Saturday, August 30, 2008

State of Illinois Rants, Raves, and Elections

100 million Reasons to Vote "No" to Illinois Constitutional Convention. Read Dahl's explanation in the MDH.
http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2008/10/10/news/332amordahlonconvention.txt

18 comments:

Verity Quest said...

State Park Stunt?

Our Governor, Rod Blagojevich, has planned to close 11 state parks, including Gebhard Woods in Morris, Channahon Parkway State Park in Channahon, and the 500-acre Illini State Park at Marseilles (effective date of November 1, 2008).

Morris Mayor Dick Kopczick states that "the closings won't save a million dollars in salaries," about the three area parks (Gebhard Woods in Morris, Channahon Parkway State Park, and the Illini State Park at Marseilles) slated for closing.

Kupper also states that the savings will be "peanuts in a budget shortfall of $2.1 billion."

Meanwhile, Rachel Pfaff has organized an on-line petition at www.gopetition.com/online/21603.html to garner people to fight the closings.

Sign the petition and get involved. It seems these slated closings are politically motivated rather than fiscally.

Thanks to the Mayor, Rachel, and all who sign the petition.

Anonymous said...

According to wikipedia, it costs $6,000 for our governor to make a round trip flight from Springfield to Chicago (where he lives). Wiki also states that he will not stay the night in the governor's mansion in Springfield.

How many trips would it take to keep these 11 parks open?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rod_Blagojevich

Anonymous said...

Blago has only an 8% (yes that is correct, a single digit) approval rating. I didn't think single digit approval ratings were plausible. Next up, negative percentages for approval ratings? That sure seems what our Governor is vying for.

Anonymous said...

If these parks are costing the state too much money, then why not attempt to do what other states do?

For example, one lake in Wisconsin (I believe it is Lake Geneva) has a metal box (similar to the ones downtown Morris that facilitate parking ticket payments) and envelopes that request you make a nominal payment (a couple of dollars) for using the park/docks. This is all on the honor system and the amount received would probably be close to what they would save by closing these places.

Why weren't measures similar to this even considered? Why the surprise announcement? What was the thought process behind the closings? What numbers is Blago using to substantiate the decisions? With no transparency, it makes me believe that Blago's actions are purely political too.

Anonymous said...

Where is Coreen Gordon at? It's funny how she has little or no knowledge of issues coming out of Sproingfield that effect our area. It's time the Dems stop the in-fighting and start working together for the good of the people. They are destroying our state, where will it end?

Anonymous said...

cAreen gordon has been all over this from the outset. She has been busy trying to keep the parks open in SprIngfield. Don't you listen to the radio or read the newspaper?

Anonymous said...

Yes, I have to agree with 6:29am, Careen is "all over" this.

Anonymous said...

Seems like Blago was trying to pull a stunt after all with the parks and historical sites. After failing to close Stateville, he went after parks and historical sites that would surely get the public's attention.

As printed in the Morris Daily Herald, Careen Gordon (75th District State Rep)asserts that the money has always been there for the parks and historical sites that our governor slated to close. Blagovich apparently took the funds away. Gordon and other lawmakers reappropriated the funds and now await the approval by the Senate (SB 1103) and Blago's approval or denial.

Gordon, in the MDH article, states, “So now, we have it in writing the fund must be used to keep the parks open,” she said. “I asked my staff, ‘Does this mean there's money in the fund, and he's just not using it?' They shook their heads ‘yes.'”


Did Blago think no one was watching? He knows full well the public is watching and he succeeded in getting our attention.
Now, the next thing to be slated for closing has a better chance passing the public's scrutiny.

If he closes his commute to and fro Chicago ($6,000 each time), I'll back him on that one.

Thanks to Careen Gordon and all other lamakers that are trying to preserve our historical sites and parks.

MDH Article: http://www.morrisdailyherald.com/articles/2008/09/14/news/355bmorparks.txt

Joliet Herald Article:
http://www.suburbanchicagonews.com/heraldnews/news/opinions/1146006,4_4_JO05_EDIT_S1.article

Anonymous said...

Looks like mother nature has paired up with the govenor....

Anonymous said...

6:29, 4:38 , 6:51, You all just keep reading the MDH and “don’t stop believing”, it’s amazing how easy it is to fool some people. The fact is the current Il politicians especially the democrats in office have split into two sides. One side is under Blago the other is following the Chicago clan led by the father / daughter Madigan pact. Gordon has obviously sided with the Madigan’s and has allowed Lisa M. to lead her around by the nose. Blagos choice of parks is a way to retaliate. The losers are us, Gordon is as much to blame as Blago, wake up and look whets happing not just what you read or what the MDH prints

Anonymous said...

Incumbents everywhere need to go. Throw the whole bunch in the "bailout abyss." We need to start over with intelligence rather than the "favor game" that has been played for eons in politics.

FFDM said...

House Democrats are desperate for solutions after a series of poor economic decisions. David McAloon disagrees with selling state assets for temporary solution.

Illinois legislatures voted two weeks ago on a proposal to lease the state lottery out to a private contractor, using their earnings to plug the hole in the budget, and approved the legislation by a 75-38 vote. Republican candidate, David McAloon, is appalled by the need to take such drastic measures, but not at all surprised. “For the last 5 years, the Democrat controlled legislature has continued to add more programs that they couldn’t pay for, while under-funding programs they were already committed to. Then they raise taxes and fees on small businesses, running more wage-earning jobs that working families depend on out of the state”, stated McAloon.

