United Van Lines pulled out from a Crystal Lake home today for an out-of-state move. (Email this weekend.)
I wrote all the local Republican legislators an email with the following subject line:
Please tell me if you will vote for a retirement tax.
Included was the following paragraph from a Chicago Tribune article with the link, which is below:
Radogno said lawmakers likely will consider hiking the state income tax or taxing retirement income, rather than increasing the state sales tax or instituting a tax on services.
State Rep. David McSweeney was the first to reply:
Hell No!
Next came the following exchange of emails with State Rep. Barbara Wheeler, my State Representative:
Barb Wheeler.
- 2:28 PM – This is the first I’ve heard of it.
- 2:33 PM – My reply: And, are you going to vote to tax retirement income?
- 2:46 PM – I don’t know anything about it….
- 2L47 PM – My reply: With all due respect, that does not answer my question. Conceptually are you open to voting to tax retirement income?
- 2:51 PM – With all due respect former legislator… How can I formulate an opinion about something I’ve never heard of, haven’t read about, and I don’t know how it fits into the whole comprehensive budget fix?
- 2:52 PM – I know the answer you’d like me to say, but I’m not comfortable saying it unless I know about it.
- 2:53 PM – And let’s face it… There are enough politicians who talk a lot of things they know nothing about. It’s how we got into this mess don’t you think?
Steve Andersson
State Rep. Steve Andersson’s reply:
I don’t agree with Senator Radogno’s assumption that we “have to” raise taxes.
The solution lies in reducing our spending and making our agencies more efficient; coupled with structural reforms that will increase business growth in our State.
HELL NO.
If any candidate has walked more than me, then please feel free to correct me.
Actually I am not even a candidate.
I am just walking for good people.
They should tax luxurious pensions substantially…
And who is going to run against Wheeler?
We need more like McSeeney and less of the Wheeler types in Springfield if we really want to stop citizens of Illinois voting with their feet.
The question was simple but the answer was a ‘Progressive’ one.
I want to know who can afford United Van Lines to move?
This was not a good move on the state’s part to chase away people that actually had money.
Who decided that a budget should be prepared STARTING with what was spent on whatever areas were part of the prior year.
This is “dumb think”.
Start with how much you ACTUALLY have to spend and move forward to spending from there.
In a household budget, you know you have to eat, medical, and how much your housing will cost.
After all of the musts are considered you go to things like Cable, Entertainment, gifts/trips, etc. and all along you should be looking for ways to reduce costs and not add them.
In other words work with absolute needs and then go to fairytale want thinking.
Don’t let people related to Education run the financial show, they are clueless.
When you drive out the good folks who have spent wisely all you will be left with are people with their hands out who don’t save, scrimp and want an even bigger budget. Like I said “dumb thinkers” will further destroy our viability.
Vote NO on more taxes and stop sucking taxpayers dry.
Schools and pensions represent 70% of property owners yearly beatdown in Mchenry County.
So what do they do? Elect a schoolteacher to represent them.
Shrewd.
The behind the scenes scheming is already well under way.
It’s either raise the state income tax, or tax retirement income.
Income tax hike vs. tax retirement income.
See how that works boys and girls ?
Who do you think will lose this confrontation ?
And in the end all that will be accomplished will be
more people and businesses being run out of Illinois,
as the death spiral continues ….
Let’s see Wheeler spends her time with Democrats fundraising with them, you don’t think they have talked about this before.
They insult our intelligence every stinking day.
Wheeler’s maiden name is Salvi (yes, those Salvis), and the Democrats hate the Salvis with a purple passion.
So far she has shown we can trust her instincts.
The situation bears watching, but I will be in Florida long before they can get their hands on my retirement income.
Charles Nelson – she was having a joint event with Dems that her Dem brother, Pat was hosting.
She is NOT impressive
CAL, THE TIME HAS COME – RUN FOR THE STATE SENATE and save us from this RINO!!!!
Should the State start to tax retirement income, I hope the Village of Huntley is prepared for a ghost town in Del Webb OR even worse, an elimination of the age restriction to live there.
Should the retirement tax be initiated, Del Webb will look like the east side of Carpentersville did after the last recession.
Just my opinion.
Good for Barb.
We need more thoughtful legislators like her that make thoughtful decisions about issues and not knee jerk reactions like McSweeney.
The reality is that IL needs more revenue.
Republicans and Democrats agree on this.
Hell, Rauner agrees on this.
His own budget was, at minimum, $2B out of balance, meaning that even with his proposed budget (that never will have the votes to pass), the state would need $2B more in revenue.
Though I agree Ms. Wheeler’s answers to the questions are intellectually appropriate, they reveal a more basic misunderstanding of economics and taxes.
If you LOWER the tax rate you will paradoxically increase the tax REVENUE raised by the state.
It may take a few years, but RAISING tax rates LOWERS state revenue in the long run (businesses fold or move, less incentive, no new tax base development) and conversely LOWERING tax rates RAISES tax revenue.
Don’t believe me?
Why is New York advertising that if a new business comes to NY, they will have NO state taxes for 10 years?
Do you think NY is interested in losing money?
That’s the problem with her response.
It reveals she doesn’t get it.