Illinois was once an international flagship of capitalism, freedom, commerce and manufacturing.
Today the bloated government of Illinois has raised taxes so high that tens of thousands have fled for freer pastures in each of the past several years. See here.
One couple is quoted saying that by moving to Tennessee, they managed to take back 25 percent of their income.
Illinois’ government workers live like royalty among starving peasants. The State now spends so much on retirement pensions for its “workers” that the budget for RETIRED Illinois college professors is higher than the budget for the current entire state university system. See here. (And many Illinois government retirees take their padded pensions and retire elsewhere, such as in lower-tax Florida, Nevada or Texas.)
Illinois government is panicking at the exodus of productive people, and planning to raise taxes even further on those who stay.
Recently the editorial board of the Chicago Tribune–which, like most ‘mainstream’ news editorial boards has cheered government growth for years–conceded that living in Illinois makes no financial sense.
