Two years before America elected Barack Obama to be its President, the voters of Cook County, IL elected a Board President who had no executive experience and an undistinguished record as a legislator. In fact, Todd Stroger may been elected because during the final week of the campaign Senator Barack Obama sent a letter to voters calling Stroger  "a good progressive Democrat" who will "lead us into a new era of Cook County government."   How's that new era worked out?   Todd Stroger got in political hot water when he enacted a one percentage point increase in the county sales tax in 2008 in order the balance a bloated county budget. That move made the combined state, county and city tax in Chicago 10.25%, the highest in the nation. The increase seriously hit those Cook County retailers that specialize in large ticket items and...(Read Full Post)