Nobody seems to give a whit about Illinois
Jim Nowlan
The Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU asked me to do some noodling about the future of Illinois. I have mentioned this to several friends. The responses — a roll of the eyes; a belly laugh; a retort that it is too late to do anything about Illinois. Nobody has responded that it is a good use of my time, needs to be done.
Few, it seems, give a whit about our state. Why might this be so?
In the late 19th century, Illinois was the fastest-growing state in the nation. Twenty-seven million from around the world were dazzled by the White City on Chicago’s lakefront, the 1893 World Columbian Exposition. We had some swagger then, and maybe so up to the postwar period of my childhood, as synergies between City and fertile countryside made our state one of the richest. But now, we’re in a funk.