Illinois is a state in USA, bordering Indiana in the east
and the Mississippi River in the west. Its also known as “the Prairie
State”. it has farmland, forests, rolling hills and wetlands. The capital
of Illinois is Springfield, which is located in the central part of the state.
Illinois Exodus
or Loss of Population in high rate
According to U.S. census data, the state has lost population
in ascending order for six years in a row. If we say, the 2010s are being a
lost decade for Illinois, it won’t be wrong. In Chicago, it calls “Illinois
Exodus” which means, constant high deficiency in population.
According to official sources, the state has lost 1.2
percent of its population (159,700 people) over the course of the decade. (In
2019, population declined by approximately 0.4 percent.) And city lost more
residents in the 2010s too than any other state in USA.
Reasons
It’s easy to blame Chicago’s dangerous reputation for
Illinois’ deceasing population, but for the past three years in a row, violent
crime has been on the decline in the Windy City. From 2018 to 2019 the city saw
a 10 percent drop in crime. The real reasons are something else.
*Taxes & Finances
People are leaving Illinois in droves. Republicans blame the
state’s high taxes and its unfunded pension liability. Democrats believe it’s
the state’s lack of investment in education and infrastructure.
The main reason behind is, state’s finances and debt. The
state spends 25 percent of its revenues on pensions, and several cities
(including Chicago) want pension bailouts. That, of course, would just shift
the burdens of these cities’ problems statewide. (Chicago is the biggest
offender here, with about $42 billion in pension debt across its various public
employee funds.)
Taxes are already incredibly high in Illinois, and they keep
going up further with time. The state Government imposed or increased 20 taxes
in 2019 itself, from a gas tax hike to a new levy on now-legal cannabis sales,
there are huge taxes on everything for a normal person of state.
Although, few residents or we should say high authorities
trying to impose that government is doing it for state’s betterment. According
to them, “Illinois’ unemployment rate is at a historic low and we are
continuing to create jobs in every region of the state. Illinois is back and
the Pritzker administration is proving that when you build relationships, work
together and focus on solutions you can create positive changes.”
I am sure you are wondering whether anybody there just made
the connection between state’s dropping unemployment rate and state’s drop in
population.
Some of them are hoping “marijuana tax revenues” will make
up for the massive budget holes, Illinois is in for a major disappointment
because Tax demands for legal marijuana providers in Illinois are extremely
high, and pot prices will likely be double those of nearby Michigan (which has
also launched legal recreational sales). Illinois’ weed taxes aren’t quite as
high as the ones in California.
Illinois spent much
of 2010 serving as a warning that states cannot tax themselves into prosperity
and cannot thrive by using so much of their budget to line the pockets of
government employees. Will this be the decade that the state learns its own
lessons?
*High real estate taxes
Illinois’ reputation as a “high tax state” tends to have a
life of its own online.
By a local resident, they’re taxing this and they’re taxing
that, pretty soon there ain’t nothing left. “Pension fund is so well run, worst
in the nation. I’d really like to stay, but I just can’t pay and pay.” He
added, “There’s no relief!”
“I swear to God, it feels like I’m living in a socialist
state, “We’ve made up our minds. We’re going.”
Are taxes the main reason people are leaving Illinois?
After researching about why a person changed residences in
the previous year, we got a few ranges of possible answers, “from
foreclosure/eviction to change of climate to wanted better neighborhood/less
crime” and “wanted cheaper housing” which shows people’ concern about high
taxes.
*Better Living/Job
Since 2008, the most common reason for moving city by people
who left Illinois was a new job or job transfer, which accounted for nearly one
in three moves. That was also the top reason given by people who moved out of
any state in the USA.
Where some people certainly move because of taxes or crime
rates, the biggest reasons people usually moves, are jobs, schools and to be
closer to family. People also seek out available housing that fits their needs
and at the same point more affordable option.
*Some more reasons
Illinois’ dilemma is declining manufacturing, stagnant
immigration, declining birth rates, young people leaving for college and never
coming back, long-standing economic discrimination against black residents,
high housing costs, and the continued draw of residents to the Sun Belt.
A poll shows that nearly half of Illinois residents wanted
to move to another state, due to citing taxes, weather, ineffective and corrupt
local government and a lack of middle-class jobs. People even said the state is
going in the wrong direction by creating new laws every year but not working
towards exact problem areas.
While neighboring states such as Wisconsin and Indiana have
“been very good at playing the incentive game,” attracting businesses with tax
incentives and infrastructure grants, Considine said the skilled workforce in
Illinois “is far and away our greatest strength.”
But in order to keep that workforce competitive, the state
must retain educated young people, encouraging them to pursue careers in
biochemistry or welding.
The reality, however, is that Illinois has a brain drain
problem.
Nearly half of Illinois college-bound public high school
students chose to go to out-of-state universities and colleges. When young
people go out of state for college, they are less likely to return home after
graduation. This is especially concerning for the rural, downstate regions that
have been losing residents.
