The Winnebago County Republican Blog

"10 Ways Profits Help the Poor"

2009-10-17T20:56:00.000-07:00

by Jerry Agar (10/8/2009)

The number of poor people who can't afford food for their children is a lot smaller than it used to be -- thanks to capitalism. Capitalism didn't create malnutrition, it reduced it. The globalization of capitalism from 1950 to the present has increased annual average income in the world to $7,000 from $2,000. Contrary to popular legend, poor countries grew at about the same rate as the rich ones. This growth gave us the greatest mass exit from poverty in world history.

The parts of the world that are still poor are suffering from too little capitalism. Foreign direct investment in Africa today, although rising, amounts to only 1% of global flows. That's because the environment for private business in Africa is still hostile. There are some industry and country success stories in Africa, but not enough.

- William Easterly, professor of economics at New York University and visiting fellow at Brookings

Contrary to those claims that capitalism only favors the rich and that capitalists are in competition with the poor, profits are of immense help to the poor, whether or not they directly receive it. Here are ten reasons:

1. Employment. Profit equals investment which equals employment. The paychecks that employees get are a slice of the gross profits that any business makes. The best way to overcome poverty is to work.

2. Education. The best way to get work is to be educated. The poor can’t pay for it, so others do, out of their profits, and provide it free of charge to the poor.

3. Health. Miraculous medical advances and drugs come from profitable companies in capitalist nations, but the poor of the world benefit. AIDS drugs for Africa, for example. Hospitals in America will treat, free of charge, any person showing up at the emergency room, regardless of ability to pay. But someone pays, and that is someone who has made a profit and has the available funds.

4. Taxes. The rich pay the bulk of the taxes. A lot of those taxes are spent on the poor. Even the unemployed poor benefit from profits, because the more profitable a nation is the more gross tax revenue it can generate. For the poor who truly need some help from the system, some of those taxes provide valuable assistance such as food stamps and rent subsidies.

5. Philanthropy. Programs that do "social good", whether it is the food bank, library, charity hospital or providing playground equipment, cannot exist without profits. Those who truly cannot help themselves need – and receive – the help of those who earn a profit. Fund-raising for charitable causes, or even for the local T-Ball team, is generally done by approaching businesses, and those that are profitable are the ones who are able to help out.

6. Innovation. The pursuit of profit drives the improvement of the production and distribution process and the products themselves to the point where even the poor have things like television and washers and dryers as everyday items. It is the profit motive that "sees" that if only a product can be produced at a certain price point, market share can be gained. Wal-Mart became the biggest retailer in the world by focusing on making products as available and inexpensive as possible but did so in order to secure a profit.

7. Economic Growth. Profits grow the economic pie, so that we all share. The poor in America today live a better life than the poor in most nations and certainly more so than the poor in America a hundred years ago. In a profit driven economy there is no such thing as a static group of “the rich” and “the poor.” Economic growth offers more solutions than does economic redistribution.

8. Legal Protection. Having the right to an attorney and a jury of your peers is of no use unless the attorney, the police and the justice system can be provided at someone’s expense. Poor people don’t pay for the other poor person’s lawyer.

9. Upward Mobility. Without profits, no one moves up. Many of America’s rich were once poor immigrants who came here solely because profit was not possible, or as possible, where they were born.

10. Freedom. Profit can only come from freedom - the freedom to act on your dreams and to sell your labor, your services and your ideas on the open market. The poorest people in the world live in nations which offer the least freedom.

via the Illinois Policy Institute

Manzullo Urges President to Consider Bipartisan Alternatives to Make Health Care More Affordable, Accessible to Americans

2009-09-16T21:56:00.000-07:00

September 9, 2009

[ROCKFORD] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) issued the following statement tonight in response to President Obama’s address to Congress on health care reform:

“I know there are problems with our health care system – problems with too many Americans unable to get insurance because of pre-existing conditions, problems with too many arbitrarily dropped from their coverage, and problems with too many unable to afford the growing cost of health insurance. I have worked hard to try to solve these problems and I will continue to seek solutions. Unfortunately, the bill before us in the House causes more problems than it solves.

“As Chairman of the House Small Business Committee from 2001 to 2007, I held hearings throughout the nation and championed legislation to make health care more affordable and accessible to Americans. In the House, we passed bills to allow small employers to band together and purchase health insurance through national associations, and to place common sense limits on huge medical lawsuits. Unfortunately, we fell a few votes short in the Senate and the reform efforts ended.

“My advice to the President is to start over on health care reform, reach out to Democrats, Republicans and Independents, and let’s work on some alternatives we can all agree on to strengthen our health care system. We can adopt bipartisan measures to reduce costs and make health insurance more available to the uninsured without adding billions to our deficit, placing millions more jobs at risk, and threatening the private insurance millions of Americans enjoy. The key is, we must work together.”

For more information, please contact Rich Carter at 815-353-1991.

Texas Governor Republican Primary Candidates

2009-08-30T09:09:00.000-07:00

The outcome of the Texas Governor Republican Primary is thought to reflect the future path of the GOP. Who do you want to see win... conservative Republican Rick Perry or moderate Republican Kay Hutchison? Leave us your comments!

Manzullo Invites Public to August 19 Health Care Town Meeting in Rockford

2009-08-13T07:51:00.000-07:00

[ROCKFORD] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) is inviting area residents to join him for a town meeting August 19 in Rockford to discuss the health care reform proposals pending before Congress.

Congressman Manzullo and his staff will meet with residents from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, August 19, at the NIU Rockford campus, 8500 E. State Street, Rockford. The campus is located on East State Street a few miles east of Interstate 90 between Rockford and Belvidere.

During the meetings, Congressman Manzullo will discuss his concerns with a government takeover of health care and his alternatives to make health care more affordable and accessible to Americans. He wants to hear the thoughts and concerns of area residents, and Manzullo will take as many questions and comments as possible during the meeting.

The media is encouraged to attend this public meeting.

For more information, please contact Rich Carter at 815-356-9800.

Manzullo: Democrat Health Care Plan Would Cost Millions More U.S. Jobs, Reduce Quality of Health Care in America

2009-07-30T10:35:00.000-07:00

July 29, 2009
Congressman Manzullo supports alternatives that lower costs, cover more Americans

On Tuesday, Congressman Don Manzullo said he opposes the Democrat health care bill because it will surge taxes on America’s small businesses – stifling their ability to create jobs at a time America desperately needs jobs – while forcing the government between patients and their doctors and putting the private health care coverage of 114 million Americans at risk.

Instead, Manzullo supports alternative health care reforms that would reduce the costs of health care in America and make coverage more available to the 46 million uninsured. The former Chairman of the House Small Business Committee, Manzullo for years has been a champion of efforts to make health care more affordable and accessible for America’s small employers and their employees, who account for more than 56 percent of our nation’s uninsured. In addition, Manzullo believes Congress should prohibit denying coverage based on pre-existing conditions and allow children to stay on their parents’ health care plans until they are 25 years old or emancipated (this woul d reduce the uninsured by 7 million).

“America’s health care system is struggling and is in need of reform to reduce costs and increase coverage to the uninsured. But the Democrat health care bill would do more harm than good, surging costs on the job creators of our economy, forcing the government between patients and their doctors, and putting the private health care coverage of 114 million Americans at risk,” Manzullo said. “The reforms I support would reduce the costs of health care in America, make the system more accessible to the 46 million uninsured, and preserve the strong doctor-patient relationship to ensure health care decisions are not made by Washington bureaucrats.”

By including a government-managed program, the Democrat plan (H.R. 3200) would:

Risk the private health care coverage of 114 million Americans as employers would reconsider offering the benefit in lieu of government-provided coverage, according to the Lewin Group.
Hike taxes more than $800 billion on struggling employers who can’t afford to offer insurance to their employees and on the uninsured w ho don’t purchase health insurance for themselves (the bill makes health care coverage mandatory for all Americans and actually slaps a 2.5 percent income tax surcharge on the uninsured who don’t purchase health insurance.)
Surge government spending another $1.3 trillion over the next 10 years. This comes on top of the $700 billion Wall Street bailout and $780 billion stimulus plan that will take Americans generations to re-pay.
Put another 4.7 million Americans out of work as struggling employers go out of business trying to comply with the new costly mandate that makes them non-competitive in the global marketplace.
Establish new European-style government health bureaucracies to ration health care services. The bill creates a new government board, the “Health Benefits Advisory Committee,” that would empower=2 0federal bureaucrats to consider cost as factor when making coverage decisions.

