*\[Marie walks onto the stage to cheers and applause. Behind her, a banner reads: “LOWER COSTS. HIGHER WAGES. A FAIRER ILLINOIS.” She approaches the microphone, smiles, and waits for the crowd to settle.\]* Chicago! HOW ARE WE FEELING TONIGHT?! *\[The crowd cheers.\]* You know, I've been traveling across Illinois, talking to families, talking to workers, talking to small-business owners, and I keep hearing the same thing. People are tired. They're tired of going to the grocery store and watching the price of a week's worth of food climb higher and higher. They're tired of opening their utility bills and wondering what they're supposed to cut out of the family budget this month. They're tired of watching their rent increase while their paychecks struggle to keep up. And they're tired of being told that the economy is doing just fine when their own lives tell them a very different story! *\[Applause.\]* And I want to talk about that tonight, because I think we've reached a point in this country where we have to ask ourselves a very simple question. **What good is an economy that grows on paper if working people cannot afford to live?** What good is economic growth if a parent has to put something back on the grocery store shelf? What good is a booming city if the people who keep that city running can no longer afford to live in the neighborhoods they call home? What good is a full-time job if, after the rent, the electricity, the groceries, the transportation, and the childcare, there is practically nothing left? I want an Illinois where working hard means something. I want an Illinois where a paycheck provides security, where a family can plan for the future, and where a medical emergency doesn't become a financial catastrophe. And I refuse to accept that this is too much to ask! *\[The crowd erupts.\]* Now, let me be clear about something. Inflation is complicated. It has many causes, and no governor can wave a magic wand and make every price come down overnight. I'm not going to stand here and insult your intelligence by promising that I can control every market, every global supply chain, or every decision made by the federal government. But do you know what a governor CAN do? A governor can make housing more affordable. A governor can help expand access to childcare. A governor can enforce consumer protection laws. A governor can hold utility companies accountable. A governor can invest in public transportation so that getting to work doesn't eat up another enormous part of your paycheck. And a governor can stop treating the struggles of working families as somebody else's problem! **That is the difference between acknowledging a problem and accepting responsibility for doing something about it.** And I intend to do something about it. *\[Applause.\]* Let's start with housing. Because how can we tell young people to work hard, save their money, and build a future when the cost of a decent place to live keeps moving further out of reach? How can we tell families to put down roots when rent consumes so much of their income that saving