North Egypt News

Franklin County conservative activist Karen Tucker worries Illinois won’t be Illinois for much longer without a drastic change of course in the direction of the state.

“We’re losing population by the day and the negative direction shows you what happens when you keep raising taxes on people and are home to a hostile business climate,” Tucker told the North Egypt News. “I’m concerned the businesses that are here won’t be able to stay around much longer because taxes are too high and regulations are too stiff under Gov. [J.B.] Pritzker (D).”

Tucker laments the state’s tumbling population is just a preview of what the future may hold without a major turn. 

Illinois has lost one in three business, is looking for federal help financially and facing many other issues due to the pandemic | Stock Photo

The latest U.S. Census Bureau statistics show the state has lost nearly 170,000 people over the last decade, including 49,000 Cook County residents alone. Over that same time, at least 93 of the state’s 102 counties have also experienced decline, with as many as 10 different counties having lost a minimum of 5,000 residents.

“The first thing we have to do is cut spending because you can’t spend what you don’t have,” Tucker said. “Springfield is always talking about a bailout, but there’s never anything about cutting spending or creating a real budget. You can hardly still afford to own a home in Illinois. We need new leadership, someone who understands these things and isn’t afraid to stand up to the employee unions.”

Tucker argues one of the first changes has to be in the state’s public pensions system.

“I understand we’ve made commitments to some,” Tucker said. “The problem is we can’t continue to do those things any longer.”

As it is, downstate counties have been among the hardest hit regions, losing in the neighborhood of 144,000 residents since 2010, or 3.2% of its population from that time.

If we don’t change directions soon, the only thing I can see for the state is bankruptcy,” Tucker said. “And that will only end in more people leaving.”