ABC 7 Chicago: Cook County gun sales spike during COVID-19 pandemic, data shows

 

[VIDEO] Just saw this on YouTube this afternoon and decided to share it with you. This is how Chuck Goudie starts off his report:

For months the I-Team has been looking into a nationwide run on guns and especially the appetite for firearms in Illinois, following COVID lockdowns and the violence after the George Floyd killing by police.

Every time a gun is sold in Cook County, the taxpayers benefit because the gun buyer pays a tax. According to Open Records data obtained by the I-Team, business was booming last year.

Total gun tax revenue in Cook County was more than $1.9 million dollars, a tax revenue increase of 56% compared with the previous year.

How many of you have purchased a gun? Are you concerned about these uprecedented and uncertain times? 

Political Forum with Ald. Anthony Beale (Ward 9)

 

[VIDEO] I've been meaning to share this since getting the email blast from the Ald. Beale's office sharing the word on this. Ald. Beale has been a vocal opponent of Mayor Lori Lightfoot especially with the unrest going on in the city during our most tumultuous summer. You may have even seen him on FOX News last month and if you haven't here it is.

So here on this recent edition Beale talks about the financial issues facing the city during this pandemic and how he was able to prevent the looting of business in Ward 9.

Stossel: Coronavirus cans the bag ban (taxes)

[VIDEO] Grocery stores and pharmacies are considered essential business as people still want to pick up prescriptions and over the counter medication. People also still have to eat and while many restaurants are open for take out orders only, your best bet is still go to the grocery store and find your ingredients so that you can cook.

I noted this a while ago in a post about coronavirus numbers and the effect of the pandemic on "essential" retail. A few grocery stores aren't allowing for the usage of re-usable bags I know for sure the Jewel-Osco, Whole Foods Market, and Target if you go to a cashier they won't package your items in your reusable bags.

Personally reusable bags are very convenient, however, what's noted in this John Stossel video is that there are many of us who don't take the time out to clean them. Sometimes I throw them in the washers, however, sometimes it's just something that I don't take the time to do. If you don't clean them then you could be carrying microbes on your reusable bags that are often dangerous.

Stossel takes aim at the attempts by governments around the nation to ban plastic bags. Chicago has asserted a 7 cent bag tax to encourage use of reusable bags. It's understood that they want to discourage use of those plastic "Jewel" bags. Unfortunately whether or not you use a "Jewel" bag or a paper bag, you still get charged a 7 cent tax. And paper is not only better for the environment not only because they are reusable (even if fragile as you see in video above) they are also recyclable, yet if we use a paper bag from a store we STILL get charged a tax.

Another thing of note is that while Whole Foods, Target, and Jewel that I know of for sure seemed to have waived collecting the city' bag tax. If you go to Mariano's and use a bag with them they will still charge you the 7 cent tax.

In my opinion, who knows if this is going away. Since the pandemic has caused the shut down of many businesses, surely tax revenues are down. Since in many places there is already a bag tax enacted, my idea is this is one convenient tax that won't go away. Especially since people during this difficult time still got to go out to shop for "essential" items.

Any other retailer - especially grocery stores - still charging you the 7 cent bag tax? Let us know...

Coronavirus updates #COVID19

I don't want to share too many stats with you on this. We already get daily updates if you follow the news especially from the federal and state gov't. We now have 330 new cases of coronavirus the statewide total is now 1,865 across 35 of Illinois' 102 counties.

EDIT: According to the IL Dept. of Public Health there are now 19 deaths from the coronavirus which should include the the three other deaths reported today. Among the three deaths one was in Cook County.

Three more counties reportedly have coronavirus cases this time Douglas, Marshall, and Morgan counties.

330 new cases, 3 new deaths and it’s now in Stateville https://t.co/NhgYCb9tM4

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 25, 2020

Also noted that two correction officers and one inmate at Stateville has tested positive for coronavirus. We got a lot of people out there still working and their not just in retail or medicine. I'm referring to our first responders especially the police and fire. There was news that someone walked into a police station here in the city and coughed, that's a very petty and irresponsible prank if there was one. I'm glad he was arrested for his trouble.

Capitol Fax: Senate income tax roundup

This was posted to the CapFax yesterday. A roundup of coverage for the state senate passing Gov. Pritzker's plan for a graduated or progressive income tax. How many of you know that Illinois' income taxes are flat? I never realized the political implications of attempting to insure a graduated or progressive income tax in this state.

The flat rate had been increased in this state in 2017 and earlier in 2011 which was allowed to expire in 2014. And if you've followed Pritzker's campaign for Governor last year he's always talked about insuring that the high-income earners - or the rich - pay their fair share in this state.

