From Dan Patlak for Cook County Board of Review…
In the spirit of empowering taxpayers, we have released the first in a series of “Property Tax Facts” videos. This video series compliments our website’s new “Education Center”, and answers commonly asked questions about Cook County Property Taxes. If you have a question about property taxes please visit our web site at www.ElectPatlak.com and click on Ask Dan.
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Dan Patlak: Empowering the Taxpayers”
From the Office of Tony Peraica, Cook County Commissioner…
Earlier today, the County Board considered the newly proposed budget for the county health bureau.
Unfortunately, in terms of promoting transparency and truth in budgeting and taxation, the health bureau budget falls short.
You can read my statement on the budget here.
-By Warner Todd Huston
One of the main reasons that little Todd Stroger lost his comfy job as president of the Cook County Board — the office left him by his deceased father — is because of the graft and payoffs to his friends and family members that he constantly perpetrated. It was so bad even Democrats were ashamed of him and voted him out of office in the last primary.
But thanks to the fact that Illinois Democrats moved the primary to February President Stroger has eight months to continue giving his friends and family members cushy jobs paid for by the County taxpayers. And this week he’s done it again.
This time Stroger has given a plum job to his former campaign manager, Vincent Williams. Williams now has a $38,000-a-year job on the Cook Zoning Board of Appeals thanks to his pal President Stroger.
Let us recall that Williams was the campaign manager of a losing campaign, shall we?
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County President Stroger: Lame Duck Still Rolling Out Gravy Train for Pals”
From the office of Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica…
CHICAGO, IL — Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica (R-16) issued the following statement regarding the .5 percent reduction in the Cook County sales tax, which goes into effect today:
“This is an important step forward for Cook County taxpayers, who are struggling to make ends meet amidst rising unemployment and a growing tax burden.
“But it is only a first step.
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Peraica Statement on County Sales Tax Decrease Going into Effect”
From the Dan Patlak for Cook County Board of Review campaign…
Wheeling—Cook County Board of Review candidate Dan Patlak has announced the grand opening of his new “Education Center” located on his web site at www.ElectPatlak.com. The Education Center possesses an array of pages for taxpayers to explore that include links to county and state property tax related departments, an “Ask Dan” section where taxpayers can pose their own questions, a listing of townships currently open for appeal to the County Assessor, a description of property tax exemptions available to homeowners and a variety of other information about the property tax system in Cook County.
“This campaign is about empowering individual taxpayers,” said Patlak. “Our Education Center provides information to property owners so they will have the ability to determine whether they are paying an appropriate share of the overall tax burden. It also encourages them to think about where their tax dollars are going and how they are being spent. An informed citizen is a good citizen and as a Commissioner at the Board of Review I plan to continue educating taxpayers about how the system works and how they can be sure they are paying no more than their fair share,” concluded Dan Patlak.
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Property Tax Education Center Now On-Line”
Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica has “three positive things” that County government will be bringing us over the next few months..
From the Palatine Tea Party…
(Palatine, Illinois) – A group of taxpaying citizens dissatisfied with government spending and expansion are planning a Taxed Enough Already (TEA) rally to be held in Palatine, Illinois. This peaceful rally is part of a national movement to increase public awareness of the spending of trillions of dollars which will leave our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren a devastating and ruinous debt they must re-pay.
This family-friendly rally encourages all citizens throughout the suburban area who want lower taxes and less government to participate by bringing their American flags, patriotic attire, and signs to display the spirit of the Colonial Patriots of the 1775 Boston Tea Party, which lead to American Independence July 4th, 1776. Re-affirm your commitment to our Constitution and our freedoms by being part of this energizing event on Saturday, July 3rd, 2:00pm to 4:30pm, at Volunteer Plaza in Palatine at the intersection of N. Northwest Hwy (Route 14) and N. Hicks Road.
