Here is the rest of Churchill's press release:

By some estimates, 21,000 Americans are injured by BB guns each year. Nearly two-thirds of these victims are children. “There’s a famous line from the movie “A Christmas Story” when Ralphie asks for a Red Rider BB gun, everyone, including Santa Claus, tells him he’ll shoot his eye out,” Churchill continued. “While it’s funny in the movie, serious injuries to our children happen every day because of BB guns.”

A number of school districts across Illinois have banned BB guns, pellet guns and gun look-alikes, or toy guns. HB 4391 seeks to provide further support to school boards and administrators who have been left to create a mix of policies ranging from suspension to expulsion of students who bring a BB gun to school.

HB 4391 amends the Criminal Code of 1961 by adding the prohibition of bringing or possessing a BB gun on school grounds to the definition of “disorderly conduct.” Should a person be found guilty of endangering the safety of school children by bringing a BB gun on school grounds, they would face a stiff monetary fine as well as the possibility of community service.

While Churchill introduced HB 4391 to provide greater safety on school grounds, he fully recognizes that BB guns are used constructively in a number of ways. “BB guns certainly have their place in society. I know that the Boy Scouts and the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, for example, utilize BB guns to teach marksmanship as well as instill a respect for firearms,” Churchill added. “BB guns and weaponry of any kind, though, do not belong on school grounds.”

HB 4391 does provide for an exemption to the prohibition with the prior consent of the chief security officer for the school. “I know that there are some schools in Illinois that have monitored, competitive target shooting clubs that may use BB guns,” Churchill said. “It is not the intention of HB 4391 to remove these highly controlled, worthwhile experiences from the school setting. HB 4391 is intended to provide greater safety to our kids while at school.”

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Mike Zolnierowicz
January 31, 2005 Office: 847/487-0220
Mobile: 847/946-7223

BARTELS ANNOUNCES WITHDRAWAL FROM 8TH DISTRICT CONGRESSIONAL RACE

Today – Teresa Bartels announced that she will begin the process of withdrawing her name from the 8th District Congressional race. A first time candidate facing several well-known political names, Bartels cited the inability to compete with the spending of her opponents, along with a desire to be fair and considerate to her volunteers and donors, as reasons for her withdrawal.

The following is a statement by Teresa Bartels:

“I decided to enter the race 7 months ago because I felt the Republican Party, and government service, would benefit from an ordinary citizen with strong business and community service background. I planned to bring common sense and a real world perspective to this district and government service…I feel that I have accomplished that and more. Along the way, we have had a great deal of support and success in fundraising, at times even exceeding that of my opponents. While I have invested some personal money in my campaign, I do not feel it is practical to compete with the $1 million or more some of the other candidates are willing to spend. It doesn’t fit with my approach to business, life, and government. I am withdrawing now because it is the right thing to do to provide voters with a clear choice on March 21st.

Let me be clear that I am not criticizing my opponents for spending their own money to pursue elected office. This is America, and our laws protect free speech-including the right to spend personal funds for political speech. But I have told my family that putting up to a million dollars into this race just isn’t right for me at this time.

I want to thank the 350 volunteers and nearly 1000 donors who have helped over the past months. My campaign has attracted the interest of many people who had lost interest in the political process. This re-invigoration of voters-good citizens-is one of the real successes of our campaign and will be important to a victory over Melissa Bean in November. Chuck and I will never forget the many people who have been with me from the first days running the campaign from our kitchen. I look forward to a continuing friendship with so many of the good people I have met in the past months and to working with them in the years to come.

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Above is a smaller heart box with a box with a 4½ by 4 3/4 inch cut crystal lid with mirrored bottom held up with 2 inch crackled glass sides, all held together with twisted black metal.

This photo was taken in the sunlight. The metal does not appear as black as it is.

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Here is the rest of the column:

Why not change the state constitution to allow a home rule city [primarily cities over 25,000 people] to change the real estate tax structures, by designating areas where rehabilitation or growth is desired? Let the city council mandate the shifting of the tax burden from land and buildings, to land alone.

With a new tax rate to assure no loss of property tax revenue, think of the results of such a shift.

Picture three adjacent lots, one with an apartment building, one with a residence, and the third empty. Under my suggestion, the real estate tax would be the same for all three properties. That's right; I am suggesting that similar-sized lots in the same block pay the same tax bill.

What will that mean to an apartment owner?

First, apartment owners will not see their tax bills jump as they improve their buildings. In fact, the new tax assessment system will encourage owners to improve their properties. That way they can provide better housing and prosper without paying higher real estate taxes.

How about the homeowners? The more valuable the home, the more savings they will enjoy. The poorer the home, the greater the incentive to make improvements.

Okay, what about the owner of an empty lot or an empty block?

For starters, property taxes on vacant land will greatly increase. So owners of empty lots will no longer be able to hold onto them for virtually no cost.

If you owned vacant land in what the city council designated as a "Rehabilitation and Growth Incentive" area, you would be strongly encouraged by the new property tax option to do something with it or sell it. You couldn't afford to let it sit vacant.

Will it work? New York City tried it. For five years right after World War I, all new housing improvements were exempted from property taxes. The result was the biggest building boom for housing in New York City's history.

If a proposal like this were adopted, the city council could harness the self-interest of real estate owners and developers to provide improved housing for people in any neighborhood. The same tool could be used to lure commerce and industry to specific parts of the city.

Surely, the harnessing of private self-interest to accomplish society's goals beats waiting for government at any level to get something done.

I think implementing my "Rehabilitation and Growth Incentive" constitutional amendment would be best for both Chicago and its suburbs.

It doesn't make sense, in this era of scarcity, to raze blocks of the city to produce urban weastelands, while at the same time covering some of America's richest farmland with subdivisions.

While suburban taxpayers are being forced to subsidize growth, Chicago residents are seeing fewer and fewer people around to help pay the fixed costs of police and fire services, water and street systems. The costs of some public services like public transportation and education have been shifted to the suburbs and, indeed, to the entire state, but this generalization remains valid: Chicagoans' taxes will tend to increase as people move to the suburbs, leaving fewer and fewer people in Chicago to pay for needed public services.

The solution to both problems is to give private enterprise the incentive to rehabilitate housing in Chicago, and to utilize the 'blocks of weeds' to increase the housing supply where utilities and streets already exist.

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Here's Kathy Salvi's answer:

My answer:

I support several specific plans.

AHPs

I favor health plans promoted by organizations such as the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB). Associated Health Plans (AHPs) would allow small businesses to band together across state lines to find more affordable plans. Since most workers are employed by small businesses, this will give the small business employer the same bargaining power big businesses have in negotiating with health insurance companies.

AHPs will allow millions more Americans access to affordable health care. I would lead the effort to bring affordable health insurance to every employee of a small business through AHPs.

Legal Reform

Legal reform is another area where an impact can be made by the federal government.

I support legislation which would prohibit a plaintiff in any tort case from forum shopping. Forum shopping is where a plaintiff picks a state or jurisdiction that is pro-plaintiff. The plaintiff should be required by federal legislation to file his case where the incident occurred.

I support loser pays legislation, which provides that the loser of a medical malpractice case must pay the opponent's costs. I also support limits on punitive damages. Punitive damages are designed to punish tortfeasors for violating important national policies. For example, if a national or international corporation knows its product will kill patients, but hides that fact from the USFDA, a federal punitive measure is appropriate, but should be limited. The limit should be $500,000.

These are all areas which need federal legislation because they involve either national policy goals, or they involve matters which can only be handled by the federal government.

I do not support, however, the federal government telling the states how to run their courts. I support states' rights. Elected representatives of the people of a state should be allowed to have control over how their state court system operates. One exception, in my opinion, is if it involves a matter which can only be accomplished by the federal government. Another is a matter involving national policy goals, such as drug safety.

For example, a single state cannot prohibit a plaintiff from filing in a different, pro-plaintiff state. Only the federal government can accomplish this.

MSAs

Expanding the successful medical savings account (MSA) program (which I use for the employees of my law firm) will help a lot.

