This will work

Indiana got screwed. Under the original provisions of the Northwest Ordinance, Illinois would have had a boundary tangent to the southern tip of Lake Michigan, giving the state no Lake Michigan shoreline. But Indiana had been granted a 10-mile northern extension so we would have a usable lake shorefront. Using that as a precedent, those who subitted the bill to Congress for Illinois statehood stipulated a northern border at the same latitude as Indiana's, "10 miles north of the southernmost extremity of Lake Michigan."

But the Illinois delegate, Nathanial Pope, wasn't satsfied with that. Based on his lobbying, when statehood was granted in 1818, the northern Illinois border ended up being 51 miles north of Indiana's northern border, and the change added nearly 50 more miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. Is it any wonder Hoosiers feel intimidated by our Illinois neighbor? Is it fair that Illinois has so much Lake Michigan shoreline?

The right thing to do here is obvious. Illinois needs to go back to the pre-1818 borders. Why should the state as currently defined be set in stone? Certainly the governor would resist the idea at first, which is why former Chicagoan Barack Obama should step in, perhaps with an assist from old buddy Rahm Emanuel, current mayor of Chicago.  He could explain, that, though he continues to be a good friend to Illinois, helping Indiana residents feel good about themselves is vital to peace in the Midwest.