-By Warner Todd Huston
The Associated Press is reporting that the poverty rate in Illinois has jumped from 10.7 percent in 2000 to 12.2 percent in 2008, the last year for which we have Census Bureau data. That comes out to about 1.5 million Illinois citizens living below the poverty line.
Hardest hit were some of the counties in Northern Illinois in and around the Chicago area.
The drops in income were particularly steep in several northern Illinois counties, DuPage, Kane and Winnebago. For instance, in DuPage County, the median income has declined $10,690 since 2000, from $87,723 to $77,033.
One of the things that made this poverty rate climb is the horrendous business climate that Illinoisans suffer under. In 2008 the Directorship’s Boardroom Guide to State Litigation Climates compiled by the Foundation for Fair Civi Justice ranked Illinois as the state with the worst business climate. In 2009 it ranked second just under Pennsylvania.
Winning the dubious distinction of having the worst business climate in the country is not a way to entice new business to come to the Land of Lincoln to bring the new jobs that Illinois needs to raise its citizens out of poverty.
And what is the “solution” to this mess being offered by Dan Hynes, one of the Democrat’s leading candidates for governor? He wants to raise taxes on “the rich.” And can we take just a second to ask who it is that creates jobs, opens new businesses, and brings wealth to the state? Wouldn’t that be “the rich”?
Earlier in the year it was revealed that Maryland lost one-third of its high income residents as they fled the state over exorbitant taxes. When these citizens left the state they commensurately reduced the tax revenue the state expected. Many of them took their business ventures with them, too.
Is that the Democrat’s plan for Illinois? To further reduce the attractiveness to the jobs bringing businesses that might come to Illinois?
So what of the Republican gubernatorial candidate’s views on Jobs? Well, here some of the mentions of jobs on each of their websites:
Adam Andrzejewski: Job Growth In Illinois
Bill Brady: Brady Declares Quinn Budget Attack on Families and Jobs
Kirk Dillard: Creating a “Destination Economy”
Dan Proft: Illinois Isn’t Just Losing Jobs to India; We’re Losing Jobs to Indiana
Bob Schillerstrom: New Jobs Tied to New Leadership.
(Cross posted at RedCounty.com)
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Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as NewsBusters.org, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.
He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston
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