A Medical Savings Account (MSA) is a form of individualized health care benefit. An MSA is a tax-advantaged personal account from which an individual pays their health care bills. It is usually accompanied by a high-annual-deductible ("catastrophic") insurance policy which pays 100% of health care bills above the deductible. The amount put into the MSA each year is generally less than the annual insurance deductible. MSA funds which are unspent as of the end of the year can be kept in the account to pay health care bills in future years. Or, the individual can draw from the account for non-medical reasons, but she must pay taxes if this is done.

In other words, an employer puts money, pre-tax, into an account for her employees. Catastrophic insurance is purchased from these monies, and the MSA becomes the employee's bank account for future medical expenses. In my experience, employers love it (I do, I get to deduct 100% of my contributions), employees, of course, love it , and the medical providers, who get paid immediately, love it. Let's expand it!

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Cambridge Homes, which has been purchased by national homebuilder D.R. Horton, made lots of contributions, but most were to Republican politicians.

• $1,000 on 3/26/5 to Citizens for District 56 Schools in Gurnee
• $5,000 on 3/6/5 to Lake County Residents for Traffic Relief, seeking a sales tax hike
• $5,000 on 2/28/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)

Isenstein/Pasquinelli L.L.C., donated to the following tax hike committees:

• $5,000 on 1/25/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)
• $250 on 4/5/05--after the election--to Troy Pride Committee, a school district near Joliet

Kennedy Homes passed out the following campaign donations:

• $5,000 on 2/3/5 to Citizens With a Vision for District 100 in Belvidere
• $250 on 2/16/4 to Our Children: Our Investment in McHenry
• $3,000 on 2/12/4 to Our Children: Our Investment, the tax hike committee for the Troy School District near Joliet
• And here, the $1,000 given on 2/15/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)
• $500 on 1/16/2 to Residents for Parks and Recreation for the Fox Valley Park District in Aurora

Kirk Corporation made a couple of contributions to tax hike committees, but most went to candidates:

• $1,000 on 3/16/5 to Kaneland Referendum Committee supporting District 302 referendums
• $500 on 2/12/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)

Lakewood Homes wrote the largest checks, but a lot more to politicians than to tax hiking committees:

• $25,000 on 2/25/3 to Student Success Committee - Lakewood Homes, the tax hike committee that served as the company’s personal front group before a Minooka referendum (If a committee gives more than one-third of its contributions. Lakewood gave almost 90% of the money the tax hike committee received.)
• $1,000 on 2/24/3 to Elgin’s Quality for CCSD 46
• $5,000 on 1/25/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)
• $2,500 on 10/2/2 to Oswego Schools Referendum Campaign Cmte
• $10,000 on 3/22/2 to Bright Futures Cmte, the Fremont School District 79 political action committee
• $10,000 on 3/22/1 to Bright Futures Cmte
• $5,000.01 on 3/15/1 to Citizens for Classrooms Plainfield School Dist 202

Neumann Homes wrote some checks to tax hike committees, too:

• $5,000 on 3/22/5 to Kaneland Referendum Committee
• $2,000 on 3/8/4 to Antioch Committee of 34
• $1,000 on 3/24/3 to Student Success Committee - Lakewood Homes
• $2,000 on 1/24/2 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)
• $5,000 on 2/8/0 to Citizens for Classrooms Plainfield School Dist 202

Pulte Homes contributes regularly to those who want your taxes to increase, too:

• $1,000 on 10/23/4 to B.E.S.T. (Building Exceptional Schools Together), the Huntley group that grossly misrepresented the referendums it supported.
• $5,000 on 3/23/2 to Elgin’s Concerned Citizens for Education
• $5,000 on 2/11/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)
• $10,000 on 3/12/3 to District 300’s Advance 300, then known as Schools for Now Dist. # 300 Committee
• $10,000 on 10/21/0 to District 300’s Advance 300, then known as Schools for Now Dist. # 300 Committee

Realen Homes wrote four checks that could be found to tax hike committees:

• $2,500 on 2/11/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)
• $1,000 on 10/21/2 to the Fremont School District’s Bright Futures Cmte
• $2,000 on 3/12/2 to District 300’s Advance 300, then known as Schools for Now Dist. # 300 Committee
• $5,000 on 3/15/2 to Bright Futures Cmte

Ryland Homes also contributes to tax hike committees:

• $1,500 on 3/2/5 to Building Success in District # 301, the not-as-rural-as-it-used-to-be district west of Elgin
• $2,500 on 3/2/5 to Naperville’s Indian Prairie School District committee called Citizens for Classrooms
• $1,600 on 10/29/4 to Building Success in District # 301
• $1,500 on 3/12/2 to District 300’s Advance 300, then known as Schools for Now Dist. # 300 Committee
• $1,500 on 10/24/0 to District 300’s Advance 300, then known as Schools for Now Dist. # 300 Committee

Town and Country made contributions to those who want your real estate taxes to be higher, too:

• $2,000 on 10/24/4 to Building Success in District # 301, west of Elgin
• $2,000 on 9/15/4 to Huntley/Lake in the Hill’s B.E.S.T. (Building Exceptional Schools Together)
• $250 on 3/24/3 to Fremont School District’s Bright Futures Cmte
• $1,000 on 11/9/2 to Bright Futures Cmte
• $200 on 2/28/2 to Bright Futures Cmte

Crown Community Development helped the tax hike advocates, as well:

• $4,000 on 2/14/5 to Building Success in District # 301, the west central Kane County district
• $5,000 on 2/16/5 to Kaneland Referendum Committee
• $4,000 on 9/28/4 to Building Success in District # 301
• $10,000 on 1/25/3 to District 300’s Advance 300, then known as Schools for Now Dist. # 300 Committee
• $1,000 on 1/15/2 to Aurora’s tax hike committee Residents for Parks and Recreation

Wynwood Builders gave mainly to local politicians, but its biggest contribution was:

• $1,000 on 3/12/2 to District 300’s Advance 300, then known as Schools for Now Dist. # 300 Committee

Zale Equities found that District 300 was the only tax hike committee to get it on the hooks:

• $5,000 on 1/25/3 to District 300’s Citizens Organized for Responsible Education (CORE)

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The next question takes me back to 1973, when the all four Chicago newspapers were pushing for the creation of the RTA. I figured it was because Downtown was declining and their major advertisers were located there.

The Sun-Times wants to know if the funding formula for the Regional Transportation Authority should be changed?

That, of course, means, “Should the Chicago Transit Authority be given a bigger share of the RTA taxes raised throughout Chicagoland?”

When the RTA was being debated in the auditorium of what is now known at the Howlett Building, opponents presented amendment after amendment. I had one being drafted to buy everyone in the six county area subscriptions to each of Chicago’s daily newspapers—the Tribune, Sun-Times, Daily News and Chicago Today. I figured their support for the RTA was primarily because people in trains can read newspapers, while those in cars cannot. Unfortunately, Speaker Bob Blair accepted a motion requiring a vote before the amendment could be drafted.

During the referendum campaign, I found a memo from CTA Chairman Milton Pikarsky revealing that the only reason subsidies from outside Chicago were needed was to keep the CTA trains running over night.

The CTA is pretty much like schools. Neither will ever have enough money.

The final questions ask the best book the candidate has read in the last year and why, plus the candidate’s favorite TV program.

That’s all, folks.

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Forty stamps will be issued May 27th touting the "Land of Superlatives." Illinois did not rate one of these "Wonders of America." Natural and man-made wonders are featured...but none in Illinois.

We didn't get the biggest egg or the tallest building or even the most corrupt state. The biggest rodent is featured, but it is not a Chicago politician.

Click to enlarge. To return to McHenry County Blog, click here. 

(State of Illinois
(
(County of Cook

Testimonial Affidavit

I, Cathy Lynne Santos, represent and warrant that the following statements are factually correct and represent my true opinion and experience to the best of my knowledge and recollection:

“From February 1, 2002 through June 30, 2002, I was under contract, an employee of the Treasurer’s Office {name withheld for purposes of this Affidavit] called me into a private office on the 4th Floor of the Treasurer’s Office in Chicago’s Thompson Center. The sole purpose of that meeting was to ask for my help with fundraising for the Treasurer’s 2002 Campaign. He stated that since his office was in Springfield, he needed someone in the Chicago office to be his point person for fundraising and assist with organizing/following-up with fundraising events. He further stated that Judy Baar Topinka needed to get re-elected and we needed to raise the funds necessary to accomplish that.

