There Are No Victims of The System

By Dan Proft

December 13, 2023

“I was hysterical,” Lisa Markiewicz told ABC-7 News recently. “Are we going to lose our house? What do we do? How do we stop this? We worked hard to get here.”

Markiewicz lives in the Cook County portion of Tinley Park, one of the areas comprising this year’s triennial county property tax reassessment. She was hit with a 210% increase in the assessed valuation of her home in a county where any talk of rising home values in the actual marketplace is properly treated as gallows humor.

Forty-five minutes north of Markiewicz, middle-income families in communities like Des Plaines and Schiller Park saw median property tax increases (per their triennial reassessment last year) of nearly 30%; the largest increase in 30 years.

In the collar counties, the situation is generally worse as commercial property taxes do not subsidize residential property taxes in the way they uniquely do in Cook.

Despite that distinction, Cook County homeowners of Tinley Park, Des Plaines, Schiller Park, and those in the collar counties have something in common: they don’t actually own their homes.

During the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention, like cat burglars in the night, Chicago Democrat shot callers quietly seized the homes of Cook County families to use as collateral to finance the seven-figure net present value, defined-benefit pensions they guaranteed for their political warriors in the public sector unions.

They have been slowly liquidating people’s homes through confiscatory property taxes ever since.

“The system is broken,” said Markiewicz.

No.

To paraphrase what I once said about the entire State of Illinois, Cook County isn’t broken. It’s fixed.

The System is producing exactly what those in charge desire.

In 1972, two years after the new state constitution, the longest-serving state House Speaker in American history, Mike Madigan, founded his property tax appeals law firm, Madigan & Getzendanner.

Golly, I wonder what opportunity Madigan identified from the system he enshrined “legally” (this is a word that should always be accompanied by scare quotes when used in reference to Illinois)?

Probably the same opportunity the longest serving Chicago Alderman in Chicago History, Ed Burke, saw when he ascended to Chairman of the city’s Finance Committee a decade later and launched a similarly lucrative property tax appeals business within his law firm, Klafter & Burke.

Therefore, getting back to poor Lisa Markewicz of Tinley Park, we should all feel great empathy for her and her neighbors and bring down fiery condemnation on the longevity lords of The System, right?

Not exactly.

At some point over the past five decades, this stopped being a story of politicians fleecing their constituents and became a story about the residents of Cook County and ultimately greater Chicagoland playing Patty Hearst to the Chicago Democrats’ Symbionese Liberation Army.

Madigan and Burke were getting property tax relief in the billions for their corporate clients while Joe Punchclock and Sally Housecoat saw the property taxes on their bungalow launched upward like a Space X satellite.

Yet, Joe & Sally threw in with Madigan & Burke. They didn’t question the local government school superintendent’s salary. They didn’t question K12 spending at all, in fact, even up against student achievement. And they certainly didn’t question the innumerable sweeteners and other pension manipulations by the public sector unions. Further, they punished anyone who did.

The Joes & Sallys of Cook & the Collars consistently re-elected Madigan’s & Burke’s city and suburban loyalists.

The Joes & Sallys were Madigan’s & Burke’s alibis. They couldn’t have been stealing from us, officer, they were with me last night serving the community.

Madigan & Burke loved to tell those beautiful lies, and the Joes & Sallys loved to hear those lies again and again.

It was a five-decade sing-along in tribute to The System,

“Under the spreading chestnut tree, I sold you and you sold me: There lie they, and here lie we
Under the spreading chestnut tree.”

Just as in “1984,” the Joes & Sallys took the political lords’ anthem of deceit, injustice and betrayal that was dressed up in high-minded antonyms. And they made that anthem their own.

Now that the Joes & Sallys are being done in by The System they propagated, they cry out for help.

Where are the authorities? You mean the Cook County judges slated by Madigan & Burke you ratified? You mean the Cook County States’ Attorneys they selected, and you elected? You mean the U.S. Attorneys selected by U.S. Senators you elected backed by Madigan & Burke drawn from the “legal” arm of The System they erected?

