Believe it or not, live in rural red-state Illinois is pretty good. Sure there are taxes but IL ranks better than Minnesota, not quite as low as Iowa, and you don’t hear talk of people leaving those states:
https://wallethub.com/edu/states-with-highest-lowest-tax-burden/20494/
Most of what happens in Springfield doesn’t affect normal people who support themselves. Cuts in programs obviously affect a certain segment of the population more than others and that’s true everywhere. Unemployment is down and economic growth is occurring, just not at the rate as in red states with pro-business climates. We had a Republican governor for the past 4 years and he sucked so bad a big majority (including a lot of R’s, obviously) decided to give the Democrat billionaire a try since the Republican one failed so miserably.
What could be improved? The IL Republican party could rise from the dead and start identifying, mentoring, and grooming some decent candidates for one thing. The R who opposed my Dem rep spewed 9-11 Truther BS and not even country R parties would support him. That’s just handing it to the Democrats, and even a gang of monkeys banging randomly on keyboards could put out a more coherent alternative vision than the IL R Party has done.
FOID cards
Crazy high property taxes
Insane crime rates
Overrun with illegals
Crazy high sales taxes
I know I'm talking mostly about Cook & DuPage counties, but overall IL is one of the worst places in the country.