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“I wish I could afford to pull all the toilets out of my house so I could afford the property taxes. “In January, we listed our house at $31,000 less than we paid for in 2006. Right now it’s listed at $55,000 less than we paid for it. [In Arizona] we’ll be saving on the…

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Vito Dellegraize

“I’m moving to Memphis. Gone after Easter dinner. “I was born and raised here in the Chicago area. I’ve watched it change. If you’re not watching and you don’t have an objective view around you or you just shut it off, you don’t notice these subtle changes. “In the last 10 years I’ve gotten significantly…

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Jeffry Bedore

“I became a teacher 20 years ago. And back in those days, you went to a first day [orientation]. And while they were saying ‘here’s how the building is laid out, here’s the key,’ they said ‘here’s the form you sign to be in the union.’ It was an expectation of the job. “I got…

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Jesse Boyle

“Uncertainty is a business’ worst enemy, whether you’re a Fortune 500 company or a small business. “It comes down to whether our policy leaders in Illinois have the political will to stop raising costs. It doesn’t appear that they do. And it’s not sustainable for a smaller business. It just isn’t. “I know the first…

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John Moss

“I moved here about seven and a half years ago and got a job at the health department. I had never been in a union before. They said ‘OK, well now that you work here, you have to be in the union.’ “The first union meeting I went to I was voted in as president….

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Tracy Ross

“Moving away is always in the back of your mind. You’re always making a new game plan. “Everything you do is about the business. If the business does not thrive, at a fundamental level you need to be ready to make a move because the business can be bankrupt almost instantly. “I want state leaders…

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How shock at McHenry County tax bills is fueling a revolution

Frustration over high taxes and government waste in Illinois need more than an angry social media post or a moving van. Some residents of McHenry County, Illinois, acted, and are winning reforms.

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Harry Jackson

“At 20 years old, you don’t think, ‘We found some pot. This could affect the rest of my life.’ “We were riding dirt bikes out in the woods. And we stopped to take a rest, and went ‘what is that?’ And they were these tall little hemp plants. “They were useless. I had them months…

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Jackie Reed

“I’ve seen a mass exodus. I’ve been a realtor for 24 years, on average selling 40 to 50 homes a year. I usually had my sellers call me because they wanted to move to a new house [in Illinois]. Now, instead, they call and say, ‘We’re done, the taxes are too high. Too much corruption.’…