BTW, it should be noted to change the flat tax to a graduated tax on income. It requires a constitutional amendment so one of the bills that passed the state senate allows whether or not to change the constitution for this will go through the state house and ultimately we'll see it on the ballot in the next election. The curiosity is what will the state's voter's decide on this issue.

Senate income tax roundup https://t.co/lb8QdcKvtm

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) May 2, 2019

Federal probe on Gov. Pritzker #twill

Rich Miller digs as far as the new federal investigation with regards to property tax breaks for our current Gov. JB Pritzker. It's the funny story about removing toilets from a residence in Chicago's Gold Coast near downtown to make that house not only uninhabitable, but eligible for tax breaks. Our ineffective former Governor Bruce Rauner tried to make this a campaign issue during his unsuccessful bid for re-election last year.

More on the reported Pritzker probe https://t.co/0w1gG9lAED

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) April 24, 2019

Capitol Fax: Because… Chicago!

What if you did your shopping in the suburbs to avoid the city bag tax only to find out that the state passed its own bag tax? It's been in the news as a proposal so far, and for some it had the added intent of reducing usage of plastic bags in Chicago.

Because… Chicago! https://t.co/aJQ1us5wqx

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 14, 2019

If you're tired off all these taxes then there's this from Rich Miller:

In the end, this bag tax might very well turn out to be more trouble than it’s worth.

What the post is about is passing a statewide bag tax, then allowing Chicago to keep our own bag tax. It seems downstate politicians take an issue with Chicago not being included in this new tax. 

Capitol Fax: Question of the day

To give a short hand of yesterday's question of the day from CapFax, "What constitutional provisions, if any, would you support to “protect” middle-class families from future tax increases after the new graduated tax structure takes effect?"

Question of the day https://t.co/h4Qsarurir

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) March 13, 2019

Well I haven't seen the responses there, but hopefully someone out there who has great familiarity with the state constitution and taxation has their own answers.

Sun-Times: Where 16 Chicago mayoral candidates stand on TIFs #ChiMayor19

Feel free to read those 16 candidates' full responses. What are their positions on Tax Increment Financing districts? What would they use them for? TIFs has been a hot button issue for our city over the years.

San Francisco's narrowing middle-class

I found this article from this past summer from Newsalert, San Francisco have some much more serious problems and it involves the proliferation of excrement on public sidewalks. Regardless it shouldn't be a huge surprise that it's expensive to live in San Fran.

San Francisco’s narrowing middle class, already squeezed by the high cost of living could take another hit if a new business tax is approved in the November election, according to the city’s Office of Economic and Workforce Development.

The measure, approved for November’s ballot last month, would levy an average of about 0.5 percent gross receipts tax on companies that make $50 million or more in revenue. In return, it would roughly double the city’s funding for housing and homeless services, such as 1,000 extra shelter beds and services for the mentally ill.

Homelessness activists, nonprofits and community groups strongly support the measure, saying it’s time for the city’s businesses to do more to alleviate San Francisco’s homeless population.

But, according to a memo sent to the mayor’s office by the Office of Economic and Workforce Development last week and obtained by The Chronicle, the extra tax would disproportionately impact employees in mid-level jobs, such as administrative staff in retail companies and grocery store workers.

“There is a limit on how high taxes can go before you decide to go to Oakland, where the taxes are much, much lower,” Jim Lazarus, senior vice president of public policy for the San Francisco Chamber of Commerce, said of businesses located in the city. “There are companies in San Francisco that pay more San Francisco tax than they pay in other states.”

One of the main points of this blog is to talk about urban middle-class issues and as I share this my hope is that Chicago doesn't begin to have those issues. Our city should be for everyone low-income, middle-class, or wealthy.

I'm sorry that I didn't share a timely article as it was published in the San Francisco chronicle in August almost a month before Mayor Emanuel's surprise announcement to forgo running for a third term. One of the issues hopefully mayoral candidates could address in 2019 is whether or not there is a plan to make Chicago affordable for any middle-class families or people.

Capitol Fax: Willie Wilson cleared, handouts denounced, but will resume tomorrow

The controversy of last month - Willie Wilson handing out cash at a church under the guise of property tax relief - appears to be over. Mr. Wilson who made most of his money owning McDonald's franchises is cleared of wrongdoing and plans to continue his property tax relief for now.

Read more at CapFax

Willie Wilson cleared, handouts denounced, but will resume tomorrow https://t.co/5AEboSlO8T

— Rich Miller (@capitolfax) August 27, 2018

What's going on with the Avalon-Regal Theater?

