If they were any more transparent, they be invisible!

I’m not saying Elgin City Councilman John Prigge isn’t prone to making some strange statements. It’s just that, when he does, there’s usually some sort of underlying logic to them. The implied theory may be peculiar to the councilman, but at least you understand why he made the point.

But his latest pronouncement kinda baffles me.

John asked the Elgin Police to issue a press report anytime shots are fired within the city limits. As he put it, “There’s too much anxiety in our neighborhoods.” So let’s tackle one contention at a time.

First, the EPD is the most transparent police force on the planet. Aurora is great and St. Charles was excellent under Jim Lamkin, but Elgin is incredible. There have been times when I’ve called Chief Jeff Swoboda to check on a developing story only to find the information was already posted to the EPD’s Facebook page – while the phone was still ringing.

On the rare occasion I beat them to the punch, the Chief immediately picks up the phone, tells me what’s going on, and lets me know if I can run with, or if I need to wait until they tie up some loose ends.

I’ve never seen anything like it!

Meanwhile, trying to get information out of almost any other police department is a lot like pulling chicken teeth. Take the Geneva Police for example. The City forced me to FOIA data that the police had to make public and then they refused to answer the FOIA. Then I had to appeal it all the way to the Attorney General’s office to get them to comply with the law!

But Elgin? I’ve never had to file a FOIA for anything.

Perhaps the Councilman is simply trying to stir up fear which he does enjoy doing on occasion. But even that falls kind of flat here because, with the exception of gun violence, crime in Elgin – and most major U.S. cities (even Chicago) – is way down.

Anxiety in the neighborhoods? Please correct me if I’m wrong my esteemed Elginians, but I just don’t see it.

Single issue candidates rarely win and they can’t effectively govern when they do

And the 2016 iteration of this tired old tale will be no different.

Though Larry and I love to give folks credit for throwing their hats into the County Board ring, none of the three Longmeadow Loon candidates will ever get more than 33 percent of the vote. And by “Longmeadow Loons” I means those folks who woke up 30 years too late to oppose a bridge that’s been a done deal for quite some time.

Of course, their first problem is that all three of ‘em are running for the same county board seat which guarantees at least two of them will lose. That certainly ain’t the best political planning.

Jarett Sanchez is running against Democratic incumbent Joe Haimann, while Roben Hall and Billita Jacobsen are running on the Republican side. Like most single-issue candidates, Sanchez will be lucky to get 30 percent of the vote, Jacobsen has all the personal appeal of a rabid hedgehog, and Hall simply doesn’t present well.

But for argument’s sake, let’s say all three win. It still wouldn’t change a bleepin’ thing. Three nay board votes aren’t nearly enough to derail this popular project and their peers will quickly tire of these one-trick ponies rendering them ineffective.

When these folks almost inevitably lose, they tend to fall back on some sort of conspiracy theory because they couldn’t possibly be wrong, could they? Government is all about give and take and single-issue candidates rarely catch on.

All that said, it’s immensely fun to sit back and watch the single-issue electoral process unfold!

Now he’s just makin’ it up!

C’mon! We all expect our local candidates to gild the lily to some degree, but Kane County Republican Chairman candidate Ken Shepro – an historian in his own right – has taken rewriting history to a whole new level.

I’m not sure how he avoided the lightning strike at the Elgin Area League of Women Voters forum when he said, “[Chris Lauzen] talks about freezing the levy, he wants to take credit for all the good things that happened because he took over a county with a credit rating of double A plus and $55 million in reserves.”

Say what?

Back in the day, I spoke with former Chairman Mike McCoy who noted that successor Karen McConnaughay blew through his $40 million surplus faster that a real housewife of Orange County on a three-day shopping bender.

When McConnaughay walked out that Building A front door, the surplus was no more than $1.4 million and the County contingency fund was well below that. So not only were there no surpluses during the McConnaughay years, but she raised taxes to the tune of 50 percent to cover the increasing expenses.

It’s only through the fine financial work of this County Board that we have any surplus whatsoever.

Keep trying Ken! Maybe someday even you will believe you!

And this kind of show could’ve only happened on Leap Day:

Larry and I want to thank Elgin State Reps Anna Moeller and Steve Andersson for coming on the show and proving that, not only can Illinois legislators still talk to each other, but they can come up with some pretty interesting solutions too!

