Chicago is about to vote for a raise in property taxes for homes valued at or over 1 million dollars. Chicago’s mayor, Brandon Johnson, is advocating this policy as a means of dealing with the city’s homelessness problem. Chicago has over 6,000 homeless people. Additionally, Chicago is a place with very extreme weather, with huge blizzards and blistering heat.
People need shelter to live, and those who have the resources to make sure that others can live have a responsibility to share those resources. however, in the real world, the rich don’t share their resources in ways that don’t help them.
Tax The Rich
This is a tax on those who can afford 1 million dollar homes and is projected to bring in 100 million dollars of revenue for the city that will be invested in fighting homelessness. This money could be used to create affordable housing, create jobs, or even support a universal basic income.
It is up to the Chicagoans for this to become a reality. Chicagoans will vote on this matter during the March 19 primary. Chicago could look a lot different and a lot of lives could be turned around if Chicagoans could come together and make the right choice. It doesn’t make sense that some people can own multiple million-dollar homes and others are homeless through Chicago winters.
Houseless Humans
Here is a quote from a Chicago homelessness official “We look forward to keeping up our efforts to reach hundreds of thousands of voters about their opportunity to vote yes for a fair and sustainable plan to fund housing, care for the homeless and ask wealthy real estate corporations to pay their fair share.” according to Block Club Chicago.
Chicago has a golden opportunity to begin significantly impacting its homelessness issue. The houseless are still human beings, and as a because, that humanness they deserve housing. Their lives matter just as much as any person who rents or owns a home. Those who can afford a million-dollar home can also afford to assist the houseless and it’s time that Chicago acknowledges this contradiction.
Written by Kenneth Mazerat
Sources
BlockClubChicago: Bring Chicago Home Will Stay On The Ballot After City’s Appeal
CBSNews: Appeals court rules “Bring Chicago Home” tax referendum valid, orders votes counted in March primary by Todd Feurer
NBCChicago: What is the ‘Bring Chicago Home’ Referendum, and is it still on your ballot? by James Neveau
Featured and Top Image Courtesy of Sara’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
First Inset Image Courtesy of Kent Wang’s Flickr Page – Creative Commons License
