Congrats Illinois.......

[Striker]

Originally Posted by JustRalph

http://chicago.cbslocal.com/2017/11/...kers-laid-off/

The whole damn country is improving economically and Cook county is laying hundreds off

Just like the article says this was only because Preckwinkle is following through on her promise that there would be mass layoffs if her new soda tax was repealed, which it was. If only they could have just got Bloomberg to give the county the millions he invested in ads in the Chicago area supporting that tax, they might have saved some of the jobs.

[Striker]

Originally Posted by davew

it won't be long until they start raising property taxes to cover their spending/obligations - when they do, will people stay or home ownership drop?

Rahm has already done this the last few years. He already has his new fees attached to a water bill increase and also an increase in fees for 911 while also raising property taxes. New ideas for his next budget have been put out there consisting of a raise of 80% on the amusement tax for concerts and such things and also one of the most prominent alderman wants to have fines of $90-$500 for people who are distracted while they walk. By 2019 they will have more retirees collecting their pension then workers paying in.

[Parkview_Pirate]

Originally Posted by davew

it won't be long until they start raising property taxes to cover their spending/obligations - when they do, will people stay or home ownership drop?

People have been voting with their feet for a while now.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/l...220-story.html

Illinois is among just eight states to lose residents, putting its population at 12,801,539 people, its lowest since about 2009. Illinois' population first began to drop in 2014, when the state lost 11,961 people. That number more than doubled in 2015, with a loss of 28,497 people, and further multiplied in 2016.

Late in 2012 I quit my job at IBM and started on my exit plan to leave the state, which happened in 2013. Looks like I beat some of the rush, much to Mostie's delight.