Hey Mike, how you doing? We plan to sell our reaining properties in Illinois, as the place is going down the krapper. I love the folks on this thread that don't see that, and see the taxes as fair... Illinois is screwed, and I don't see it getting better any time soon. Wisconsin, by the way, is doing frikken awesome . Properties are up 22.4% year over year . Low taxes, no tax on foods/essentials/low cost of living. They are building along the intersate like crazy. How did the pool turn out, and the movie theater? Bo
low taxes on some things maybe but not property? Property Tax Rates By State 2014 - Tax-Rates.org even the fan favorite texas beats Illinois... I love your propaganda and whining... at least be truthful. 1.)New Jersey - 1.89% 2.)New Hampshire - 1.86% 3.)Texas - 1.81% 4.)Nebraska - 1.76% 5.)Wisconsin - 1.76% 6.)Illinois - 1.73% and let's look at those pesky income taxes by state Property Tax Rates By State 2014 - Tax-Rates.org low bracket high bracket Illinois 5% 5% Wisconsin 4.6% 7.75% Texas 0% 0% SO.... I take it you are in the "Low tax" bracket and living on easy street with that whopping .4% tax advantage over Illinois???? Is that what all the gloating is about? sales tax Rates | Sales Tax Institute state local Illinois 6.250% 0% - 4.25% Wisconsin 5.000% 0% - 1.5% so the grand difference in base state sales tax is a whopping $1.25/$100... Let more gloating on your part ensue... Amazing when you introduce facts to a conversation how it can affect perception. I'm betting you are a FOX news kind of guy... And for the record I really don't think anyone in this thread was defending Illinois or even Cook County taxes in any regard. You voted with your feet, seems you really could have done better but gloat away... I also like your noted indicator of good economic health being "building along the interstate like CRAZY'? Classy, very classy... I can't wait for the drive north to be 100 miles of tunnel vision of the same eyesore after eyesore of corporate anonymity of anywhere USA in what you call "progress".
Honestly, I just plan to ignore you. I can't relate to your version of the way the world should be, or what you believe it to be. Owning plenty of property in both states, and having worked in both states, I am very comfortable with my comments. But whats the point of saying that... You have won me over. Illinois is doing great!!!! Everythings wonderful! You guys are fully funded, not over taxed, and you definetly aren't on the verge of financial collapse. Your utility bills are amongst the lowest in the country, and your government rocks! The unions have strenghtened you to the point that you are infallible. People and companies are fighting to get into Illinois because of its great support system. Those temporary tax hikes will never become permanent (and definitely not this week!), and they will never ever increase the top tax rate to 9%!!!! That just won't happen. Never. I don't know what the Chicago Tribune was thinking, when they ran that entire series of articles on how Illinois is the worst state to live in financially speaking, and on the verge of financial collapse. Those idiots!!! WooHoo!!!! Peace
Well I have been lucky enough to sell our business and am getting the heck out of this state. Absolutely am a Fox news watcher and to all the democrats that feel this state is headed in the right direction, by all means stay here and weather the bad times ahead. Having lived in multiple states I can tell you this place is a mess. I have never felt so violated on every type of tax and toll possible yet the state is broke and talking about raising property taxes to offset the mounting deficit. It is funny when talking to people that live in Chicago and the majority of people just constantly ***** about the economy, corruption, and weather. Just an FYI there are no fences keeping you in. Cant wait to move on...
Did the FOX news types here ever once think that there are people that have the ability to think objectively and not be particularly thrilled with the current state of affairs yet still want to live in Chicago and more than realize the other side doesn't have any better ideas or are any less corrupt. Note to self, politician's regardless of left/right affiliation are self serving b@stards that are a function of living in this society. They are all in it for themselves plain and simple as is proved time and time again by the way they all manage the jobs they have been given. Get rid of career politician's with term limits and you can start to clean this mess up. Limit special interests and donation monies to candidates and you can start to clean the mess up. Stop treating corporations as people and you can start to clean this mess up. The minute any of them stand up and do any and all of that is when I will have respect for an elected politician again and I won't care what side of the fence they say they are on. They ALL have their part in e'ffing things up, plain and simple. Admit that and maybe there can be a useful dialog to start to get at a solution. You know what's also funny, I live here in the city, exist in the world, meet people investing in the neighborhood we are in and don't hear the b!tchfest you seem to living in North Barrington seemingly. FWIW - I'd really not brag about watching FOX for what I would loosely call "news". I'd feel more "violated" by them and what they broadcast than any tax rate imposed around here.
