{"id":1481984,"date":"2024-08-06T21:00:00","date_gmt":"2024-08-07T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/?p=1481984"},"modified":"2024-08-06T21:00:00","modified_gmt":"2024-08-07T01:00:00","slug":"convention-visitors-heres-the-true-impact-of-progressive-government-on-illinois-and-chicago","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bugaluu.com\/news\/convention-visitors-heres-the-true-impact-of-progressive-government-on-illinois-and-chicago\/1481984\/","title":{"rendered":"Convention Visitors, Here’s The True Impact Of Progressive Government On Illinois And Chicago"},"content":{"rendered":"

Convention Visitors, Here’s The True Impact Of Progressive Government On Illinois And Chicago<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Via Wirepoints.org,<\/em><\/a><\/p>\n

Led by Gov. JB Pritzker in national TV appearances, the political establishment in Illinois and Chicago is listing its triumphs as the Democratic National Convention in Chicago nears. Mayor Brandon Johnson, too, is \u201clooking to spread his vision for progressive governance on everything from raising wages for workers in Chicago to achieving a ceasefire in Gaza,\u201d <\/strong><\/em>as The Nation recently\u00a0put it<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Through a progressive\u2019s lens, successes are real: a higher minimum wage, establishment of the state as an abortion haven, a major capital budget, aggressive green energy mandates, welcoming and sanctuary policies for migrants and more. We publish those claims as they are made. Illinois may indeed be \u201cthe most progressive state in the nation and damn proud of it,\u201d as Gov. Pritzker\u00a0says<\/a>.<\/strong><\/p>\n

But there\u2019s another side to the story,<\/strong> thousands of pages long, of severely crippling results of progressive policies.<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

What follows is a summary of the other consequences of progressive policies for Illinois and Chicago.\u00a0Each point is documented by facts and data. Links are to original sources or to Wirepoints reports that cite the original sources.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Fleeing population and tax base<\/p>\n

Stagnant economy and job market<\/p>\n

Expensive and broken education system<\/p>\n

Rampant crime<\/p>\n

Suffocating taxes<\/p>\n

Pension crisis ignored<\/p>\n

Massive spending on illegal immigrants<\/p>\n

No equity \u2013 a failure by their own standards<\/p>\n

Economic policy centered on statism and doomed focus on renewable energy<\/p>\n

Free speech under assault and autocracy reigns<\/p>\n

Disastrous pandemic management yet no accountability<\/p>\n

Still more<\/p>\n

For still more details, see our\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>page linked here<\/em><\/strong><\/a>\u00a0collecting all our pertinent articles and research grouped by topic.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

*\u00a0 *\u00a0 *<\/p>\n

Fleeing population and tax base<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The Census Bureau\u2019s decennial count (2010-2020) showed Illinois\u00a0was one of only three states<\/a>\u00a0to lose population over the decade. The bureau\u2019s latest estimates show Illinois has lost another\u00a0240,000 in population<\/a>\u00a0since 2020.<\/p>\n

More than 1.5 million people<\/a>\u00a0on net have moved out of Illinois since 2000 according to IRS migration data. Illinois would have taken in an estimated $3.6 billion more in income tax revenue in 2022 alone were it not for that exodus.<\/p>\n

IRS migration data shows Illinois\u00a0netted<\/em>\u00a0a\u00a0loss of 87,000 residents<\/a>\u00a0and $9.8 billion in adjusted gross income in tax year 2022. Illinois\u2019 losses were the nation\u2019s 3rd-worst, behind only New York and California.<\/p>\n

Illinois had 24 U.S. House Representatives after the 1970 Census.\u00a0Today it has just 17<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Stagnant economy and job market<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Illinois\u2019 current unemployment rate of 5.0% is\u00a03rd-worst in the nation<\/a>.Chicago is ranked\u00a0dead last<\/a>\u00a0among major cities for creating new millionaires.<\/p>\n

Illinois ranks 45<\/a>th<\/a>\u00a0through 47<\/a>th<\/a>\u00a0in the country in economic metrics used by the state\u2019s own Commission on Government Accountability and Forecasting to compare itself to other states: GDP, employment and personal income.<\/p>\n

Illinois is a\u00a0\u201cnet taker\u201d from the federal government<\/a>\u00a0and has been since around 2019.<\/p>\n

