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Chicago Sun-Times
2002 Gubernatorial Election Questionnaire

Name: Cal Skinner Birth Date: 6-11-42
Political Affiliation: Libertarian Party
Home Address: 275 Meridian Street, Crystal Lake, IL 60014-5411
Phone (home): 815-459-3506 (mobile) 815-715-5304 (pager) None
Marital status: Married Spouse’s name: Michele Giangrasso
Occupation: Retired state legislator
Campaign HQ Address: West Adams, Springfield, IL
Campaign Phone: 1-866-SHAKE-UP
Campaign Manager: Ted Semon Phone: 630-240-4797

Education: Economics degree from Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio (64), master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan (class work 64-65; thesis finished and degree awarded in 1971, I believe);
Awarded Certified Illinois Assessing Officer designation in 1970.
Taught State and Local Government at Rockford and Harper Colleges.

Please list civic, professional, fraternal or other types of organizations to which you belong. I am a member of the First United Church of Crystal Lake, the Northern Illinois Emmaus Community and the McHenry County Defenders. I was a charter member of the Woodstock Rotary Club and the Kiwanis Morning Breakfast Club.

Have you held elective or appointive political office or have you been employed by any branch of government?

United States Bureau of the Budget (65-66),
McHenry County Treasurer (66-70), GOP precinct committeeman (70-72, 86-00),
Illinois House Appropriations Committee Staff (70-71),
State Representative, 33rd District (73-81),
Unsuccessful challenger to Republican congressman (80),
Transportation Consultant to Speaker George Ryan (81-83),
Unsuccessful GOP nominee for State Comptroller (82),
Bureau of Benefits Manager, IL Dept. of Central Management Services (80-85),
In-house management consultant and special projects for CMS including initiation of direct purchase of natural gas for state government (85-87),
Advisor & research consultant to various state legislators (87-92),
State Representative, 64th District (93-01).

Please list jobs or contracts you, members of your immediate family or business partners have had with government:

Please see question above. This information is listed there. Before I was married to her, my wife Michele worked for the University of Illinois Hospital as a lab technologist and taught that subject at the university.

What is your campaign budget? $300,000

Name your biggest campaign contributors and the amount they contributed:
Ted Semon $90,000
Matt Beauchamp $26,000
Dan O’Connell $5500
Joseph Dempsey, Jr. $1000
Bruce Green $1000
Dave Hughes $1000
Dave Simpson $1000
Sue Wells $1000

If elected, what would be your immediate priorities in office?

Besides replacing the Tollway and Gambling Boards, my first priority would be stopping the pork that is not in a specific line item that can be understood by taxpayers. I am the only candidate proposing that the 274 miles of tollways be made freeways. Tollway drivers have been double taxed since the tollway began. They pay tolls, plus state and federal motor fuel taxes. Those state motor fuel taxes paid by Tollway drivers exceed the amount needed to pay off the tollway bonds over the next 15 years. Repair and maintenance can be financed by allocating to the 274 miles of Interstate tollways the federal highway assistance attributable to them. If more money is needed, there will continue to be at least $8 million in concession revenue.

The Gambling Board must be replaced because neither it nor Jim Ryan can figure out what “open bidding” means. Here’s a clue: the gamblers who invested should no more get their money back than should lottery losers, Enron or Worldcom investors. Neither should the politically-connected “minorities” in the current deal be guaranteed a “piece of the action” in the next casino deal.

What is your position on these Illinois issues:

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

I am the only candidate you can count on not to sign an income tax increase.
Property taxes certainly have their drawbacks, but all of the money is spent locally. That is obviously not the case with the state income tax.

The question is not reducing the state’s reliance on property taxes to fund education, it is, “How can we improve educational outcomes in Illinois?”

I think the answer is clearly to allow competition with government schools. I endorse the Heartland Institute’s scholarship plan. The plan freezes school operating fund property taxes and gives every parent whatever the local school district would have spent on the child in the local public school system, regardless of whether the money comes from real estate taxes, state or federal assistance. Local control is assured because the plan would have to be authorized by local referendum. The plan would be phased in over a seven year period and require no new taxes. If the General Assembly wished to provide more money for education, it could. No restriction is put upon what a private school could charge for tuition, but any amount less than the amount spent by the student’s public school system would be earmarked for college tuition for the child. This program is well thought out and, in my opinion, would work to bring better education to all Illinois students, whether their parents decided to send them to public or private school.

The best way to expand health insurance for uninsured families:

Private enterprise is the answer. Jewel provides checkers working as little as twelve hours a week with health benefits.

Expansion of O’Hare International Airport and/or a third airport in the Chicago region:

I shall not be led down the primrose path to Peotone. If a reliever airport is needed, Gary and Rockford are already built. Gary is 35 minutes from the Loop. Libertarians do not favor wasting money. While Illinois politicians and their contributors are lusting for Peotone and an expanded O’Hare, the 90% of the cost that would come from the Federal government is still tax money. It may not be state tax dollars, but we taxpayers have still paid it. Development is moving toward Rockford several miles per year. It will soon be a logical airport for northwest suburban air traffic, as Gary certainly could be for southeast Chicago passengers. Any expansion of O’Hare must not demolish Bensenville or Elk Grove Village. I will have to be convinced that new runways are being proposed as something more than a way to enrich the Richard Daley machine’s coffers.

The moratorium on the death penalty:

If George Ryan decides to commute everyone’s death sentence, then the subject will be moot. If he doesn’t, I see no reason not to allow the wheels of justice to move again. I do propose that an advisory referendum be held—as one was in 1970 when the new constitution was voted upon—to determine what Illinois voters think about continuation of the death penalty. Personally, I favor the death penalty.

What limits, if any, should be placed on access to abortions?

I am pro-life. For better or worse, the U.S. Supreme Court has sharply circumscribed what protections may be offered to unborn babies. Babies obviously have no choice in the matter of whether they should be allowed to be born or not. My wife Michele and I shall be eternally grateful that our adopted son’s mother loved him enough to give him life five years ago. I favor giving unborn children whatever protections that the U.S. Supreme Court allows state governments to provide. I am horrified that Rod Blagojevich supports allowing women to have an abortion during delivery. (That’s what partial birth abortion is.) I think when people learn he favors no protections whatsoever, even going so far as to favoring allowing women to have an abortion at 8 months and 29 days into her pregnancy, they will conclude that he is the real extremist on the abortion issue.

In the face of the economic downturn, how do you intend to balance the budget? Raise fees or taxes, or make budget cuts? Please be specific about which taxes, fees?

In fact, there was no budget crisis in Springfield this year. General Revenue Fund receipts were down a mere 2%. No manager worthy of the title couldn’t cut his budget 2%. I have visited with 80% of the daily newspapers in the state. I asked managers if they had ever cut their budget 2%. They answered in the affirmative. I asked if they had ever had to cut their budget 5%. Most answered, “Yes.” One well-known Downstate daily offered, “How about 7%?” No business person in the state can have any empathy or sympathy with the spendoholics in Springfield, who always find it easier to raise taxes than to cut spending.

If we have continued economic problems, I’ll tell you what I won’t do. I won’t blame it on cigarette smokers, as the Republicans and Democrats did this year. While I was campaigning all over Illinois against raising taxes this spring the two Golden Gloves boxers would not even get in the ring—just as they won’t get in the debate ring with me now. They threw in the towel and allowed their Republican and Democratic colleagues in Springfield to hike taxes without objection.

