By: Ted Dabrowski
High taxes get all the blame for chasing people out of Illinois, but former Illinoisan Andy Baker’s list of reasons for leaving was much longer: “The taxes, the government, the lack of freedom, the cost of living, the horrible winters.”
I recently met Andy, a painting contractor, during a family trip to the Florida panhandle when he was finishing up some work at our rental property. When I told him we were from just outside Chicago, he immediately shared with me that he was originally from Barrington, Illinois.
Andy left Illinois when he was nearly 30 years old. For the last 25 years he’s been working successfully as a contractor in Florida.
Why Florida, I asked? “Florida is one of the last bastions of freedom.”
To make his case, Andy quickly turned to Florida’s COVID response. “We hardly shut down and we haven’t been forced to wear masks for a long time. And our numbers prove out that it wasn’t necessary to shut down.”
“I’m very proud of our governor,” he added.
Gov. DeSantis was pummeled all last year by the press for keeping Florida’s economy open, but the numbers are vindicating his decisions. Florida’s approach has, by all accounts, managed to benefit both sides of the lives and livelihoods equation so that each has come out ahead of the national average.
For one, Florida has done far better than its detractors ever predicted on the most important metric of the COVID pandemic: deaths. Overall, Florida has had 40 percent fewer deaths per capita than New York and 17 percent fewer than Illinois, two states with some of the nation’s strictest COVID lockdowns.
On the flip side, Florida’s approach to the pandemic has also done a far better job preserving residents’ livelihoods. The Sunshine State has an unemployment rate of 4.7 percent, far lower than New York’s near 9 percent rate and lower than Illinois’ rate of 7.4 percent. Keeping the economy open has protected the quality of life of hundreds of thousands more Floridians than would have otherwise been the case.
I asked Andy how his business was in light of the pandemic and his response was telling: “We’re cooking on all cylinders. My biggest problem with Northwest Florida is finding good people to work…I turn down as much business as I take.”
For a man that’s been out of Illinois for so long, Andy still has a clear sense of what’s wrong with the state and why he left. He has family living here and cares about the impact the state has on them. “Illinois, like so many blue states, shut everything down unnecessarily. They damaged what was already a teetering economy because of unfunded mandates, teachers pensions…it’s unsustainable.”
Illinois was already in a bad state when Andy moved and it’s only gotten worse since. Property taxes have grown to the highest in the nation. State and local retirement debts have skyrocketed to more than $90,000 per household. And the state’s credit rating is just one notch from junk.
No wonder Illinois has lost more people than any other state in the nation in the last decade. Florida, meanwhile, has gained the second-most behind Texas.
As he finished up, I asked him if he had a message for struggling Illinoisans. “Change your government. Change your politicians. Stop voting for the people that create these problems. More importantly, if you move to Florida or Texas, keep those policies that damage the state away. Don’t come down here and vote the same way.”
As for the chances of him ever returning? “I won’t move back. This is home for me now.”
Read more about Illinois’ out-migration:
Expect no retraction or apology. This what they do.
The state’s existing buyout program for its own pensions is the precedent for Chicago, which should be a warning: Look out for similar exaggerated claims and shoddy analysis.
Secession cannot come fast enough
Will never happen. Good luck getting congress to approve that delusional pipe dream.
Andy made a wise decision to relocate from Illinois. Nonetheless, his acceptance to keep businesses open during the Covid-19 endemic was like bartering business interest over people contracting and dying of Covid-19. The many lives that died from the virus should have had more value than keeping business flowing so that more and more individuals could spread and get sick. Had Trump intervened far sooner many of those who died would be alive today. People like Andy who endear Trump politics and thinking have only worsened things. Now we face a third and fourth outbreak if the virus all due… Read more »
You will never eradicate a disease like this through lockdowns or masks. In Australia, which has some of the world’s toughest Covid policies–on a gigantic island, no less–still has people who arrive with Covid. They then lockdown entire regions — all because of a few cases. This could go on for years, because all it is doing is slowing down the rate of infection (vaccine notwithstanding, but now we’re told they aren’t forever). The reality is that life is short, and society is not structured in a way to effectively fight this disease the way that Democrats desire. Democrats have… Read more »
Very well said! It looks exactly like something I would have wrote myself.
Untrue. Take a look again at the data above. Florida has done better than the national average at protecting both lives and livelihoods. Certainly better than heavy-lockdown states like Illinois and New York that destroyed businesses with no obvious benefit toward preventing COVID deaths.
Doneall. – help me out. Why are Florida’s COVID’s statistics better than Illinois and New York? Your narrative is familiar, but doesn’t address the bottom line?
dude,try reading the stats on the chance of catching covid,stats on getting ill from covid,stats on dieing from covid,less than 1/100 of a percent of dying,except for elderly people or those with comorbities,overweight,diabetes,heart problems etc,so quit whining and go hide under your bed before the covid monster gets you!
