Over the years, various voices in Chicago have supported adding a city income tax to the laundry list of government taxes and fees residents of the heavily indebted city are forced to pay.
Other cities across Illinois, including Kankakee, Alton, Danville, Peoria and more, also have crushing local government debts.
Amy Korte
The Illinois Constitution currently allows certain larger cities to impose local income taxes, with state lawmakers’ approval – but no cities in Illinois currently collect income taxes. Because the constitution also states everyone must be taxed at the same rate, it would be wildly unpopular to impose an income tax on a whole city.
That could change if the progressive tax is approved November 3.
If the Illinois Constitution’s flat tax protection were given up by voters, local governments would be able to target specific income brackets for taxation. Divided, city taxpayers fall: it becomes politically easier for state lawmakers to support local income taxes if they no longer can be blamed for taxing everyone.
Initially state lawmakers saw the potential for city taxes to spread and included language in the amendment proposal that prohibited them. That changed by the time they approved the ballot question, and the current progressive tax amendment offers no protection against local income tax hikes.
The appeal of a city income tax would not necessarily be limited to leaders in Chicago.
Many Illinois cities have been under fiscal strain for years, with mounting pension debt putting pressure on budgets. Add to that the COVID-19 economic crisis with plummeting sales tax collections and other declines in revenues, and many municipal leaders are seeking more funding sources. An Illinois Municipal League survey revealed 87% of responding municipalities face 20-30% revenue shortfalls in 2020 compared with 2019.
Even before the COVID-19-related economic crisis and shutdown, Peoria had cut positions in its police force and fire department and imposed a public safety pension fee to fill a hole in its budget caused by mounting police and fire pension costs. In 2020, Peoria city leaders debated throughout spring and summer how to close $10 million of the city’s $50 million COVID-19-related budget hole. In September, the city council voted to decommission two fire engines, which, at the time was expected to result in the elimination of 22 fire department positions, though a recently negotiated settlement of the firefighters’ union’s unfair labor practices lawsuit could keep one of the engines in service into 2021.
In Springfield, the budget director warned in 2019 the city needs nearly $270 million more in additional revenue during the next 20 years to pay for its escalating pension costs. Springfield now has an $8 million-$11 million shortfall related to COVID-19. Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said he opposes tax hikes, but balancing the budget will be a challenge with pension obligations restricting the city’s room to maneuver.
Like Chicago, Peoria and Springfield, many other Illinois municipalities – such as Alton, Kankakee and Danville – face severe fiscal problems with few ways to balance their budgets other than service reductions or tax hikes. In an era of increasing pension costs and a COVID-19 economic crisis, many local leaders of cash-strapped municipalities might find progressive city income taxes hard to resist.
But they should, and voters should prevent the temptation. Adding city income taxes to Illinoisans’ already high tax burden would damage struggling municipalities by dampening economic growth and job creation, driving out residents and making it even harder for small businesses to recover.
Illinoisans should be aware: Stripping the Illinois Constitution of its flat tax protection could create damage far beyond the tax hikes already promised.
Amy Korte
Illinois Policy Institute
Amy Korte is vice president of policy for the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan research organization that promotes responsible government and free market principles.
Debbie Prather, Megan Blair and other timers have their fingers ready to go on their stopwatch buttons at the finish line during the 2012 Boys Spartan Classic. The group was waiting for the starters pistol to fire for next heat of the 110-yard high hurdles.
Instructors at St. Joseph-Ogden High School will hold Parent-Teacher Conferences on Thursday, November 5 via an an online chat platform.
Parents are encourage to contact the high school to make appointments with their student's teachers and guidance counselor either by email or phone. Conferences will be held from 3:00 – 5:00 pm and from 6:00 – 9:00 pm that day.
With first quarter grades distributed to students on October 29-30, this will be a good opportunity for discuss student's academic performance as well as objectives for remaining quarters with teachers.
