Ted was on with Terry Martin of The Illinois Channel talking about how the COVID-19 crisis exposed to the nation just how much of an outlier Illinois really is compared with other states, how politicians on both sides of the aisle have no plan to fix Illinois, how lawmakers stitch together budgets and let unpaid bills and pension debts grow year after year, how Mike Madigan’s possible end as House Speaker won’t change Illinois’ status quo, the reforms Illinois really needs to turn itself around, and more.
“Nobody has a plan to fix the state. Not Republicans. Not Democrats. But that’s what we need in 2021.” – Ted Dabrowski on the Illinois Channel.
Wirepoints Original Stories
Madigan’s loss, Illinois’ damaging COVID restrictions and the potential impact of Biden’s new stimulus – Mark Glennon on the Steve Cortes Show
Mark was on the Steve Cortes Show this week talking about Mike Madigan's historic fall from power, the continued destruction wrought by the state's overly-restrictive COVID lockdowns, and the potential size and impact of Biden's stimulus plan.
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Illinois may be in line for nearly $14 billion in federal help for state and local government – Quicktake
President-elect Joe Biden on Friday provided some details on his proposed $1.9 billion pandemic relief bill, called The American Rescue Plan. It includes $350 billion for state and local governments.
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Illinois’ COVID-19 data: Daily update for Jan. 16, 2021 – Wirepoints
Daily COVID-19 data update for January 16, 2021. Includes new data on vaccinations in Illinois.
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Please, Illinois, lift the ban on high school sports – Wirepoints
Tragedy should beget solace, but not silence.
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Illinois A.M. (After Madigan) – Wirepoints
Mike Madigan’s tenure as House Speaker is over after nearly 40 years at the helm. In his place, Democrats have elected Hillside Democrat Emanuel “Chris” Welch to lead the chamber. Madigan’s loss of power is a monumental change, but just because he’s gone it doesn't mean Illinois’ problems are over.
It’s frightening to consider all of the powerful stakeholders that accept, or promote, a Byzantine labyrinth of expensive government, higher taxes, more spending and more borrowing as the solutions to Illinois bankruptcy of finances and governance.
Public employee unions, the Medicaid Industrial Complex, the usurious pay-day loan guvmn’t bond markets, to name a few.
Voters among them. While the “Fair” Tax amendment’s defeat was a hopeful outcome, truth is that for whatever reasons, we keep electing public officials who seem capable only of making a bad situation worse.
It can only be understood as a ruling coalition of various special interests like those you named plus particular grievance groups. That’s a tough coalition to overcome.
Particularly when you consider how successful they’ve been in emasculating the rudderless Republican party as an alternative in Illinois.
https://www.commercial-news.com/opinion/jim-nowlan-whither-the-gop-in-illinois/article_f5db6cfa-4bb6-11eb-99ee-e3539c4d6b43.html
They’ve certainly got it figured out. The least influential interest-groups in Springfield – small and medium sized private-sector businesses, over-burdened middle-class and working-poor taxpayers – have been thoroughly disenfranchised by stakeholders whose only plan is “more-of-the-same described differently.”
Let’s review Mr Nowlan’s complaint: “This effectively leaves lifestyle tolerant, pro-choice, balanced budget, free market, business-friendly folks like me outside the party, or so I feel.” 1) Lifestyle tolerant – LGBTQ? in all things (being unable to define what a ‘woman’ is), particularly public schools, is not moderate or conservative. 2) Pro-choice – Being for abortion up to the moment of birth, i.e., infanticide is not moderate or conservative. 3) Balanced budget – Constantly increasing taxes and fees on the middle-class and small private business to feed a bloated and unjust government and it’s favored special interests is not moderate… Read more »
Very well put Mark. And very true.
Illinois is doomed. It has painted itself into too many corners. Corrupt Democrat cowards, feckless Republican cowards, and the rats of public employee unions have ruined what used to be a real blue-chip State. When your major export is successful people and their capital and your economic future is based on gambling and pot sales, I’d say it’s all over. When will governor Slobbo push for legalized whorehouses? There’s a new revenue source. Empty storefronts. Check! Mattresses. Check! Johnny Mathis records. Check! Let’s form a committee to run it up a flagpole!
With extreme hardship conditions the state can just amend the pensions, without a amendment. They just won’t present that case to the court since they will loose all their votes.
You’re completely wrong David. They tried that with the last pension reform and the courts dismissed that very argument. The ILSC ruled that “extreme” hardship is not a reason to cut benefits. In fact, the court referenced the Great Depression and the attempt by the city of Chicago to cut pay to judges. This is from their ruling: We held, however, that any departure from the law is impermissible unless justification for that departure is found within the law itself. Exigent circumstances are not enough. “Neither the legislature nor any executive or judicial officer may disregard the provisions of the constitution… Read more »
With each person the state loses the pensions get closer to insolvency. There has to be basic services by law, and taxes can only go so high. Eventually the pensions will be cut. Federal courts not owned by public unions will grant police powers once the pensions collapse, if nothing else. Math always wins. I will be in Texas watching the pensions collapse with a smile on my face!
Make that the Supreme Court. But again, math always wins. The state is bleeding people more and more. The pensions are toast in time. Glad I’m out of the dump know as Illinois. Anyone with a state pension should get ready for soup lines! Municipal bankruptcy is inevitable as well.
