Anyone else have a fly invasion problem it’s getting on my nerves.

I am interested in starting a political action committee/caucus in Illinois to address this imbalance in the south of our state.
I don't know the first thing about it but am willing to learn. There are resources available, there a some blueprints we could follow, people we could lean on for guidance.
It is going to be hard to start a movement from the ground up. Obviously I can't do it alone so I am posting here in the hope that more folks have a fire under their ass, don't like the current political climate, and want to do something about it. I hope I am not the only one who has thought of something along these lines.

Edit: the imbalance -the south has republicans running for office unopposed. That's the biggest imbalance imo. Common sense would be next.

Seen it while driving around near hazelcrest ill

any reccomendations for where to go? or where to avoid? any input appreciated

I have a prediction about the future of Illinois, and I'd put money on it.

By the end of the decade, Illinois will reinforce its stronghold as a democratic state. Over the years, many people said they're going to leave Illinois because the taxes are too high, but many of them end up staying, especially when realizing those taxes pay for services they have, and realize they'll lose.

On the flip side, I'm already seeing many posts on this sub dedicated to people around the country trying to escape feared red states policies for a much more serious reason than costs, their safety. And I get that many people over the years say they'll move, and then don't, but moving interstate is much easier than leaving the country, and if they're posting, I'm assuming they have the means.

This flood of democratic immigrants from surrounding states will fortify what was already a real bastion of democracy in the United States.

Also, surrounding states, and all other states will see a shift back toward the Democratic Party after a few years of, “Oh fuck, what have I done? It's affecting me personally now.”

Thoughts?

Wow, it seems the IL flight trend might be on the verge of reversing.

I've been amazed by the fact that literally every Illinois sub I see is filled with inquiries from people looking to move to Illinois in hopes of a safer, more accepting environment. For the past few years, Illinois was plagued with news that people were moving out - the taxes and cost of living were too high. It seems others are seeing the value of living in a progressive state. I just hope that before people pick up and leave and buy in more affordable areas, they realize that parts of Illinois are closer to where they are coming from than they know.

Hi from your neighboring state! After the election, Missouri concerns me even more. We've been thinking about relocating to a more liberal state, as hard as it is being born and raised in Missouri, it just don't feel like home anymore. I'm in a committed poly relationship, and I have a biracial son. We currently live about 60 miles south of St Louis and the cost of living here is really decent overall. 2 bedroom apartments go for around $750, 3 bedroom houses $1200 on average. My fiancee and I operate a small business online, and our girlfriend works as an at home customer service rep by phone. My son has graduated, but my fiancee and I are planning on having children, so education is important. Our business works best when a number of thrift stores and potential yard sales/flea markets are around for us to source products to resell. We prefer slightly rural areas with a decent population within 20 miles or so that provides decent shopping and restaurant choices.

Now to my question: with the information above, what would be the best places to look at for potential relocation in Illinois for our family? I'm fairly familiar with the area around the St Louis metro and Cape Girardeau, not so much upstate. Any information from personal experiences or knowledge of the state is appreciated!

So for reasons, I don't have health insurance because my job doesn't offer any (on contract) and couldn't find any at an affordable rate. I went to the hospital and just recieved the bill. It is $17,000 (because America). I do not have this money just around to pay it off.

I've asked for an itemized list and financial assistance but the lady on the phone said they might give me a 10% discount which really wouldn't do much for me.

I remember a friend telling me that it won't show up on a credit report and wont affect my credit if I don't pay it. I read up a little more on it online and it looks like it's true but didn't see it cover any consequences of just not paying it off in IL.

Any further information would help.

Thank God for JB... Unironically probably the best Governor of my lifetime.

when i’m filing for unemployment it is asking me to provide the number of days worked, excluding paid holidays or sick leave. is there somewhere i can find this information? can it be an estimate?

After a semi sarcastic recommendation in another post in this sub, u/swarthypants created the sub r/movingtoillinois . Id recommend that we all be a part of that sub as well, then redirect people from this sub asking thats same old question to a specific sub that only discusses where to move and why. That should free this sub up for other topics like news and events.

