Yet another blue state is broke. Seems that the state of Illinois can't pay its bills. Its pension fund is the most underfunded in the country and the state is bleeding red ink while its public employee unions are channeling Billy Idol-they want "more, more, more". How bad is it? Illinois is being compared negatively to California:
...“We are a fiscal poster child for what not to do,” said Ralph Martire of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability, a liberal-leaning policy group in Illinois. “We make California look as if it’s run by penurious accountants who sit in rooms trying to put together an honest budget all day.”
Part of the problem is the state's long standing culture of corruption. As we are learning from the Blago case, government in Illinois isn't about the will of the people-it is a system of "you scratch my back, I'll scratch yours" and the more scratch the better.
I doubt there is anyone with the political will to fix Illinois problems but if there is they would do well to listen to Gov. Chris Christie. New Jersey was a tax and spend state prior to Christie. Christie has come in to office and union push back be damned, he is turning things around. Here is with Hannity:
If Christie succeeds, businesses will return to New Jersey and the state's employment will go down. New Jersey's revenues will increase while taxes go down. Just as a state can spiral out of control, with strong leadership and the right plan a state can recover and prosper. Unfortunately, Illinois has neither.
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