Subsequent to that first meeting, I was approached several times from several different employees [names withheld for purposes of this Affidavit] to help them out with their fundraising requirements. I was told that Nancy Kimme, the Treasurer’s Chief of Staff, kept track of these types of things and needed to be sure she (Nancy Kimme) knew they were doing their part.

I personally witnessed on several occasions, pressure being put upon the Treasurer’s employees to participate in get-out-the-vote activities. For example, one employee [name withheld for purposes of this Affidavit] was approaching other employees at the Treasurer’s Office during business hours and getting them assigned to their required weekday(s) each week during the election sseason to phonebank at the Treasurer’s Chicago Campaign Office at 32 W. Randolph Street, 16th Floor. An employee asking me to phonebank at the Chicago Campaign Office personally approached me at the Treasurer’s Office, on more than one occasion. I immediately stopped those conversations.

On or about March 1, 2002, during a conversation with a fellow employee [name withheld for purposes of this Affidavit] I was told that he and another employee from the Treasurer’s Office would be in Riverside that following Monday (during business hours) putting up Blagojevich Campaign signs in Riverside as part of a deal that was made between the two campaigns. When I asked this employee if the Treasurer knew about this, he pointed his finger in the air in an upward motion and said that it came from above. The same employee further stated that Nancy Kimme had approved the activity.

On June 28, 2002, I arrived at the Treasurer’s Office to tie up loose ends, finish my final reports and say my good-byes to the staff, as it was the last day of my contract. I soon realized that the majority of the employees were not in the office. Upon inquiry, the switchboard operator told me that something was going on as no one came into work that morning. Before lunch that day, a call was transferred to my desk and the caller identified himself as [name withheld for purposes of this Affidavit] with Channel 7 and was calling to substantiate a tip he had received that employees from the Treasurer’s Office were at the Illinois Board of Elections working on a petition challenge during normal business hours. Late that same afternoon several employees that were absent all day came back to the Treasurer’s office, I asked more than one individual where they had been, and was told that specific employees had been directed by Nancy Kimme to go to the Board of Elections and assist with the petition challenge to get the Libertarian candidate off the ballot for the General Election.

Employees personally told me that they were told to use their vacation time for certain get-out-the-vote activities. Other told me that they would get comp time. Comp time was explained to me as : if they worked the weekend, or in some cases in the evening hours, doing get-out-the-vote activities, they could take an “in the field” day during the week.

I understand that these allegations are serious and am conscious of the repercussions of making these allegations public. My purpose in preparing this is to better substantiate the serious concerns I have, and which I have verbally brought to the attention of several Republican Party Leaders, and my hop that this matter may be handled internally within out Party.

I purposely withheld certain names of employees to protect the integrity of possible future litigation. I also purposely withheld names of certain employees at this time as I feel that they should not be the focus of, and not substantially relevant to the purpose of this Affidavit.

I have also not disclosed all activities of concern that came to my attention during my term at the Treasurer’s Office, and instead chose to highlight only a few examples at this time.”

Dated this 23rd day of November 2002.

Signed:

/s/ Cathy Lynn Santos
Cathy Lynne Santos

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IN THE
COURT OF APPEALS OF ILLINOIS
SECOND DISTRICT


ANDY MARTIN,

Plaintiff-Appellant,
Du Page Case No. 06-CH 108
vs.
Second District No. ______
MIKE SKARR, et al.,

Defendants-Appellees.

EMERGENCY PETITION FOR REVIEW OF DENIAL OF
TEMPORARY RESTRAINING ORDER

1. Basis of Emergency
Plaintiff has been unlawfully excluded from a “debate” which is being conducted by the various private defendants and broadcast statewide by WBBM-TV later today, January 25th. This Court has stated that “The goal of avoiding protracted litigation is achieved by the use of a TRO…” Bradford v. Wynstone, 355 Ill.App.3rd 736, 823 N.E.2d 1166 (2d. Dist. 2005).
While plaintiff-appellant can still seek damages and has been given leave to replead, the value of presenting his candidacy vis a vis his opponents will be destroyed forever. Therefore, a legitimate emergency exists.
2. Factual issues or disputes
Somewhat unusually, there are no factual issues in this appeal. The defendants admitted to all of the facts contained in plaintiff’s Circuit Court motion and filed no counter-affidavits. Defendants basically claim a right to do what they wish without ay restraints of any sort from anyone. It should be pointed out there are two separate sets of defendants: [1] CBS Broadcasting is one set of defendants; [2] All of the non-broadcast private defendants constitute a second, separate and legally distinct set of defendants.
The defendants have admitted that, contrary to federal law (which was erroneously relied on by the Circuit Judge), the defendants used no impartial or independent criteria to exclude plaintiff from the debate (or to include his opponents). The action of the defendants was admittedly arbitrary, capricious and lacking any foundation in criteria or standards which defendants applied, because they adopted none and applied none by their own admission.
3. Legal arguments
a. Plaintiff presented uncontested legal claims concerning civil rights violations by the private defendants, as well as an uncontested affidavit. The nonprofit, tax-exempt institutions are basically using tax-exempt facilities to foster the candidacy of plaintiff’s opponents, and to damage his candidacy. The Circuit Judge ignored the civil rights claims and did not address them.
b. Virtually all of the parties appeared directly or indirectly (see accompanying appearances), so all of the parties were subject to the jurisdiction of the Circuit Court and are subject to the jurisdiction of this Court.
c. CBS claimed that federal law preempted debate arguments concerning broadcast licensees. Rather cunningly, CBS ignored the fact that plaintiff had made the same point in his own Affidavit, clearly excluding federal issues from the litigation.
CBS filed an ex parte volume of supporting materials, which plaintiff has not yet seen, approximately ten (10) inches thick which it refuses to serve on the plaintiff while serving it on the court and perhaps others. Plaintiff has not seen the contents of the ex parte volume.
Even if CBS’s arguments were true concerning CBS, those claims would not affect plaintiff’s claims against the non-CBS parties who have no connection with the FCC and are entirely private entities in Illinois. The Circuit Court erred in considering the defendants’ claims as a group when they are obviously separate and distinct.
d. Plaintiff is submitting his complaint, moving papers, defendants’ appearances and a copy of the Circuit Court order. The CBS filing is not being submitted because even if CBS were correct in its claims that only a Washington, DC government agency can hear this dispute—not an untypical claim by a New York-based conglomerate—CBS’s arguments are an insult to the intelligence and utterly frivolous as regards the private Illinois defendants.
4. Relief requested
Most respectfully, plaintiff-appellant would ask that this Court attempt to convene a judge or judges of this Court to hear an emergency appeal before the debate takes place later today or, in the alternative, that this Court take other appropriate relief.

Respectfully submitted,


ANDY MARTIN
Suite 1210
10 E. Ontario Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Tel. (312) 440-4124
Fax (312) 440-4125
E-mail: andymart20@aol.com


CERTIFICATE OF SERVICE
I certify I have served opposing parties and counsel as follows:
Mike Skarr, Naperville Area Chamber, Laura Crawford, Illinois State Chamber, North Central College, by fax to Richard J. Tarulis, Esq. (630) 355-7843;

Todd Maisch, Douglas Whitley, by fax to (217) 522-5518;

Harold R. Wilde, by fax to (630) 637-5457;

Fox Valley Publications by fax to (630) 416-5163;

Carol Fowler, by fax to (312) 202-3878 and (212) 975-4214;

CBS Broadcasting, by fax to Bradley Nahrstadt, Esq., Williams, Montgomery & John, (312) 630-8527;

National Federation, by mail to CT Corporation System, 208 S. LaSalle Street, Chicago, IL 60604-1101.


ANDY MARTIN

Here's Andy Martin's press release:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

ANDY MARTIN APPEALS JUDGE’S DEBATE DENIAL ORDER

[Notice: Court documents included as attachments]

(CHICAGO)(January 25, 2006) Republican gubernatorial candidate Andy Martin filed an emergency appeal to the Illinois Court of Appeals, Second District from the order of a DuPage County Circuit judge denying his motion earlier today for a temporary restraining order against a purported “debate” later this evening being conducted by WBBM-TV and others.

