CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Lynn S — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 01:27:23 -0000

Oh my!!

The whole Cole/Stroger/Dunnings triangle could get verrrrryyyyy interesting...

Did anyone else see the Trib quick poll on the editorial page today: "Would you vote for Todd Stroger?" Response: 98.5% NO, 1.5% yes. Not looking too good...

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Emily Booth — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:28:17 -0000

I'm guessing the relationship is between Cole and Todd and not Cole and Dunnings.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Six Degrees of Separation — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 22:03:31 -0000

Steve-

IL Dept of Revenue says 6.25%

http://www.revenue.state.il...
taxinformation/sales/rot.htm

To be technically correct, I believe the state collects 6.25% of which 1% is distributed back to the local agencies in proportion to where it was collected.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

party of one — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 21:14:50 -0000

hmmm has a point but that story the other day about how stoger hired cole after seeing him at Ruth Chris Steak House where he was bussing tables is kind of creepy. Who hire a bussboy into an administrative job without even knowing him? Then he ends up with strogers private number and strogers cousin and trusted staffer go bail him out?? C'mon...just the story is innuendo you don't even need to add water and mix.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

steve schnorf — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 18:54:49 -0000

The state sales tax rate is 5%, not 6.25, and I don't remember the state sales tax being raised in years, unless you are talking specifically about the RTA counties

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Quinn T. Sential — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 15:04:30 -0000

Speaking of mother Tribune, how could you miss the irony of assistant features editor and writer of the Tribune's â€œRecession Diariesâ€ blog Lou Carlozo, being let go in the latest newsroom RIF yesterday?

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Hmmm — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:31:42 -0000

I notice that rumor and innuendo is usually forbidden on this forum but this question kind of illicts it.. and look at the above personal rumors to prove it. What gives? I'm just saying...

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Hank — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:04:43 -0000

So true Wumpus

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Wumpus — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:59:33 -0000

Hank, there are 52 suited cards in each deck, but we only get stuck with a bunch of jokers.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Hank — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:54:33 -0000

Per the Sixth Ward blog and WLS TV, Stroger has thrown the race card on the Dunnings/Cole deal
We are going to need a new race card as the current one is tattered and bent from overuse by Burris and DM Cobb. Now Stroger and I hear JJJ is negotiating for it's use if his Blago situation deteriorates any further

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

ConservativeVeteran — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:48:49 -0000

The state sales tax rate is 6.25%, which is more than three times the Cook Co. rate of 1.75%. Last year, Cook Co. voters, who were angry at the county board, should have been more angry at all of the state legislators who supported the last sales tax rate increase, which was passed in 2005.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

The Doc — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 12:46:13 -0000

===The expansion of taxation into the service sector will eat up countless hours of tax filing from hairdressers, lawn services, and untold tiny businesses===

That's life in a democracy. Such a move, coupled with a meaningful reduction in the sales tax rate, is overdue, especially as the service sector continues to grow in proportion to goods.

What's the alternative? The stigma of the nation's highest sales tax in Chicago, and more importantly, a big gaping hole in the state budget.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Third Generation Chicago Nativ — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:54:57 -0000

This Cole/Stroger/Dunnings is getting to be a bigger mess, and stories are changing. This should be investigated thoroughly, it seems there is still a lot left to uncover.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Vote Quimby! — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:43:07 -0000

==The expansion of taxation into the service sector will eat up countless hours of tax filing from hairdressers, lawn services, and untold tiny businesses ==
No, I think they just won't pay it, making the 'gray economy' even larger.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Anonymous45 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:42:31 -0000

Wumpus: I guess Todd gives out his personal phobe numbers to all new hires in case they ned to be bailed out of jail in the middle of the night...if he can't go, or needs to sleep in, he wakes up his cousin, CFO of Cook County, or his political right hand guy...makes sense, right?
NOT!

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Wumpus — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:24:59 -0000

Rich, this is a joke, but I understand you may have to do what you have to do.

I demand an investigation into the relationship between Stroger and Cole, forget Dinnings! Dead girl, live boy, so on and so forth.. I keed!

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Plutocrat03 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:22:14 -0000

The problem with tax exemptions is that it only benefits certain people.

The graphic arts exemption always mystified me.

The expansion of taxation into the service sector will eat up countless hours of tax filing from hairdressers, lawn services, and untold tiny businesses

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Anonymous45 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 11:04:23 -0000

thinking out loud: that's what I was getting at with my question...

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Objective Dem — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:56:06 -0000

The fact that Cole contacted Stroger directly changes the story for me.

I can see Cole as the type of person who is in a junior position but knows the people in charge. When he gets in trouble, he uses his connections and thinks it is (literally) a get out of jail free card.

Stroger may have responded by sending Mullins because he is a nice guy or because Cole threatened him with exposing secrets. After the fact, they realized Cole didn't know anything that damaging (politically or criminally) but was a problem, so they fired him. If he knew something serious, he would have been moved quietly to another job in the County or elsewhere.

I also suspect with Dunnings it was the last straw. Don't forget the budget debacle a few months ago, when the board received budget books with the wrong numbers. Dunning always attracted criticism because she is Todd's cousin and in charge of finances.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

thinking out loud — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:54:57 -0000

Perhaps the relationship was between cole and stroger not dunnings.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Phineas J. Whoopee — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:52:52 -0000

Suffice it to say that bailing employees out of prison goes beyond the scope of any job description. When it entails government employees bailing other employees out of the very facilities they manage it is ludicrous. Doing it twice is either loyalty run amuck, love or blackmail.

But to have a complete low life like Cole be able to make a phone call from jail to the Cook County Board President's office and get people to "snap to" and get him out of jail-twice-is (I really don't have a word for it). All I can say is Todd Stroger certainly is an understanding boss.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Truthful James — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:51:55 -0000

Had a vision, last night: Roland Burris was running for County Board Chairman and Todd Stroger was in the Senate primary.

The back story on Mr. Cole is interesting. He was once a college scholarship basketball athlete at a major institution. Had he played his cards right, he had it made.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Anonymous45 — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:49:13 -0000

point of information: Is Todd Stroger married?

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Legaleagle — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:40:58 -0000

The sales tax should cover both internet purchases into Illinois and services (including legal fees), the gas tax should be a percentage rather than a flat rate per gallon, and 'entitlements' such as state pensions must be limited going forward. No need for any other tax increases.

Re: The Tribune, taxes and Stroger

Stones — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 10:29:29 -0000

These guys have to get together and get their story straight!