Instead, Manzullo supports several reform initiatives that would make health care coverage more affordable and more accessible to Americans, including:

Reforming our out-of-control medical liability system – Medical malpractice insurance continues to surge, skyrocketing health care costs and forcing doctors and other medical professionals to practice “defensive medicine,” which entails ordering costly and often unnecessary tests to cover all the bases from lawsuits. Manzullo is a cosponsor of the HEALTH Act (H.R. 1086) that would fully compensate victims for medical injuries but place reasonable caps on punitive and non-economic damages that often inflate the awards and contribute to out-of-control liability and health care costs.
Creating refundable tax credits to help low-income Americans purchase health insurance – Low-income children are already covered through the federal SCHIP program, and Manzullo supports refundable tax credits to help low-income adults purchase health insurance.
Allowing the creation of Association Health Plans -- AHPs would allow small businesses to pool together thr ough national associations to give them the same purchasing power as large companies and labor unions to buy affordable health insurance for themselves and their employees. Manzullo is a co-sponsor of the bipartisan SHOP Act (H.R. 2360) to accomplish this goal.
Expanding tax-free availability to Health Savings Accounts -- HSAs20allow small business owners to offer more affordable high-deductible health insurance plans to their employees and make tax-deductible contributions to employee savings accounts to allow their employees to build equity and assume personal control of their health care needs. Congress should increase the tax deductibility for these insurance plans.
Preserving high-quality health care through America’s community health clinics – Manzullo supports continued funding of our community health clinic system, which provides high-quality health care to America’s low-income families. Manzullo has been a strong supporter of Rockford’s Crusader Clinic, which serves more than 40,000 needy patients in northern Illinois each year.
Expanding small business tax deductions for health care expenses – Corporations currently are able to purchase health care coverage for their employees before they pay their payroll taxes. Self-empl oyed small business owners – one of the toughest group of individuals to insure – should have the same opportunity, but do not. Manzullo is a cosponsor of the Equity for Our Nation’s Self-Employed Act (H.R. 1470) to allow the self-employed to purchase health care insurance prior to paying their Social Security and Medicare taxes. This would effectively reduce their health care costs20immediately by more than 15 percent.

For more information about Congressman Don Manzullo, please visit www.manzullo.org.

Springfield tax fight energizes state GOP

2009-07-30T10:26:00.000-07:00

by Steve Huntley via the Chicago Sun-Times
July 28, 2009

For years the conventional wisdom has been it didn't make much difference which party held power in Springfield because Illinois Democrats and Republicans pretty much operated alike, in tandem and to their mutual benefit. So a lot of people, myself included, were surprised Republicans held firm and didn't go along with Gov. Pat Quinn's demand for a 50 percent increase in the state income tax.

I fully expected moderate Republicans at some point would cave in to pressure from the governor, state-funded interest groups, political calculations based on Illinois' status as a blue state, and House Speaker Michael Madigan's ploy to blame the GOP for any severe budget cuts hitting human service agencies.

But Republicans stood their ground. And, with big Democratic majorities in both houses, voters didn't buy the snake oil that the GOP was responsible for fiscal chaos in Springfield. "For the first time in this state, people are starting to see a clear distinction between Republicans and Democrats," asserted House Minority Leader Tom Cross of Oswego in a recent interview.

The reason, Cross said, is the strategy the GOP adopted in Springfield early this year when the income tax proposal seemed to monopolize policy discussions in the capital. His House Republican Organization partnered with the Illinois Policy Institute, a nonpartisan free-market research group, to focus on the spending side of state government. Spending in the last decade has risen by 39 percent after accounting for inflation.

The GOP position was that discussion of a tax hike wasn't even on the table, and they demanded much needed fixes such as controls on spending, a commission to find duplicated, wasteful and obsolete state programs, and reforms in paying for Medicaid and the under-funded state pensions.

Republicans gained leverage when Democrats failed during the regular session to enact a tax hike and the Legislature went into overtime, where a supermajority is required to pass tax increases. Democrats don't have that in the House. The next regular session starts in January. Speculation has it Democratic legislators will know then what kind of primary challenges they face and, if the outlook is favorable, Madigan and they may be willing to raise taxes.

Regardless of how that turns out, Cross believes the GOP's new identity will play well in the 2010 elections among voters he sees as upset about the economy and spending, the Rod Blagojevich scandal, seven years of one-party incompetence in Springfield and Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's sales tax increase.

Republicans would have to win 12 seats to take the House. "There are going to be 15 or 20 races we will push," said Cross. One GOP strategist counts 16 seats that in the last three election cycles the party lost by 2 or 3 percentage points. "It's unbelievable the number of people who want to run," said Cross, though he didn't offer any names. "This is the best year we've had in recruiting -- people are disgusted, they see an opportunity, they think they can win."

He expects open seats as some Democratic lawmakers, "frustrated with what's going on in the House" and the Democratic scandals, decide not to seek reelection

Cross figures funding 15 to 20 races would cost $5 million. "We don't have $5 million at this point," he conceded. But he spoke optimistically of "people being aggressive about wanting to give us money." Still, he said, "Maybe we can't fund every one of those races, but if there's a trend and there's a wave [in throw-the-bums-out voting], maybe the tail end of that 15 to 20 can jump on that wave." He said GOP poll numbers are better than in 1993 before the big Republican year of 1994.

Helping form that GOP wave will be the U.S. Senate candidacy of Mark Kirk. "We haven't had someone that competitive at the top of the ticket in a long time."

Perhaps the ace in the hole for Republicans is the pay-to-play trial of Democrat Blagojevich. It's set to start in June, so it will be fresh in the memory of voters. Comment at suntimes.com.

Painting

2009-07-30T09:46:00.001-07:00

Painting
Originally uploaded by countygop

Check out the newest addition to our office! This lovely custom painting came to Chairman Klaas courtesy of Pamela Ratmeyer. Thank you again, Pam!

Guest Editorial: Sonia Sotomayor

2009-07-17T07:02:00.000-07:00

by Rafael Rivadeneira, Illinois Republican National Hispanic Assembly

In nominating Hon. Sonia Sotomayor to the Supreme Court, President Obama broke yet another promise to the American people. He promised hope and change and unity—but with Hon. Sotomayor, he brought anything but.

She has proved to be—through her words and rulings—one of the most divisive, racist, and sexist jurists this country has seen since before the Civil Rights Movement. It’s hard to imagine the reaction from the Left if President Bush would’ve nominated or appointed or simply had dinner with someone who said, “I would hope that a wise White Man with the richness of his experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a Latina woman who hasn’t lived that life.”

Not only would that nominee or appointment or dinner guest be ridden out of town by folks pumping their pitchforks, but the cry for the President himself to resign would’ve deafened us all!

And yet, we don’t hear much when President Obama’s nominee says, “I would hope that a wise Latina woman with the richness of her experience would more often than not reach a better conclusion [as a judge] than a white male who hasn’t lived that life.”

Sure, some people critique her, but overall Republicans have proved too nervous to respond. We don’t want to be labeled “racist” for “attacking” a Latina. Or, more truthfully, we fear losing Hispanic votes.

Fear not, friends. She’s overcome remarkable hardships and adversity in her life. She is tough and strong and wise, indeed. She can take getting called to the carpet on her beliefs. (And thinking we need to take it easy on someone because of race is racist in and of itself!). And Hispanic votes? Well, you have mine still. And the Democrats didn’t exactly shave votes when they went after Miguel Estrada.

We as a party need to condemn her hateful, divisive, sexist, and racist remark. What she said is horrible, wretched hate speech. Nothing less. Words like hers have been used to oppress (and enslave!) so many groups of people throughout history—including her (and my) own. Her line of thinking is behind so much evil.

We as a party need to call for the retraction of her nomination and an apology from her as well as President Obama for thinking a blatant racist and sexist jurist would be appropriate to serve on the U.S Supreme Court.

