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The rhetorical device “49th out of 50 states” isn’t only used for education funding. From a column by GOP state Sen. Todd Sieben:
Statistics from the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Conference of State Legislatures show that Illinois is 49 out of 50 states in terms of jobs gained since January 2003. And sadly, we are second in the nation in terms of increases in welfare cases - up 13 percent since November 2003, compared to decreases in all our neighboring states.Compare Illinois’ poor performance to the employment successes of our neighboring states, who have all enjoyed job growth since January 2003: Missouri +4,700 jobs; Iowa +16,500 jobs; Kentucky +21,300 jobs; Wisconsin +40,000 jobs; and Indiana +54,000 jobs. During the same time period, Illinois lost 40,900 jobs. If Illinois’ job growth had only kept up with the national trends, we would have gained more than 140,000 jobs by now. The current administration’s misguided policies and terrible record when it comes to actual jobs created, rather than “projected” jobs from business development state spending “deals,” has actually cost the state more than 40,000 jobs since January 2003.
posted by Rich Miller
Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 3:36 am
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Isn’t the increase in welfare due to the increase in health care coverage elegibility for families as well as the expansion of kid care? But then, the Senate Repubs, including Sieben and Watson, have ridiculed families who can’t afford to feed their kids breakfast before school.
Comment by Tom Joad Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 11:14 am
Tom Joad seems to be right — the Democrats made a policy decision to expand FamilyCare and KidCare which doesn’t reflect an economic downtorn. It just means we decided to buy health insurance for more people (which is a good thing). And I wonder what the Senate GOP agenda is for creating jobs and balancing the budget (besides increasing medical bankruptcies if they cut back on FamilyCare). I mean, if the GOP economic development strategy is to have the lowest taxes, we already won. We have the lowest income tax rate in the Midwest. So that can’t be the reason why our neighboring higher-income-tax states have more jobs than we do over the last two years.
Comment by Dan Johnson-Weinberger Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 11:21 am
Pulleeeezzzzzz, blame the mean Republicans.
We all want to starve school children and put Grandma out on the street.
The plain and simple fact is that Illinois as a whole is corrupt. Republicans and Democrats. Every state and most local institutions.
Business Leaders don’t want to deal with that crap when they can come to the land of the Red States and be free of such corruption.
Comment by Doug Miller Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 12:13 pm
Red states free of corruption.
BWAAAHAAAHAAAHAAA!
You know, the “T” in TRMPAC doesn’t stand for Massachusetts.
Texans for a Republican Majority (TRMPAC) stands accused of funneling hundreds of thousands in illagal corporate donations in an effort to fatten the GOP majority in the Texas house (a majority already nearly assured by the slimy mid-term redistricting scheme).
And states don’t get much redder than Texas.
Comment by BuckTurgidson Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 12:41 pm
This message is for Tom Joad… I use to work in an inner city school which provided free breakfast for all the children (and lunches too) and it always amazed me that they didn’t have 90 cents for lunch but they had $1.50 to buy a soda and candy bar after school and they were always wearing awesome Nike shoes! It’s all about PRIORITIES…we need to get back to the basics. Seriously.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 1:28 pm
So anonymous feels we should not give kids breakfast on school days because they all have expensive Nike shoes! Do you change that mindset by stopping school breakfasts, which have been proven to help kids with learning and paying attention in school? Or do you try to break the cycle of bad parenting by helping their kids to learn more and stay in school? I doubt that every kid has new Nike shoes and has the money to buy candy and a soda after school, some might, but not the usual anti-welfare generalization of “all the children.”
Comment by Tom Joad Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 2:31 pm
Enough of the economic downturn crapola. Did Mr. J-W read the article prior to this one? It has also been announced recently that employment has finally reached the level it was at prior to the tech boom.
It ain’t the economy, its the leaders here in Illinois killing business by inflicting death through a thousand fee’s.
Comment by Anonymous Monday, Apr 18, 05 @ 10:29 pm