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Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsMovement Aims to Kick Chicago Out of Illinois, Conservative activists largely behind the push
https://www.newser.com/story/275452/movement-aims-to-kick-chicago-out-of-illinois.html?utm_source=part&utm_medium=uol&utm_campaign=rss_topNEWSER) Cook County, which includes Chicago, and the five urban counties surrounding it are largely Democratic. But though Illinois has a Democratic governor and Democratic majorities in the state Senate and House, the rest of the state is increasingly Republican, a political professor emeritus says. That may explain why there's a growing movement to split Illinois into two states. Republican state lawmaker Brad Halbrook recently got big applause at an Effingham, Ill., rally when he talked about a bill he reintroduced in February to do just that, reports the Washington Post, which takes a look at the movement that includes grass-roots groups with names like Illinois Separation and New Illinois. Supporters say Chicago has too much influence in Illinois politics; Halbrook went on Fox & Friends Monday to make that argument and call for a "new Illinois."
Some supporters also insist it's not just about politics: While Chicago has a lot of economic power, "one in four jobs [in the state] is related to agriculture, so there is another economic driver," Halbrook says, noting that the rest of Illinois could hold its own economically. The co-founder of New Illinois adds that the issue isn't a "red, blue, Republican and Democrat thing. Its an urban versus rural thing." The founder of the Illinois Separation blog is calling for counties to introduce nonbinding resolutions to their ballots in an effort to "show the legislature that this is truly what the people want"; one of the state's 102 counties has already decided to do so, and the blog founder says many others are considering it. Experts say the urban vs. rural divide has led to similar movements in California and New York. The Illinois bill has "a long way to go," per the Post; Fox goes further and says it has "virtually no chance of passing."
bitterross
(4,066 posts)Hmm. If I lived in Chicago and I could vote to move the border down the lake - I think I would.
Raven123
(4,849 posts)Article IV Sec 3 of the Constitution. Not sure how many votes required. Wonder what Illinois Constitution says.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)to secede from Massachusetts. Stuff like this comes around every once in a while and then die out.
Demovictory9
(32,457 posts)on the rest of the state.
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Red counties see how much they need the rest of the state during times of trouble. And frankly, in a water challenged state, the dry, blue areas of the state need the water resources from the red parts.
csziggy
(34,136 posts)Blue_true
(31,261 posts)csziggy
(34,136 posts)(There is video of the 2018 battle but it wasn't as fun)
Here's video of the original kerfuffle:
pecosbob
(7,541 posts)gratuitous
(82,849 posts)They don't want to tailor a new message to gain popular support, they want to change who is in the voting pool.
Grow up, you fragile little flowers.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)They complain about how the cities have more effect on elections because there are too many votes coming from there!
Uh, yeah, that's how voting works. And lord knows, we already have too many laws making rural votes actually count MORE. In my state, 70% of the legislature is from rural areas, though only 50% of the population is, because how the districts are drawn.
dflprincess
(28,079 posts)and they complain about the governor being elected by "liberal in the citites" there has been no move to separate the Metro area from the rest of the state. Mainly because us "big city lubruls" are the ones paying the taxes that support the red areas (kind of a micro version of the country as a whole.)
blueinredohio
(6,797 posts)Then we might as well just separate every state make one democratic and one republican.
Takket
(21,577 posts)mucifer
(23,550 posts)publicity stunt.
Livluvgrow
(377 posts)The state of Chicago sounds good from a born and raised South Sider. Just think all that airport revenue, toll change, taxes collectively from 7 million people, tax collections from 4+ major sports teams, world class arts, fests, classic museums, food, etc times a million and none of that revenue would have to flow south of the far southern exurbs. Sounds like a great deal. No more money down state.
Wounded Bear
(58,670 posts)Go ahead, throw us into that briar patch.
Captain Stern
(2,201 posts)As things stand now, Illinois already has two Democratic Senators.
If Chicago were to become it's own state it would still have two Democratic Senators, but the rural part of Illinois would mostly likely elect two Republican Senators.
Celerity
(43,415 posts)Correct, it would be a disaster.
bullwinkle428
(20,629 posts)FakeNoose
(32,645 posts)No sales tax revenue, very little in property taxes, not much industry or retail business.
I'd call them "Broke Illinois." Or maybe "Broke White Welfare Illinois."
Thekaspervote
(32,778 posts)irisblue
(32,980 posts)And the huge computer science programs there? W/O the $ from Chicago, they do not have the ability to be much more then flat.
bdjhawk
(420 posts)I read a study a year ago (cant find it right now) that indicated those in downstate IL got something like $1.79 for every $1 paid to the state while Chicago got like $0.84 for every $1 paid. These arent exact numbers as I cant remember but it was notable since I have relatives in Southern IL who constantly bitch about all of the advantages Chicago gets while they get screwed while the facts show the exact opposite. Sadly, like many rural areas in the US, Southern Illinois used to be a blue, union stronghold and is now extremely red.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)What a bunch of fucking idiots! Go ahead, do it. I dare you. See how well you do without Chicago, you rubes.
Response to Demovictory9 (Original post)
geralmar This message was self-deleted by its author.
Totally Tunsie
(10,885 posts)Maru Kitteh
(28,341 posts)began here.
dawg day
(7,947 posts)Rural areas in the Midwest are pretty decrepit... there are towns with no jobs, no shops. The kids go to school in another town, and as soon as they graduate-- IF they graduate-- they head out.
"A chip on the shoulder," ruralites, doesn't actually power your economy. Industry and business-- like that all over Chicagoland-- do.
beachbum bob
(10,437 posts)Chicago subsidizes downstate Illinois by a huge factor. And the tax savings to Chicago would be huge as they would no longer have to fund downstate Illinois teacher retirements thru the state income tax and downstate would have to actually statr paying the full cost.
Its a huge win for Chicago