You probably received your property tax bills recently and were outraged by the increases. Most of the bills are showing a 10% to 15% increase over last year.
Many in DuPage and Will Counties have seen even more than that. Although property tax abatements aren’t services that we provide, I did some research to try to understand what is actually happening.
There are several problems in Crook, sorry Cook County. 2021 is a reassessment year for Chicago, reflecting the market upswing in prices. This means that Chicago will be the first to bear the worst of the problem.
This might have been a bit fairer if the assessor had chosen to do all of Cook County at the same time, but for some ridiculous reason Chicago is being singled out. Another problem is that the assessor has actively chosen to reduce the ability of the Cook County Board of Review and State Property Tax Appeal Board to in any way adjust his oh, so perfect, assessments.
A further problem is that the 2020 state equalization factor was over 3 for the first time in recent memory. This 10% increase over last year was primarily due to the unnecessary covid adjustments given to residential properties that mostly, did not go down in value during the period.
This all means just one thing. You need to fight these increases. This isn’t a service that we provide, but it’s not hard to do yourself. You can also retain a tax attorney to handle it.
Either way, property taxes don’t go down. If enough people fight these increases, maybe the assessor won’t be so gratuitous with our money next year.
Let me leave you with this.
Our exit from Afghanistan will probably be looked upon as the worst foreign policy disaster in our lifetime. We exited while leaving tens of thousands of weapons and people loyal to us on the battlefield.
Anyone with half a brain cell, let alone anyone who has ever worn a uniform, will tell you that a retreat is a two step process. First you get your people and your equipment, then you leave. You never leave anything on the battlefield that can ever be used against you in the future.
Yet that is exactly what was done. The question you should be asking is, “Who gave the order?”
Properly retreating from a battlefield is something so ingrained in anyone from the lowliest private to the five stars, that the only way this occurred was as a direct order.
The other point to be made is that we’ve been hearing for the past ten years from journalists who interviewed Afghani officials, that they all had exit strategies. Everyone expected that once America left, the provisional government would also leave, and the Taliban would take control.
There couldn’t have been anyone at either the DOD or State Department who didn’t know this would happen.
Now the Taliban is the best equipped army and air force in the region. Many have talked about how several pieces of equipment were sabotaged, how parts were taken out so they couldn’t be used against us.
Let’s not act like the missing parts aren’t readily available on the black market, along with the pilots and mechanics necessary to make all of it work.
One might say that they don’t have the money to do all of this, but let’s remember that Afghanistan is basically a narco-state. Our enemies will have plenty of money to get their new found spoils in tip top shape and use them to wage war.
This doesn’t take into account all of the people who were left behind. When the enemy gets their hands on one of ours, do you think they’ll immediately execute them, or will they be held for ransom?
Billions of dollars will covertly go to our enemies to get those people out in the next few years, further financing our enemies. And what do you think the Taliban will do with their new found wealth? Maybe retire to Boca, and live a carefree life?
Let’s remember that these are 7th Century Barbarians. We can only hope they will, because the alternative which will probably occur, is terrifying.
I’m not saying that we shouldn’t have left. Extending this unwinnable war would also have been a mistake, but leaving everything and everyone behind, was worse.
It makes our future much less secure.
We’re all going to get through this. Let’s get through it together.
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Sincerely yours,
Chris Amundson
President
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