The Joes & Sallys would have us believe they haven’t noticed how absent those authorities have been for the last 50 years except to occasionally put away from some dim-witted, bribe-taking alderman or sloppy governor who fell out of favor with The System. Appearances must be maintained.

Some Joes & Sallys plead, “I didn’t know, really.” But they did. They knew. They participated. And even those who didn’t participate should’ve known regardless. A basic understanding of what is happening around you is a small price to pay to live in a free society.

Moreover, willful ignorance of the law is no defense to punishment under it and neither is willful ignorance of The System.

Here we are.

The two longevity lords who bilked tens, maybe hundreds, of millions of dollars out of The System are going to spend their 80s, or whatever time they have left in federal prison. Appearances must be maintained by The System at the federal level too.

And Lisa Markiewicz and the rest of Chicagoland’s Joes & Sallys will continue to be whittled down to nothing by The System they spent their adult lives serving.

I, for one, can muster no empathy. Their System beat it out of me.

-30-

About the author:

Dan Proft is the co-host of the radio program, “Chicago’s Morning Answer” on AM 560 and the host of the “Counterculture” podcast at AmGreatness.com and the usual podcast platforms.

Comments 72

  1. It take a razor sharp mind to craft a sentence like this:

    “During the 1970 Illinois Constitutional Convention, like cat burglars in the night, Chicago Democrat shot callers quietly seized the homes of Cook County families to use as collateral to finance the seven-figure net present value, defined-benefit pensions they guaranteed for their political warriors in the public sector unions.”

    This summation of Illinois says it all.

    Good to see Dan Proft’s prose, here at John Kass News.

        1. We left Rolling Meadows and crossed the Mississippi 15 years ago. Taxes were one of the main reasons (the other reasons being Illinois, Illinois, and low flying UPS planes out of ORD).

      2. We are victims. Have never voted democratic. Have stayed due to age. Have protested taxes with attorneys but did not work this time. Taxes up 107 percent. How do we get out?

      3. I agree with Dan’s analysis however he is the same guy who trashed Bruce Rauner, Richard Irvin and even Paul Valas. All of whom were better than the alternatives, now look at us.

    2. Not sure what they will do with the “confiscated” houses. Who will be able to afford them, or even want to live in Illinois? We left 10 years ago, do not regret it one bit. Only thing I miss is good deli.

      1. Jacqueline Gustafson asks “…what they will do with the ‘confiscated’ houses.”
        Well, I’m just spitballin’ here, but all of those migrants (aka “illegal aliens”) have to stay someplace, right?

        1. The “former paper” had a front page article recently about an illegal immigrant who was struggling to find health care. In the article the comment was made our health care system “caters” to those with citizenship, medical insurance and means. That is not catering. It is what most of us have worked hard for. The “confiscated houses” are just the beginning.

    4. Yes’ this! Reason #1 why I left Illinois. I tried to effect change. I wrote to all the papers and online publications. I was published at times (to include Proft’s Illinois Leader, lol) I ran for and was elected to local office in the La Grange Park in Cook County. I did it because I wanted to be a force for change. We lobbied as a Village, I also tried to use my individual voice. All to no avail. The politicians, to include the current speaker, gave us the continued one finger salute. The Joe’s and Sally’s kept voting them in and asking for more. There is a few good people left but they are under siege. They are perennial hostages. The Joes and Sallys then turned on us, the ones who tried to point it out. Especially gut like Kasso and Dan Proft because they were clear thinking, effective voices. Yet still there are those who deny it. Like Dan said; “I, for one, can muster no empathy. Their System beat it out of me.” Thanks to all the writers contributing to John Kass News. Truly clear voices needed so desperately in troubling times.

