More McHenry County Blog

Two years ago Beaubien successfully challenged the petitions of Barrington Village President Marshal Reagle. Reagle missed the 300 required signatures by three, giving Beaubien a free ride to the State House.

While Driscoll is new to local politics, he does have experience as a congressional candidate. In 2000 he ran against liberal Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky in the 9th congressional district. Holding up the Republican Party flag earned him 24% of the vote in the heavily Democratic district.

He provided $35,000 to his campaign in 1999, according to the Public Interest Research Group. He spent about $60,000 on the race against Schakowsky’s $1 million.

Among his few political action committee donations were those from a motorcycle group, Congressman Donald Manzullo, who used to represent the McHenry County portion of the state rep district, and Paul Caprio’s Family PAC-Federal. None contributed more than $300. The largest individual contributors gave $1000. One was Jack Roeser, who lives in the state rep district, and the other was Miriam Hoover of Glencoe. Driscoll himself was an early financial supporter of U.S. Senate candidate Jack Ryan, giving him $415 in November 2003.

Beubien, on the other hand, reported over $44,000 in his campaign fund the end of last June and reported owing himself almost $86,000. Clearly, Beaubien can afford to run a first class campaign.

In 2002, when re-apportionment moved Beaubien’s district south into Barrington Township and west into McHenry County, Woodstock lawyer Pete Michling challenged Beaubien. Originally, Michling was planning to take on Democrat State Rep. Jack Franks. But Franks had his Bull Valley neighbor Michling drawn out of his district.

In the primary season, Beaubien started off with $40,000, raised $93,000 and spent almost $107,000. Beaubien won over 2-1, even carrying McHenry County by 984 votes out of the 5,600 cast. Michling $47,000 was outspent almost 2-1.

Beaubien was one of Personal PAC’s candidates, even receiving a paid assistant in the form of Shiela Leucht, who was the PAC’s pro-abortion candidate in the 2000 GOP primary in Frank’s district. Leucht ran third against winning pro-life candidate Tom Salvi and Steve Verr, the pro-life candidate who ran second.

In 2000, Beaubien was challenged in the GOP primary by Robert Freese of Mundelein, who lost 8,952-5,000. Beaubien spent $99,000 to Freese’s approximately $18,000. Personal PAC was again a heavy contributor of in-kind services.

The petition review process usually consists of someone looking at one’s opponent’s petitions on behalf of another candidate in the race. The folks doing the looking are sometimes not willing to admit they are working on behalf of the other candidate, but they usually are…at least indirectly.

Wauconda resident Lorraine Godawa filed the objection to Beaubien’s petitions.

Viewing Driscoll’s petitions was someone from Cicero: Anthony Dubicki. Looking at Beaubien’s petitions were Cynthia Saputo of Springfield and Ann Elgin of Chicago.

Elgin took a look on December 13th. The objection by Wauconda’s Godawa was filed on December 27th. The next day, Springfield’s Saputo probably obtained a copy of Beaubien’s petitions, presumably so someone on Beaubien’s side could see if there were potential problems with them.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

Dipping into Governor Rod Blagojevich's Personal PAC-induced controversy of requiring pharmacists to issue the drug, even if it is against the pharmacist’s religious beliefs, Personal PAC asks,

”Would you SUPPORT legislation allowing Emergency Contraception to be dispensed by a pharmacist over the counter and without a physcian’s prescription?”

In case Gov. Blagojevich’s executive order is overturned, would you vote to overturn the “conscience clause,” hence, “requiring all pharmacists to dispense these medications without delay?”

And, finally, would you vote to mandate insurance companies to cover RU-486, just as they do other prescriptions?

The final section, entitled, “Pro-Choice Leadership,” is on Page 4. (Remember, to be able to read the original, you will have to click twice on the page's image to make it large enough to see.) Here is where you, the “candidate herself/himself,” must sign below your answers.
The basic question is how much will you bug your legislative leaders?

“…for an agenda based on guarantees that abortion rights will be protected from further attacks. These attacks, of course, are always made on the most vulnerable—young, poor, rural, and now, women whose health would be jeopardized by carrying a pregnancy to term.”

“Will you diligently express to your Legislative Leader the importance of promoting a pro-choice agenda, including not allowing any anti-choice bills to receive consideration on the House and Senate floor?”

