Chambana Sun

Dan Caulkins is saddened but not surprised to hear how disillusioned most Illinois taxpayers have grown with Springfield.

“It’s consistent with what I encounter every day in my interactions with voters,” Caulkins told the Chambana Sun. “People have had enough and many of them are looking for something else.”

Researchers found that 53 percent of residents polled by the Center for State Policy and Leadership at the University of Illinois Springfield and NPR admit they have considered leaving Illinois, citing high taxes and dysfunctional government as the primary reason. Dissatisfaction is spread among virtually every subgroup in the survey, the Illinois Policy Institute states.

Sixty-four percent of respondents with household incomes between $60,000 and $100,000 have considered fleeing, while 74 percent of all respondents agree that the state is on the wrong track, compared to just 14 percent who believe it is headed in the right direction.

The dismal figures are not much different from those uncovered by a 2016 Paul Simon Public Institute survey that found 47 percent of residents would rather be somewhere else because of high taxes.

“Something has to give,” said Caulkins, who is running against Democrat Jen McMillin for the 101st District seat. “It’s time that we got back to the days of governing for the people and that means being respectful of their interests and concerns. Nothing about what’s coming out of Springfield reflects that right now. We have to change the direction of this state.”

The 101st House District spans parts of Champaign, DeWitt, Macon, McLean and Piatt counties.