When Steve Kahn got a $26,000 tax bill on his airplane, he thought Maine Revenue Services had made a mistake. Kahn lives, works and keeps his plane in Massachusetts.
It turns out the bill was no error. It was part of the agency’s efforts to collect taxes on aircraft owned by out-of-staters, even though they bought their planes elsewhere and brought them to Maine only to visit.
States are in rebellion over Washington’s actions — and inaction — on some of the nation’s most pressing problems.
Disgusted with federal gridlock, states are carving out their own global-warming and immigration laws and are warning they simply may ignore Uncle Sam’s costly plan for tough national standards for driver’s licenses.
* Utilities, state make plans for interim power purchase period
The ad is running on broadcast TV stations, said Jack Quigley, Allen’s media consultant. The campaign bought daytime slots, which cost less, and some newscast slots, where the thinking is news viewers might be more likely to vote.
Quigley said they expect their media buy will exceed $500,000 of what will be a $1 million primary campaign. If that’s spread out over the five weeks left until the Feb. 5 primary, the ads could have a small audience. Blanket coverage on Chicago TV stations can run anywhere from $500,000 to $1 million a week.
The 2007 legislative session won’t be remembered for what lawmakers accomplished for Illinois. A year of overtime infighting and bickering has assured it will be infamous for all that didn’t get done.
Still, legislators can point to some achievements. From a statewide smoking ban and electric rate relief to a bevy of new license plates and protection for horses, more than 700 measures –both significant and obscure–became law.
Here’s a look at what happened under the Statehouse dome that might affect day-to-day life in Illinois.
* Illinoize: New year, new rules, new server–A couple of thoughts on the coming of the new year from ICPR
* Animal Farm: Illinois gridlock quotes of the year
