Please, no new Illinois taxes — I can’t afford to retire as it is

No new taxes — I can’t afford to retire

I live in Peoria and I want to retire but cannot.

I am single older woman who has a grown autistic son living with me, whom I support.

Not only does the State of Illinois keep increasing taxes and fees, but so does the Peoria City Council. I am trying to pay off bills to set myself up to live in retirement on a limited income — and I simply cannot afford to pay more taxes on top of my existing taxes and fees.

Home values have gone down. Mine home has decreased in value by $10,000, and it is a very modest home. I bought it thinking I could there in my retirement stage. I bought the house late in life, but I may have to sell it and buy a camper to live in.

Chris Carr, Peoria

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Supt. Beck is all talk and no action

Interim Police Supt. Charlie Beck elected to score cheap political points in his criticism of an old bond court ruling wherein an accused assailant of a Chicago Police Officer was released on a reduced amount.

All defendants, including this one, are of course entitled to a fair hearing, and it is not his public defender’s fault for having made a better case in court than the prosecution apparently did.

It very reasonable to ask why the so-called geniuses at police headquarters were not tracking this and other such cases to begin with and sending the considerable resources at their disposal to court for the purposes of supporting the wounded officers and ensuring public safety.

For that matter, Beck could order his legal team into court tomorrow for the purposes of challenging this ruling, and he could even send the “best and brightest” members of his staff to get the job done.

Of course, they might be asked why he didn’t know about this ruling to begin with, or even why the clerk’s office has been allowed to suppress information on gun cases, which, like all court cases, are a matter of public record according to law.

Whether due to insider cynicism or outsider cluelessness, Beck is not doing his job properly and his comments in the Feb. 23 front page reflect it.

It will be a relief to see him gone, the sooner the better.

David L. Milligan, Portage Park