Mayor’s Row……..by Ned Mitchell
If you believe in Santa Claus, the Tooth Fairy, and the Easter Bunny, perhaps you too will believe that those public servants also known as elected officials from all over Illinois will convene in Springfield and work to solve the problems that face this state.
The reformer/unreformer Governor has called for a special session of the state legislature that will happen just prior to you being able to read this column. That puts a columnist in the position of having to dust off the crystal ball and attempt to make a prediction as to what will happen in advance of the actual event. Based on recent past history in Illinois that seems to be an easy task. Thus far about the only thing the legislators and the Governor have worked diligently on and accomplished appears to be the two pay raises they all granted themselves. After all they have put in a lot of overtime and I am sure in their own twisted minds they justify those pay raises. It will be interesting to see how they address that situation in the forthcoming political mail that is about to overwhelm us right here at Christmas time. My guess is we will read the usual blabber about being for working families, kids, education, utility rates and so forth but I doubt any of them will be boasting about their own pay raises. I could be proven wrong and I am not a betting person but I would venture to say we won’t hear or read a word from an incumbent running for re-election about the pay raise issue.
This special session has been called to solve the transportation dilemma in the Chicago area. No doubt those who live and work in and around the city need mass transit to get them from point A to point
B. No doubt they are broke and need help. There are several proposals out there to be considered ranging from a sales tax on people in that area, rate hikes, motor fuel tax from that area and cuts in wages for those who run the transit system. Once again the Governor and House Speaker Mike Madigan are on different pages as to how this problem gets solved. It is a shame that democrats in this state cannot get along and actually do the people’s business instead of doing it to the people. It is more of a shame that you and I keep electing people who continue to support not only these two in leadership positions but also lets’ not forget Senate President Emil Jones. Together these three have stymied policy and programs that have the potential to help us here in Illinois.
During all the hustle and bustle of the holiday season I hope that you will take the time to contemplate what is really happening in Illinois. We all should work together in calling on our elected officials to quit this constant bickering and to actually get back to the concept of doing the people’s business. As for the special session, my prediction is that nothing of any great consequence will happen and we will once again sit by and watch the big three democrats jockey for position while those who need mass transportation will have to sit on the sidelines and wonder if their bus will be running come January of 2008.
Once the transportation problem is solved and eventually it will have to be we have the catchy little program called “Illinois Works” staring us in the face. First of all Illinois does not work! If you don’t believe me ask the 1,000 auto workers up north who just lost their job. Or bring it back to home and ask any of the hundreds of former workers at Maytag, General Henry, Joy Manufacturing, Roundy’s, coal miners, Tech Tape, well you get the picture. We have thousands of good paying jobs leaving this state every year so for the Governor’s people to call this program “Illinois Works” is just as misleading as the rest of his administration.
This administration is so bloated with hacks that it is not even funny. A story in a major Illinois newspaper over the weekend detailed just 6 employees of the governor who are not even dry behind the ears in the work force making nearly $800,000.00 per year combined. Throw in the other local yokels who are making six figure salaries and multiply that all over the state and it is easy to see why we are broke. On top of all of this we are being inundated on the local level by school administrators, labor unions, college presidents, and other taxing bodies that this so called “Illinois Works” program should be paid for by a massive expansion of gambling in this state. Really folks, are we so stupid that we would buy into this concept? To borrow billions of dollars and propose that we pay that back by folks who bet their paychecks is absurd! The only thing that will work on this farce is those of us who still have jobs that will be responsible for the payback for years to come.
There is no doubt that we need schools built and highways maintained, that is not the point. U S Senator Dick Durbin and I rarely agree on anything but he is exactly right when he recently advised democrats in Illinois to think about something other than gambling to finance public works programs in Illinois. It seems that our elected officials think we can gamble ourselves to a better life. They have bought into, or should I say they have been bought off, to think that we are hitting the jackpot here? I wonder how they would feel if the gambling lobby had not contributed all of that cash to their re-election campaigns? You and I both know the answer to that question!
Mark your calendars now for a couple of special events coming up this weekend. First, there is a benefit dinner for Tom Kretz of Christopher who is facing some serious medical issues. This dinner will be held Sunday, December 2 at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in their fellowship hall behind the church in Christopher. I believe the dinner will be served from 11:00 am until 2:00 pm and all proceeds will be to help defray costs of Tom’s medical and related expenses. For more information call St. Andrews Church.
After that dinner, at the historic Sesser Opera House our own community choir under the direction of Gayla Stubblefield will perform a Christmas Cantata. This concert will begin at 2:00 pm and is free to the public. I can’t say enough about this group of dedicated singers as they put in a lot of hours in advance of their performances. We are happy to have them perform at the Opera House and this will surely help those who attend enjoy the season just a little bit more. Sunday, December 2 is the day and 2:00 pm is the time.
Special congratulations to Sesser residents Ruth and Marion Wells who have celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary. The couple met several family members and friends Sunday at the Opera House Café and enjoyed a great meal and visit together. We do appreciate their contribution to our community!
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