By Daniel Nardini
This process was happening before current U.S. President Donald Trump came back to power. A friend of mine who lives in northwest Illinois near the Mississippi River along the border with Iowa tells me of the stark differences between the two states. One difference is the crime rate. Strangely enough, there is more crime in “peaceful” Iowa than in Illinois. At night he could hear shots being fired from the Iowa side. This is because Iowa has very lax gun laws, and so it is much easier owning firearms in Iowa than in Illinois. Second, police on the Illinois side of the border have to keep some of their units in reserve to watch the Iowa border because of stolen cars being driven from Iowa into Illinois. The criminals try to smuggle stolen cars from Iowa into Illinois. Because there are not enough police in Iowa it would seem that criminals are able to slip through the Iowa-Illinois border.
But the biggest disparity is in the income levels. Iowa only follows the federal minimum wage law where employers only have to pay $7.25 an hour. In contrast, Illinois has an hourly minimum wage of $15.00. This makes a major difference for residents in Illinois where the former federally-mandated minimum wage simply does not cut it. Because of the higher minimum wage law in Illinois, there are higher paying jobs in Illinois compared to Iowa. Yes, prices in Iowa are overall lower than in Illinois for example gas, food and services. However, they are not significantly lower, and the $15.00 an hour minimum wage does make a difference for Illinois residents even in Illinois. The other thing my friend discovered is that the quality and variety of food sold in grocery stores in Illinois is higher than in Iowa. My friend saw way more Iowa license plates in Illinois than Illinois license plates in Iowa. It means that those Iowa residents who can get jobs in Illinois are better off working in Illinois.
Politically the landscape could not be more different. Illinois is a more progressive state where the rights of ethnic, racial and religious minorities are more respected than in Iowa. One of the reasons my friend has not gone into Iowa much is because his wife is a Korean immigrant and he is afraid she might be racially profiled by the police there (that, and crime being an issue). Both my friend and his wife are an elderly couple who could not defend themselves if they tried, and they could be vulnerable targets for both criminals and police alike. This makes for a very sad state of affairs and why they now refuse to cross the state border. One other reason why they will not cross the state border; the health care in Illinois is much better than in Iowa. If they were to suffer an accident in Iowa, they would be rushed to an Iowa hospital. They told me what they saw at an Iowa hospital, and while I cannot speak for what Iowa hospitals are really like, my friend wants the best care for his wife and himself.
Plus, in my friend’s view, his wife receives better treatment from employers in Illinois compared to Iowa. His wife tried to apply for work in Iowa, and she had absolutely no luck because she is a Korean immigrant. Apparently, Iowa employers were looking for white employees to fill job slots rather than who was qualified. Of course, this is all illegal, but as my friend said how can he prove intent when they do not state the obvious of what they are doing? One of the basics of life is being able to work, and if you do not have a job or cannot be self-employed, then how do you make money? My friend told me he saw the look on prospective employers’ faces when they saw his wife is Asian. As I said before, this was a problem before Trump took office for a second term. It is becoming a greater problem since. For my friend, Iowa might as well be another country.
My friend is not a Christian, and is married to a Korean immigrant. None of these things are a problem in Illinois. However, in Iowa it is a different matter. The Iowa state government has tried to promote putting the Bible into all the public schools which is in contravention of the U.S. Constitution. It is a clear promotion of Christianity which violates not only the U.S. Constitution but it means my friend cannot really make friends in Iowa because he would be put to task to “convert” to something he does not accept in his heart. But it says all too much about how two states, while right next to each other, could not be more different. Both states are American and very much part of America. The two visions of what America should be could not be more different. Under these circumstances, which America will you be a part of? My friend already made that decision a long time ago.
Living in Two Different Americas
By Daniel Nardini
But the biggest disparity is in the income levels. Iowa only follows the federal minimum wage law where employers only have to pay $7.25 an hour. In contrast, Illinois has an hourly minimum wage of $15.00. This makes a major difference for residents in Illinois where the former federally-mandated minimum wage simply does not cut it. Because of the higher minimum wage law in Illinois, there are higher paying jobs in Illinois compared to Iowa. Yes, prices in Iowa are overall lower than in Illinois for example gas, food and services. However, they are not significantly lower, and the $15.00 an hour minimum wage does make a difference for Illinois residents even in Illinois. The other thing my friend discovered is that the quality and variety of food sold in grocery stores in Illinois is higher than in Iowa. My friend saw way more Iowa license plates in Illinois than Illinois license plates in Iowa. It means that those Iowa residents who can get jobs in Illinois are better off working in Illinois.
Politically the landscape could not be more different. Illinois is a more progressive state where the rights of ethnic, racial and religious minorities are more respected than in Iowa. One of the reasons my friend has not gone into Iowa much is because his wife is a Korean immigrant and he is afraid she might be racially profiled by the police there (that, and crime being an issue). Both my friend and his wife are an elderly couple who could not defend themselves if they tried, and they could be vulnerable targets for both criminals and police alike. This makes for a very sad state of affairs and why they now refuse to cross the state border. One other reason why they will not cross the state border; the health care in Illinois is much better than in Iowa. If they were to suffer an accident in Iowa, they would be rushed to an Iowa hospital. They told me what they saw at an Iowa hospital, and while I cannot speak for what Iowa hospitals are really like, my friend wants the best care for his wife and himself.
Plus, in my friend’s view, his wife receives better treatment from employers in Illinois compared to Iowa. His wife tried to apply for work in Iowa, and she had absolutely no luck because she is a Korean immigrant. Apparently, Iowa employers were looking for white employees to fill job slots rather than who was qualified. Of course, this is all illegal, but as my friend said how can he prove intent when they do not state the obvious of what they are doing? One of the basics of life is being able to work, and if you do not have a job or cannot be self-employed, then how do you make money? My friend told me he saw the look on prospective employers’ faces when they saw his wife is Asian. As I said before, this was a problem before Trump took office for a second term. It is becoming a greater problem since. For my friend, Iowa might as well be another country.
My friend is not a Christian, and is married to a Korean immigrant. None of these things are a problem in Illinois. However, in Iowa it is a different matter. The Iowa state government has tried to promote putting the Bible into all the public schools which is in contravention of the U.S. Constitution. It is a clear promotion of Christianity which violates not only the U.S. Constitution but it means my friend cannot really make friends in Iowa because he would be put to task to “convert” to something he does not accept in his heart. But it says all too much about how two states, while right next to each other, could not be more different. Both states are American and very much part of America. The two visions of what America should be could not be more different. Under these circumstances, which America will you be a part of? My friend already made that decision a long time ago.