As I stated earlier, I am the only candidate for Governor you can be certain will veto an income tax hike. Considering Rod Blagojevich’s public employee supporters, you know he will be pressured to raise taxes. While loyal Republicans might like to believe that Republican governors will oppose tax hikes, every Republican governor for the last fifty years has raised taxes, regardless of what he said before he was elected.

As for budget cuts, I have a major proposal in the field of providing health care to state dependents. I propose bulk purchasing of medical care and commodities for those financed by state government and the administration of such health care by entities for various geographic areas throughout Illinois. Only the campaign contributions of pharmaceutical companies to Republicans can explain why state government has separate contracts to purchase prescription drugs for each separate department. Think of the purchasing power of buying the health care needs of state employees, prisoners, Medicaid, DCFS wards, retired teachers, retired state employees, etc. It is estimated that merely buying pharmaceutical drugs on one contact per company would save from $120-180 million.

I have no way of estimating how much would be saved by having entities bid for the right to provide all health care for those for whom the state pays from conception to death for various geographic areas in Illinois.

I do know that it will save money at the end of life, because the administrating entity will spend up to the cost of keeping someone in a nursing home ($35,000 per year average cost now) to keep someone out of a nursing home. (This has the side benefit of making a lot of seniors and disabled persons happier.)

After conception, the entity will figure out how to get teens to deliver their babies as close to nine months as possible in order to avoid the cost of neonatal hospitalization. (Certainly, public health officials have had their chance to solve this problem.) The entity will similarly figure out how to keep people with doctors from using expensive emergency room care. Probably, on-site general practitioner availability will result.

All will save large amounts of money. I don’t believe either Blagojevich or Ryan is capable of making this happen. Both would rather “milk” the current system. Perhaps we can save enough to provide the kind of tax cut that a “welfare reform dividend” should have already provided.

In addition, it obviously makes no sense to have $126 million of pork still in the budget. And, that’s just what the State Journal-Register could find. I doubt items like the $133,000 gift to a Tennessee entrepreneur to build a $6 million water park on Rend Lake next to a state-subsidized failing hotel are included in the $126 million. How on earth could money be spent on such a project if Illinois really has a budget problem? Is it some legislator’s pork project?

What could the Governor’s office do to raise standards and improve teacher education in state run colleges and universities?

One thing I find outrageous about the current system is that state schools of education allow students to graduate before they have a teachers’ certificate. Do you agree with me that this makes no sense? It ought to part of the cost of the degree.

Should Illinois laws make it easier to confiscate and impound vehicles when a driver has his or her license suspended? Please explain your answer.

I think Illinois already has too much confiscation of property without due process.

Have you visited a state park in the past 12 months? If so, please describe any concerns:

As a matter of fact, I did drive down the county line road between Randolph and Perry Counties. The road divides the biggest state park in Illinois. It was just purchased from a coal mining company and probably is over 20,000 acres of mined out strip mine. A local newspaper publisher said the coal mine company should have been forced to pay the state to take the land. I also visited Jim Edgar State Park in Cass County and stayed at Illinois Beach State Park in Zion for a weekend. The biggest problem I see with the first two state parks is that they are inconveniently located for most citizens of Illinois. As to Zion, the hotel room we stayed in could have used a functioning lock.

What the state park system needs is more parkland in Chicagoland. I propose the state purchase 2000-3000 acres of mined-out or soon-to-be-mined out gravel pits between Crystal Lake, Lake-in-the-Hills, Algonquin and Cary for development into a unique metropolitan state park. I suggest it be named “Gravel Gertie State Park” after Chester Gould’s 1950’s character in the Dick Tracy cartoon. Mr. Gould told me that he got the idea of Gravel Gertie while driving past the old Crystal Lake dump, which is in the area.

This would be an untraditional state park, but surely no more untraditional than an old strip mine. Virtually any type of recreation one can imagine could take place in these old gravel pits. Consider the possibilities of the many lakes—large and small—for swimming, fishing, sail and motor boating in the summer, and ice fishing, ice boating, skiing for beginners, and ice skating in the winter. Almost any water sport except surfing would be possible. Water slides would be easy to incorporate into the sides of the gravel pits, as would toboggan runs, sledding hills, and protected lakes where one could skate on near perfect ice. Snowmobiling would not endanger the flora, if only because there is not much. I could even see a bobsled, if there were enough interest.

Imagine the recreational opportunities in late fall. Of course, hiking and bicycling and camping would be possible, but, in addition, in some lakes shaped like solar ovens, it would be warm enough to swim until very late fall.

Motorcycles, horse riders and dirt bikes could find a home in parts of the proposed park--in different areas, of course. Those who like to put their motor homes close to water would be able to find pads. (The Lake County Forest Preserve District has announced that such a site overlooking the Fox River will be closed to mobile homes.)

The one thing this park would not have much of would be trees…at least in the beginning. I am certain that Department of Natural Resources foresters could transform the esthetics of the area as time passes.

The park would be located a short bus ride from the Cary train station, as well as being easily accessible from the Northwest Tollway.

What book have you read most recently?

My most recent “summer” book was Clive Cussler’s “Fire Ice.” I am now reading the latest in the “Left Behind” series.

Do you have a hobby?

Now that I am retired, politics is my hobby. There certainly is enough going on that is displeasing to keep me busy in McHenry County and the state arena for the foreseeable future. After the election, whether or not I am elected, I shall be soliciting petition signatures to put a constitutional amendment on the ballot to limit the number of terms the Mike Madigans, Lee Daniels, Pate Philips and Emil Joneses of the world can serve as a caucus leader to six years (prospectively). I shall also be fighting any attempt to raise the income tax and expand the sales tax.

Do you have a handgun in your home? If so, why?

I hold a Firearm Owners’ Identification Card and, whether I do or don’t own a handgun, I can tell you that I am not going to put a sign in my yard saying, “No gun within.” Instead, I propose the only plan to reduce violent crime by over 2% per year and rape by over 3% per year. It is based on solid social science research of similar plans in twenty other states. I call on the legislature to enact a Personal Security Act, which will allow law-abiding citizens who have taken a short-course in how to use a gun in self-defense to obtain a permit to use a gun to protect themselves. The sad fact is that the police cannot always be where you need them when you need them. Every state that has enacted such a proposal has seen a drop in violent crime. Michigan’s law has been in effect almost fifteen months. From my searches of the Detroit papers, I cannot find that its enactment was an issue in either party in the recent, hotly contested primary elections.

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Chicago Tribune Questionnaire

Cal Skinner
Candidate Biography
November 5, 2002, General Election

Name: Cal Skinner
Date of Birth: June 11, 1942
Home: 275 Meridian Street, Crystal Lake, Illinois 60014-5411
Phone: 815-459-3506
Office: Same
E-mail: strepskinner@mindspring.com
Home page address: Skinner4Governor.org
Campaign contact person: Mike Ginsberg, 847-650-8747
Candidate for what office: Governor
Party affiliation: Libertarian Party
Occupation: Retired

Previous political experience: (elective and appointed positions):

United States Bureau of the Budget (65-66),
McHenry County Treasurer (66-70), GOP precinct committeeman (70-72, 86-00),
Illinois House Appropriations Committee Staff (70-71),
State Representative, 33rd District (73-81),
Unsuccessful challenger to Republican congressman (80),
Transportation Consultant to Speaker George Ryan (81-83),
Unsuccessful GOP nominee for State Comptroller (82),
Bureau of Benefits Manager, IL Dept. of Central Management Services (80-85),
In-house management consultant and special projects for CMS, including initiation of direct purchase of natural gas for state government (85-87),
Advisor & research consultant to various state legislators (87-92),
State Representative, 64th District (93-01).