  2. The voters get the kind of government that they deserve. Apparently, the voters can’t figure out the connection between those that the voters elect and the system that the politicians elected serve. The voters do not have the common sense to vote for their own interests because thinking about that would take away from time spent in front of the TV watching Dancing with the Stars or some other nonsense. The so called educational system has been successful in breeding the common sense out of the voters. The voters don’t even have the common sense to look in the mirror and admit that they are the problem, not the clowns that the voters elect. At least the politicians have a plan to line their own pockets. The voters don’t have a clue. Nothing is ever their fault – the politicians lied to them. The politicians didn’t lie – the voters lie to themselves.

      2. The voters of Chicago proved how little they know, or worse, how little they care when they did not support and come out for
        Paul Vallas.

        A very decent chance to take a step toward improvement was within their grasp and based on turnout figures, could not be bothered or just plain wanted the deterioration to continue.

        And of course the stink of Chicago rubs off on everyone in Illinois, not just city folk.

      3. Right On! Chicago, Cook County…yeah, America too deserves the government that we have got. Why? because we collectively voted for them. Why? for perceived self interest, tribalism, skin color, their line of B.S….they weren’t the “other guy or gal”…maybe peer pressure. Whatever reason, we got them and are stuck with them till the next election cycle. An uniformed, timid, & apathetic electorate gave Chicago it’s current mayor…anybody have buyers remorse?

    5. Only 30.29% of registered voters were “bothered” enough to cast a ballot during the last Chicago Mayoral election. That’s like only 30.29% of homeowners being “bothered” enough to call the fire department when their house is ablaze. You do indeed get what you vote for, and miss an opportunity to put competent people in positions of power when you don’t!

  4. Damn, Mr. Proft sets a high bar! There’s no offset for those of us living through his quite accurate and elegant description of life in Illinois. I’m going to have to rewrite my proposed column re: my personal interaction with former IL Senate President John Cullerton – note to self: more superlatives. Great column Dan!

  6. Wow ! Learn something every day !! Didn’t even know (realize ?) about the collateral. Glad I moved out of Cook (err Crook) County.

    As for the voters, me thinks it’s gonna get worse. Why ??? Because the “future voters” are the same types of clowns who are just fine being consumed by environment, illegals, lack of law and order and refusal to abide by rules and procedures. The same goofball students and such protesting in support of Palestine (Hamas) who instigated the current Middle Eastern mess.

    Yeah, the future looks bleak, very bleak and that is a sad statement.

  9. Brilliant, Mr. Proft!

    I saw this coming in 2012.

    Finally had the opportunity to get out in 2018.

    Fled to Texas and have not regretted it – not for a minute.

  10. Well said Dan. You cannot beat a system where the crooks write the laws and rules you need to play by.

    I finally realized that and joined the Great Illinos Exodus last year.
    It was a good move.

  11. Your sentences are like swords stabbing at the hearts of all Illinois politicians and the citizens who continually turn a blind eye, Mr. Proft. Unbelievable corruption that is repeatedly believable here.

    I cannot wait until the moving trucks are at our house.

  12. Spot on Mr Proft. Just paid my property taxes in TN. 1 acre, 1900 square foot house, beautiful neighborhood. $785 per year! Sure beats the 10K we were paying in the Land of Lincoln.

  14. It is time for a TeaParty-like uprising from the people who are being inundated by high crime in government, high crime on the streets, pitiable public schools, while the teachers enjoy great salaries and all of the benefits of a terrific pension, and the businesses, small and large, being ignored while the city ‘burns’. It appears the only ones being protected are the politicians, the teachers and criminals who are being released to commit the same crimes over and over while the politicians tie the hands of the police dept. These thugs are not stupid…Just like our children, if I can get away with it once, I can get away with it again..When there are no consequences to the actions, the same acts continue.

    1. The last time people arose they were burned at the stake by Madigan and Burke’s media allies. Branded as hateful racists, deplorables and even chumbalones, locally.

  15. Thank you Dan for column. I listen to you and Amy every morning. You are right on money.
    I hear neighbors complaining about taxes. What do they do, hire a law firm for appeal.
    The system that enriched to Madigan and Burke. Let’s get new candidates for the better.
    Recycling same clowns in spots is not working in the circus of Illinois. Keep up the great work on radio. John Kass glad you are doing better. News website and podcast and the best.
    Merry Christmas Everyone!

