Cook County Commissioner Tony Peraica Tweets The Veto Session (Tax Roll Back Succeeds)

December 1, 2009 | Filed Under Budget, Censorship, Chicago, Conservatives, Cook County, Cook County Board, Democrats/Leftists, Economy/Finances, Government, Corruption, Illinois, Liberals, President, Republicans, State Government, Taxes, Warner Todd Huston |

-By Warner Todd Huston

Here is a really fascinating series of tweets from Commissioner Tony Peraica as he participated in the latest Cook County Board meeting. Today (Dec. 1) Board President Todd Stroger tried to cajole the board into upholding his veto of the roll back of his implementation of the highest tax rate in the country. Peraica is against the tax and since the State Legislature ended the four-fifths rule, lowering it to three-fifths to overturn the president’s veto, the fight was on.

Anyway, here are the tweets that Peraica posted during the debate and they are a fascinating peak inside a board meeting during this important vote. Luckily, the final outcome is victory for the tax roll back. It’s only a roll back of half a penny, but it is a start and it is the first time a board president’s veto has been rolled back in anyone’s memory.

Chairman Daley has now started the Finance Committee meeting and has started the process WITHOUT Todd Stroger. This is novel.
Stroger and Collins are still holed up in his office. Major arm twisting is going on. We’ll have to look at Com. Collin’s face upon entry.
It”s now over ONE hour since the time for meeting of the Board to start, but, Stroger and Collins are STILL NOT HERE. Highly Suspect!
Storger and Collins are still talking in his office. It’s been now ONE HOUR and FIFTEEN minutes. This is beginnig to look very fishy.

Collins and Moreno have now returned from their meeting in Stroger’s office. This is going to be interesting.
Stroger still being absent — 1 1/2 hours later — Moreno is going to chair the board meeting. Stay tuned. about
Moreno has now declared a short recess, while the Board waits for Todd Stroger’s sermon from the mount. Podium is being set up at the dias. about 1 hour ago from web
STILL WAITING for President Stroger and his entourage to come in and deliver his veto message. The Board is poised to override his veto.
Stroger has now arrived, smiling a half-hearted smile. He looks ill at ease. He told me he feels lucky today. Is this an omen?
The board is honored the passing of Com. Suffredin’s father and Stroger is about to deliver his veto message.
Stroger is now speaking and pleading with commissioners NOT to override his veto.
Stroger is predicting chaos, mayhem and devastation if his veto is not sustained.
Stroger is floating bloated phony deficits as a result of veto override, closure of hospitals, clinics and massive layoffs.
Stroger is saying that people will DIE if his veto is overridden, retirees will not get their pensions and county government will crumble.
Stroger is now blaming the press for not reporting his side correctly and for making him look bad.
Stroger just accused the press of letting him/”us” down and of not telling the truth.
Stroger is ASKING the commissioners to “stand with him.” He is now “off script” and is making contemporaneous comments.
I just spoke in FAVOR of override of Stroger’s veto.
Com Gorman is not urging support of veto override.
Com Beavers now moved previous question, to close the debate.I asked for a roll call vote.Roll call vote taken. 15-2 vote NOT to end debate.
Com. John Daley just addressed the board and urged everyone to vote AYE to OVERRIDE Stroger’s VETO.
Com Collins is now speaking. This should be interesting. She said her district is demanding 5-1 to lower their taxes and override veto.
CORRECTION: Com Gorman was advocating for a veto OVERRIDE.
Com Collins just stated that she will vote to OVERRIDE VETO. She will be a 12th vote in favor of rollback and lower the Stroger sales tax.
This could be an historic day in Cook County. Nobody I spoke with can remember when,or if, the board EVER overrode President’s veto before.
Com Sims is now arguing in favor of raising taxes, because “all other municipalities are doing it.” Sims is scolding the press.
Com Sims accused the board and press of “feeding everybody lies.”
Com Sims accuses the press of not going south of 95th Street, and not knowing the situation there.
Com Sims says people are not shopping out of Cook County. Sims has a problem with press usage of the term “Black Friday.”
Com Sims argued that shoppers are leaving Cook County because shop owners are marking their products too high. It’s not the tax, she says.
Com Murphy is urging a higher tax. She supports the Stroger Sales Tax and will vote to uphold Stroger’s veto. Sad.
Com Moreno is now trying to come up with a new twist to justify a higher sales tax and support of Stroger veto. He cannot. Falls flat.
Com Moreno rehashed the same old, tired, discredited Stroger talking points. Nobody looks convinced. Nobody is persuaded.
Com Gainer is now speaking in support of the sales reduction and veto override. She presents cogent, logical arguments to reduce tax.
Com Steele is now addressing the board and he SUPPORTS the rollback of Stroger Sales Tax. Steele supports veto override.
Com Steele is arguing for EFFICIENCY. Amen.
Com Silvestri is now laying out his reasons for overriding the veto and lowering the Stroger Sales Tax. It looks as if we may get 12 votes.
Com Silvestri urges rollback of tax and calls for all to come together.
Com Claypool is now talking about a growing taxpayer revolt. Highest tax increase in county history. We have reached a tipping point.
Claypool talks about a county “friends and family hiring plan.” He talks about corruption, waste, fraud and inefficiency must be changed.
Claypool says that the tax cut, this tax relief, will force county managers to restructure this government. Less money, more efficiency.
Com Schneider talks about the pain that this Stroger Sales Tax caused to suburban Cook County residents and businesses. Urges repeal of tax
Com Butler is denying the obvious. He advocates for higher sales tax and for support of Stroger veto.He says his phone has not been ringing.
Com Suffredin (who was the 9th vote last year to raise the sales tax) is now arguing in favor of tax repeal and veto override.
Com Suffreding is arguing the Laffer Curve Theory that says: the higher the taxes, the lower the revenue. Interesting for a Democrat.
CEO Bill Foley is now talking about FY2011 impact of sales tax rollback and how they will deal with it.
Stroger is now desperate and is begging for a higher sales tax and support of his veto. Nobody is persuaded.
The board is in the middle of a roll call now…it looks good.
VICTORY for the taxpayers of Cook County! The board has overridden Stroger’s veto by a vote of 12 Yeas and 5 Nays.

