As violent unrest in Los Angeles dominates headlines and Illinois Governor J.B. Pritzker prepares to testify before Congress on immigration policy, Chicago’s Morning Answer hosts Dan Proft and Amy Jacobson welcomed Ted Dabrowski of Wirepoints.org for a hard-hitting conversation about the state of public safety, fiscal policy, and Illinois’s growing economic flight.
Dabrowski, president of Wirepoints and a longtime critic of Illinois’s tax and spending structure, didn’t mince words. With Chicago’s own past of unchecked rioting and record-setting homicides under former Mayor Lori Lightfoot, Dabrowski warned that Illinois could easily become the next Los Angeles if law enforcement is further undermined. He praised the federal response in California, arguing that former President Trump’s strategy of deterrence is critical to reversing rising disorder in America’s largest cities.
The conversation turned toward the broader implications of policy choices in Democratic-led states like Illinois, where Dabrowski said leaders are “no longer focused on protecting the people first.” He cited past violence in Chicago, noting that the city allowed chaos to spiral out of control and has yet to regain a real deterrent against crime.
Even with a slight decline in crime rates this year, Dabrowski emphasized that the root issue remains: the state’s leadership has sent a message that lawbreaking carries little consequence. That erosion of deterrence, he said, is a key factor in the continued out-migration of high earners from Illinois.
Recent Wirepoints data confirms this troubling trend. In 2022 alone, more than 16,000 tax filers making over $200,000 left Illinois, while only 7,000 entered the state—a net loss of nearly 9,000 wealthy residents and an estimated $7 billion in taxable income. Dabrowski warned this annual wealth flight deepens Illinois’s fiscal hole and deprives the state of the very tax base its big-spending policies depend on.
He also pointed out that Illinois ranks among the worst states in millionaire growth, alongside other high-tax states like Connecticut and New York. By contrast, places like Texas, Florida, Arizona, and Montana continue to attract affluent newcomers, thanks to friendlier tax climates, lower costs of living, and safer communities.
Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson’s recent proposal to spend $1.1 billion on 10,000 subsidized housing units came under heavy fire from Proft and Dabrowski. They argued the $1.1 million per-unit price tag is not only wasteful but symbolic of the broader anti-growth, anti-wealth posture taken by state and city leaders. Dabrowski warned that wealthy residents—like capital itself—are mobile, and many are choosing to leave a state that no longer respects or incentivizes their contributions.
Governor Pritzker’s upcoming appearance before the House Oversight Committee was another focal point. Dabrowski predicted the governor will lean into progressive talking points, especially on immigration. But he said lawmakers should press him on how Illinois has spent nearly $2 billion in taxpayer money on healthcare for undocumented immigrants, while failing to address the state’s highest-in-the-nation Black poverty and unemployment rates.
In the final segment, the conversation shifted to a rare piece of optimistic news: the proposed Educational Choice for Children Act. This federal school choice initiative, backed by Republicans, would provide dollar-for-dollar tax credits for donors who fund private school scholarships for low- and middle-income families—even in states like Illinois that have repealed local school choice programs.
Dabrowski said the initiative could be transformational, especially in cities like Chicago where public schools continue to underperform. He estimated that if Illinois secured just 10% of the program’s funding, it could translate to tens of thousands of scholarships—far more than the now-defunct Invest in Kids Act once provided. He also emphasized the opportunity to politically reframe the debate: If low-income families benefit from educational choice funded by Republicans, it may prompt voters to support pro-school choice candidates at the state and local levels.
As Illinois continues to lose population, wealth, and opportunity, Dabrowski believes it’s time for a fundamental paradigm shift. Until then, he says, the state will continue to suffer from the self-inflicted wounds of bad policy and ideological stubbornness.
Listeners can find more from Ted Dabrowski and Wirepoints at www.wirepoints.org