Perhaps there’s hope in Springfield yet!

We also want to thank Elgin Mayor Dave Kaptain for calling in and showing his support for this bi-partisan effort.

Thursday! the Smiling Conservative is back in saddle! Until then…

As part of their effort to bring some sort of resolution to the Springfield budget stalemate, 43rd District Democratic State Rep Anna Moeller and 65th District Republican Steve Andersson will join us in the studio this morning to discuss solutions.

Could this bi-partisan effort be the start of something good?

Steve Andersson

Where is the only place you get these kinds of local story insights? That’s right! Left, Right and You, Mondays at 9 a.m. and Thursdays at 3 p.m. with the Smiling Conservative, Larry Jones, and me, the Curmudgeonly Liberal, on WRMN AM1410. You don’t want to miss this one!

We don’t do endorsements these days, but…

With all the candidates gracious enough to come on Left, Right and You, making endorsements doesn’t make sense anymore. The entire point of those hour-long radio forums is to give you, the voter, all the information you need to make an informed decision.

But I am going to make an exception here and endorse 18^th District Kane County Board Member Drew Frasz.

Drew truly represents his constituents, he attends a slew of committee and community meetings, and, most of all, he understands that a 24 person board has to work in concert to get anything done.

Meanwhile, his opponent, Jim MacRunnels, is an abject bully who’s never quite made it past the third grade. He has no clue what teamwork is, he has no idea what it takes to effectively run a county, and his brand of “fiscal conservatism” would cost the County millions more than we’re spending now.

But why listen to me? Simply read MacRunnel’s responses to the Kane County Chronicle’s endorsement interview and you’ll see exactly what kind of bleep he really is. And as my favorite TV judge likes to say, “If this is how you behave in the court of public opinion, I can only imagine how you behave when no one’s looking.”

The truly sad thing about all of this is MacRunnel’s once called himself Drew’s friend.

To make matters even worse, MacRunnels is being backed by Oswego political operative John Reeves, whose sole purpose is to seek political payback for Frasz’s failure to support his wife’s State Rep run. The irony there is, Keith Wheeler won that race in large part because this Reeves wholeheartedly supported him two years earlier.

The bottom line is, Frasz is an exponentially better county board choice. So please send Mr. MacRunnels back under the rock from which he occasionally crawls out from under.

—

I wouldn’t wanna be Keith Wheeler right now

Because he – or should I say his legislative aides – are taking all kinds of telephone heat for an ill-conceived bill that our intrepid State Rep half-heartedly signed onto.

HB6064, the brain child of GOP State Rep John Cavaletto, proposes that, “…if the unmarried mother cannot or refuses to name the child’s father, either a father must be conclusively established by DNA evidence or a family member’s name, a birth certificate will not be issued and the mother will be ineligible for financial aid from the State for support of the child.”

In other words, if the single mother can’t or won’t finger the father, the blameless child will be damned for life. No birth certificate means no education, no job, no pretty much anything. Didn’t Nathaniel Hawthorne write a book about something like this?

So while I certainly agree with the notion of holding fathers responsible for their progeny, this is not the way to do it. In fact, this bill is the kind of silly misogynistic Republican effort that keeps them from winning Illinois elections.

And what makes this inevitable collateral damage so much worse is that Donald Trump has a better chance of being invited to a quinceanera than this bill has of making it through the Democratic General Assembly

Thankfully, Representative Wheeler, who really isn’t a bad guy, paid heed to his capable advisors and is in the process of withdrawing his name from this misguided bill. Good for him!

But as far as Mr. Cavaletto goes, just when you thought that Illinois Republicans couldn’t possibly make it worse from themselves, they do. It takes real talent to be able to shoot yourself in the foot on such a consistent basis!

—

Hope springs eternal!

Sometimes, even in Springfield!

Though you’d never know it because the local papers, once again, completely missed the story. And by “story” I mean the joint statement issued by 43^rd District State Rep Anna Moeller and 65^th State Rep Steve Andersson calling for a return to Springfield budgetary sanity.