Education: Economics degree from Oberlin College, Oberlin, Ohio (64), master’s degree in public administration from the University of Michigan (class work 64-65; thesis finished and degree awarded in 1971, I believe);

Awarded Certified Illinois Assessing Officer designation in 1970.

Taught State and Local Government at Rockford and Harper Colleges.
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Cal Skinner
Chicago Tribune Questionnaire
Gubernatorial Candidates
November 5, 2002 General Election

1. After two years of careful study, the Governor’s Commission on Capital Punishment issued a set of 85 recommendations for reforming Illinois’ administration of the death penalty after a long string of wrongful convictions. Please indicate whether you would support or oppose each of the following reforms to the state’s capital punishment system, and provide a brief but specific explanation of your choices.

Sequential, as opposed to simultaneous, police lineups.

The criminal justice community is divided on this issue. It seems logical to me that a witness ought to be able to make comparisons, but I am open to factual arguments.

Reducing eligibility factors from 20 to 5.

I don’t pretend to be an expert on eligibility factors, nor do I intend to become an expert before this campaign is over. Certainly removal of premeditation as an eligibility factor defies common sense. I heard an activist on WTTW suggest that the current definition of “premeditated” is overly broad. If so, narrowing it might be in order. Elimination is not.

Mandatory videotaping of all custodial interrogations and confessions.

If Illinois can afford to place cameras in rest stops on Interstate highways, it ought to be able to afford to videotape all custodial interrogations and confessions. I voted for Rep. Monique Davis’s bill on videotaping when I was in the General Assembly

Pretrial screening by judges of jailhouse snitch testimony.

Considering the pressure that authorities can place on prisoners, even in the DuPage County Jail, this is a must.

A statewide, centralized review system (centralized in the attorney general’s office) that all county prosecutors would have to go through before winning approval to pursue a capital sentence.

There is a real, unintended consequence that could result from this suggestion. Candidates for Attorney General might well compete for election on the basis of which would be “tougher on crime.” Indeed, that seems to be happening this year. I understand the purpose of having some outside authority review local state’s attorney’s decisions to seek the death penalty and generally agree with such a review. I am not, however, convinced that the attorney general is the place to put that authority.

A systematic, statewide monitoring and data collection system by which to identify trends and rectify mistakes in how our capital punishment system is administered in Illinois.

Sounds like something an agency of state government should be doing. I don’t understand what relevance “trends” have when individual prosecutions are involved.

2. Should all casino licenses be auctioned to the highest qualified bidders? Why or why not?

Of course all casino licenses should be auctioned periodically to the highest qualified bidder. What part of open bidding doesn’t Jim Ryan understand? It makes no sense for Jim Ryan to agree to allow pre-selected so-called minorities to have a piece of the action in the successor to the Rosemont casino. It makes no sense for him to allow failed gambling investors to get all their money back. John Kass is correct in his assertion that lottery losers should get their money back if the Rosemont casino investors are given their money back. Why should such investors be any different that those who invested in Enron or WorldCom?

3. Under Illinois’ system of campaign rules, there is nothing illegal about state workers doing political work, either paid or volunteer, as long as they don’t do it on state time. Recent reports, however, suggest that these rules routinely are broken by campaigns. Would you support a measure prohibiting state government workers from doing any campaign work, even on their own time? Please explain.

I understand the problem you are addressing because I blew the whistle on Lee Daniels to one of your reporters before you published anything about his misuse of state employees. (In fact, you still have not published that information.) However, your absolutist solution would just give more power to media giants like yourself. I don’t know how you can constitutionally prohibit people from exercising their right to political free speech on their own time…assuming, of course, they are not going to be compensated for such time and effort by the taxpayers either before or after they do it.

4. Assuming the state is likely to be financially hamstrung for at least another year or two, please list three initiatives (and their estimated costs) that you think the legislature needs to focus on its next session. Also please identify three things that ought to be cut, downsized or consolidated. Do you favor raising the state income or sales taxes to balance the state’s budget?

Illinois’ GENERAL FUND REVENUES WERE DOWN this past year, but the decrease was ONLY TWO PERCENT. What was the big deal? I have now visited with 80% of the daily newspapers in Illinois. None of them had any sympathy with state politicians who could not cut their budget by 2%. (Neither do other businessmen.) All of the newspapers had cut their budgets by 2%, most by 5%, one admitted a 7% cut. When $113,000 is being given to a private individual in Tennessee to develop a $6 million water park on Rend Lake next to a presumably failing state-subsidized hotel, Illinois does not have a budget problem. It has a spending problem. There was no need for a 69% cigarette tax increase, and there is no need for a state income tax hike.

I am the only candidate for Governor you can be certain would veto an increase in the state income or sales tax. We all know the people supporting Rod Blagojevich want more money. No one will be surprised when he signs any number of tax increase bills. Republican want to believe in their heart of hearts that Republican governors won’t raise taxes, but every Republican governor for the last five decades has raised taxes, no matter what he said before the election. I repeat, I am the only gubernatorial candidate you know will veto an income/sales tax increase.

Initiative one: Term Limits for Legislative Leaders. I propose a constitutional amendment to limit the terms of legislative leaders to six years as leaders. The over-concentration of power in four men in Springfield is the biggest systemic problem I see in Illinois politics. Federal prosecutors should not be setting term limits for legislative leaders. The State Constitution should. Before I announced my proposal, I mailed a copy to Bruce Dold. It has been crafted to withstand constitutional challenge. If you would like to see its contents, they may be found on my web site. I believe that anyone seeking to lead his legislative party in Springfield should be able to make a good dent in his policy goals, if any, in six years. It is obvious that Mike Madigan and Lee Daniels, Pate Philip and Emil Jones have no policy goals. Their only goal is power and gaining more power. “Controlling the process.” That’s the way I put it when I taught state and local government at Rockford and Harper Colleges. It is not healthy for the body politic to have so much power concentrated in so few hands for so, so many years. Without fear of contradiction, I predict that neither Jim Ryan nor Rod Blagojevich will support my proposal. The Secretary of State would have to pay for distribution of the proposed amendment to the voters.

Initiative two: Passage of a Personal Security Act that will allow licensed, law-abiding citizens to use a gun in self-defense. The research is in. Passage of such a bill will lower the violent crime rate by 2.3% per year! (Rape goes down 3.1 % per year. See Chapter 9 of Dr. John Lott’s paperback book, “More Guns, Less Crime.”) Crime statistics were examined in all 3000 counties in the United States before and after gun laws were passed. In the twenty states that passed laws similar to what I am proposing the violent crime rate went down 2.3% per year. Because it’s unrealistic to count solely on the police for protection, my Personal Security Act should be made law. (For more details, see my web site: Skinner4Governor.org) The proposal would be financed with user fees.

Initiative three: Turning the Tollways to Freeways. We must end the double taxation of tollway drivers. Motorists using the tollways pay twice—once with their tolls and a second time when they buy gas where they pay motor fuel taxes. It is obscene that this system of double taxation is allowed to continue to exist. Its only beneficiary is the DuPage County Republican Party. Here’s how to turn the tollways into freeways:

(1) Pay off the tollway bonds with the gas taxes paid by drivers while using the tollways. The tollway bond payments range from $79.7 million this year to $72.2 million in 2017. Motor Fuel Taxes bring in from $82 million to $107 million per year, depending on the study (and those estimates are 5-10 years out of date in a time of rising tollway use).

(2) Use the federal aid we already receive to maintain these roads. On August 22, 2000, Secretary of Transportation Kirk Brown testified before the Senate Transportation Committee that Illnois received $52 million in Federal highway assistance because of the 274 miles of Interstate highways in the tollway system. I believe that is enough to pay for the type of routine maintenance now occurring on the tollway system.

