Question of the day
Thursday, Oct 17, 2019 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Greg Hinz…
Conventional wisdom is that the state of Illinois is on an irreversible road to decline, burdened with an aging population, rising taxes, staggering pension debt and residents fleeing to the borders.
That ain’t necessarily so, says a DePaul University economist. In a wonderfully contrary blog post on the website New Geography, which focuses on socioeconomic changes in in cities and other areas, he concludes that, despite its very real warts, the Land of Lincoln in many ways is still holding its own.
In the piece, William Sander, professor emeritus at DePaul’s Driehaus College of Business and Kellstadt Graduate School of Business, confesses right up front to the state’s economic woes.
Specifically, he notes, both the state and the Chicago metropolitan area have lost population lately, state gross domestic product growth has been 0.2 percentage points below the national average since 2010 and high school students have tended to move out of state for their freshman year of college.
But appearances can be misleading, says Sander.
Go read the rest of Greg’s piece, but here are a couple of things of note…
Regarding population growth, it is important to point out that there has actually been negative domestic migration (more people leaving than entering) for most of the past century. At the same time, the state’s population doubled in size and the economy continued to grow. […]
While there has, in fact, been a net loss of college freshmen from Illinois to other states, there has not been a net loss of college students overall. One reason for this is that Illinois has a higher percentage of students in graduate and professional schools.
* The Question: Your “Move to Illinois” campaign slogans?
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:36 pm:
“Move to Illinois - Lincoln Did”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:37 pm:
“Move to Illinois - The Perfect People Place”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:38 pm:
“Move to Illinois - In the Middle of Everywhere”
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:38 pm:
“Move to Illinois - Everything America in One State”
- horseplayer - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:39 pm:
At least we ain’t got locusts!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:39 pm:
“Move to Illinois - Stay For a Lifetime”
- Flat Bed Ford - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:42 pm:
“Move to Illinois - We need the money”
- In 630 - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:42 pm:
Illinois- the only place in the midwest worth living
- Give Me A Break - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:43 pm:
Move To Illinois-Someone has to complain about the Illini.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:43 pm:
“Move to Illinois - Annoy Wisconsin”
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:44 pm:
Illinois - Most of Our Towns Haven’t Been Raided
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:44 pm:
“Don’t Be Coy, Move to Illinois”
- Steve - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:45 pm:
“Move to Illinois-Our Governor is Number 1″
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:45 pm:
Illinois - Where the People and Witnesses are Cooperative
- Anon y mouse - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:46 pm:
Illinois: Come for the weather, stay for the taxes!
- don the legend - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:48 pm:
“Move to Illinois-Where the best looking people call home”
- Nick Name - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:49 pm:
Move to Illinois: a blue oasis in a red desert.
- A Jack - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:51 pm:
Move to Illinois - Because we are the sexiest state.
- Donnie Elgin - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:51 pm:
Illinois - nowhere to go but up
- Drake Mallard - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:52 pm:
Move to Illinois - you can perish from either heat or cold only 3 months apart!
- Anyone Remember - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:53 pm:
“Move to Illinois - everyone is welcome, even cynics (like Donnie Elgin)!”
- Former Trustee - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:54 pm:
Move to Illinois- misery loves company!
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:54 pm:
Illinois…We’re smokin’!
- SpfdNewb - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:54 pm:
A Jack, I still do not understand that ranking.
Move to Illinois-We have Pumpkin Pie
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:55 pm:
Illinois..The Wired State
- Anonymous - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:56 pm:
Illinois - Come for the Corruption, Stay as a Condition of Your Parole
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:57 pm:
Illinois - “Holding It’s Own”
- lake county democrat - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:58 pm:
Illinois - what, you gonna trust a freshman over a grad student?
- Downstate - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 2:59 pm:
Visit our state fair, or just the state. Either way you get to see the giant slide.
- Downstate - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:01 pm:
Illinois: Live closer to both New York and Denver than anywhere else in the world.
- Jake From Elwood - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:02 pm:
Illinois-
A great lake, great steaks, and pols on the take!
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:05 pm:
Move to Illinois, where legal marijuana makes everything seem so much better.
Move to Illinois, the only Midwest state with salt water (from rich people who cry how terrible the state is but make big money here).
- Grandson of Man - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:15 pm:
Move to Illinois, where you will come to appreciate that your personal problems are so much less severe than the state’s.
- Ron Burgundy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:19 pm:
Illinois - We have no affiliation with the mafia at all.
- Three Brothers - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:21 pm:
Move to Illinois and pay for the pensions of people who moved to Florida!
- City Zen - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:25 pm:
In Illinois, the state moves you.
- Stuntman Bob's Brother - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:39 pm:
“Move to Illinois, because….because….ahhh, never mind.”
- A guy - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:41 pm:
“You want to be worth a small fortune?…Move to Illinois with a big one”. /s
- Glengarry - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:41 pm:
Welcome to Illinois. We won’t emoluments clause you.
- chichi55 - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:51 pm:
Move to Illinois and help pay off the ever increasing debt spending.
- zatoichi - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 3:54 pm:
Illinois…I came back.
- Chicago Cynic - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 4:00 pm:
Illinois: We suck way less than you think
- IllinoisBoi - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 4:19 pm:
Come to Illinois! Bring lots of money to bail out our pensions.
- Wensicia - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 4:31 pm:
“Move to Illinois” - It can only get better because it can’t get any worse.
- Quibbler - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 4:39 pm:
“Illinois: where Roe still lives”
- SOIL M - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 4:50 pm:
Move to Illinois–We need the help
- Proud Papa Bear - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:03 pm:
Illinois- California progressivism with Midwestern sensibilities.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:11 pm:
Move to Illinois: Our State bird is the stool pigeon.
- revvedup - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:15 pm:
“Move to Illinois–my house is for sale”
“Move to Illinois–Watch ex-governors serve time”
“Move to Illinois–Watch the search warrants bloom”
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:15 pm:
Move to Illinois: We have fewer weird people than California.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:16 pm:
Move to Illinois: Home of the no-knock search warrant.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:19 pm:
Move to Illinois: Our taxes are as big as Texas.
- Streator Curmudgeon - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:24 pm:
Move to Illinois: We even gave shoeboxes a bad name.
- Huh? - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 5:47 pm:
Move to Illinois - We have 2 seasons, Winter and Construction.
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Oct 17, 19 @ 6:38 pm:
Move to Illinois - We Need More Taxpayers to Fund our Public Employee Union Demands
- Rich Hill - Friday, Oct 18, 19 @ 8:44 am:
Illinois, because your grandchildren will have drinking water.
- Enviro - Friday, Oct 18, 19 @ 8:58 am:
Move to Illinois- Our Teachers and Parents Fight for Educational Justice