Kendall County Times

James Marter is sounding the alarm bell about where he thinks Illinois could be headed with its lingering outmigration problems.

“It’s really like a death spiral,” Marter told the Kendall County Times. “We’re in the middle of a tax crisis, where we’re taxing people out of their homes, off their property, you name it. It’s really no wonder we’re struggling the way we are and people are giving up on the state.”

With so many desperate to escape the state’s crippling tax system, Illinois Policy Institute reports studies from two of the largest moving companies in the country recently concluded that upward of 60% of interstate moves served by them on behalf of Illinois residents in 2020 were of the outbound variety.

With job-related reasons also ranking at the top of reasons why so many are deciding to walk away, researchers highlight it all adds up to the state experiencing its largest levels of outmigration last year since World War 2.

“Those tax numbers reflect why people are leaving Illinois,” added Marter, chairman of the Kendall County Republican Party. “What you’re seeing is the result of 40-years of (former House speaker) Mike Madigan rule. On top of that, Gov. (J.B.) Pritzker won’t fix pensions, workmen’s compensation or reform spending; all of the things we need to do to change the course of this state.”

Marter, who has said he plans to run for Congress next year against fellow Republican Adam Kinzinger, said he only sees one way forward for the state to have any real chance of turning things around.

“We’ve had little success at changing laws in Illinois that I feel are needed to fix the problems,” he said. “I’m convinced we have to change the legislature. We need a wakeup call, a cold bucket of water for all these Democrat voters that continue to vote against their own interests. They need to realize most of us are on the same sinking ship and we need to be working together to save ourselves.”