by Tony Peraica

As Illinois’ and Cook County’s economies have deteriorated over the past decade, it’s become obvious that the big-spending, high-taxing ways of our state and county “leadership” have been nothing less than failures.

Now, a new study shows that Illinois’ impoverished (those that our liberal leaders have purported to “champion”) are the ones who have been most hurt by these failed policies:

New data shows about 240,000 more Illinoisans lived in poverty in 2008 compared with 2000 and researchers say those statistics don’t fully reflect the current recession.  According to U.S. Census data made public Tuesday, the state’s poverty rate was 10.7 percent in 2000 and jumped to 12.2 percent in 2008.  The median household income in Illinois dropped from $60,203 in 2000 to $56,235 in 2008.

It’s interesting that this new report comes on the heels of the release of a report by the non-partisan Tax Foundation that finds Illinois business tax climate worsening considerably.

Wrapping it up all nicely is this morning’s Chicago Tribune editorial that details how the political clout of Illinois’ labor unions:

It’s hardly news that public employee unions such as AFSCME essentially control the legislative and executives branches of government in Illinois: The unions help elect pols who reward them with sweetheart labor deals.

Here in Cook County, AFSCME is matched in clout by the SEIU labor union, which right now is attemping to unionize (believe it or not) doctors at Stroger Hospital.

The Tribune editorial connects the dots between the clout of these labor unions, the harmful tax-and-spend policies of our politicians, and the deteriorating economic climate in Illinois.

Anyone who claims that these failed policies are working in Cook County and Illinois are simply ignoring the facts.  Clouted special interests successfully push for tax hikes to pay for political handouts which, in turn, force private employers to flee the region which, in turn, leads to higher unemployment which, in turn, spurs liberal politicians to push for even bigger government funded by even higher taxes.

It’s a neverending, dangerous cycle that bring us annual “armageddon” budget threats in Springfield and Cook County, and continues to hurt our taxpayers — especially the lower-income families our politicians are pretending to help.