Franklin County activist Karen Tucker shudders to think what she feels could be at the root of some of Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s COVID-19 decisions.
“I worry if it’s to make more people dependent on government,” Tucker told the Quincy Reporter. “That seems like it could be the plan when you look at how what the governor has done has pretty much crippled our small business industry.”
A new TrackTheRecovery.org analysis finds that since the beginning of the year Illinois has lost more than a third of all small businesses. Overall, data compiled by Harvard and Brown universities and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation shows as of Nov. 16, 2020 the number of small businesses open dipped by some 35.4 percent compared to January of this year with the industry also experiencing a revenue decline topping 39% since January.
“It makes no sense that the governor would be allowing big box retailers to remain open while insisting that the small ones shut down,” Tucker added. “That definitely seems like someone has an agenda. We were already losing population and with this now we’re going to be losing even more.”
National Federation of Independent Business Illinois State Director Mark Grant points out that running a small business in Illinois was already quite the challenge even before the pandemic hit, given such factors as higher property taxes and workers’ compensation.
Tucker wonders how much, if any, of that registers with Pritzker.
“I really don’t think he understands,” she said. “He’s a rich guy seeking political power that just wants to rule. I think he really lives in his own world where someone else’s struggles really don’t matter. Politics is like a hobby to him and not about serving the public. I really don’t believe he ran for office with the goal of fixing anything. It’s been all about a power trip.”
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