Bo - I love it here! weather is great! home theater turned out nice! currently have a big hole with rebar in the back yard! I'll send you some pics! for what it is worth... I'm not gloating that I got out of ILL. I definitely miss MANY things about it. But, the weather stinks, the cost of living is high, the state is run by a bunch of monkeys smoking cigars.... when interest rates tick up even a bit.... oh, man... big time problems for ILL! The SC in ILL will strike down the window trimming "pension reform" passed recently, then its back to square one, continuing to be THE WORST funded state pension (worse than DC even!). those that choose to stay... well, do so being fully informed. We all make choices... make yours good! And Austin is better than good!!!! Best decision I've made in a LONG time!
I have lived in Illinois my entire life and I am in the rental real estate business, so I pay a lot of real estate taxes. The rates here in Springfield are as high as 2.7%. But they raise them every year at least 1.5% and as high as 4%. I can tell you that my properties are not increasing at that rate. I just purchased a property today for 110K that was assessed at 127K. And the person I bought it paid 111K in 2011. So no actual appreciation but the taxes increased nonetheless. A local assessor admitted that he was told by the higher ups how much to claim the increase in value was to be in order to get to the money they would need. We are told it is a % of value, but that is a lie, it is simply a tax increase with out the possibility of holding someone accountable. I think this is what angers people, it is simply not a fair system. To further exasperate the problem I have experienced many cases where properties where assessed at say 400K but the owner was asking 130K listed with a realtor. When appealed they lost but eventually sold the property for 130K. When they increased the tax from 3 to 5% a friend who visits with me when I am at my Florida home calculated that just that increase would pay for a home for him in Florida, and he is considering a move. And the weather is horrible in Illinois. The future for the state is in trouble I don't know a single successful person who is not considering at least a long term plan to leave. For me it will be as soon as the kids are out of high school.
If I can ever get what I paid for my house (purchased pre-bubble) My permanent residence will be in Wisconsin. Union No! Joe
There have been serious discussions in this house about relocating. I'm born and raised here so have roots but family is all dead now. Our close friends are also disgusted and ready to retire elsewhere as well so there are few reasons to remain and be screwed until I die. Where to go is the question right now. Why suffer the prices, taxes, weather, criminals running government and the fools who re-electing them, over and over and over. You fellows who keep on pulling that lever marked D can have this place.
maybe move to alfas neighborhood? seems all good there! I too was born and raised in ILL. Except for college and grad school, lived my entire life in ILL / Chicago area. You will know when it is time. I sure did.... hit me like a ton of bricks. Lots of ruminating about it for a couple of years, but when the time comes....
I agree... I was raised on the southside, trained on the northside. Love Chicago. Moved to wisconsin for the work 15 years ago, and haven't regretted it for 1 minute. Its awesome!!! 1) No traffic 2) Pay is MUCH higher than Illinois 3) Cost of living is awesome. In Illinois I lived in a 2000sf house on a .25 acre lot. In Wiscosnin my lot is 5 acres, wooded, with a stream, snowmobile trails, adjacent to a golf course. House is much bigger too . It is so peaceful, I still pinch myself when I walk the land and can't believe I live here. I feel like I own a park... There's deer, frogs, hawks, woodpeckers, yada, yada... To each his own. Chicago is cool. The price of living there, though, is absurd. And, it looks like Illinois is well on its way to bankrupcy.
Alfas, I actually agree with you on your point of ALL politicians... However one would have to have some pretty rosy glasses on to think there are not major issues with this city. I m glad you are happy here but man I can't think of one good reason to stay. Unfortunately things will get a lot worse before getting better. Maybe Obama can give his hometown a little bail out package. Will not hold your opinion against you and your love for the city. We certainly are on different tracks and I can't get out of here fast enough.
whats wrong with ILLinois? I'll answer the question it came to me yesterday, as I was driving to a buddy's house who just bought a 430 and my yearly odometer rolled over 500 miles for 2014 already for the 308! and my old MB has 400 miles for 2014! just sayin'! roads are really quite good too! and BTW . the 430 . man, a chap could get into A LOT of trouble with that thing!