In the Pfizer vaccine study, they had 20,000 people get an inert placebo. The rest got the vaccine. Of the 20k people 162 got Covid. None died.
do some reading before you spout off about something you obviously know nothing about
Illinois is the best state in America, they have the best infrastructure,school system,numerous programs to help anyone get ahead, government employees have a fantastic retirement plan, I mean there is a ton of reasons to live there,great gun control, politicians who care about working families,great sport teams,restrictive covid rules to keep us safe etc… Anyway thats my April 1st joke for today.
We were in Miami in January, beautiful, no masks, beach full, smiling happy people. Hotels that makes Chicago’s look like a 1930s flop house.
I just landed in Fort Myers yesterday for about a week – I think I’ve been in Florida about 12 times now since IL first locked down (I’m essential! LOL). It is very liberating, but in the earlier months, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, Tampa – looked pretty similar to Chicago, but with a more equal spread of people with and without masks – a lot less mask-Karens too. I am shocked every time though when I see people masked up here. But, that’s their choice, just don’t force it on me. Fort Myers was definitely a lot more relaxed now. I… Read more »
Absolutely love the Fort Myers area traveled there several times for leisure.
was in ft meyers in august,florida rocks!!
Wait till the Mag Mile gets torn apart again this Summer, excuse will be Floyd verdict (doesn’t matter what it will be). Pritzker and Lightfoot will bloviate and stand down. Don’t blame the Cops – Look in the mirror.
Many thanks to Ted and Andy. Andy, a person with a fabulous skilled-craftsman career, has a coherent world-class point-of-view. Andy isn’t fooled when politicians and media personalities hide the truth.
The population trend of Illinois is a big problem. Funny how the Governor who believes in science can’t accept the facts when it comes to the population decline. That just guarantees that the trend will continue, and will likely accelerate. The social justice warrior stuff coming from JB’s pie hole doesn’t resonate with hardworking, law abiding citizens.
JB wants you gone. The goal is to get rid of all Republicans and import Democrat illegal immigrant voters, and their anchor babies, instead. The rest he is trying to kill through delayed but equity based coronavirus vaccinations
That sounds a bit extreme.
How else would you describe distributing the vaccine to healthy younger Democrat voters in 100% Democrat neighborhoods, but, delaying the vaccine to white elderly people?
How else would you describe sanctuary laws, that provide free health care, education and public assistance to illegal immigrants, while raising the taxes on white middle class rural and exurban voters?
The outcome of his policies are very, very real. His policies benefit his voters and punish all else who fail to vote his way.
The democrat politicians in this state are practicing curleyism. They want the conservative middle class to leave and their policies are the means to get this accomplished. With the republicans gone, democrats will be in charge until the state collapses, which it will
Taking care of family is the only reason I am still in this hell hole. After that job is complete, I am out of here.
It sounds like Andy is happy in Florida and has been for many years. If you look around in Illinois you will be hard pressed to find anyone equally happy. It raises the question, “Why do so many stay in Illinois?” It’s an increasingly common question, replacing the question, “Why do people leave Illinois”. I guess there’s no reason to ask what is already well known.
I can only assume the people who stay in Illinois are bad at math. My suggestion for Wirepoints is to actually put together a graph/chart that projects the impact of owning a $250,000 home for the next 10 years in Illinois and other states. What will be the final projected value of the home in each state based on recent appreciation history? How much accumulated real estate taxes will have been paid over the 10 years? I can certainly understand Wirepoints being reluctant to publish such data. They are responsible authors and wouldn’t want everyone immediately listing their homes at… Read more »
People have all kinds of motivations to include where they choose to live. The mathematical side of living in one state rather than another is one such factor but might well be of lesser importance to some than it is to you. As is almost always the case in life’s decisions you generally have to give up some things to get others when deciding where to live. You can probably live very cheaply in Mexico or in a nearly deserted little village here in America, but would you want to do so?
Funny you should ask. I sold or gave away everything I own and left Illinois just before covid started. I now reside in the Philippines. Someday I’ll return to the U.S.A. but it won’t be Illinois. I’m done forever with that nightmare. I did the math.
Good for you, but you’ll likely find you likely have other displeasing things to deal with there, too. Such life changes always have positive and negative consequences. Maybe you’ll find the negatives not all that bothersome. I hope that’s the case. Good luck!
I and my wife are waiting a few more years to retire, then we are gone for good.
Bad at math or due to Ignorance.
Or even worse. Due to unhealthy Stockholm Syndrome.
Bravo to Andy. And bravo to whoever wrote this article. My friends in Florida are gonna be thrilled to read it.