“It was a little bizarre,” Martin stated. “The judge lamented the ‘apathy’ of the public concerning the electoral process, and then went on to make a major contribution to that public apathy and suspicion.

“He ruled that a powerful New York media conglomerate, CBS, was free to involve local agencies and organizations in a massive fraud on readers and viewers, and a gross perversion of democracy. Is it any wonder that most citizens think the electoral system is rigged? It really is.

“CBS admitted that it manufactures news and rigs election coverage to favor its friends and punish its perceived ‘enemies.’

“Nevertheless, in a democracy, however corrupt and biased the media may be, we have to adhere to due process of law, and appeal,” Martin stated. “And that’s what I am doing. As a Fighting Illini football player I was trained to pay hard and fair until the end of the game, and I intend to just that.

“CBS can have its crooked little debate, but they have cheapened their news department by their unconscionable behavior and political bias. Because other TV stations and news organizations have invited me to their debates, the public will eventually get to see honest news and fair and balanced election coverage when I am allowed to participate [WILL-TV, WTTW-TV, WLS-TV].”

MEDIA CONTACT: Andy Martin Campaign (312) 440-4124

ADDITIONAL CONTACTS:

Web: AndyforIllinois.com;

Blog: AndyontheIssues.blogspot.com;

E-mail: AndyforIllinois@aol.com;


Web: StopKenoinIllinois.com

Blog: StopKenoinIllinois.blogspot.com

Here is the UIC-C press release:

The other three collar counties --

Two of Chicago's collar counties -- McHenry and Will -- lead the nation in homeownership rates, according to a report by University of Illinois at Chicago researchers.

Owner-occupied units make up 85 and 84 percent, respectively, of housing in these counties, compared to a national average of 69 percent.

The other three collar counties -- Lake, Kane and DuPage -- ranked 19, 21 and 29 among 230 counties nationally for which data were available.

Lake, Kane and DuPage -- ranked 19, 21 and 29 among 230 counties nationally for which data were available.

Cook County, the metropolitan core, ranked at only 188, with 61 percent owner-occupied units. Other large urban counties had similar rankings.

Such widespread homeownership in outlying areas implies that sprawl is caused by low land prices and growing prosperity rather than by highway expansion, according to Siim Soot, director emeritus of UIC's Urban Transportation Center, and Joseph DiJohn, director of the Metropolitan Transportation Support Initiative at the center.

The researchers base their conclusions primarily on two observations:

-First-time buyers frequently choose space over a convenient commute. Land in Will and McHenry counties is cheaper than elsewhere in the metropolitan area, so developers tend to build larger homes there. Accordingly, the county has attracted more buyers despite the likelihood of a longer commute.

-Commuters may drive less than policy makers expect. Will is the only Chicago-area county where more residents work outside than inside their home county. McHenry has the second-highest outflow of workers. These data suggest that counties where jobs are plentiful have higher land costs, and therefore fewer homebuyers.

The report notes that Chicago is one of the few metropolitan areas that achieved a double-digit increase in homeownership rates over the past 13 years.

"Twenty years ago, the Chicago area was more typical of large metropolitan areas, with homeownership rates in the 50s," Soot said. "Letting the region grow has opened homeownership to more households as incomes have risen and housing costs remained relatively low."

The researchers predict that homeownership soon will level off. Land consumption no longer outpaces population growth, perhaps because much of the housing market has been served, Soot said.

"There was a dramatic increase in land consumed nationally by sprawl during the 1970s and 1980s," Soot said. "Urban land grew by about 35 percent despite a population growth of only 4 percent. Now it's more in line with population growth of about 11 percent per decade."

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On the flip side of the glossy post card, Gidwitz headlines, “A history of creating jobs,” all in capital letters.

He states that he “grew his family business – Helene Curtis – into a Fortune 500 company – employing 1,500 workers.”

Then, he talks about business groups he “formed” to “defeat Rod Blagojevich’s tax increases.”

Here’s his job plan:

-Tax credits for new jobs…encouraging employers to invest and create jobs…
-Tax cuts to spur job growth…Ron will roll back Blagojevich’s tax hikes in order to spur more job growth.
-…alternative energy capital…become a leader in biofuel production…

On the right, above the address, is a statement from Don Haider, former Chicago budget director and now a Northwestern professor of management saying Gidwitz “…understands that the role of government is to create a positive business climate for investment to occur.”

The themes of “Education Reformer” and “Tax Fighter” are repeated from former messages.

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Space Exploration and Development –
Using the Profit Motive to Do Good.


Background and Problem:

Historically, a small number of countries have explored space using public tax money to do so. At least to the extent that has been performed, it has resulted in not only many scientific discoveries – but numerous inventions and innovations that have had applicability to our daily lives.

Just some of such inventions and innovations are the microwave oven, super glue, Teflon non-stick surfaces, and great advances in computer science. It is undeniable that space exploration has not only added to man’s knowledge of the universe – but added to his standard of living.

Despite this backdrop, exploring space is an expensive and massive undertaking. And because of economic conditions and the demands of other government activities (example: the cost of the War on Terror), progress in space has been greatly slowed almost to the point of standing still. This should not be allowed to happen.


Analysis and Solutions:

One could either continue the current path of using tax dollars to near stand still in this endeavor, or perhaps even INCREASE taxes for a stepped up program. However: there is another way! One need only look to the past where other frontiers existed, to develop and explore, to find a solution that well-proven in its multiple of successes.

The solution is to commercialize the enterprise of exploration and development. It is little remembered, but should be well understood, that America was developed via a commercial contract! It was called the Massachusettes Bay Company of 1629. And its charter was granted by the King of England. Basically, in order to have Great Britain benefit from the resources gained and the ability to have large tracks of land claimed in the name of the King, the King entered into a contract with the Massachusettes Bay Company that granted this commercial enterprise rights to the land and the commercial development of such.

It was this business (not the government) that underwrote the band of Mayflower settlers that came to America and set up the settlement of Jamestown, Massachusetts. It was not the government. This commercial enterprise, of course, ultimately proved successful – or we would not now be in the country we are in.

A second, very successful use of the profit motive and commercialization was during the 1800’s when the Federal government enacted The Homestead Act of 1862. This Act essentially encouraged the country’s citizens to take the financial and physical risks to settle the newly formed territories of the West. In exchange for private citizens taking on the risks of development, the government granted each such citizen the right to a parcel of land totaling 160 acres. As long as they farmed the land for five years – the land became theirs. This Act allowed the quick and successful development of a new territory – all without massive government programs, subsidies, or tax monies.

Like our prior heritage, space – the final frontier -- can be efficiently and effectively explored and developed if government, again, use the profit motive to good and efficient ends. The development of space should be considered a WORLD endeavor and not one of a single country. As such, a mechanism to include all of the world and its countries must conceptually be employed.


What Needs to be Done:

At the initiative of the United States, a multi-national corporation would be formed. It would be called the United Federation of Countries, Inc. (UFC) and it would be like any other corporation with shares of ownership, a marketing department, a Board of Directors, and the like.

Like any other new corporation, a determination of the foreseeable financial needs of the corporation would be made. The value and number of the shares to be issued would, consequently, be determined. Finally, such UFC corporate shares would be purchased by all countries of the world. [Certain allocations would initially be made based upon the ability to initially fund the enterprise with immediate cash. However: one-third of all shares would be guaranteed to be allocated to undeveloped countries of the world.]

Obviously, such purchases would not be able to be made by 100% of the purchase price being paid up front. This is especially true of undeveloped countries. Any country that does not immediately pay for all of their shares can simply have their designated number of shares held in trust with dividends paid to such shares used to repay the loan (with nominal interest) granted that country. It is likely, because of the magnitude of the total upfront share cost, that ALL countries will have such shares in trust initially. And as time goes by and dividends accumulate, the shares would be released.

