>> IF YOU ARE FEELING ANGRY AT
STATE LAWMAKERS, YOU ARE NOT
ALONE.
A NEW SURVEY BY THE AARP OF
ILLINOIS SHOWS THAT STATE VOTERS
HAVE LITTLE CONFIDENCE AND A LOT
OF ANGER FOR STATE LAWMAKERS.
IT'S EXPRESSING FRUSTRATION WITH
THE FISCAL CRISIS AND HALF SAID
THEY CONSIDERED MOVING IN THE
LAST YEAR.
JOINING US TO SHARE DETAILS OF
WHAT THE SURVEY SAYS IS ROSANNA
MARQUEZ PRESIDENT OF AARP
ILLINOIS AND WELCOME TO "CHICAGO
TONIGHT."
THIS WAS A STATE-WIDE SURVEY OF
VOTERS ABOVE THE AGE OF 25.
AARP WHY NOT VOTERS ABOVE THE
AGE OF 50?
>> WE LEARNED IT IS A CONCERN
THIS ISSUE IS A CONCERN TO ALL
FAMILIES ALL VOTERS ALL PEOPLE
IN THE STATE OF ILLINOIS.
TO GIVE AS MUCH POWER AND FORCE
TO THE VOICE OF THOSE FRUSTRATED
VOTERS WE WANTED TO CAPTURE THE
ENTIRETY OF THE VOTING PUBLIC IN
ILLINOIS.
THEY ARE ALL CONCERNED NOT JUST
THE 50 PLUS.
>> AND THERE'S ANGER IF ONE
LOOKS AT WHAT YOU FOUND ANGER
OVER ILLINOIS FINANCES ON A
SCALE OF 1-5 WE FIND THAT 37%
SAY THEY ARE AT NUMBER 5
EXTREMELY ANGRY AND 28% SAY THEY
ARE AT AN ANGER LEVEL OF 4.
WHAT DOES THIS TELL YOU?
>> IT'S TELLING US A COUPLE OF
THINGS.
ONE IS THEY ARE TIRED OF NOT
HAVING THE STATE'S FINANCES
ADDRESSED BY OUR ELECTED
OFFICIALS AND BY CANDIDATES.
THEY ARE NOT SEEING PROGRESS.
WE TIMELY HAD A STATE BUDGET
THIS YEAR AND THE YEAR BEFORE
THAT LAWMAKERS DECLARED VICTORY.
AND VOTERS SAW BEYOND THAT.
THEY KNOW THERE IS A LOT MORE
THAT NEEDS TO BE DONE TO GET THE
STATE ON FISCAL HEALTH AND THEY
ARE HEARING NO TALK ABOUT THE
SOLUTIONS THEY ARE NOT SEEING
SIGNS OF PROGRESS.
THEIR CONFIDENCE LEVEL AND
INDEED ANGER LEVEL IS HIGH.
THEY SEE THE PROBLEMS LOOMING
AHEAD AND NO SOLUTIONS BEING
TALKED ABOUT.
AND IT IS AN ELECTION SEASON AND
HEARING THE RHETORIC AND ALL
SORTS OF ANYTHING BUT WHAT IS ON
PEOPLE'S MINDS WHICH IS THE
STATE'S FISCAL HEALTH.
>> AND YOU TOOK HAD A QUESTION
REGARDING THE GENERAL MOOD OF
VOTERS AND LET'S LOOK AT THAT
REGARDING THE GENERAL DIRECTION
THE STATE IS TAKING.
71% SAY THE STATE IS ON THE
WRONG TRACK.
56% BELIEVE THE ECONOMY IS
WORSE.
GLOOM NUMBERS.
>> IT IS.
THEY ARE VOTING HALF ARE TALKING
ABOUT LEAVING THE STATE.
ALMOST THREE QUARTERS SAID THEY
KNOW OF SOMEONE WHO TALKED ABOUT
LEAVING THE STATE AND THIS IS
NOT JUST TALK PEOPLE ARE VOTING
WITH THEIR FEET FOR THE SECOND
YEAR IN A ROW.
ILLINOIS IS ONLY BEHIND NEW
JERSEY IN THE NUMBER OF
OUTMIGRATION OF RESIDENTS AND
COLLEGE BOUND STUDENTS THEY ARE
LEAVING AND TELL US THE REASONS
THEY ARE LEAVING ARE IN ORDER,
HIGH TAXES, GOVERNMENT
MISMANAGEMENT AND THE HIGH COST
OF LIVING.
THIS IS THE STUFF THEY ARE
WORRYING ABOUT AND THE REASON
THEY ARE THREATENING AND INDEED
LEAVING THE STATE.
>> ASIDE FROM THE STATE'S
GENERAL ECONOMIC HEALTH THERE IS
ALSO STRONG FEEDBACK ABOUT
PEOPLE'S INDIVIDUAL FINANCIAL
CIRCUMSTANCES.
AND LET'S LOOK AT THAT.
THE PERSONAL ECONOMIC SITUATIONS
SINCE 2015 ACCORDING TO THE
PEOPLE YOU SURVEYED, 39% SAY
THAT IT IS GOTTEN WORSE.
