North Cook News

State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) hopes the latest Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) job numbers will open the eyes of Gov. J.B. Pritzker.

“The governor’s restrictions have certainly reined in liberties in an attempt to create some security from the virus,” Morrison told the North Cook News. “Whether these actions have actually worked or whether they’ve simply replaced one set of serious issues with another set is very much debatable. That’s why we should have the legislature involved in these decisions.”

As it is, Illinois has now lost jobs in two of the last three months with all of the decline coming at a time when much of the rest of the country appears to be stabilizing to the tune of seven straight months of job growth.

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the job losses across Illinois have come in the leisure and hospitality industry, which lost upwards of 27,000 during the month of November alone as the governor’s ban on indoor dining took greater effect with the changing calendar.

“This is the old conundrum… liberty vs. security,” Morrison added. “Without a healthy private sector, society as a whole will greatly suffer — individuals, nonprofits and government, too, because revenues are taking a major hit.”

In the end, Morrison argues the decision best to keep safe should be left with the individual as lawmakers work together to put the best safeguards in place.

“There’s a pent-up desire to return as much as possible to life as normal,” he said. “The economy has been rocked pretty hard and for many, personal finances have taken a heavy blow. So much of recovery depends on whether or not people believe the virus is under control.”