For most Illinois families, the price of the January 2011 state income tax hike is an additional week’s wages lost to state coffers. But for some, the cost has been much higher as jobs disappear altogether.

Between January and June 2011, 56,223 fewer Illinoisans were employed* – a performance worse than any other neighboring state. Wisconsin, Indiana, Kentucky and Missouri have all experienced growth in the number of people employed during the first half of the year (Iowa experienced a small net decrease).

Illinois has natural resources, a rich cultural history and is home to several major industries. This great state should be a magnet for entrepreneurs, families and businesses. Instead, the poor policy decisions by state leaders have created an environment that is hostile to job growth.

While state leaders pay lip service to job growth in Illinois, their actions tell a different story. In January, the General Assembly increased taxes by 67 percent for individuals and 46 percent for businesses. In the months that followed, Gov. Pat Quinn convinced several high-profile companies not to flee the state by offering special tax breaks and incentives. But giving tax breaks to a select few and making everyone else pay higher taxes is neither a fair nor a coherent public policy.

Adding insult to injury, the General Assembly failed to put Illinois’s fiscal house in order. The fiscal year 2012 budget increases spending and does not address the state’s billions in unpaid bills or unsustainable state pension system. If lawmakers want to get serious about bringing jobs to Illinois, business as usual cannot continue in Springfield.