Chicago Tribune columnist suggests wiping Illinois off the map

Chicago Tribune columnist John Kass offered up an interesting idea this week: Instead of fixing a broken and debt-ridden Illinois, how about eliminating it and splitting it up between its neighbors?

"Our beloved Illinois has proved that it just doesn't deserve to survive," Kass writes. "So why not let our friendly neighbors like Indiana, Wisconsin, Iowa, Missouri and Kentucky just take the parts they want?"

Kass would give Wisconsin parts of northern Illinois and most of Chicago, and the idea has some fans, at least parts of it. 

But Wisconsinites have not been so enthusiastic. Conservative talk show host Vicki McKenna tweeted her view and some of her followers vetoed the Chicago talk while throwing shade on our cities as well.

Kass jokes that Chicago could be renamed South Milwaukee. He might not be aware, but there already is a nice, quaint City of South Milwaukee so that doesn't work. How about East Allis? 

And he's offering up the Chicago sports teams.

"Like the Milwaukee Cubs. The Beloit Blackhawks. The Sheboygan Bulls and the Fond du Lac Bears."

That's interesting. But Milwaukee's not taking the Cubs. Our Brewers are in first place (At least they are at 11 a.m. on June 23, 2017).  

Acquiring the Bulls might not be such a good idea either. We're building the Bucks a new arena and the team looks to have a very promising future. 

And the tune "The Bears Still Suck" is nearly required to be played in all Wisconsin taverns on Packer Sundays, so having them in Fond du Lac would be awkward. Wisconsin State Senator Scott Fitzgerald, a Chicago native, seems to agree. 

So maybe Wisconsin passes on the sports teams and we pick the parts of Chicago that we want, like the Field Museum or Shedd Aquarium. 

If Rahmonia - Kass' name for the part of Illinois he would let Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel keep - wanted any museums, he has an idea for that as well.

Citizens of other neighboring states have weighed in as well. This Iowan doesn't think Kass' additions would add much at all to Iowa.

In the end, the generations-long rivalry over our sports teams and lifestyles is probably too much to overcome. So thanks, but no thanks.