Corporate welfare for the Bears?

Gov. JB Pritzker's administration and the majority party in Illinois have made affordability the cornerstone of their election campaigns. This strikes me as ironic, given that we experienced the worst inflation in over 40 years under Joe Biden's administration.

Moreover, our state is in dismal financial shape, burdened by the worst bond rating in the country, $230 billion in unfunded public-sector pension obligations, property taxes that are among the highest nationwide and a 44th-place ranking in business friendliness.

Some might conclude that this disgraceful financial condition is why state politicians have been hesitant to hand the Chicago Bears a corporate welfare check.

I disagree, and I predict that once the election is over and the November veto session opens, Pritzker and the General Assembly will open the floodgates of corporate welfare, granting the Bears virtually everything they want — including property tax certainty, further burdening Illinois taxpayers.

This, of course, will render the affordability campaign position an election-year fantasy.

Some argue that the increased economic activity generated by a new stadium justifies taxpayer assistance. Unfortunately, history tells a different story.

I am all for a new state-of-the-art stadium, but a healthy $9 billion corporation should fund it without corporate welfare from the taxpaying public.

Paul Wickland, Arlington Heights