To schedule an appointment by email, contact Nicki Falls at fallsn@sjo.k12.il.us or call (217) 469-7321. Appointments must be made by November 2.
Trapped by Robinson seniors Derrick Nicholas and Aaron Siler, St. Joseph-Ogden basketball starter Nate Michael looks for an open teammate to pass the ball during their sectional semifinal contest on February 29, 2012. Michael, who grew to become a prolific scorer, was held to just a single three-pointer in the 57-32 sectional semifinal loss. He finished both his prep and college career with more than 1,000 points. As a Spartan, he drained 1,244 points, good for fifth in the program's all-time scoring list, and was the 51st Bearcat to surpass the 1K mark finishing his career with 1,528 points.
St. Joseph resident Owen Yohnka is organizing a leaf raking service project for the community. Between now and October 30, Pack 40 and Troop 40 will rake leaves for homeowners who would like their assistance.
"It's always good to help out your neighbors," Yohnka said. "The Troop used to do this years ago. This is my first time doing this."
The scouts have done similar service projects including garbage pick up along the Trail Rail and clean up after the Fall Community Festival. They also place the flags at the high school and cemetery for Memorial Day, the 4th of July and Veterans Day.
The service is being offered to anyone who need help raking their leaves. Yohnka said residents are encouraged to send their name and address or contact information for someone who would appreciate the help via email at pack40stjoseph@gmail.com. Questions regarding the raking services can be sent to this email address, too.
The service is set up to be a contact-less service for homeowners or residents. After receiving an email request, a scout and their family will visit the property over the next few weeks to rake leaves for the village to vacuum away.
"We will just show up during the date range provided and rake the leaves in a nice straight pile along the road," Yohnka wrote in a post on Facebook announcing the service.
Rachel Mullen celebrates the final point of the match in St. Joseph-Ogden's 2-1 volleyball victory on October 7, 2014. After graduation in 2015 senior and two-sport athlete went on to play volleyball at Lake Land College. In her final season with the Lakers she was 4th in digs while competing in the Great Rivers Athletic Conference and 6th in service aces.
The Old High School Park at 300 North Market Street in Ogden will be the site of Easter-ween this Saturday starting at 10am.
The egg hunt, originally scheduled for April 11, was postponed until this weekend due to the Shelter-in-Place Executive Orders issued by Governor Pritzker to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
In late March, Ogden trustee Sue Esposito told The News-Gazette that the village had no intent in canceling the event.
"We are going to just delay it, " she said. "So if we have an egg hunt in November or even December, whatever. ... There’s $700 worth of candy, eggs and money. That’s a lot. We’re not just going to give it up."
The Village of Ogden will provide Halloween bags to egg hunters.
By Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator
Halloween is typically a relaxed day for America's kids to fill their coffers with candy. Children and adults often don their favorite wacky attire for a day of comic relief.
America needs a day of some kind of relief and maybe Halloween will provide some insanity or terror relief. Because nothing about Halloween is as scary as what America and the world has been experiencing.
We have buried over 220,000 Americans from Covid-19. Over eight million have been sick. Nursing homes and Intensive Care Units have become horror wards. The projections for more sickness and death scare most Americans. We are afraid to go to church, out to eat, and to the grocery store. The airplane, hotel and restaurant industries are in peril as many have already closed or are on the verge of closing. Over 12 Million Americans are now unemployed and many in financial devastation because of Covid-19.
Congress continues to haggle over what and how much the government can further indebt our nation to keep us afloat for the present. With an approximate 28 trillion-dollar deficit and growing when will America file for bankruptcy? What will it take to keep Social Security and Medicare going? More taxes for a broader range of Americans and increased payroll taxes are on the near horizon, most Americans fear. It's more than a little scary.
On top of Covid-19, job loss, business failures and increasing poverty Americans are masked fatigued.
Children are tired of being home from school. Adults miss the comaraderie and social dynamics of their workmates. Working at home first felt good and welcomed but has become old for many Americans. The thought of this going on for another six months or even a year or longer is more than scary - it's terrifying.
