illinoisreview

Those Mean Rotten Rich People

by Matt Gauntt

"Earlier, Democratic candidate Barack Obama, speaking to supporters in Georgia, said McCain's proposed tax cuts will only benefit rich corporations."

"Don't Extend Tax Breaks for the Rich"

"And I understand that when the system teeters past the point of financial collapse, that those who suffer will not be the wealthy who have taken their tax breaks and moved their equity safely into off-shore mutual funds: it will be working people and those who depend on the safety net from government services."  Bill Foster website

"Obama indicated to reporters that his long-term goal to help pay for the programs amidst a weakening economy was to change the tax code to eliminate tax breaks for the wealthy and close loopholes for corporations."

OK, enough of this lunacy. For years and years, the left has put out this mantra of "the wealthy don't pay their fair share", and comments about mean, evil, wicked Republicans only want to protect the rich so that they don't have to pay any taxes, while the middle class gets stuck with the bills.

Oh, really?!?!

Peraica calls for repeal of nation's highest sales tax

This past Tuesday on WGN TV, Republican Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica expressed the outrage Cook County taxpayers are feeling as they dish out the highest sales tax in the country:

More on Tuesday's rally at "Murphy and Appel speak out against Cook Co sales tax."

H/T Chicago GOP.com

Obama at home with highest sales tax in U.S.

"As of today Chicago has highest sales tax in the nation," the IL GOP writes today.  "Fight for increase led by Obama's pick for Cook County Board President..." 

And the IL GOP makes some great points on Barack Obama's hometown's latest development:

CHICAGO - The Illinois Republican Party today is asking the American people to take a glimpse into what America will be like under a Barack Obama presidency, as Chicago today claims the highest sales tax in the country.

Ozinga talks cash and conservation at the pumps

MOKENA -- Two days after returning from a trip to Moscow where he attended the graduation ceremony of a Russian university on whose board of trustees he serves, 11th CD candidate Marty Ozinga will be pumping gas for four hours in southwest suburban Mokena today.  The owner of Ozinga Concrete, with 30 locations and a fleet of cement trucks, plans to discuss the high price of gasoline with those drivers whose tanks he'll be filling.

“I know what people are going through when it comes to paying for fuel,” Ozinga said. “Our business uses 4 million gallons of diesel fuel each year. If the price of fuel goes up just 50 cents, that’s $2 million that we have to eat. And of course, it has gone up by much more than just 50 cents.

County Pegs RTA Sales Tax for Roads at $9 Million

by Cal Skinner   

That's what McHenry County Blog predicted on August 30, 2007.

Now, the Algonquin Countryside's Pete Gonigan has gotten confirmation from McHenry County officials that they are working with that number, too.

McHenry County Board member Marc Munaretto (R-Algonquin) offered this comment:

House Dems refuse gas tax relief

When you're standing at the gas pump this week paying over $70 to fill up your tank, thank House Democrats for refusing to grant at least some relief from our state's exhorbitant gas taxes.

Kudos to the House Republicans who tried two times to save us a few bucks at the gas pump, and more importantly tried to roll back taxes. There's a similar proposal dead on arrival in the Senate. Now tell us it doesn't matter who's in the majority.

From the St. Louis Post-Dispatch:

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Republican legislators failed to get a vote Tuesday on a measure that would have lifted the state sales tax on gasoline during the summer months.

The measure would have reduced the state sales tax on gas until Sept. 15. Lawmakers estimated that would save drivers about 20 cents per gallon on gas priced at $4 per gallon. For an 18-gallon tank, that would have meant about $3.60 in savings.

The current state tax on gasoline is 6.25 percent. The proposal would have lowered it to 1.25 percent.

Link: STLtoday - Illinois gas tax cut fails to advance.

FairTax Resolution

Illinois' Fair Tax President Marilyn Rickert believes it's time for Illinois to take a lead in the Fair Tax movement by promoting the following resolution for consideration at the Illinois GOP convention June 6 - 7, 2008:

Endorsing a federal retail sales tax as a complete replacement
for all forms of income and Social Security taxation.