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Announcing Palatine Taxed Enough Already Rally on July 3rd”
From Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica…
The Cook County Board failed to override Todd Stroger’s veto of the board’s hiring freeze.
So it appears Todd is going to continue to thumb his nose at the taxpayers by hiring cronies for sweetheart, taxpayer-funded county jobs.
The latest is Todd’s friend, State Rep. Art Turner. You see, he makes more than $87,000 per year as a state legislator.
But now, thanks to Todd, Turner will also make a $110,575 salary as the director of the county’s President’s Office of Employment and Training (POET).
Do you want to be the first to receive important county reform updates like this?
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Stroger Serves Up a Tasty Double-Dip Doles Out County Job to Crony State Representative”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Oopsie. Cook County Commissioner Peter Silvestri (R, Elmwood Park) was caught violating his own ethics rule, one he wrote and ushered through the County Board himself. He says it was an accident — don’t they always say that, though?
As FoxNews Chicago reports, last Wednesday a full page ad paid for by a state disaster grant (in other words, our tax money) appeared in the Chicago Sun-Times. The ad featured a photo of Silversti and several other area pols all speaking in favor of the county’s flood relief grant program.
The ad violates Silvestri’s ethics policy because politicians are barred from appearing in ads touting public service campaigns when said pol is up for reelection. With this policy an incumbent is barred from flooding the voters just ahead of an election with ads paid for by county funds saying what wonderful things he’s done while in government.
Silverstri says he had no idea he was to be in the ad and when asked about it said he didn’t even know who authorized it all.
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Cook County Commish Caught Violating Own Ethics Rule”
From the Office of Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica…
Thank you to UIC Law Professor Dick Simpson, who highlights our recent reform proposals in a new commentary piece in Chicago Journal.
Professor Simpson writes:
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Commissioner Tony Peraica: Time to Make Reform a Reality”
From the office of Cook County Commissioner Tim Schneider (15th District)…
Schneider Votes No On Red Light Cameras:
This Tuesday, the Cook County Board voted to authorize the use of red light cameras at 30 different intersections in Cook County (9 of which will be located in Schaumburg and Elk Grove). Sadly, this is just another way for Cook County to fleece it’s taxpayers, and is exactly why I voted no. Red light cameras are all about revenue for the county and less about public safety for it’s citizens.
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Cook County Commissioner Timothy Schneider, Update”
-By Warner Todd Huston
This is how hatemongers like Cook County Eddie Reyes play their little games, isn’t it? In Tuesday’s Cook County Board meeting a resolution to boycott Arizona-based companies to exclude them from being patronized by Cook County government was discussed and the pandering Reyes as much as called Commissioner Tony Peraica, himself a son of immigrants, a racist because he voted against the boycott of Arizona companies.
During the debate, Reyes told Peraica, “and Tony, honestly, you should be ashamed of yourself for being a son of immigrants and going thru the process and not having the heart to support this issue.”
Like many of his pandering ilk, Reyes imagines that the Arizona law is merely some race card issue he can throw out. Peraica did not take kindly to being called a racist, however.
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Hispanic Pandering Cook County Commish Attacks Commish Peraica, Son of Immigrants”
Richard G Hamen 57th State District Representative candidate, along with 9th Congressional District candidate Joel Pollack and Cook County Board of Review candidate Dan Patlak , will discuss each of the taxes imposed on you by the state and county. Here in the 57th District, we are taxed at an all time high by property tax, sales tax, income tax, and many other taxes. Our taxes are some of the highest in the country and we have some of the highest debt and unemployment in the country. Is there a connection? We will give fresh idea’s of how taxes can be lowered, how revenue can be raised, and people put back to work in these tough times for everyone.
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DesPlaines Tax Seminar: June 1st 2010″
From the Palatine Tea Party…
(Palatine, Illinois) – The Palatine Tea Party will debate Melissa Bean on any of the Healthcare topics covered in her letter to constituents in district 8 dated April 16, 2010. Anytime and any place. If she has read the Healthcare bill and understands its parts then she should not have an issue with this open debate. It’s time for her to actually prove if she understands what she voted for and not hide behind talking points. It’s time to directly talk to the constituents in district 8.
