The July 13 issue of the paper was interesting to say the least. How about expensive to the taxpayer? Headlines from page one included: contingency fund running low for YMCA and state authorizes two new county taxes for road and bridge funds.
The recently passed 1 percent tax has not even finished all its spending and now more is needed to fund basic infrastructure.
I have no objection to the highway department getting needed funds to do repairs we all will benefit from. I have great respect for what the highway department does in this difficult area.
The point is, instead of passinga1percenttaxon items some of which are of dubious community benefit, why can we not make sure the basic infrastructure needs are met before we spend money on things the community does not have to have and then ask for more money for basic needs?
You may have noticed on page 11 of the same paper the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol also wants money now to enter the U.S. Not to worry, though, that one is being called a user fee not a tax. Whew, we really didn’t need another tax. Wait a minute, shucks, it still comes out of the same pocket.
Oh, I forgot to mention on page one of the same paper there is a story explaining how the Cook County – Grand Marais Economic Development Authority just settled a dispute with, you guessed it, our money for a project that never happened.
Has anyone noticed their retired fixed income or working wage going up to help pay these new government imposed taxes, fees, and failed projects? I can’t wait for next week’s paper to see what new taxes and fees we will get to pay. I also note that the new tax for roads and bridges will exempt state vehicles. Maybe if the various state departments had to fork over some of their budget for their vehicle registrations, they might suddenly not need as many vehicles.
All in all, not the best week for the Cook County taxpayer.
George Gradek
Maple Hill
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