Straub: Gas tax is a potential boiling point for Illinoisans

BURR RIDGE (Heartland Newsfeed) — Illinois is slowly becoming unrecognizable in the eyes of Mickey Straub. “We’re losing at least one person every eight minutes now that’s moving out of the state because of all the rising taxes,” the Burr Ridge mayor who recently announced his campaign to unseat Rep. Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) in the 82nd District said in an interview. “I don’t know why lawmakers won’t see that all these tax-and-spend policies are not working and are only driving people away and changing the fabric of the state.”

In addition to the state budget, which imposed a record-setting income tax hike for individuals and businesses, a secret gas tax hike would increase the state gas tax as much as a nickel per gallon, allowing the 20-percent wholesaler sales tax credit to expire for unleaded gas mixed with ethanol. Currently, in Chicago, gas prices in the city are 44 cents higher than the national average. The new tax is expected to generate approximately $95 million for the state, but none of that money is earmarked for much-needed repairs to crumbling roads across the state. With the tax officially being considered a sales tax, the money will instead be deposited into the state’s general fund. “Giving Democrats more money to spend is like giving food to a tapeworm,” Straub said. “But it keeps happening because no one has the determination to fix the problem. They just want to continue to ignore the issue because it keeps them in power.” Straub disagrees with the assumption that the gas tax and other smaller levies similar to it isn’t enough to make much of difference for the people of Illinois. “It reminds me of the analogy that goes: If you put a frog in hot water, he’ll instantly jump out of it, but if you put him in cool water and keep him stuck there over time he’ll still ultimately boil to death. The policies of the last 10 to 20 years under Democratic control are killing this state.” The 82nd District covers parts of Cook, DuPage and Will counties, including the communities of Darien, Homer Glen, Lemont and Willowbrook.