Dupage Policy Journal

Sen. Jim Oberweis (R-Sugar Grove) said he isn’t surprised frustrated residents are turning their backs on Illinois.

“I believe people are leaving Illinois because government has created a hostile environment towards business which is driving jobs out of Illinois,” Oberweis told DuPage Policy Journal. “Couple that with the exceptionally high total taxes (income, sales and property) and we have a toxic situation with no end in sight due to an increasing pension burden that will continue to stress our financial situation.”

And the toll it’s taking on the state has become practically undeniable.

Census Bureau data show Illinois has slipped from being the fifth most populous state in the country, replaced by Pennsylvania, after Illinois lost 33,700 more residents between July 2016 and July 2017, the worst decline of any state in the U.S. in raw terms.

As for percentages, Illinois saw the third-worst population dip in the country, dropping the state’s overall population estimate to 12,802,023 people and marking the fourth straight year the state's population has declined.

From July 2016 to July 2017, Illinois lost nearly 115,000 residents on net to other states, even as neighboring states experienced spurts of population growth in 2017.

Over the past seven years, Illinois has lost nearly 643,000 people on net to other states.

“This is really a shame because Illinois has incredible advantages over most other states: some of the best farmland in the world, some of the best universities in the world, a great tourist destination in the city of Chicago, some of the best food and ice cream in the world, and we serve as a transportation hub for the country (interstate roads, trains and one of the busiest airports in the world),” Oberweis said. “Yet the politicians in Springfield have hurt our future very badly.”

Oberweis said the fight for him has now become personal, as many of his friends have given up on the businesses they started in the state and have either moved away or are planning to do so.

“They are leaving because of high taxes and the hostile business climate in Illinois,” he said. “At Oberweis Dairy, we expect to open at least a dozen new stores over the next five to 10 years, each one employing about 60 people. We have to ask ourselves, why should we open them in Illinois when we could open in Indiana, in Wisconsin, in Missouri or in Florida, where the business climate is more favorable, and the taxes are lower.”

Oberweis said he believes Gov. Bruce Rauner has done all he can to change the political climate created by longtime House Speaker Mike Madigan (D-Chicago) and Democrats, but the task hasn’t been easy.   

“As a state senator, I have been talking to my colleagues about the importance of changing the message we are sending to people and to the businesses in Illinois,” he said. “Unfortunately, it is very hard to get that message through. Politicians like to promise more of everything to everyone, especially in an election year, without considering the long-term consequences of those promises. That is exactly what got us into this mess.”