With respect to the adage that simple solutions are usually neither simple nor do they solve anything, there was one line in Gov. JB Pritzker’s budget and state of the state speech Wednesday where plain language laid bare a reality often shrouded in politics.

The entire address, as prepared, is available at tinyurl.com/2026SOTS. That page includes links to the operating and capital budget proposals for the next fiscal year, as well as a “Budget in Brief” document that still manages to be 45 pages long.

“Another way to make life more affordable is by helping Illinoisans earn more,” Pritzker said. And while that led directly into a discussion about ways to help more people manage the expense of a college degree, that brief sentence is useful context for other ideas on the table.

Whether it’s increasing financing options for first-time homebuyers, empowering state regulators to throttle homeowner insurance rates or forcing companies to disclose mandatory fees, it’s always worth asking if the proposed solution will actually make something cost less or if the government’s involvement boils down to manipulating market conditions in ways that further separate the buyer from the product.

There are many examples of the latter across government: subsidies for purchasing health insurance, grants for college tuition, tax credits for purchasing certain cars or appliances. If the government’s involvement boils down to supplementing private buying power, then nothing is really made more “affordable,” it’s just using public resources to make sure the seller gets the money they want.

To be clear, not everything Pritzker proposed falls in that bucket. While addressing housing costs, he addressed local parking regulations that “require a uniform minimum number of spaces for every new build – even in places where people don’t have cars because they have ample public transit and available street parking. Unused parking spots add millions of dollars in costs and severely limit the number of new units that can be built affordably. Spaces for cars are being prioritized over spaces for people.”

Where the government actively drives up prices, it’s possible (but not guaranteed) that changing a rule actually changes consumer costs. But in far too many cases, the underlying economic truth is that people struggle to afford things when incomes lag behind rising costs.

Pritzker realizes a state government only has so much say on that front. Although he did announce “it’s time for every business to get in the game, step up to the plate, raise wages and help lower the cost of living for Illinois families,” there was no attached policy proposal.

Federal changes, especially with regard to the way health insurance dictates so many aspects of household economics, are essential for smaller government entities to make meaningful strides toward affordability.

• Scott T. Holland writes about state government issues for Shaw Local News Network. He can be reached at sholland@shawmedia.com.