That’s aimed primarily at House Speaker Mike Madigan, who has usually allowed pro-lifers a vote on at least one bill a session. In an attempt to keep the pressure on him and the other three, this is asked:

“Will you actively lobby your Legislative Leader to appoint more pro-choice legislators to leadership?”

Specifically, what steps will you take and what direct leadership will you provide to stop anti-abortion bills from becoming law?” (It’s an essay question: “WRITE BELOW OR ATTACH SHEET.” [emphasis in the original here and below])

And, finally,

“If elected do you plan to cast your votes CONSISTENT with your answers to the above questions?”

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

Sounds harmless, doesn’t it?

Unless your Crystal Lake 14-year-old is brought under the influence of a junior high school teacher who is too cheap or too lazy to buy condoms and begins taking your daughter to the McHenry County Health Department for shots of Deprovera. And, the heath department folks apparently couldn’t figure out or didn’t care that a girl not old enough to drive was coming in for the shots on a Saturday, when PACE buses did not run from Crystal Lake to the courthouse complex.

When the teacher, William Saturday decided to get married, the girl, with whom he had sexual relations after she graduated from middle school, blew the whistle on him and off to jail he went.

The resulting scandal led the McHenry County Board to be the first in the country to reject federal birth control money because federal bureaucrats wrote rules requiring those accepting its money not to discriminate on the basis of age.

On to parental involvement prior to issuing birth control. Personal PAC claims

“Current publicly funded family planning programs annually 386,000 unintended births to teenagers, avoiding 155,000 tenage births and 183,000 abortions. While most tens inform a parent of their use of reproductive health services, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) found that 80% of teens who don’t would discontinue care if required to and fewer than 1 in 100 would discontinue sexual relations. The result of mandatory parental involvement in contraceptive care would be large increases among teens in undiagnosed and untreated sexually transmitted diseases, more teenage pregnancies, births & abortions.”

So, would you opposed mandating parental consent or notification before your child can get taxpayer-financed birth control?

And, what about “quality, comprehensive and fully-funded required sexuality education in public schools?” No indication what year your kids will see a condom being put over a banana, of course.

And, how about “allowing school-based health clinics, with local community support (of course), to prescribe or dispense birth control to students?”

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

Here's the rest of Larry Snow's concerns:

Explain the $35 million of Working Cash Fund money that makes a $27 million Education Fund deficit largely irrelevant.

Explain the Sears TIF (Tax Increment Financing) District, expiring in 2012, which will annually generate $10 million in additional revenue.

Show the true future property tax revenue from Randall Road ’s commercial property.

How much goes for a new teachers contract?

Explain the tax inefficiency. A large referendum increase in the education fund results in about 60% of the tax increase returning to the state as a reduction in state aid.

D-300 shares common denominators with D-158.

First, the same independent audit firm.

Second, PMA Financial performs financial projections for D-300. They presented financial referendum projections to D-158 residents.

Third, D-158’s financial adviser at Harris Bank, during its referendums is now a D-300 board member and heads D-300’s Finance committee.

How real was D-158's debt crisis during its referendum?

Last year Harris assisted D-158 in borrowing $13 million that apparently wasn’t needed. ($9 million was kept in a PMA (Financial, Inc.) money market account, while working cash sources went unused).

Given their track record, should D-300’s sources of financial projections and information be trusted?

I sincerely encourage District 300’s leaders to avoid using D-158’s referendum campaign playbook – selective information, deceptive omissions, emotional hype, threats to punish the kids, and fear-mongering rhetoric.

Hopefully D-300’s leaders will objectively provide all of the facts on a full disclosure basis to its community.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

The “inurbs,” on the other had are populated by “professionals--lawyers, architects and professors…with few conflicts with government.”

Kirk told the Weekly Standard that he and his caucus—the Suburban Strategy Caucus—intend to introduce legislation on the issues that polled well. Scoring high in the 22 issues included were

· Teacher background checks using federal data bases
· Tax credits for small business that provide employee health insurance
· Portability of health insurance
· Mandatory internet filters
· Baring states from issuing drivers’ licenses to illegal aliens

Kirk compared the Bush loss of Pennsylvania to his 2004 win in Ohio. “…he won Ohio because of his better showing in the Cleveland, Cincinnati, and Columbus suburbs,” reports the Weekly Standard.

The article does not point out that social conservatives had strong motivation for going to the polls in Ohio than was missing in its neighbor to the east—a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.

I shall ask Kirk’s office if that question was included in his survey research. I noted earlier that Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Melhman seems to have ignored that possibility in his Chicago visit.

Illinois Republicans have the possibility of placing a similar motivator on the ballot next year, but have shown no interest in gathering signatures for the Illinois Family Institute’s advisory referendum.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

Here's the rest of Ouimet's analysis:

In 2004, the McHenry County Democratic Party (the "Party") placed 34 individuals on the ballot for the office of Precinct Committeeman. In 2005, the Party increased the number to 54. This represents a 57% increase in the number of Democratic Precinct Committeeman and Women in McHenry County.

In addition, the number of Democratic ballots pulled in the March 2002 primary totalled approximately 11,283. In 2004, that number rose dramatically to 17,621. Similar to the increase in Democratic Precinct Representatives,the number of individuals pulling Democratic ballots rose by 56% between 2002 and 2004.

Moreover, in 2004, the Democratic Party counted a total of 54 elected and appointed Precinct Committeemen and Women. By the end of this year (2005), the Party will have 100 elected and appointed Precinct Representaives. This is an 85% increase in the numbers between 2004 and 2005.

Conversely, the Republican Party saw a 5% decline in the number of individuals willing to get on the ballot for the office of Precinct Committeeman in 2006.

There can be little doubt that the distinguished gentleman from Crystal Lake, Mr. Ken Koehler, Chairman of the McHenry County Board (Republican), correctly observed that "[t]here are more Democrats moving into McHenry County, so I'm sure they're going to be a force, no doubt about that." See N. Legue, "Fields set in county districts", Northwest Herald (December 20, 2005).

Thus, while the Democratic Party is still the underdog in Republican controlled McHenry County, the upward trend in Democratic numbers is inescapable.

Here's to an emerging multi-party system in McHenry County in 2006 and beyond. Wishing you and your readers a very healthy and happy New Year.

Patrick M. Ouimet
Democrat - Dorr 12.

He agrees with my conclusion,I think, that the GOP certainly has "a poor showing."

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

I remember reading something U.S. Senator Charles Percy put in the Congressional Record about how much it cost taxpayers to raise a child on welfare to age 18.

A cost-benefit analysis about whether another should be allowed to live. How immoral it seems in retrospect.

Personal PAC argues that the Medicaid-eligible woman who wants an abortion must

“borrow from their rent or grocery budgets, which means their families must do without basic necessities” or “obtain an abortion at a later stage, when the procedure is even more expensive and poses a greater risk to her health…The cost of a first trimester abortion is approximately 68% of the basic monthly grant for a family of three.”

Personal PAC asks no question about whether a candidate has ever contributed to a charity that will subsidize the abortions of those on welfare, however. Is there any such "charity?" Or is this issue primarily about making money for the abortion industry?

So, will the candidate support restoring abortion coverage under Medicaid?

And, how about paying for abortions for state employees, a health “benefit” that was eliminated shortly after those on welfare lost the taxpayer subsidy.

Pro-life sidewalk counselors are the targets of the next question, the first on Page 3. Of course, Personal PAC wants to protest “First Amendment rights to free speech and assembly.”

Really. That’s what it says when asking for support to “make it illegal to prevent a patient or staff person from entering or leaving a medical facility.”

And, just in case Cosgrove’s Roe v. Wade pessimism is well placed, Personal PAC wants to know if candidates would support the “Freedom of Choice Act,” which would codify the Federal decision.

The questionnaire complains that

“…the anti-legal abortion movement” has “hijacked the issue of stem cell research for political purposes.” Comparing the issue to the opponents’ “opposition to all forms of artificial birth control and its opposition to emergency contraception for rape victims, the anti-abortion movement is using opposition to stem cell research to establish as public policy (versus privately held religions doctrine) that life begins at conception without respect for a woman’s health and life.

Thus, support of stem cell research is essential to protecting reproductive rights.

The logic sounds convoluted to me, but apparently makes perfect sense to Personal PAC.

And, remember, this question is under the rubric “Protecting the Lives and Health of Illinois Women.”

Stop cloning and protect the lives and health of women.

Does anyone believe a slogan or theme like that can be sold to the public?

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

 
 

In any event, the questionnaire then asks about “banning D & E, D & X or any other particular medial procedure used by physicians to perform an abortion.”