On top of all this, we have a major election in front of us. Americans are terrified about the election. We are frightened about who will be elected. Trump being reelected terrifies millions, while millions are terrified Joe Biden will be elected. We are horrified of what may come as the result of this election and what either of the candidates may bring to America the next four years.
We are further scared by each other. The hostility of Americans toward people with different views is out of hand.
Hurting people, cursing people, destroying property are not hallmark qualities of a civilized society. We have sadly stopped being civil in America. Rude and crude are no longer shy in this nation. Pushing, shoving and outright fighting with people is becoming too normal. This is not what the average American wants and is disdained by most of us.
Let's face it, people who act this way scare most Americans.
It's Halloween time in America and there is plenty of fright to go around. The best treat we can give our country is treating each other the way we would like to be treated.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.
This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of PhotoNews Media. We welcome comments and views from our readers.
ST. JOSEPH - Ty Pence dives after a loose ball with Paxton-Buckley-Loda senior Dalton Busboom. Pence, a freshman starter, finished the non-conference game with six points. The St. Joseph-Ogden boys squad drops the home game, after leading by one at the half, 51-42 to the Panthers on January 14, 2019.
CHAMPAIGN - Head coach Randy Wolken talks to his players during St. Joseph-Ogden's away game against Centennial in Champaign. Behind the pitching prowess of Alexandria Boaz, the Spartans pounded the Chargers 11-1 in the non-conference affair on April 9, 2014.
More Photos of the Day
TAGS: Photo of the Day, SJO Softball team, St. Joseph-Ogden beats Centennial, Spartans win road softball game at Centennial
St. Joseph-Ogden's Payton Vallee attempts to hammer the ball past St. Thomas More's Maci Walters and Anna McClure (right) during their Illini Prairie Conference regular season match on September 20, 2018. After dropping the first set 25-22, SJO rallied back to pull out a 25-21 and 26-24 wins over the host Sabers. Vallee collected a kill and two digs on the road trip for the Spartans.
By Glenn Mollette, Guest Commentator
Occasionally, we all feel like we are living in a rut. Our days and weeks are filled with the same activities and schedules.
We mow grass, rake leaves, clean the house, sweep out the garage and do the same jobs. We go to the same grocery store on a certain day, wash our car at the same place and see the same people along the way. We go to the same place of worship, and read the same daily or weekly newspaper. Our lives are made up of routines, schedules and the usual.
Occasionally we get bored with the usual and do something different. We enjoy the change briefly. There is always a rush of adrenaline with something different. For example, you may change grocery stores for the week or even drive out of town to try out a restaurant. You may even take a trip to a distant part of the state to see something different. While the unusual is stimulating it often makes us tired and we pine to return to the usual.
The usual is the known and the expected. We've done it so many times and usually have the same results. The same results are good if they make us happy. You know what to expect at the little coffee place you frequent and that's why you keep returning. The grocery store has what you need and you know where to find everything. Unless they change everything around in the store and this drives us crazy until we learn our way around again.
We visit with the same people and often have the same types of conversations because those conversations are within our comfort zone. The usual things we do are all about our comfort levels. With Covid-19 you may not feel comfortable doing a lot because of the unknown.
People's comfort levels have changed over the last year. Worship attendance has dramatically changed. Work places have changed. Community gatherings have changed or don't exist.
Whatever your usual is, try to continue to enjoy the familiar and the routine. Keith Urban sings a song about "All that wasted time." One line in the song says, "The best years of my life was all that wasted time."
We seldom see the usual we do as wasting time. Usually it's moving forward with the routines of life. It's going to school. Doing our homework. Going to work. Earning a paycheck. Saving some money. Paying our bills. Maintaining our houses and cars. Going to the doctor and caring for ourselves. When you really think about it, we're very fortunate if we have daily and weekly routines. The best of life is often what we do every day.
