When it comes to critical issues like national security and keeping good jobs, Springfield Insider Mike Bost can’t get his facts right. When he tried – and failed – to relate to hardworking families this week, Bost claimed that he is concerned about steel imports from North Korea.
Only problem? We don’t import steel from North Korea – thanks to a trade embargo against the communist country that dates back to 1950. North Korea is the nuclear country with a belligerent posture toward the United States.
“Mike Bost pretends that he’s concerned about hard-working men and women, but he showed just how out of touch he is by making the most basic mistake imaginable,” said Brandon Lorenz of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee. “Once again Mike Bost has shown how much he’s lost touch with middle class Illinois families after his 20 year record in Springfield opposing the minimum wage, voting for budgets that borrowed millions, and wasting money on items like skating rinks and golf courses in Chicago.”
BACKGROUND:
Bost Said there was a Concern with Steel Imports from “North Korea.” In 2014 Bost said: “Another concern is the Granite City right now has a concern with Granite City Steel, because what has occurred in, our tariffs not being place in incoming steel from China and from I think its North Korea.” [The Southern Illinoisan Editorial Board, 10/21/14]
Bost Said the Minimum Wage would “Hurt the Middle Class.” In 2014 Bost said, “I know this might not be a popular statement, this is the way I feel. You cannot lift up the middle class by to continuing to have over burdensome regulations on the job creators. That’s one. Two, as they try to push forward with a minimum wage, that minimum wage will actually hurt the middle class.” [Bost Tele Town Hall, 7/16/14; Capitol Fax, 7/23/14]
- Headline: Bost: “minimum wage will actually hurt the middle class” [Capitol Fax, 7/23/14]
- Headline: Local group attacks Bost’s stance on minimum wage [The Southern, 7/23/14]
Bost Said Illinois “Suffers” with a Higher Minimum Wage. In 2014 The Southern reported, “Bost said Illinois suffers with its higher minimum wage of $8.25 per hour compared to the federal level of $7.25 per hour. Jobs around the Illinois borders with neighboring states are lost because of the state’s higher minimum wage level, he said. He said when the minimum wage level is raised, it hurts middle-class wage earners because the cost of living goes up. [The Southern, 5/21/14]
Bost Voted for an Illinois State Budget that Included Hundreds of Thousands Dollars of Spending for a Skating Rink and Golf Course. In 1999, Bost voted for Governor George Ryan’s budget that the Chicago Tribune reported included $380 million worth of pork barrel spending that “included $305,000 for infrastructure improvements and a skating rink in Libertyville” and “$500,000 for improvements at the Sheppard Crook Golf Course in Zion.” The budget passed 115 – 0. [HB 2518, Adopt Conference Report, No. 29, 5/27/99; Chicago Tribune, 5/30/99]
Bost Voted for Gov. Ryan’s Plan that Underfunded State Pensions. In June 2001, Bost voted for a bill that would an “early retirement incentive” for state employees. The bill would allow eligible state employees to purchase up to five years of service to qualify for early retirement. The Chicago Tribune reported, “Since the funding plan began in the mid-1990s, the Legislature provided more than $5.8 billion in benefit increases and giveaways that weren’t paid for…By far, the largest of those increases came in the form of a 2002 early retirement incentive aimed at trimming the state’s workforce during tough budget times.” [Gov. Ryan Press Release, 6/25/02; HB 2671, Motion to Concur, 6/01/02; Chicago Tribune, 12/15/11]
Bost Voted for Plan Allowing Gov. Ryan to Borrow Hundreds of Millions. In June 2002, Bost voted for House Bill 2828. The State Journal-Register reported the bill was “known as the tobacco securitization bill and allows the state to borrow up to $750 million against future funds from the national legal settlement with tobacco companies.” [State Journal-Register, 6/29/02; HB 2828, Motion to Concur, 6/02/02]