Steve Andersson

To paraphrase:

“We acknowledge the dysfunction that has gripped our state government and the collateral damage it is inflicting on the citizens of this state. As new State Representatives representing both side of the aisle, we want to see an enactment of a fair and balanced budget. We know we can do this through bi-partisan cooperation, and indeed acknowledge that the best outcome will only come through genuine compromise.”

They conclude:

“We commit to ensuring all members of the legislature are part of a meaningful dialogue on solving the state budget problem. We stand ready to work together.”

This is how it starts folks! Now your best bet is to call your own legislators and insist they join Anna and Steve in this eminently constructive effort.

As far as my part of this goes, both State Reps will be in-studio for the Monday, February 29, 9 a.m. edition of Right and You on WRMN AM1410. And I gotta tell ya, the mere thought of that show is making me kinda giddy!

Once again! The intrepid Smiling Conservative and I covered it all!

We want to thank Lisa for calling in and making the point that, had U-46 School Board loon Jeanette Ward’s children been surprised by an unexpected liberal classroom guest, she’d have a bleepin’ cow!

Meanwhile, Monday’s gonna be a great show folks. Democratic 43rd District State Rep Anna Moeller and Republican 65th District State Rep Steve Andersson will be in-studio to reissue their bi-partisan call for Springfield sanity.

Until then…

Start your radios folks because another fine installment of Left, Right and You is comin’ up at 3 o’clock. At that time the Smiling Conservative and I will cover:

• Our final thoughts on our recent Campton Hills rehab center guests
• U-46 School Board member Jeanette Ward doubles down on Black History Month
• Gym waivers (or the lack of them) cause a U-46 kerfuffle
• Kane County hikes court fees (again)
• State Reps Anna Moeller and Steve Andersson issue a bi-partisan call for Springfield sanity
• And your calls on these very topics at 847-931-1410

The only place you get this kind of local news analysis is Left, Right and You, Mondays at 9 a.m. and Thursdays at 3 p.m. with the Smiling Conservative, Larry Jones, and me, the Curmudgeonly Liberal, on WRMN AM1410. Be there or be square!

Jeanette Ward doubles down

Or, as I almost called this post, “Black unlike me!”

To absolutely no one’s surprise, U-46 School Board loon Jeanette Ward just can’t let go of Black History month. And you all thought white people rapping was bad enough! Undaunted by her peculiar February Facebook pronouncements, Ms. Ward wasted no time in proving that only she knows what’s good for black folks.

And she ain’t afraid to tell them about it either.

This time, Ward showed up at Larkin High School’s Black History Club with a full posse in tow, despite the fact that the club’s faculty adviser made it clear that the students were inviting just her. Ward’s entourage consisted of:

• An African American couple from Waukegan because that’s how far Ms. Ward has to go to have black friends.
• Tea partier and failed candidate extraordinaire Julie Schmidt.
• Seth “Leni Riefenstahl” Somebody the “reporter” who writes for that fake free local “newspaper.”

The irony of Schmidt showing up is, after Ward erroneously accused Elgin City Councilwoman Tish Powell having no dog in the U-46 hunt, Schmidt actually has no stake in the district. Of course, we can’t tell Schmidt to heed Ward’s advice to pay attention to her own constituents because she has none.

Then, instead of having a dialogue, each posse member proceeded to speak on the vagaries of African Americans refusing to become victims. Why, they even told those baffled high schoolers to avoid using the term “white privilege” and substitute “dominant culture” instead.

Sage advice I’m sure.

Sadly, the young faculty advisor, who could’ve immediately shut this farce down, didn’t have the experience to do so. But I’m sure even she knew how utterly inappropriate it was for a school board member to co-opt an after-school club meeting to promote a stilted and bigoted message.

A source who was at the gathering said the kids were “upset and confused.”

But all is not lost dear readers! As a result of her February antics, I’ve come up with a new nickname for our amazing Ms. Ward – Vanilla Rice! Because it doesn’t get much whiter than her.

The nerds are revolting!

And I can say that because I am one – a nerd that is! While we’re at it, some folks think I’m revolting too.

But in this case, we’re talking about U-46 gym waivers, as in they’re not nearly handing out as before and the smart kids are complaining that PE takes too much away from their study time.

