Democrat Utopia of Illinois Nears Insolvency, Vows to Close Deficits by Recycling Bottlecaps and Increasing Taxes, But Mostly By Increasing Taxes

Who says Democrats can't innovate? Illinois appears to have invented a brand new way of scamming the taxpayer:

In a futile attempt to stay solvent, the state of Illinois has resorted to a trick I have not seen before, accelerating property tax collections... Until this year, property taxes have been collected in two equal installments. This year it's 55% in the first half, 45% in the second half...

...It must be getting bad here in Illinois. I opened up my first tax installment and was surprised to see that it was $300-$350 more than I expected.

It turns out that taxes were in fact NOT raised. There was a note that said that "the Illinois Assembly voted to require that 55 percent of annual real estate taxes be collected during the first installment."

This must be the equivalent to California's withholding an additional 10 percent in income taxes. I guess that way they can collect more on those houses that are foreclosed on this year. Nothing like having the taxpayers finance the state's cash flow problems.

Moreover, I read that the state is now paying in 90 days where they had previously paid within 45 days.

The end of the year is going to get ugly. Can you imagine giving Cook County 55 percent of the majority of their annual revenue and telling them to save it for the rest of the year?

I'm not sure how mortgage companies are supposed to retain escrow, since all the laws are written toward a normalized monthly payment... What a mess.

Illinois residents should not be concerned, however. Democrat Governor Pat Quinn -- a puppet of the Chicago machine -- had a "brainstorm": he wants to raise taxes 50%!

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.

...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?

There's a name for this endless cycle of tax hikes, population losses and fleeing businesses.

We call it "The Michigan Effect". Or "The California Effect". Or "The Illinois Effect".

It's a death spiral characterized by decades of Democrat rule. Unchecked public-sector unions. Corruption. And an out-of-control government that demands ever more money and property from its citizens. A government that never lives within its means.

The time of reckoning nears for these Democrat Utopias. November should be a very interesting month.