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Civil Candor

political cynicism for turbulent times

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Illinois

Illinois is our most fiscally irresponsible state, courtesy of majority Democratic lawmakers who won't be happy until the Land of Lincoln becomes the first in the nation to be allowed to declare bankruptcy. At least there is bipartisan agreement on political corruption. Both parties share the blame for governors going to prison.

Illinois, an evolving fiscal catastrophe

Where to begin with this evolving fiscal disaster? Pensions that unions and public employees fight tooth and nail to keep in place even though the costs of are unsustainable and saddle taxpayers with unmanageable debt? Irresponsible social policies that cost too much money? Political corruption and waste? How about tax policies bent on extracting every dime from anyone who works and giving the proceeds to everyone who doesn’t?

Chicago epitomizes what’s wrong with the left

You can't discuss Illinois politics without focusing on Chicago, a train wreck of a city fighting tooth and nail to follow Detroit into bankruptcy.

Rahm Emanuel skipped out of Obama's White House to lead one of the most violence-ridden cities in the nation, a place where summer holiday weekends are celebrated with shootings. Emanuel is proud and fiercely protective of his town’s sanctuary policies, which makes Chicago and its appalling gun violence an easy target for Trump. Sadly, even Republican Governor Bruce Rauner endorsed the same dangerous permissiveness when he signed the sanctuary state bill, the Illinois Trust Act.

November 7, 2018: get out of Illinois while you can afford it

After an election campaign where he spent lots of money but didn’t put up much of a fight or have much of a record to fight over, Bruce Rauner is out. J.B. Pritzker, progressive taxes, state health care, and all the things Democrats bring to the table are in, though to be fair to Pritzker having Rauner in office didn’t stop another income tax hike.

It would be easy to argue that Pritzker’s big win over a lackluster four-year Republican governor mirrored what happened to Capitol Hill House Republicans last night. That might be true, or it might just be Illinois voters being stupid. We have a knack for that. Just look at the people we put in office and what they do to us year after year after year. The state is a financial wreck and we keep asking for more.

What is the Illinois category about?

This category covers the political and financial mess that my state has become. From pensions to taxes to angry teachers to careers ending in the slammer, this is Illinois.

Madigan and Rauner on How Illinois Government Can Help

May 31, 2015 by Bob Prokop Leave a Comment

He probably didn’t realize it when he said it, but Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan’s widely circulated remark about what Illinois government should do for residents "who need the government to be helpful to them."1,2 will go down in state history for summing up the very worst thing about what his decades in office have accomplished. Illinois government isn’t about what … [Read more...] about Madigan and Rauner on How Illinois Government Can Help

People Are Stupid, but They Can Still Vote in Illinois

October 5, 2014 by Bob Prokop Leave a Comment

It’s unfortunate, but true. Even though some people are stupid that doesn’t mean they can’t vote. That’s how democracy works. You get to have a say no matter how politically impaired your views or self-centered your goals. Is Pat Quinn running neck and neck against Bruce Rauner in the Illinois governor’s contest because people are stupid? It depends on who you ask and what … [Read more...] about People Are Stupid, but They Can Still Vote in Illinois

Term Limits Cover Up Illinois’ Biggest Problem

September 4, 2014 by Bob Prokop Leave a Comment

Did Illinois lose out when a term limits amendment was denied a place on the fall ballot, or is all the bickering just another political time waster that ignores the biggest problem in Illinois: the voters. Let’s be honest. Voters can have term limits whenever we want them. We just don’t want them badly enough and prove it in election after election. All we have to do is … [Read more...] about Term Limits Cover Up Illinois’ Biggest Problem

Illinois Liberal Politics Won’t Stop Chicago Shootings

July 27, 2014 by Bob Prokop Leave a Comment

Liberal politics in Illinois did not prevent Obama’s hometown from becoming a slaughterhouse. Spending for neighborhood projects and community initiatives has not stopped Chicago shootings. After the city celebrated Independence Day weekend with over 80 shootings, the summer has settled into a comfortable pattern of daily news of more shootings to the accompaniment of tiresome … [Read more...] about Illinois Liberal Politics Won’t Stop Chicago Shootings

Sin Taxes Illinois Democrats Never Considered

May 1, 2014 by Bob Prokop Leave a Comment

Nothing says “I hate freedom” better than sin taxes. The list of things in our lives that are not taxed is getting shorter and shorter and the increases keep coming as part of the desperate search for revenue in states like Illinois. When it comes to seizing our incomes, sin taxes are the biggest offenders of all. Sin taxes are politicians’ decisions on how best to profit by … [Read more...] about Sin Taxes Illinois Democrats Never Considered

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