According to the Illinois Constitution, a three-fifths majority vote in both the House and the Senate is required for the state to borrow money. House Democrats are attempting to circumvent the law by leasing out the revenue produced by the lottery and spending the money now. By doing this, only a simple majority vote would be required. Democrats across the board support the leasing of such a valuable asset, despite the fact that the move is a lousy one. Losing most of the annual lottery revenue stream could eventually damage state funding, with human services and education suffering the most.

Careen Gordon, has once again fallen in behind House Speaker and Democrat leader Michael Madigan and voted in favor of leasing the Illinois lottery.

“If the democrat leaders in House and the Senate had done their job and passed a balanced budget to begin with, we wouldn’t be in this position. As a state representative, part of the job is to make the tough choices for the people in your district and not just play politics. Unfortunately, Springfield continues to be the finger-pointing capital of Illinois”, says McAloon.

McAloon asserts, “Part of the solution for this current train wreck is to stop adding expenses and programs to the state budget when you can’t even pay for the existing one, and to reduce taxes and fees on working families and get people back the work.”

FFDM said...

With the country in dire economic straits, Illinois Democrats are quick to point the finger at the Bush Administration, claiming that the financial turmoil is the result of the administration’s deregulation. David McAloon, candidate for Illinois State Rep, 75th District, is quick to disagree with this theory, noting that the economic crisis all points back to the Democrats and the Clinton Administration.
“The fact is, President Bush has never signed any banking deregulation. The last banking deregulation to be signed was the Gramm-Leach-Bliley bill, signed by President Clinton in 1999,” states McAloon, “This is how we got here, and now the damage is done. It’s the taxpayers that are stuck bailing out Wall Street now.”

In Illinois, many still live in fear of an economic meltdown. With the approval of the privatization of the Illinois lottery and the pending park closures and layoffs across the state, Democratic politicians in Springfield have done little to reassure Illinois families and business owners.

“This is exactly what I’m talking about; we need to have civil servants that are representing the people and not politicians that are representing special interest groups, big business, and lobbyists. That’s exactly how we got here,” said McAloon.

With many Americans holding hope in dismal view, McAloon is confident that we will break through these economic struggles, but not without work;
“We need to enact common sense and good public policy, and we need to remove from their positions insider politicians meddling in economics for personal gain. Our country will get through this.”

If Democratic leaders in Illinois continue to enact policies that follow the vicious tax-and-spend cycle, then there may be even harder economic times ahead of us.

“We live in the greatest country in the world. Americans are great, hardworking family people. And we expect more from our government then what we’ve been handed. The answer is weeding out corruption, and this is something that House democrats are unwilling to do. We are a resilient nation, we just need honest leadership.”

Anonymous said...

A law with very strict campaign limits and very strick lobbying rules will stop the corruption as well as stopping the offshore banking industry (where many hide their ill-gotten gains). This will put many attorneys out of work and the rich won't go for it; hence, it won't pass.

Anonymous said...

It isn't a Democrat or Republican thing...it is a general across-the-board politician thing. Partisan politics is used to keep the "Joe 6 pack" occupied with cheering for their team (party) while the politicians (both parties) steal "Joe" blind. It is the ole "hugem and pick pocket them" scene. Has your life gotten better in the past decade? If not, we need to change things.

Anonymous said...

Their has been massive purges of voters in the primaries. Be sure to check your registration and polling place. Don't take a chance on losing your vote in November.

Make sure you are registered to vote by the deadline in your state, and find out where you vote on election day. Many voters went to the polls in the primary election and discovered they weren't on the registration rolls. Don't let that happen to you.

Call your local election office (Grundy County Clerk's phone number is 815-941-3222) today to make sure your vote counts. Spread the word.

Richard said...

Should Illinois claim it's sovereignty?

The Tenth Amendment of the United States Constitution, which is part of the Bill of Rights, was ratified on December 15, 1791, and states restates the Constitution’s principle of Federalism by providing that powers not granted to the national government nor prohibited to the states are reserved to the states and to the people. It is based on an earlier provision of the Articles of Confederation: “Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom, and independence, and every power, jurisdiction, and right, which is not by this Confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled.”

Although Fox News and CNN are not telling you about it, a growing number of states are declaring sovereignty. Washington, New Hampshire, Arizona, Montana, Michigan, Missouri, Oklahoma, California, and Georgia have all introduced bills and resolutions declaring sovereignty under the Tenth Amendment. Colorado, Hawaii, Pennsylvania, Arkansas, Idaho, Indiana, Alaska, Kansas, Alabama, Nevada, Maine, and Illinois are considering such measures.

The following are state bills declaring their sovereignty:

Arizona
http://www.azleg.gov/FormatDocument.asp?inDoc=/legtext/49leg/1r/bills/hcr2024p.htm

California
http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/pub/93-94/bill/sen/sb_0001-0050/sjr_44_bill_940829_chaptered

Georgia
http://www.legis.state.ga.us/legis/1995_96/leg/fulltext/sr308.htm

Michigan
http://www.legislature.mi.gov/(S(fwgps4452pzguorihwcuykbt))/mileg.aspx?page=GetObject&objectname=2009-HCR-0004

New Hampshire
http://www.gencourt.state.nh.us/legislation/2009/HCR0006.html

Washington http://apps.leg.wa.gov/billinfo/summary.aspx?year=2009&bill=4009

Anonymous said...

Richard,
Sounds like a LARGE Tea bag they are bringing to their tea party.

What repercussions do you predict?