan, “Liberate Illinois” lives in Pritzker’s mind, rent-free.
So, you ask how much has Pritzker’s position “evolved”?
Not even 100 hours before, Pritzker said this in a story from – you guessed it – The Center Square. (Hint: Bookmark them for the latest Illinois news without the hard left bias.)
(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker said Monday that he was opposed to opening the state on a regional basis.
Some downstate lawmakers and business owners have been calling for the stay-at-home order to be lifted to allow businesses to open up because of the low numbers of COVID-19 cases in some counties.
That’s quite a change in tune, right?
Keep up the good work, folks.
When will Illinois open up?
Read this piece by Kira Davis on “This is how American will re-open.”
Here’s the money quote:
America will reopen when Americans who are ready feel safe to mix and mingle and protect each other where possible and appropriate.
I’m not telling you to be reckless. I’m telling you I trust Americans to be safe because no one loves your family more than you do.
The point is – America’s reopening will not be an act of “permission” from the ruling class. It will be like everything else important in this nation’s history – from the American Revolution to suffrage to the Civil Rights Era. It will be an act of will by the American people themselves. It will be resisted by the elitists in charge and we’ll do it anyway. It will be scolded by our “betters” in government and we’ll do it anyway. It will be ridiculed by the coastal Harvard set and we’ll do it anyway. Everything that has ever been good for the citizens of this country has been demanded and won by the people, not the permanent political class.
Got a business? Just reopen.
Restaurants, nail salons, tanning salons, gyms, etc. Just open for business.
Cops can’t shut you down. Only the courts can – and only after they meet a high burden that you’re operating unsafely. And if you’re following the same safety protocols of so-called “essential” businesses, that’s going to be a tall order for the Illinois Department of Public Health to meet.
Want to have a family dinner to celebrate a birthday, anniversary or wedding? Just have it. Speaking of weddings: just have it.
Are you on the board of your local church? It’s time to dust off the pews and welcome the congregation back in a socially responsible manner.
In the meantime, be sure to participate in rallies and events to hold Big JB’s feet to the fire. Remember, when they feel the heat, they see the light.
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