CHICAGO – Since several staff members have moved in to run Governor Rauner's office, Illinois Policy Institute has been heavily criticized by Chicago media and Springfield insiders as an extremist group that pushes radical right ideas like balanced budgets, lower taxes, smaller government and education choice.
But Wednesday's cartoon depicting a rich guy with TIF dollars bulging out of one pocket rejecting an African-American boy asking for help to fund his Chicago school has pushed the envelope just too far.
During the Illinois House session Wednesday, the cartoon was condemned as "racist." Together with the Chicago media, demands were made that the cartoon be taken down.
Illinois Policy Institute CEO John Tillman took down the cartoon, saying it was a "distraction" from the real issue – the inequity of school funding for Illinois' children. He issued the following statement:
The Illinois Policy Institute recently published a cartoon to address the sad reality that TIF districts rob Illinois children – including children of color – of the funds necessary for their education. The price our children pay for this misgovernance is steep.
Some lawmakers are denouncing our cartoon. We respect these lawmakers, both as representatives of their constituencies and as bearers of their own experiences and perceptions, and we acknowledge their critique.
But our cartoon told the truth: TIFs take away money from all students, and disproportionately harm students of color. We stand by that fact. And we have long fought to help all students get access to better educational opportunities. TIF prevents that.
We have taken down the cartoon, not because we think it is racist, but because it is a distraction from another truth – the failure of political leaders to address the root cause of our struggling education system. We stand ready to work with all elected officials and advocates who would like to see TIF money properly refocused on students across the state.
Finally, what we find sad, and frankly offensive, is that in a world where so much real, harmful racism exists, political leaders are using the false charge of racism in an attempt to smear policy opponents and distract the people of Illinois from politicians’ failures.
“This is a distraction from the most important task at hand in the Statehouse: Ensuring equitable education funding for all Illinois students.”
The cartoon:
