Electing Lori Lightfoot as Mayor of Chicago was the beginning of the end for that city. Replacing her with someone even more far left is accelerating Chicago’s terminal decline. Tom Bevan notes that the death throes are under way:
Progressive allies of Mayor Brandon Johnson have released a financial blueprint titled – and I'm not joking – "First We Get the Money" calling for $12 billion in new taxes, including:
"Head tax" of $33 per worker for companies with 50+ employees
Quadrupling the tax on jet fuel.… pic.twitter.com/lRoQOZP58a
— Tom Bevan (@TomBevanRCP) May 17, 2023
The stupidity is hard to fathom. A “head tax” on employees means less employment. The tax on jet fuel will fall, I suppose, on all who fly into or out of O’Hare or Midway airport–yet another reason to avoid the city. A 3.5% income tax that goes all the way down to $100,000 in income is suicidal. I have no idea how the city plans to implement a “wealth tax,” but it sounds as though a household with a net worth of just $1 million would pay another $4,000 a year. And the transaction fee will drive banking and investment firms out of the city. In short, the plan, if enacted, will be a disaster. Is there any reason to doubt that Chicago’s Left will get most of what it wants? Not that I know of.
And this $12 billion (the dollars won’t materialize, of course, as everyone with any sense flees the city) will go to “fund a just Chicago.” I’ll bet.
There is more, too:
So, in addition to making Chicago an unaffordable city with lousy services, the liberals want to aggravate Chicago’s existing lawlessness with vastly more crime. This is what Chicagoans voted for, and they will get it good and hard.
It is sad to see a once-great city die, but I don’t think Chicago has a prayer.
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