These “shares held in trust arrangements” would continue for a period not to exceed seventy-five (75) years. At the end of that period, several clauses become effective:

1) The countries still having a portion of their shares still held in trust must either pay in full OR put such remaining shares up for auction. Such shares would go to the highest bidder at that time.
2) The shares put up for auction can not only be purchased by any other shareholder/country – but for the first time any individual. Essentially, any individual can purchase an interest in the development of space at that time if they pay the market rate.
3) Going along with point #2 above, shares at that 75th year anniversary that are directly owned by the respective countries can also be sold to private individuals on the New York Stock Exchange (Ticker UFC) by the counties who own such shares.


Advantages:

At the above 75th anniversary, the United Federation of Countries, Inc. completely becomes a corporation just like any other. The UFC would be freely traded, entrepreneurial in nature, and efficiently developing the potentials of space. This would include the commercial licensing of any technology and inventions developed, the mining and refining of any minerals, and even the development of settlements for human habitation on other planets explored.

ALL of the above would be obtainable without massive government bureaucracies, ultimately using no taxpayer money (the original investments would be repaid via UFC’s continuing stream of dividend payments), and due to the profit motive – would be done in the most efficient and effective way possible.

This concept is a WORLD INITIATIVE. It is designed not to leave out anyone on earth. Even undeveloped countries would have a meaningful interest in this enterprise – a joint a peaceful pursuit that can’t help but develop the “ties that bind” all countries to a common, peaceful, and mutual destiny.

With the great success which surely must come from such commercial enterprise, someday the UFC will have successfully established human colonies on other planets. Humans will permanently live and work on other worlds. At that point, the Board of Directors of the United Federation of Countries, Inc. can put before all shareholders of the corporation a change in the corporation’s name. It could, henceforth, then be
called . . .


The United Federation of Planets

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The Quad-State National Defense Causeway Act

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM

Since the 1800’s, Lake Michigan’s cutting down into the Mid Atlantic region of our country has been a boon for mariners but a bane to all land travelers. It has been too wide and too long to do much of anything in terms of non-boat transportation.

Because of the above situation, travel has been two to seven times longer than if one would be able to make a straight line across Lake Michigan. This fact has been an inconvenience at best – and a great inefficiency in our country at worst.

But as time has gone on, the problem has grown exponentially. The “natural bottleneck” at the south tip of Lake Michigan for all forms of land transportation (i.e. rail, auto, and truck) has become a nightmare. Road congestion has greatly increased the hazards of travel – and such congestion can make even PRIOR, long travel times double or more from what they even were before. At this point in time, one can never be assured of estimating travel times around the southern points. It’s always a gamble depending upon traffic accidents, downtown Chicago events happening, and other factors that either pop up or the traveler was unaware of at the start of their journey.

All of the above problems are cause enough to energetically seek better alternatives. But now we have one more, extremely important one: The threat of Terrorist Attack.

Terrorists can easily use the natural bottleneck of the southern Lake Michigan tip to tie up, and immobilize, the entire Great Lakes region. Because so many of the major east/west highways and rail lines understandably pass just a few miles away from one another at the southern most point, a carefully located biological or nuclear bomb could effectively cut off all the major east/west regional travel routes in the area. There would be no way to then traverse except many miles around Chicago – greatly increasing the already horrendous travel times and further crippling things since the same traffic would have to be funneled on fewer and smaller roads.

Yes…terrorists would find that our Mid-Atlantic/Chicagoland area would be the EASIEST region to paralyze traffic of anywhere in the United States.

ANALYSIS AND SOLUTION

We need not allow ourselves to be laid so vulnerable. And we need not also allow our economy to languish with the utter inefficiencies we live with today with the “natural bottleneck” Lake Michigan has posed to us for the past two centuries. We can build a solution.

This solution is a cross-lake causeway that would come to be known as the Quad-State National Defense Causeway. This causeway would be a combination of several linkages.

1) Two Passenger/Freight Rail Lines

2) A four lane highway (that would later be expanded to eight)

3) High tension electric lines

4) Natural gas line

All of the above would be along this causeway’s route. The natural gas line and two freight/passenger lines would be located in the center with two lanes on each side of that (expanded later to four lanes on each side via having pylons that were planned for such expansion).

This causeway would be patterned after the Chesapeake Bay Causeway as well as the Key West Highway 1 already in existence. It would, closely paralleling the technology/ideas of the Chesapeake Bay project, have several man made islands, tunnels, and overhead bridges which would allow for reasonable maritime navigation of North and South Lake Michigan to continue unabated and minimize terrorist threats to this new public work.

Four potential routes could be considered. It is here envisioned by the creator of this idea that perhaps of the four studied routes below, Option 2 would be implemented now. Later, a longer and more northerly causeway could also be constructed. But going this route would involve lesser expense and still yield great benefits. The writer did not pick the very shortest route for reasons later specified within this paper. And, depending upon project cost and fund availability at that time, the longer route suggested for later development would be Option # 4. These options, with their direct distances to traverse, are as follows:

Option Starts Ends Causeway Length

1
Around Burnside, IL and the intersection of Routes 41 and 12 south of Chicago Between Michigan City, Indiana and Beverly Shores, Indiana
35 miles

2
North Side of Evanston, IL
Between Michigan City, Indiana and Beverly Shores, Indiana
48 miles

3
North Side of Waukegan, Illinois Between Michigan City, Indiana and Beverly Shores, Indiana
68 miles

4
North Side of Waukegan,
Illinois
Benton Harbor, Michigan
72 miles

ADVANTAGES OF THIS CAUSEWAY PROJECT

The author does not simply specify the benefits of this project to be in the jobs created and the boost from the project itself that it gives to the area economy; he points to the ongoing transportation efficiencies in time and money that the entire Mid-Atlantic region will garner. This surely justifies this project several times over. The Quad State Causeway is one of those grand, public works that people will wonder why it took so long to even conceive.

Much in the way of time and money will be saved. Pipeline transporters will get natural gas to Detroit, and major Canadian cities (and perhaps FROM Canada as well). Railroads such as Canadian Pacific Railroad who traverse the bottleneck every day adding many hours and miles to their travels will also benefit. And truckers and private citizens who sit in traffic for hours on end looping around the lake (a task that has come to almost preclude doing so in a weekend’s venture) will also greatly benefit both economically and in their quality of life by this project.

But the benefits don’t stop there. There is a dire need, as earlier described, to end this natural bottleneck for our very own security – and perhaps our very lives. As mentioned, should nuclear or biological attack occur that cuts off the rail and highways that traverse thru this relatively narrow area, routes of evacuation from an entire area could be cut off? In the Chicago area, land travel evacuation – by definition – can only be by going North, South, or West. East is an entirely precluded escape direction because of Lake Michigan. But with a causeway, such an evacuation could take place. With a causeway, the vital transportation routes need not even be completely severed if a terrorist attack would occur. This route would be a physically and geographically separate route and provide a backup to any such calamity.

Even the route closest to downtown Chicago, and lowest cost to build (i.e. Option 1) lies 15 miles from downtown Chicago. Any central city nuclear blast would not affect it since a radius of 10 miles is where the most damage occurs in such nuclear explosion. However: this option was only second in choice because of two items (in order of importance): a) Prevailing northwest wind would likely contaminate the area while not destroying the structures; and, b) A more northerly starting point, while being a longer/more costly causeway, would eliminate nuclear/biological fallout concerns and provide even greater economic efficiencies from saved time and travel resources most affected by the bottleneck (i.e. more northern residents).


CONCLUSION

The Quad-State National Defense Causeway is a vital economic -- and national security project -- whose time has come. The technology is there…the concept is used successfully elsewhere in areas such as Key West Florida and the Chesapeake Bay area. And these other already completed projects are in depths much greater than the 60 to 200 feet deep waters we’re talking about here. Lastly, proper installation of such a causeway will not materially affect maritime shipping or our environment.

For our economy, our quality of life, for our very lives – this is an idea whose time has come.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM:

Increasingly, Chicagoland is a congested and difficult place to traverse. Travel times are growing exponentially and unpredictably vary. This situation, moreover, not only degrades our living environment; but, our ecological and economic environment with the added pollution of automobiles stalled in traffic and inefficient transportation of goods and people across the region.