But it was when some of them whined about already playing club sports that it really frosted my cookies. You all already know what I think about club sports! Combine insane parents with cheating administrators and it ruins it for everyone.

But rather than go on another rant about club sports failing to produce just one world class athlete, I turned to U-46 CEO Tony Sanders instead.

Tony told me that the District had been previously passing out all sorts of waivers at a breakneck pace and, in an effort to curtail that process, they implemented new rules which had an unintended and undue effect on gym waivers.

He also noted that Academy students’ heavy course load precludes PE and the nerd’s (my word, not his) and their parents did make compelling argument for the reinstatement of the waivers. So the plan is to restore balance to the waiver force, but Tony also noted that, should it come down to dropping a study hall or PE, the study hall would go first.

And that’s the way it should be because the obesity epidemic is shortening life spans, we want to produce well-rounded young men and women, and teamwork is essential to success on this planet.

BTW, you young athletes will have far fonder memories of playing for your high school team as opposed to wasting your time on club sports. It’s your last chance to play with the friends who will soon be scattered by those collegiate winds.

Campton Hills gets a rehab center

Before we get started, Larry and I want to thank former Kane County Chief Judge Keith Brown, Maxxam Partners’ Steven Marco, and opposition leader and Campton Township Trustee Joe Miller for coming on Left, Right and You to so cogently explain their points of view.

This is exactly how political debate is supposed to work.

After carefully listening to both sides, Larry and I came to the conclusion that we came to the right conclusion right from the start. Though Maxxam could’ve come up with a more detailed facility plan and their Development Committee argument could’ve been better, as good as the opposition’s argument is, we’ve all heard it before.

Maybe if the pendulum hadn’t swung in favor of treating addicts, the outcome would be different. But when this case goes before the FHA, and it will go before the FHA, the opposition’s argument will fall flat because it’s the same argument the FHA has heard for over half-a-century.

I’m not saying they didn’t make good points, it’s just that they weren’t very compelling.

Even though we firmly believe the outcome is in the bag, this one still has a long way to go folks!

It ain’t all on the Republicans

After reading the Febuary 22^nd edition of Quick Hits, a conservative friend of mine charged me with letting those Springfield supermajority Democrats completely off the dismal state of the State hook. While I certainly understand his contention, I did remind him that, especially in my generally non-ideological writing case, it’s important to take my entire body of work into account before formulating such an opinion.

He may be correct when he says I’m a little harder on Rauner these days, but just as Republicans insist upon holding the President’s feet to the fire, the blame for a failed policy ultimately lies with the Governor, not with the minions. And Governors Edgar and Thompson seem to agree.

But that hard truth in no way absolves the Democrats from their role in shoving the State of Illinois to the brink of the fiscal abyss. So let’s discuss!

The Sith Lord still reigns!

I may fault Rauner for his lack of unravelling a mess understanding, but if there’s one person responsible for all the “raveling,” it’s Darth Madigan. Springfield Democrats don’t get elected without his blessing, nothing hits the floor without his express written consent, and he’s certainly not admired for his magnanimous and forgiving nature.

He isn’t about to change anytime soon because there’s no reason for him to change. If anyone truly thinks Jason Gonzales is going to unseat the Speaker, I would entreat their significant other to lock up the liquor cabinet.

So yes! There is an intractable object in Illinois that’s making real change a ifficult proposition.

Just because you can take advantage of a situation doesn’t mean you should

My favorite TV judge, Marilyn Milian, likes to interject that thought into cases and it certainly fits here.

Darth Madigan didn’t have to turn the dark side. He didn’t have to game a system that not only lets him write the property tax laws, but head a law firm that fights those assessments. No one knows exactly what his net worth it, but I’m sure he’s not brown bagging it.

So when is enough money enough? When do you realize that there will come a time when all you have left is your legacy? Can an ego be so massive that leaving a scorched and burnt state is more important than making an effort to solve some serious problems?

Other than because he can, there’s no good reason for the Speaker to continue to go down this destructive path.

It ain’t just Madigan either

As much as I blame the Republicans for failing to provide the antidote to the Springfield supermajority, the Democrats are equally complicit. This Boss Madigan phenomenon didn’t develop overnight which makes it hard to believe that some adult in some room somewhere didn’t have the foresight to say, “This much power in one man’s hands cannot be good for the party.”

