ILLINOIS (WMBD) — It’s a crowded race on the Republican side running for Governor.
WMBD is working to speak with every candidate so our viewers are as informed as possible this election season.
WMBD’s Matt Sheehan spoke with Gary Rabine this week about how he would address crime, inflation, and rising energy prices if he were elected Governor.
Question: Gary, Illinoisans want to feel safe. They want crime under control. What are specific steps you would take to make our State safer?
“Creating a sanctuary State was the first miserable step towards a State where illegal felons feel good about Illinois. What Pritzker has done over the past couple of years, has put us in a place where we have more drug trafficking and human trafficking in our State than any State in America. Not enough people are talking about that. We look at this crazy bill, HB3653. This bill was another bill to put our State in the hands of criminals before our citizens. Police today have the handcuffs on them instead of on criminals. 3653 isn’t all done doing the damage it’s going to do, it’s going to get worse,” Rabine said. “In 2023, you can’t arrest people for trespassing. How sick and stupid is this? Somebody is at my house, my daughter, my grand-daughter’s home and somebody is trespassing on my property. We can’t have that person removed anymore in 2023. Police can come and ask them to leave, and when they don’t leave, they can write them a ticket. That’s 2023. In 2023 also, cash bail goes by the wayside. We know that’s never worked anywhere in the country before and it won’t work here.”
Question: We’re seeing some major concern this summer on the power grid. Energy prices on homeowners and renters are about to double and triple. What steps would you take to stop the hike in prices and ensure Illinois can generate enough energy to avoid brownouts?
“Matt, this is a great subject. I’ve been around the energy industry for the last 25 years in my career. We pave parking lots at nuclear plants, around sub-stations, all over. I got to tell you. We’re seeing the craziest thing happen. This path the Governor has put us on, the Green New Deal in Illinois, is a disaster. We’re picking winners and losers. Government stinks at that. Big government is a disaster. This government thinks they’re smarter than us. While they pick wind mills and solar to be the answer for our State, they’re pushing out maybe the best energy in the world,” Rabine said.
“Nuclear, natural gas, and our clean coal. this has to stop. In the past, other States have tried this. It hasn’t worked out so well. California did this 15-20 years ago. Their energy has been double ours for the last 10 years. Our energy is going up in a crazy way. It’s going to get worse. We talk inflation, the Governor has everything to do with this inflation. He’s got to own it. We’re going to make sure he owns it when we run against him in the General. When we take this energy away, we’re doing things purposely to ruin our State. We should be an energy independent State. We can be that when I win as governor, I’ll strive for that. We’ll stop the subsidies of bad, stupid energy and move on with our great energy. when the solar and wind champions want to sell us, that’s great, let them sell us. But let them compete, lets not give them an advantage on good energy,” Rabine added.
Question: On July 1, Gov. Pritzker will freeze the gas tax and suspend the grocery tax. Do you think this will bring costs down for Illinoisans? What would you do differently?
“This Governor, and all bad leaders, are all about subsidies, all about stimulus and steroids. They don’t work. Injecting these steroids in our economy doesn’t work. It’s not even a temporary fix. Pushing off the increase of the gas tax, 2 cents a gallon. Is that really going to matter when we’re 50 cents to a dollar 50 higher than our neighbor? Of course not!” Rabine said. “It’s temporary and will come back on next year. this guy is about offering gifts to win the election, potentially. He’s playing Santa Claus in an election year. It’s not making a difference. When we look at the inflation that he and Biden have created, he’s not even putting a dent in it.”
Gary Rabine’s interview aired on WMBD News at 4 Tuesday afternoon. Another topic will be covered Wednesday on WMBD This Morning.