Illinois\u2019 credit rating and budgets were greatly assisted by the\u00a0nearly $200 billion<\/a>\u00a0in covid funds distributed by the federal government to the state\u2019s public and private sectors.<\/p>\n

Illinois has created\u00a0no net new employment\u00a0in five years<\/a>\u00a0\u2013 the nation\u2019s 3rd-worst performance. Fewer people are on Illinois\u2019 employment rolls today than when Gov. Pritzker took office.<\/p>\n

Annual state claims to \u201cbalanced budgets\u201d aren\u2019t true because, among other reasons, Illinois consistently underfunds its pension contributions\u00a0by about $5 billion<\/a>\u00a0every year.<\/p>\n

Expensive and broken education system<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Illinois has dismal student outcomes.\u00a0Just 35% of students statewide<\/a>\u00a0can read at grade level and only 27% are proficient in math. It\u2019s worse for minorities: Just 16% of black students and just 22% of Hispanics can read at grade level. In all,\u00a01.2 million Illinois students<\/a>\u00a0can\u2019t read at grade level.<\/p>\n

Illinois is spending\u00a0nearly $24,000<\/a>\u00a0per student in 2024, up more than 30% compared to 2019.<\/p>\n

Only 25%<\/a>\u00a0of Chicago Public School students can read at grade level and just 18% can do math. Yet CPS graduates 83% of its students. Chicago Public Schools spent\u00a0nearly $30,000<\/a>\u00a0per student in 2024, up 39% compared to 2019.<\/p>\n

Not a single child<\/a>\u00a0tested proficient in math in 67 Illinois schools. For reading, it\u2019s 32 schools.<\/p>\n

The state\u2019s accountability\u00a0metrics are broken<\/a>. Ninety-seven percent of teachers statewide are rated \u201cexcellent or proficient\u201d and 83% of schools are rated \u201cexemplary\u201d or \u201ccommendable.\u201d<\/p>\n

Based on Census Bureau data, Illinois spends the most per student of any state in the Midwest. Illinois\u2019 total per student spend grew 98% between 2022 and 2007,\u00a0the 3rd-largest increase<\/a>\u00a0of the nation\u2019s 50 states.<\/p>\n

Illinois\u2019 \u201cevidence-based\u201d school funding formula\u00a0has failed<\/a>. After seven years and $8.5 billion in dedicated funding to the formula, the number of students reading at grade level has not improved.<\/p>\n

While 19 states<\/a>\u00a0have adopted some form of school choice since 2023, Illinois politicians last year killed off the state\u2019s only choice program: a small tax-credit scholarship.<\/p>\n

Rampant Crime<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Chicago has\u00a0led the nation in total homicides<\/a>\u00a0for 12 years in a row.<\/p>\n

Pritzker\u00a0has said<\/a>\u00a0\u201cviolent crime in the City of Chicago \u2026 has been coming down for three years, in particular, over the last year\u201d and frequently made similar claims. In truth, Chicagoans are suffering under a\u00a0six-year high<\/a>\u00a0in violent crimes.<\/p>\n

Thanks to crime levels and overwhelmed police, if you\u2019re shot, robbed or assaulted in Chicago,\u00a0there\u2019s a 50\/50 chance\u00a0<\/a>there will be no police to respond to your 911 call.<\/p>\n

Since the implementation of the controversial SAFE-T Act which eliminated cash bail, Cook County\u2019s jail population has fallen to its\u00a0lowest levels in 40 years.<\/a><\/p>\n

Prosecuting criminals in Chicago and all of Cook County is in the hands of Kim Foxx, widely regarded as among the most pro-criminal prosecutor in the nation and notorious for dropping charges against actor Jussie Smollett. She\u00a0was endorsed<\/a>\u00a0in both her election and reelection to Cook County State\u2019s Attorney by the entire Illinois ruling progressive establishment.<\/p>\n

Suffocating taxes<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Illinoisans pay the nation\u2019s\u00a0highest property taxes<\/a>, the country\u2019s\u00a02nd-highest gas taxes<\/a>\u00a0and the\u00a02nd-highest corporate income tax rate<\/a>. Property taxes in Chicago are particularly staggering, with the\u00a0highest effective commercial property tax rate<\/a>\u00a0(5.37%) among the nation\u2019s biggest cities.<\/p>\n

