Letters to the Editor: Say ‘no more' Kane tax hikes — reject referendum; don't believe everything artificial intelligence tells you

Chicago Tribune

14-02-2025

Say 'no more' Kane tax hikes — reject referendum
Taxpayers are government's 'bankers of last resort.' When politicians overspend and overtax in fiscally irresponsible ways, they rely on us to pay for it and it's ultimately up to us taxpayers to say 'no more.'
According to audited financial statements filed with the Illinois State Comptroller's Office, Kane County Board's ruling Democrat super-majority and its chairman have increased government spending by 88% in just four years, nearly doubling general fund spending from $66 million in 2020 to $124 million in 2024.
Now their so-called 'solution' is to ask you, the taxpayers, for an increase in sales tax applied to your taxable purchases to generate a staggering $51 million in new money annually. If the referendum passes, inflation (due to this mandatory tax) will increase.
No doubt the folks who want to reach more deeply into your pockets will make the typical disingenuous 'de minimis' argument … it's only a $150 increase on $20,000 of annual sales taxable purchases for the typical Kane County family, including gas, diapers, hardware store supplies, etc.
This is what's called 'death by a thousand cuts.' This sales tax increase is on top of the board recently raising the county-portion of your property tax bills for the first time in 12 years — only two weeks after they were reelected in November 2024.
If passed, this referendum will increase taxes and reward politicians who have massively increased spending in only four years. My family will be voting 'no.'
Chris Lauzen, Aurora
Don't believe everything artificial intelligence tells you
My computer updated itself recently when I wasn't looking and added artificial intelligence to my options when I do a search. I can honestly say it's a truly amazing entity.
I can ask it virtually anything and within seconds I get a response. It's like having a conversation with Sheldon from 'The Big Bang Theory' TV show, without the condescension.
Today I asked it for the average height of an American female and it quickly responded: 5-foot-4. I then proceeded to inquire about the average height of an American male and it said 5-foot-9.
Finally, I asked for the average waist size of an American male and the answer was surprisingly 34 inches. Of course, that was something I wasn't expecting and didn't particularly want to hear. So, I asked it for the average waist size of a male over 65 and at last I got the response I was expecting: 40 inches. Bingo. Sometimes patience is required when talking to a genius.
I guess the moral of the story is to be careful with the questions one poses to a higher intelligence. For one thing you may not be happy with the answer, and they just might be dead wrong.
For instance, I asked AI for my background as I like to write letters to the editor to fill my idle time and consequently there is a trail of written words with my signature.
The response I got back was anything but accurate. AI suggested I was a professor of comparative religion as well as a staff writer for a big city newspaper. Neither of which was even close to being true.
It can only be assumed that in the future artificial intelligence will prove to be both a blessing and a curse. On one hand it's expected to make our lives much easier and might even cure cancer.
But on the other, it can cause more trouble than it's worth if we are led to believe it's infallible. As we all know, that distinction is reserved exclusively for the pope and Donald Trump.
Bob Ory, Elgin