We don't vote often. Once or twice a year we may go to the polls. Break with your routine and do something great for your local, state and national government.
Go vote. When the election results come in then you'll know you did your part when you return back to doing your usual.
Dr. Glenn Mollette is a syndicated American columnist and author of American Issues, Every American Has An Opinion and ten other books. He is read in all 50 states. The views expressed are those of the author and are not necessarily representative of any other group or organization.
This article is the sole opinions of the author and does not necessarily reflect the views of PhotoNews Media. We welcome comments and views from our readers.
A newly formed adult kickball league in Tolono is looking for teams next month.
Games will be played every Sunday during the month of November at the Small Diamond in Tolono. Teams can be co-ed with players no younger than the age of 16. The official schedule will be released once the number of teams have been set.
Teams will play 7 inning contest or for 55 minutes, whichever comes first.
The registration fee for each team is $300, which will cover the cost of lights, umpires and balls.
For more information contact Ashley Kolakowski via messenger on Facebook.
Chasing a solo runner in front of her, St. Joseph-Ogden distance specialist Chelsea Blaase extends her lead on the main pack during the Class 1A 1600-meter run at the IHSA Track & Field State Finals in Charleston in 2012. The senior finished the qualifying race with a time of 5:04.96 to finish second in her heat behind GCMS' Sydni Meunier. Two days later, both Blaase and Meunier ran slower times in the championship race on Saturday, but their position in the final standings remained the same at one-two. Blaase won the two-mile state title to lift the St. Joseph-Ogden girls track team to a third place finish in the team standings.
St. Joseph-Ogden pole vaulter Loren Brooks starts over the bar on her way to clearing 8'6" during Thursday's prelims at the 2012 IHSA Track and Field State Finals. Brooks, a sophomore, failed on this attempt but later cleared the bar. She failed to make the qualifying height in order to advance to Saturday's finals.
Sarah Czerwinski, from St. Joseph, has a heart of gold.
A close friend, Alyssa Artola, deployed with the Urbana-based Illinois National Guard's 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team to the Ukraine in June. Artola and her unit of approximately 165 soldiers are part of a Joint Multinational Training Group-Ukraine deployed to support U.S. European Command operations.
Their mission is part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. to contribute to Ukraine’s long-term military reform and is provided at the request of the Ukrainian government. Observing a "train-the-trainer" approach, the Urbana based unit along with NATO allies and partners, are in-country to advise and mentor the Armed Forces of Ukraine Observer Controller / Trainers at the Combat Training Center located near Yavoriv.
They will not be involved in conflict operations.
Raised in a military family, Czerwinski, whose father retired at major after 20 years of service in the Army, wanted to send her friend a care package several weeks ago. In a conversation with Artola she learned that troopers "get excited when they get mail", no matter what it is.
"I thought it was sad that people don't get mail," said Czerwinski, who decided not only to send her friend a care package, but one to every trooper in the brigade. "I thought it would be nice, something for them to look forward to."
She hatched a plan to gather as many items and boxes as she could through the month of October and then ship them out in time for to be received on Veteran’s Day.
"I wasn't really sure where to start," Czerwinski admitted. She posted a couple of messages on Facebook asking for donations and was pleasantly surprised by the response. "It's been a wonderful experience so far. The number of people willing to donate has been touching."
A member from the high school student council reached out and after receiving approval from the school administration, boxes will available at St. Joseph-Ogden High School starting this week to collect donated items.
There is also a box at Chris Booth State Farm, where she works, on the corner of Fox and State in Champaign, for donations. Czerwinski has also had people drop off items at her home.
Suggested items include:
Snack bars
Ramen
Seasoning salt
Hot sauces
Flavor packets for water
Energy bars
Beef jerky
Instant rice/Mac-n-cheese
Tea
Coffee
Small toiletries
Shower items
Board games
Playing cards
Pens
Paper
If residents have any extra holiday decorations or working lights lying around, she would love to ship them to the American men and women serving our country.
