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CHICAGO — Gov. J.B. Pritzker retains getting in his personal approach.
Whereas attempting to encourage people to obey his coronavirus edicts with warnings of catastrophic penalties — overflowing hospitals and dying grandmas, to call a number of — he bungles the message by performing like an elitist above his personal guidelines.
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Final week, after shutting down indoor eating statewide — and fewer than 24 hours after saying he had been uncovered to COVID-19 — social media movies confirmed Pritzker parading on crowded Boystown sidewalks, posing for selfies, with revelers celebrating experiences that Joe Biden had gained the presidency.
On Monday, the billionaire rookie governor stored his string of private pandemic gaffs alive — fueling social media chants of “Guidelines for thee however not for me?” from his most viral critics.
Throughout his each day coronavirus information efficiency, just some days after urging Illinoisans to “please journey provided that obligatory,” Pritzker mentioned he hasn’t determined whether or not he’ll be touring for Thanksgiving in opposition to his personal recommendation.
“I do not know what my plans can be, however I am going to actually be completely satisfied to share,” Pritzker mentioned throughout his each day pandemic information efficiency. “I believe you already know, we have now a spot in Florida. So, yeah.”
The governor, after all, was referring to the $12.1 million equestrian property down the horse path from Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel and Invoice Gates in Wellington, Florida. That is the place Illinois First Woman, M.Okay. Pritzker, hunkered down throughout her husband’s first stay-at-home order.
Sadly, for Illinoisans, Pritzker nonetheless hasn’t realized the apparent lesson: The simplest leaders set a very good instance and share in struggling. Prtizker leads by govt orders and when challenged on his failures deflects blame and makes threats.
Nonetheless, let’s commend the governor for telling the reality: He is comfy together with his hypocrisy, even amid a world public well being disaster.
The person of many mansions mentioned he hopes to rejoice Thanksgiving in Illinois as he is suggested the citizenry as coronavirus circumstances spike. He is simply unsure that is the fitting choice for his household.
Although he is contemplating a second stay-at-home order, the governor may wish to rejoice Turkey Day in Florida, the place bars, eating places and Disney World are open for enterprise, and mask-wearing stays a suggestion.
Or the Pritzker’s might journey to one in every of their mansions in Wisconsin, the place the COVID-19 outbreak rages, and there isn’t any enforceable legal guidelines in opposition to partying in a packed bar.
It is attainable Illinois’ first household may jet-set to their place within the Bahamas, house to the off-shore trusts that the Tribune reported permits the Pritzker household to avoid taxes on its immense fortune.
Pritzker simply does not know but.
As for the remainder of us, although, Pritzker’s thoughts is made up: Rebellious Illinoisans higher begin following his guidelines except they need hospitals to “get so over run that your sick and your dying have nowhere left to show.”
The billionaire governor does not have to fret about these sorts of penalties.
If you’re that wealthy, the closest open hospital mattress is all the time only a private-jet trip away.
Mark Konkol, recipient of the 2011 Pulitzer Prize for native reporting, wrote and produced the Peabody Award-winning sequence, “Time: The Kalief Browder Story.” He was a producer, author and narrator for the “Chicagoland” docu-series on CNN, and a consulting producer on the Showtime documentary, “16 Pictures.”
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