All told, Illinois\u2019 total tax burden ranking ranges from\u00a0worst\u00a0<\/a>to\u00a011th\u00a0worst<\/a>, though Illinois ranking\u00a0probably has worsened\u00a0<\/a>since the last studies were done. At least\u00a026 states<\/a>\u00a0have recently cut taxes while Illinois raised its by over a billion dollars.<\/p>\n

Pritzker\u2019s 2025 budget disregarded kitchen table issues that actually matter<\/a>, such as gasoline prices, property taxes, quality of education, inflation and jobs.<\/p>\n

Kiplinger\u00a0has ranked<\/a>\u00a0Illinois the \u201cleast friendly state\u201d for middle-class families.<\/p>\n

The south and southwest suburbs of Chicago were\u00a0hit particularly hard<\/a>\u00a0by residential tax bills sent in July, sparking fears of a tax revolt. The median residential bill jumped by 19.9%, to $6,117. Most stunning of all, in 15 south suburbs median tax bills jumped by anywhere from 26% to 122%.<\/p>\n

Pension crisis ignored<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Illinois has\u00a0the worst pension crisis<\/a>\u00a0in the nation\u00a0under most metrics<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The unfunded liability for Illinois state pensions\u00a0grew<\/a>\u00a0from $137 billion in 2019 (when Pritzker took office) to $142 billion in its most recent report.<\/p>\n

Chicago\u2019s worst-in-nation pension crisis is worsening.\u00a0<\/strong>Chicago\u2019s pension shortfall<\/a>\u00a0across the city\u2019s four major retirement funds rose to $37.2 billion in 2023. Add in the teachers fund, and Chicagoans are on the hook for $53 billion in unfunded pension liabilities \u2013\u00a0over $45,000 per Chicago household.<\/p>\n

The number of Illinois public sector workers or retirees with pension benefits or salaries exceeding $100,000 per year\u00a0has jumped by 50%<\/a>\u00a0since 2018, now at 140,000.<\/p>\n

Illinois and Chicago have the\u00a0nation\u2019s worst<\/a>\u00a0credit ratings, largely due to the pension crisis.<\/p>\n

Pritzker and other Illinois officeholders refuse to consider an amendment to the state\u2019s constitutional pension protection clause,\u00a0dishonestly claiming<\/a>\u00a0that the federal Constitution would be an impediment. Other states prove it\u2019s not so.<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/em><\/strong>Massive spending on illegal immigrants<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

The true number of illegal immigrants in Illinois is likely\u00a0500,000 to 680,000,<\/a>\u00a0imposing a total taxpayer cost of\u00a0about $6 billion per year<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The City of Chicago has spent about\u00a0$200 million<\/a>\u00a0of its own money on migrant care since 2022.<\/p>\n

In addition, Chicago schools are\u00a0expected to spend<\/a>\u00a0up to $410 million extra this year for migrants.<\/p>\n

No Equity \u2013 Failure by Their Own Standard<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

By their own primary measure of success \u2013 \u201cequity\u201d \u2013 Illinois and Chicago have failed miserably.\u00a0Study after study<\/a>, looking at equity from many angles, says progressive equity efforts in Illinois and Chicago have flopped miserably.<\/p>\n

The biggest pension in the state, for teachers and school administrators, is\u00a0structurally set up<\/a>\u00a0to shift money to the richest school districts. Lawmakers could easily fix that but don\u2019t.<\/p>\n

Economic policy centered on statism and doomed focus on renewable energy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Virtually all major, recent Illinois announcements of new or expanding Illinois employment centers were induced through taxpayer subsidies. Most new major projects subsidized by the state are renewable energy projects, which are the centerpiece of Illinois central planning. They include subsidized facilities for Stellantis, Rivian, Lion Electric and Gotion.<\/p>\n

The Gotion project is particularly controversial. The Chinese company with multiple ties to the Chinese Communist party is scheduled to receive over $8 billion in state and federal subsidies for a plant that will cost the company less than $2 billion. The project is widely opposed by the public and is for manufacturing batteries for electric vehicles, demand for which is languishing. Full reporting on those facts and the rest of the Gotion controversy is\u00a0collected in our special section here<\/a>. Pritzker has expressly\u00a0refused to answer<\/a>\u00a0any questions whatsoever about the project.<\/p>\n

