4 months after biggest property tax hike in history Chicago aldermen propose tampon tax relief

Abandoned South Side
Chicago home

Here's a brief, if somewhat uncomfortable, lesson in how politicians operate and how they get reelected. Four months ago the Chicago City Council passed the largest property tax in city history.

Today I learned that two Chicago alderman, Edward Burke (14th) and Leslie Hairston (5th), are proposing that the city define tampons any other female menstrual sanitary products as "medical appliances" which would exempt them from Chicago's portion of the sales tax.

Chicago property owners will cough up an estimated $543 million under the new tax rates, which will largely pay for municipal employee pensions. 

The tampon tax relief, which might be a good idea since they are exempt from sales taxes in five states, is just a ploy where Burke, Hairston, and the rest of the City Council can call themselves tax cutters, which of course is a lie.

Do Chicago alderman think voters are stupid? Yep. Oh, about every 18 months or so a member of the City Council is convicted of a crime. The most recent graduate to the big house is Sandi Jackson (7th).

Yeah, Chicago voters are stupid. Thank God I moved to the suburbs.