Can we suburbanite taxpayers afford to sit back and do nothing?
We are facing a tsunami of tax increases from Chicago, Cook County, and the State of Illinois. At a time when we, the taxpayers, have to tighten our belts to make ends meet -- cutting back on family travel, working more, trimming back on meals, savings, new clothes, and trying to cover the basics of life, the politicians are doing just the opposite.
They get their top-notch health care. They get their steadily increasing salaries and benefits. They get their perks, including bodyguards and chauffeurs for Mayor Daley, Ald. Ed Burke and other big shot politicians who don't feel they have to answer to our needs.
They get their family members jobs. Their friends jobs.
And they do it with our money. taxpayer money.
Gov. Pat Quinn, a patsy for Illinois House Speaker Michael J. Madigan, is proposing a whopping 50 percent increase in the Illinois Income Tax. Quin didn't start out by saying he planned to tighten the state's fat, obese, overweight belt. No. He started by saying we have to raise taxes.
They said the alleged corruption of disgraced former Gov. Rod Blagojevich cost us millions. But have the losses stopped? No. Blagojevich was a distraction, to take our eyes off the ball. Our money and the elected officials failure to do their jobs.
Mayor Daley, who lies about his office indiscretions taking free jet rides from contributors and pals who put his wife to work, wants the suburbanites to pay more to bail out the inefficient, waste-bloated CTA. They keep saying how it will help the suburbs, but the fact is the suburbs get bones while Chicago gets the cash. Chicago doesn't get good service. Don't misunderstand what I am saying. They get lousy transportation service just like the suburbs. But Chicago gets the jobs. Well, pals of the mayor and his top aides and the alderman and the politicians, get the jobs.
And then there is County Board President Todd Stroger. He zapped up the sales tax with out even a blink of the eye. Oh, the politicians who were running for higher office, like Larry Suffredin, screamed in taxpayer agony. And then when they lost and went back to the County "Bored" room, they flip-flopped and supported the tax increase.
Now Quinn wants to jack up taxes.
And what are you going to do about it?
On March 30, Palatine Mayor Rita Mullins will keynote a community forum to fight increased local, county and state taxes. Mullins has proposed that Palatine Township secede from Cook County. It's not easy to do, but the proposal has caught the attention of the lazy politicians who tax and tax and then lie.
The forum is at the Orland Park Civic Center, 14750 S. Ravinia Road (1 block west of LaGrange/Mannheim Road). Doors open at 6 PM. The fight the taxes revolution starts at 6:30.
Be there. It's free. We need to do more and the forum is one way I am going to try. How about you?