Franklin County activist Karen Tucker has grown weary of what she sees as Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s maddening pattern of dealing with COVID-19.
“He’s always overstepping his authority,” Tucker told the North Egypt News. “You can’t run government by just doing what you want in every situation that comes about.”
As the latest example, Tucker points to the governor now looking to install a rule that would allow businesses to be fined up to $2,500 for failing to enforce regulations for face coverings and social distancing. Pritzker is defending the proposed new rules as tools that will aid law enforcement, local boards of health, school districts, and the public in enforcing the use of face coverings and social gathering restrictions.
Tucker sees it as just more of his overreach.
“I think he has every right to recommend policies like these, but I don’t think anyone has the power to constitutionally force people to wear a mask anywhere,” she added. “What are business owners suppose to do, hold people at gunpoint until they put on their mask?”
Tucker argues most small businesses have enough to worry about just trying to keep their doors open.
“Everywhere you look, they’re struggling to stay alive,” she said. “They’ve had to deal with so much. First, the governor’s executive order shuts them down, and now he’s back to further punish them with this. It’s just adding insult to injury.”
Through it all, Tucker said she thinks the governor remains oblivious.
“For people like Pritzker, it’s not a money thing, but all about power,” she said. “He’s got unlimited funds and for him this is just a power trip.”
In May, Pritzker tried enacting similar legislation, but withdrew it before a planned Joint Commission on Administrative Rules hearing amid much criticism.
“If this goes through, someone will take it to court, but in the short term that doesn’t really help any of these owners,” Tucker said. “Some may just throw in the towel. All these policies do is just breed more chaos for an already chaotic situation.”
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