The truth is the tax as currently drafted would hit a lot of people who are far from fat cats, particularly in the residential market. The Bring Chicago Home idea has, not surprisingly, drawn vociferous pushback from commercial real estate owners in particular, who point out — correctly — that this kind of a tax, levied now, would deal a body blow to a downtown office and retail market that’s never fully recovered from the effects of COVID and the work-from-home ethos it engendered. Chicago Teachers Union contract demands are totally divorced from reality – Wirepoints
May 8, 2024
36 Comments
Details emerging about Chicago Teachers Union’s upcoming contract show just how divorced its demands, both extreme and expensive, are from the reality at Chicago schools. It’s not just about massive salary increases, but also about money for migrant students, climate initiatives, abortions and gender-affirming care. About blocking parental notification. Count on CTU’s demands to veer further from reality until the public finally says no.
Weekly crime statistics from the Chicago Police Department: Report through 5/4/2024.
Gov. JB Pritzker calls it “ethics” reform.
It’s rare to see city leaders in Chicago take an open, unabashed stance on the collapse of literacy. To complain is deemed as too political, too racist or too anti-public schools. So it’s refreshing to see Willie Wilson, a successful businessman and leader of the black community, call for a literacy initiative “with the goal of getting 100% of Black students reading at grade level.”
If it is the worst possible thing to do it will happen if government has any say. Government always makes the worst choices, that is their job.
These are symptoms of Chicago’s larger ‘Tale of Two Cities’ problem. The middle class has mostly fled since the 70’s. The remaining yuppies and DINKS are outvoted by the working classes. 2/3rds of the yuppies and DINKS larp as Marxists, believing they are doing good. Meanwhile, the working class don’t care about Marxism, they just want what the yuppies and DINKS have, and they’re going to take it from them. And now that a Marxist mayor is trying to fulfill his promises to redistribute the wealth, the larping Marxists are suddenly having second thoughts, shocked to find out that class… Read more »
And four year-old Aiden/Ainslie will join pregnant mom and dad at many open houses in Evanston and Oak Park.
working class??? What about the welfare class?
Everyone of BJ’s proposed “revenue enhancement for ‘root causes’ taxes” is stuck in a minefield of powerful stakeholder opposition, compellingly negative opportunity costs, and uncertain or trivial benefit.
This one, the jet fuel tax, the downtown worker ‘head’ tax, the financial transaction tax, the ‘suburbs’ tax.
They can’t take a step in any direction without hitting a trip-wire or trigger, and getting a leg blown off on their path toward whatever progressive-n-Marxist-n-Anti Capitalist utopia they’re marching toward.
Couldn’t happen to a more deserving group of people, I think…
Folks, the income tax was sold to the public and ratified into th US Constitution in 1913 under the pretense that only rich people would pay it!
No problem. Chicago will just keep lowering its threshold to define rich people. You’ll wake up one day and find out you’re rich!
Instead of blanketly dismissing the tax, the opposition should rewrite it to capture only the highest end sales with different tiers based on capacity (sfh, multifamily, high rise) and category (residential, commercial, industrial). Present a “fair and reasonable” alternative that applies the core principle of the original plan that will bring in more revenue but not nearly the amount the advocates want. That forces the advocates into an unreasonable position and leaves them exposed to rational opposing arguments. If the advocates won’t negotiate, then go back to your previous position of dismissing it entirely, except that now you’ve shown them… Read more »
Although a native of Chicago, I lived through the mid-90’s in DC. In 1995, Congress imposed a control board which completely controlled all of DC;’s finances for six years. My law school professor – then a non-voting Democrat member of Congress – actually supported the control board – agreeing with local progressive media gadfly Mark Plotkin that way too much of the budget was focused on distributing income to those who didn’t produce – harshly – makers versus takers with far too many takers – Mayor Barry had evolved into a benefit granting machine and DC had to live on… Read more »
Without a doubt. But the progs are obsessed with charging more for big dollar properties. Present their idea back to them but in a rational manner using proper tax policy. And when they reject it – and they will – go back to your previous position.
BJ The Race Clown needs you money to fund his reparations racket