Illinois Is Breaking Its People—Here’s What a State That Actually Cared Would Do

Living in Illinois is not for the faint of heart. It’s a daily tightrope walk between hope and hardship, where working families are being pushed to their financial, emotional, and spiritual limits. And the most devastating part? The struggle isn't accidental—it's systemic. The soaring taxes, crumbling schools, unchecked crime, and vanishing job opportunities are not just symptoms of bad luck. They are the result of failed leadership, broken promises, and decades of political neglect.

Illinois has become a cautionary tale.

Our property taxes are among the highest in the nation. For many families, that means working harder each year just to keep a roof over their heads. For retirees on fixed incomes, it means packing up and leaving behind a lifetime of memories because they simply can’t afford to stay.

Add to that sales taxes, gas taxes, and rising utility costs, and you start to realize: Illinois doesn’t just tax your wallet—it taxes your will to stay.

And what do we get in return?

Our public schools, particularly in Chicago and the inner suburbs, are failing our children. Literacy rates in some districts are so low it’s hard to believe this is still America. Parents are left with no real options but to homeschool, move, or send their kids to private schools they often can’t afford. Meanwhile, the state throws more money at bloated bureaucracies, with no accountability and no measurable progress.

If Illinois truly cared about its future, it would empower families with school choice and fund students—not failing systems.

Let’s talk safety. In too many communities, gun violence is a weekly, sometimes daily, reality. But instead of addressing the root causes or actually supporting law enforcement, state leaders choose slogans over solutions.

Police departments are underfunded, demoralized, and often left with their hands tied by policies that favor criminals over victims. Illinois cannot thrive if its citizens don’t feel safe walking to the store, sending their kids to school, or sitting on their own front porches.

And for all the talk about being “pro-worker,” Illinois continues to bleed jobs. Our anti-business climate—fueled by high taxes, overregulation, and union-driven policy—pushes employers out of the state, leaving behind shuttered storefronts and broken dreams.

Young professionals and skilled workers are leaving in droves, taking their innovation and energy with them. If the state cared, it would make entrepreneurship easy and incentivize local job creation, not punish it.

So, what would it look like if Illinois actually cared?

It would mean overhauling our tax system to ease the burden on families and reward hard work. It would mean real school reform—empowering parents, holding educators accountable, and allowing competition to raise the bar for every child.

It would mean restoring law and order, protecting victims, and fully backing those who risk their lives to keep us safe. It would mean creating an economic environment that attracts businesses, retains talent, and lifts up the working class instead of trapping them in cycles of dependence.

But most of all, it would mean listening to the people. Not just the lobbyists, not just the politically connected—but the moms trying to pay for groceries, the dads working overtime to keep the lights on, the grandparents who fear for their grandkids’ futures.

Illinois doesn’t need more press conferences. It needs action. Bold, unapologetic, people-first leadership. Because right now, the message from Springfield is loud and clear: “You’re on your own.”

It’s time that changed.

It’s time Illinois stood for its people, not just its politics.