A lot of people making a living wage vs. one CEO making obscene multiples of their yearly wage and paying a smaller percentage of tax on their income... Yes, those 1% "job creators" are the ones making the staff cuts to people(99%) to meet the record breaking bottom line profits in the Obama economy. You can't have it both ways as much as FOX tries to convince otherwise. "Job creators" firing staff to meet the abstract goals of a shareholder and to keep their own overpaid job are NOT "job creator's" at that point but hey, whatever is on FOX must be true. Some ideas on Unions from a guy who served both sides of the fence through his career and is an American called a communist by the FOX pundits. FOX talking heads just hate facts contradicting their unsupported I can't even call them ideas because ideas are requiring of a brain that functions more than just to support basic life. Inequality for All | A documentary film about income inequality, public policy, and economics and features professor Robert Reich. It's on Netflix, possibly HULU and Amazon as I haven't looked. The trends are more than a bit disturbing and really don't have a good endgame.
I have not once argued the problems with the city and the state or defended them in any regard. I reacted to whining about taxes and went on to illustrate that presently there is not the difference to the magnitude that seems popular around here if one actually compares the common published rates. I also made the unpopular argument about the idea that a straight percentage tax based on value is more than a bit unfair when one actually looks at where those monies need to go and support. The idea an investment property and a single family should be paying the same rate is also more than a bit unfair as I'm not here to subsidize others investments but hey, that's my skewed version of the world rearing its ugly head. Comparing the cost of living in rural or not Wisconsin to an urban area like Chicago is more than a bit comical as an argument when you actually think about it. I can find more expensive places to live, less expensive places to live, places with more and less problems, taxes, unions, elephants and a$$e$, etc.. Do the folks around here feel the same about people who live in NYC, LA, London, Tokyo.. We all pick our battles. It more than sounds like these exits from here aren't based on cost of living as much as politics, there I said it, which is an entirely different conversation needless to say. Moving to Wis. for "better" weather and "higher pay", yes that must be it... http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/ranks/rank29.html http://www.census.gov/compendia/statab/2012/ranks/rank20.html damn teachers & facts... I LOL'd at this one... http://www.usatoday.com/story/money/personalfinance/2014/04/19/retirement-states-taxes/7788891/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+UsatodaycomMoney-TopStories+(USATODAY+-+Money+Top+Stories) Misery loves company apparently...
there's even Chicago Love out there in the face of all the adversity... Dear Chicago, we love you despite it all - CNN.com I'm not normally a glass half full type but something will work out and some of this spitstorm will get resolved one way or another as with most things...
First off, I'll introduce myself since this is my first FChat post. Long time lurking, first time posting. I never envisioned that this would be the forum thread where I made my first post. I don't own a Ferrari at this point, but the day isn't far away. I'm a guy who researches and plans.....then, researches and plans......until I finally pull the trigger. The plan is for an F430 Spider in mid 2015. That could change though, as I learn more and more from you guys. My DD is an S5. Before that an M5. If there was an "F5", I'd probably buy that next! Like the OP, I'm also a doc. I did my training in Chicago. I loved being in Chicago and have no regrets about the time that I spent there. Thankfully, I currently only live about 2.5 hours away in Indiana. So, I can come in for the weekend, enjoy the great restaurants and attractions, then head home to my comfy life in Indiana. But not for one minute do I regret leaving and moving to Indiana to practice medicine. Sure, make fun of Indiana all you want (key the hillbilly jokes), but if you haven't lived here, then don't judge. I agree with the OP on the many reasons why you don't want to be a doc in Chicago/Illinois. The med mal system is an absolute mess. The only place that might be worse is Florida. Indiana (and Texas) have very good systems. Those who are injured are compensated by a fund set up for that reason. There are no $100 million lawsuits in Indiana. Who does that benefit? Trial lawyers. Not injured patients. My med mal premiums in Indiana are about 25% of those in Chicago. But it's not just the money, it's the constant worry that the next patient coming in might be the one who sees you as their lottery ticket. Granted, 99% of people aren't like that, but I still don't like the fact that there's a "1 percenter" that can ruin my life based on a drummed up claim. That's not to say those patients don't exist in Indiana, but a vast majority are more likely to bring me fresh green beans from their garden vs sue me.. I live in a nice house on 2 acres. It's 15 minutes to each of the 3 offices and hospitals where I work. I don't miss my 2 hour commute home after being up for 48 hours. My place is not extravagant (especially by Chicago standards), but it's a nice place. I bought it for $100 per sq foot. My condo in downtown Chicago was $400 per sq! And property taxes.....if I told you what I paid now, you would laugh. The public schools here rival many private schools in "the big city". We don't have 5 (or 10) homicides a day like Chi-town. And buy the way, I can carry my 40 cal concealed in my waistband almost anywhere I want because we believe in that right here in Indiana. I probably just crossed the P&R barrier with that, but I'm sure my friends in Texas will back me on this one. Indiana is a fiscally responsible state. We don't have multi-billion dollar debts. We don't take federal handouts. If you can't afford it, don't buy it. Businesses like to be here because we don't impose ridiculous tax burdens on them. I think that I'll quit now. I've always loathed the newby know-it-alls who post in the other forums I'm on, and at this point I think that I'm close to that line. Looking forward to learning a lot from everyone on the board!
I work in wisconsin across the border. Half our docs live on the north shore, and work here. They are slowly moving up. I trained in Chicago also... Loved northwestern med. Moving up here was the smartest move I could have made. You can live like a king... Are you in crownpoint Indiana by any chance? Bo
well..... day 3 of my med mal trial at the Richard J. Dailey Center in December of 2012.... I was hit in the head with a brick. I stood up as the jury walked into court, and BAM!... there it was. "I'm done here" said my brain. Never thought I'd leave Chicago. But there it was, plain as day. I was going to put together a long dissertation of my experience, but never did. In summary.... I see a patient, and 6 years later after many sleepless nights, many grey hairs, much anxiety, occasional insecurity when seeing patients, anger, tears, and stress on my wife and kids (just to name a few of the benefits of med mal in ILL.), I found myself in front of a "jury of my peers". Yes, my patient eventually had a bad stroke. No, it was not my fault. Nor was it my partners fault, nor the neurologists fault. The hospital settled for $2,000,000 5 years into it. Plaintiff asked for $13,600,000 There was a total of $5,000,000 of insurance coverage (you do the math on that one!) In summary, it took the jury 2 hours and 17 minutes (after 2.5 weeks of trial, that I was there for EVERY DAY) to come up with a verdict of "not guilty" for all involved. A juror walked up to me, my partner (also an ER doc), and the neurologist as she was exiting court, and told us that she would be happy is any of us were her doctor. A juror e-mailed my attorney the next day, and said that when they got the case, they elected the foreman. The Foreman then asked "what do you all think about spike308?". She said that they went around the table and all said "not guilty", and did not discuss me any further. 6 years. 6 years of nausea, anxiety, insomnia, grey hair, depression, anger, frustration. No discussion by the jury. That is "justice" in ILL. What did I get out of it? an incredible education about the legal system that I never wanted. Certainly no reimbursement for my time / suffering! I took just about the worst thing that has ever happened to me and turned it into a BIG positive. Texas!
Wow! Sorry to hear this. I'm no Doctor, but I tell you this... I can't believe what a corrupt and dysfunctional state Illinois has become. It's quite honestly a disgrace in terms of its political aspects. The only good thing coming from Chicago is food and entertainment. I wish I were in a field where I too could transfer. The state of Texas would definitely be on my radar. Best of luck to you and your family.