Our president has shown poor judgment here. According to Hon. Sotomayor, maybe his race and sex are to blame. Perhaps if he were a wise Latina, he’d have come to a better conclusion.

Illinois Budget Proposal

2009-07-09T08:34:00.000-07:00

This is the economic reform agenda that is being proposed by the Republicans in Springfield in contrast with the Democrat's out-of-control spending plan.

Click on the image below to expand and read it; alternately, you may download a PDF of the agenda by right-clicking here and selecting "Save Target..."

Manzullo to Vote Against Job-Killing Cap and Tax Bill, Support Pro-Energy Alternative

2009-06-29T11:05:00.000-07:00

June 26, 2009

[WASHINGTON] Congressman Don Manzullo (R-IL) will vote against the job-killing cap and tax bill when it comes to the House floor today because it will give foreign companies a huge competitive advantage over American manufacturers, putting 2.5 million more Americans out of work without ensuring a cleaner environment for future generations.

The legislation puts severe limits on energy usage in the United States and could double or triple energy costs for most American manufacturers, putting them at a huge disadvantage with their competitors from China, India and other foreign countries not required to comply with such limits. A study by the National Black Chamber of Commerce estimates the bill would devastate U.S. manufacturers, causing many to go overseas to avoid the energy taxes and putting 2.5 million Americans out of work by 2030.

Manzullo attempted to amend the bill to eliminate the International Climate Change Adaptation Program, which would give companies in China, India and other “developing nations” up to 4 percent of the overall allowable carbon credits, taking them away from U.S. manufacturers and forcing American companies to essentially pay for the continued pollution of their primary competitors in China and India. Democrat House leaders would not even allow Manzullo’s amendment to come to the floor for a vote.

In addition, the energy caps will cause the price of American-made products to surge along with the utility bills of American families. President Obama himself – while on the campaign trail last year – said his cap and trade bill would cause electricity rates to “necessarily skyrocket.”

“At a time when unemployment is over 10 percent in northern Illinois and many employers are struggling to survive, this misguided cap and tax bill will put millions more Americans out of work and surge utility costs for all Americans. And amazingly, it will not ensure a cleaner environment for future generations because the biggest polluters in the world – China and India – have indicated their desire to keep the pedal to the floor and continue polluting at will,” Manzullo said “Some scientists even say that if we completely eliminated all carbon emissions from the United States tomorrow, China and India would replace all of it in the atmosphere within 10 years. This is mind-boggling.”

Manzullo supports alternative legislation that promotes innovation, conservation, and responsible production of energy as a way to achieve America’s energy independence and a cleaner, healthier planet.

The American Energy Innovation Act represents a fiscally responsible approach to reducing our dependence on foreign energy, providing a cleaner environment, and putting Americans to work by:

Encouraging innovation within the energy market to create the renewable fuel options and energy careers of tomorrow.
Promoting greater conservation and efficiency by providing incentives for easing energy demand and creating a cleaner, more sustainable environment.
Increasing the production of American energy by responsibly utilizing all available resources and technologies and streamlining burdensome regulations.

For more information, or if you have any questions, please contact Rich Carter 815-356-9800.

"Stand Firm"

2009-06-19T17:17:00.000-07:00

by Chicago Tribune Editorial Board
June 18, 2009

"[W]e will never see reforms if we just go ahead and send more money to the same old rotten system that's produced the mess that we're in right now." -- Illinois Senate Republican leader Christine Radogno, June 17, 2009.

Yes, yes, yes.

The current Democratic strategy for passing a state income tax increase couldn't be more transparent: Blame minority Republicans for all the horrors that allegedly will occur if -- for lack of more taxing power -- Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn chooses to slash spending on social services.

Senate President John Cullerton, House Speaker Michael Madigan, good luck with that one: Your party owns Springfield. Yet after failing to stop Illinois from chronically overspending by the billions, you expect voters to now blame the minority party for ... not helping you pass a Democratic-sponsored tax increase?

Do citizens look that gullible? It isn't the Republicans who couldn't muster enough Democratic votes for a big tax increase a few weeks ago. Mr. Cullerton, we were particularly amused by your comment Tuesday that there's no point in resuming this budget debate until Republicans identify the tax hike they're willing to support.

The truth here is much simpler: GOP leaders Christine Radogno in the Senate and Tom Cross in the House want to repair how state government dishes out taxpayers' dollars. They have the leverage now to insist on that. Good for them.

Better the Democrats start listening to what Radogno and Cross keep explaining: Illinoisans don't want to shovel more money to Springfield until the legislature and governor adopt spending reforms. That includes revising a too-generous pension calculation for new hires, moving Medicaid recipients to managed care, canceling all pork spending -- the list of needed fixes goes on and on.

Radogno and Cross also want the Democrats to stop pretending they've passed significant ethics reforms. Cullerton and Madigan scuttled one anti-corruption measure after another rather than let their members vote on every proposal from the Illinois Reform Commission. It's not too late to revisit that. How does next week sound?

The people of this state might wind up sending more tax revenue to Springfield. But Radogno and Cross have their priorities straight, and we hope the members of their GOP caucuses don't wilt as the pressure for a tax increase builds: Major reforms have to come first.

"Unemployment in America"

2009-06-18T11:35:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON - Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairman Michael Steele released the following statement today:

“Today, the White House confirmed that the Democrat economic stimulus bill is simply not creating the jobs President Obama promised. Simply put, the White House spin doesn’t square with reality. Since President Obama signed the so-called ‘stimulus’ package, 1.5 million Americans have lost their jobs making the unemployment rate soar to a 26 year high. Families today are struggling to pay their bills, make their mortgage payments, and send their kids to college. Republicans want to work with the president to get our economy back on track, but the president seems intent on promoting and adopting some of the most liberal and reckless government intervention economic policies we have ever seen.”

WHAT OTHERS ARE SAYING ABOUT JOBS

GENERAL MOTORS: The Government's Ownership Stake in GM Came Only After Its Initial $19 Billion Bailout Failed to Keep the Company Out of Bankruptcy. "The plan, laid out in an SEC filing, would give the government a 72.5 percent stake in a new GM, but the administration said it could cost taxpayers another $30 billion, reports CBS News correspondent Anthony Mason. Washington has already invested more than $19 billion to keep GM's motor running. But people familiar with GM's plans said the automaker would still file for bankruptcy protection on Monday." ("Report: GM Set For June 1 Bankruptcy," CBS News, 5/28/09)

According to a USA Today Review, The Federal Stimulus Money Has Yet to Reach States Where Unemployment Has Hit Hardest. "Nationwide, federal agencies have awarded nearly $4 billion in contracts to help jump-start the economy since President Obama signed the massive stimulus package in February. But, with few exceptions, that money has not reached states where the unemployment rate is highest, according to a USA TODAY review of contracts disclosed through the Federal Procurement Data System." (Brad Heath, "Stimulus Projects Bypass Hard-Hit States," USA Today, 5/28/09)

"Keep Demanding Reform", a Chicago Tribune Editorial

2009-06-02T15:16:00.000-07:00

Citizens, congratulations. Your relentless pressure on Democrats in the Illinois legislature has kept them from greasing a big tax increase without doing the difficult work that needs to come first. This is a moment of great opportunity: Keep demanding reform in ethics and spending from those Democrats -- and from Republicans who need to stay resolute and united.

Solidarity from Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and House Minority Leader Tom Cross also has helped block the tax-hike plans of Democrats -- lawmakers who don't want to wear the jacket for their years of overspending. Many Democrats had hoped that if they voiced enough threats about alleged (and often exaggerated) horrors that would descend on Illinois without fat tax increases, they could persuade their members, and some Republicans, too, to raise revenues by the gazillions.

Hasn't worked. The Republicans correctly have insisted on tough spending and ethics reforms before they even consider big tax increases. And enough Illinois Democrats have seen the Cook County Board's current agony to understand that voters won't pay more money to overextended and inefficient governments without complaint.

Thirty-one Senate Democrats, plus 42 in the House, must be a sking why they went on record over the weekend as favoring major income-tax increases. Those rival proposals were so doomed that neither chamber even bothered to vote on the other's bill.

