Illinois counties to become part of Indiana?

[JamieDimonsBalls]

It's all ag and oil. There's a letter framed on a courthouse wall in one of those shit hole towns. It was written in the 1800's from Chicago's city council asking for a loan.

"They described Chicago, then a village, in glowing terms. But the loan was not granted. The local bank refused it on the ground that the village of Chicago was so far from Shawneetown that it could never amount to anything."

...Pop. (circa 2020) 1024

I've spent way too much time over there. It's depressing as shit.. Even in the larger towns. Bloomington/Normal is only held together by State Farm and they've been trying to move everyone to Dallas for years as they know they can't get anyone to come work there. Chicago is the only thing that state has going for it. Without Chicago that state is Mississippi. Peoria is a dump. It's a terrible place. Ask @mcmurtry66 what the Illinois side of STL is like

Yes they have great AG. And it's dominated by the same families that owned everything for years. Everyone else is meth addicts. Literally only places that are nice are up near the Wisconsin border

The only things worth visiting outside of Chicagoland are Galena, IL and Shawnee National Forest.

 

[JamieDimonsBalls]

In a similar thought, Iowa wants Minnesota counties. A new manifest destiny is sweeping America.

Senator proposes bill to let Iowa buy 9 Minnesota counties: 'Could still buy Gopher gear'

Sen. Mike Bousselot, R-Ankeny, proposed a bill that would let Iowa buy nine Minnesota counties.

www.usatoday.com

What a stupid concept. People are absolute morons if they are publicly bringing these ideas up without being in jest.

Iowa offers a state where a red vote matters and lower taxes. But, it can't even throw a forward pass.

 

[mcmurtry66]

The only things worth visiting outside of Chicagoland are Galena, IL and Shawnee National Forest.

I’ve been on the road for work this week and honestly save a few states with natural beauty outside of cities the entire country is So Ill

 

[All4You]

Joe, great question.

Many of the services you mentioned require local funding, and the rural areas in Illinois are losing population along with having difficulty raising revenues. Unlike Indiana the state legislature is dominated by the Democrat party in Illinois.

So it would seem the rural folks in downstate Illinois could very well see greener grass growing in Indiana if their county was being served by a super majority state legislature of Republicans as is the case in Indiana.

What I have trouble understanding is why the Indiana legislature wants to take on these troubled counties in Illinois.

Maybe more wide open spaces to expand manufacturing/warehouse/shipping/receiving hubs, where our property tax dollars/revenues actually come from? Anything along the I-70 corridor and the north/south intersects would have mutual interest?

 

[Marvin the Martian]

Maybe more wide open spaces to expand manufacturing/warehouse/shipping/receiving hubs, where our property tax dollars/revenues actually come from? Anything along the I-70 corridor and the north/south intersects would have mutual interest?

Wouldn't that place them in competition with existing Indiana counties also wanting to expand shipping/manufacturing/etc?

Someone elsewhere said that several of those Illinois counties have failing rural hospitals. That's something Indiana would then be saddled with. Chances are they are older, rural areas have a higher average age than urban/suburban. That can equate to additional costs. I'm not seeing a huge upside.

I think some Republicans have thought, "Hey, we bring in rural Republican areas into Indiana, we may gain an EC vote in Indiana and cost blue Illinois an EC vote". Same for Iowa/Minnesota.

 

[td75]

I take my son to Sparta, Illinois for trap shooting. Many of the backroads are in decay, certainly needing money allocated to their attention. The Southern end of the state which I live close to, just feels neglected.

Chicago obviously gets the majority of funding in that state. I live in Western Kentucky and there are TONS of Illinois people moving here. Rural Illinois people are typical conservative voting folks, they DO NOT like how liberal the state has become.

 

[hoot1]

Any clue if Indiana schools grade higher or lower than Ill schools? I honestly don't have an idea.

Joe, ratings on schools, such as this one, put Indiana and Illinois schools neither among those at the top or bottom and fall pretty much in the middle.

 

[IUgradman]

I’d much rather join Illinois. Legal weed, legal abortion, no state interference in education, no attempts to defund universities, and no major cuts to Medicaid proposed.

 

[VanPastorMan]

Doubt Illinois would want Gary. Although Gary in NE Ill would balance out East St. Louis in SW Ill.

My son says Gary should be cleaned up so it can be a bedroom community for Chicago

 

[Aloha Hoosier]

Maybe you just agreed with aloha.

I also didn’t say Hegseth won’t be confirmed. I put him on a list of those whose confirmations weren’t certain. Hegseth, RFK Jr and Gabbard are on that list. Patel is now as well. Hegseth isn’t confirmed yet.

I also said Gaetz had no chance. He didn’t.