(3) If additional money is needed, take it from the $8 million in concession revenue that is already coming in.

Obviously, Jim Ryan and Rod Blagojevich merely favor postponing a toll tax hike until after the election. I have identified the source of money for the conversion. No new money would be required. No toll tax hike—No Tolls!

Cost-cutting initiative one: Consolidation and pay cuts. This is not a time for costly legislative or gubernatorial initiatives. There is so much serious work to do and so little desire to do it. Obviously, government can be run more efficiently. A small example: instead of having two labor relations boards filled with patronage appointees doing very part-time jobs, let’s merge them and cut their salaries. United Airlines management took a 10% pay cut. Why shouldn’t management employees in state government do the same? Does anyone think that most of them could earn as much in the private sector? There’s an organization called the Mercatus Center at George Mason University whose head helped down-size the New Zealand government. I certainly will make good use of talent like that. It will be more than setting measurable performance standards. I believe we can cut the cost of state government enough to provide tax cuts to Illinois taxpayers.

Cost-cutting initiative two: Bulk purchasing of medical care and commodities for those financed by state government and the adminstration of such health care by entities for various geographic areas throughout Illinois. Only the campaign contributions of pharmaceutical companies to Republicans can explain why state government has separate contracts to purchase prescription drugs for each separate department. Think of the purchasing power of buying the health care needs of state employees, prisoners, Medicaid, DCFS wards, retired teachers, retired state employees, etc. It is estimated that merely buying pharmaceutical drugs on one contact per company would save from $120-180 million. I have no way of estimating how much would be saved by having entities bid for the right to provide all health care for those for whom the state pays from conception to death for various geographic areas in Illinois. I do know that it will save money at the end of life, because the administrating entity will spend up to the cost of keeping someone in a nursing home ($35,000 per year average cost now) to keep someone out of a nursing home. (This has the side benefit of making a lot of seniors and disabled persons happier.) After conception, the entity will figure out how to get teens to deliver their babies as close to nine months as possible in order to avoid the cost of neonatal hospitalization. (Certainly, public health officials have had their chance to solve this problem.) The entity will similarly figure out how to keep people with doctors from using expensive emergency room care. Probably, on-site general practitioner availability will result. All will save large amounts of money. I don’t believe either Blagojevich or Ryan are capable of making this happen. Both would rather “milk” the current system. Perhaps we can save enough to provide the kind of tax cut that a “welfare reform dividend” should have already provided.

Cost-cutting initiative three: Turning our median strips and shoulders into a tourist attraction. Illinois is the “Prairie State,” but all people who drive through see are corn and soybeans. I propose making the median strips and shoulders of at least our Interstate highways (and, yes, I am also talking about the tollways) look like they did before Illinois was settled. Imagine fifteen-foot blue stem prairie grass, which is reported to have been high as a rider on a horse before the prairie was broken. Imagine waves of yellow flowers for miles on end. We need not settle for short prairie grass. The prairie was much more beautiful. I would have our prisoners plant and maybe even grow the prairie plants. I believe this would save money, because we would not need to buy mowers and certainly wouldn’t need people to do the mowing.

5. What is the proper use of tobacco settlement funds? Do you favor securitizing future tobacco settlement money to balance the state’s budget?

I do not favor securitizing future tobacco settlement money. You are right that is like a farmer’s eating his seed corn. Cutting back on spending makes more sense. Everyone knows that politicians will spend every dime that is available and, in Illinois, the Springfield politicians have proven they will spend more than is available.

Because general fund revenue paid for medical costs related to smoking, I see no reason expenditure of tobacco settlement money should be earmarked for any particular purpose.

6. Do you support the elimination of member initiatives?

You would think with all the commotion in Springfield about the budget that member initiatives would have been eliminated…but they weren’t. Member initiatives should never be handled like they are now when one cannot figure out how money in a “holding” fund will be spent. Authority to execute the budget belongs to the Executive Branch, not to the legislative leaders. Any money appropriated for specific projects must be put in its individual line item. Having been a Budget Examiner for the United States Bureau of the Budget, you can be sure that I shall examine my budgets very carefully.

7. Do you favor or oppose elimination of legislative tuition waivers for the state’s public universities?

I have already voted to eliminate legislative scholarships. I would sign a bill that would do so. Having said that, I may have been the first person to
develop an outside committee (in 1974) and a form, complete with essay requirement, to award my legislative scholarships. I didn’t think it was right for students to get these scholarships because of what their parents had contributed to a campaign or campaign work their parents had performed. My “Public Affairs” scholarships were awarded on the basis of what the applicant him- or herself had done.

8. Now that the U.S. Supreme Court has opened the way for education vouchers, how should Illinois proceed? Would you support a bill allowing expansion of the number of charter schools in the city of Chicago from 15 to 30? Please explain why or why not.

I believe that Illinois schools already have the authority to offer financial incentives for students to attend other schools. Under Senate Bill 22 of 1995 (Public Act 89-3), schools are granted virtual home rule power. They are allowed to do anything not prohibited by state law. (Until this is published, the teachers’ unions won’t have figured out that this possibility exists. Needless to say, they will immediately try to plug the “hole” in Springfield.) So, immediately, I believe any school board could decide to allocate funds to allow parents to send children to other schools or even to allow them to home school. I proposed such a bill in 1995 while I was in the General Assembly as a “growth management” tool. When I costed out what it would take to build and operate a new public grade school, I discovered that it would almost always be cheaper to pay parents to send their children to school elsewhere. I certainly would be supportive of any similar proposal that would save taxpayers money.

I also endorse the Heartland Institute voucher plan. (See Heartland.org.)

With regard to additional charter schools in Chicago or anywhere else in Illinois, I would support expansion.

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On September 11th, Gladbach addressed the board on the subject.

I have a little issue I think we can resolve tonight. In my attempt to be a better informed resident, I requested a copy of the public information packets for Board meetings.

I wanted the same information that is given to union members and reporters. Today I had to drive down to the Administration building, and write a check for $2.40 for the Board packet.

I am sure you have heard of the phrase “pay to play” but “pay to see” what is being discussed tonight in a public meeting is unreasonable.

I am a taxpayer within the District. Why do I have to pay money to be better informed during the District meetings?

All due respect, is this the kind of transparency District residents can expect?

Let’s be reasonable. This policy needs to be changed immediately and it is a waste of time and taxpayer money for the communication director to extract $2.40 from me. I would venture a guess that it is going to cost the district more than $2.40 to process my check.

Can I have my $2.40 back?

Thank you for your time.

When I contacted newly hired District 300 communications supervisor Allison Smith to find out if anything had happened as a result of Gladbach’s plea, here is what I found:

We’re going to start getting those online.

It’s something the board has to explore a couple of aspects of how that would work.

The board packets that are presented at many meetings are unofficial. They are documents being presented for the board’s consideration. So, with that in mind, there is a potential for them to be amended at the meeting and anything that would be posted online before the meeting would be documents pending board approval. So, a couple of things the board would have to decide.

I would suggest that we simply post them online with a caveat that these are documents pending board approval.

I am completely open to allowing the public to be more engaged in the board meetings by being able to follow along.

I’m a big believer in public engagement and, if we want the public to come to our board meetings and be engaged in the process, we need to make that as easy as possible for them.

When they would start would be a few weeks. This fall.

I would like it happen today, but there are procedures to follow—the board policy committee needs to meet and review the topic and make a recommendation to the board and, then, the board would need to approve any new or amended policy it would create.

I don’t think that anyone would disagree that we want the public to have access to the information.