*Not taking significant steps to improve situation of
State
On Jan, 1, 2020, more than 250 new laws take effect in
Illinois, ranging from legalized recreational marijuana to a ban on
animal-tested cosmetics to educating students about consent and safeguarding
genetic information.
Recreational Marijuana
When you ring in the new year, it’ll be legal to buy and
smoke marijuana in Illinois. With the new law’s effect from 1st Jan 2020,
Illinois became the 11th state to legalize recreational use. You won’t be able
to grow your own unless you’re a registered medical marijuana patient, but
adults will have legal access to marijuana sold in dispensaries across the
state.
Medical Cannabis Use in Schools
School nurses and administrators can now provide medical
cannabis to students who are registered patients of the Medical Cannabis Pilot
Program (previously, only parents or guardians could do this). It also allows
students to administer their own medications at school under the supervision of
a school nurse or administrator.
“Ideally, the parents of these students would provide the
medications, but it’s often the case that the parents are unable to make it to
the school due to other commitments, By giving school nurses the ability to
administer these important medications, we can ensure that students across
Illinois are getting the proper treatment they require.”
Defining Consent
Sex education classes must include age-appropriate
discussions on the meaning of consent according to new law. High authority
says, “We cannot wait until students go to college or into the workplace to
have a discussion about what it means to consent to sexual interaction.”
Teaching Illinois History
According to new law, Starting with the 2020-2021 school
year, all American history courses in Illinois must include the history of the
Prairie State, “It is important that our students learn how our state got to
this point, so they can get a deeper understanding of society and, hopefully,
join the process of improving Illinois.”
Saving for Higher Education
Every baby born in Illinois will soon receive $50 in a
529-style investment account to help pay for their future community college,
university or trade school expenses. It’s not a lot of money for any one
individual, but the idea is, parents and guardians will get a help to
contribute more money to their child’s future education.
While the law takes effect in the new year, the treasurer’s
office will spend 2020 setting up the program. The first babies eligible for
the $50 seed money will be those who born starting in January 2021.
Mental Health Resources
Public colleges and universities must make mental health and
suicide prevention resources readily accessible to students starting in the
2020-2021 academic year because students often feel pressure, whether it be
stress from taking out students’ loans, or their efforts to excel in class.
Ensuring Women’s Rights During Pregnancy and
Childbirth
According to law, every woman has certain rights with regard
to pregnancy and childbirth, including the right to choose her birth setting
and be treated with respect before, during and after pregnancy by health care
professionals. The law also requires health care providers, day care centers,
community centers and various state agencies to post these rights prominently
on their websites.
Gender-Neutral Restrooms
Single-occupancy public restrooms can no longer indicate use
by a specific gender. Instead they are identified for all-gender use and have a
sign that says “restroom.”
“Making single-occupancy restrooms gender neutral is
inclusive, but it also just makes sense. This measure will also help cut down
on bathroom lines and just make life easier in general.”
Ban on Animal-Tested Cosmetics
All cosmetics that have been tested on animals will be
banned in Illinois. The new law incentivizes companies to invest in non-animal
testing alternatives, which advocates say are less expensive and more
applicable to humans.
Fire Alarms in Dog Kennels
As per the new law, Kennels that are not staffed at all
times and board cats and dogs must be equipped with a fire sprinkler or fire
alarm monitoring system that triggers notification to local emergency
responders when activated.
Safeguarding Genetic Information
Last year, more than 12 million people had their DNA
analyzed with direct-to-consumer genetic genealogy tests from online sites
which, government thinks, should be private. So, The new law prohibits
companies from sharing any test results with health or life insurance companies
without the consumer’s written consent.
Educating Prisoners on Voting Rights
Illinois prisons must provide educational workshops on
voting rights and civics to outgoing prisoners. The law mandates that workshops
be held at both adult and juvenile prison facilities to instruct inmates that
their voting rights are restored as soon as they finish out their prison
sentences.
Improving Highway Shooting Investigations
The Illinois Expressway Safety Act upgrades the more than
600 cameras on state highways to ensure they have recording capabilities and
allows for additional cameras to be installed along expressways.
Redefining ‘Local Foods’
As per new law, foods will be classified as local if they
are processed or packaged in Illinois and contain at least one ingredient grown
in the state. Previously, foods were considered local only if every ingredient
was sourced with the state.
Clean Water Infrastructure, Jobs
Government establishes a new Clean Water Workforce Pipeline
program that will train workers for water-related jobs, such as those required
for treating wastewater and replacing lead pipes. The new law aims to providing
job training for careers in the water sector, we will help to secure access to
both clean water and good jobs for residents across the state.
Conclusion
Although if we see, these new laws are great for state’s
betterment but at the same time instead of thinking towards Detention of
Population Exodus, government is not taking significant steps for that and,
creating laws which are not worthy if there will be no population to get the
benefits of that.
We can clearly sense that high taxes and low
progress/quality of living, this state is suffering from excessive population
decrease but government still behaving like there is no elephant in room and
just ignoring the main problems.
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