With the legislative session now in overtime, Republicans have more muscle: If Democrats want to fully fund the state budget, they'll need some GOP assistance. Democrats from Gov. Pat Quinn -- he of "cut, cut, cut" fame -- on down are correct that Illinois doesn't have enough money to meet all of its obligations. The Democrats will be tempted to score political points by slashing needed social services as a substitute for structural reforms. They'll be playing the rest of us for chumps if they don't make serious fixes to how this state operates:

--House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton need to embrace, rather than keep dodging, the many excellent suggestions from think tanks and others on how to restructure the state bureaucracy and streamline much of what Springfield does: pensions, Medicaid, education and other costly endeavors. Employees unions and clouted interest groups oppose these best-practices solutions. But Illinois can't keep spending more than recession-battered taxpayers and employers can afford.

--Pass more, and tougher, ethics legislation from the Illinois Reform Commission. Citizens have seen how Madigan, Cullerton & Co. have hidden from reforms that would diminish their power. Enough of that obstructionism. Illinois is broken -- and you, Democratic leaders, are failing us all.

Legislators eventually will face voters. The question then will be whether this session ended with dramatic spending and ethics reforms -- or if it ended in a fusillade of job-killing tax increases and little else.

Read the original copy here.
Copyright © 2009, Chicago Tribune

"Being True to Our Philosophy During Our Comeback"

2009-05-09T08:44:00.000-07:00

by Robert E. Brokish, Jr.
Rockford Committeeman, 3rd Ward, 7th Pct.

After significant defeats in 2006 and 2008, the RNC is striving to “rebrand” the GOP. Without a doubt, the majority of the electorate is no longer in favor of the dominant philosophy that has guided the Republicans for a decade. While it is wise to take stock of the Party at the national level, we, in the countless counties of this Great Land must guard against a one-size-fits-all GOP being thrust upon us. We must strive to find our way out of the wilderness as well, lest the national “rebranding” lead us to the fate of New Coke^tm.

There is a great tumult in the air, as evidenced by the display of passion at the recent Tea Parties. Disdain has been shown towards protesters who are deemed foolish to object to tax policies that will put money, albeit very little, in their pockets. The passion is, perhaps, not so much foolishness, as it is wisdom to see there are no “free lunches” and the price paid by posterity is too high. However, passion without a plan soon dissipates. Let us not allow a dissipation of this energy. Rather, let us endeavor to promote a distillation of new ideas and new plans.

By convening this think tank, we aspire to articulate policies of governance that will capture the imagination of the electorate and remain solidly within a Conservative framework of:

• Defining what government should be in the business of doing and letting the Private Sector do the rest.

• Taking care of governance at the most local level the particular task will allow.

• Spending the fewest tax dollars possible for the best return on the People’s money.

• Fostering individual freedoms most carefully, for Freedom is inalienable to all Mankind and government should be loathe to hinder it, only doing so when the Greater Good hangs in the balance.

If you would like to contact the author, Robert Brokish, you may
e-mail him at robertbrokish@aol.com.

"The Revolution Begins on April 7th"

2009-03-20T13:20:00.000-07:00

by Robert E. Brokish, Jr.
Rockford Committeeman, 3rd Ward, 7th Pct.

My friends, battle lines have been drawn. We here, in the Land of Lincoln, are particularly aware of the fight we face, in this, the bicentennial of our Martyred President’s birth. It is a time of discontent and a season for frustration.

Frustration weighs on us with the governance in Springfield: impoverished through waste, soiled by scandal, and chained to Chicago’s Democratic Machine.

That Machine has compounded our frustration by giving rise to a President who has co-opted Lincoln’s message of personal freedom for one entire nation and twisted it into an invoice for economic enslavement to one nation-state.

If that were not enough, to subvert the memory of our first Republican President, our opposition reaches the heights of hubris in claiming the mantle of The Great Communicator. Our current President has been declared Reaganesque and they say it is again, “Morning in America.” Mr. President, I remember Ronald Reagan. Ronald Reagan was my Commander-in-Chief. Mr. President, you’re no Ronald Reagan.

What do these offenses in Springfield and Washington have to do with the aldermanic, township, and other “off-year” races being decided on April 7th?

Long ago, before Native hunters of the Great Plains could ride amongst the thundering herds of bison and bring down prey, they had to cut their teeth on smaller game. As they honed their skills, so shall we sharpen ours.

While they are small in scope, the 4th and 14th wards are in the opposition’s hands. The 4th Ward seat was snatched away from us in a moment of weakness, and the 14th Ward has seated a Democrat for more than a decade. It is especially important to rise to the challenge in the 14th Ward, since our candidate faces not one, but two opponents and was beset with machinations to keep him off the ballot altogether. Winning the seat will be, no doubt, challenging.

If, however, we fail to take on that challenge, we will have the scorn of would-be Republicans and ersatz Conservatives heaped upon us, to say nothing of how the Democrats will make mockery.

To Ed Geeser in the 14th Ward, to whom this challenging candidacy is given and to Pete Scordato, the GOP candidate in the 4th Ward, as well as our incumbents striving to retain their seats, I say gird thy loins, stiffen the sinew and summon up the blood. Time and tide are against you, but we shall all rise to your support. While aldermanic seats seem but a small matter, they shall be the morsels by which our appetite for victory will be whetted.

Yes, the battle lines are drawn. Let us win these skirmishes and stride forward to victory in the greater struggles in 2010 and triumph in the War of 2012.

If you would like to contact the author, Robert Brokish, you may
e-mail him at robertbrokish@aol.com.

Message from the Chairman

2009-03-12T10:43:00.000-07:00

Dear Friends,

As we celebrate the 200th birthday of Abraham Lincoln, we celebrate our heritage as Americans and as Republicans. May the life of Lincoln inspire us as we remember his rise from humble beginnings to President of the United States. Lincoln was self-educated, read borrowed books, memorized large portions of the Bible, fathered a family of four sons, and practiced law in our capital city. Lincoln represented the frontier virtues of hard work, initiative, self-reliance and personal kindness.

During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln once stated, "... I know that the Lord is always on the side of the right. But it is my constant anxiety and prayer that I and this nation should be on the Lord's side." Lincoln understood that a nation needed to take stands that lined up with God's principles so that God's blessing could rest on the nation. As your chairman, that is my hope as well.

After a very busy election year, Winnebago County Republicans are pleased to celebrate the following accomplishments for 2008:

Successful fall elections with the re-election of Congressman Don Manzullo, all of our state senators and representatives, Judge Gene Doherty and Judge Ron White, County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen and four county wide candidates, as well as maintaining a Republican majority on the county board.
Campaign coordination with all candidates, sharing volunteers and expenses.
Printed and distributed 20,000 candidate fliers and mailed 14,000 fliers prior to the election.
Successful GOTV effort with 126 poll watchers and 200 volunteers on Election Day.
Our office served as the campaign headquarters for McCain-Palin. We supplied yard signs, bumper stickers and buttons while identifying over 500 new Republican volunteers.

Thank you to all our volunteers and precinct committeemen who made these accomplishments possible!

Mark your calendars now for Tuesday, April 7th, 2009, as a reminder to vote for all the Republican candidates running in the municipal/township election. Volunteers will be needed during the month of March to help our candidates with their campaigns. Please call our office (815-387-2874) to offer your time or financial assistance.

Jan Klaas, Chairman
Winnebago County Republican Central Committee

"Spending"

2009-03-08T11:25:00.000-07:00

by Steve Scherrer

Few would argue that White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel has a well earned reputation for partisanship. He was quoted saying, “Obama will challenge Americans to embrace a new era of responsible behavior and reject the culture of anything goes”. He also said that “a crisis should not go to waste”. One month into the new administration we have markets dropping faster than a meteor and a restructuring of the American economy into a European style of socialism. The market reflects not only a no convince vote in his economic plan but shocked disbelief in the manner and lightening speed it was jammed through Congress.