And, without referring to Doe v. Bolton, it asks

“Will you SUPPORT Illinois and federal constitutional law (here, presumably is a reference to Doe v. Bolton) by opposing any late-term abortion ban that does not include an exception for medical procedures necessary to protect a women’s health?”

(Whenever an abortion proponent uses the “protect a women’s health” line, he is referring to Doe v. Bolton.)

Limiting abortions to hospitals, rather than in licensed (abortion) clinics and physicians’ offices is another topic candidates are asked to consider.

In the Ragsdale case, out of Rockford, Attorney General Neil Hartigan—then running for Governor--and the Illinois Public Health Department under Governor James R. Thompson agreed with the ACLU to strike down public health protections enacted under the sponsorship of pro-choice legislator Rep. Eugenia Chapman (D-Arlington Heights). Having both sides of the court case favor making abortions easy to get did not end up with protections for women obtaining abortions which are common in other states.

Stating that “informed consent is already required for all medical procedures,” Personal PAC warns “some states began to require mandatory anti-abortion lectures…require(ing) a physician to recite a predetermined litany of biased information about the ‘risks’ of abortion without requiring a discussion of the significantly greater risks of pregnancy and childbirth.”

It wants to know if the candidate will oppose requiring an abortionist

“show a patient materials about fetal development, at various stages of pregnancy, and other state-mandated information designed to dissuade a woman from having an abortion.”

Waiting periods are the next Personal PAC target. Passage would “single out abortion as the only medical service for which there would be a mandatory waiting period between the time a woman consents to an abortion and the actual performance of the procedure.

“These laws do nothing to assist a woman in making the decision to seek an abortion (that is certainly a true statement) and are merely another opportunity for those opposed to abortion to harass and intimidate women at their homes, workplace and at medical facilities,” the background to the question continues. “These laws, which can cause delays that threaten a woman’s health or result in a denial of services, are yet another government intrusion into the physician/patient relationship.”

One wonders if abortions are the only medical operation that one can get the day one walks into a clinic. Most medical procedures take weeks to schedule.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

 
 

 
 

 
 

 
 

There are five questions on Marriage and the Family:

Do you support or oppose amending the state constitution by defining marriage as between one man and one woman and the prohibit legal recognition of “domestic partnerships,” “civil unions” or any other legal construct similar to marriage?

Additional questions in this section are about the Human Rights Act, benefits for co-habiting partners, divorce and adoption.

On Parental Authority, there are seven questions, including one with McHenry County roots:

Do you support or oppose requiring schools, public health departments or any medical personnel to secure consent from a parent or legal guardian before prescribing, dispensing or administering contraceptive drugs or devices to a minor?

Other questions cover abortion, directing the upbringing of children, mental health screening without parental consent, parental notice/consent prior to abortion of a minor and mandatory participation in school activities parents find objectionable.

There are five questions about Education:

The first asks,

Do you support or oppose allowing per-pupil–spending state education funds to follow students to the schools parents choose?

Others cover charter school sponsorship, state scholarships for elementary and secondary students for private schools, abstinence education and intelligent design.

Gambling has two questions, one about campaign contributions and the other about casinos.

Crime & Punishment merits four questions, one of which is

Do you support or oppose establishing faith-based rehabilitation programs for Illinois prison inmates such as those for which Texas and Florida have contracted?

Others address the death penalty and legalization of marijuana.

The subject of Pornography has two questions. The first is

Do you support or oppose requiring public schools and public libraries to install filtering technology on computers to block access to illegal pornography?

Immigration gets four, the first of which is

Do you support or oppose the repealing of the 2003 law which grants illegal aliens in-state tuition privileges at state colleges and universities?

Others cover drivers licenses, enforcing Federal laws and matricula cards.

There are ten questions on Taxes, Spending & Property Rights, including

Do you support or oppose raising the state income tax to provide property tax relief?

Also asked about are the death tax, raising taxes and fees, plus tax support for abortions, cloning, harvesting tissues, banning military recruitment and the Gay Games.

ERA rates a “ratify or not ratify” question, as does Euthanasia.

On Executive Branch Transparency there are two questions, one of which is

Do you support or oppose requiring the governor to disclose to the General Assembly annually the fiscal impact of his executive orders?

Bio-Ethics has questions on cloning and experimentation on human embryos.

Abortifacient/Contraceptives rates three questions on RU-486 and mandated insurance coverage of contraceptives.

