Crime in Chicago is up 35 percent this year compared with the same period in 2021. Theft is up by 67 percent.
The business climate is dismal, the result of punishing tax and regulatory policies that make Illinois the third-most unfriendly state for job creation in the nation. So it’s no surprise that the state’s unemployment rate is the sixth-highest in the nation.
Democratic governor J. B. Pritzker has proposed a record $46.5 billion budget, with extra cash for everyone from state legislators to households, with the latter slated to receive direct cash benefits.
Chicago’s wealthiest resident is Ken Griffin, the founder of the $38 billion Citadel hedge fund. He says he’ll probably move his operation to Florida. The National Football League’s Bears franchise is considering pulling up stakes as well and moving to the suburbs. United Airlines did just that last December, when it moved a quarter of its workforce — 1,300 workers — out of downtown Chicago.
The reaction of Illinois political leaders to the exodus ranges from defensive to delusional. Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot insists, “We have a robust pipeline of major corporate relocations and expansions, and we expect more announcements.” But the only one that’s publicly known is a $1.7 billion Bally’s casino — not exactly what a thriving city would have as first choice for a source of jobs.
Senator Dick Durbin, who has served Illinois in Congress for 40 years, decided to blame the victim: “Boeing’s decision to leave Illinois is incredibly disappointing — every level of government in our state has worked to make Chicago and Illinois the perfect home for Boeing’s headquarters for the past 20 years.”
Chicago’s wealthiest resident is Ken Griffin, the founder of the $38 billion Citadel hedge fund. He says he’ll probably move his operation to Florida. The National Football League’s Bears franchise is considering pulling up stakes as well and moving to the suburbs. United Airlines did just that last December, when it moved a quarter of its workforce — 1,300 workers — out of downtown Chicago.
The reaction of Illinois political leaders to the exodus ranges from defensive to delusional. Chicago’s Mayor Lori Lightfoot insists, “We have a robust pipeline of major corporate relocations and expansions, and we expect more announcements.” But the only one that’s publicly known is a $1.7 billion Bally’s casino — not exactly what a thriving city would have as first choice for a source of jobs.
Senator Dick Durbin, who has served Illinois in Congress for 40 years, decided to blame the victim: “Boeing’s decision to leave Illinois is incredibly disappointing — every level of government in our state has worked to make Chicago and Illinois the perfect home for Boeing’s headquarters for the past 20 years.”