Failing to accept this debate will clearly indication she voted YES on the Healthcare bill affecting all the people in district 8 without reading and understanding the Healthcare bill and can not even debate her own letter to the constituents in district 8 that she is to represent.
Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica (R-16) will introduce new ethics ordinance amendments to help curb the unethical and corrupt practices of county elected officials and employees. The measures will be introduced at today’s Cook County Board meeting.
“Cook County has long had problems with illegal hiring and patronage and we must set a new standard of behavior for all, starting with elected officials and all the way down to the front line workers,” said Peraica.
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Peraica Introduces New Ethics Ordinance Amendments”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Fox News did an interesting report a few days ago that showed that most Chicago-Area Emergency Rooms are not properly equipped for trauma cases. It seems that it might depend on what part of the city you live in if you will survive a car crash, falling off a building, a gun shot or other such life-threatening trauma. Naturally, if you live on the north side you have a better chance of finding a good emergency trauma center than if you live on the south side.
Fox reports that one of the few southward trauma centers is Advocate Christ Medical Center of Oak Lawn.
The main problem is, of course, money. An unfortunately large number of trauma patients are not covered by insurance and when these patients come through a hospital and are treated for their expensive injuries, the hospitals eat much of the costs of care. The state does pay hospitals a small portion of the costs of indigent care, but by no means do hospitals get their costs satisfied in total.
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Surviving Trauma Might Depend on Where You Live in Chicago Area”
From the Palatine Tea Party…
(Palatine, Illinois) – In response to the letter Melissa Bean wrote to the constituents in district 8 dated April 16, 2010. We will respond to each of her statements Melissa Bean made based on emotion with factual responses where she stated the following:
“Starting in 2014, those limited to the Individual market will be able to choose from a variety of benefit plans in a state-wide Exchange. By pooling together, they will have more benefit options, volume pricing, and reduced risk. An Estimated 31,500 uninsured Eighth District families will get access to affordable coverage.”
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Melissa Bean’s Healthcare101 – Part 6 of 13″
-By Warner Todd Huston
Here we have Cook County Board President Todd Stroger spending as much cash on his family, offices and friends as he can before he gets canned from his high position in government, here we have the County budget coming in at $3 billion, the Board constantly squabbling over massive tax hikes — hikes they thankfully didn’t implement this budget cycle — and so many things going on that are supremely important yet the County Board is wasting time trying to pass anti-Arizona rules and setting up new offices to implement affirmative action measures.
In talks about new red-light cameras that are little else but cash machines that sap money from the citizens straight to government pockets while providing little by way of safety, it occurred to a pair of pro-law breakers on the County Board that they should exclude the Arizona-based company that was in the running for the county’s red-light camera business.
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PC-a-paloosa: Cook County Board Pushes Anti-Arizona and Pro-Affirmative Action Measures”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Todd Stroger lost his bid for re-election to his position as President of the Cook County Board. Since he lost that primary, Stroger has stepped up his efforts to spread County cash to all his buddies in a last ditch, lame duck campaign to reward his friends and family before he’s out of office for good.
Led by Commissioner Tony Peraica the County Board has been racing to put an end to this wild, lame duck spending spree. They have voted to put a limit on the spending that Stroger can indulge.
Sadly, this is what we have come to expect from Chicago politicians. Whether on the way out or on the way in, they all too often use their offices as a cash machine for friends and family.
Fortunately some, like Peraica, valiantly fight in the public’s interests. but it is up to we voters to pay attention to what our elected officials do and it is incumbent upon us to do something about it.
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The Campaign to Stop Stroger’s Lame Duck Spending Spree”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Last week we discovered through the Cook County online check register that the county spent $300,000 for coffee services from the ACE Coffee company. (See here, and here). This week The Prairie Stater has discovered that the county is spending more than $200,000 additional budget dollars on “fresh rolls and pastries” from Chicago’s Alpha Baking Company.
