“In retrospect, I wish I would’ve asked more questions, but I trusted them, I put my faith in them, I put my father’s life in their hands and, pre-COVID, I had no problems. They were very, very good, very caring to my father,” David Liesse said of the state-run veterans’ home that was his father’s home since 2018. “But after COVID, it’s just like, nobody knew what to do.”

Demand is so intense that Illinois, the only state to tap the Federal Reserve’s pandemic emergency-lending facility, recently sold three-year bonds at yields near 1%.

“We’re like, you know, in the middle of this slow sink. We have a band playing on the deck telling everybody it’s fine,” Rep. Adam Kinzger said. “And I think there’s a few of us that are just saying, ‘Guys, this is not good,’ not just for the future of the party, but this is not good for the future of this country.”

“The real questions are why are so many young adults looking for greener pastures outside Illinois and what can be done about it. Past surveys have indicated it’s mostly about economics — employment, taxes and housing…Unfortunately, not enough people with influence agree that’s the issue. As a consequence, many adults, not college students, continue to give up on Illinois.”

“I hope it’s a wake-up call for folks in Illinois; we can’t keep doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results,” said Central Illinois Congressman Darin LaHood.

The Illinois Department of Human Services recently told providers the Pritzker administration can now put $122 million toward the developmental disabilities budget thanks to the American Rescue Plan from Washington.

An estimated 36.2% of the state’s population between the ages of 18 and 34 live with their parents. One potential explanation for the greater likelihood is the state’s relatively weak job market, which can make it more difficult for those in the early stages of a career to achieve financial independence.

“The level of work that has been done on serious issues up here is completely embarrassing. There’s no sense of urgency on things everyone knows are extremely important,” Rep. Blaine Wilhour said after Friday’s less than 10-minute House session ended.

“In 2003, based on the metrics we looked at, just seven cities failed,” Wirepoints President Ted Dabrowski said of the grade Wirepoints gave city pension plans. “By 2019, 102 cities had failed.” Peoria was the worst off in the report, having gone from a “D” letter grade in 2003 to a letter grade of “F” for 2019.