Morning everybody! It’s Tuesday and another day of America Illinois under the CoronaCareᵀᴹ crackdown.

The dog-faced pony soldiers in charge of our state have enacted emergency rules that would make any Illinois business that opens without authorization guilty of a Class A misdemeanor. A Class A misdemeanor is punishable by a fine of up to $2,500 or 364 days in jail. The new rules remain in place for a maximum of 150 days.

Needless to say, criminalizing businesses is getting strong push back in the legislature and from Illinois residents. Several sheriffs and state’s attorneys have publicly said they will not enforce the order.

“These rules are a legal overreach and beyond the scope of the governor’s authority,” House Republican Leader Jim Durkin said in a statement over the weekend. “It will be a dark day in Illinois when we charge small businesses with a jailable crime for salvaging their livelihoods.”

On Monday, Jonathan Bilyk of the Cook County Record wrote, “In response to the growing hostility to his emergency powers and executive orders, Pritzker’s tone has shifted, threatening business owners who open too soon with a loss of the state licenses they need to do business, essentially closing their doors for good.”

This is maddening beyond belief. Springfield needs to get its act together and reign in the governor, who forges ahead issuing proclamations, executive orders, emergency rules and five-phase plans that could keep restrictions in place indefinitely. While Pritzker has legitimate authority, it is not absolute authority. Yet he’s ruling by executive fiat.

The one thing that’s missing from all this is personal responsibility. Making more rules and telling us when we can or can’t open our privately-held businesses implicitly tells us serfs we can’t be trusted. But personal liberty with personal responsibility is a major element of the social contract we share as a society.

Besides, the only disaster I see around here is an economic one. We’ve cooperated to slow the spread and flatten the curve, haven’t we? Where’s the disaster?

The five-phase plan for recovery is based on what might happen—there could be a second wave!—which is based on models that have proven to be frustratingly unreliable.

I say, open up Illinois. The Northwest Herald writes, “For most people, the coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms, such as fever and cough. But for others, especially older people and those with existing health conditions, it can cause severe symptoms and lead to death.”

I share concerns for the elderly and those with existing health concerns. If you’re in a high-risk group, isolate yourself at home. Wear a mask and make sure those you see regularly wear them too. If we see a spike that foretells a “second wave,” we can either weather the mild symptoms or implement social distancing again.

Gov. Pritzker is using too heavy a hand and the legislature needs to get involved before this already bankrupt state falls further beyond recovery.