Mayor’s Row……..by Ned Mitchell

          Newly appointed and dead in the water United States Senator Roland Burris is probably humming that old gospel hymn “Till The Storm Passes Over” as he ducks and dodges reporter’s questions.

          The new Senator a couple of weeks ago embarked on a “listening tour” that was supposed to take him throughout the state to hear from the citizenry on matters important to them.  It ended up being canceled as demands for his resignation seemed to be the only things he was listening to and he completely ignored them.  As of this writing several State Representatives and State Senators as well as Governor Pat Quinn, State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias, and Comptroller Dan Hynes have all called for his resignation.

           Another question is where is newly elected State Senate President John Cullerton?  I can half way see why Attorney General Lisa Madigan might have to take a pass on this mess since she more than likely might be called upon for legal opinions in the matter but there is simply no excuse for Mike Madigan and John Cullerton to sit on the sidelines.  After all they were part of the dynamic duo who promoted the reformer/unreformer that got us into this mess to begin with.  It is appearing as if we have a real leadership void in this state as we keep falling into one pit after another.

          It has gotten so bad that a friend of mine who was traveling on business out of state a few weeks ago was asked where he was from to which he replied; “I live just north of Kentucky.”

          Back in my eighth grade typing class taught by Wayne Samuels we had to type the sentence “now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party”.  I have used those typing skills as much or more than anything I learned in school thanks to Mr. Samuels.  Perhaps Speaker/Chairman Mike Madigan and President John Cullerton need to get on a manual typewriter like we used and see how many times they can type “now is the time for all good men to come to the aid of their party” without making a mistake!  We need good men/women to come to the aid of our government and to take a back seat or to look the other way will no longer get it!  When will the leadership skills of our leaders kick in?

          Democrats are very good at behind the scenes maneuvering as was evidenced over the weekend in a Senate district north of us.  Former Republican Senator and minority spokesman in the State Senate, Frank Watson (R-Greenville) recently resigned due to suffering a stroke last year.  He made no bones about choosing his successor, Randy Pollard who is not only closely aligned with the powerful AFSME union but is also chairman of the Republican County Chairman’s Association.

          Being a student of politics lead me to believe that Pollard would get the nod from fellow county chairmen.  Pollard, with his union ties would be a tough one to take out next year.  Out of nowhere a little known St. Clair County Board member, Kyle McCarter gets the nod.  McCarter brings to the table some great organization skills, especially on property tax issues but this may also damage him with powerful teachers unions.

          The real problem Republicans are going to have with him however has to do with the business he is in as an importer.  McCarter has been quoted in local newspapers writing about his dealings with China.  He called China “a capitalist’s dream” and at the same time proclaimed that American companies cannot compete with China because of the country’s low wages and lack of benefits for workers.

          Suddenly democrats are looking for a serious candidate for this once safe republican seat.  I can see the commercials already being written about McCarter and his pro-China proclamations.  It is too early to tell but it appears to me the democrats are in the hunt with this guy.  Did the democrats have a hand in behind the scenes maneuvering to knock a strong Republican with union ties out of the running?  It seems strange to me that Republicans would pick a guy that is so openly pro-China.  It will be interesting to watch!

          American philosopher George Santayama said in 1905 “those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.”  There have been several versions of this quote since them, all meaning the same thing.

          With that said I would like to share some “past” quotations that we need to be looking at as Americans today.

          “The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

          “It is incumbent on every generation to pays its’ own debts as it goes.  A principle which if acted on would save one=half the wars of the world.”

          “I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them.”

          “My reading of history convinces me that most bad government results from too much government.”

          “The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.”

          “To compel a man to subsidize with his taxes the propagation of ideas which he disbelieves and abhors is sinful and tyrannical.”

          “I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies.  If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporation that will grow up around the banks will deprive the people of all property until their children wake up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered.”

          If you guessed those quotes were from the third President of the United States, Thomas Jefferson, you were correct.  We could use a good dose of President Jefferson today.  At the very least perhaps we should revisit his thoughts before we repeat the mistakes!

          The historic Sesser Opera House will play host to the fabulous 60’s and 70’s rock and roll band “Farm” this weekend.  This promises to be a huge concert on Saturday night and we expect it will be a sell-out crowd due to the very large following the group has.  Tickets are available on a first come first served basis at the door.  Come early to get a ticket and enjoy a great meal at the Opera House Café.