"They may not have a tree, but the decor and lights would be great," she said.
The cost of shipping a box weighing up to 10 pounds is $20. Czerwinski is also accepting monetary donations to help cover the postal fee. She plans to deliver all the boxes and parcels she can to the post office in St. Joseph on October 30.
Unity quarterback Taylor Black leaps into the arms of teammate Danny Shroyer after scoring a touchdown during their IHSA quarterfinal football game against Macomb. After rolling past St. Thomas more in the first round and rivals Monticello the week after, Unity enjoyed home field advantage to defeat the visiting Bombers 35-7 on November 12, 2011.
SJO's Brandon Mattsey runs during the 2019 IHSA state cross country meet. The senior, who finished 4th overall, led the Spartans to a third-place finish at this year's Illini Prairie Conference meet on Saturday.
(Photo: PhotoNews Media/Clark Brooks)
Brandon Mattsey, Charlie Mabry and Carson Maroon completed their run within 18 seconds of each other for 21 team points at the 2020 Illini Prairie Conference Meet on Saturday. The combined effort secured the St. Joseph-Ogden boys cross country squad a third place finish on Saturday.
Twenty-five seconds off his personal best in the 3-mile race, Mattsey was the first Spartan to cross the finish line at 16:07.43. His fourth place finish coupled with Mabry coming in 8th place and Maroon in 9th less than three seconds apart provided a commanding lead over the rest of the field in the team competition.
Connor O'Donnell led Unity's first three runners over the line stopping the clock at 16:29.35 and was the 10th finisher in the varsity race. Teammates Jarrett Cox then finished three seconds later in 11th place and Benjamin Gravel ended his run on the course in 16th place at 16:54.41.
The trio along with Nolan Miller and Thomas Cler secured the Rockets fourth place finish with 96 points.
SJO tallied 60 points to finish third behind Monticello's 44 points and the newly crowned IPC champs of 2020, Olympia with 39 points.
by Bryce Hill, Senior Research Analyst Illinois Policy
COVID-19 and state-mandated restrictions already damaged Illinois small businesses, but the extra challenge of a 50.3% marginal income tax rate awaits if Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s "fair tax" is added to their state and federal income tax burdens.
Despite wide-spread agreement that you should not raise taxes during an economic downturn, Pritzker insists Illinois needs his $3 billion income tax hike now more than ever. But massive job losses and stubbornly high unemployment rates mean there might not be a worse time for a tax hike. Hiking taxes during a recession, or just as the economy attempts to get back on its feet, would be a clear policy mistake. One reason is the income tax hike would hit the state’s largest job creators – small businesses – the hardest.
Small businesses are responsible for 60% of the net job creation in Illinois and are the businesses most at risk from the economic fallout of COVID-19. Changing to a progressive income tax in Illinois could mean a massive tax hike for these businesses and create marginal income tax rates in excess of 50% when all state and federal income taxes are included. Research has shown an increase in the top marginal tax rate is associated with a decrease in hiring activity of entrepreneurs and lower wages for their employees.
When considering all of the layers of income taxes Illinoisans face, small businesses – who pay taxes as individuals – could be left paying 50.3% of their top-end income in taxes. Total marginal income tax rates would range from 31.6% to 50.3% thanks to federal income tax, Social Security tax, Medicare tax, state income tax, and Illinois’ Personal Property Replacement Tax.
The increase in the state income tax from the current flat rate of 4.95%, to up to 7.99% under the progressive income tax, would mean that some small businesses would face a state income tax hike 5 times larger than big businesses.
While the total corporate income tax rate – including the Personal Property Replacement Tax – will be hiked by 10% (from 9.5% to 10.49% when including the replacement tax), the tax hike for pass-throughs could be up to 47% (6.45% to 9.49% when including the replacement tax).
Research from April showed fewer than half of all U.S. small businesses expected to re-open this year if the crisis lasted more than four months. For the small businesses that do manage to survive, the last thing their owners and employees need is a tax hike to crush them while they’re attempting to get back on their feet.
