Why do Residents Stay in Chicago....what is the appeal ? (Evanston: fit in, public schools)

[Cool Arrow]

My dad is retired and his 401K and pension isn't taxed. My mom doesn't have her SS taxed either.

[Maintainschaos]

Originally Posted by Hiruko

I have a client whose parents are relocating from the suburbs of Chicago to Tennessee this year. This comes after a decades-long career in local law enforcement. One of the major reasons they have decided to leave is that, according to them, Tennessee does not tax law enforcement pensions.

I think my point here was a bit misinterpreted. I have no qualms for individuals who want to move to other locations after they retire, especially once living on a fixed income.

However, you can't have your cake and eat it too. In other words, if you move to a low-tax state, you cannot be surprised that basic things that taxes pay for are absent. Additionally (and more to my point), there are people whose voting patterns are against their basic interests, including voting for governments that dismantle the jobs that they based their livelihoods on. I've had family members who have done this exact thing and then say "I don't understand why little Billy can't just get a good-paying job with benefits in [insert department] like I did. Kids these days just don't want to work." ... Uhh you literally climbed the ladder and then pulled it up behind you. It's maddening.

[personone]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

I think my point here was a bit misinterpreted. I have no qualms for individuals who want to move to other locations after they retire, especially once living on a fixed income.

However, you can't have your cake and eat it too. In other words, if you move to a low-tax state, you cannot be surprised that basic things that taxes pay for are absent. Additionally (and more to my point), there are people whose voting patterns are against their basic interests, including voting for governments that dismantle the jobs that they based their livelihoods on. I've had family members who have done this exact thing and then say "I don't understand why little Billy can't just get a good-paying job with benefits in [insert department] like I did. Kids these days just don't want to work." ... Uhh you literally climbed the ladder and then pulled it up behind you. It's maddening.

Like voting for politicians who are soft on crime Maybe that's why Chicago leads the nation in homicides year-in, year-out and violent criminals are not prosecuted and/or are immediately released back into the streets

[Kmanshouse]

Originally Posted by Maintainschaos

I think my point here was a bit misinterpreted. I have no qualms for individuals who want to move to other locations after they retire, especially once living on a fixed income.

However, you can't have your cake and eat it too. In other words, if you move to a low-tax state, you cannot be surprised that basic things that taxes pay for are absent. Additionally (and more to my point), there are people whose voting patterns are against their basic interests, including voting for governments that dismantle the jobs that they based their livelihoods on. I've had family members who have done this exact thing and then say "I don't understand why little Billy can't just get a good-paying job with benefits in [insert department] like I did. Kids these days just don't want to work." ... Uhh you literally climbed the ladder and then pulled it up behind you. It's maddening.

This is something few people understand.

People who had government or quasi government jobs who want lower taxes and and "freedom" are huge hypocrites. Now, people who are/were in private enterprise saying that have more of a legit beef.

What it boils down to, is if you are very self-sufficient, don't need "services" that much, like a robust police force, kids were in private school, no government pension, more self-made without the aid of public services....then you are one or more of 1) a top performer, 2) lucky with health, 3) successful entrepreneur, 4) privileged from birth

And those are the people that tend to want government out of their lives and taxes as low as possible.

If you aren't at least 1 of those 4 things, you need some of the things taxes pay for.

[wjj]

Originally Posted by Kmanshouse

This is something few people understand.

People who had government or quasi government jobs who want lower taxes and and "freedom" are huge hypocrites. Now, people who are/were in private enterprise saying that have more of a legit beef.

What it boils down to, is if you are very self-sufficient, don't need "services" that much, like a robust police force, kids were in private school, no government pension, more self-made without the aid of public services....then you are one or more of 1) a top performer, 2) lucky with health, 3) successful entrepreneur, 4) privileged from birth

And those are the people that tend to want government out of their lives and taxes as low as possible.

If you aren't at least 1 of those 4 things, you need some of the things taxes pay for.

I generally agree with what you are saying, but I think you missed the most important factor in staying off the dole. Personal responsibility in everything you do and not claiming to be a victim any time something goes wrong. That is something that is sorely lacking today. So many people say "it's not my fault" while in reality, it was their fault - at least partially. Whatever happened to getting up and brushing yourself off and learning from the experience then moving on as a smarter person? Oh, that's hard. Can't do that. The easier path is to blame something/someone else for your misfortune and learning nothing, so you make the same mistake over and over again. You don't have to be a top performer, just a responsible performer. There are far fewer responsible performers and far more self professed victims today than in the past. I for one do not want to have to pay elevated taxes to support those who will not face reality and act responsibly to support themselves.

[Cool Arrow]

Originally Posted by wjj

I generally agree with what you are saying, but I think you missed the most important factor in staying off the dole. Personal responsibility in everything you do and not claiming to be a victim any time something goes wrong. That is something that is sorely lacking today. So many people say "it's not my fault" while in reality, it was their fault - at least partially. Whatever happened to getting up and brushing yourself off and learning from the experience then moving on as a smarter person? Oh, that's hard. Can't do that. The easier path is to blame something/someone else for your misfortune and learning nothing, so you make the same mistake over and over again. You don't have to be a top performer, just a responsible performer. There are far fewer responsible performers and far more self professed victims today than in the past. I for one do not want to have to pay elevated taxes to support those who will not face reality and act responsibly to support themselves.

You're going to have to pay one way or another. If not in prevention than in penitentiary. Jails and police don't pay for themselves. Unless you're rich enough to live in fortress, you're going to be exposed.

[RamenAddict]

Originally Posted by Cool Arrow

My dad is retired and his 401K and pension isn't taxed. My mom doesn't have her SS taxed either.

That is one thing people do seem to do when they move. They focus on one thing and seem to forget everything else. Illinois does not tax retirement income or SS. For example, I have a friend who moved from FL to Dallas, with a primary focus on no state income tax. Of course, the property taxes there are more or less equivalent to Illinois and the sales tax is also fairly high, so it is not like there is a huge level of savings just because he doesn’t have to pay income tax.

What people don’t realize about living in large cities generally is that they are expensive to maintain. In Chicago, even absent more robust services, the city still offers services to benefit everyone like good public transport, a nice network of city parks, adequate police and fire protection, trash pickup, street clearing/shoveling, etc. A lot of people move to places they perceive as cheaper for retirement only to find out that other basics are not there such as good healthcare. Why? The place they selected doesn’t have the services that most people with families want, and people with families tend to be the ones working in hospitals and other medical facilities.

[pvande55]

^^^^
A friend of mine from HS who moved to Houston mentioned missing the rail transit Chicago had. "All they got is buses, and only losers ride." "Aren't the taxes lower?" "No State income tax, but they stick it to you with others."

[Jess1175]

I lived in Illinois most of my life and moved to the Seattle area in 2017 because I was tired of the problems in Illinois and wanted to be closer to nature. There’s a lot I miss about Illinois that I took for granted. I miss the food, museums, the ease of making friends, and even the storms in the summer. I never thought about those things much until I moved and didn’t have them anymore. Don’t get me wrong, I love many things about Washington but Illinois is home.

[Magdasolow90]

Luckily winter has been a bit more mild this year at least! I think we're still on the way out to potentially florida or texas if we get the chance.