Much has been discussed about enhancing our ability for North/South travel in the outer ring, Western and Northwest Suburbs. Schaumburg to Gurnee commutes are now effectively precluded from occurring because of the intolerable times and uncertain traffic between these two points. And with this, so too are the job opportunities precluded in these respective areas from being enjoyed by all area residents.

Admittedly, area citizens need to apply a holistic approach to this entire regional transportation problem. One needs to look not only at one mode of transportation, but all. And one also needs to view the traffic patterns across the entire Chicagoland megatropolis. Motor vehicle, air, and train transport must all be weaved into an entire, integrated picture. Our region has little time to start in earnest on such projects – we already are playing “catch up” with the problems already upon us.

Some falsely claim there is no consensus for such – when in fact there is general consensus. And there is legitimacy in saying that government revenues are pinched and therefore cannot fund such projects in the foreseeable future. But one badly needed project - and creative transportation initiative - by Ken Arnold that would help our area transportation needs is the building of the Route 53 extension into Lake County, Illinois. And the legitimate issue of finances can surely be overcome…now.

SOLUTION:

The issues of financial risk, as well as adequate current sources of financing, DO come up when considering the completion of a Route 53 extension. All must admit that having a freeway constructed is virtually impossible given the current budget woes of the State of Illinois. And with these budget woes, even taking on the issuing of more bonds by the State of Illinois would quite likely lower its bond ratings further and thereby INCREASE borrowing costs for all State projects – further driving Illinois into the red. Indeed, right now traditional means of constructing Route 53 are not feasible.

And considering the size and cost of such project which has always been present, there is now an added factor to this equation: escalating interest rates. With any project and its bonding, interest rate levels determine whether – at any point in time – a building project is feasible. If very high interest rates and interest costs…revenues may not match costs. If low interest rates, there’s less financial risk. Escalating bond interest rates, expected to continue thru 2006 and beyond, increasingly make this project more financially risky – and therefore less likely that even a private entity would commit to doing it.

But there is another way! The Federal government could guarantee bonds issued by a private Toll Authority. This bond guarantee would drive down the finance costs of the project (due to greatly lowering the investor risk) and increase the probabilities of profitability and financial value of such private venture.

To implement this initiative, however; the Federal, State, or Local governments would NOT operate this Tollway system – a private Tollway entity would operate it for a time period of 30 years (the period of the bonds). [One such private entity was recently sold The Chicago Skyway Tollway and The Indiana Toll Road which loosely form a precedent to this initiative developed prior to these recent events].

After such bond payoff period, the entire system would revert back to the State. This Tollway could then either be made a freeway OR be competitively re-bid to another private entity. But by that time, however, the original bonds would be paid off which would be an argument to perhaps then make it a freeway.

ADVANTAGES:

Under this creative financing scheme, the Route 53 extension would become a reality…now! And as finally implemented with the help of then Congressman Ken Arnold, this roadway has great advantages for the general public. Commuters and the general public would find this system extremely fast and finally convenient for their transportation the length of the far western side of Chicago. One would go its entire distance without a single stop light! In addition, this expanded Route 53 highway system would:

1) Be an economic boon to the whole region in job, housing, and general economic opportunities.
2) Reduce air pollution and greatly decrease auto/truck commute times as citizens use this system for intra-region travel North and South along the western suburbs.
3) Be a source of additional revenues to the State of Illinois in both the initial competitive bid payment as well as a continuing share (however small) of revenues generated in the first bid’s period of operation.

In addition to these three understandable advantages is an important fourth one in this day and age: Route 53 would form an important North/South evacuation route for Chicagoland in the event of a major terrorist incident.

Our interstate highway system was not put in purely for the convenience of the public. A major reason for its creation was National Defense. That’s how the act which first started this national highway system in the 1950s came with the term “National Defense Highway Act”. In this case, Route 53 would greatly enhance the speed at which any area in the Western and Northwestern and Southwestern suburbs of Chicago could be evacuated. And it would even be a positive help in any downtown Chicago crises of similar nature. For make no mistake: In cases of a “dirty bomb” or biohazard – speed WILL be of the essence. Time will mean lives…

CONCLUSION:

Candidate Ken Arnold for a number of years has been a proponent of the Route 53 extension. It was a mistake not to complete it in the 1960s. And it will be a grave mistake not to do so now – especially if there were to be any terrorist event here.

We must wait no longer! Candidate Arnold is showing the way – thru Federal initiative and creative financing/business operations – that we can have this vital link and have it now.

If citizens wish for these things to happen, they need only support Ken Arnold for Congress. He is obviously fully committed to the completion of Route 53 -- having worked for several years to get this badly needed initiative done. And with the economic as well as National Security interests in mind, he believes he can promote such initiative successfully at the Federal level.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM:

Increasingly, the megatropolis of Chicagoland is a congested and difficult place to traverse. Travel times are growing exponentially and vary unpredictably. And this situation not only degrades our living environment, but our ecological and economic environment with the added pollution of automobiles stalled in traffic and inefficient transportation of goods and people across the region.

Much has been discussed about enhancing our regional airports with a third one being planned at Peotone, Illinois. However: Few look at “the big picture” that this area is increasingly a megatropolis that really encompasses a continuous area between South Bend, Indiana and Milwaukee, Wisconsin – three States in total. Too many politicians have considered their thoughts to stop at the State line. But the needs, and the taxpayers’ pocketbooks, can no longer tolerate such “selective amnesia”.

In initiating a holistic approach to this transportation problem, one needs to look not only across the entire megatropolis – but across all modes of transportation and their inter-relatedness to get to a most efficient whole. Motor vehicle, air, and train transport most all be weaved into an entire, integrated picture. And our region now has little time to start in earnest on such project – we already are playing “catch up” with the problems already upon us.

SOLUTION:

In reviewing all modes of transportation, it is undeniable that a high speed rail line traversing this megatropolis could literally provide a “backbone” to our entire transportation needs. It would link the entire region with trains going 125 MPH to perhaps 170 MPG and could help provide transportation to ALL FIVE major existing airports today. These are (from East to West):

1) South Bend International Airport
2) Gary/Chicago International Airport
3) Midway Airport
4) O’Hare Airport
5) Milwaukee Airport

It is not inconceivable, with the quick linkages between these five airports that both reduce “hopper flight” congestion and allow for plane passenger transfers between airports, that a sixth airport (Peotone) need not even be built with such coordination and integration. This is at least the case for the near and intermediate future since passenger and flight loads could be much more easily distributed between these five airports as they exist today. Additionally, given how close of proximity the analyzed right-of-way is to both Gary/Chicago International and South Bend International Airports (within approximately one mile of the right-of-way), these two airports have the capacity of being easily beefed up for even greater distribution of the load.

THE PLAN

This initiative greatly capitalizes on what exists today! The Tri-State High Speed Rail Initiative would use approx. 96 to 97 percent of existing right-of-way today. The path would be as follows:

1) Utilizing the existing South Shore Railroad right-of-way and simply adding an adjoining, high speed rail line next to the existing line, this system would span from the South Bend International Airport to the Michigan Avenue train terminal as today. It would have stops at the South Bend Airport (existing today) and Gary International Airport (one of only two stations needing to be built).

2) A second leg (the only right-of-way needing acquisition) is a segment of between two and four miles in length (depending on route) to connect the Michigan Avenue train terminal and the Metra/Canadian Pacific rail line that Amtrak currently uses for its scheduled service up to downtown Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This downtown rail segment would be in the form of an elevated rail line that could either be located thru the city or, in innovative fashion, perhaps along the Lake Shore Drive area until more north and then head westward to connect with the Metra line’s right-of-way. [NOTE: Travelers wishing to go to O’Hare Airport need only go from the Michigan Ave. station to The Illinois Center to then catch the CTA train out to O’Hare Airport. If determined that the expense would be worth it, then the route thru the city and connecting to this CTA O’Hare line could be chosen. However: Candidate Ken Arnold does not initially deem the cost/benefits justifying this given the short transportation distance to The Illinois Center that are involved.]

3) Once connecting to the Metra line, the rail system would speed North directly to a train station located in Lake County at the former Lakehurst Mall area (ideal for its central Lake County location, location next to the rail line, and major highway systems right there).

