Half Of Illinois Residents Would Leave If They Could

Our state of Illinois has been dealing with some pretty bad press as of late. Put aside the billions in unpaid bills, the underfunded pensions to the tune of tens of billions of dollars, the number of former governors who have spent time in prison, and the overall level of perceived and real government corruption.

A recent Gallup poll says Illinois residents, by far, have the least trust in state government. Only 28 percent have any sort of faith in their public leaders to solve problems. The next state on the list was 12 points ahead of the Land of Lincoln.

Another Gallup survey says Illinois is the worst state in the union in which to live. Who says? Well, people who live in Illinois say that's the case.

And now, in the cherry on top of the embarrassment sundae, fully HALF of people who live in Illinois say they'd leave the state, if they could. More from Gallup:

Nevada, Illinois, Maryland, Louisiana, Mississippi, New York, and Connecticut all appear particularly vulnerable to losing population in the coming few years: high percentages of their residents say they would leave if they could, and larger-than-average percentages say they are at least somewhat likely to do so in the coming year. At the other end of the spectrum, Texas, Minnesota, and Maine have little to fear.

In fact, 19 percent of Illinois residents have plans to move in the next 12 months. Among those who are leaving, 26 percent say it's for work or business reasons. 17 percent blame the weather while 15 percent say they're packing up for a better quality of life. Nine percent are tired of the cost of living and eight percent say high taxes.

All this bad news and you almost get the feeling that things might need to be shaken up in Springfield. We'll see in November.