The agreement is there that everybody wants people to be more engaged at board meetings.

Until then, residents can file a Freedom of Information Act request the Thursday or Friday before the board meeting. That’s after the packets have been created. 15 cents a page still.

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

That might be because the Crystal Lake Park District was seeking to increase its recreation fund by 5 cents per $100 of assessed valuation at the same election. That referendum only found 42% support..

Again next spring, Nunda Township, which covers the north part of Crystal Lake (above Crystal Lake Avenue), will hold another referendum. It will be for open space. I have speculated that MCCD will not hold a referendum at the same time.

Driving the overall support discovered seems to be the intense dislike of the rampant growth occurring in McHenry County.

59% of respondents “feel that McHenry County is growing and developing too fast.” Just under half of those polled feel “strongly” about it. This was the second question, framing, in effect, the questions that followed.

The very next question is

"In the future there may be a bond referendum on the ballot that will read:

"Shall the McHenry County Conservation District, Illinois borrow money and issue general obligation bonds in an amount not to exceed $65 million to acquire forests, wetlands and other natural areas, to protect wildlife habitat, preserve natural resources, improve flood control, construct multi-use trails, and to otherwise improve existing forest preserves, wetlands and prairies?

"If the election were being held today, would you vote for or against this proposal?"

The answers:

37% Definitely for
25% Probably for
7% Undecided
11% Probably against
19% Definitely against
1% Refused

The summary points out that shows

63% FOR
30% AGAINST

When the cost of $35 a year the result was

63% FOR
32% AGAINST

But, question 7, probing whether there are enough MCCD sites “in your part of McHenry County,” got an answer that must have disappointed MCCD officials.

57% said, “About right.”

The poll had too many homeowners in its sample. While 86% of McHenry County residents live in their own homes, 91% of those polled were homeowners. So, there is at least this problem with the sample.

The partisan breakdown was interesting.

In this Republican-dominated county, here’s the breakdown:

28% Republican
20% Democrat
30% Independent
13% Other
2% Don’t know
7% Refused

61% had not children under 18 living at home.

Finally, the results of the first question on the poll:

23% Holding down property taxes
23% Traffic and congestion problems
15% Improving education
12% Controlling growth and development
8% Preserving open space and natural lands
4% Economic growth and job creation
4% Fighting crime and drugs
3% Controlling government spending
2% Improving the quality of local government services
2% The shortage of groundwater supply
2% Other
2% Don’t know

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

  

  

Most people can agree that it is better to teach poor people how to fish or to farm than to just give them food.

I’m not sure I have even gotten so up close and personal with someone whose mission in life is to do just that as I did Saturday. I was at United Methodist Men’s Spiritual Congress this past Saturday up on Lake Geneva’s Conference Point. Tshala Mwengo is an agricultural graduate of the Methodist-supported African University in Zimbabwe. He is teaching Lunda-Ndembu farmers how to produce more with oxen.

Because he was so impressed with this approach, Chief Kanyama donated 1,000 acres for the northwestern Zambian projects called Musokatanda and Mujila Falls.

That’s where Mwengo lives with his wife Bette and two-two year old child Lans. He manages the project.

Mwengo’s goal is to attack the root causes of poverty.

"The goals are families who can provide balanced nutrition for themselves and an income from small scale, family-based production in Zambia and the Democratic Republic of Congo,"

says the handout I got.
Mwengo’s education parallels my father’s at the University of Maryland. He was an ag graduate and wanted to be (but never became) a county agent, but his first job was as a high school ag teacher. For those non-farm folk, a county agent in the 1930’s when Dad went to school was the source of advice for local farmers. I have previously published an artlcle with a picture him with a mule.

Sounds a lot like what Mwengo will be doing.

Oxen is the farming improvement of choice. With one a farmer can grow much more.

The land of the Mujila Falls project is 2,500 acres, both forested and developed fields. It is bounded on one side by a river and includes a 40-foot waterfall, which eventually will provide hydroelectric power to the site and surrounding villages.

This area of Zambia and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north “has some of the highest infant mortality rates in this part of Africa,” the information sheet says.

Mwengo had a wonderfully pleasing description of oxen. I was taking pictures and didn’t write it down, but he pointed out that they do not depreciate, among other word plays on machinery.

He mentioned that chickens were being introduced and that, currently, eggs cost 30 cents apiece. Mujila Falls is now marketing milk and soon will be doing the same with eggs from an 800-hen layer facility.

The desire is to provide more protein for the families’ diets.

Mwengo has sixty days of orientation in New York before returning to Africa

He said that the project is 300 miles from the nearest city and that his biggest need is a 4X4. One can imagine that the roads would not be too good.

A May 8th email from Paul Webster, the Wisconsin missionary who helped Mwengo get his start says,

"Our Toyota Landcruiser has had several breakdowns in the past few months, but each time we have met the challenge…"

Writing about the crops, Webster said,

"Despite many trials and tribulations, we were able to plant…22 acres of corn using only oxen…Many of our workers abandoned us when the weeds got thick and the plowing got tough. Tshala and I often went out and plowed by ourselves and found ways to get the essential work done on time. In each instance, God gave us the strength to carry on…We had only one pair of oxen ready to work and they had been starved and were underweight Yet, through the strength of an ox we can report an abundant harvest."

They held a field day for local farmers (complete with PowerPoint!) and

"Even Chief Kanyama attended and later expressed his satisfaction with the event..

"Poor local farmers are have been bringing their oxen to the training center to be trained in pulling various implements…Now that they have seen our fields, they are convinced that oxen are most practical for their needs."

Webster concludes by writing,

"Running a 1000 hectare experimental farm and training center will require all the skills and skills that God has given both Tshala and me if we are to succeed…Please keep Tshala and me in your prayers. We have both had malaria and with the chicks and the rabbits, we seldom get a full night’s sleep."

Mwengo’s address is
Tshala Mwengo
United Methodist Church
P.O. Box 20219
Kitwe, Zambia

Contributions may be to the Board of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church. His missionary number is 15093Z. His email address is tmwengo@yahoo.com.
= = = = =

Pictures:

The tall man seen speaking is Methodist missionary Tshala Mwengo.

Mwengo is seen with his wife Bette.

Below is Northern Illinois Conference United Methodist Men Vice President Steven Nailor of Rockford introducing Mwengo.

The map is of Zambia and surrounding countries. The project Mwengo manages is in the upper lefthand portion of the country.

One UMM member points at the screen to the man sitting beside him.

Brad Meador and Carl Moon of the First United Methodist Church of Crystal Lake listen to soon-to-be commissioned Methodist missionary Tshala Mwengo at Lake Geneva’s Conference Point Spiritual Congress.

The bottom head shot is of Tshala Mwengo.

  

  

  

Here’s what happened at last Thursday’s meeting when ACT scores were discussed.

Larry Snow revealed a side that I had not seen before—his desire for curriculum reform.

“What are you doing this year?” he asked Johnson.

“We have been trending up,” he said.

He pointed out that reading went from 41% college readiness in 2003 to 49% in 2006.

That science college readiness only went from 20% to 21% during the same period was considered “problematic.”

“We have lagged behind the type of growth we would like to see,” Johnson said.

The principal related how the science curriculum has been re-configured so that freshmen will be taking physics, sophomores - chemistry and juniors - biology.

The change was made to match the curriculum to the subjects on the ACT.

Johnson said that previously the curriculum had not been aligned with the state standards on the ACT.

He also noted that the ACT format is different from those which students face in tests in high school.

“Our goal is to put our students in a position to be as successful as possible when they walk into to take that (ACT) test,” Johnson continued.

