Mayor’s Row…..by Ned Mitchell
We’ve had the lick! That is what folks in Sesser say when it appears like someone has delivered the final blow to someone or a group of people. It could be a local sports team, it could be a business closing down or it could be any number of things. Pardon me for getting wound up today, but I use the phrase in reference to what is happening between the two, and only two, utility companies doing business in Illinois and those white knight reformers, the legislature in Springfield. It is you and I my friends who have had the lick so to say.
Recently a ten year freeze on utility rates that was imposed by the legislature in Springfield expired and both ComEd up north and AmerenCIPS around here immediately scared the wits out of consumers and politicians alike with their figures. Of course there was an immediate outcry from politicians, especially those up for re election and having an opponent. This outcry got the attention of ComEd and AmerenCIPS lobbyists who immediately dumped over $200,000.00 in campaign cash into the coffers of both Democrat and Republican leader’s pockets in Springfield. That great reformer/unreformer Governor of ours spoke about calling a special session of the legislature only if the votes were counted in advance to make sure the proposed three year extension of the rate freeze would pass. All sorts of incumbent Representatives and Senators ran up and down the sidelines wringing their hands and promising action at the same time knowing their leaders were taking huge amounts of campaign cash,
Here is where we have had the lick. While most candidates running have accepted no cash from the utility companies, their leaders have, and I am talking both sides of the aisle here, Democrats and Republicans alike are in on this little deal. Directly speaking the candidates can hide behind the fact that while they have not had any direct campaign cash coming their way from the utilities, they all accept money from their party leaders who took money from the utilities. When it does come time for a vote this is where the leaders of both parties will absolutely hit enough of their members in the head with the proverbial hammer to protect the interest of the utilities. Who is going to protect us you might ask? This my friends is where you and I get the lick I was talking about earlier. The average citizen in this state cannot be represented and protected as long as politicians are accepting cash from companies, unions, or any special interest group. You and I can change this if we set our mind to it. We can demand campaign finance reform from our elected officials. We can demand that our everyday lives not be sold to the highest bidder. In an ideal situation campaign cash should not be involved in government and until we solve that little problem, our problem of getting the lick on any subject will stay around. On the other hand if you are enjoying getting the lick on a daily basis from the folks in Springfield, well there is not much I can do about that other than to just belly up and take my licks along with those of you who like to take your licks!
I’ve been watching the upcoming election a lot, no fooling, and paying attention to the newspaper endorsements all over the state. Since this newspaper does not allow endorsements that gets me off the hook from being the opinionated person that I am. That is okay by me anyhow as it appears there is enough outside influence on elections. We have been subjected to over 19,000 negative television commercials from the reformer/unreformer governor talking about what his opponent has been thinking. I still not have seen the one where Republican Judy Barr Topinka is doing the polka with convicted felon George Ryan but I have seen everything else. The Mitchell household got two pieces of direct mail from the governor and his wife, paid for by the taxpayers, telling us to have our newborn baby inoculated against all sorts of childhood diseases two months after she was born and how to breast feed up to the age of one. The only problem with these two pieces of mail was that our daughter was over a year old, a year and one month to be exact, before we got this mail. Do you think that we have an election coming up had anything to do with us getting that timely piece of mail?
Over $100,000.00 of mine and your money was recently spent on another direct mail piece by the governor touting a program of his dealing with prescription drugs. Never mind the fact that the auditor general of this state recently said Illinois is violating federal law with this program and that administrative costs were running amok here, we still get the mail anyhow, even some folks who have been dead for almost 2 years got the campaign literature disguised as help from the Governor. You would think that a candidate who promised no more business as usual and who has raised about $50 million dollars in campaign cash in the last 4 years could afford to mail the campaign material out of his own pocket instead of ours!
The bottom line here is we have an election coming up next Tuesday and it is important that we all get out and vote. Even if you think your vote does not count, it is important that you go vote. Every vote does count and if for no other reason go vote against someone! The fewer people who bother to vote the easier it is for both Democrats and Republicans to control the outcome of the election. What they don’t want is for a huge turnout on Election Day. It is easier to control 40 percent of the population rather than 90 percent. So if you want to cause some real havoc, make the effort to get out and vote. It is not only your right it is also your duty!
We hope you had a safe and happy Halloween this year. We were privileged to attend the Fall Festival Parade in Christopher and it was another great event sponsored by the Lion’s Club of that community. This event has been celebrated every year since 1927 in Christopher and they do a fantastic job not only on this event but also on many other activities throughout the year. The weather was perfect and a huge crowd turned out for the parade and surrounding festivities. The Christopher Lions, Mayor Gary Bartolotti and city officials and the townsfolk of Christopher are to be commended for continuing this tradition and showcasing their community for us to enjoy.
This coming Saturday the Bear Point Free Will Baptist Church folks will be having their annual homemade soup event and sale. They will feature all kinds of great soup from some really great cooks and desserts too. You can also find many handmade Christmas gifts as well as baked goods. Get there early if you want fried pies!
Jefferson County resident Clifford Loucks is allowed by permit to come to Sesser. That is according to Cliff, but he keeps the Mitchell’s supplied with garden produce such as green beans in the summer and now turnips in the fall. He claims that I have it made since he delivers the turnips and my mom cooks them, all I have to do is eat them. Clifford pointed out to me recently something that I had not given much thought to and that is the fact that every time he brings some garden food to my parents, they in turn give him something back such as homemade banana nut bread from my mother’s kitchen. Clifford absolutely will not take any money and he really does not expect anything in return but he did explain to me that folks of my parent’s generation do not expect something for nothing so it is best to just accept what they give in return for him being a thoughtful neighbor. He is right, we can learn from the greatest generation, that while it is more blessed to give than to receive, it is a two way street! Thanks Clifford for the turnips but more importantly the opportunity to see something that I have been around all of my life but had not taken the time to notice.
If you need us give us a call at 625-3611 or 625-5322 or write nedmitchell@verizon.net or www.sesser.org or P. O. Box 517, Sesser, Illinois 62884.
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