And now it’s too late to say it as State Rep Ken Dunkin just discovered. Duncan, the man who singlehandedly denied the Speaker’s autumn veto override attempts, may have a lot of Rauner money behind him, but given what Madigan’s crew is doing to him, I wouldn’t be counting on his reelection anytime soon.

The fact that the Governor’s strong arm tactics make Democratic dissent even more difficult notwithstanding, Illinois needs a significant group of Democratic legislators to come forward and say, “The State of Illinois is more important than my job.”

I’d bet dollars to donuts that the disenchantment with the Speaker runs far deeper than folks like McHenry State Rep Jack Franks and Mr. Duncan. The fact that Rauner makes it harder to speak out is ultimately no excuse when the time comes to do the reasonable and right thing.

With endorsements like this…

…Who the heck’d want one?

Though I will say the fact that the Daily Herald signed off on Kane County Chairman Chris Lauzen’s reelection bid had me seriously contemplating the possibility of parallel Universes. But once I actually read the endorsement, I realized there had been no such quantum shift.

Holy crap! First, they called the Chairman “a polarizing figure.” Really? Because if Mr. Trebek provided the following list:

• Rob Russell
• Karen McConnaughay
• Ken Shepro
• Mike Kenyon
• Don Kramer (to a lesser degree these days)
• Jim Oberweis
• Phil Lewis
• John Prigge
• Bill Sarto
• Sue Klinkhammer
• Randy Hultgren

My question would be, “What are polarizing Kane County politicians, Alex!” It would seem it’s a prerequisite to run here, but at least Lauzen tends to get things done – which the DH bizarrely admitted at the end of the piece.

They also called former KC Animal Control Director Rob Sauceda a “disaster,” which ain’t even close to the truth. Before his “mistake,” Sauceda returned that department to fiscal stability, something Karen McConnaughay’s hand-picked directors could never do. But the DH never managed to pick up on them, did they?

Then, in a most magnificent irony, they chided Lauzen for his obsession with the Coroner as they launched into yet another tirade about Kane County Connects. C’mon guys! Talk about obsessions! When are you gonna let go of an electronic newsletter run by one guy? Is it really that bad over at the DH?

The only DH obsession that’s harder to explain is their abject disgust, dismay, and despondency with anything that has anything to do with Chris Lauzen. It musta killed them to have to issue that left-handed endorsement.

Had they actually meant to be self-deprecating, it would’ve been hilarious, but we all know that Mr. Slusher’s super-serious ego would never allow that kind of thing to happen.

But it wasn’t all bad

Because the tone of that endorsement was something you don’t typically see from the Daily Herald. It was light, humorous, well-written, somewhat satirical, and even entertaining. I can’t help but think what would happen if the DH Editorial Board applied that kind of effort on a daily basis.

So while they certainly had their way with Chairman Lauzen, they had some fun with his opponent too!

The DH aptly noted that, while Shepro slammed Lauzen for freezing the tax levy, he  immediately said he’d keep it in place. Then they slammed the white Don King for his disastrous role in the debacle known as the Fox River and Countryside Fire/Rescue District.

(Of course, they got that story from TheFirstWard.Net and Left, Right and You, but considering the photographs I’ve appropriated, we’re good!)

Far more often than not, the DH’s writing style is the perfect cure for insomnia, so here’s to hoping they resort to that endorsement style a little more often.

They endorsed who?

But just when I think there’s hope, the DH dashes it faster than Beyonce can aggravate oblivious middle-aged white folks. How on God’s green earth can anyone endorse a candidate that:

• Signed a budget agreement (in my presence) and ignore it every turn
• Went screaming to the press about black mold that wasn’t
• Went screaming to the press instead of working with the board
• Failed to replace a freezer which resulted in melting bodies
• Failed to label a light switch which resulted in the destruction of criminal evidence
• Showed up at crime scene wearing a Sheriff’s hat and jacket
• Hired a press secretary for an 8-person office
• Illegally used a county credit card to buy campaign chachkies (He later paid it back)
• Despite his fervent protests, he finally came in on budget when he had a primary opponent

Because when you do endorse someone like Rob Russell, or any candidate with that kind of track record, you lose all credibility.

