Chambana Sun

Veteran Illinois state Rep. Dan Caulkins (R-Decatur) thinks the state’s struggling economy and plummeting population go hand and hand.

“When the jobs leave, people leave,” Caulkins told The Chambana Sun. “I really don’t see things changing anytime soon under this governor who has already done a tremendous amount of damage to our small business industry. These aren’t republican talking points. What we’re seeing is the direct result of the democratic agenda here in Illinois.”

The latest Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) data shows the state has lost jobs two out of the last three months. This decline comes at a time when most of the rest of the country is showing signs of stabilizing after seven straight months of job growth.

Illinois state Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) | Wikipedia commons

Not surprisingly, the bulk of the job losses across Illinois have come in the leisure and hospitality industry, which lost upwards of 27,000 during the month of November alone, as Gov. J.B. Pritzker's ban on indoor dining took greater effect with the changing calendar.

Caulkins said none of it should come as a surprise given the way Gov. Pritzker has handled the lingering COVID-19 crisis and other matters.

“What we’re seeing with the way Illinois is struggling reflects the policies of the democratic majority in the General Assembly,” Caulkins said. “I think it directly reflects upon leadership and what they have done in terms of making Illinois a welcoming place to start and build a business. All the tax and spend policies have created deficits [and] an unsustainable pension system and debt that discourages companies form locating here and encourages the ones here to leave.”

Caulkins said he doesn’t see any way the state can continue on its current course.

“It’s going to take new leadership and an admission from democrats that there policies have failed miserably,” Caulkins said.