AND ABOUT 39% STAYED THE SAME.
SO BASICALLY ONLY 20% OR SO SAY
WHAT IT'S GOTTEN BETTER FOR
THEM?
1-5 PEOPLE.
>> THAT IS RIGHT.
SO THEY SEE THEY HAVE THAT GREAT
CONCERN THEY HAVE THAT CONCERN
AND THEY SEE THINGS ARE GOING TO
GET WORSE.
AND THE SURVEY TALKED ABOUT
POSSIBLE SOLUTIONS THAT PEOPLE
MAY BE WILLING TO TOLERATE AND
IT'S ALL CLEAR TO OUR VOTERS AND
THOSE WHO RESPONDED TO THE
SURVEY THERE'S GOING TO BE A LOT
OF PAIN.
PAIN ON ALL SIDES.
AND THE LONGER IT TAKES TO FIX
THIS FISCAL MESS, THE MORE PAIN
THERE'S GOING TO BE.
SO THINGS ARE GETTING NO BETTER
OR WORSE, AND THEY SEE WORSE
TIMES AHEAD GIVEN THE DIRECTION
THE STATE IS CURRENTLY GOING.
>> YOU ELUDED TO THIS BUT THE
FACT THAT SO MUCH HAS BEEN MADE
IN THE POLITICAL ARENA ABOUT
PEOPLE LEAVING ILLINOIS AND YET,
THE STATISTICS THAT YOU COME UP
WITH, BEAR THAT OUT AND JUST TO
REITERATE, HALF OF THE PEOPLE
THAT YOU SURVEYED ARE
CONSIDERING LEAVING ILLINOIS AND
THREE QUARTERS KNOW SOMEONE WHO
IS.
AND AS FOR THE REASONS PEOPLE
ARE LEAVING ILLINOIS AS YOU
MENTIONED NUMBER ONE, HIGH
TAXES, NUMBER TWO, GOVERNMENT
MISMANAGEMENT, AND NUMBER THREE,
THE HIGH COST OF LIVING.
DID YOU HAVE ANY ANECDOTAL
EVIDENCE?
WERE THERE ANY PARTICULAR
COMMENTS THAT PEOPLE MADE?
>> THEY DID, WELL, THIS WAS MORE
DATA BUT WE HAVE HAD AS PART OF
THE ENOUGH IS ENOUGH CAMPAIGN
THAT WE HAVE BEEN RUNNING FOR
THE LAST COUPLE OF YEARS, WE'VE
HAD HEARINGS THROUGHOUT THE
STATE WHERE WE'VE HEARD A NUMBER
OF INDIVIDUAL STORIES.
AND OFTEN WHAT IT WILL BE IS I
GOT MY LAST PROPERTY TAX BILL
AND THAT BROKE MY BACK IT WAS
TIME TO MOVE.
AND BY THE WAY, IT'S MUCH BETTER
HERE IN INDIANA.
WE HAD A COUPLE WHO TALKED ABOUT
THIS.
IT'S SO MUCH BETTER WE THINK OUR
FRIENDS SHOULD JOIN US HERE
BECAUSE THE LAST STRAW WAS
SOMETHING LIKE THEIR LAST
PROPERTY TAX BILL AND A NUMBER
OF US ARE GETTING THE NEXT
PROPERTY TAX BILL AND IT WILL
NOT BE A GREAT SURPRISE IF IT
FORCES A FEW OTHER PEOPLE TO
MAKE THAT DIFFICULT CHOICE TO
LEAVE THIS OTHERWISE WONDERFUL
STATE.
>> YOU ASKED PEOPLE WHAT THEIR
IDEAS WERE AND THE MOST
ACCEPTABLE SOLUTIONS MIGHT BE.
AND WHAT DID YOU FIND?
>> WELL, ON THE A LOTTED OF
DIVIDED OPINIONS.
TWO WAYS TO LOOK.
WHERE CAN WE SAVE COSTS AND
WHERE CAN WE RAISE MORE MONEY.
A LOT OF OPINIONS ON THE COST
SIDE.
ON THE REVENUE SIDE, MAYBE
SURPRISINGLY BECAUSE AGAIN IT'S
PAIN.
THERE ARE AT THREE SOLUTIONS
THAT DREW A MAJORITY OF
SUPPORTERS.
THE FIRST ONE WAS TO MOVE TO A
GRADUATED INCOME TAX SYSTEM.
>> WHICH WOULD REQUIRE A
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.
>> IT WOULD.
THERE ARE HOOPS THAT HAVE TO GET
THROUGH BUT VOTERS ARE SAYING WE
KNOW IT WILL TAKE WORK AND WE
KNOW IT'S GOING TO BE A
COMPLICATED BUT YOU NEED TO
START MOVING ON THIS.
>> AND TWO AND THREE?
>> TWO WAS TO EXPAND LEGALIZED
GAMBLING IN ILLINOIS.
AGAIN, NONE OF THESE ARE THINGS
PEOPLE ARE CRAZY ABOUT BUT THEY
ARE WILLING TO TOLERATE.
AND THE THIRD IS TO INCREASE THE
INCOME TAX ON THOSE EARNING $1