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Nothing Good About State's Financial Situation Says One Economist
A University of Illinois economist can't find a reason to smile in the state's financial picture. "We have a huge mountain to climb in terms of recovery of jobs," says Geoffrey Hewings.

Hewings, director of the Regional Economic Applications Laboratory, says at the depth of the current recession, the state is "440,000 jobs below where we were at the start of the recession. But the most important fact is that Illinois never recovered from the 2000-2001 recession."

Hewings says in addition to state government's fiscal woes, perpetuated by underfunded pensions, the people running for office cannot put their own election behind any other priority. "We have 12+ million people in the state, and the choices we are presented with are increasingly unsatisfactory. But the political process is now so micromanaged, it's so intrusive, that good people are not running for office."

Hewings was part of a Bloomington panel discussion sponsored by farm interests. His laboratory is part of the U of I's Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

(Illinois Radio Network)
08 04 10 by Newsroom
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