And from the Chicago Tribune, here is the roll call list for the vote:

Voting to override and cut taxes: Earlean Collins, D-Chicago; Forrest Claypool, D-Chicago; John Daley, D-Chicago; Bridget Gainer, D-Chicago; Elizabeth Gorman, R-Orland Park; Gregg Goslin, R-Glenview; Tony Peraica, R-Riverside; Edwin Reyes, D-Chicago; Timothy Schneider, R-Streamwood; Peter Silvestri, R-Elmwood Park; Robert Steele, D-Chicago; Larry Suffredin, D-Evanston.

Voting against override and preserve tax increase: William Beavers, D-Chicago; Jerry Butler, D-Chicago; Joseph Mario Moreno, D-Chicago; Joan Murphy, D-Crestwood; Deborah Sims, D-Chicago.
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“The only end of writing is to enable the reader better to enjoy life, or better to endure it.”
–Samuel Johnson

Warner Todd Huston is a Chicago based freelance writer, has been writing opinion editorials and social criticism since early 2001 and is featured on many websites such as Andrew Breitbart’s BigGovernment.com, RightWingNews.com, CanadaFreePress.com, StoptheACLU.com, TheRealityCheck.org, RedState.com, Human Events Magazine, AmericanDailyReview.com, and the New Media Journal, among many, many others. Additionally, he has been a frequent guest on talk-radio programs to discuss his opinion editorials and current events and is currently the co-host of “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Conservatism” heard on BlogTalkRadio. Warner is also the editor of the Cook County Page for RedCounty.com.

He has also written for several history magazines and appears in the new book “Americans on Politics, Policy and Pop Culture” which can be purchased on amazon.com. He is also the owner and operator of PubliusForum.com. Feel free to contact him with any comments or questions : EMAIL Warner Todd Huston

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