Last comes six questions on Abortion, the last of which is

In the event that the Supreme Court restores to the states the authority to set their own abortion policy, would you support or oppose legislation to allow abortion in situations where
(a) the child was conceived as the result of a sex crime?
(b) the child has been peranatally diagnosed with a handicap?

The questionnaire asks for a January 10th return date.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

Cosgrove says that his organization identifies, educates and brings to the polls large numbers of pro-choice voters in targeted state House and Senate districts to “…well over 100,000 voters.”

The letter is dated December 13th and replies are due December 27th.

If someone can think of a detail in the abortion debate that the questionnaire does not cover, it would be surprising.

On page 1, under the heading “Protecting the Lives and Health of Illinois Women,” the first question is worded interestingly, actually using the word “death,” but not with regard to aborted children:

“If the Illinois General Assembly were considering a law to criminalize all abortions, except procedures to prevent a woman’s death, would you OPPOSE this legislation?”

Just in case the candidate is in doubt as to which answer is desired by this special interest group, the question puts the “correct” answer in capital letters and in bold face type.

The second question prints the oath of office that each legislator takes, pledging to uphold the U.S. and Illinois constitutions and then points to the Parental Notice Act of 1995 and the “so-called” Partial Birth Abortion Act (1997) as acts which have been held unconstitutional. The question asked is whether “you will OPPOSE all future anti-abortion legislation that is similar to previous legislation that was held unconstitutional.”

Since Cosgrove apparently thinks the U.S. Supreme Court is about to loosen its constitutional interpretation of Roe v. Wade, this is an interesting question. One might wonder if a candidate would be off the Personal PAC hood if the federal court’s interpretation changes.

Nah.

In its question about parental notification or consent, Personal PAC appeals to the authority of numerous medical trade associations and uncited atrocities that have supposedly occurred where such laws are in force. Ignored are survey research results showing public support. It is interested in the judicial by-pass aspect, however.

Fall-back positions are given—lowering to age 16 the age of consent for an abortion and allowing non-parents to approve them (much as the previously criticized 1995 Illinois did). Let “aunts, uncles, adult siblings, social workers (for Planned Parenthood?), nurses (at an abortion clinic?) and clergy” substitute for parents, Personal PAC wants to know.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

 

Tyler Morgan, who works for Kraft and lives in Pistakee Highlands with his wife Amy, is vice president of the Lake County Young Republicans.

“I work with Kraft at the Northfield office and Kraft flew me out here right before the November elections. The first person I met was Dr. Dam,” said Morgan, who recently moved from California.

“It was my goal to put together a Young Republican organization.

“I’m the vice president of the Lake county YR’s, so we’re going to be supporting the chartering of the McHenry Young Republicans. We want to create an early linkage with the officers of the McHenry County Young Republicans and group, so we can have some kind of a combined effort during the 8^th congressional district election. We want to be able to work together.

“Our goal is to put Republicans in office and help Republicans stay in office.

“I think it is important that we are ready and knowledgeable about politics. If we start early, then we are more prepared when we are ready to take over positions and run for office,” added his wife Amy, a first grade teacher in Antioch, with whom he was having lunch when interviewed.

Amy Dalby, Executive Assistant to McHenry County State’s Attorney Lou Bianchi agrees that young people should get involved.

“I think it’s important to get involved.”

Looking for a Young Republican organization, “I found we didn’t have one anymore. I think it’s really necessary for the party and young people who want to get involved.”

And, regarding Dr. Dam’s future in politics:

“I’m not running for re-election,” he said. Having “the baby, just changes things--the pull on your heart strings. I just want to be home.”

Dam said he had previously attended 3-4 meetings a week.

Pizza will be provided by State Senator Pam Althoff and Dr. Dam.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

The union says the “defined contribution” plans “are weaker and riskier retirement plans and have not proven to be cost-effective plans compared to defined benefit plans.” (Tell that to all of the companies who have dumped their “defined benefit” pension plans in bankruptcy court. If it didn’t same them money, why would they want to kill them.)

SEIU wants to know on page 6, "If there are attempts to close Illinois defined benefit plans for local governments or state employees, will you oppose such efforts?”

When Illinois, under Governor Jim Edgar, gave state employees a huge pension increase, Missouri was splitting it pension program into half “defined benefit,” half “defined contribution.” What do you bet that Missouri’s pension system is in better shape that Illinois?

If it didn't save taxpayers money, I'd be surprised.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.