  17. Madigan and Burke’s fleecing of the people of Illinois will go on and on long after they’re six feet under. We all saw this happening years ago and yet, their cult like following got them reelected over and over again. It took far too long for their crimes to catch up to them.

  18. There was an article in Sundays Chicago Fibune titled “Illinois property values skyrocket..”. I sent a screenshot to a friend and joked, translated this means “we’re raising your taxes”. Later that day I was on Breitbart and they had an article addressing Illinois taxpayer exodus and how a law basically eliminating homeowner exemptions was recently passed by its Democrat majority. I was joking, but this is no joke. Someone has to pay for Illinois politicians chasing businesses out of the state and pay to support Illinois newest imported voting bloc. Illinois homeowners are getting the bill in full. I sincerely hope John has trademarked his “No Chumbalone” catchphrase. There’s a great possibility of copyright infringement as unscrupulous people print up bootleg versions of caps, t-shirts and various merchandise to sell to beleaguered Illinois taxpayers for their own profit. Illinois might even adopt this as it’s new state motto. John’s genius needs compensation. I’m not anti Chumbalone, I’m pro John. Just saying.

  21. Spot on, Dan. As a conservative Illizuelan, my main hobby these days has become cultivating Schadenfreude. John, I’m so glad I subscribed to your news site.

  22. I don’t have any empathy for anyone who voted for those who have made this system the mess that it is … but, there are many of us, who didn’t vote for this. We live in Illinois (not Cook County), we keep up w/ what is going on, we vote to get in “new” people who say they see the problems and want to fix them, … but, even then they seldom win and if they do win then somehow eventually they too morph into the people that we tried to vote out!

  23. Mr. Proft is correct: there is no victim.
    In my experience when you discuss State/Local finances and taxes with the average person their eyes roll up into their head and all they hears is the “BZZZ BZZZ” sound. All they want is to watch TV and hope to win the lottery (as their retirement fund). Now they get the tax bill and they are astounded and outraged. Maybe when enough taxpayers lose their homes they will get the idea to actually vote and think. Maybe.

  24. Illinois ( or for that matter all) voters remind me of the final scenes in that oldish movie “The Time Machine” when the guy lands in the future to find all these beautiful, young and extremely friendly and kind people. Then a siren sounds and they become perfectly obedient and march into a nearby pyramid to be devoured by Warlocks. The young people in the film have the same vacant expression in their eyes as I see in young people today. Its weird. Our taxes went up 200% n Evanston, Money talks, bullsh** walks – eventually

  26. John you and I are cardiac brothers. Every day I got into the habit of going to the gym, and every day I hear the same phrase from the old coots in attendance: I feel sorry for my grandkids. I reply, “this is what their parents voted for”. Dan is right. People do not connect the dots on their voting choices which have real world consequences. But then again, a lot of these people are on the public sector gravy train, so all is good.

  27. Aha moment after reading Mr. Proft’s column. I grew up on the South Side and learned that too many folks were looking for ways to “get theirs” without working hard for it. I moved to Texas 4 years ago and found most people here worked hard (and still work hard) to achieve in life. Not hard to figure out which geography will flourish and which will fail.

  28. My wife and I are fortunate ones who 2 years ago were able to escape Illinois to Florida. I agree that Illinois, and Chicago especially, should be allowed to burn EXCEPT for the fact we have 3 married kids and 7 grandkids who all still live there. Due to their jobs, my kids are stuck there until they can either find new employment in other states, or until they reach retirement age. They all are staunch republicans, but in Illinois the strong GOP candidates don’t seem to exist. They therefore get all the “advantages” of being Chumbalones without having any say in the matter.

  30. The pensions are the key to the entire problem. Mayor Richie sold Chicago’s parking meters and Skyway tolling system in order to make pension payments which were un-funded. Today, I understand the pension account is almost $100 Billion UN-funded.

