35 Comments - Flying Elvis'-Utah Chapter - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 11:48 am: Until this is a RTW state, with Illinois pensioners paid ten cents on the dollar, Center Square (IPI) won’t be happy. It’s one of the reasons they can’t keep actual journalists, and why Greg Bishop is their “star’. - Excitable Boy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 11:50 am: I know it’s upsetting when reality doesn’t match your ideology, Todd, but you’re just going to have to “Hang in there”. - Publius - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 11:54 am: Sounds like there are about 80 metrics too many. I look at things like this every day. At the end of the day you have to be able to do something to fix it if it needs it. If you are just going to complain and no offer real solutions then just let it be. - Give Me A Break - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 11:56 am: In the words of Mr Maisch himself, “keep it up Gov.”. - Back to the Future - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:02 pm: Some things are getting better in Illinois. This constant criticism of everything “Illinois” is just plain nonsense. - AlfondoGonz - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:08 pm: The trend of rooting for your opposition, when they are in charge, to fail is one that will doom us all if we can’t reverse it. - Nuke The Whales - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:12 pm: ==“The categories they use for infrastructure, in which Illinois is ranked number one, and access to capital, we’re ranked number three – if those were not where they are, we would not be anywhere close to 15, I don’t think,” Maisch said.== According to Kübler-Ross, bargaining (in this case with the metrics to please exclude things we’re good at), is the third stage of grief. - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:15 pm: How on earth can Illinois be ranked as the #1 state for infrastructure? US News has us at #26 https://www.usnews.com/news/best-states/rankings/infrastructure - Sam The Butcher - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:25 pm: Illinois has many positive qualities . It has an educated workforce. It’s in the middle of the country. It also has some qualities that many in the business community don’t want. Many investors want to be in a right to work state. Anyone can complain about surveys. All that matters is will Illinois get investment dollars. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:26 pm: The Raunerite strategy has been to talk badly about this state, cheer for bad news, want bad things to happen… and that will lead to destroying labor, pensions, and if social services aren’t saved, that’s ok too… unless it was Diana Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention, saved by the Pritzker family, but I digress… but I digress to a specific point; It has never *been* about taking credit for *any* good… look at Rivian… K… not about good news… it’s about creating a cesspool of bad news to blame “Democrat leaders” for so going after organized labor specifically is finally “allowed” (to the level Raunerites demand) Raunerites aren’t about governing or any positives to it, even the chance to *claim* a mere fraction of the good. Republicans here in Illinois have forgotten… …good governing and good politics should lead to good news. There is ZERO want to the old ways. Maybe they forgot Tom and Daisy Buchanan, who bought and paid for the GOP brand have skipped town (Bruce literally left Illinois) and left the broken and shattered party in ruin… left the state in disarray where a Pritzker, again, must bail out these Buchanans. I can’t help them anymore. They can’t see what they once knew. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:40 pm: ==US News has us at #26== So? What makes that ranking a better source? Could it be that you are one of those who want to cherry pick in order to make Illinois look as bad as possible? Pathetic. - SaulGoodman - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 12:42 pm: “If you take away the things that IL does good in the ratings, then IL looks bad!” Thanks Todd. Its kinda’ like saying if you take away Cook County (i.e. a huge number of votes), IL is a Republican state. - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 1:04 pm: Everyone that travels the state knows Illinois is a lot closer to middle of the pack than #1 in the nation in infrastructure. Nearly 9% of bridges across Illinois are in poor condition, or 2,374 structures. Data updated yearly by the Federal Highway Administration shows there were more bridge structures in poor condition as of 2020 than at any other point in the last 27 years. On the agency’s interactive site, performance history for bridges across the U.S. dates back to 1993. https://www.wcia.com/news/target3/bridging-the-gap-whos-responsible-for-crumbling-overpasses/ - Nick - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 1:12 pm: Can never take the W Can never just be positive - From DaZoo - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 1:14 pm: ==US New has us at…== These two different report cards are using two totally different measures. For example, under the Transportation part of the Infrastructure measure… condition of roads of bridges = in both measures volume and value of goods shipped = only CNBC commute time = only US News public transit usage = only US News access to airport = only CNBC So you really shouldn’t try to mash-up the scores used in both reports. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 1:42 pm: === Everyone that travels the state knows …=== Like it’s been said; Those Raunerites want to create a cesspool of bad things… to blame “Democrat leaders”. I’d be very interested in what - Lucky Pierre - sees as a good thing in Illinois right now. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 1:46 pm: LP: Infrastructure includes more than just bridges genius. But whatever dirt you can throw you’ll throw I suppose is good enough for you. - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:01 pm: Taking the CNBC study at face value as the top anonymous Democrat does, would also include owning the # 48 ranking for economy and #48 ranking business friendliness in the study It would be so nice if Democrats would actually acknowledge how much better Illinois would be for its residents if these numbers were in the middle of the pack Record crime and high unemployment in poor neighborhoods go hand in hand - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:09 pm: So… again… - Lucky Pierre - nothing good in Illinois. ===It would be so nice if Democrats would actually acknowledge how much better Illinois would be for its residents if these numbers were in the middle of the pack=== It should be noted that by nearly every measure Illinois was worse off with Rauner as governor… and even good news must be muddied up and deflected… like this… ===Record crime and high unemployment in poor neighborhoods go hand in hand=== Record crime… Any good happening in Illinois, - Lucky Pierre -… or does the bot programming refuse to see any good? - Arsenal - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:17 pm: ==It would be so nice if Democrats would actually acknowledge how much better Illinois would be for its residents if these numbers were in the middle of the pack == Why? It’s not like Democrats are saying “everything is perfect and we have nothing left to do”. They ant to keep improving the state. They talk about the things that still need done all the time. All they’re doing is celebrating the progress they’ve made, which is entirely necessary. “The people need victories.” I mean, I get why *you* would prefer Democrats to surrender every election forever and ever amen. But it’s not clear that that’s actually gonna help the state. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:22 pm: What is fun about - Lucky Pierre - is that right in cue, rarely doesn’t deliver. Like… ===Those Raunerites want to create a cesspool of bad things… to blame “Democrat leaders”.=== … and what does the bot programming deliver? ===It would be so nice if Democrats would…=== I mean, lol, sincerely… the schtick that Raunerites infected into the hollow shell of a GOP now long gone, in business leaders now wholly swallowed in a way that “hanging in there” is a punch like if their utter ignorance… But… - Lucky Pierre - and the bot programming always delivers the muck. - Roman - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:23 pm: Todd Maisch must look at Eloy Jimenez’s stats and say “well, he just appears to be good because he hits lots and lots of home runs.” - Lucky Pierre - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:26 pm: Clearly crime and unemployment are worse now than during the Rauner admomistration. Chicago has one of the worst records for murders, with a big increase in 2020 and a continuing upwards trend so far in 2021. Shooting incidents in Chicago are also up 15% on the same point last year, and are more than double the level they were at two years ago. https://www.bbc.com/news/57581270 Only 6 stares have higher unemployment https://www.bls.gov/news.release/laus.nr0.htm See any correlation? - @misterjayem - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:28 pm: “The categories they use for infrastructure, in which Illinois is ranked number one, and access to capital, we’re ranked number three – if those were not where they are, we would not be anywhere close to 15, I don’t think.” And if field goals made from beyond the arc weren’t worth three points, Steph Curry and the Warriorw would not have been anywhere close to winning NBA championships in 2015, 2017 and 2018, I don’t think. Todd Maisch’s faulty reasoning wouldn’t get past the screener on sports talk radio, but it’s plenty good enough for Center Square. – MrJM - Phenomynous - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:37 pm: Methodology changed from the previous report. To use MrJM’s analogy, infrastructure and capital weren’t three pointers during the previous rankings, they were more like free throws. That being said, Illinois’ leaders should take and spin whatever they can to bring investment to the state. - Arsenal - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:41 pm: ==Todd Maisch’s faulty reasoning wouldn’t get past the screener on sports talk radio, but it’s plenty good enough for Center Square. == Well, The Score would let him on just to get Bernstein to yell. - Ducky LaMoore - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:47 pm: “Well, The Score would let him on just to get Bernstein to yell.” Well… probably not now. He really doesn’t do that much anymore. He has matured. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:48 pm: It should be noted that - Lucky Pierre - and the bot talking points continue… Can’t find a positive thing. Rauner left Illinois. Why are you still here? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 2:55 pm: If all is bad, like real bad, like nothing good… How is it that Republicans can’t win statewide, are at all time low water marks in both chambers of the General Assembly, and “Democrat” leaders continue to pummel Republicans with win after win after win… Statewide ain’t about any gerrymandering… … Raunerites and Trumpkins can’t even get traction to a statewide policy that polls positively to win offices against actual people. Being negative all the time is a loser position. See any correlation in election results? - Sir Reel - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 3:11 pm: In other words, to CS, IPI and their ilk, as long as really rich people pay a little more in taxes than really poor people, Illinois is a terrible state. - Demoralized - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 3:25 pm: ==See any correlation?== Only in the head of mental geniuses like yourself. If you want to go back to the Rauner years you need your head examined. - Al - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 3:30 pm: Illinois is a great State to get rich. As long as you have fewer than 25 employees and can avoid Unions. Open a Video Gaming operation, find some illegal Mexican girls to sell various forms of favors not run through the cash register and retire to Cabo San Lucas in two years time. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 3:45 pm: ===…find some illegal Mexican girls…=== Sometimes I learn SO much by how one comments. Someone typed this to seem snarky funny and winning. It was written to seem “kool”, like “this is a good chuckle”. I’m grateful for these comments. I believe you. I know who you are. ===… as long as really rich people pay a little more in taxes than really poor people, Illinois is a terrible state.=== That’s so close, nowadays you need to add a lil racism, misogyny, and signal that being white means being proud. But, you are in a larger bullseye, yep. - Stormsw7706 - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 4:00 pm: Maisch is quite the whiner. Regarding infrastructure, having driven in a lot of other states it’s nice to be on Illinois roads and nice to see all the construction taking place - Chicago Blue - Tuesday, Aug 10, 21 @ 5:01 pm: Wow, that BBC article has charts showing violent crimes continuing to decline and murders at 6 months (an odd metric choice) static with the last 5 years. What are you smoking? Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.