California provides warning for Illinois

For decades, many people have claimed that California always leads the way. Let's hope not, because California is about to pay a terrible price for its irresponsible actions in regards to personal behavior, the rule of law, irresponsible government and spending. California is about to go bankrupt. Spending more than it could afford, making the business environment impossible for the business community and creating an environment as a sanctuary state for illegal aliens; its current deficit is $40 billion and the governor has expressed the concern that the government may have to shut down. And it is going to get worse.

Having been responsible for an operation in California for 20 years, I watched as each year the state made it more and more impossible to operate by implementing crazy anti-business laws and constantly increasing taxes all driven by a population and government that are just irresponsible. My favorite law was the one that forced businesses to pay workman's compensation if an employee had stress and his job contributed to 10 percent of that stress. What human being does not have some stress from their job? Talk about a nanny state.

Well the due bill is here. For the first time since 1848, which is when the gold rush started the national move to California, people have been leaving California since 2000 because it is no longer a state that works. With a $40 billion deficit, one of the highest tax rates in the nation and a declining population (especially businesses), disaster is looming. Let's learn a lesson from California and not follow them over the abyss.

Randy Rossi

Grayslake