Keynesian economics contends that economic prosperity flows from the hand of government. Both common sense and history has shown that to be utter nonsense. Government creates no wealth. It has the power however unless restrained by a free people to confiscate the wealth and productivity of a society. Margaret Thatcher once said that the trouble with socialism is that sooner or later you run out of other people’s money. All power in Washington is now in the hands of the most anti-capitalist politicians in the history of this Republic. With Democrats holding an overwhelming majority in both Houses of Congress a sympathetic media will have a difficult time making excuses for the sheer recklessness of their actions. The Bush administration cannot be held up as a scapegoat forever. They expanded government far too much to the disliking of true conservatives. The left was right to criticize Bush but now they embrace the expansion of government far beyond the previous administration and tell us that we have to give it a chance. Where’s the logic in that kind of reasoning.

The so called stimulus bill has virtually nothing in it to support small business which is of course the engine of economic growth. The amount of wasteful spending is unprecedented. A trillion dollars is a million million. Numbers like that are hard to fathom. The spending bill amounted to about a billion dollars per page which by the way not a single member of Congress had a chance to read after it came out of the conference committee and came up for a vote. Not a single Republican was involved in the crafting of this monstrosity thus sending down in flames Obama’s promise of bipartisanship and transparency. Obama however behaved as a petulant child when none of the Republican House members voted for his bill. He of course was looking for cover from the Republicans when this massive expansion of government buries our economy. While in Peoria at the Caterpillar plant he promised that his stimulus package would put their workers back on the job. Later Caterpillar’s CEO was asked if that was true and he remarked that more layoffs were planned.

Buried in Obama’s stimulus plan is a giant leap towards imposing a government takeover of all health care. Billions of dollars will flow to a newly formed bureaucracy called the National Coordinator of Health Information Technology. As in Canada and England health care will be rationed. This agency will deem who will be unworthy of care because of age or severity of illness. Decisions that in the past that were made between a doctor and the patient will be gone. This bureaucracy will maintain an electronic database giving it access to everyone’s medical records so that decisions regarding rationing of care can be made. Why was this put in the Obama’s stimulus plan? The fact that there was no debate on this is frightening. It’s not how the country is supposed to work. So much for Obama’s campaign promise that the American people would have the same health care plan as the members of Congress.

We were told that last September’s $700 billion bailout was necessary to deliver us from that crisis and now $350 billion cannot be accounted for. National debt as a part of GNP is now projected to be 13.5%. Historically it’s been between 2 to 4% and we’ve always recovered from recessions which normally last 18 months. The Democrats who are in power are behaving like out of control adolescents who now have the ability to do whatever they want. His cabinet appointee’s alone have been found to owe $450,000 in back taxes. Obama promised hope and change. He is delivering on his promise to radically change America. The hope part of the equation is where he will fail miserably.

"Why the Republican Party Needs to Stand For Principles"

2009-01-19T12:00:00.000-08:00

by Chairman Jan Klaas

Over the past week, questions have been raised regarding the right of political parties to remove candidates from the ballot. In a recent column, Chuck Sweeny asserts that the local parties are grasping at straws to be relevant in local government. Well I disagree. What is actually happening is that Republican leaders are in the process of implementing positive reforms for our Party. Our state faces a crisis in government due to corruption and poor leadership in both Parties and voters are cynical about politicians in general. I can assure you that the local Republican Party is carefully reviewing our candidates and our message with the hope of returning our Party to our conservative roots and providing honest leadership in government.

So what does it mean to be a Republican? Exit polls show that many people have forgotten what the Republican Party stands for. Perhaps the "big tent" has become so large that we have lost our distinctive characteristics. Why would people join an organization that has no core beliefs or common cause? Republicans have written a state and national platform that clearly outlines our approach to government and solutions to our most pressing challenges. In a nutshell, the ideals of the Republican Party include:

1. Fiscal Responsibility. A free society rests upon a free economy. Government must be limited and encourage growth and enterprise through minimal taxation and careful regulation. Spending reductions are preferred to tax increases.

2. Maintaining strong national security. A fundamental roll of government is the protection of life and property. Peace is maintained through strength; therefore, Republicans support maintaining a strong military and securing our borders against illegal immigration.

3. Traditional Values. We see all Americans as individuals and not as members of one group or another. We recognize that virtues and moral habits are foundational to a strong society. Core among these are respect for human life from birth to natural end, support of the family by recognizing marriage as a permanent relationship between men and women, and empowering parents with educational choice. A successful Nation requires its citizens to be instilled with a sense of duty and honor as well as fundamental love of country.

I believe that ALL of these ideals are important and necessary to win elections. Our Party must stand strong on our core principles because they work and will attract voters. Our principles have already led to great achievements. Against fierce opposition, Republican reformers brought forth the 13th Amendment banning slavery, the 14th Amendment extending the Bill of Rights to the states, and the 15th Amendment according voting rights to African Americans. More recently Regan reforms led to the end of the Cold war, collapse of the Soviet Union, and a robust economy. These ideals work and are worth fighting for.The challenge for Republicans is finding candidates that will not compromise our core beliefs.

Americans in general have become tolerant of weak, unprincipled leadership. Voters often express dismay at having to vote for the "lesser of two evils" on Election Day. Some Republican leaders think we should abandon core principles to attract voters; I disagree.

If we want real change in government today, we have to get serious about recruiting better candidates and electing better leaders. Regardless of what Hollywood or the media says, character still counts and morality matters. Locally the Republican Party is reviewing our process of selecting candidates. Through surveys and interviews we hope to determine a candidate's approach to government and issues we are facing. The decision of the precinct committeemen in Rockford Township to elect candidates through a caucus has been harshly criticized, yet the results are that new, young, well-qualified candidates for office have been identified.

This brings us to the events of the past week. The Republican Party of Winnebago County stands by the decision made by other Republicans to challenge candidates who voted in the Democrat Primary of 2008 and who are now claiming to be Republican. The Republican Party will maintain its right to defend the integrity of the ballot. It is our right to ensure that those who seek office and represent the Republican Party are what they say they are. A recent court case clearly upholds the election law against candidate party switching and states that it is the right of Republicans or Democrats to challenge the validity of a candidate's claim to Party affiliation based on that candidate's voting record. The people need now more than ever, candidates with principles, not party shoppers looking for social status and the easiest route to a government pay check.

It is wrong to claim that a challenge to a candidate's credentials based on this court decision is somehow reflective of any Party's "inclusiveness". Yet one such candidate, Mark Bonne, has attempted to make this claim despite the fact he himself used the very same objection to the candidacy of his opponent. Mark Bonne's criticism is without merit and hypocritical. Bonne's criticism of the very same Republican Party that he professes to be allied with proves that he has no allegiances to either Party or consistency. As Party Chairman I will support the Republican candidates who qualify for the ballot and will bear our standard in the April municipal elections.

In conclusion, I wish to thank Chuck Sweeny for wishing us luck in our Party reforms. I believe the community will see that positive changes are ahead for the Winnebago County Republican Party.

"Manzullo Supports Health Care for Needy Children, Opposes Bill that Threatens Benefits"

2009-01-14T12:00:00.000-08:00

WASHINGTON -- Congressman Don Manzullo (R-Egan) voted today against legislation that could threaten the quality of health care for millions of children by crowding them out of high-quality, employer-paid health insurance plans in favor of government-run health care that limits medical choices.

The legislation is a Democrat leadership attempt to massively expand the State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP). Manzullo supports the reauthorization of the current SCHIP program that provides health care benefits to 6 million of our nation's neediest children. But he opposes the expansion bill that would provide taxpayer-funded health care benefits to children of families earning up to $83,000. The expansion bill (H.R. 2) also would:

Provide an incentive to move 2.4 million children out of high-quality private health insurance plans when employers learn they no longer have to pay the benefits to 20 employees whose children qualify for government health care, according to a non-partisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO) study.

Continue to provide taxpayer-funded health care coverage for up to 780,000 adults until at least 2012 while 500,000 poor children continue to go uncovered, according to the CBO.

Make it easier for illegal immigrants to get taxpayer-funded benefits by eliminating ID verification in the current program.

Fund the $73 billion expansion bill with an increase in the federal cigarette tax by 61 cents per pack, requiring 22 million Americans to start smoking the next several years to meet the revenue projections, according to a Heritage Foundation study. The opposite will occur and people will stop smoking because of the tax increase, leaving the expanded program with huge revenue shortfalls.

