Quick Hits

A couple things we saw over the past few days that deserve some sharing:

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Tax hikes on your vices:

• Illinois legislators have called the bluff of online sports betting companies that are suggesting they might reduce operations — or close up shop in the state altogether — after being slapped with a higher graduated tax system in Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s latest budget.

  FanDuel and DraftKings will soon see their net revenue taxed on a scale that tops out at 40% under the spending plan passed by the Illinois General Assembly last week. That’s up from the 15% flat rate levied against sportsbooks since the now $1 billion Illinois industry launched in 2020.

  The top two mobile betting giants — who raked in more than $729 million from Illinois bettors last year and have come out on top by nearly a quarter-billion so far this year — say the hike is enough to make them “reevaluate their level of investment and participation in the state.”

We'll bet they'll stick around. Even a smaller piece of the pie is still worth a few hundred million.

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Simeon High School graduation last week:

• Chicago Contrarian link here

We won't even go into the stats of which grade level they read/math at.

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9-1-1 response times grow, so get a gun - so says a former FBI firearm instructor:

• We are now faced with an even greater responsibility of protecting ourselves and our loved ones until first responders can help. We know that even under the most fortunate of circumstances, it can take more than mere minutes for help to arrive. That’s why many Americans are taking their safety into their own hands by purchasing a firearm to protect themselves and their families. Organizations such as the U.S. Concealed Carry Association (USCCA) have seen record demand for education and training resources, empowering individuals to be proactive in self-defense. This certainly includes acting decisively to stop attackers in the absence of law enforcement during an emergency. 

  While no law-abiding citizen ever wants to be involved in a life-threatening situation, we have seen numerous examples in Chicago over the past several years in which concealed carry license holders defended themselves from violent robberies — long before law enforcement could intervene. There are now roughly 450,000 CCL holders in Illinois alone, and that number continues to grow.

  It’s important to remember that Illinois is a “castle doctrine” state, meaning law-abiding citizens who are in their home are under no legal duty to retreat if threatened, and using deadly force is justified if it is reasonable to believe that it is necessary to protect yourself or another against imminent death or great bodily harm. Clearly, it is absolutely critical for anyone who assumes the responsibility of self-protection to be trained and educated in the use of their firearm. In a best-case scenario, there isn’t any shooting at all because you have been trained to spot developing danger and avoid it altogether.

If the feebs say get a gun, well then....that's the smartest thing we've ever heard a fed say.