I can’t
honestly tell you who came up with the idea to break up the states in the way
that they did or how that decided to do it for that matter. I know part of it
was geographically. Rivers run this way and that ways, so those are easy boarders.
Some of it was by the way the United States acquired the land.
However, I
as a young citizen of Illinois see that this is not working. I grew up in a
southern part of Illinois, not far from Saint Louis and fifteen minutes from
where the Mississippi meets the Illinois River. I’m a country girl by nature
and a farmer family by trade.
My state government
however is made up majority of people who do not understand my needs. They don’t
understand my need as a lower middle
class citizen to protect my home by the Second Amendment. They don’t understand
that I don’t want their aide. They don’t understand that I still want to work;
I still want to be able to make a living and care for myself and my family.
Maybe my beliefs
are old fashioned for Springfield but I have an idea that maybe Washington
needs to interfere with.
But first
here’s what spawned that idea. I have always been a history buff, always proud
of where I came from. I was a United States citizen and I was from the great
state of Illinois who gave the world one of the best men Abraham Lincoln (The
President, not the Vampire Slayer) and then this questionable yet history book
making (only because of Lincoln) man named Obama. I was home to farmers, the
world tallest man, and other cool things on a small scale.
By high school,
I realized what a joke that was. Politician after politician was being indicted
with corruption charges yet nothing was being done. Tried, possibly convicted,
short stupid sentence. (Note: I was in high school during the Rod Blagojevich
incident).
Finally when
I was a senior in high school I got to set down in government class. Ah what a
joy Mr. Gracey’s 7:30 a.m. early bird class was. Once you got worked up in
government class you were pissed off all day long. And I got worked up a lot.
I remember
one day after discussing God only knows what at least one other classmate and
myself realized how easy it would be to just “fix” Illinois. Separate Chicago
from Illinois.
Two years
later, I still believe this is a real possibility. It has been suggested by
some of my fellow Illinois citizens we even start a petition.
It’s not
that we want to just kick out Chicago. We don’t hate them. We hate the fact
that Chicago has the population and the money to have a pull in the Illinois
General Assembly.
I’m not
Democratic or Republican but General Illinois knowledge dictates that Democrats
will, on almost every case have the ruling hand when it comes to the Assembly.
But that hasn’t been working. There hasn’t been an even balance enough to get
anything accomplished.
America has
states for a reason. Because policies that work here in California might sound
ridiculous to people in Delaware. That’s the problem in Illinois. What is good
for Chicago isn’t good for a good chunk of Illinois. Chicago has a higher
population, more varied ethnic groups, crime rates, variations of ideas.
Not that
this isn’t a problem among the rest of Illinois just not always in such intense
ways. Most of Illinois is still blue collar Americans. Many of which have agriculture
based families and business who make their living from the land.
A project
that would be high priority in Chicago such as programs to help keep children
from gangs would sound ridiculous for most of Illinois because we don’t live
with that problem day to day. While to average Chicago people dealing with
agriculture problems would sound ridiculous to them.
Yes I understand
all states have their rural areas and major cities. But my point is there are
so many differences between Chicago and the rest of the state the irreconcilable
differences could be cited on the divorce papers. There is no middle ground
with Illinois General Assembly. Chicago needs one thing and Illinois needs
another.
The best proposal
for the new state lines is that everything North of 1-80 be Northern Illinois and
everything South be Southern Illinois.
There are
too many opportunities that the separation can help fix to go into in such a
short time but the ideas the same. Some things just don’t work out.
I find it’s
a good idea. Some others will, some more won’t. Just some marriages can’t be
saved and must be ended for the good of the couple and the good of the family Illinois
and Chicago needs separated for the good of each other and the United States in
general.
Feel free to
give me your thoughts and ideas.
I agree...Chicago is stupid. It makes west central/southern Illinois look bad! We are definitly not the same nor do we agree with anything they do up there!
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