He explained that “over 32% who took the ACT weren’t here as 8th graders.”

“I agree with everything you say,” board member Rosemary Herringer said. “Of course, this business of being transient is typical (in the suburbs).”

Johnson explained that he was trying to benchmark with the best, which he said included Nauqua High School in Indian Prairie District, Prairie Ridge and Cary-Grove High Schools in District 155 and Waubonsee.

“Obviously, they have ACT scores significantly higher than we have,” he added.

Johnson spoke of his school’s mentoring program for the large number of new teachers.

“I feel we should have vast improvements,” Herringer said.

Newly appointed board member Tony Quagliano, a Certified Public Accountant, favored “getting more students prepared for algebra before 9th grade.

“Obviously, our math scores are significantly lagging,” he continued.

Assistant Principal Eric Runck agreed that the district needed to work on math, but noted that there are “only two pre-algebra classes in high school.”

Larry Snow revealed a side that I had not seen before—his desire for curriculum reform.

“What are you doing this year?” he asked Johnson.

The principal replied that there were ”fewer pre-algebra classes.”

Veteran board member Kim Skaja pointed out that the high school was “losing them as juniors.”

Johnson contended that his school was seeking to develop “a culture of rigor.”

He said they were trying to make it less desirable for a student to take honors courses, instead of advanced placement courses for college credit.

“AP is up 60% over the last three years,” Johnson pointed out.

But, he pointed out, “Students are taking honors courses when they could be taking AP.”

He said that he was beginning “to eliminate honors levels classes“ (in order to force the capable students to take AP courses).

To meet the parental objection of the cost of taking the test, he is not going to force the students to take the test.

Johnson is also considering changing the way the grade point average is calculated. Instead of giving both honors and AP classes an extra point, he is considering limiting the honors class “bump” to .5, while keeping the AP at one point.

He talked about putting the most popular teachers in the AP classes.

“Many people will choose a course based on who they think will teach a course,” Johnson said, including his own son.

“At (John) Hersey (High School in Arlington Heights), they started putting the most popular teachers in the AP courses,” Johnson said.

“We still have a sizeable percentage of high schoolers who didn’t attend college,” Herringer observed.

She pointed out, “2005 scores are disappointing. They’re stagnant and going down in places.”

Johnson added that testing the kids in the gym, rather than in classrooms, wasn’t helpful.

Snow then regained the floor.

“So, you think this explains (why) for each year, for the last 5 years, the district has scored lower than the state average on math?

“You’re misleading the public,” Johnson replied forcefully.

Just as forcefully, Snow said, “Those are the facts. Those are the figures.”

“Our ACT scores have gone up over that 5-year period,” retorted Johnson.

“We’re under 20 for 5 consecutive years,” Snow said forcefully.

At this point, Johnson leaned away from the podium and looked at the figures.

“You are correct!” he said when he returned to the microphone, noting the ACT scores were under 20 for all five years.

Then, board member Kim Skaja said something I couldn’t catch, while Johnson said, “The key is college readiness.”

Snow said, “It’s 15% now, compared to 20%.”

“It doesn’t matter,” Herringer said.

“We haven’t done anything in math in 5 years,” Snow said, pressing his point.

Johnson again admitted, “You are correct.”

“We should look forward,” Skaja, a long-time school board member, said.

Snow’s reply:

That was my first question.

Johnson pointed out that the scores of those who were in school in Huntley before high school did better than those who came here in 8th grade.

“I welcome Mr. Snow’s questions.

“I think we’re up to it.

“It’s a complex process.

“It’s a challenge, believe me.”

Skaja asked Johnson’s “goal.”

“By 2010, 22’s on composite ACT’s,” he replied. “We may not be making a point five increase each year,” he cautioned.

“Do you think our scores should be higher that District 300?” Snow asked.

Johnson said that Huntley was significantly higher than Dundee-Crown, lower than Jacobs and within 1/10 of a point of Hampshire’s.

“D-300 would probably be higher than our schools overall,” Johnson said.

Frank Coleman, another veteran board member, asked, “What are your doing this year with some of those courses?

“We did not add any new courses or levels this year,” adding that fewer were taking keyboarding.

“They’re moving up to computer applications, maybe mouse certification.

“We have more students taking honors and A.P. This year we have no A.P. physics; less than 10 kids showed up,” he continued.

“What are you doing to line the teachers up to the standards,” Coleman asked.

“Every teacher meets every 2 weeks (‘level meetings’),” Johnson replied.

Johnson said that the high school teachers have quantifiable goals and “a much closer accountability system than we have ever had.”

He pointed to “common Algebra 1 exams.”

“Are you teaching to the standard or above the standards?” Coleman asked.

“We want every teacher teaching above standards,” was Johnson’s answer.

Shawn Green couldn’t identify who had said, “the soft bigotry of low expectations,” but it seemed to express his feelings.

“George Bush,” Snow said, then, “George W.,” to clear up any ambiguity.

Green pointed out, “(Arlington Heights District) 211 is more diverse than we are and they’re kicking our butts right now.

“If you get a D in Algebra 1, how much of a chance (does a child have) at Algerbra 2?"

Principal Johnson pointed out that D’s now go on to the next class.

“What’s your initial thought on that?” Green asked.

“If we have high standards, hopefully a D will allow them to succeed in a subsequent class,” Johnson said, reminding the board, “We’re a high school system based on credit.

“What happens when that kid doesn’t go on?

Snow suggested going back and finding out how the D’s did on their math ACT’s…whether they were “miraculously self-healed or maybe track for failure in Algebra 1."

He continued, “If you can’t get a 70, you (might) need remedial help.”

Johnson introduced me to a new "school" word—“articulation.”

The concept is that education beneath high school should mesh with that given in high school.

He didn’t think that was the case in Huntley.

Junior high school principal Jim Stotz then spoke, but I was taking pictures, not notes.

Newly appointed Superintendent John Burkey then put in his two cents:

“The real question is what course of action will lead…to better success when he is a 2nd semester junior in Algebra 2.

“It’s the same thing with the retention debate.

“The biggest thing we have to look at (is) if we do exactly the same think the 2nd time as (we) did the 1st time,” Burkey said.

“Absolutely,” Snow replied.

For more McHenry County Blog, click here.

At some point Green said that he would look up the legality when he got to work the next morning.

Board member Frank Coleman pointed out that having children in the bus mechanics' area was “dangerous.”

“I can’t see anything that’s healthy about it,” Herringer added.

“The argument is made that we won’t be able to get bus drivers. (They) make up to $17 an hour.”

Snow asked Chief Operations Officer Stewart how many bus drivers were bringing infants.

“I don’t have the numbers,” the man in charge of transportation replied. “I personally would have no problem giving direction to cease this immediately….Let the chips fall where they may.”

“We do have to be reasonably,” Human Resource Director Smith said, “adding that the baby they had previously discussed was now “a year old.”

“I don’t think we need to wait,” Herringer said.

“They have received a verbal notice at an all district meeting,” Smith repeated.

“I think another question is how many (school board members) had prior knowledge,” Stewart interjected.

“I knew,” long-time board member Kim Skaja answered.

Fellow board member Coleman said, “No one said (infants) on the bus.”

Then, Chief Financial Officer Stan Hall joined the attack on the current practice of allowing drivers’ children on their buses.

“I had this same discussion with our insurance carrier. You need to get them off the bus.”

“Would it be helpful to just make this a policy?” Green asked.

“I would think we should be very definitive that a kid should not be on a bus unless they are assigned to it,” Herring added.

Skaja said she remembered (something about having kids on their mothers’ buses) “about ten years ago.”