My fiance is Illinois born and raised, and moved to Ohio for me. We always had plans to move out of Ohio, but we just didnt think it'd be back to Illinois haha. He is from a city about 40 minutes north-west of Chicago.

We are visiting his father in December for Christmas and we're gonna use this time to scope out potential areas for living. I am a city person, I love the city and one attractive thing for me in Chicago is the public transit. In Ohio, its very limited, but I take the bus/trolly whenever im in Downtown Columbus or Cincinatti for long periods of time (may as well not exist outside of Downtown though).

I know Chicago is very expensive, but I dont think Id be happy too far outside of it. The town my fiance is from is... suburbia. Its okay, but no public transit save for a train to Chicago, and not really walkable or bikeable. Job prospects are eh.

Is there anyone who knows of maybe a middle ground? Still access to transit, but not 1.5k for a damn studio apartment lmao. Having a college nearby would be nice too as we both are working on finishing our degrees, but dont mind transferring elsewhere to do so.

So did those counties that wanted to vote to leave Illinois/ Chicago area did they really do it ? Lol just asking .

We are having/will have a ton of these posts over the next few months/years. Especially from the LGBT community. Can we get a stickied post? Could be helpful.

Hello, with recent political events, I see the need to create a grassroots advocacy group for women, trans, and nonbinary folks who live and/or work in Northern Illinois. Please find more information below and let me know if you are interested to join.

What is the advocacy group about?

This will be a safe space to talk about issues we are facing, provide support to each other, and share opportunities the group may be interested in to better the community. It will be a space for us to plan and enact positive change in our community.

What is the goal?

The long-term goal is to implement actual, positive change through upholding and/or advocating for local laws and regulations be it state, county, or town level. We will empower group members to create and spread awareness of channels and messages to contact local lawmakers to advocate for and protect the policies that benefit everyone in our community.

What does involvement look like?

We will plan virtual meetings once a month beginning in January 2025, with eventual optional in person attendance for those interested. We will suggest actions to take outside of meeting times to further the group's interests. Your level of involvement is entirely up to you.

Contact information

If you are interested, you can comment below or send me a chat message. I will reach out to you via chat to obtain the contact information you are comfortable sharing.

You are encouraged to send this message to others who may be interested in joining.

This space is for women/trans/nonbinary individuals only.

So I can see that the 3 state ballot measures passed. What happens next? Were they just polling the people to see if they should do those things? Or are they enacted Immedately or some designated time?

Hi, I'm (66F) considering buying my first pistol and looking to get trained at a woman-owned range. Any around the Chicago area?

How much can our politicians realistically do to shield us from the federal government? What can everyday citizens do to help?

So after the election, my partner and I are looking into blue states to settle in. I'm from California and she's from Iowa and we want somewhere that's a good mix of both states. Illinois is one of our options. Neither one of us want to live in a huge city as we want to be able to afford a house and wouldn't mind living somewhere outside of Chicago where we could easily drive there if we needed to. We're also both teachers and would like to have access to jobs in educational fields. Does anybody have any good recommendations for smaller cities and towns that are lgbt friendly and mainly liberal?

update: thank you everyone for all the recommendations! we have a lot of research to do but this gives us a great start!

A buddy of mine recently received a warning for a expired plate sticker. The cop let him off with a warning but the warning came with 50 dollar fine. Since when did warnings come with fines? This was in elk groove village. I’ve received my fair share of warnings over the years and have never had a fine attached to it.

It's been a crazy few days and politics is hard.

We're a pretty small Mod team and keeping up on the trash coming in takes a lot of time and effort . We will be throwing around the ban hammer quite a bit for a while here. We will be locking posts as they spiral out of control. Have patience.

Remember to be kind and civil. Have a little grace. Allow people to be mad, to use hyperbole, and to exaggerate. This isn't a space to rage away at the other side. There are plenty of other spaces on the internet for that. Come here to understand the other side, even if you disagree. Tell them they're wrong and why they're wrong, but also remember they are a person who probably truly believes what they are saying. You wont convince them, but you can be understood and you can understand them.

Sometimes a simple downvote is all that's needed.

Anyway. Give us a break and chill out, k?

Are they free in IL as they are in CA? Do they also handle Medicare applications, which he'll need in a few years?