Give it up guys!

Endorsements that is.

I’ve taken so many calls from candidates complaining about…

• Missing candidate profiles
• Missing or incorrect photographs
• Absurdly short notice for endorsement interviews
• Opponents who seemed to be getting preferential treatment

…the DH really oughtta hire me as their publicist because I simply told those ten to twenty hopefuls there was nothing nefarious here. It’s just that, in their current depleted state, the DH did what can only be called a very unprofessional job.

But despite those obvious shortcomings, they keep doing endorsements out of ego – it’s the only way they can get politicians to be at their beck a call. They know that one hour interviews with multiple candidates aren’t nearly enough to form any kind of reasonable opinion, but they do it anyway.

And what would the DH do to any public or private entity that performed a job this poorly?

If the definition of insanity truly is…

… Doing the same thing over and over again while expecting a different result, then Governor Rauner has it down pat. And the best evidence of this psychiatric diagnosis is his annual budget speech in which he gave the Democrats two options:

1. Either pass my anti-middle class reforms, or
2. Give me the power to make drastic spending cuts

What he’s essentially saying is, “Either you can do what I want, or, you can do what I want. It’s your choice.”

But the lack of options don’t really matter because, as it’s been for the last year, neither possibility will ever come to pass. Unlike the Governor, Springfield Democrats understand what it means to commit political suicide and they’re not about to pull that trigger anytime soon.

Then, to make matters immediately worse, Rauner vetoed a bill that would’ve freed up $721 million in state college funding which only goes to show that:

1. He’s not willing to compromise
2. He has no idea what an “olive branch” is
3. He refuses to realize these cuts aren’t helping his middle-class cause
4. He’s giving the Democrats everything they need to ensure he’s a one-shot deal

With the exception of the GOP faithful, folks on both sides of the aisle are saying that Rauner’s “offer” is just more of the same.

And the insanity grows.

“The politics of the possible was being replaced by the politics of purity”

Those oh so prophetic words from author, educator and, historian, H. W. Brands, certainly sum up the Springfield Republican sentiment these days. Put more simply, they, and especially the governor, seem to think that throwing a temper tantrum is the way to get your way.

But that’s not how it works. Does anyone within the sound of my voice truly believe that perpetually petulant Donald Trump could possibly keep all of his absurd promises? Politics has to start with the art of the possible, otherwise it completely breaks down just as it has in Springfield.

One the best examples of this phenomenon came when 43^rd State Rep District candidates Anna Moeller and Jeff Meyer debated on Left, Right and You. The conservative Meyer was gung ho about eliminating things like Chicago block grants and making massive reforms in his first term.

Meanwhile, Moeller’s response was that you can’t eliminate something like block grants without crafting the kind of win-win outcome that makes a major political shift possible. A true compromise may disappoint both sides, but it allows them to claim some sort of victory – no matter how small.

And that’s exactly how it’s supposed to work because, given the frailties of human nature, governance isn’t supposed to turn on a dime. It’s intended to take time. True leaders understand that reform only comes through a series of well-founded compromises that slowly move the conversation in the right direction.

The immaturity of the right

Unlike their hero Ronald Reagan, today’s naïve conservatives completely fail to comprehend that notion of compromise. Their eminently short attentions spans and massive egos consistently con them into believing they always inhabit the moral high ground.

Then they wonder why they don’t get anything done.

Despite their abject complicity in this fiasco we call the State of Illinois, they seem to completely forget that:

1. Republicans raided those pension funds with equal glee.
2. Republican went along with so many silly kick the can down the road ideas.
3. Republicans repeatedly hung their hats on social issues that made them unelectable.
4. With all due respect to Illinois Republican Chairman Tim Schneider, I still can’t figure out what the GOP message is.
5. A series of compromises are the only thing that has ever move the political debate.

So stick to your guns my intrepid Illinois Republicans! Not only are you ensuring the Democratic supermajority will remain intact, but that Lisa Madigan will be our next governor. Meanwhile, Rauner, in an effort to feed his massive ego, will continue to do more damage to the state than Speaker Madigan ever could.

In the immortal words of Walt Kelly, you have met the enemy and he is you!