Mayor’s Row……by Ned Mitchell

                I woke up my cynical self the other day and began reading papers on the computer.  I usually start reading Chicago papers first and work my way down to the local guys.  Every day I read about several shootings in Chicago, yes every day several humans shoot other humans to death in Chicago.  There is no age barrier, they shoot and kill grandparents, brothers, sisters, kids, homeless, rich, there is no difference to the killers.  And I continue to wonder if Chicago has the most strict gun laws anywhere in the country, why is that not working?  You cannot own a gun in Chicago, yet somebody has guns and lots of them, else we would not see people getting killed everyday up there.  Do you think the politicians up there understand that what they are doing is not working or do you think maybe they just use the gun control issue up there to get votes?

                Then I get to thinking about Illinois politics and by now you surely understand why I am a cynical kind of guy.  Here we have our own United States Senator, Barack Obama about to be nominated as the democratic candidate for our nation’s highest office.  For him or against him, it is an honor for any of the 50 states to have one of their own “favorite sons” run for president.  Our last nominee that actually lived in Illinois was Adlai Stevenson so it has been decades since we have been so honored.

                The Illinois State Fair is in full swing and democrat day or Governor’s day is this week.  One would think that with all the hoopla and grandstanding that we usually have during the State Fair, it would be a great time for democrats to celebrate and to cheer on Obama.  The only problem is Obama can’t step foot in this state especially at public events where the reformer/unreformer Governor will be in attendance.  Then we have Chicago Mayor Richard Daley who has scandal after scandal following him.  Throw in Senate President Emil “I Need A Pay Raise” Jones, who is the poster child for everything that is wrong in our system, Speaker of the House Mike Madigan who has an ego as big as my house, and all of the infighting going on in Springfield.  Yes, it is a sad day that the democratic nominee for President is Barack Obama from Illinois and he cannot come home to rally the troops.  He is forced to stay away from his very own state and it’s inept politicians.

                Then I read about a tour from out other Senator, Dick Durbin who was in the area to announce that he is “sick of poor health care” and I immediately think about what type of health insurance Senator Durbin has and why the rest of us can’t have the same thing.  One commenter to that story wrote “what a coincidence, I’m sick of Dick Durbin” and that pretty well convinces me that I am not the only cynical person around these days.

                The next story headline proclaimed “coal is the comeback kid” for us in this area.  I have been hearing that hogwash for years now and quite frankly I have a problem with that propaganda and that is all it is, propaganda.  Even with the million dollar plus class room being built at Rend Lake College to train future coal miners I am tired of waiting for all of these coal mines.  Every year near election we are treated to this nonsense that jobs in the area are just around the corner.  Years ago it was the “Energy Park” in Franklin County that democrats promised us.

                Then I noticed in the picture at the groundbreaking at Rend Lake College the lack of any top United Mine Worker officials.  Folks these mines that might possibly open someday will all be non-union operations.  If you want to know what that is all about ask a retired UMWA miner who through their own blood, sweat, and tears paved the way for a decent wage in a safe atmosphere.  Then talk to anyone of the miners who work over at Galatia for instance and you be the judge.  This is the same operator who through neglect and lack of safety measures caused the death of several miners last year in an accident out there.  Today the wages are low, health insurance is not good, forget about retirement, and conditions are terrible.  Now who in their right mind wants to enter the coal mine workforce with all of that? 

                After reading about six newspapers I get around to opening yesterday’s mail.  I get a letter from Barack Obama who is soliciting money to take back Congress.  He is asking that I help raise several million dollars and if we are successful the Democrat National Committee will match that amount.  Again, cynicism kicks in and I recall that Obama raised a record $52 million dollars in June.  Hey, Barack, you surely could spare a million or two of that and just chip in the cash yourself.  Why pick on folks like me who are cynical?

                More cynicism came from my very own union.  We are voting on a new 4 year contract in the Illinois Federation of Teachers and Teamsters International that calls for a less than 1% pay increase which by the way will not even keep up with the cost of living.   Although our legislators have just voted not to take their second pay raise in as many years, they did unabashedly accept a better than 3% cost of living raise while the rest of us had to settle for less than 1%.   All of that and they don’t even have to vote on it.  I have to vote whether or not to get my less than 1 percent pay raise and they get automatic raises without taking a vote.

                And, I remembered that school starts this week and the thought came to me that the reformer/unreformer when he was in Harrisburg announcing the IDOT jobs move that was supposed to go to Benton; made a huge splash about hiring 10,000 kids this summer.  Guess what?  School is starting and I don’t know of a single kid that went to work in that program.

                Yes, readers, I go to bed cynical every night and I get up cynical every morning!  Can you blame me?  Only you and I can change things and we have an opportunity this November!

                But wait; there is good news to report!  Carly Lappin from Sesser is a member of the band “The Black Fortys” and just last weekend they took first place honors at the American Eagle New American Music Union festival in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania.  Not only did the band and Carly perform but also legendary great Bob Dylan performed.  This is quite an honor and we are very proud of Carly and the band.  They have also been mentioned in the “Rolling Stones” publication.    The band won a $10,000 recording contract in Los Angles and will open for The Rolling Stones Magazine at a New York concert in November.  Quite an accomplishment for a Sesser girl!  Carly is the daughter of Kelly and Marion Lappin.  Marion is also quite a musician in his own right!  Way to go Carly!

                Wedding congratulations go out to Jill and Josh Conner and Jenny and Bobby Backes who were married over the weekend in Sesser.   We wish them the best!