Create a budgetary gimmick by dropping 65 percent of SCHIP funding in 4 1/2 years, requiring more tax increases or cuts elsewhere to continue the program.

Limits health care choices for seniors by banning new physician-owned hospitals (similar to the Mayo and Cleveland Clinic) from participating in the Medicare program and places severe restrictions on the expansion of existing hospitals.

Last Monday, Manzullo co-signed a letter to the Speaker and President-elect Obama urging them to work in a bipartisan manner to draft a SCHIP reauthorization bill that places a priority on serving eligible low-income children first, protects private insurance options, establishes a stable funding source, and prevents benefits from going to illegal immigrants. Unfortunately, that request fell on deaf ears. As an alternative, Manzullo voted for a motion to H.R. 2 that incorporates these suggestions and extends the current SCHIP program through 2015 by putting poor kids first.

"I strongly support the extension of the existing SCHIP program that helps provide health care to our neediest children, but the bloated Democrat bill over-promises and under-delivers," Manzullo said. "It would provide taxpayer-funded benefits to illegal immigrants, increase taxes, cut senior's access to some hospitals, continue to cover up to 780,000 adults while 500,000 poor children go uncovered, and actually cause many families in America to lose their high-quality private health insurance in exchange for government-run health care.

"Social Security is short by $13 trillion and Medicaid and Medicare are already stretched. This massive expansion of SCHIP would shortchange these existing health care programs and continue the raid on the incomes of our children and grandchildren. I care about our future generations and don't believe we are doing them any favors today by saddling them with these huge costs in the future," Manzullo added.

For more information, please contact Rich Carter at 815-394-1231.

"GOP Blames Democrats for Burris Selection"

2008-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

ILGOP Press Release

The Illinois Republican Party has issued a stinging statement on the apparent selection of former Illinois Attorney General Roland Burris to fill Barack Obama's Senate seat, blaming Democrats for refusing to strip embattled Gov. Rod Blagojevich of his appointment powers.

Here's the statement, from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Andy McKenna:

"Illinois Republicans were the first to demand Rod Blagojevich have nothing to do with appointing our next United States Senator.

"Because they went back on their word and refused to strip Blagojevich of his appointment power and pass a special election, Illinois Democrats have created yet another constitutional crisis for Illinois.

"Blagojevich Democrat Roland Burris is emblematic of the old-school, pay-to-play culture that has plagued Illinois for generations and this appointment is another embarrassment for the people of Illinois.

"Once again, Blagojevich Democrats have failed the people of Illinois by refusing to strip Rod Blagojevich of his senate appointment power and blocking a vote of the people."

"Re: Republican Candidates for the Spring 2009 Primary Caucus"

2008-12-30T12:00:00.000-08:00

WCRCC Press Release

"The Republican Party of Winnebago County stands by the decision of other Republicans to challenge candidates who voted in the Democrat Primary of 2008 and who are now claiming to be Republican. The Republican Party will maintain our right to defend the integrity of our ballot. Some Republicans may have seen a need to vote in the other Party's Primary in the last election and that is their right. It is our right, however, to ensure that those who seek office to represent the Republican Party, are what they say they are.

"A recent court case clearly states that it is the right of Republicans or Democrats to challenge the validity of a candidate's claim to Party affiliation based on that candidates voting record. It is wrong to claim that a challenge to a candidates credentials based on this court decision is somehow reflective of any Party's "inclusiveness". One such challenged candidate, Mark Bonne, has attempted to make this claim despite the fact he himself used the very same objection to the candidacy of former Fire Chief Bill Robertson for filing as a Democrat while Chief Robertson had in fact voted in the Republican Primary of 2008.

"Mark Bonne's criticism is not only without merit but it is hypocritical for him to complain about the challenge against his candidacy when in fact he leveled the very same challenge against a potential opponent. Ironically, Bonne, who voted in the Democrat Primary, may have standing as a Democrat to challenge Chief Robertson, but he does not have standing to run as a Republican. The Republican Party will not stand by for this nonsense. Bonne's public criticism of the very same Republican Party that he now professes to be allied with proves that he has no allegiances to either Party or consistency.

"As Party Chairman, I will support the Republican candidates who qualify for the ballot and will bear our standard in the April municipal elections."

Jan Klaas, Chairman
Winnebago County Republican Party

"Barack Obama"

2008-10-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

by Steve Scherrer

Never in my lifetime has a Presidential election been held with this much at stake. It will be a choice on whether or not we decide as a nation to pursue European socialism or reject it. The level of intellectual dishonestly demonstrated by the Obama campaign has been breathtaking. He could not have gotten as far as he has without the favorable coverage which has been showered on him by the networks, most cable outlets, and the print media. Juxtapose that with the army of media and investigators who landed in Alaska looking for dirt that they could use to discredit Sarah Palin. For years no attention was given to Obama's Chicago machine political connections that gave birth to his political career

Let's start with the #1 issue that's on everyone's mind. Obama demagogue's that our financial crisis is a result of eight failed years of the Bush administration's policy. In three short years, Barack Obama took the second most campaign contributions from Fannie Mae. His campaign's Chief Economic Advisor Franklin Raines was forced to retire as CEO from Fannie Mae after severe irregularities in accounting practices were discovered. He walked away with a golden parachute of $240 million in benefits. Next we have Jim Johnson who was hired as Obama's Senior Finance advisor and was selected to run the VP search committee. He was also forced from his position as CEO at Fannie Mae because of misreporting his income at between $6 and $7 million in 1998 when in fact it was $21 million. Johnson is currently under investigation for taking illegal loans from Countrywide while at Fannie Mae.

The origins of this scandal go back to the Community Revitalization Act which was passed by Democrats and signed into law by Jimmy Carter. In 1995 the Clinton Administration added massive new provisions which forced banks to issue 1 trillion dollars in sub prime loans. Loans were granted by Fannie and Freddie to people had no ability to service a mortgage driving up restate equity. Eventually interest rates started to rise and the equity bubble burst. It would be tragic if the people who are most at fault gain power as a result of this crisis. Everyone knows Bush but few people are familiar with Raines, Johnson, Barney Frank, Chris Dodd, and the rest.

Obama says he will cut taxes to 95% of Americans. He made the same promise in his 2004 Senate race. As a senator he has voted to raise taxes 94 times. He is proposing almost a trillion dollars in new Federal spending for starters. A recovery from this current financial crisis would be crippled by a massive tax increase and expansion of government. His devotion to socialism exposes him as an economic illiterate.

I'll list quickly some of the rest of the agenda which would be pursued by an Obama presidency.

1) He has already said he would appoint activist Supreme Court judges not hindered by interpreting the constitution but would change it to fit their current worldview.

2) He does not support an energy policy which would allow us as a nation to utilize our vast supply of natural resources. Higher and higher gas prices will become a permanent part of our lives.

3) His personal alliances with Bill Ayers, Reverend Wright, and Tony Resko are disturbing when you consider that literally thousands of positions in the Justice Department, State Department, etc. could be filled with political radicals, crackpots, and crooks. Future alliances are best judged by past alliances.

4) He supports government-run single payer health care. Countries that have adopted this model experienced massive taxation to pay for it, tremendous inefficiencies, and ultimately rationed care and services.

5) Obama's campaign gave $800,000 in campaign money to the activist group ACORN. They are now being investigated in 13 states for gross violations of voter fraud. Imagine if taxpayer money in the future could be used to fund groups like ACORN. The corrupt model of Chicago politics could go coast to coast.

6) He has no foreign policy experience and lacks discernment in recognizing America's enemies abroad.

7) He embraces the full agenda of the pro-abortion movement and radical gay activist movement, as he stated clearly in his primary campaign.

The Obama campaign is banking that mainstream Americans will not look past the meaningless rhetoric of hope and change. He has the help of the majority of media who has given him support every step of the way. Obama's true vision of America is shared by very few. His success can only be accomplished by disassembling the truth of his candidacy and accomplishing this massive bait-and-switch scheme.

