Cook County corruption tax might be dead

This morning Cook County Board President Todd "The Toddler" Stroger says he's rethinking his vow to veto the repeal of Cook County's hated "corruption tax."

Last summer Stroger and his Democratic-enablers added one percent to the county sales tax, giving Cook residents the dis-stink-tion of paying the nation's highest sales tax.

First some history: For 12 years South Side Chicago politician John Stroger was president of the Cook County Board. Fellow pols, favored contractors, government unions were all "taken care of." And everyone "made a bundle."

Who paid the bills? Five million Cook County tax payers. The big shots made their bundles, but working stiffs like me were left holding the bag.

That's life in Crook County.

But Stroger, who died earlier this year, suffered a massive stroke a week before the 2006 Democratic Primary--he was never seen in public again. Yet Stroger won a narrow victory over a reform candidate in that race.

While covering up the seriousness of Stroger's stroke, Democratic machine politicians scrambled to find a replacement on the ballot who would keep the county cash cow going--so they propped up John's son Todd, also known as Urkel.

Stroger bested Republican Tony Peraica, with the help of Barack Obama, in the general election. "Toddler" has gone on to serve with indignity, hiring his first cousin, Donna Dunnings, as the county's chief financial officer, and then putting in place--with no Republican support--the corruption tax.

Already unpopular, things began to unravel for Stroger last month when it was revealed that he hired away from Ruth's Chris Steakhouse a bus-boy with a criminal past who quickly became Dunnings' administrative assistant. The busboy was unable to stay out of trouble once county residents began paying his salary, and "cuz" had to bail him out of jail four times. There was no fifth time--he's in jail for a while.

But enough about busboys for now: Who put Stroger in power? Democratic machine politicians. Who voted for the corruption tax? Democratic machine politicians.

Who voted against the corruption tax? Every Republican on the Cook County Board--along with a few Democratic reformers.

Now some of those machine politicians, including Commissioner John Daley and his brother, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, are distancing themselves from Stroger, and it appears the corruption tax could be dead.

Stroger seems to sense he doesn't have the votes to let his threatened veto stand, so he may not even bother vetoing it.

We have some rare good news tonight in Crook County.

Oh, that reminds me. Wasn't Rod Blagojevich a Cook County Democratic machine politician?

Yes, he was.

But that's another story for another time.

There are elections next year in Cook County and Illinois.

Punish the Stroger enablers.

Punish Blagojevich enablers.

Don't let yourself get swindled by phony reformers.

Technorati tags: Obama politics Barack Obama Election Democrats Illinois Politics Cook County Stroger cronyism