4) Past the Lakehurst Mall station, the train line’s next stop would be the newly constructed Milwaukee Airport train terminal which opened summer of 2005.

5) And, finally, the terminus of this new line would be the rail station in downtown Milwaukee.

To implement this initiative, the Federal, State, and Local governments would NOT purchase and operate (or be involved in any way with the operations thereof) of railcars and rail lines. In pattern to our interstate highway systems, airport, as well as waterway systems, government would merely purchase any property, and build the trackage necessary for such rail system to be in operation. It would then put out to competitive bid the leasing by one or more private companies who would operating the actual rolling stock for such service. In this way, the efficient private sector operates any train systems while the government establishes the initial infrastructure (i.e. the riskiest part of any such venture).

ADVANTAGES:

The Tri-State High Speed Rail Initiative has great advantages for the general public – both by itself as well as what it can do to integrate the currently separate elements of our transportation systems in all its forms. Commuters, inter-airport travelers, and the general public would find this system extremely fast and finally convenient for their transportation the length of the region. One could likely go its entire distance in no more than approximately 2 1/2 hours of time… In addition, this system would:

1) Be an economic boon to the whole region in job, housing, and general economic opportunities.
2) Relieve airport congestion – both on the ground and in the holding patterns of the airports as passengers and flights could be more evenly distributed – greatly enhancing safety as well as convenience.
3) Currently would cause the Peotone Airport NOT to be presently built (and all such monies could pay for this initiative using existing assets – hands down.)
4) Reduce air pollution and greatly decrease auto/truck commute times as more people use this system for inter-region travel.
5) Allow for “fast freight systems” the entire length of the system since time-sensitive freight would also be hauled in such manner. (What today could take as long as six or more hours transport would now take 2 ½ hours!)
6) Would save petroleum by avoiding the use of airplane “hopper flights” between airports and greatly reduce stop and go traffic on the interstate highways between Milwaukee, Wisconsin and South Bend, Indiana.

CONCLUSION:

The Tri-State High Speed Rail Initiative is a compelling initiative to our greater Chicagoland megatropolis. It would give our citizens not only all of the above advantages and benefits – but do so in a smart and efficient manner by making maximum use of already existing assets (i.e. rail lines, airports, train stations, and highways).

Candidate Ken Arnold well predicts he can get the congressional delegations of all three directly involved States (i.e. Indiana, Illinois, and Wisconsin) to push for this initiative. Additionally, because of the close proximity of South Bend, Indiana to the State of Michigan (only 5 miles from the State Line) the delegation within Michigan would also find this initiative quite useful and enticing.

OurChicagoland megatropolis is in dire need of such creative initiatives. And this High Speed Rail Line would literally form “the backbone” of an efficient, integrated and effective transportation system within our area at only modest cost to the taxpayer. It is an idea that not only has surely come – but should have been here a decade ago…

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The “One Bite at the Apple” Act of 2007

BACKGROUND AND PROBLEM:

Increasingly, Chicagoland is a congested and difficult place to traverse. Travel times are growing exponentially and unpredictably vary. This situation, moreover, not only degrades our living environment; but, our ecological and economic environment with the added pollution of automobiles stalled in traffic and inefficient transportation of goods and people across the region.

Much has been discussed about enhancing our ability for travel throughout the suburban Chicagoland area. It’s a given that travel times, and the predictability of them, have already grown intolerably. Many, including Candidate Ken Arnold, believe government needs to project forward 15 to 20 years down the road any such needs construction road construction. Because of inflation and the lack of precise predictions: It is far better to build bridges and highways a little before they’re critically needed -- than far afterward . . .

Admittedly, area citizens need to apply a holistic approach to this entire regional transportation problem. One needs to look not only at one mode of transportation, but all. And one also needs to view the traffic patterns across the entire Chicagoland megatropolis. Motor vehicle, air, and train transport must all be weaved into an entire, integrated picture. Our region has little time to start in earnest on such projects – we already are playing “catch up” with the problems already upon us.

Ken Arnold has several creative and badly need road projects conceptualized. They include not only a creative application of the Federal government regarding the Route 53 Extension project – but even a proposal he calls “The Quad State National Defense Causeway” which would span Lake Michigan from East to West. But most road miles nowadays are not Federal interstate highways – they’re State and local roads. And in these areas, all participating governments must be forced to PLAN AHEAD and not timidly “baby step” their way to expansion.

Far too many times, locally, it has been observed by Candidate Arnold that politicians have “baby stepped” badly needed projects everyone KNEW needed the full solution – NOW. The Route 22 expansion from two to four lanes quickly comes to mind. But there are many other such “incremental projects” that are done out of political fear – but cost the taxpayers at ALL levels dear!
The Route 22 expansion was a horrendous was of taxpayer money. All citizens know that Route 22, and most all major east/west thoroughfares, need to become FOUR laned! There is simply too much traffic to otherwise be handled by this former two lane streets and highways. But in the case of Route 22 expansion:

1) Our government officials first put in three lanes (i.e. still having two lanes but with a center turn lane). This caused much in the way of traffic tie ups and delays as well as required a complete rework of sewer, street light, and traffic light construction.

2) THEN, approximately seven or eight years later, they tear a lot of that up again – once again disrupting traffic – and put in the FOUR lanes (plus a new and wider bridge) they should have established in the first place but for the political timidity with Lincolnshire and their “Not In My Back Yard (NIMBY) syndrome!

The above two-step/”baby step” process cost taxpayers TWICE what they should have paid for only once. And citizens really paid twice each time: Once in their tax dollars and once in the traffic disruptions they were forced to endure.

It is easy for timid and spineless political officials to baby step projects such as these under the “foot in the door technique”. Do a first step and let things settle down…then do the second step you knew you’d have to do all along. But should the taxpayers at all levels have to pay for this timidity? Candidate Ken Arnold absolutely says: “NO!”. Consequently, he proposes an initiative that will greatly reduce such regrettable expenses and inefficiencies forever.

SOLUTION:

With many State road projects, and a number of more local roads, some share of the expense is paid for via Federal tax dollars. Under such circumstances, the Federal government can establish an operating policy that not only protects its highway dollars from the squandering earlier outlined – but provides the ready EXCUSE for local politicians to stand firm and “do it right the first time” when it comes to all such highway projects.

The Federal government, under initiative and legislation proposal of then Congressman Ken Arnold, shall enact the following:

“In the payment of matching funds or other cost shares to any State Government or lower governmental entity for the purpose of construction - or modification - of any highway or other thoroughfare, the Federal Government shall pay only ONCE toward any such activity in any ten (10) consecutive year period.”

ADVANTAGES:

The above simple, and therefore perhaps elegant, initiative at the Federal level will greatly diminish – if not put an end – to such tax dollar wasting, weak-kneed, timid actions in road building on the part of all State and local officials. If such officials wish Federal government participation, they would henceforth know they only have “one bite at the apple” every ten years.

This new road building environment does two things locally:

1) It forces State and local officials to have planning horizons, and concrete construction plans, that will be projected to meet all needs for a minimum of ten years.
2) It allows those local officials in need of spine transplants to gladly make the Federal government “the bad guy” in their dealings with the most local of residents and public officials. They could even go so far as to say: “If it was me, I would do differently…but the Federal government is forcing us to do this whole project now!”

Lastly, on a global basis across the citizens and taxpayers at the Federal, State, and local level, this initiative will save sizeable amounts of taxpayer dollars from such “redo” projects. And this says nothing about disrupting traffic ONCE instead of two or three times.

Let’s stop abusing the taxpayers AND the motoring public from timid, short-sighted politicians. Let’s enact the “One Bit at the Apple” Act – NOW!

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

It also asks for a list of “jobs or contracts you, members of your immediate family or business partners have had with government.” This is not a new question, but it certainly is a comprehensive one.

On to the pension question:

The General Assembly agreed to restructure required payments to state employee pension systems last spring as part of a plan to balance the FY06 budget. If elected, what is your plan for the state to meet its obligations to the state pension funds? Do you favor cutting benefits to future hires, or do you favor leaving benefits as they are and raising revenues to pay for them? Explain your answer.

