Illinois Shows What Not to Do

City Journal ^ | 4/18/2012 | STEVEN MALANGA

[RoosterRedux]

In January 2011, facing a forbidding budget deficit and a backlog of unpaid bills, Illinois officials decided that a massive tax increase would lay the groundwork for the state’s recovery. As Barbara Flynn Currie, the majority leader in the state house of representatives, said at the time, the nearly $7 billion in new revenues would allow Illinois to “pay our old bills and deal with the structural deficit.” The taxes passed with little controversy. Several weeks later, Wisconsin governor Scott Walker proposed fixing state and local fiscal problems by narrowing public-sector workers’ collective bargaining rights and requiring them to contribute more to their pension and health-care benefits. His reforms, which took months to become law, provoked an occupation of the capitol and set off a national debate.

Little more than a year has passed, and Illinois is right back where it started: the state’s unpaid bills now top $9 billion. Meantime, Wisconsin’s state and local governments have made substantial strides toward long-term budget stability. The different fiscal outlooks of the neighboring states illustrate a crucial fact in today’s budget wars: you can’t tax your way to a better future. That’s because the promises made by previous generations of politicians to public employees and special interests have become, as one northeastern mayor colorfully put it, the “Pac-Man” of budgets, gobbling up revenues faster than governments can raise them.

[afraidfortherepublic]

This is what I’ve been saying for a long time. The entire state save Chicago and E. St.Louis go R but the votes of the rest of the state are negated by those highly populated and highly D areas.

This is what I’ve been saying for a long time. The entire state save Chicago and E. St.Louis go R but the votes of the rest of the state are negated by those highly populated and highly D areas and areas racked by persistent vote fraud! Fixed it!

[Nevermore]

Beware of women with three names. Seriesly !
And 'men' with three names, well . . . And don't forget the first initial, middle name thing...as in J. Willie (somethng) of Sanford, Florida NAACP.

I'm far more wary of people who change their names: Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, Vissarionovich Dzhugashvili, Saloth Sar, etc.
(Hmmm....maybe it's a Progressive thing...)

[Road Glide]

“How do we change the political landscape when we have to deal with election results like this?”

Simple and short answer:
You can’t.

The “landscape” you (speaking to you personally) must “change” is the one you see when you look out the window.

That is, by moving OUT of Illinois to a state more favorable to economic freedom....

You haven’t a prayer for changing things, so long as you remain in Illinois. Better get used to that.