Illinois is aggressively pursuing a goal of having one million EVs on the road by 2030, but Illinois would have to\u00a0quadruple its current adoption<\/a>\u00a0rate for EVs to meet the state\u2019s goals.<\/p>\n

In 2021, Illinois passed legislation to push 50% of its electricity production to renewable sources by 2040 and 100% from clean energy sources by 2050, which became law last year and was called by one of its sponsors\u00a0\u201cthe most aggressive, most progressive climate bill in the nation.\u201d<\/a><\/p>\n

Partly as a result of those policies, electricity costs have already risen 50% in much of the state with\u00a0high risks of brownouts<\/a>. As in most of the nation, many planned renewable electricity projects are now on hold\u00a0because grid connections don\u2019t exist<\/a>, which may be prohibitively expensive to fix.<\/p>\n

Last month the state announced a major bet on quantum computing. Illinois will provide\u00a0$200 million<\/a>\u00a0to PsiQuantum for a Chicago projected to create just 154 jobs. The state is also contributing another\u00a0$500 million<\/a>\u00a0to the industrial park for quantum computing in which the facility will be located, which the state says will result in \u201cthousands\u201d of jobs. However, those additional jobs are entirely speculative at this point.<\/p>\n

Most recently, Lion Electric, an electric school bus maker that last year built a new Illinois plant with state incentives is\u00a0struggling for survival.<\/a>\u00a0The project was highly touted by Pritzker, who projected 1,200 jobs by 2028. Lion also benefits from the $5 billion subsidy program for electric school buses championed by Vice President Kamala Harris, which is\u00a0also failing<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Free speech under assault and autocracy<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Illinois has established itself as the state most hostile to First Amendment free speech rights. A list of examples is\u00a0linked here<\/a>. In one instance, a\u00a0federal judge labeled<\/a>\u00a0a law the state\u00a0was trying to defend\u00a0as \u201cstupid and likely unconstitutional,\u201d so Attorney General Kwame Raoul\u00a0gave up<\/a>\u00a0on the case.<\/p>\n

Illinois\u2019 highly touted \u201cban on book bans\u201d \u00a0is an empty, dangerous and hypocritical stunt<\/a>. It delegates censorship powers to libraries and to an unelected national association headed by\u00a0a self-described Marxist<\/a>. It conflates questions of age appropriateness with censorship, and is a transparent attempt by the leaders of the cancel culture to wrap themselves in the flag of free speech.<\/p>\n

Pritzker has expressed views particularly hostile to established First Amendment law,\u00a0saying on CNN<\/a>\u00a0that what the government deems to be lies should be subject to criminal prosecution.<\/p>\n

The University of Illinois maintains one of the most onerous\u00a0\u201cloyalty oaths\u201d<\/a>\u00a0for faculty, demanding proof of their active commitment to wokeness.<\/p>\n

Illinois Congressmen have\u00a0implored social media<\/a>\u00a0to do more censorship in at least five separate hearings where tech platform CEOs were grilled.<\/p>\n

During the covid pandemic, Illinois was ruled under\u00a045 consecutive monthly emergency orders<\/a>\u00a0giving unparalleled power to the executive.<\/p>\n

For illegal immigrants, Illinois was ruled under\u00a024 monthly emergency orders<\/a>. The proclamations\u00a0broadcast inducements<\/a>\u00a0for illegals to come, including \u201ctransport, emergency shelter and housing, food, health screenings, medical assessments, treatments, and other necessary care and services.\u201d<\/p>\n

Illinois this year\u00a0retroactively changed the rules<\/a>\u00a0on candidate slating for General Assembly elections, which targeted Republicans only. A lower court ruled against the law, which is now on appeal.<\/p>\n

Most recently Illinois passed a ban on employers from discussing \u201creligious or political matters\u201d at meetings where worker attendance is mandatory. Violations will be punishable with fines up to $1,000 per employee. It\u2019s\u00a0patently unconstitutional and absurdly overbroad<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Disastrous pandemic management yet no accountability<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