Heather Wilhelm: In Illinois, Tax Increases Become an Article of Faith - WSJ.com In Illinois, Tax Increases Become an Article of Faith Praise the Lord and pass the new progressive tax that will finance public pensions. By HEATHER WILHELM Updated April 25, 2014 7:51 p.m. ET In Illinoisa state plagued by epic budget woes, a pension crisis, byzantine taxes and the nation's second-highest unemployment ratepolitics is rarely associated with godliness. Four of the past seven governors, most recently Rod Blagojevich, have been sent to prison. Locals will tell you that corruption is practically a sport. But on April 8 more than 500 Illinoisans showed that they, at least, were keeping the faith. Donning orange T-shirts reading "Faith in Action," a coalition of religious groups flooded the state capitol in Springfield, singing hymns, shouting "Hallelujah," and praying for higher taxes on the rich. Their goal: replacing the state's long-standing flat income tax with a new, progressive "Fair Tax." "The gospel tells us that 'For everyone to whom much is given, much will be required,' " Rev. Jason Coulter, a Chicago pastor and board member of the Community Renewal Society (which organized Faith in Action) told me. "I'm called by my faith tradition to speak truth to power when I see injustice being done. And a flat tax is an injustice." "This is a moral imperative," said Rev. C.J. Hawking, executive director of Arise Chicago, a workers' rights group. "There are over 400 passages in the Bible that talk about God's special concern for the poor. Our current tax system, which favors the wealthy, is so off kilter, so skewed, and so contrary to the vision God has set before us." More than 250 religious leaders have signed a public statement demanding a progressive tax. On Feb. 25, Rev. Hawking organized a prayer rally for the cause, gathering 40 leaders representing the Christian, Jewish and Muslim faiths. Speakers included Dr. Otis Moss III, who replaced the controversial Rev. Jeremiah Wright at Chicago's Trinity United Church of Christ. The event, held at the Chicago Temple, a historic skyscraper and home to the First United Methodist Church of Chicago, featured the beaming group posing for a photo at the pulpit, fists raised, hoisting a giant banner: "Faith Leaders for a Fair Tax." For those who hold their faith and their preferred tax policy in different spheres, this imagealong with its subtext of class warfareis a bit jarring. "The Bible tells us to care for the poor. It doesn't say a thing about marginal tax rates," Jonathan Greenberg, an ordained rabbi and the director of external relations at the Illinois Policy Institute, a free-market think tank, told me. The institute, which argues that the progressive tax would result in a tax hike for the majority of state residents, was picketed by some of the 500 orange-shirted Faith in Action demonstrators on April 8. Robert Gilligan, executive director of the Catholic Conference of Illinois, noted that "some faith communities are being propelled into this debate to provide moral cover in order to raise more revenue for state programs. The thing is, we've seen this movie before. We're in a state where fiscal responsibility has not been paramount." Mr. Gilligan asked: "Where is this additional money going to go? How can we be sure it will go to help the poor and vulnerable?" The argument that the Fair Tax will help the poor is, at best, murky. Illinois's last income-tax hike, in 2011, was touted as a temporary fix to raise $31 billion for the state's astronomical debts and struggling schools. In reality, the bulk of the money$25 billionwent to state-employee pension coffers and interest payments. The state budget is still $3 billion in the hole. Not coincidentally, high-profile members of public-employee unions like the Illinois SEIU are actively engagedsome as "faith leaders"in the fight for a progressive tax. "These are people who put their faith in government to do what communities and churches should be doing," Mr. Greenberg said. "There's just this strange faith in government in generalwhich, as the corrupt and incompetent government in Illinois clearly demonstrates, is a seriously flawed faith." Brian Burch, the president of Catholic Vote, an Illinois advocacy group, put it another way: "They're substituting the state for God." When asked whether additional tax revenue would really be used to help the poor, supporters like Rev. Hawking and Rev. Coulter tend to change the subject. When asked whether a progressive tax might backfire by driving wealth and jobs out of Illinois, both doubted anyone would leave. Besides, Rev. Hawking told me, "minimum wage earners," not the wealthy, "are the real job creators." The numbers, which show Illinois ranking second in the nation in outbound moves and losing more than $30 billion in adjusted gross income between 1992 and 2010, suggest otherwise. One thing is clear: Christian, Jewish and Islamic scriptures all call on us to help the poor. Less clear is whether that vital help should be increasingly outsourced to rambling behemoths like the Illinois state government. This year, in the struggling Land of Lincoln, progressive-tax supporters have shown that their faith in the state is strong. The thousands of residents fleeing Illinois each year clearly feel otherwise. Ms. Wilhelm is a writer based in Austin, Texas, and a regular columnist for RealClearPolitics. She formerly served as a senior fellow at the Illinois Policy Institute.
