The soda tax was repealed, but Cook County still has to find a way to fund the government
In the wake of today's repeal of the Cook County soda tax, I'd like to give a shout-out to the Cook County Board commissioner who's been speaking the most sensibly on the issue of the county's need to pay its bills.
That would be Larry Suffredin, the pride and joy of Evanston. He was one of two commissioners who, in a 15-2 vote, decided against a repeal; the other was Jerry "Iceman" Butler.
So come on down, Larry, and get your prize—a two-liter bottle of Mountain Dew! Soon to be soda-tax free!
The debate all began last November when Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle twisted enough arms to round up the eight votes she needed to get the board to slap a penny-per-ounce tax on sweetened beverages sold in the county. The Illinois Retail Merchants Association delayed the tax's imposition with a lawsuit that ultimately failed. So it wasn't until August when I got to watch another rendition of one of my favorite moments: Local residents waking up to realize that while they were busy not paying attention, their government was up to no good.
Read more: https://www.chicagoreader.com/Bleader/archives/2017/10/11/the-soda-tax-was-repealed-but-cook-county-still-has-to-find-a-way-to-fund-the-government
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I will give the GOP one thing: They have sucessfully convinced people that all taxes are bad and the government shouldn't pay for anything. And yet they are the supposed fiscally responsible ones.
