Sales Tax?

I am writing this edition of my blog from my hotel room in lovely La Crosse, Wisconsin. I am here for a wedding and am enjoying the charm of a small town environment and the chilly temperatures!
I had the opportunity to spend some time last night talking with a mortgage professional in Chicago who's in the wedding. One thing that he mentioned really struck me. The city is quite corrupt, which isn't that surprising. It's commonplace to have racked up hundreds of dollars in parking tickets. The interesting part was that they just approved a 10.25% sales tax amount, up one percent. This applies to retailers, hotels and restaurants. I think I will stay in Dallas!