We've talked about the new ownership of the Regal Theater on occasion. And Worlee Glover posts on Nextdoor last month to let us know it's for sale! Whoever made the best offer has probably made it already so who knows if it has never ownership now. Regardless Worlee believes this is a tax sale...

Now I wonder what happened to Mr. Gerald Gary and those investment bonds he had been advertising.

Reason: Whole Foods’ John Mackey on Amazon Merger

[VIDEO] Whole Foods Market moved onto a formerly vacant corner on 63rd/Halsted in late 2016. As you know it had been announced in late 2013 and took roughly three years to plan and build. People were concerned about "the dreaded G word" and the high prices and what not although lets not forget Englewood had been considered something of a food desert.

Anyway this helps justify sharing this video from Reason magazine. Nick Gillespie interviews Whole Foods founder and CEO John Mackey. He talks about last year's merger with Amazon and how it came about. He also notes how he went from a company founded by a bunch of hippies to becoming a company associated with yuppies.

Last year I noted briefly the merger between Amazon & Whole Foods with one major side-effect which is the lowering of prices for many items. For example the prices for rotisserie chicken were cut, so there's your dinner for the whole family if you will. Also say prices for some produce items such as bananas went down. Those are the only examples I can recall from last year, although only those of you who shop at Whole Foods regularly can say for certain whether or not you believe the merger as far as prices have proven to be a good thing.

BTW, I also want to note the events that go on at Whole Foods that occasionally shared on our ig page. Of course the Englewood store's long running 5 after 5 which is a wine tasting event were for only $5 you can often enjoy a wine sold at the store and an appetizer. This event normally starts at 5 PM on Fridays. If you to see a sample of what goes on at such an event then let's look at Bruce Montgomery who was a recent 5 after 5 earlier this month.

It's that time of year, tax time

Worlee Glover of Concerned Citizens of Chatham on fb has provided a flyer of tips if you want to hire a tax preparer to file your income taxes. These are some pretty good tips.

Bye-bye pop tax...

It's about to be that time, if you're ready for the taxes on sugary beverages to sunset in Cook County it will. According to WGN-TV, it begins at 12 midnight on December 1st. As I type this post it'll be five minutes before midnight. Drink up and get all the pops or sugary beverages you wish.

Meanwhile one side effect will be apparent, the Chief of the Cook County Courts is suing to prevent any layoffs from the end of this tax.

Cook County Chief Judge Evans, whose office was hit hard by Preckwinkle's budget cuts spurred by pop tax repeal, sues to block layoffs https://t.co/NHb1qOr0bq pic.twitter.com/iOzJG5j86I

— Chicago Tribune (@chicagotribune) December 1, 2017

Capitol Fax: Sun-Times has a tax hike freak-out

Rich Miller believes based upon the screencap of the Sun-Times' front page the "adults" need to intervene and then notes the response of the editorial page which it appears Miller agrees:

Mayor Daley and, for his first term Rahm Emanuel, allowed Chicagoans to live in a fantasy world where they didn’t have to pay for the services they received. And they were enabled by the city’s media and, particularly, its editorial boards which endorsed those guys at every turn.

The question to ask here is whether or not you all agree?

Another property tax increase coming soon...

Chicago Board of Education

Remember during the 2015 municipal elections where I expressed support for an elected school board - though my idea was a hybrid with both appointed and elected members? Well we need to get to work on this idea especially if Gov. Bruce Rauner signs legislation that sets up another property tax increase here in Chicago that would be approved not by Chicago Aldermen, but by the appointed Chicago board of education.

Tapped-out Chicago property owners would face yet another tax hit for teacher pensions — but their aldermen would escape another difficult vote — under a historic new statewide school funding deal now headed to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s desk.

That “compromise” bill — approved by Illinois lawmakers this week — authorizes the Chicago Board of Education, comprised of mayoral appointees, to impose a property-tax hike worth $125 million without any involvement whatsoever from the Chicago City Council, whose members are elected.

The Board of Education does indeed plan to approve the increase, enabling the Chicago Public Schools to walk away with a total of $450 million in new state and local money for the 2017-18 school year once Rauner puts his signature on the bill, school officials said.

Rauner plans a bill-signing ceremony on Thursday, his office said.

It’s unclear when the city’s school board will take up the property-tax increase.

This hike would amount to a 2.5 percent increase in the tax bill for an average Chicago homeowner. The owner of a home worth $200,000 would pay an additional $83 in property taxes, records show.

