Taxwinkle abandons $17 million lawsuit against opponents of her soda tax

Illinois' answer to thug leader Hugo Chavez, Cook County Board President Toni "Taxwinkle" Preckwinkle," apparently suffered a rare spell of reality.

From the Daily Herald:

Cook County leaders are withdrawing a suit seeking $17 million in damages from a retailers organization that delayed a controversial "soda tax" by filing a legal challenge.

The county had claimed that was the amount of lost revenue from the monthlong delay in putting the tax in place, but its move against the Illinois Retail Merchants Association was criticized by a judge who said he was troubled by the "chilling effect" on any future challenges to the county.