Reinvent Illinois

Illinois Needs to Attract Residents/Companies

Posted on 30. Jul, 2009 by Wake Up in Reform Ideas

1. Roll out the red carpet to businesses – especially growing businesses via tax breaks, incentives, tax holidays, etc. Basically, every job attracted means more state tax revenue and investment. The new people/companies invest in Illinois, provide new business to existing Illinois companies, buy real estate, help raise real estate value and thus allow further property and income tax revenue to flow into Illinois government – a win-win for all of us.

2. Remove the opportunity for corruption – via term limits, campaign donation limits, electronic availability of all state budgets and expenditures, real rather than sham ethics LAWS with harsh penalties to violators, electronic availability of all legislation before it’s approved and voting records of all politicians, harsh penalties for FOIA request blocking tactics commonly practiced in Illinois, competitive and blind bidding standards where cronies cannot donate $1 and get back $1000 taxpayer dollars via awarded contracts. The best return on investment in Illinois is $1 in a politicians pocket.

3. Remove half the government units (currently over 6000 in Illinois, over 40% higher than the next closest state) – all of which award contracts, sometimes with suspect bidding or no bids at all. In other words, eliminate 2000-3000 fiefdoms of waste and corruption.

4. Fix the pension problem – via cutting existing pension payouts by 50%, eliminate the pension system for new employees, and make the pension holders pay for their own reckless behavior in letting less than professional investment managers lose their money, and from demanding “better than corporate” pension benefits that were unsustainable. It is not the taxpayers responsibility to make up pension shortfalls caused by high risk taking and corruption by union and state leaders – they ruined their own plans and must live with the consequences. Any leaders who use bankruptcy as a tool to fix the pension scandal, should be viewed as a hero to the state of Illinois. Bankruptcy may be the only solution.

5. Let the politicians take the lead and cut their own salaries by 10% as a show of compassion for the Illinois residents who have lost their jobs or taken pay cuts at private and public companies.

6. Start a new party – their seems to be no difference between Democrats and Republicans anymore. At least they try to make us think there is a difference during the run-up to the elections, but is there really a difference? Both parties have people serving time or resigning from corrupt activities. Both parties spend our money without controls and discipline. Both parties seem to think a “business as usual” approach will never end, and thus refuse to address corruption, bloated budgets, and their own salaries/benefits. Perhaps a new party would bring a fresh approach – one built on the needs and wishes of the majority of the people, not the lunatic fringe of our current two major parties. They had their opportunities and have failed miserably – just look at the track record of our federal government – over $50 trillion in debt from future obligations, stealing from our social security funds and not paying the money back, starting unnecessary wars, catering only to spec ial interests who lobby and pay for favors while the people back home get lip service and no action on their needs. Put your party loyalties aside for a minute and think about it.