We can't get a budget passed and we also have this:

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Newper, that is one of the main reasons I advocate for small government. There is no amount of money that will satisify the beast. The state is $35B in debt, has over $100B in unfunded pension obligations, and $10B or so behind on its bills. Our schools are starved of adequate funding, our roads in shambles, Metra with no capital budget, etc etc. How much is enough?

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Not to be all preachy, but the worst part is that we don't get shit in return for those taxes except more taxes. When we lived in CT, it was also a tax-suffocating liberal wet dream, but the public services received were worth it. There was little need to send your kid to private school, and the public parks and reserves were immaculate. In Illinois, you're taxed to death and don't get shit for it, other than crumbling roads and a gay pride parade.

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#ThatsCub

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

You're dead to me.

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Texas is higher than Vermont and California is 8th from the bottom? Fake news. Sad! Pathetic losers!

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Soccer 1,2,3
Spanish Honor Society 1,2,3,4
Forensics 1,2,3,4

"Smiles with Nostrils"

"...no Hmong, go find some blacks"

I still remember when CT had no income tax. It was a big deal when they added one. Now their taxes are crazy, but hey they're milking Grenwich hedge fund guys, so good for them. I saw an article this weekend, and CT used to be the tax haven of the NE.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Nebraska is number two. That can't be right.

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This is off of Wikipedia -- they are always right!

https://wallethub.com/edu/best-worst-st ... ayer/2416/

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"All crowds boycotting football games shouldn't care who sings or takes a knee because they aren't watching." - Nas

Yeah, not anymore. We also had to pay semi-annual property taxes on our vehicles. MALLOY!!!

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Nebraska has higher property taxes when it comes to rural ground. Also taxes equipment as property if I remember correctly. Had friends bitching about it. Was stunned to hear what they pay per acre.

Bankruptcy is the only remaining option.

There also needs to be some sort of state constitutional amendment to prevent the practice of creating/raising a new tax for the sole purpose of raising the state's credit limit juuuuusssstt enough for them to borrow more money. Hopefully it would prevent the city and county (we all know which city and which county) from doing the same.

That's really the problem, they are just hooked on debt to fund these insane works projects (this 5 year circle interchange project is just brazen). Hence, they budget is "balanced" according to the Illinois constitution but only because they borrow such an insane amount of money to make up the difference.

Well its some of the best agricultural land on the planet.

Directly across border property taxes for ground with same CPI and similar land values are half as much. And this land is nothing special.

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There are only two examples of infinity: The universe and human stupidity and I'm not sure about the universe.

This. Fuck Illinois. Up the ass. No lube.

Throw in a shrinking population which leaves fewer people each year to pay for this mess. But we are stuck until someone straps 'em on long enough to fix the pension mess.

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"I honestly don't see a good bet on the board here."

The citizens of Illinois have the power to rise up and change this. They do not have the will though. Fixing this or our country as well requires pain. No one likes pain especially when it is felt by themselves personally i.e. pocketbook.

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Welcome to Madiganistan


but hey blame your problems on Rauner, he only inherited your shithole of a state.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Couple of things-

States cannot file bankruptcy. This was an issue back in the 1930's, and because states are considered sovereign entities, federal bankruptcy law does not apply to them. I suspect it would take something similar to what is being done in Puerto Rico to provide relief, meaning an Act of Congress.

The state constitution expressly prohibits meaningful pension reform. Every attempt has been shot down by the State Supreme Court. And let's be honest, pension reform is simply code for cutting benefits guaranteed to workers.

The answer, as it always is, is to live within one's means. But no one will accept meaningful cuts. So it is on the backs of taxpayers. And yes, with a shrinking population base, it makes the job that much tougher.

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Hawaii (fuck) You

Fixing the problems in the state would mean voting for a different party in state house elections and most people who simply vote for whoever has the "D" next to their name are too fucking stupid to even recognize the the state's fiscal issues.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

It is really worse than that though. It would be one thing to raise some tax and at the very least fix things going forward knowing you cannot cut/fix things of the past. It is another thing when (as most government entities do) is take the "fix it" tax to just continue to kick the can down the road.

Face it there is no real threat of anything for politicians to do the thing that is right.

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step one is to get rid of township governments in urbanized areas... those entities are breeding grounds for corrupt politicians and patronage hiring.... on top of being ineffective for managing the small amount of work that they are responsible for.... once that has been accomplished fight the next battle... but to me, townships are the easiest target to get rid of waste

Here's the thing that annoys me. It's great that people get fed up with Democrat states where they are taxed to death and move to more economically friendly states. However, the problem is that those morons leaving the state then come to our states of economic freedom and start voting for the same types of assholes who made their previous state a shithole to begin with. Heck the Illinois citizens fleeing to Texas and Arizona are a prime example of this. We welcome you coming to our low tax states, but stop trying to vote for politicians who want to raise taxes.

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“When I walked in this morning, and saw the flag was at half mast, I thought 'alright another bureaucrat ate it.'" - Ron Swanson

Governments are punch drunk just like many American families. As a society, we don't take no for an answer. We spend money for things we want regardless if we have the means to pay for it. The government is just a reflection of broader society.

The only thing that keeps the mirage going is the U.S. dollar being a reserve currency. Budget deficits, trade deficits, unfunded future liabilities (social security, health care and pensions).

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Hawaii (fuck) You

That is pretty funny. It is like people like that are the same as those addicted to buying QVC shit on TV they do not need.

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This is a problem that is far bigger than just the state. The government is basically dominated by special interests and too big too fail type entities that have to get theirs first even if it means the ship sinks.

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

You did see that Nebraska was second on the list right? And how is the Kansas "starve the beast plan" working out?

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Why are only 14 percent of black CPS 11th-graders proficient in English?

indeed, crony capitalism is a scourge- farm subsidies, ExIm bank, SBA financing, Fannie/Freddie mortgage subsidies, Student Loan guarantees just to name a few. And each of them have very good missions, but the distorting effects and the corporate boondoggles built around them are toxic.

I still love that we pay twice as much for sugar as any other country in the world. The whole fricking reason that soda makers use HFC instead of cane sugar. What a racket....

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Hawaii (fuck) You