Column: Top things Illinois residents can relate to

Cassie Buchman, Associate News Editor

Recently, I have come across a series of articles on my Facebook news feed–you probably know that kind.

The fun, oh-so-clickable listicles with titles such as “5 things I love about living in (Insert State here) or “7 things You’ll Know if You Grew Up in (Insert City Here).”

Yeah, these articles might be pointless fluff, but they sure are relatable and fun to read, huh? Who needs real news when we can fill our minds with lists and Gifs and more fun content?

To adapt to this ever-changing world of media, and deliver facts and news in a way that is more palatable to a new audience, I have decided to make my own list-based article based on my home state.

Here, I present to you, “The Top Things All Illinois Residents Can Relate To.”

1. Getting funny looks when saying “Pop” instead of “Soda.”

Ha! You’ll definitely confuse your friends from out of town when ordering what to drink for lunch when using this Midwestern classic to refer to your carbonated beverage.

2. Having a completely dysfunctional state government that is unable to pass something as basic as a budget for nine months, leading to a state-wide crisis, especially for public universities and crucial social services.

Oh. This one doesn’t seem quite as fun as the last one.

In fact, the very idea that these despicable political games are something that Illinoisans have gotten used to is downright depressing.

The fact that people’s futures, their jobs and livelihoods are being destroyed by a bunch of buffoonish budget blockers is disgusting. It is unacceptable.

As it has been pointed out by countless people, if most people had refused to do their job the way the General Assembly and our governor do, they would be fired on the spot.

Yet these people keep their jobs, while refusing to do what most 4-year-olds have learned to do by the time they go to school–compromise.

Even sadder is the fact that I have been used to Illinois’ corruption as a lifelong resident. As a child, I would hear my parents and grandparents complaining about the state of our government and how corrupt it is.

However, I never thought things would get as bad as this.

Politicians in Illinois have been allowed to get away with greedy, immature antics for way too long, whether it be demanding more and more power  like we’ve seen in this nauseating budget stalemate or the extortion and fraud we have seen from at least a couple of our governors.

As much as I would love to write a cutesy list about what Illinois is all about, like the soybeans and corn and unpredictable weather, there is absolutely nothing fun about living and dealing  with the aftermath of one political crisis after another.

Cassie Buchman is a sophomore journalism major. She can be reached at 581-2812 or [email protected].