Mayor’s Row…..by Ned Mitchell

            By now most everyone has made up their mind on who they are going to vote for in the upcoming election.  We have choices in some races and others are unopposed or as my friend and former Benton Mayor Charlie Smith would say “they found a bird nest on the ground.”  While we have spent a considerable amount of time looking over the candidates and making our choices there are a couple of ballot issues that need to be looked at.

            Thanks to the modern media we have the opportunity to watch, listen or read of any particular candidate’s views on any subject.  Thanks to the internet if we missed a debate we can go back and watch it right on the computer screen.  We are so advanced that even if we watch the candidates at a particular forum we can stay tuned and have a whole panel of experts jump out and tell us what each candidate said.  If that is not enough both major political parties have “spin masters” who then tell us what their candidate really said or what they meant to say.

            In Illinois we have a ballot question to look at this fall concerning the question of whether or not to call a Constitutional Convention.  Every twenty years voters in Illinois are asked to vote on that question.  One would think the question would be a simple one requiring a yes or no vote.  Not in Illinois with the money hungry politicians we have running this state.  The question that has been devised with THEIR interest in mind is:  “This proposal deals with a call for a state constitutional convention.  The last such convention was held in 1969-70, and a new Constitution was adopted in 1970.  The 1970 Illinois Constitution requires that the question of calling a convention be placed before the voters every 20 years.  In 1988 the electors rejected the call for a constitutional convention, with 75 percent voting against calling a convention and 25 percent voting in favor of calling a convention.  If you believe the 1970 Illinois Constitution needs to be revised through the convention process, vote “YES” on the question of calling a constitutional convention.  If you believe that a constitutional convention is not necessary, or that changes can be accomplished through other means, vote “NO” on the calling of a constitutional convention.”

            Before you even get to that question that takes 45 minutes to read you are started out with this:  “NOTICE: The failure to vote on this question is the equivalent of a negative vote.  (This is not to be construed as a direction that your vote is required to be cast either in favor of or in opposition to the proposition herein contained.) “

            This vague and misleading language was written for one reason and one reason only and that is to convey to the voters that you must be some fringe minded lunatic to even consider having a constitutional convention.  The ink was barely dry on the ballots when one of the few good guys in Illinois government, Lt. Governor Pat Quinn, smelled a rat.  Quinn and the Chicago Bar Association took the issue to court and Cook County Circuit Judge Nathanial Howse, Jr. agreed and ordered state election officials to hand out to each voter an explanation that the language on the ballot was indeed misleading.

            Confused?  Me too and ticked off to boot.  We not only see the politicians in Illinois lined up against this question but now they have been caught trying to write a ballot question that virtually guarantees a defeat.  Both democrat and republican politicians have joined forces to fight off this citizen initiative.  They are joined by business groups such as The Illinois State Chamber of Commerce, the Illinois Manufacturers Association, the Illinois Farm Bureau, and almost every labor union in the state.  Could these groups be the same people that are lining our politician’s pockets with campaign cash?  We should all smell a rat on this one.

            A labor union that I belong to has sent out a special multipage magazine warning of dire consequences if a constitutional convention is called for.  They say it will cost $100 million dollars to put on the convention.  Funny, money did not seem to matter to anyone until it appears that citizens are getting fed up with shenanigans brought forth by or politicians in Springfield.  This particular union has put word out that retired teachers pensions could be in jeopardy if a constitutional convention is called for.  They also quietly whisper to their members that if a convention is called for it could somehow change the state’s pension system.  The union goes on to point out that “experts” say the 1970 Illinois Constitution is one of the most advanced in the nation and that other states look at our Constitution as a model.  Okay folks, get in line for a glass of Kool-Aide!  And by the way, isn’t this union the same one that told those of us in membership that Rod “reformer/unreformer” Blagojevich was the best choice for governor?  Enough said!

            Even if we have a constitutional convention the delegates elected cannot change one word in our existing Constitution.  They can make recommendations but every voter in this state must approve any changes that are proposed.  It is kind of like government by the people and for the people.  Politicians have it so good in Illinois that they blindly think you and I cannot see any changes that need to be made.  Could we have term limits?  Could we have recall?  Could we have limits on campaign cash?  Could we require education be provided to poor kids on the same basis as rich kids?  We can answer yes to each of those questions and more just like them.  Those that are in the status quo fear change; they have it too good right now.  The choice is yours so if you go vote, take the time to study the question.  If you are happy with things as they are now vote “NO” but if you think things need to be changed vote “YES” to the question.

             The curtain is now up on Sesser’s Opera House Company as they are performing the comedic musical “Guys and Dolls”  The cast features a wide range of veteran and new performers to the stage at the historic Sesser Opera House, all accompanied by a live orchestra performing from the original pit underneath the stage.  Everyone involved has put in hundreds of hours rehearsing, building the set, and making sure every detail is right.  Show times are Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at 7:00 pm and on Sunday at 2:00 pm.  Come early and enjoy a special dinner at the Opera House Café.  Thursday night will feature an Italian buffet, Friday a seafood buffet, Saturday a special steak night, and Sunday of course our Southern fried chicken buffet.  Call 625-5322 for tickets or you can buy them at the door and call 625-6300 for dinner reservations.  Also don’t forget the annual Ocktoberfest sponsored by the Sesser Area Chamber of Commerce.  There will be lots of crafts and food in the city park and a special antique and art show on Sesser’s Main Street.  We hope to see you in Sesser this week!

            Special birthday wishes go out to Eva Basso who turned 96 last Sunday!