Small businesses such as S-corps, partnerships, LLCs, and sole proprietors make up a large majority of business establishments in Illinois, representing 71% of all private for-profit businesses, totaling more than 210,000 establishments. These small businesses also employed nearly half of Illinois’ private for-profit workforce prior to the COVID-19 downturn, or more than 2.3 million Illinoisans.
Contrary to the governor’s claims, a progressive income tax hike is the exact opposite of what Illinois lawmakers should be doing in the midst of the COVID-19 crisis.
Nearly 700,000 Illinoisans remain out of work as a result of the pandemic. That is after the first year on record in which Illinois lost private-sector jobs amid a national boom.
Imposing marginal tax rates exceeding 50% for Illinois’ largest job creators during the current economic crisis would be a painful mistake.
Originally published by Illinois Policy on October 8, 2020. Published by permission.
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Even before the COVID-19-related economic crisis and shutdown, Peoria had cut positions in its police force and fire department and imposed a public safety pension fee to fill a hole in its budget caused by mounting police and fire pension costs. In 2020, Peoria city leaders debated throughout spring and summer how to close $10 million of the city’s $50 million COVID-19-related budget hole. In September, the city council voted to decommission two fire engines, which, at the time was expected to result in the elimination of 22 fire department positions, though a recently negotiated settlement of the firefighters’ union’s unfair labor practices lawsuit could keep one of the engines in service into 2021.
In Springfield, the budget director warned in 2019 the city needs nearly $270 million more in additional revenue during the next 20 years to pay for its escalating pension costs. Springfield now has an $8 million-$11 million shortfall related to COVID-19. Springfield Mayor Jim Langfelder said he opposes tax hikes, but balancing the budget will be a challenge with pension obligations restricting the city’s room to maneuver.
Like Chicago, Peoria and Springfield, many other Illinois municipalities – such as Alton, Kankakee and Danville – face severe fiscal problems with few ways to balance their budgets other than service reductions or tax hikes. In an era of increasing pension costs and a COVID-19 economic crisis, many local leaders of cash-strapped municipalities might find progressive city income taxes hard to resist.
But they should, and voters should prevent the temptation. Adding city income taxes to Illinoisans’ already high tax burden would damage struggling municipalities by dampening economic growth and job creation, driving out residents and making it even harder for small businesses to recover.
Illinoisans should be aware: Stripping the Illinois Constitution of its flat tax protection could create damage far beyond the tax hikes already promised.
The service is being offered to anyone who need help raking their leaves. Yohnka said residents are encouraged to send their name and address or contact information for someone who would appreciate the help via email at pack40stjoseph@gmail.com. Questions regarding the raking services can be sent to this email address, too.
The egg hunt, originally scheduled for April 11, was postponed until this weekend due to the Shelter-in-Place Executive Orders issued by Governor Pritzker to mitigate the spread of the coronavirus.
In late March, Ogden trustee Sue Esposito told The News-Gazette that the village had no intent in canceling the event.
"We are going to just delay it, " she said. "So if we have an egg hunt in November or even December, whatever. ... There’s $700 worth of candy, eggs and money. That’s a lot. We’re not just going to give it up."
The Village of Ogden will provide Halloween bags to egg hunters.
Halloween is typically a relaxed day for America's kids to fill their coffers with candy. Children and adults often don their favorite wacky attire for a day of comic relief.
America needs a day of some kind of relief and maybe Halloween will provide some insanity or terror relief. Because nothing about Halloween is as scary as what America and the world has been experiencing.
We have buried over 220,000 Americans from Covid-19. Over eight million have been sick. Nursing homes and Intensive Care Units have become horror wards. The projections for more sickness and death scare most Americans. We are afraid to go to church, out to eat, and to the grocery store. The airplane, hotel and restaurant industries are in peril as many have already closed or are on the verge of closing. Over 12 Million Americans are now unemployed and many in financial devastation because of Covid-19.
