Original News, Features & Opinion on Chicago, Illinois and America
Ray Hanania on Politics Podcast: Pritzker’s “unFair Tax” In his latest podcast, Ray Hanania on Politics, former Chicago City Hall reporter Ray Hanania digs deep into the problems that Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s “Fair tax’ poses for Illinois taxpayers. Hanania explores the problems caused when the state replaces the Flat Tax on incomes with a “graduated…
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J.B. Pritzker’s income tax shell game Once again, Pritzker thinks money will not only buy him into statewide office but it will also pull the wool over the eyes of Illinois taxpayers. Pritzker’s new income tax plan changes the flat tax to a graduated tax that would open the door to significant tax increases on…
Pappas: Last chance for homeowners to pay delinquent taxes Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas reminded property owners who have delinquent or outstanding property taxes due to avoid having their properties sold. Pappas said there are 45,000 property owners who are at risk and need to take immediate action. The total outstanding is $145 million The clock…
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Pekau thinks its all about him Now that the Orland Park election for trustee is over, Mayor Keith Pekau could start working to make Orland Park better with the three qualified trustees he helped to get elected, Cindy Katsenes, William Healy and Michael Milani. Instead, he just can’t seem to get past the fact that…
Lyons School District 103 tosses failed board for new leaders Olivia Quintero, Jorge Torres, Vito Campanile, and Winifred Rodriguez ran under the banner of Parents for Student Excellence slate decisively defeated the controversy-plagued slate lead by Lyons School District 103 board member Joanne Schaeffer, newly appointed trustee Thomas Weiner, former trustee Connie Esparza, and Jacqueline…
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Pekau is way off base in starting fight with Gorman The mudslinging battle to elect three trustees in Orland Park has taken another ugly turn over the issue of vicious but anonymous robocalls as Mayor Keith Pekau widens his list of enemies by taking shots this time at Liz Gorman, the centrist populist who made…
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Why I support Toni Preckwinkle for Chicago Mayor In politics, it’s rarely about who is great but rather about who is better. And in the race for Chicago Mayor between Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle and former prosecutor Lori Lightfoot, the “better” candidate is Preckwinkle. Although I have some issues with her past policies,…
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Voters should reject failed leadership in Lyons School District 103 In a heated election contest in the west suburban Lyons School District 103 where controversy, scandal and excessive spending dominate the board majority’s focus, voters need to take an active role in sweeping out the failed leadership and electing new trustees to restore the educational…
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Illinois financial problems are a national joke Illinois is ranked as the 49th Worst State in the country when it comes to taxation, according to WalletHub.com. So the last thing someone should do to address the state’s collapsing economy is to increase taxes. The driving force behind Illinois’ financial troubles are the politically driven pensions…
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Suburbs must standup to Chicago’s Tax Grab Forcing suburbanites to help cover the budgetneeds of Chicago has always been a problem with Chicagoland politics. It needs to stop. It’s not that I don’t like Chicago. I Love Chicago. I was born there. But like most people born there, I fled to crime, the taxes and…
Illinois ranks as 2nd worst state for taxation Illinois’ taxation is the 2nd highest in the country for residents who are in low income, middle income categories and only slightly better, 3rd highest for residents in the high income levels. The study impacts property taxes, wages and sales taxes and was completed by WalletHub.com, and online…
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What Chicago mayor candidates are really saying about themselves Comparing the campaign TV ads of the various mayoral candidates says a lot about who they really are and what their priorities are, or are not. The candidates for Chicago mayor define themselves in their TV campaign ads. Here’s what it looks like. Published in the…
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In Chicago mayoral election, other issues are important, too With all the usual issues being skirted and glossed over in the Chicago Mayoral election, voters should take notice of the undercurrent of issues on the sidelines that have as much impact on their lives as the rest. Conspiracies are a part of Chicago politics, so…
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WalletHub: Best and worst states for retirement A new report from WalletHub.com ranks Illinois at only 28 in terms of the best states for individuals to retire. The number one state is Florida, followed by South Dakota, Colorado, New Hampshire and Virginia. The survey measures a range of benefits including taxes, home service costs, senior…
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Underwood supports family tax refunds during shutdown Rep. Underwood Votes To Ensure Families Get Their Tax Refunds Without Delay and To Re-Open the Treasury Department and Other Key Agencies. Over 5 million Illinois Households Receive Tax Refunds Each Year Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14) joined House Democrats Wednesday January 9, 2019 to pass the FY 2019 Department…
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Protestors block 30 cent gasoline tax hike Illinois taxpayers defeated the plan of downstate and Cook County Democrats to give the state of Illinois the highest gasoline tax in the country during the Illinois 100th General Assembly lame duck session. The Democrat mayor of Chicago, Rahm Emmanuel, showing how out-of-touch he was with taxpayers, had…
Laws needed to regulate credit card interest rates There are a lot of challenges facing American consumers, from rising taxes, government corruption and increasing crime, to failing education and deteriorating product quality. But one of the worst challenges facing the American consumer and American taxpayers is the unregulated credit card banking industry. This week, they…
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Pappas refunds taxes to 30,000 Cook County homeowners Cook County Treasurer Maria Pappas helped taxpayers cut through the county’s bureaucracy and ordered refunds of more than $8.3 million to 30,000 homeowners who qualified for refunds but failed to apply. Pappas said the refunds were made without the taxpayers having to file refund request forms The…
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