This state is like a runaway freight train rolling down a hill,the politicians dont or wont apply the breaks,theres gonna be a huge crash pretty soon because our leaders dont have the cahonas to do whats needed-pretty ridiculous
#DoctorYsThoughts🤔
#Illinois is the most economically dysfunctional state in the Union due to #TheLEFT’s obsession with #MoneyAndPower.
Think for a second, what it would be like to have #LeadershipFromIllinois who focused on #PeopleAndPrinciplesOverMoneyAndPower🤔
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DrYERKESForCongress.com
2022🤔🤷🏼♂️
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“I’ve said too much; I haven’t said enough.”
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Dr.,
this WAS solved 50 years ago with the balanced budget amendment and yet not a single word about it when asking for votes. Voting for and/or signing an unbalanced budget is treason. Talk about that.
The notion that a state with the 15th highest personal income per capita among the 51 states and DC, and the 2nd highest in the Midwest, is somehow seriously broken and needs “fixing” is not at all obvious. At the end of the day, the standard of living is what matters most, not population growth, taxation, debt, etc. After all, more people would likely want to live in Germany, rather than India, even though growth in Germany is lower and tax rates are higher.
“The notion that a state with the 15th highest personal income per capita among the 51 states and DC, and the 2nd highest in the Midwest, is somehow seriously broken and needs “fixing” is not at all obvious……At the end of the day, the standard of living is what matters most, not population growth, taxation, debt, etc.”
This is your opinion and it is ill informed. There’s no hope for people like you.
51 states. Lol.
So, Illinois is Germany and Texas, Indiana, Florida, etc. is India?
How does the state maintain a high standard of living when it can’t pay its bills? Illinois credit is already at junk status, so it cannot borrow its way out of trouble much longer. Ever increasing debt is not the path to prosperity. If it were, we would all be rich. And for those who think that just raising taxes would fix the problem, you haven’t been paying attention over the last several decades. Higher taxes will only mean that the politicians spend more, to the great satisfaction of the public unions. The debt will continue to balloon out of… Read more »
They will be happy until their pensions collapse and are cut. Hope they enjoy that, because they will deserve it.
This idiot thinks people leaving and unsustainable debt doesn’t matter. The high cost of living nullifies everything this dope mentioned too. Where is Mark or Ted to delete this trash?
He also thinks there are 51 states and compares the places people are moving to to India. At least he is closer than Obozo who thinks there are 57 states. Actually, this must be Obozo.
Andrew, this isn’t Germany vs. India its IL vs FL, TN, TX and a list of others where people are concluding that they and their kids will have a higher standard of living. You are driving by looking in the rear view mirror if you don’t think debt, population lost and taxation won’t determine standard of living. It’s already damaging IL standard of living.
You waste your breath. Illinois has reached peak insanity.
Clearly you haven’t left the bubble of some parts of Chicago and a few other surrounding communities. Most of Illinois has been in a deep recession since the 1990’s and for most downstate communities poverty is the rule. If you don’t want to be troubled to travel very far then take a visit to nearby Harvey, Illinois to see the future of Chicago if the unfunded pensions are not drastically slashed and all taxes deeply reduced. Take a peek at the Harvey, IL “Standard of Living” without water service, police, and fire and see if you can keep gloating about… Read more »
To all conscious and even semi-conscious taxpayers: you have to save yourselves and your asset valuations. Move to another state before it’s too late and you end up taking a financial bath on your house or your business. I have an acquaintance who actually was in an audience with Pritzker where Pritzker suggested to these small business owners that they will never relocate to another state because of family, friends and business contacts. This is a perfect illustration of how much concern Illinois politicians have for Illinois taxpayers. I’m writing this from Tennessee where I have relocated my family and… Read more »
We left nearly four years ago and took a bath on the selling price of our house. Sold it for less than we bought it from the builder thirteen years prior to selling it.
I couldn’t even imagine trying to sell a house in Illinois now after Pritzker, COVID-19 missteps, and riots in downtown Chicago.
Nobody has a plan because it is not possible to fix the state without taking severe steps, and no politician has the stomach for that kind of pain. They are worried about staying on the gravy train, not fixing the state. What a mess.
The math behind it is incomprehensible there isn’t a brain in Springfield that can fix this mess and they know it but they keep on truckin and making matters worse,it will never ever be fixed.
You could have stopped after “there isn’t a brain in Springfield”
Republicans are the poor saps. They remind me of the Morris Kessler character in Goodfellas.
Lacy’s Law:
INCOMPETANCE + CORRUPTION = BANKRUPTCY
The constant taxing will never end. All is lost unless you are on the dole and snap.
leave while you can and do not look back
Wirepoints starts from the assumption that Illinois is worth saving. Residents are leaving because they disagree. The natural inclination is to stay and fight but more and more residents are asking themselves, “Fight for what?”
Couldn’t agree more. My family left this year because we couldn’t take it anymore. No one should have to live with a government that is adversarial to its citizens. That’s the future of Illinois, reform or otherwise.
People would be best served just moving and letting the state crumble behind them. There’s nothing worth fighting for.
We left too.