Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Palatine wants to secede from Cook County

Last week the man who Barack Obama helped put into office, Cook County Board President Todd Stroger, pushed through legislation that will force Chicagoans to pay the nation's highest sales tax. Suburban Cook residents like myself aren't far behind.

Meanwhile, patronage hiring thrives in Cook County, making the new levy a corruption tax.

I'm not the only one disgusted by the new tax. Some are even talking about seceding from Cook County. Go for it!

From the Chicago Tribune, free registration may be required:

With the loss of local revenues in mind, Palatine officials Monday called on Stroger to personally explain the $426 million-a-year tax hike, and asked the village manager and village attorney to look into ways Palatine might secede from Cook County.

Several northwest suburban leaders proposed creating a new entity -- Lincoln County -- in the 1970s, and Palatine Councilman Jack Wagner said it was time to explore that again. "This is getting out of hand," Wagner said. "We can't afford it."

Budgets strained by the recent economic slowdown will be further hurt by the increase, which could cut into sales, some suburban officials said.

"It makes it very difficult for us to generate the revenue we have in the past," said Schaumburg Village Manager Ken Fritz. Although more recent efforts toward secession have focused on southwest suburbs, for years the movement was pushed by Wendell Jones, former Palatine mayor and state senator. His successor in the statehouse, Republican Sen. Matt Murphy, recently proposed a bill that would make it easier for Illinois townships to vote to split off from counties.

Lincoln County has a nice ring to it, don't you think?

Related posts:

Something else for Obama to be silent on: Chicago will have the nation's highest sales tax

Hey Obama! Speak out on proposal to impose nation's highest sales tax in your hometown: UDPATED

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7 comments:

  1. Anonymous12:41 PM

    Oh, that is sooo awesome!!!

    Lincoln County would be sweet, and I'd gladly move there at the drop of a hat.

    Granted, I could sell my condo for enough to cover the transfer tax.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous5:16 PM

    This goes beyond "Awesome"

    Sign me up, I've told my wife and daughter NOT to shop or buy gas in Cook County, I live near Rand Road and Dundee Roads, it's easy for me to move my money to another county, pass the word "SPEND NO MONEY IN COOK COUNTY"

    Lincoln County Illinois has a great sound to it..
    need money to push this, I have my check book in my hand...

    ReplyDelete
  3. Crazy Politico7:50 PM

    I've thought for a long time that the other 101 counties should vote to secede from Illinois, and let Cook County be free from the shackles of the rest of us :)

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous9:08 PM

    I live near Rand and Dundee too. If this went through I can only imagine it'd really help Palatine's retail businesses. . . Maybe it'd help spark growth downtown

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous1:01 PM

    Mount Prospect myself. I would love this.

    Actually, I like that idea of Making Chicago it's own state. Illinois would suddenly go from blue to red in one fell swoop.

    Oh, there's an error in your post -- it's not a "corruption tax", it's a corruption _subsidy_.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Anonymous5:08 PM

    King Stroger would have to
    relocate. Wouldn't that be
    just "GROOVY"?

    ReplyDelete
  7. umpire3474:18 PM

    Go for it!!! I myself am stuck in the heart of Crook county, in Red Shikagow. If it happens, I will heavily consider selling my home and moving to Lincoln County, as this city is turning to garbage in people and politics, so it would be a good time to leave it. I would have to quit my job though, as I am a teacher and Chicago teachers must live within Chicago (Daley's corrupt and guaranteed tax base)but to leave the trash that is Chicago, would be worth it.

    ReplyDelete