By David A.F. Sweet, includes “The second-highest property taxes in the nation. A credit rating that was downgraded 13 times in five years. A pension crisis that is the worst in the United States.  Residents fleeing to Florida and elsewhere. That’s the state of the state of Illinois. … Paprocki believes there are three main reasons people are leaving Illinois – high taxes, corruption and weather. … Last year, voters handily rejected an amendment increasing taxes, realizing that giving spend-happy politicians more money in a debt-ridden state was no solution.”