"Liberalism Solved"

2008-10-06T12:00:00.000-07:00

by Doug Emory

We have often heard the Democrats lament disparity in America and cry out for Barack Obama style change. There is constant whining about the situational reality of people who work hard and make good decisions and those who refuse to take advantage of the freedom they have, the enormous opportunities they have, and acknowledge the concept of personal responsibility. In fact it was John Edwards who on numerous occasions coined the phrase "We have two Americas." We often hear them discuss our country with disdain for traditional American values, with contempt for our men and women who serve in the military, and disgust for the evils of capitalism. Personally I am appalled at the number of people in our great country that are completely ignorant of the fundamentals of freedom, economics, and national security. Tragically this is something perpetuated by the media and exploited by the Jesse Jacksons, Al Sharptons, Nancy Pelosis, and Harry Reids of the world. Can't we all get along? (A tribute to Rodney King) The answer is no! It's obvious that the Democrats won't be happy until they destroy the great and wonderful United States of America. With this being said, I am pleased announce that I have a solution to liberalism! It is in fact a brilliant solution!

Let it be noted that no great achievement is ever accomplished without sacrifice and my solution is no exception. My solution will require sacrifice from every conservative in America but the results will be well worth the effort. In the historical battles between conservatives and liberals, there never seems to be a win-win scenario, at least in the minds of the participants. There is always an apparent loss on one side or the other. My solution is radically different from the combative practices of the past and it allows both sides to win! I say we give the liberals exactly what they want! I propose that we offer the liberals the opportunity to have it their own way! A radical concept, but hear me out. I say we should offer up the geography of about eight states to the liberals and let them establish their own country, a utopia, a haven, a world as they have always envisioned. We could use several west coast states as there are already large concentrations of them there. The new country will be called S.U.C.K, the Socialist Union of Clueless Kooks. The new country will be devoid of capitalism, greed, guns, racism, homophobia, hate, and to their delight; conservatives! As the residents of S.U.C.K enjoy their organically grown soy snacks in their eco green utility free government provided homes, they can rejoice over the centralized healthcare system, government supplied housing, a twenty five dollar an hour minimum wage, and special driving lanes for their scooters. The borders of S.U.C.K will be open with the exception of the areas bordering the states now called the Conservative States of America (CSA). English would then become the second language there. Sadly, excluding a few coffee house chains, few businesses would remain in the newly formed country of S.U.C.K. as taxation and regulation would prohibit profitability there. We could establish some trade agreements with the newly formed liberal country. For example we could import things like soy candles, organic vegetables, and tie dyed tee shirts, and they could import things like gasoline, energy, building materials, and food.

Of course there may be some logistics problems associated with getting the few conservatives out of California and moving nearly the entire state of New York to the West Coast but these are all things that could be worked out. The Conservative States of America would emerge as the revival of the greatness that built our great nation. A border fence would have to be built and no one from the liberal side would be allowed back.

The government of S.U.C.K would be lead by a virtual parade of liberal icons. Regrettably Barack Obama would not be there as he would have been elected the first president of the European Union after his impressive United States bashing speech in Germany. Comrade Hillary would proudly lead the parade. The Ministry of Propaganda would include the entire news staff at NBC, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, and CNN. The Ministry of Progressive Thinking would most likely include such brilliant thinkers as Al Franken, Michael Moore, Howard Dean, Alec Baldwin, Barbara Streisand, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid. The Department of Defense would be replaced by the Department of Peace and Al Gore would surely be the pick for the Department for the Prevention of Global Warming. The unfortunate few, who are able to obtain a job, will of course be happy to pay the eighty percent income tax. Medical professionals would have to be imported from other countries as the socialized medicine in S.U.C.K would force American doctors to move to the Conservative States of America where they could actually make a living. Rich people would be non-existent in S.U.C.K so there would be no one taking advantage of the poor!

But enough about the Socialist Union of Clueless Kooks! What would happen to the remaining states? What would happen in the Conservative States of America? Immediately following its conception, President Limbaugh and Vice President Hannity would implement unprecedented tax cuts and downsize excessive, wasteful government resulting in an economic boom unseen in human history. The national debt would be retired in five years. American manufacturers could once again compete in the global marketplace. Disposable income would rise as the cost of living falls. New Miami, formerly known as Cuba, becomes the hottest tourist spot in the country! Health care choices become abundant and costs would decrease dramatically as ridiculous litigation against doctors and health care facilities is eliminated. Children would once again learn reading, math, writing, English, science, and non-revisionist history instead of global warming 101 and capitalism is evil 201. Illegal immigration would end saving the nation billions of dollars. No one from any nation deemed hostile to CSA would be allowed to immigrate! Those with physical and mental handicaps are given the best of care as resources previously diverted to taxes and wasteful spending are put towards the truly needy. All caribou in Alaska would be paid reparations of one hundred pounds of tasty granola for their inconvenience and drilling would immediately begin in ANWR. Oil prices would plummet. Gas is again below two dollars a gallon, and we all could turn toward the Middle East and wave with a friendly hand gesture. Free from the burden of punitive taxes and excessive regulation, energy producers would rapidly develop new, alternative, clean energy sources to meet the growing demand in a strong marketplace. Most prisons would be shut down as most of the prison population is deported to their home countries or sent to S.U.C.K.

And now I look out to the future. Like Shatner and Spader at the end of an episode of Boston Legal I sit on the patio of the White House. President Limbaugh and Vice President Hannity are by my side, complimenting my strategy to solve the American plague known as liberalism. We are smoking fine cigars from New Miami and drinking an excellent single malt scotch. The popular Louis Armstrong song, What a Wonderful World plays softly in the background. I smile broadly as I marvel at the two percent income tax on my six figure check and think about how it all started on a laptop during a delayed flight on a business trip back when the country was on the verge of losing its place as the best and most magnificent country in the world.

"I'm Voting Democrat!"

2008-09-29T12:00:00.000-07:00

by Doug Emory

I'm voting Democrat because I believe that people who work hard, make good choices, and achieve should be punished and taxed heavily. It's not fair that they should be doing better than others who make bad choices, don't work, and have no desire to achieve.

I'm voting Democrat because I want to pay more taxes to support services for illegal immigrants, drug addicts, crack whores with six illegitimate children and more wasteful, inefficient, poorly run government programs.

I'm voting Democrat because I want the company I work for to shut down or move out of the country. The Democrats will make sure they don't take advantage of me anymore! They will tax them and regulate them out of business or out of the country!

I'm voting Democrat because I want to pay high prices for gas and energy. Profit is a dirty word and no one should be allowed to make it, especially the oil companies! The Democrats will punish the companies that provide these things and make sure that American resources are not ever tapped to increase supply, decrease cost, decrease foreign dependence, and support growth in the economy.

I'm voting Democrat because I want to lose the freedom that tens of thousands of brave men and women in the military gave their lives to preserve. I want to be a slave to a big government bureaucracy, government regulation, and government control of every aspect of my life! The Democrats will take care of me!

I'm voting Democrat because even though the concepts of free market economics, freedom, and hard work are the foundation of the greatness of the United States we need change!

I'm voting Democrat because they won't fight radical Muslim extremists and terrorists. The Democrats will negotiate with them and be sympathetic to them and everything will be OK.

I'm voting Democrat because their policies, foresight, and brilliance have made life better for so many people. Just look at Detroit, Gary Indiana, Washington D.C, New Orleans, San Francisco and other places run by Democrats! I want the rest of the country to be like these places!

I'm voting Democrat because I want to weaken the military and put our country and soldiers in danger. Iran, Russia, China, Pakistan, and North Korea don't really pose a threat to us.

I'm voting Democrat because I think the unemployment rate is too low. I don't think it is fair that the U.S has an unemployment rate lower than other countries!

I'm voting Democrat because I want to destroy the best health care system in the world. The government will give me health just like in other countries.

I'm voting Democrat because socialism has worked so well in other parts of the world, why not here?

I'm voting Democrat because they will take care of me when I'm old by giving me a tiny, fractional, miniscule portion of the money I paid to them back to me when I retire even though I could have retired with millions if I had invested it on my own!

I'm voting Democrat because they will leave my children and grandchildren with a colossal debt to pay long after I am dead and gone. Too bad for the little brats! They deserve to pay!

I'm voting Democrat because they will tax my estate heavily after I am gone even though I have paid taxes over and over on the resources I've accrued. I know the Democrats will put it to good causes like more government programs. I didn't want my family to get that money I worked hard for anyway!

