Donald Ray Rients, a name familiar on the ballot. He ran against Darin LaHood, Congressman in the 18th Congressional District, not once but twice. Now he’s running for State Representative.
Donald Rients grew up on a farm outside of Dana and graduated from North Dana Rutland High School. Rients went on to Illinois Valley Community College in Oglesby. After he graduated from there he started working for the Department of Corrections and was a correctional officer for six years working state, local, mostly Pontiac correctional facilities.
What is Rients running on?
Rients said he believes the government has limited rights and that the people are the ones with the rights, and it seems like the government has taken over the people’s rights.
“You have the governor running by fiat. He’s sitting out there and sending out emergency rules every month. That was unconstitutional. How did people even follow him. It took two years to throw that out. How did people even follow those rules? You’re only good for a month then you have to go through the legislature, which is the voice of the people. Were the representatives of the people. He’s supposed to come to us to come out with how we are going to handle the situation. The people run this government not the politicians, we’re the servants not the rulers,” said Rients. “You had [State Sen. Darren] Bailey fighting it, but they should have been unified in fighting this since they are our representatives.”
Rients said the laws were being broken. Rients said in 2016 the gas tax was passed. Now Illinois’ proposed $46 billion budget is awaiting Governor JB Pritzker’s signature. State lawmakers approved the spending plan early Saturday. The budget includes $1.8 billion in largely temporary election-year tax relief. Within the budget is a bill passed by both houses requires gas stations to post a sign on all pumps saying “As of July 1, 2022, the State of Illinois has suspended the inflation adjustment to the motor fuel tax through December 31, 2022. The price on this pump should reflect the suspension of the tax increase.”
The temporary suspension of tax increase of a just 2.2 cents a gallon. Rients said the tax increase that happened in 2016 was suppose to by lockboxed.
“That’s a constitutional change. They have to lock boxed they can’t be spent on other projects. That 19 cent a gallon increase, which doubled our gas tax the burden put us to 38 or 39 cents. Compared to the $3 a gallon its gone up is a drop in the bucket. It’s that $3 a gallon that has been killing us. We were $1.79 a few years ago and now were $3.79 or $4.79. It’s ridiculous,” said Rients. “The reason the republicans voted for it… I was told Maddigan requested from the republican leadership that ten republicans vote for this gas tax.”
Rients said that way they would be able to leave their republican part of the port projects where they had the republican side in it.
“If they didn’t do that, then they would take theirs out. Since they had a supermajority it didn’t even matter what the government thought they could pass it,” said Rients. “That’s kind of concerning that we nearly working together to raise this gas tax in order to get some republican money and their districts in it. My question is did that take ten democrats off the hook? Were they close in their district of if they voted for gas tax, losing their seat? That’s a question people would have to look at. I don’t know, I didn’t research that far. Why did Madigan need ten republicans to vote for it?”
Rients said this gas tax passed in 2016 is not just 19 cents, this is a forever increase every July depending on inflation.
“This July you’re going to get another inflation. Governor Pritzker might say ‘I’m gonna drop it 1 cent’ the gas tax to help alleviate the gas problem. There’s a bill out there right now talking about letting the municipalities raise gas tax on the local level by 3 cents a gallon without having to go to the people to get it approved,” said Rients.
Donald Rients was on Conservative Cat and shared key issues he’s running on.
Rients said he is not about raising taxes at all.
“The state has got a spending problem; it doesn’t have a funding problem,” said Rients.
This is the highest budget passed in Illinois’ history.
“Of course there are pension issues, we’ve got 20% of our money going to pensions. You have to figure where you are going to get the money from and find the money to spend when you go on projects. You spend what you have, you don’t spend what you don’t have. You don’t put a further burden on the people who are putting you in office. You are there to serve them, not the other way around,” said Rients.
Rients got about 820 petitions signature, he only needed 400.
When is the primary election?
Illinois will hold its primary election on June 28, later than the usual March date. Donald Rients of Benson, Dennis Tipsword of Metamora, Mike Kirkton of Gridley and Kyle Ham of Bloomington will compete for the newly drawn 105th. Karen Donnelly withdrew from 105th District House race, citing exhaustion from COVID-19 illness.
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