McCain Fails To Dent Obama's Momentum In Debate
With Barack Obama's lead in the polls steadily increasing, John
McCain failed to shift the dynamic in last night's second
presidential debate. The Los Angeles Times wrote that
"the two made little effort to hide their seemingly mutual contempt."
In one odd moment, McCain referred to Obama as "that
one" when pointing out the Illinois senator had voted in favor of a
Bush energy bill that McCain oppossed.
Bernanke Fails To Calm Investors, Calls For Rate Cuts
U.S. stock indexes closed at their lowest levels in five years
yesterday, despite assurances from Federal Reserve Chairman Ben Bernake
that the Fed’s Board of Governors would probably lower interest rates
at its meeting later this month. Investors were not consoled by a
plan unveiled yesterday that would give the Fed ability to
buy up commercial paper, debt used by companies for short-term funding.
Romney To Headline Roskam Fundraiser
Mitt Romney, the former Massachusetts governor and Republican
presidential candidate, is storming through Illinois later this month,
scheduled to appear at a $1,000-per-plate private fundraiser for U.S. Rep. Peter Roskam. "A
lot of people in the Chicago business community and the Republican
organization find him an exciting person and an exciting candidate,"
said Roskam campaign spokesman Matt Vriesema.
Suburban Homeowners Blindsided By Taxes
While the declining real estate market led many to believe the
assessment on their homes would fall this year, Cook County Assessor
James Houlihan says many people's tax liability has actually gone up,
stunning some local homeowners, particularly in the north and northwest
suburbs. Because assessments are completed every three years, the bills
in some areas reflect the value of the properties as they stood nearly
two years ago. "Cook County has always had a complex property-tax
system," said Laurence Msall, president of The Civic Federation, "but
recent changes by the legislature . . . have made it incomprehensible
and unpredictable."
Cook County Sales Plummet
One month after the county instituted its new sales tax increase, buying across Cook County dropped 11.94 percent, according to figures from the
Department of Revenue. With consumers feeling squeezed by the state of the economy, it's still too early to the true effect
of the tax hike.
Image used under a Creative Commons license by Flickr user The Confluence.
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