Smith again joined the conversation, saying, “Well, none of us think it’s a good idea to have kids on the bus.

At this point, Snow asked, “Do we really want to risk a potential work stoppage.?

“There are 20. I think it was in the 20’s.”

(There are about 60 buses.)

Then, Smith spoke in a manner I took to be rebuking Snow:

“If employees are calling any board member, (it is) inappropriate (not to tell the superintendent).”

“Do you expect board members to be discourteous to people?” Snow replied.

Skaja interposed herself between the two verbally by interjecting, “If it isn’t against the law,” it would be “OK.”

At this point newly appointed School Superintendent John Burkey said, “We have no other classification where an employee can bring their children to work. Where we have it, it is a safety question.

“If we have 20 bus drivers who are going to walk out, then we need to be (realistic).”

Stewart continued his support of prohibiting the drivers’ children on their buses:

“I don’t know where Mr. Snow gets the idea that we’ll get a walkout.

“…we have taxpayers concerned we have seats occupied with somebody else’s children.”

He went on to echo Hall concerning liability, saying it was “negligent to allow this to go (on).”

“I see a heck of a lot of exposure. I’m certainly going to find out…define the size of the problem.”

“For my money, this stops tomorrow,” board vice president and meeting head in the absence of Mike Skala (who left early) said.

“I’ll take responsibility. I say it ends tomorrow.”

Snow agreed with Stewart.

“I’m going to agree with Glen. You have to define the size of the problem.

“I agree with Mr. Burkey. You have to be realistic.

“The bus drivers were surprised tat this was going to end.”

Newly appointed board member Tony Quagliano, who had sat quieting through all of this, said some that I didn’t catch, but I did write down this sentence:

“We are defining this as non-school age children,” which may have been a question.

Stewart’s next comment was, “I just think this is a sticky wicket all the way around.”

Herringer followed up with

“I shouldn’t just be on my mother’s bus. She should be on the bus she is assigned to…I just see it as such potential problems.”

Burkey spoke for a second time: “If Monday morning we’re missing 20 drivers…(as) Larry says…

“That’s what I’m told (but) Glen should know,” Snow replied.

“It’s between 19 and 20. Maybe half of them would be there,” employee Smith said.

“The union is aware,” she continued. “The union president knows people very (well).

Smith told of how her mother had taken her as a child to school when she taught.

“We don’t allow kids to sit in their teachers’ classroom.”

I can’t figure out whether all of the expressed concern for safety and school district liability is for real or just part of a coordinated effort to get back at the president of the union which represents the bus drivers.

“I would tell you now that the only child on those buses who needs a car seat is mine,” Yvonne Tovar told me.

Part 2 of this series will run Sunday. Find out what the union president has to say.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

The email continues:

The problem I am faced with, is that I do not wish my name to be published.

Since my children as well as the other children in my area are directly affected by Mr. Stewart’s actions, I do fear repercussions. I do have the names of the other residents who were in attendance to verify what we heard.

If you would be interested in hearing the details of this meeting, please feel free to contact me.

I did get in touch and here’s what I discovered:

After the major bus fiasco, we arrived at the transportation department to discuss our concerns.

After being informed that the employees had no control over the situation, we visited administration building. Mr. Steward and Dr. Burkey agreed to speak with us regarding our concerns.

Many items were discussed, but there were some areas that raised additional concern.

It was immediately apparent that Mr. Stewart did not see the changes in the bus routine to be anything more than a minor inconvenience to the parents.

When the concerns regarding distance, crossing streets and stops beyond the line of site were vocalized, Mr. Steward stated,

We wonder if the parents making these complaints even let their children out of the house.

A second parent said his/her

head was still spinning after the comment about us not even letting our children out of our homes.

The email continued,

He then stated,

Let me ask you this. How would you feel if we did not offer any bus service at all? Because that was also considered.

He told us that the bus service was not our private taxi service, but that is what it has become.

Then, the bombshell:

We were then informed that the only reason so many buses and stops were added to the routes in the past were to ensure the passing of the previous referendum.

We went on to discuss why we had the concerns we did including safety issues that seem to be unaddressed, such as busy intersections being used as stops, bus overcrowding and lack of seats for all children.

We were informed that the minimum safety standards required by IDOT were followed.

After some pressure, he finally did admit that they could have chosen safety guidelines in addition to those required by IDOT, but they decided not to.

They believed that minimum safety was an acceptable alternative. They blamed overcrowding on parents refusing to use their assigned stops or parental failure to educate themselves on where they were actually assigned.

We went on to discuss why we had the concerns we did, including safety issues that seem to be unaddressed, such as

· busy intersections being used as stops,
· bus overcrowding and
· lack of seats for all children.

We were finally informed that the computer program that was used to determine the location of the bus stops and the distance traveled by the children was inaccurate.

No checks had been done to ensure the program was accurate.

Some children were directed to bus stops well beyond the 1/4 mile stance that was intended.

We were assured that those who were traveling that far would be reassigned, but as of this time no changes have been made.

My neighborhood sent numerous emails and two separate petitions to Mr. Stewart outlining our concerns.

At this time no one involved has been contacted and no changes have been made.

As you have probably already heard, one child was dropped off at the wrong stop quite a distance from her home.

What the papers failed to mention was that this child was physically removed from her correct bus by her classroom teacher, then she was actually kicked off the bus by the driver when he reached his last stop.

When she stated tearfully that she had no idea where she was he replied,

I don't care. I am retiring tomorrow. Now get off.

This child walked in the rain until she was located by her parents.

Her parents attempted to contact the school, the transportation department, and the administration department when their child did not arrive at home. There was no answer at any of the offices.

When a parent from Summit Ridge tried to speak to the bus driver about her inappropriately yelling at the children on her bus, she was told that it was

Miller Time,

and she needed to go.

Another parent from Star Summit contacted the transportation office regarding her two children living in the same home, being assigned two different stops for the same bus.

She was told that it was because Mr. Steward did not know what he was doing.

I hope this gives you some helpful information. Contrary to what has been claimed, we are not overly protective parents who are afraid to be inconvenienced. We have continued to give, and we are tired of having our children pay the price. The least the transportation department can offer us is a safe ride to school.

To return to McHenry County Blog, click here.

And, if anyone would like me to know more than I have written, please email me at calskinner@comcast.net or call me at 815-459-3506.

In answering a question about corruption and trust in government, McSweeney revealed that he would only serve 3 terms and that congressmen should not be allowed to be lobbyists after leaving office. McSweeney also pointed out that Bean has spent “$102,000 on postage” on “campaign-like mailings.”

Bean defended lobbyists, pointing out that children with juvenile diabetes were in her office lobbying for embryonic stem cell legislation.

(I found it disingenuous, but it probably worked with the audience.)

“If I had a nickel for every time Melissa Bean has called me an extremist,” Scheurer said his campaign coffers would be full.

(I got this quote incorrect. Here is the correct quote:

I'm going to Washington and bringing our troops home, and after they come home, I'm coming home. If I had a nickel for every time the incumbent Democrat proudly called herself an independent or a moderate, our campaign coffers would be as full as hers.

I have also posted the correct version here, along with links to the Northwest Herald article from which it came, and the Daily Herald's coverage.)

“Our government has been bought…and paid for by big (business).

“Make no mistake…I’m the independent.”

Immigration is one issue I was unable to sort out the differences in the candidates’ positions. All seem to want to secure our borders. McSweeney used the issue to attack Bean:

Representative Bean vote for the…bill. A few minutes before, she voted against it.

Do you notice a campaign theme here?

