Death and Taxes

Nobody really likes paying taxes. I get that. But, after living in Illinois, I really, really don't like paying taxes. We all pay three sets of taxes - Federal, city, and state taxes. Last week, the state of Illinois decided to raise income taxes by 67%! Sixty. Seven. Percent. WTF!! It comes out to an additional $500 a year in taxes for every $25,000 a year in income. This just really irritates me because the tax clearly affects the poor a lot worse than the wealthy. $500 a year to the guy making 25k a year is a lot bigger deal than 2k to the guy who makes 100k a year. Plus, the state of Illinois raised the corporate tax by about 30%. All that means is that several companies will leave the state to other states and there will be less local jobs, and the other places will raise the cost of products to off-set what they have to pay in state taxes. I just really feel that the state is becoming unbearably expensive. Keep in mind that last week, Chicago officially has the most expensive gas in the country according to the Sun-Times. More than Manhattan, more than San Francisco, more than Miami, nobody pays more for gas than Chicagoans.

1. Those who know me know that I love little hole in the wall restaurants. I think I have a new favorite. My co-worker took me to a little Korean chicken restaurant called Crisp on Broadway and Wellington. It was one of the best meals in my life. Total cost was $10. Unfortunately there goes my January diet...

2. Joe Lieberman announced he was retiring. Best news of the day. Lieberman is my least favorite "Democrat" of all-time. Good riddance!

3. You know what I haven't done in a while? Rip Republicans. Well, yesterday Alabama governor Robert Bentley gave this quote to the Birmingham News. "I was elected as a Republican candidate. But once I became governor, I became governor of all the people. I intend to live up to that. I intend to be color blind. Now I will have to say that, if we don't have the same daddy, we're not brothers and sisters. So anybody here today who has not accepted Jesus Christ as their savior, I'm telling you, you're not my brother and you're not my sister, and I want to be your brother." Wow! Don't hold back Governor Bentley. Tell us what you really think of the non-Christians. It's a different world in 'bama... very different.