    Making debt problems like this is typical democrat criminality against taxpayers. They exchange big wages, medical and retirement programs for union votes. They get re-elected and the taxpayers, who were never at the bargaining table, get the shaft.

    democrats have wrecked every big city they manage and their voters should have their financial plans adjusted to fit the income of the cities and states that are paying them.
    This is typical democrat bullshit.

  31. And now that we are heading into yet another degrading and demoralizing 2024 Election Year, we have already begun the round of pre-Primary Debates. And so far they are uninspiring, but the Democrats are not even playing for fear Joe will embarrass them. But an all to large portion of the population will blindly go to the polls and vote for whoever they have been told to vote for. The Debates tell us nothing other than who can dig up the most dirt on who. So I do not watch those circuses but look elsewhere for information on the Candidates and try to make the best decision I can.

    Bottom line is I left Illinois nearly 10 years ago and where I live now, nobody is telling me who I must vote for. Freedom is pretty good once you get there, if you can break free of the lies.

  32. I have lost all empathy for the voters of Cook Cty and Chicago. Either through their votes or by not showing up they keep appeasing the Cook Cty machine…backing Toni and the teachers union via their precious votes.

    “The government you elect is the government you deserve.”

    ― Thomas Jefferson

    1. Bob Res, the only issue I have with your comment is the malignant cancer festering in Chicago/Cook County has metastasized into the other suburban counties. A group of us worked to get school board candidates elected in McHenry County that would represent the taxpayers and not just hacks for the teachers union. All the pro-union candidates (who were coincidently all women) won. The AFT/NEA provided the resources and their sleazy tactics (abortion, transphobia, MAGA, racists, etc.) to help the pro-union candidates. After the election I blamed the results on voter apathy and ignorance. Illinois is a lost cause.

      1. Same thing happened in Palatine/ Rolling Meadows. Trying to get the pornography out of the children’s libraries in Districts 211/15. Needed to flip 2 seats to achieve a 4 to 3 majority. There was a very good effort on our part but sadly the groomers won and actually gained another seat and now have a 6 to 1 advantage.

  33. Hmmm. Thus word describes it best “chumbalone”. Left five years ago (Park Ridge) for Music City, and as a bonus there is a Hockey Team that plays a good game.

  34. A little practical advice as opposed to whining:

    Basic understanding of how things work, is important, for sure. The way things work with property taxes is that the various taxing bodies establish how many feathers they can pluck from their geese. That establishes how much money each is going to get. To oversimplify, this is apportioned among the people and companies subject to those levies based on the relative values of the properties owned. So if my property is twice as valuable as that of my next door neighbor, then I should pay twice as much. Whatever the value, in Cook County, it’s too much, which is why I moved to greener pastures.

    But, if you want to (foolishly) stay in Illinois, that’s the way it works. However, there are ways to mitigate the pain.

    There are plenty of tax appeal firms that can effectively reduce an indiviual’s share. Most are not corrupt monoliths, but are skilled technicians. As a simple corporate lawyer, the process is way too complicated for me, so I always hired one to do the work.

    This is a game, and if you want to play (stay in Illinois), you should avail yourself of all the rules. This is the opposite of being a passive “chumbalone”. Personally, the game and the rules are repugnant to me. But if I get cancer, I’m not going to argue that it’s unfair, becuase it won’t help me. I’m going to hire someone who can help me.

    2. Hiring a lawyer saves you a few hundred dollars. Don’t expect much. Your property is compared to others and if there all high u won’t save much.

      One doesn’t need to leave state. Plenty of places in Illinois to live cheaply. I have relatives way down state and it’s dirt cheap and unfortunately: boring.

    3. The problem with your cancer analogy is that if you do get cancer and get chemo treatment, the side effects of said treatment – the nausea, the vomiting, the alopecia – do not make an unwelcome visit upon your neighbor. However a successful tax appeal on your part – since it does not reduce the overall total governmental tax burden – does effect your neighbor. Your successful appeal has a side effect: it increases the tax burden upon your neighbor. Interesting outcome, giving Illinois’ “touchy/feely” “compassionate” Peoples’ Republic. No?