1. Since The FairTax Book went from unavailable to #1 on The New York Times Best Sellers list in nine days (August 2005) and stayed at the top of the list for the rest of the summer, this “poll” makes it clear that tax-concerned, activist voters support a complete replacement of income and payroll taxes with a national retail sales tax; and
2. Since the sequel to above book, the FairTax Book: The Truth, Answering the Critics (March 2008) also appeared on the New York Times best seller list, this second “poll” further reinforces the above statement that tax-concerned, activist voters support a complete replacement of income and payroll taxes with a national retail sales tax; and
3. Since the overwhelming majority of all communications received by President Bush’s tax reform panel supported the FairTax; and
4. Since the current income tax system requires individual taxpayers to prepare annual tax returns using many complicated forms, where innocent errors will happen and are heavily punished; and
5. Since the current income tax system actually punishes marriage and the family, the very foundation of our country’s moral strength, and
6. Since our Founding Fathers knew history showed income taxes gave government too much power over citizens, so the Founding Fathers specifically outlawed such taxes in the Constitution; and
7. Since a national retail sales is constitutional and would restore the Founding Fathers’ description of ideal tax systems (Federalist 21) and ends income taxes, annual tax filing and the IRS: and since citizens pay sales taxes to sellers of goods and services; the sellers send collected sales taxes to state agencies; and only the state sales tax agency deals with the federal tax collectors;

Springfield's "Deal or No Deal" re-runs

Little by little, we're hearing just how furious state lawmakers are with deals that were apparently cut last Thursday and Friday to spare the Governor embarrassment of the recall amendment on this November's ballot. Democrats in the Senate fell two votes short of passing the recall referendum and Senator Debbie Halvorson (D-Crete), at the behest of Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago), adjourned the week's session just in time for the Dems to head for Indiana to help the floundering Obama campaign.

Just what kind of Springfield deal or no deal re-runs were played?  Here's what State Rep. Bob Pritchard (R-Sycamore) suggests happened in today's newsletter:

It’s common knowledge how Senate President Jones twisted Democratic arms to defeat the elected official recall constitutional amendment last week despite overwhelming popular support for the measure.  We are just now starting to hear about the promises made to get those “no” votes.

The truce in the Governor’s war on agriculture was pretty transparent.  His office quickly announced the release of agricultural funding for Extension, 4-H, C-FAR, conservation districts and other ag programs.  Just a few days ago he justified the withholding of nearly the entire budgets for these programs on the grounds that the state was broke.  Governor, what changed in two days besides the vote on recall?

There are reports that efforts to close a state prison in a Democratic senator’s district were suddenly refocused on a prison in a Republican’s district when the Democrat failed to show-up for the vote on the recall issue.  Other stories are circulating about moving an entire government department from Springfield to Benton, to help boost the local standing of a senator after his “no” vote.  Stay tuned for more reports about wasting public funds.

Frustrated biz owners vent in Schaumburg

SCHAUMBURG -- Small business owners in the northwest suburbs expressed their concerns for the skyrocketing cost of doing business in Illinois Wednesday afternoon as House Minority Leader Tom Cross, Republican members Dennis Reboletti and Randy Ramey as well as GOP House candidate Anita Forte-Scott listened. 

There was no polite attempt to hide the business owners' frustration.  They are ready for change, and have been for a while, they said.

"What are you going to do to turn things around here in Illinois?" the state lawmakers were asked as employers ranging from day care center owners to real estate agents to kitchen remodelers vented about high gas prices, Illinois' increased minimum wage and rising employee taxes.  These costs that have cut into their business revenues to the point that some have been forced to drastic cutbacks in their businesses.

The conversation, some feared, is a sign of the times, as consumer optimism diminishes and the "R" word is bandied around.

Roskam Notes Tax Freedom Day

Illinois Congressman Peter Roskam (R-6th) hailed Tax Freedom Day in an email where he wrote:

Dear Friend,

From January 1st to April 22nd  (113 days), 100% of the income the average American earns will go to pay federal, state, and local taxes in 2008.

Therefore, today is “Tax Freedom Day,” the day on which the average American will start working for anything besides taxes.

To put this into perspective, Tax Freedom Day in 1910 was January 19th, when taxes were just 5% of a person’s income. Now, Tax Freedom Day is three months later, and taxes are nearly 31% of an individual's income.