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Home Front: Politix

Huge Illinois Tax Hike Could Mean Exodus To The North

2011-01-12

That sucking sound you hear in Illinois might be jobs and moving vans leaving the state.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning, Illinois lawmakers squeaked in a massive tax increase at the end of its session before a new legislature, that is unlikely to pass tax increases in a down economy, started Wednesday. Some lawmakers say the increase was desperately needed to balance the state's fledgling budget. Now both residents and business owners in the "Land of Lincoln" are threatening to move out.

But that's good news for Illinois' neighbors to the north in Wisconsin, and they are laying out the welcome mat.

"Wisconsin is open for business," newly elected Republican Governor Scott Walker said in a statement his office put out immediately after the Illinois vote. "In these challenging economic times while Illinois is raising taxes, we are lowering them."

In an interview with FOX News, a spirited Governor Walker said Illinois lawmakers just made it an easy choice for a business trying to decide where to grow. "It's clear that it provides a great contrast to employers making a decision on long term growth and where the future is best for their company."
This is already happening. Amazon has just ended it's partnerships with Illinois businesses and they are looking to move to Indiana or Wisconsin. I expect the states that are buisness friendly around Illinois will start to bounce back from the Depression while Illinois continues to circle the toilet. Maybe Chicago will resemble Detroit in a decade.

Posted by:DarthVader

#4 Looks to me like the Democraps greed is destroying the party, I will NOT miss them.

Posted by: Redneck Jim 2011-01-12 20:35

#3 (On soap box and voluble today, as she finds the entire situation hilarious--in the sense that she has to laugh; otherwise she will start throwing the china in exasperation)

Illinoisians, you are welcome. Not just to the Dells and the cheese shops, but to be our neighbors. But be careful; we are having trouble with our own political creatures up here. Our state gov't is run from Madison, which is 72 square miles surrounded by reality. For example:

The day before the Nov election, the WI state govt. signed documents with the feds accepting $810 Million in aid for a high speed rail plan between Madison and Milwaukee. Had to be the day before elections, because the Donkeys were in serious peril of losing to the anti-rail Elephants, and so the outgoing Donkeys tried to serve up a fait accompli. Now they are shaking their heads because the Elephant actually is following through on his campaign promises and returned the train money. Imagine that!

Had to be high speed rail, no other options for funds. Not really high speed, of course; because the train would go through towns. Several of them. Not economically viable, because who has $50 bucks a ticket per person when for $50 you can drive a vanload of seven people round trip from Madison to Milwaukee, without having to go an extra half hour out of the way to catch a train on the Isthmus.

You see, the local establishment thinks that everything revolves around the Isthmus. Those businesses on the Beltline and the East Side? They don't matter; only campus and the state gov office workers deserve consideration for transportation systems. So the aging hippies declared that the train would go through the Isthmus of downtown Madison. Take a good look at the map of Madison in your Rand McNally, and you can see why a whole lot of undecided voters got off their couches on election day and voted for the anti-train, pro-business candidate.

So of course the local media is whining, "All that money for rail goes to Illinois." Where, of course, it will be siphoned off by the Chicago Machine and the Downstate Combine and disappear. It won't go to the aging hippies' altruistic boondoggles!

Posted by: mom 2011-01-12 19:58

#2 Maybe Chicago will resemble Detroit in a decade.You mean things could get better. Plus living less than ten miles from Flatland I expect to see the housing market pick up.

Posted by: Cheaderhead 2011-01-12 17:14

#1 Maybe Chicago will resemble Detroit in a decade.

It won't take that long.

Posted by: armyguy 2011-01-12 16:20

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