  35. My wife and I left the Democratic Peoples’ Republic of Illinois in 2020 after we both retired at the start of the pandemic. We now live in the neighboring state of Kentucky, but it is worlds away from what we had to deal with in Illinois. Taxes are so much lower; in fact, we operate a hobby farm with many acres, and yet our annual property taxes are a fraction of what we were paying in Illinois for a postage stamp-sized lot. I realize that not everyone can move for one reason or another, but if you can swing it, you should try to get out of the Land of Shrinkin’ before it becomes even worse.

  36. I’m not a native Illinoisan. I moved to Rolling Meadows and settled in Hoffman Estates in the mid to late 90s. Thankfully, business has been good to me, of late. Were it not for that, I may have left a long time ago. I don’t want to move, but if I must, I know how to adapt. That said, huge potential property tax increases (they’ve been going up, but not dramatically – knock on wood) could put my marriage at risk.

  37. I think Lisa’s focus on the increased assessed evaluation on her home just reinforces how she has been played. The assessed evaluation is not the key metric … the total tax burden of that unit of government is. Think of the total tax burden as a pizza pie. If the size of the pie remains the same (the total tax burden) and one’s assessed evaluation goes up in the same proportion as everyone else’s then you pay the same property tax as before. If on the other hand your assessed evaluation goes up more than any of your neighbors then the size of your slice of pie goes up (property tax) and in fact your neighbor’s slice – and tax – likely goes down. The key factor is not necessarily the assessed evaluation (the slice of your slice of pie) but the total tax burden upon the community. In fact if the total tax burden goes up – as routinely happens – then even if your assessed evaluation goes down you still will likely end up paying more property taxes than before. I guess this all comports with Mr. Profts’ contention of the overall sleight of hand by the Madigan’s and the Burke’s. In fact the rules as I describe are in fact ingenious since they encourage folks like Lisa to appeal their taxes (and ironically transfer the excess tax burden to their neighbor’s if successful upon appeal … how’s that for “neighborliness?”). This guarantees and encourages a lifetime of lucrative employment for those in the tax appeal business like Burke and Madigan. And one more thing. As opposed to Mr. Proft’s contention that there are no victims to the system, there are: your neighbors.

  38. It is not just that I lack sympathy for those who have continually voted for the thieves and grifters who have betrayed them. My anger is not quantifiable towards those who have watched the slow decline of the 60s accelerate into the present warp speed chaos. As a nonagenarian, I no longer have the luxury of considering a move to a less corrupt state, thus my fury at those ignorami who have shattered my final years. As for Dan Proft, he has a God-given gift to clearly see through the miasma of Illinois politics and render the truth. He would have made a great governor.

  39. Sadly this column is spot on.
    No matter how many times I write my State Senator, Representative or have dialogue with them, their responses all end being relatively the same glib answers. You are mistaken. All is looking up. The state, and county are thriving including population and income growth. Education is excellent. Crime is down. The pension problem is getting fixed. Pay no attention to the statistics revealing anything but.
    Yet, I continue to remain, while friends and now family leave for more enticing places.
    It really bothers me that the system is working to perfectio as Dan states. The Democratic machine once limited to Chicago has grown its tentacles out to safely rule the county and state. It owns the court system all the way the the state Supreme Court. It has so perfectly made districts to continue to win and reward their dependents with pensions, and permanent employment all the while casting anyone in business as evil and entitled.
    Yet I stay, as do so many as we live out the line in Animal House “thank you master may I have another”.

  40. When I said back in 2015 that when my kids graduated HS & I retired (same year) we’d be leaving Illinois because we were tired of funding the kleptocracy and its enablers. Illinois ceased having a two party system a long time ago. We left a couldn’t be happier. We moved across the border and my Property taxes are less than half of what they were in Illinois. It’s not that we didn’t like where we lived, it’s just you can only tolerate watching politicians & their Public Employee Unions cronies scam taxpayers so much. At this point they best thing that could happen to Illinois is bankruptcy.

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