This should be an easy one for those have already answered the Service Employees International Union and the AFSCME questionnaires.

Next, the paper has a question aimed at the “pay to play” practices long suspected, but rarely proven in Illinois:

Do you favor a prohibition on companies under contract with the state or seeking state business from making campaign contributions to state officeholders? If so, how would you structure such a law to fend off any possible First Amendment challenges?

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

And, here’s the question I like about campaign contributions:

Name your five biggest contributors and the amount they contributed.

Because the questionnaire comes so relatively early in the campaign season, but after the December 30th State Board of Elections campaign reporting deadline, this might flush out some larger 2006 contributions.

The tax hike question:

Does Illinois need to raise either the state income or sales tax? Please explain your view.

And a property tax question:

Would you reduce the state’s reliance on property taxes to fund education? If you believe this is not a proper approach, is there another alternative?

Now, there’s an open-ended question.

The Sun-Times is the only one of the big three newspapers to ask about abortion:

With changes in the makeup of the U.S. Supreme Court, advocates on both sides of the abortion debate believe the likelihood of Roe v. Wade being overturned has been strengthened, possibly shifting new responsibility to the states on abortion. If presented with the opportunity to structure state abortion laws without the Roe precedent in place, how should Illinois law be changed with regard to abortions? Should it not be changed?

Next a question about gambling:

The Legislature has been split on the question of gambling expansion. Top Senate Democrats, including President Emil Jones, have advocated for new casino licenses, including in the south suburbs, Waukegan and Chicago. House Democrats, by contract, have voted to abolish casino gambling entirely in Illinois. Do you favor expanding the number of licenses in Illinois? What should be done about the stalled 10th license? Should slot machines be allowed at horse racing tracks? Do you favor allowing for the licensing of video poker machines in bars and restaurants as a means to increase state revenues?

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The next question takes me back to 1973, when the all four Chicago newspapers were pushing for the creation of the RTA. I figured it was because Downtown was declining and their major advertisers were located there.

The Sun-Times wants to know if the funding formula for the Regional Transportation Authority should be changed?

That, of course, means, “Should the Chicago Transit Authority be given a bigger share of the RTA taxes raised throughout Chicagoland?”

When the RTA was being debated in the auditorium of what is now known at the Howlett Building, opponents presented amendment after amendment. I had one being drafted to buy everyone in the six county area subscriptions to each of Chicago’s daily newspapers—the Tribune, Sun-Times, Daily News and Chicago Today. I figured their support for the RTA was primarily because people in trains can read newspapers, while those in cars cannot. Unfortunately, Speaker Bob Blair accepted a motion requiring a vote before the amendment could be drafted.

During the referendum campaign, I found a memo from CTA Chairman Milton Pikarsky revealing that the only reason subsidies from outside Chicago were needed was to keep the CTA trains running over night.

The CTA is pretty much like schools. Neither will ever have enough money.

The final questions ask the best book the candidate has read in the last year and why, plus the candidate’s favorite TV program.

That’s all, folks.

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Next incumbents are asked what has been their main contribution. Non-incumbents are asked to predict theirs.

Then, there is the road question:

For years, state and federal authorities have said the county needs some cohesion to obtain transportation funding. It appears the county has some cohesion, but still lacks funding for big projects. What do you view as the priority transportation projects for the county? A bridge across the Fox River? Is so, where? A full interchange at Huntley? If elected, where would you focus your efforts in terms of addressing transportation needs?

Next, the Daily Herald asks about

“the greatest challenge McHenry County faces.” “Be specific and please detail what you feel the county must do to address the issue.”

Animals always make for good readership, so question 5 asks the candidate’s opinion about

turning over “some or all of its animal control division to a private animal welfare agency.”

The editorial writers want to know about monitoring and evaluation of such an out-sourced program as well.

On to the issue of developers playing off the county against the municipalities. The paper notes that these are considered “end-runs” by municipalities. The questions:

Should the county change its approach toward development to deter such behaviors?
If so, what approach would your recommend?

Who can forget the comment Virginia Peschke made about the county's having "enough starter castles” during the debate on Flowerwood's Ridgefield development? The man who beat her for county board chairman—Ken Koehler— abstained on the vote, presumably because he is a part owner of Flowerwood.

The Daily Herald also asks about the contentious proposed 2020 plan. Did you like the “lengthy process?” “Why or why not? If not, should the county start” all over?

The McHenry County Defenders are highly supportive on the plan, while development forces are not.

With no prospect of ever getting water anywhere but from wells or the Fox River, the Daily Herald asks,

What specific steps do you think the county should take to protect the county’s water supply?

Reflecting on its multi-county press coverage, the Daily Herald asks about

making public “more documents and information” available for free on-line. If a candidate favors this, “how would you propose such improvements be funded?

Of course, the more information available over the internet, the easier it is for media and citizens to figure out what is going on at the courthouse.

The Daily Herald’s final question talks about “the burdens of public leadership” being great, “especially in a fast-growing region facing many stresses.”

What specific skills, education or experiences qualify for this role?
What do you see as the primary duties of a county board member?
In what areas of county responsibility do you have a particular interest?

Oh, yes. This questionnaire was due the 23rd, so you are late.

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He had a staffer in the 1980’s who was an alcoholic. Ryan, with another more burly staffer, cornered him and gave him an ultimatum: either accompany the other guy to a rehab facility or he would lose his job.

This young lawyer and the problem the staffer refused to acknowledge was so much on his mind that one night Ryan excused himself from a small group of legislators with whom he was having dinner to approach a lobbyist for a non-profit organization that owned rehab centers.

Ryan walked across the restaurant and secured a promise that, if he sent the young man to the organization’s prominent addiction treatment center, he would gain immediate admission. Further, that staff at the rehab center would do their utmost to persuade the young man to complete treatment.

The young lawyer joined a law firm in Chicago after successful treatment, his life forever changed for the better.

Additional evidence of Ryan’s commitment in the fight against addiction was his formation of Sports Teams To Prevent Substance Abuse. STOPSA was founded by Ryan and Lura Lynn athletes from Chicago to appear at rallies at schools.

It should also be remembered that Ryan is the reason that the .08 percent alcohol level in the blood should be used to determine whether a driver were intoxicated. Skeptical, he allowed himself to be taken to a track where he experimented with himself drinking enough to bring his blood stream to the .08 level.

Ryan then tried to drive and discovered on his test drive that drivers are indeed dangerously impaired at .08. Thereafter, he made it a major issue, regardless of the pressure from special interest groups who favored .10.

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To the Editor:

The sky is falling! Or so District 300’s student enrollment projections would have you believe.

Before its referendum, Huntley School District 158 projected 1,329 additional students attending school this year. Actual enrollment was 558 fewer.

A few years ago, District 158 projected 10,000 students this year. The actual number is 3,000 fewer.

A District 300 paid consultant’s report uses 1996 statistics (Appendix A-6) to state an unrealistic enrollment projection may happen in five years. District 300 then transformed this into a “will happen” cornerstone of its financial referendum plans.

Unrealistic enrollment projections generate unrealistic needs for too much money. Here’s how they can be used to easily manipulate a school district’s financial projections.

State payments to a district for a student’s actual attendance lag by a year. Assume District 300’s rapid increase of 1,440 students per year (7,200/5 = 1,440).

This will automatically generate a deficit. How? By showing the expenses of educating 1,440 kids, but without the general state aid for their attending school that year. It’s a recipe for instant financial crisis.

Three reasons it’s extremely likely District 300’s student population won’t increase by 7,200 in the next five years: the new homes won’t be instantly built and occupied. Mothers won’t give birth to 5-year-olds ready to enter school in those new homes.

District 300’s average daily attendance in 2004-2005 increased by 46 students (independent auditor’s report pg. 60). How believable is a 46 student attendance increase one year and a 1,440 student explosion the next year?

Administrators who use Chicken Little-like numbers to exaggerate and manipulate financial projections should be expelled from their school districts.

There should be a zero tolerance policy toward irresponsible administrators getting parents and children unnecessarily riled up. Irresponsible exaggerations from top school administrators, however rationalized, shouldn’t be tolerated.

Aileen Seedorf

Huntley