So, not only do county workers make more than you on the job and far more than you in retirement, now we find out they even eat better than you on the job.
It must be like a party to go to work everyday in county government.
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Cook County Spending Over $200,000 for ‘Fresh Rolls and Pastries’”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Tony Peraica has chimed in on the “Coffee Czar” controversy as reported here earlier this week.
“Yes, despite the political insiders’ claims that government is bankrupt and their calls for tax increases — we’ve learned that the county taxpayers spent more than $75,000 on a local coffee company in the first three months of the current fiscal year alone. That adds up to some $300,000 a year for coffee and snacks!
As I told the reporter for that story, I’ve long said that we have “corruption on steroids” here in Cook County — but now we learn it might also be fueled by coffee!
Are these really the types of wasteful “projects” on which our hard-earned tax dollars should be spent?
As your commissioner, I will continue to fight to expose these instances of abuse, and to fight for sensible spending reform and tax relief.”
Gov’t Waste: $300,000 for Coffee in Cook County Government?”
-By Warner Todd Huston
On April 19, House Republican Whip Eric Cantor and Illinois Congressman Peter Roskam joined Fox News Chicago to talk jobs and the economy. The anchor brought up the claim made by many in the chattering classes that the GOP is just the “party of no.” Roskam had a great come back for this dismissal of the GOP’s principled stance against Obama’s socialist-like attack on our political system.
-By Warner Todd Huston
A cuppa Joe, we all love it — well, I don’t drink coffee at all, but most people do, anyway. You might spend a few bucks a day on your coffee, right? Well, add a few more dollars to that daily bill if you are a resident of Cook County, Illinois. A recent review of the county’s expenditures shows that it spent $76,291 on coffee products from the ACE Coffee vending company.
But, it wasn’t just coffee and snacks that the ACE company provided. No, it was one hand washing the other as the ACE Coffee company has given tens of thousands of dollars in political contributions to Cook County Democrats, 14th Ward Alderman and Democrat Committeeman Ed Burke in particular. Burke and his various committees and associates got $20,250 of ACE’s $30,000 in political contributions made last year.
If a private company wants to buy coffee for its employees, well, that is fine. They have a right to decide how to spend their own profits. But what we have here is the taxpayers paying for county employees to sit around drinking coffee and eating snacks on OUR dime. And the coffee company is hip deep in the pockets of county and city officials to boot!
We can thank Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica for his efforts to make sure that the Cook County check register is on line for all to see so that this sort of unsavory relationships can see the light of day. We’d never be able to find such things without the Cook County transparency effort, so thanks to Peraica for his work here.
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Coffee Break Costs Cook County $76,291″
-By Warner Todd Huston
Commissioner Peraica sponsored a transparency measure that formed the basis for a recent ABC 7 report on waste in county government. Cook County government has started to put its check register online for all to see thanks to Peracia’s efforts.
Of course, we need more stories like the one seen here, ABC 7’s Chuck Goudie who usesd the online check register to identify questionable expenditures of your tax dollars.
One of the worst examples of waste by the County was its expenditures to C.R.O.E., the Coalition for the Remembrance of the Honorable Elijah Mahammad. Mahammad was the former leader of the militant Nation of Islam, a religion now run by Louis Farrakhan. The County is supposedly paying C.R.O.E. for “consulting” services. But no one really knows what sort of “consulting” they really do for the County.
In any case, with the County check register on line for everyone to see, the possibility of more easily finding the waste and graft by Cook County government is a good thing for eventually holding County officials accountable. We should see such efforts at every level of government.
Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica produced this video of his attendance at the Tax Day Tea Party event held in Daly Plaza, in beautiful, corrupt downtown Chicago!
