Illinois Policy and Reality

By Rich Kozlovich Updated 10/9/21 and appears at the end of article.  

Somehow I got on the e-mail list of something called the Illinois Policy Institute. I have no idea how or why, but I get them regularly, and I didn't unsubscribe. Why?   Because there was a great deal of useful information about what happens to the people of a state that's run almost exclusively by leftist Democrats.  

Illinois is a state where six of the last seven governors were charged with crimes, four of which went to prison.  What we see is a state filled with incompetent and corrupt leadership that's typical of leftists, milking their productive citizens of every dime they can squeeze out of them and corrupting the non-productive, who then become serfs to the system who sustain the corruption with their votes.  

This is the reality of the leftism they would like to impose on the nation.  California, Oregon, Washington, New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Rhode Island and Hawaii, all facing massive economic problems that could bankrupt them.  

Should they be allowed to go bankrupt?  There's the argument, and the number of arguments for not allowing them to go bankrupt is endless, and all of them usually entail bailouts by the Federal Government, which means states that have acted intelligently in their financial dealings are going to be forced to fund states that refuse to act prudently with the people's money, and will never do so as long as there's a federal sugar daddy.  

My answer?  

Refuse to fund their profligacy and demand the states fix their debt problems with funds strictly acquired via taxes they can legally impose.  Or allow the states to go bankrupt.   If they choose bankruptcy, then disenfranchise their statehood, which would require a Constitutional amendment, and turn these states into territories, losing their representation in the House of Representatives and the Senate.  

From that point on they will be controlled entirely by a federally appointed Territorial Governor, who will then control all the state's finances, spending and obligations, including paying off their debt, while funding the needs of the citizens.   

The state legislature, judiciary and executive bodies will be dismissed, and their retirement plans declared void.  Judges will be appointed by the Territorial Governor and the federal judiciary will have no jurisdiction.   All union contracts will be disavowed. Public employee unions will be disallowed, including the teacher's unions - actually especially the teacher's unions - and all retirement packages of state employees restructured.  That restructuring will include changes for those already retired, both union and non union retirees.  

The Territorial Governor will have total control over these state's city, county and state governmental structures, spending and taxation  All with the proviso they must have a balanced budget funded by the taxpayers of those districts.   

They can only apply for statehood once again after 10 years, and demonstrate competence in government, and must be able to show they can run their state without deficits.  Which should be the national norm in all states and the federal government. 

Here's their latest alert. 

NEW PODCAST: Be sure to check out, The Policy Ship, a new podcast from the Illinois Policy Institute that tackles the most important public policy issues facing our state. Available on Spotify, Google and Apple.

Illinois Policy Institute commentary, ideas Illinois schools outspend, under perform neighbors   Illinois test scores lag nearby states as administrative bloat keeps money from classrooms. 3 problems with Lightfoot's Chicago budget starting with an unnecessary property tax hike

Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot Sept. 20 proposed a $16.7 billion budget that includes a $76.5 million property tax hike, which after accounting for revenue from new property would raise property tax bills by an average of $72 to $180, depending on a homeowner's region of the city. Illinois aims to put 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2023

The state's newly adopted clean energy policy adds new incentives for electric vehicles and charging stations for buyers and manufacturers. Will the Chicago Bears stay in the city? Lightfoot hopes so, but says taxpayer dollars won't be part of the deal.

Soldier Field is the NFL's oldest stadium and home to the bears since 1971. Though their city contract runs through 2033, many expect the team will move to the suburbs after the purchase of Arlington Park in the northwest suburbs. Amendment 1 would take away taxpayers' voice in state government

The proposed constitutional amendment would put union contracts above the interests of future taxpayers and voters. Illinois racial employment gap is double U.S. average 

Gov. J.B. Pritzker announced his reelection bid on July 19 with the key pillar of his campaign being his record on protecting the lives and livelihoods of the people of Illinois.  Look at the "livelihoods" in Illinois, and that quickly looks like a poor campaign decision. Illinois' financial condition worsens despite receiving billions in federal aid

A new report from watchdog Truth in Accounting shows each taxpayer's share of state debt has nearly doubled since 2009 to $57,000 as total debt increased by $10 billion, mostly due to pension obligations.  

Your story

 Deb Roti - We have huge shortages of teachers because salaries are low in Illinois for educators, and due to the pension crisis, the state can't even promise they will have money to support teachers who are already retired. It's decimating the education field.

In the news  

Why the national housing boom hasn't lifted Illinois - Crain's Chicago Business: Bryce Hill's op-ed cites original research that shows Illinois ranks 48th in the nation for new home construction by population. The piece attributes the state pension crisis and rising property taxes as major reasons why Illinois' housing market lags the rest of the nation.

Illinois economy recovering slower than rest of country - Yahoo News: Illinois Policy Institute research on unemployment rates was cited in this Center Square article that was picked up by Yahoo News. Orphe Divounguy told reporters that Illinois has the 7th worst unemployment rate in the nation, and jobs have been slow to recover since the COVID-19 pandemic.

Update:

Most recently, if you look at North American Moving Services’ 2020 Migration Report, there are obvious patterns. The two more glaring “key takeaways” are that people “are fleeing California for Texas and Idaho” while “Illinois, New York, and New Jersey are the three states with the most outbound moves.”  California, Illinois, New York, and New Jersey are the most prominent of the solidly blue states. So why are Americans fleeing those states in record numbers to the top seven inbound states of Idaho, Arizona, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina, Florida, and Texas? While not all these states are solidly red, most are, while two are purple at best.  Premature Premonitions of Civil War? By William Sullivan