It brings to mind a recent column written by John Ruberry of Marathon Pundit

In Chicago it’s great to be part of the ruling class. But Chicago’s roads are crumbling, barely one out of four of its students in its government schools read at grade level, its bond rating is the lowest among major cities, and businesses lack confidence in Chicago and Illinois as a whole. If you are part of Chicago’s ruling class you might view high taxes as a downpayment on your next paycheck or your retirement, but Chicagoans endure the nation’s highest sales tax rate and they were slugged with the highest property tax increase in the city’s history to fund public-worker pensions.

Yet Chicago’s public pensions are the worst-funded among America’s biggest cities--at a rate of just 25 percent of its obligations. But the cruel joke may be on these well-compensated public-servants. Despite the strong pension protection clause in the Illinois constitution, a pension “haircut” seems unavoidable for retirees. Michigan has similar wording it its constitution, yet Detroit municipal retirees saw their pension checks cut after the Motor City declared bankruptcy.

h/t Newsalert

BTW, what you see in that Newsalert post is a screencap of the Sun-Times front page which is what I share now.

 

Is it time for garbage collection fees?

So the new chairman of the city council Black caucus has a new idea about gaining revenues from garbage collection. I wonder what happened to his idea of a commuter tax:

Chicago homeowners have managed to avoid suburban-style garbage collection fees, but those “spoiled” days may be coming to an end, the newly elected chairman of the City Council’s Black Caucus said.

“I hate to say it. I know there’ll be a lot of pushback. But a nominal fee may be something we have to look at” to solve the $30 billion pension crisis, said Ald. Roderick Sawyer (6th).

“All over the country and in smaller municipalities, they do pay for garbage collection. In Chicago, free garbage collection is something we’ve become accustomed to. But just like not having a sales tax on services, those days may be over. We have to look at it to balance the books.”

Four years ago, Inspector General Joe Ferguson estimated that a volume-based, “pay-as-you-throw” garbage collection fee could generate as much as $125 million a year for the cash-strapped city. Chicago could raise an additional $18 million a year by imposing a blue cart recycling fee, Ferguson said then.

Emanuel ignored both ideas, apparently concerned it would be viewed as a back-door property tax increase.

#Chiraq and the film production tax credit

Via RAGE ig

I'm very ecstatic that Englewood will have its time in the limelight thanks the famed director Spike Lee. Although knowing the basic premise of that film - which is regarding inner city gang violence - it's probably not always in the best light. We do hope that this sheds light on a problem that occurs in many neighborhoods in the city.


Since news broke about the opposition to Lee's "joint" expected to be titled Chiraq, we've learned there are many who aren't happy with that title. One of those people who isn't happy is Mayor Rahm Emanuel another person who isn't happy is 4th ward Alderman Will Burns who is seeking to keep Lee's production from receiving a tax credit.

To be sure this isn't recent news exactly and it appears to have been reported in the local press in recent months. It was something worth posting, however, it was also important not to overwhelm this blog with posts about movie coming to this part of town. Still I saw that Rich Miller talked about this news on Thursday with the following comment:

I’m not sure what I think of this. I don’t like government interference in the arts, but when you take the money, I suppose you sometimes have to pay the piper, or however that saying goes…

One way to look at it is that yeah Ald. Burns wants to say don't make a movie that puts Chicago in a bad light. Especially if the belief that this term "Chiraq" could be legitimized by this movie.

Personally Lee should make the movie he wants to make which hopefully will bring gang violence in Chicago to light. It seems people want to smack Lee around because he's from New York and he's doing a movie about Chicago. What does it matter perhaps we need an "outsider" to take a look at what's wrong here.

Also not that I totally understand the idea behind tax credits, but we all know Lee can raise funds for his productions. Just look at what he did for those people who helped finance his more well known "joint" Malcolm X. If Ald. Burns is successful in holding back that tax credit, it would be expected that Lee won't be hurting for long.

BTW, if you want to be an extra in Chiraq here's an FB page for more information. There is an open call expected to take place at St. Sabina @ 7801 S. Throop.

Furthermore, Resident Association of Greater Englewood (RAGE) President Ay-Sha Butler wrote her 2¢ on Lee's Chiraq. The film will affect her community so therefore it's important to see how an Englewood resident views this coming production.

EVENT: GCA property tax exemption workshop

Apologize in advance because this does seem to be late notice. Many of you may have gotten a robocall from Cook County Commissioner Stanley Moore advertising this workshop. A flyer for this event is posted below and the date and times for this event is below as well.

• Tuesday, February 25, 2013
  Crerar Presbyterian Church
  8100 S. Calumet
  Times 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM & 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM
  There is free parking available