On February 14^th, we celebrate love, family, and our partners. When it comes to celebrating partners, state governments have a number of Valentines. Because state governments continue to award the sweetest deals to their sweethearts, big business, they are never alone in love on Valentine's Day.

Illinois

Topping the list of the most generous sweethearts is Illinois. In a two-bill package passed by the Illinois General Assembly, Sears received a $300 million annual tax relief package designed to keep the company from leaving Illinois. Less than two weeks after Illinois lawmakers signed off on the package, Sears released a list of the Sears and Kmart locations set to close due to poor holiday sales; no stores will close in Illinois.

The package also restructured the taxes paid by the Chicago Mercantile Exchange to reflect positive changes in the trading business for the company. Despite frustrations voiced by critics over the gushing love for Illinois corporations, Governor Quinn staunchly defended the bills, saying that calling them "sweetheart deals" is unfair.

Illinoisans ask, "Unfair to whom?" In a balanced budget note offered by the Illinois Office of Management and Budget in SB 0397, the Committee found that the bill would have a negative fiscal impact of $40 million in fiscal year 2012; $263 million in fiscal year 2013; and $325 million in fiscal year 2014.  

While many Illinoisans struggle to celebrate their loved ones today despite 9.8% unemployment and increasing financial burdens, big business and government are breaking out the champagne and caviar.

Amazon.com

The retail giant Amazon.com is playing the field, as they finagle sweetheart deals in a number of states, including South Carolina, Indiana, and California. And still, Amazon is looking to secure another romance, this time in Florida.

Amazon is promising to bring between 2,500 to 3,000 jobs to Florida if state lawmakers and Governor Rick Scott agree to create an exemption for the retailer for the next two years. If Amazon gets the deal, the retailer intends on spending as much as $200 million on two new distribution centers.

Even though other states accepted Amazon's terms in order to ensure investments and growth, Florida is struggling with budget deficits and the Legislature is divided on whether to push ahead bills attempting to force all online retailers, including Amazon, to start collecting the state's 6 percent sales tax.

As more and more states struggle to generate new revenue, Amazon's sweethearts may be numbered. Better settle down, before Florida kicks you out!

The Cornhusker Kickback

One of the most famous sweetheart deals of recent memory stems from the love story between Nebraska Senator Ben Nelson and his fellow Democratic leaders.

In exchange for Senator Nelson's vote for the healthcare legislation, Democratic leaders promised that any expansion of Medicaid in the state of Nebraska would be paid for completely with federal funds, while other states must dip into state budgets to meet the new financial demands.

Denying any inference of a "sweetheart deal," Nelson instead called the deal a "placeholder" that allows Congress more time to work out the details of a fair payment structure among the states. Either way, it is clear that the Senate Democrats care deeply for Senator Nelson and he for his fellow Nebraskans. Who is left high and dry? The rest of Americans.

The Break-Up?

Alfred Lord Tennyson wrote, "'[t]is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." On this, the most romantic of holidays, one believes deeply in the wisdom of Tennyson's poem. But the sentiment certainly does not apply to the budding romances between government and big business.

These "sweethearts" hint at corruption and blur the lines of legitimate contractual relationships and it's time Americans began demanding a break-up of this crony scheme.