I AM SO SMART! I AM VOTING DEMOCRAT!

"Obama and McCain"

2008-06-05T12:00:00.000-07:00

by Thomas Sowell

Now that the two parties have finally selected their presidential candidates, it is time for a sober-- if not grim-- assessment of where we are. Not since 1972 have we been presented with two such painfully inadequate candidates. When election day came that year, I could not bring myself to vote for either George McGovern or Richard Nixon. I stayed home.

This year, none of us has that luxury. While all sorts of gushing is going on in the media, and posturing is going on in politics, the biggest national sponsor of terrorism in the world-- Iran-- is moving step by step toward building a nuclear bomb.

The point when they get that bomb will be the point of no return. Iran 's nuclear bomb will be the terrorists' nuclear bomb-- and they can make 9/11 look like child's play. All the options that are on the table right now will be swept off the table forever. Our choices will be to give in to whatever the terrorists demand-- however outrageous those demands might be-- or to risk seeing American cities start disappearing in radioactive mushroom clouds.

All the things we are preoccupied with today, from the price of gasoline to health care to global warming, will suddenly no longer matter.

Just as the Nazis did not find it enough to simply kill people in their concentration camps, but had to humiliate and dehumanize them first, so we can expect terrorists with nuclear weapons to both humiliate us and force us to humiliate ourselves, before they finally start killing us.

They have already telegraphed their punches with their sadistic beheadings of innocent civilians, and with the popularity of videotapes of those beheadings in the Middle East.

They have already telegraphed their intention to dictate to us with such things as Osama bin Laden's threats to target those places in America that did not vote the way he prescribed in the 2004 elections. He could not back up those threats then but he may be able to in a very few years.

The terrorists have given us as clear a picture of what they are all about as
Adolf Hitler and the Nazis did during the 1930s-- and our 'leaders' and intelligentsia have ignored the warning signs as resolutely as the 'leaders' and intelligentsia of the 1930s downplayed the dangers of Hitler.

We are much like people drifting down the Niagara River, oblivious to the waterfalls up ahead. Once we go over those falls, we cannot come back up again.

What does this have to do with today's presidential candidates? It has everything to do with them.

One of these candidates will determine what we are going to do to stop Iran from going nuclear-- or whether we are going to do anything other than talk, as Western leaders talked in the 1930s.

There is one big difference between now and the 1930s. Although the West's lack of military preparedness and its political irresolution led to three solid years of devastating losses to Nazi Germany and imperial Japan , nevertheless when all the West's industrial and military forces were finally mobilized, the democracies were able to turn the tide and win decisively.

But you cannot lose a nuclear war for three years and then come back. You cannot even sustain the will to resist for three years when you are first broken down morally by threats and then devastated by nuclear bombs.

Our one window of opportunity to prevent this will occur within the term of whoever becomes President of the United States next January.

At a time like this, we do not have the luxury of waiting for our ideal candidate or of indulging our emotions by voting for some third party candidate to show our displeasure-- at the cost of putting someone in the White House who is not up to the job.

Senator John McCain has been criticized in this column many times. But, when all is said and done, Senator McCain has not spent decades aiding and abetting people who hate America.

On the contrary, he has paid a huge price for resisting our enemies, even when they held him prisoner and tortured him. The choice between him and Barack Obama should be a no-brainer.

"Dr. Steve Sauerberg's 2008 New Year's Resolutions to Strengthen Illinois"

2007-12-31T12:00:00.000-08:00

by Steve Sauerberg, M.D.

As 2007 draws to a close, I thought it was important to share with you my 2008 New Year's resolutions to strengthen Illinois. We have an historic opportunity this year to change direction - we have an opportunity to return Illinois values to Washington by electing a new U.S. Senator.

The career politicians have had their turn at the wheel and the results have been disastrous. My campaign is about offering real solutions to the challenges we face as Americans and as Illinoisans.

Below you will find my New Year's resolutions, a positive blue print for improving the lives of the hard-working men and women of Illinois. If you agree with me - that we can do better than politics as usual in Washington and Springfield - then I urge you to join me and CONTRIBUTE to my campaign.

1. Protect tax relief currently enjoyed by Illinois families - make 2001 and 2003 tax cuts permanent

2. Pass real tax reform - our tax code should be fairer, flatter and substantially simpler

3. Secure our borders - fully fund efforts to build a fence along our southern border and actually build it

4. End benefits for illegals - taxpayers should not have to foot the bill for benefits for those who have nothing but contempt for our laws

5. Deport felons - illegals who are convicted of felonies should be immediately deported upon the completion of their jail sentences

6. Pass private sector market-based healthcare reform - 40 million Americans without health insurance is a disgrace, but socialized medicine is not the answer

7. Eliminate frivolous lawsuits - we need to reform our tort system to protect patients not unscrupulous trial lawyers

8. End wasteful "earmark" spending - we must end the politicians addiction to wasteful pork barrel spending and our tax dollars

9. Prioritize and cut spending in Washington and Springfield - its time for our elected leaders to start to make the tough decisions about spending priorities

10. CHANGE WASHINGTON BY CHANGING WHO WE SEND TO WASHINGTON to be our U.S. Senator!

After 37 years on the taxpayer dole, Dick Durbin has had ample time to address the challenges facing Illinoisans. It's time for new energy, new ideas, and new leadership. With your help we can change direction and return Illinois values to Washington and CONTRIBUTE to my campaign.

Thank you for your support and God Bless.

Sauerberg for U.S. Senate - P.O. Box 667, Lombard, IL 60148. For more information on Steve's campaign please visit our website at http://www.sauerberg2008.com/.

"SCHIP Should Help Poor Kids, Not Those With Health Care" by Errol C. Baptist

2007-11-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

November 2007 Newsletter

2007-11-01T12:00:00.000-07:00

"9/11 Six Years Later: Time to Renew our Commitment to Winning the Global War on Terror"

2007-09-11T12:00:00.000-07:00

by Steve Sauerberg, M.D.

(Western Springs, IL) -- "Six years ago our world changed forever. Radical Islam's war on the west did not start on that fateful morning six years ago - no, their war on our way of life started many years before then. While September 11th doesn't mark the beginning of this war it does, however, mark an important beginning - the beginning of our commitment to fight back, to defend our values and our way of life.

It began on United flight 93, when dozens of brave men and women decided to take the fight to their terrorist captors. In making the ultimate sacrifice, the heroes of flight 93 saved thousands, potentially tens of thousands, of lives and most importantly their actions marked the first strike back by Americans at our terrorist enemies.

Six years later, it is time for us to renew our commitment to winning the global war on terror. It is a time when we should remember the victims and the heroes of September 11th. It is a time when we should not only remember their sacrifices, and the sacrifices of their families, but a time when we should honor that sacrifice by recommitting to fighting and defeating the forces of radical Islam.

Too many of the politicians in Washington have forgotten the lessons of September 11th. For far too many of them - like our own Senator Dick Durbin - a commitment to winning the global war on terror has sadly been replaced by a cynical commitment to score political points.

Contrary to the wild-eyed charges of Dick Durbin's friends on the left - we did not ask for this war nor did we start it, but we should be committed to winning it. The radical Islamic terrorists who struck us on September 11, 2001 continue to pose a real and serious threat to our nation's safety.

What we need in Washington right now is leadership. We need elected leaders who will support our troops - not use them as political pawns by threatening to de-fund them. We need elected leaders who will fight to give our law enforcement agencies all the tools necessary to find and destroy terrorist networks at home and abroad, not politicians doing all they can to hamstring these efforts. We need elected officials who will trust the judgment of our military leaders on the ground, not politicians more interested in winning the partisan political battle at home than they are the real war abroad.

The bottom line is that we need to renew our commitment to winning the global war on terror. The career politicians like Dick Durbin have forgotten the lessons of 9/11, but like most Americans, I haven't. When I am the Senator from Illinois, I pledge to remain vigilant in our commitment to fighting and winning the war against radical Islam."

Sauerberg for U.S. Senate - P.O. Box 667, Lombard, IL 60148. For more information on Steve's campaign please visit our website at www.sauerberg2008.com.