By Ray Hanania

Illinois has never had a more dishonest governor than JB Pritzker.

Why is he so dishonest? Because he can afford to be. He inherited billions from his daddy; and when money is no object, neither is truth.

Pritzker is using Illinois tax dollars to bolster his re-election bid, claiming that taxpayers will get money back, that $1.3 billion will be refunded.

That sounds like a lot, but when you do the calculations, most will only get a few hundred dollars before the tax jump.

Pritzker also claims he is suspending the gasoline tax. But as I have pointed out to the shock of many readers, Pritzker actually doubled the gasoline tax to 38 cents from 18 cents and suspended the collection until after the election.

The tragic bottom line is Pritzker thinks that you, the voters, are stupid. He thinks that if he makes you think he is helping you save money, you’ll ignore his lies, like his claim that The Safety, Accountability, Fairness and Equity-Today Act, known as the Safe-T Act, will actually make citizens safer.

It won’t.

The Safe-T Act was developed by Pritzker and shoved down the throats of trusting Democratic legislators who believed his assurances the law would ease burdens on the poor while making it tougher for suspects and criminals.

That’s another Pritzker lie, of course. The Safe-T Act actually makes life more unsafe for law abiding citizens while making it easier for criminals charged with everything from misdemeanors to felonies, assault, murder and rape.

Pritzker, however, hopes he can distract you from all this by putting a spotlight on abortion rights and a woman’s right to choose in his attacks against Republican rival Darren Bailey.

Illinois is so solidly pro-abortion (pro-choice) and against pro-life that it doesn’t matter who wins the governor’s race. Abortion will remain Illinois law.

Personally, I support limited abortion rights, such as only in the first trimester (and not as a form of birth control), in cases of rape or incest; and only if the mother’s life is in danger.

That’s the compromise that should be embraced. Bailey is wrong to support a total ban; and so is Pritzker, who supports unlimited abortions.

The real battle between Pritzker and Bailey comes down to safety versus abortion, and only safety is in jeopardy. Even under Bailey, Illinois abortion laws will not change.

Pritzker lied to legislators about the Safe-T Act in a misleading 800-page summary. Pritzker pushed legislators to vote on the bill hours after it was introduced late in the evening in January 2021 with little fanfare or publicity.

On Nov. 8, 2022, the only issue you need to worry about in deciding who to vote for is the issue of safety. If you vote for Pritzker, you are basically saying safety doesn’t matter and the “rights” of criminals are more important.

Voting for Pritzker because of the abortion issue is meaningless because no matter who gets elected, Illinois’ abortion policies will not change.

Pritzker compares family divorce to federal felony bribery to push his skewered politics.

Voting against Pritzker matters because returning him to office will make Illinois even less safe than it already is. Bailey has vowed to repeal Pritzker’s Safe-T Act if elected.

Don’t listen to his capitol scribe lackeys or his lobbyist pals who pour money into Pritzker’s re-election to pollute the environment. Use your brains. Set aside partisan politics. Vote for your family’s safety.

In our election system, we don’t have the luxury to elect the most qualified candidate for office. All we can do is prevent the least qualified candidate from taking office. No one is less qualified than Pritzker when it comes to protecting your family, your taxes, or Illinois seniors.

Pritzker certainly has earned the pro-crime vote, along with his political allies, Mayor Lori Lightfoot and Cook County State’s Attorney Kim Foxx.

During the recent debate, Pritzker had the gall to claim Bailey would “take Illinois backwards.” But when you think about it, where has Pritzker taken Illinois? Not forward. Illinois ranks as the second worst state on crime, taxation, poor services, highest pensions for government workers and influence of lobbyists who prey on the state budget resources and determine state policies.

The key flaw in Pritzker’s Safe-T Act is in his own words that judges “have the power” not to release violent criminals. That means if a judge wants, he or she can let violent criminals go without requiring cash bail.

If re-elected, Pritzker will spread Cook County’s criminal justice collapse to the rest of the state and make everyone less safe.

Check out Ray Hanania’s columns and political podcasts at hanania.com.