Tony is right to mention the “corruption tax” we in Crook County pay every day. Let’s hope that in November of 2010 these tea party efforts will help bring about the real hope and change that this country needs.
From Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica…
This week the focus is on federal Tax Day — the deadline for us all to file our federal income taxes.
And, yes, while federal taxes are burdensome and growing, we must not forget about the tax shenanigans going on right here in Cook County.
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Tell the Insiders Not to Play Politics With Your Property Taxes: Text REFORM to 77007″
Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica provides an update from the April 6, 2010 Cook County Board meeting. On tap is a discussion of Cook County property tax assessments, as well as a massive borrowing scheme involving the issuance of $740 million in bonds.
Needless to say, Commissioner Peracia opposes this corrupt bargain.
-By Warner Todd Huston
A new study has been released by the University of Illinois in conjunction with the Better Government Association that details Cook County’s disgusting history of political neer-do-wells calling it a true “culture of corruption.” (Download .pdf of report)
“More than 140 people have been convicted of corruption in county-related cases since 1970,” the study finds.
Featured are tales of bribes, ghost payrolls, sweetheart deals, rip-offs, and the “wholesale subversion of the judicial system.”
“This rogue’s gallery of corrupt individuals is just the tip of the iceberg,” said the BGA’s Andy Shaw, “because, for every one of those convicted, there may be a dozen or more people who narrowly escape the justice system, not to mention all the clout-related conflicts of interest. It is truly a ‘culture of corruption.’”
Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better but kudos to the BGA for publishing the study. It goes to show how much of a failure our county government is.
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Chicago’s Corruption Tax”
-By Norvell S. Rose
In a recent column for CNN.com, fiery political analyst Roland Martin urged the President of the United States to get down and dirty with his political adversaries. Like, you know, jump ugly and go all street thug on ‘em. Clearly spoiling for a fight — and with a curious, chest-bumping homage to the nasty culture of radical rappers — Martin wrote:
Obama’s critics keep blasting him for Chicago-style politics. So, fine. Channel your inner Al Capone and go gangsta against your foes. Let ‘em know that if they aren’t with you, they are against you, and will pay the price.
Interesting, isn’t it, that the supposedly respectable Mr. Martin would implore the President to act like a notorious criminal. That he would champion scandalous behavior and embrace violent vengeance of the sort promoted by despicable gangsta rappers.
Of course, the outspoken Roland Martin is certainly not a lone liberal voice when it comes to exhorting President Obama to get tough, even get dirty, but get the job done. The job of crushing his critics and forcing his radical agenda on a resistant populace. Policy by raw power, not by reasoned persuasion.
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Will Obama ‘Go Gangsta’?”
-By Warner Todd Huston
The Tea Party folks keep getting mad at me for saying that in the end they might prove ineffective in races at levels higher than local because they aren’t organized enough. They puff up their chests proudly proclaiming that they intend to resist being organized and they claim that being organized is precisely what they are fighting against. I understand the feeling, even sympathize quite a lot, but there is a problem with this obstinacy. It means they won’t win on a statewide ballot very often. The Illinois primary just proved me correct, too.
Let’s take the race for Senate in Illinois as exhibit “A.” Of course the good old boys in the state party went with Mark Kirk, the center left candidate from a northern suburb of Chicago. He was the he-can-win candidate and the establishment choice. Not one Tea Party group, though, wants Kirk and for good reason — and I heartily concur with them, as it happens. So who was the “Tea Party candidate,” the one meant to beat out Kirk, the one backed by the newly found power of the Tea Party movement? There wasn’t one. There was three.
Sadly, the Tea Partiers in Illinois split their vote all up. Some Tea Party Groups went with Don Lowery and some went with Patrick Hughes. A few even went with John Arrington. Hughes, of course, was the only one that had even a remote chance as far as voter polls were concerned. Hughes at least registered in the polls, Lowery and Arrington barely showed up at all.
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Illinois Shows Limitations of Tea Party Movement”