Letters to the Editor
- Page 1/9
- Next >
- Least Recent »
Candidate pledges energy and new ideas
Monday, November 03, 2008
Since I have been running for state representative, I have spoken with thousands of residents throughout Champaign-Urbana. Whether it is at their doorstop or in the line at the grocery store, people have a lot to say about their state, and unfortunately, none of it is praise.
One lady recently told me at her Champaign home that she was outright "ashamed" of the state of Illinois because of its accepted culture of corruption and incompetence. She has a right to be ashamed. Illinois has its previous governor in prison and its current governor is being federally investigated. Also, Gov. Blagojevich, with the help of state Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, jeopardized her state pension.
Candidate will fix nursing home mess
Monday, November 03, 2008
It's understandable why fellow Democrats Steve Beckett and Barb Wysocki defend Brendan McGinty in his race against me in county board District 9. They agreed with him that the county nursing home should keep borrowing from the county's general fund until it was depleted. There still is no consolidated budget available to detail the cash position of the nursing home.
A significant factor in the nursing home's finances was the decision, aided and abetted by Beckett and Wysocki, to split the retirement funding for nursing home employees from that of other county employees. It's been said there's a "subsidy" from property taxes that is given to the nursing home. What looks on paper like a $900,000-plus "subsidy" goes largely to funding the home's employees' retirement. The actual funding it provides for operating expenses is a little over $100,000 out of a $16 million budget. That bad decision accounts for most of the red ink.
School sales tax an untimely idea
Monday, November 03, 2008
The Champaign school district reports it's flush with cash, but means to use it to give outsized raises to its teachers, boost administrator's salaries and dump half a million in legal fees to sustain that brainless consent decree that has almost wrecked the system (a simple motion to rescind and dismiss would cost about $5,000, and I would do it for free). Yet for all that operating cash flow, the district's chief financial officer says there are insufficient resources for "capital needs (that) are just too great."
Most readers know where the local economy is headed, that unemployment is going up and average family incomes are going down. The notion of a 13.5 percent guaranteed three-year bump in base salary, with commensurate medical and retirement benefits, is delusional for almost everybody – everybody, that is, who can't shift the capital cost of housing off the family budget. Private citizens can't do that; only public taxing bodies can try that trick.
Smucker great choice for the county board
Monday, November 03, 2008
Even if I had conducted a personal talent search for my successor on the Champaign County Board, I could not have found one better suited to represent District 8 than Democrat Samuel Smucker.
Smucker's thoughtful preparation for board service is confidence-inspiring. To understand the complex issues of county government, early in 2007 Smucker began a series of interviews with local elected and appointed officials and with community leaders. He became a regular participant at the county board's standing-committee and monthly meetings. Except when sidelined to recover from recent surgery, Smucker attended every county board meeting in the last year and a half. Smucker will not have a steep learning curve to mount as the next board member from District 8.
Vote for McCain to fight abortion
Monday, November 03, 2008
In 1945 the atomic bomb killed approximately 75,000 people in Hiroshima, Japan. A few days later another bomb killed about the same number in Nagasaki.
Since Roe v. Wade in 1973, the "abortion bomb" has been killing 75,000 human beings in the United States about every two and one half weeks – that's more than 600 of these bombs – compared with the two that hit Japan. This is about 50 million individual human beings who have been deliberately killed by our "domestic a-bomb."
Don't blame Bush for all our woes
Monday, November 03, 2008
Congress is the only body that can pass laws, especially tax laws. Presidents can't pass any laws, nor is the Supreme Court allowed to make laws. As a matter of fact, if Congress passes a law and the president vetoes it, Congress can override it and it becomes law. Presidents can't override anything. Yet President Bush is getting the blame.
What's the matter with this picture? Can't the American public make rational decisions? Is not the clutter of laws the doing of Congress, not a president?
Sales tax will help education fund too
Friday, October 31, 2008
I support the Nov. 4 proposal for a county sales tax to fund school facilities. Last year legislation was approved that allows countywide referenda to reduce homeowners' property taxes in exchange for an increase of 1 percent sales tax for school facilities.
The referendum funds can be used for a wide range of school facility improvements, including building repairs and renovations. The funds also can be used to increase the energy efficiency of school buildings, resulting in utility cost savings which can be used for other education needs.
Stopped subscription over McCain support
Friday, October 31, 2008
In response to your endorsement of John McCain for president, we have cancelled our subscription to The News-Gazette. McCain has run an ugly, divisive and irresponsible campaign, the only discernible thread of which has been his constant willingness to sacrifice principle to the desire to get elected. His choice of Sarah Palin as his running mate reveals simultaneously his weakness in the face of the extreme right wing of his party, extraordinarily poor judgment in one of the most significant decisions a candidate for president can make, and a willingness "during a time of foreign and domestic crisis" to put his political ambitions ahead of the long-term interests of his country.
As Colin Powell made clear just a week ago, this woman is clearly not prepared to be president. Neither is John McCain.
Democrats created government problems
Friday, October 31, 2008
The severe economic problems facing our nation, including the current credit crisis, have one common thread: massive intervention and incompetence by an ever more powerful federal government.
The housing and credit debacle began with the government's Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac bureaucracies backing irresponsible home loans, and coercing banks to do the same.
Don't miss chance to fund rail trail
Friday, October 31, 2008
Voter approval of the proposal to increase tax support of the Champaign County Forest Preserve is crucial to maintaining and improving the quality of life in our communities. Since moving to Champaign six years ago, the thing I miss most is having access to off-road biking trails, which are available in so many other parts of the country, mostly along old rail corridors.
The former rail line from Urbana to Danville offers a priceless opportunity to improve quality of life through public outdoor recreation in this county. A biking-hiking-equestrian trail on the corridor would not only be a boon to public health by enticing people to get outdoors for some good exercise, it would also link the communities of along the corridor with an alternative to vehicle transportation. People could actually commute by bicycle from St. Joseph to jobs in the cities. If the forest preserve district does not have the resources to purchase and maintain this corridor it will be lost forever and our communities will be impoverished. It would be tragic shortsightedness on the part of Champaign County citizens to vote against this rare opportunity.
- Page 1/9
- Next >
- Least Recent »
Return to the 2008 Election Front Page
Share this page