After Democrats have lit all the fireworks and cleaned up the confetti, they would be wise to learn a lesson that Republicans apparently failed to learn the last two years: Don’t read the election outcome for anything but what it was.
Despite Republican electoral defeats, many conservative measures were passed by huge margins. For example, voters in four states (including Washington) voted on a ban of trans athletes in women’s sports. Voter identification laws passed by double digits in North Carolina, as well as in Nevada and Ohio. And on DEI, Wisconsinites voted 56% to 43% to prohibit government entities from discriminating on the basis of race, sex, color, ethnicity, or national origin in the public sector.
North Carolina passed amendments to limit property and income taxes. Even California rejected the wealth tax on billionaires. What’s more, California passed a ban on new personal property taxes and retroactive state taxes, protecting retirement assets, business interests and investments.
Democrats deserve a celebration — you’ve waited for this. But as you do, keep in mind that right here in Chicago, the mayor has never met a tax he didn’t love, and also has an approval rating of basically himself and his immediate family members. And he still wants a corporate head tax that would make Walter Mondale blush.
And this brings me to Oak Park. This community should not take the election for anything but what it was: a repudiation of the Trump administration. It’s not an endorsement of massive property taxes and unchecked spending. What we have is bad enough. Another 7% increase? And that’s after unprecedented increases in property values, which triggered massive spikes in tax bills that were already stretching people thin. Where is the money going? Despite all the talk in the past year about “keeping Oak Park affordable,” Oak Park is apparently hell-bent on doing the exact opposite through its tax policy. Going back to the same, tired well and treating its property owners like ATM machines exacerbates the problem.
Michael Waugh
Oak Park