Subject: GOODBYE ILLINOIS
So what is this guy, a nut case? Maybe he is onto something. Why is the population of Illinois falling EXCEPT in the major urban areas?
Sadly Illinois is unlikely to be unique.
Former State Senator and Republican Cook County Board President candidate Roger Keats and his wife Tina are leaving Illinois to live in Texas . They bid farewell to their Illinois friends in a Wilmette Beacon article and with this letter this weekend, saying they're "voting with their feet and their wallets":
GOOD BYE AND GOOD LUCK
As we leave Illinois for good, I wanted to say goodbye to my friends and wish all of you well. I am a lifelong son of the heartland and proud of it. After 60 years, I leave Illinois with a heavy heart. BUT enough is enough! The leaders of Illinois refuse to see we cant continue going in the direction we are and expect people who have options to stay here. I remember when Illinois had 25 congressmen. In 2012 we will have 18. Compared to the rest of the country we have lost 1/3rd of our population. Don't blame the weather, because I love 4 seasons.
Illinois just sold still more bonds and our credit rating is so bad we pay higher interest rates than junk bonds! Junk Bonds! Illinois is ranked 50th for fiscal policy; 47th in job creation; 1st in unfunded pension liabilities; 2nd largest budget deficit; 1st in failing schools; 1st in bonded indebtedness; highest sales tax in the nation; most judges indicted (Operations Greylord and Gambat); and 5 of our last 9 elected governors have been indicted. That is more than the other 49 states added together! Then add 32 Chicago Aldermen and (according to the Chicago Tribune) over 1000 state and municipal employees indicted. The corruption tax is a real cost of doing business. We are the butt of jokes for stand up comics.
We live in the most corrupt big city, in the most corrupt big county in the most corrupt state inAmerica . I am sick and tired of subsidizing crooks. A day rarely passes without an article about the corruption and incompetence. Chicago even got caught rigging the tests to hire police and fire! Our Crook County CORPORATE property tax system is intentionally corrupt. The Democrat State Chairman who is also the Speaker of the Illinois House (Spkr. Mike Madigan) and the most senior alderman in Chicago each make well over a million dollars a year putting the fix in for their clients tax assessments.
We are moving to Texas where there is no income tax while Illinois just went up 67%. Texas sales tax is ½ of ours, which is the highest in the nation. Southern states are supportive of job producers, tax payers and folks who offer opportunities to their residents. Illinois shakes them down for every penny that can be extorted from them.
In The Hill Country of Texas (near Austin and San Antonio ) we bought a gracious home on almost 2 acres with a swimming pool. It is new, will cost us around 40% of what our home in Wilmette just sold for and the property taxes are 1/3rd of what they are here. Crook County's property tax system is a disaster: Wilmette homes near ours sell for 50% more and their property taxes are ½ of ours. Our assessed home value was 50% higher than the sales price. The system is unfair and incompetent.
Our home value is down 40%, our property taxes are up 20% and our local schools have still another referendum on the ballot to increase taxes over 20% in one year. I could go on, but enough is enough. I feel as if we are standing on the deck of the Titanic and I can see the icebergs right in front of us. I will miss our friends a great deal. I have called Illinois home for essentially my entire life. But it is time to go where there is honest, competent and cost effective government. We have chosen to vote with our feet and our wallets. My best to all of you and Good luck!
http://www.wilmettebeacon.com/Articles-c-2011-03-18-218533.114133-Political-couple-leaves-legacy-in-Wilmette.html%5C%22http://www.wilmettebeacon.com/Articles-c-2011-03-18-218533.114133-Political-couple-leaves-legacy-in-Wilmette.html%5C%22
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9 comments:
Good. Get the fuck out. Illinois is better for having you leave.
Il doesn't pay anything near 'junk' status for bonds, and every issue sells very well.
By constitutional law IL must pay bondholders before ANYTHING else. That includes pension payments, vendors, and worker paychecks.
And the '67%' tax hike? Give me a friggin' break!!! We went from 3% income tax to 5% income tax.
Have fun in Texas.
I guess moving to Texas is something one can consider once one doesn't have to worry about sending kids through their school system.
Illinois and Texas have the same sales tax rate.
And while the rate may be lower than in Illinois, Texas' property taxes are no bargain.
It is new, will cost us around 40% of what our home in Wilmette
Because 1) its it fucking Texas and 2) it was built with the labor of an army of illegal immigrants, like all the homes in Texas are. The dirty, not so little secret about Texas is that it thrives on the backs of millions of illegals while at the same time the dominant political culture there demonizes them at every turn. Talk about having your cake and eating it too.
just sold for and the property taxes are 1/3rd of what they are here
Not by percentage. Texas has some of the highest property taxes in the nation.
What's funny to me about this email is that this person was supposedly a politically active elected representative, and he's complaining about the system. What the hell was he doing all those years he served in government?
If he honestly thinks Texas is free of corruption, maybe he ought to read this: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/21/us/politics/21donate.html
I'll bet this guy is as ignorant about Illinois as he is about Texas. Yes, Texas has no income tax, it has a 8.25% sales tax and some of the highest property taxes you can imagine (to make up for the lack of income tax). The FBI has been running investigations of elected officials and business people in my city since 2005. Every few months another indictment is made. We have a 25% poverty rate. Most of the new jobs created here are minimum wage and 20% of the people don't have health insurance. So if you want to buy a big house and have cheap labor to clean it and mow your lawn go right ahead. But you should probably learn some Spanish before you come.
ome on down you'll fit right in.
under Rick Perry’s Texas:
Percent of Uninsured Children – 1st
Percent of Population Uninsured – 1st
Percent of Non-Elderly Uninsured – 1st
Percent of Population with Employer-Based Health Insurance – 48th
Percent of Non-Elderly Women with Health Insurance – 50th
Physicians per Capita – 42nd
Registered Nurses per Capita – 44th
Percent of Population Who Visit the Dentist – 46th
Rate of Women Aged 40+ Who Receive Mammograms – 40th
Percent of Pregnant Women Receiving Prenatal Care in First Trimester 50th
High School Graduation Rate – 43rd
% of Population 25 and Older with High School Diploma – 50th
State Aid Per Pupil in Average Daily Attendance – 47th
Scholastic Assessment Test (SAT) Scores – 45th
Per Capita State Spending on State Arts Agencies – 43rd
State budget shortfall: $27 billion
Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Poor – 9th
Income Inequality Between the Rich and the Middle Class – 5th
Median Net Worth of Households – 47th
Average Credit Score – 49th
Mortgage Debt as Percent of Home Value – 47th
Homeowner’s Insurance Affordability – 46th
Foreclosure Rates – 10th
Retirement Plan Participation – 47th
Consumption of Energy per Capita – 5th
Amount of Carbon Dioxide Emissions – 1st
Amount of Volatile Organic Compounds Released into Air – 1st
Amount of Toxic Chemicals Released into Water – 1st
Amount of Recognized Cancer-Causing Carcinogens Released into Air – 1st
http://www.cbsnews.com/8618-503544_162-20092041.html?assetTypeId=41&messageId=11169580&blogId=503544
I like.
All conservatives should move to Texas. Hell, the federal government should subsidize it.
I'd happily pay more taxes for that.
Um, sorry Austin.
More whining cry-baby conservadumb nonsense. Wish these people would get a clue before blathering out a lot of unfactual & clearly stupid nonsense.
This can be summed up: Texas's loss is Illinois's gain.
If I lived in IL, my comment would be: don't let the door slam on your insanely entitled butts on the way out. Buh-bye!
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