Chicago City Wire

John Kass, host of The Chicago Way Podcast, criticized Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker for what he described as cowardice and dishonesty in his leadership. This statement was made on the social media platform X.

"He's always been a coward," said Kass. "Governor Pritzker has added another sin to his repertoire: liar. He bought the Illinois governor's mansion. broke the state like an angry fat boy stepping over broken toys."

Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker has been at the forefront of advancing a progressive agenda while navigating various controversies in state politics. According to Capitol News Illinois and the Associated Press, Pritzker signed the SAFE-T Act, making Illinois the first state to abolish cash bail after the Illinois Supreme Court upheld the measure in 2023. This decision received both praise and criticism. In 2024, he urged President Biden for additional migrant aid as Chicago faced challenges with new arrivals, highlighting tensions within the Democratic Party. His involvement in a 2018 property tax scandal, for which he repaid over $330,000, continues to influence debates about his ethics.

The state's financial performance has shown improvement. Illinois reported $51.7 billion in General Funds revenues for FY2024, primarily from individual income taxes and sales taxes, ending the year with a $1.7 billion cash balance—the strongest since 1999. The Office of the Comptroller recorded $558 million in interest income, indicating enhanced fiscal stability. Analysts from the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs (IGPA) noted mixed results as stronger income taxes offset weaker corporate receipts.

Despite its economic size advantage over Midwest neighbors, Illinois lags behind in labor market strength. The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported an unemployment rate of 5.0% for Illinois in 2024—higher than Wisconsin's 3.0%, Iowa's 3.0%, Indiana's 4.2%, and Ohio's 4.3%. However, Illinois' GDP reached $1.137 trillion in 2024, surpassing Michigan and Ohio despite regional growth trailing the national average of 2.8%.

John Kass is a veteran journalist who spent decades at the Chicago Tribune before leaving in 2021 after accepting a buyout offer. Known for his conservative-leaning commentary, Kass began at the Tribune in the 1980s and became one of its most prominent columnists before continuing his work through JohnKassNews and co-hosting "The Chicago Way" podcast with Jeff Carlin.

Launched in 2016 under WGN Plus, "The Chicago Way" podcast is co-hosted by Kass and Carlin and focuses on topics such as Chicago politics, crime, and local culture. It has developed a loyal audience with a rating of 4.7 out of 5 on Apple Podcasts from over 1,000 listeners.