Illinois is financially the fifth largest US state with a 2008 GDP of approximately $633 Billion.
To put this in perspective, the 2008 GDP for the nation of Greece was approximately $357 Billion.
The largest state is California with $1.8 Trillion in 2008 GDP, roughly on a par with Russia, Spain, or Brazil,
The US is also considering accounting rule changes that will require the states to more accurately reflect and more fully fund their pension obligations for government employees.
The problem of States' debt is made more problematic by decreasing state tax revenues and the enormous demands of the US Federal government for more tax revenues on their citizens' incomes, and the crowding effect in markets by the record amounts of sovereign debt issuance which is largely short term and must be rolled over regularly.
The Bond Buyer
Fitch Downgrades Illinois to A-minus
By Yvette Shields
March 29, 2010
CHICAGO — Fitch Ratings late Monday downgraded Illinois’ general obligation rating one notch to A-minus and warned of possible further action by leaving the state’s credit on negative watch ahead of $1.3 billion of short- and long-term GO issuance in three deals over the coming weeks.
Gov. Pat Quinn had hoped that the General Assembly’s passage last week of pension reforms would stave off any negative rating actions and buy the state some additional time to address a nearly $13 billion budget deficit and liquidity crisis in the current legislative session.
But Fitch analysts said the state’s challenges are too severe and persistent. They believe it is unlikely the fiscal 2011 budget will “sufficiently address either the annual operating deficit or accumulated liabilities.”
The results of the current session will drive analysts’ decision as to whether Illinois holds on to its current rating level. Fitch dropped the state’s $23.4 billion of GO debt two notches down to its current level last July.
Fitch’s action follows Standard & Poor’s decision on Friday to place the state’s A-plus rating on negative CreditWatch. Moody’s Investors Service on Monday affirmed its A2 rating and negative outlook.
"Some people see God as they see a cow, and love Him as they love a cow — for the milk and cheese, and the profit it brings. This is how it is with people who love God for the sake of worldly possessions or inward comfort. They do not truly love God when they love Him for their own advantage. The eye through which I see God is the same eye through which God sees me; my eye and God's eye are one eye — one seeing, one knowing, one love.”
Meister Eckhart, Predigten und Traktate