And people wonder why Illinoisians are running from the state in droves to Nevada, Arizona, southern states... Cost of living is peanuts compared to here. My dad moved to Alabama about 15 years ago. His property taxes for an entire year were $600, and he is in a nice house in a great neighborhood, still close to services/health care/etc. He loves it.
Meanwhile, Cook County keeps bleeding people dry. They are implementing a sweetened beverage tax starting Wednesday. Penny per ounce. So that 12-pack of Coke will cost an extra $1.44. When they passed this tax last year, they said "Oh it's to benefit public health programs." All lies. When the courts put a hold on the tax a couple weeks ago, suddenly their tune changed--"Oh, if we can't start collecting this revenue, we are going to have to lay off 10% of staff in ALL county departments and cut services." So it was another tax to plug a budget hole, in reality.
