East Central Reporter

Rep. Blaine Wilhour (R-Effingham) is blaming Democratic policies for inflation.

"This Governor, this General Assembly has done nothing but destroy economic opportunity for working people in this state," Wilhour recently said from the House floor. "They've destroyed it in the rural areas and they've destroyed it in the urban areas. The blue-collar areas of this state that I represent, and that a lot of you are supposed to represent, they’re like ghost towns. They are a shell of what they once were and what they should be. And it's because of your policies. Working families, seniors, and folks on fixed incomes are getting hammered. They're getting hammered today because of Democrat-fueled inflation. An inflation that is spreading like wildfire. An inflation that we all know is the most cruel and regressive tax on working families and is a byproduct of your policies. And now you got the audacity to come in here and brag about fiscal responsibility because revenues are being temporarily boosted on the backs of the working families of this state."

Wilhour spoke about the impact that the policies of the state government are having on residents. 

"They're paying more for everything that they need. The people that can afford it the least are the ones who end up paying it every time. Working folks are paying it at the pumps. They're paying it for meat, they're paying it for milk, they're paying it for eggs, they’re paying it for diapers, for everything that we need to survive," Wilhour said. "And what do you want to do? You want to mail a $50 check at election time and tell us you’re looking out for us. That doesn’t even buy me half a tank of gas. I can't even take my kids to McDonald's for that. It's an insult to the struggling families in this state. The cost of surviving in this state has grown because, for generations, politicians in this chamber have refused to do their jobs. They’ve refused to make tough choices, they’ve refused to stand up to the special interests that have run this place into the ground. The time for gimmicks is over. The time for easy choices is over. You've made sure that there are no easy choices in this place."

The speech came in response to the proposal put forth by Senate Democrats, which would allocate $1.8 billion in tax relief and send $50 per person and $100 per child to families in the state. Republicans are against the plan, which they say does not offer a path toward permanent relief. The plan would also suspend the gas tax and grocery tax in the state for six months.