Congress continues to haggle over what and how much the government can further indebt our nation to keep us afloat for the present. With an approximate 28 trillion-dollar deficit and growing when will America file for bankruptcy? What will it take to keep Social Security and Medicare going? More taxes for a broader range of Americans and increased payroll taxes are on the near horizon, most Americans fear. It's more than a little scary.
On top of Covid-19, job loss, business failures and increasing poverty Americans are masked fatigued.
Children are tired of being home from school. Adults miss the comaraderie and social dynamics of their workmates. Working at home first felt good and welcomed but has become old for many Americans. The thought of this going on for another six months or even a year or longer is more than scary - it's terrifying.
On top of all this, we have a major election in front of us. Americans are terrified about the election. We are frightened about who will be elected. Trump being reelected terrifies millions, while millions are terrified Joe Biden will be elected. We are horrified of what may come as the result of this election and what either of the candidates may bring to America the next four years.
We are further scared by each other. The hostility of Americans toward people with different views is out of hand.
Hurting people, cursing people, destroying property are not hallmark qualities of a civilized society. We have sadly stopped being civil in America. Rude and crude are no longer shy in this nation. Pushing, shoving and outright fighting with people is becoming too normal. This is not what the average American wants and is disdained by most of us.
Let's face it, people who act this way scare most Americans.
It's Halloween time in America and there is plenty of fright to go around. The best treat we can give our country is treating each other the way we would like to be treated.
Halloween is typically a relaxed day for America's kids to fill their coffers with candy. Children and adults often don their favorite wacky attire for a day of comic relief.
America needs a day of some kind of relief and maybe Halloween will provide some insanity or terror relief. Because nothing about Halloween is as scary as what America and the world has been experiencing.
We have buried over 220,000 Americans from Covid-19. Over eight million have been sick. Nursing homes and Intensive Care Units have become horror wards. The projections for more sickness and death scare most Americans. We are afraid to go to church, out to eat, and to the grocery store. The airplane, hotel and restaurant industries are in peril as many have already closed or are on the verge of closing. Over 12 Million Americans are now unemployed and many in financial devastation because of Covid-19.
Congress continues to haggle over what and how much the government can further indebt our nation to keep us afloat for the present. With an approximate 28 trillion-dollar deficit and growing when will America file for bankruptcy? What will it take to keep Social Security and Medicare going? More taxes for a broader range of Americans and increased payroll taxes are on the near horizon, most Americans fear. It's more than a little scary.
On top of Covid-19, job loss, business failures and increasing poverty Americans are masked fatigued.
Children are tired of being home from school. Adults miss the comaraderie and social dynamics of their workmates. Working at home first felt good and welcomed but has become old for many Americans. The thought of this going on for another six months or even a year or longer is more than scary - it's terrifying.
On top of all this, we have a major election in front of us. Americans are terrified about the election. We are frightened about who will be elected. Trump being reelected terrifies millions, while millions are terrified Joe Biden will be elected. We are horrified of what may come as the result of this election and what either of the candidates may bring to America the next four years.
We are further scared by each other. The hostility of Americans toward people with different views is out of hand.
Hurting people, cursing people, destroying property are not hallmark qualities of a civilized society. We have sadly stopped being civil in America. Rude and crude are no longer shy in this nation. Pushing, shoving and outright fighting with people is becoming too normal. This is not what the average American wants and is disdained by most of us.
Let's face it, people who act this way scare most Americans.
It's Halloween time in America and there is plenty of fright to go around. The best treat we can give our country is treating each other the way we would like to be treated.
Their mission is part of ongoing efforts by the U.S. to contribute to Ukraine’s long-term military reform and is provided at the request of the Ukrainian government. Observing a "train-the-trainer" approach, the Urbana based unit along with NATO allies and partners, are in-country to advise and mentor the Armed Forces of Ukraine Observer Controller / Trainers at the Combat Training Center located near Yavoriv.