Bill Scheurer tied his opposition to the war in Iraq into the immigration question:

I believe the only way to secure our borders is to bring our boys home and put them on the border.

Bean did not even try to answer the question until the last 10 of her allotted 60 seconds. She talked about needing to build a fence and something else, but I didn’t catch it.

Flannery asked about corruption and runaway funding.

Scheurer gave something that surely will appear in every story:

"I had to buy my own son his bullet proof vest…(because the Bush administration didn’t provide it)."

He called for public financing of campaigns, which would include allowing free broadcast and cable air time to candidates.

Bean pointed to an amendment she had introduced (but I don’t think she got a vote on) which would list every member’s vote on the internet, plus stated she was in favor of “publicly funded campaigns”

McSweeney believes every campaign contribution should be listed on the internet within two days. He criticized the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s “almost $1 million” TV campaign in support of Bean.

And, said that Bean’s having “taken money from the unions, promised them she’d vote against the Central American Free Trade Agreement and, then, vot(ing) for it” led to “cynicism.”

In answer to the question of how the three would represent those who are poor and not active citizens, McSweeney said he had learned a lot by knocking on over 8,000 doors and called for repealing the unfounded mandate of No Child Left Behind and proposed lawsuit reform to keep doctors in Illinois.

Scheurer said,

The clear reality is that neither of these two candidates can do that (represent the poor). Both of these candidates get their money from corporate interests.

Statisticians would love Scheurer’s comment:

A mean average can be very mean,

but I doubt there were many in the audience who understood his humor.

Scheurer also called for “universal health insurance.”

The next question sounded like McSweeney’s comment on the federal No Child Left Behind law. It seemed that the questioner was reading from his script.

That allowed McSweeney to announce his support of state legislation called “the 65% solution.” It would force 65% of money spent on education to be spent in the classroom, while only 59% is spent there now.

Scheurer agreed the No Child Left Behind law should be repealed and took a massive swipe at the federal government’s even being involved in education:

I think the only role of the federal government is to help equalize funding in education (between rich and poor districts.)

I couldn’t write as fast as he was talking, but I think I heard him come out in favor of some form of vouchers, although he did not use the word. He talked about people being able to make choices, concluding:

We can do this ourselves.

Again not addressing the question until late in her 60 seconds, Bean took the opportunity to take a shot at McSweeney:

I’m glad that Mr. McSweeney would follow my lead on earmarking reform and support of small business.

She then talked about what she had done on the two subjects, which had nothing to do with education, plus inserted that she had 7,500 donors.

Her final paragraph was that she “would either reform or repeal” the No Child Left Behind act.

Flannery asked what priority should finding Osama bin Laden have.

Scheurer again came up with the best sound bite:

President Bush told the Taliban government that they had 3 days to turn him over. He’s had five years and hasn’t found him.

Scheurer added that the search for bin Laden was “a diversion.”

Bean said,

Yes, it is a top priority for our nation. Terrorism is on the rise.

McSweeney added,

Absolutely. We should make it (a top priority.)

Then, he appealed to those not wanting the Democrats to take control of congress:

This race may decide who will control the House of Representatives

and said that Congressman Bean voted for a motion to cut the monitoring of overseas terrorists’ phone calls.

Next came the comic relief.

“Say something nice about your opponents.”

Bean complimented Scheurer’s sincerity “about his position on Iraq.”

Then, she complimented McSweeney’s “commitment to our community (both live in the Barrington area) and their good works.”

McSweeney said Bean was “a hard worker” and praised Scheurer for telling “me where he stands on the issues.”

Scheurer pointed out,

You’ll notice there was no need for the timer on this one

before saying,

We’ll have someone working hard for you (no matter who gets elected).

There next was a question about the Democratic Party judge’s decision to invalidate the ability of the Bush administration to tap international terrorists’ calls.

McSweeney through it was a “terrible” decision and tried to pin the tail of Bean’s having cut off funding for the program.

Scheurer said,

Of course, I think the court decision was correct.

He then waxed philosophical, but I only caught the first part:

Terrorists can never destroy a free society. However…

Bean followed up with

I do support improving our intelligence…I would have voted against anything deemed illegal.

There were four audience questions next on

· Immigration and penalizing employers who hire illegal aliens
· Abortion and stem cell research
· Intelligent design (now, there’s a real federal issue) and
· Pensions

All seemed to come down on the side of penalizing employers who hire illegal aliens, but McSweeney managed to get in another

she voted for it before she voted against it.

On abortion, Bean, saying she was pro-choice, but,

Both of my opponents oppose abortion.

(Although an extraordinary number of her campaign contributions come from those all over the country--through Emily’s List--who favor abortion, at least Bean doesn’t use the tradition zealot's “anti-choice” label on her opponents. I guess that makes her sound more moderate on the issue than she is.)

McSweeney countered with

I do favor exceptions for rape and incest.

(At least I think that’s what he said.)

Scheurer put a different twist on the subject when he said,

I am opposed to abortion as a method of birth control.

"Less than 3% of (of abortions) are for health of the mother reasons," he said.

It has become a method of birth control after the fact.

On intelligent design, McSweeney said that teaching evolution is the basis of science, but that local schools should have the “right to teach intelligent design in addition to evolution.”

Scheurer got off a good shot by characterizing his opponents

Unlike the candidates from the two state parties…

He then returned to what I hope I haven’t mis-characterized as his ”voucher” position:

Free schools were students and their parents are free to select the schools they want to attend

would solve that problem.

Bean’s position:

I do not support ending the Department of Education, (abolishing federal funding of the) Arts or bringing intelligent design into our science rooms.

On pensions, all three took a hard-nosed approach to companies escaping their pension obligations through bankruptcy. (That might be because of the large number of United Airlines’ pilots in the 8th district.)

Scheurer got to bash the “corrupt and incompetent businesses” first. He argued for allowing “zero” stock and management bonuses when such a company comes out of bankruptcy.

“Again, they buy the Congress. They buy the White House.”

Bean told of her having voted to shore up the Pension Guarantee Corporation and how she wanted to preserve and protect Social Security.

Then, she tried to repair the damage McSweeney had inflicted with his “she vote against it before she voted for it.”

My opponent doesn’t understand the motion to recommit.

McSweeney wanted to pass legislation prohibiting the dumping of pensions in bankruptcy court.

In closing statements, Bean again tried to repair McSweeney’s “flip-flop” charges. She charged McSweeney was trying to “reinvent himself as a tax cutter” after opposing a tax cut bill when he ran against Congressman Phil Crane.

“Some say, ‘One good term deserves another,’” she concluded.

(Does anyone hear a television ad tag line?)

McSweeney said,

Congressman Bean is a fine person.

She’s just wrong on the issues.

Scheurer got the last words.

He pointed out only five times had third party candidacies like his gotten on the ballot.

We’re going to bring our kids home and take care of them when they get here.

(This is the only quote that got into the CBS report.)

Scheurer concluded the debate with

If you don’t send me to Washington, you are voting to continue this war.

Providing the most star quality to the event was having Channel Two’s political editor Mike Flannery as one of the three asking questions, although I did see State Rep. Jack Franks (D-Bull Valley) in the room.

= = = = =
Just saw the Channel Two report on the debate. If the female reporter is not on Congressman Bean’s payroll, she should be. She aired Bean’s prepared statements, reported virtually nothing on Scheurer and, although more on McSweeney, did not use one of his “she vote this way before she voted that way,” while allowing Bean’s rebuttal that McSweeney did not know what a motion to recommit was to run in full.

And, later in the news cast, the U.S. Chamber's misleading ad in support of Bean ran.