A full list of\u00a0covid response failures<\/a>\u00a0by the State of Illinois and City of Chicago is here, many of which were obvious errors even as they were being made.\u00a0No remorse has been shown or accountability imposed.<\/a><\/p>\n

That list includes massive fraud in pandemic relief, suppression of dissent and conflicting data, unfounded projections portrayed as \u201cscience\u201d and willful indifference to the rule of law.<\/p>\n

Most importantly, Illinois kept schools closed long after prevailing opinion and the CDC advised otherwise, among the greatest policy errors in healthcare history.\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Still more<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter years of Republican failure,\u00a0Pritzker says<\/a>, Illinois Democrats have turned the state around.\u201d In truth, Democrats have held the majorities in both houses of the Illinois General Assembly for 21 years and super majorities in both houses for 11 years. A Democrat has been governor for 17 of the last 21 years. Chicago has not had a Republican mayor for 93 years.<\/p>\n

A\u00a0catalog of deceitful or dishonest claims by Pritzker and the state is here.\u00a0<\/a><\/p>\n

For voting, Illinois\u00a0maintains<\/a>\u00a0aggressive mail-in voting rules, no requirement for picture IDs and the probably\u00a0the most gerrymandered maps<\/a>\u00a0in the nation.<\/p>\n

Antisemitism has been the predictable result of DEI preached by JB Pritzker and his sister, Penny Pritzker. Like Penny Pritzker at Harvard, JB Pritzker\u2019s tenure on Northwestern University\u2019s board of trustees\u00a0contributed to the current wave of antisemitism<\/a>\u00a0at the school.<\/p>\n

Illinois is in fact a moderate state\u00a0not properly represented<\/a>\u00a0by its progressive political establishment. On virtually every major issue, Illinoisans are centrists.<\/p>\n

Mayor Johnson and Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle are among the nation\u2019s\u00a0strongest supporters of Universal Basic Income<\/a>. Cook County claims its UBI program is the biggest in the nation. But neither Chicago nor the county have any way to pay for continuation of the programs, most of which have been paid for with temporary covid relief money.<\/p>\n

The commercial property \u201cDoom Loop\u201d is a growing concern. Chicago, like many cities,\u00a0faces a frightening, downward spiral from declining office building valuations.<\/a>\u00a0Though the problem may derive primarily from the work-from-home trend, it\u2019s worsened by Chicago crime. Actual, daily occupancy of downtown offices hovers around 55% of pre-pandemic levels. Lower valuations will force massive residential property tax increases or severe budget cutbacks.<\/p>\n

Johnson was elected mayor of Chicago\u00a0despite his calls<\/a>\u00a0for defunding the police and justifying violent protests.<\/p>\n

Mayor Johnson\u00a0routinely<\/a>\u00a0places blame for Chicago\u2019s problems on racism, disinvestment and even\u00a0Richard Nixon<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Illinois progressives\u00a0celebrate December 4 as Fred Hampton Day<\/a>. Hampton was a member of the Black Panthers and advocated for violent, Marxist revolution.<\/p>\n

Pritzker\u2019s approval rating is 41% according to the\u00a0most recent poll<\/a>\u00a0by a major pollster. Mayor Johnson\u2019s\u00a0is 28%<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\u201cSocial justice\u201d principles guide investment of state cash. Illinois Treasurer Michael Frerichs remains an\u00a0unapologetic champion of ESG<\/a>\u00a0(environmental, social, governance) investing. He manages an average balance of well over $100 billion of state money which he subjects to his\u00a0social justice goals.<\/a><\/p>\n

A 2018 Cook County inspector general\u2019s report\u00a0concluded<\/a>\u00a0that more than $330,000 in property tax breaks and refunds that Pritzker received on a property he owned \u2014 in part by removing toilets to render the property uninhabitable \u2014 constituted a \u201cscheme to defraud.\u201d Pritzker\u00a0repaid<\/a>\u00a0the county treasurer\u2019s office, and said the repayment was not an acknowledgment of anything improper. A federal criminal investigation of Pritzker, his wife and brother-in-law was\u00a0reported to have begun<\/a>\u00a0on the matter in October 2018, though nothing further has been reported on that.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Tyler Durden<\/a><\/span>
\nTue, 08\/06\/2024 – 17:00<\/span><\/p>\n

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