Oh, where
to begin.
As if
things weren’t already bad enough in Illinois,
I read today where my state is the third most corrupt state in the nation. Chicago has the
distinction of being named as the number one most corrupt city in the nation.
For many of
us who have lived in Illinois our entire lives, this doesn’t exactly come as a
revelation, but it is very frustrating after spending so much time in politics
with the idea that we were going to change it.
I want to
say that our politics in this state isn’t reflective of the people who live
here, but unfortunately, it is people (real and imagined) who vote for the
jamokes that get into state politics long enough to muck things up, plead
guilty, serve their sentence and then become lobbyists when they get out. Our
most recent poster child for Illinois
politics comes courtesy of the Illinois Department of Transportation, where a
mob bookie got a $70,000 a year job with the DOT and now, with the help of the
union, continues to work for the state; much to the chagrin of his DOT
supervisor.
You
probably never thought that turning a key in a lock could be hazardous to your
health, but at Menard State Prison, over $10 million was awarded to prison
guards AND the warden for injuries caused from this innocuous act. Apparently,
some of our Illinois Industrial Commissioners had their own workers’
compensation claims and were suffering “sympathetic” pain for the guards.
In an
effort to cut our deficit and to bolster our credit rating, the state raised my
state income tax by 67% and they also raised the corporate tax by 47%. Makes
you want to run a business and work there, doesn’t it? Caterpillar recently
told Governor Quinn the Mighty that they will not increase their business in
this state, as long as the climate is so “anti-business”. Let’s see; we had the
money to bribe Sears and the CBT to keep their business here, but not
Caterpillar? I lost my job at Cat when they moved the engine assembly to Texas. Then, at about
the same time, they moved the road graders from Decatur,
IL to North
Little Rock, Arkansas.
And now; a new Cat plant is going to Athens,
Georgia, but
Quinn still thinks that Cat is just “blowing smoke”.
It was
clear that the Gov was hurt by Oberhelmann’s statements and he could barely muster
a reply. He said, “We overhauled the workers’ compensation system in this
state”. Quinn’s idea of “overhaul” must mean that, when you get your oil
changed, you are having your engine overhauled. The work comp “overhaul” did
NOTHING to lower rates in this state.
So, there
has been no meaningful spending cuts made yet, but Quinn and his bobble heads
are still finding ways to RAISE money through the good taxpayers in this state.
Now, Quinn and Chicago
mayor Rahm Emanual want to charge a $65 “fee” for gun registration in this
state and as we all know, a “fee” is not a “tax”.
It wasn’t
that long ago that Rahm the Merciless was President Obama’s Chief of Staff, but
Rahm couldn’t get everyone on board with doing things the “Chicago way”, so,
feeling like a fish out of water, Rahm returned to the familiar waters of
Chicago politics, where he has been doing a yeoman’s job of bullying his city
council AND our governor.
So, that
brings me to Obama. He got his start in politics as a community organizer.
There must be a playbook or instruction manual that teaches one to organize.
Now; I have to wonder if he was organizing in the most corrupt city in the
nation in spite of it. After-all; he is a product of that environment. Did he
escape it squeaky clean? I don’t think so. Look at his shadow cabinet of czars,
his recess appointments, Obama Care, activists judges, the NLRB, his fast and
furious attorney general’s willingness to sue private citizens and businesses
to stop them from exercising their liberties, suing states to keep them from
enforcing immigration laws and then it becomes very clear that President Obama
is a by-product of his environment. His hypocrisy has no limits.
The House
and the Senate haven’t been much help, either. Many of them still believe that they
are beefing up their re-election victories by pigging out on pork projects for
their home districts, because they are too chicken to base their chances on the
moral and ethical strength of their votes on various pieces of legislation. And
besides; giving the special interests groups that support and the special
attention that they deserve isn’t “buying” votes in the strict sense is it?
Sure;
everyone wants their taxes to come back home in some way, but it has caused a
de facto redistribution of wealth. However; in Illinois, tax money that is taken and is
supposed to come back to the school districts isn’t. Instead, Quinn the Mighty
is simply telling school districts that they are going to have to take on a
bigger share at the local level which will most likely cause property taxes
across the state to skyrocket. I wish that I could tell my creditors to eat it
in the same way that Illinois
government tells their taxpayers.
In his
“State of the State” address, Quinn offered NOTHING; only get tough talk, but
no plans to get tough.
The 2012
elections will be the most important election in my lifetime and I don’t
exaggerate when I say that. I cannot think of another single election where
there was so much at stake at the state and federal level. We have an opportunity
in Illinois
to flip the entire legislature as ALL of the seats are up for re-election.
There are but a very few who deserve the privilege of our vote for them.
At the
federal level, I can’t wait to pay $5 a gallon for gas, even though we sit on
enough oil to truly become energy self-sufficient and cut the cord to Middle East countries that don’t like us very much, but
are more than happy to take our money and the lives of our soldiers and
citizens.
That is not
to say that I am for price controls, because I’m not, but why is it that gas
prices can go up whenever a sheik farts, but a utilities company must “request”
a price increase from the legislature?
I fully
understand a company’s duty to shareholders and yea, though I don’t know what
“obscene profits” are or what it is to have “too much money”; I know that our
country survives because of capitalism.
I believe
that, in many cases, those who have their hand out because “they can’t help it”
are a myth. I have always felt that those in need will receive their help from
charitable donations from kind-hearted givers. Government is not a charity nor
should they determine for us how we should spend our money.
It’s a fact
that not everyone can afford to buy a house, a car or go to college. Those decisions
should be made by potential purchasers. When I took out the loan for our first
house, interest rates were eight percent. I made my payments without the help
of the government. I borrowed money for my vehicles from the bank and never
missed a payment. Back then, there were no incentives to buy and interest rates
were eight to nine percent. We took out student loans so that our son could go
to college and we paid back every dime. We never looked for a bailout from the
government. What has changed, other than loan rates have dropped dramatically?
All of us
who came from poor beginnings know that we had two choices: stay there and
wallow in self-pity fueled by government cheese or to change it.
I chose to
change it. I won’t apologize for it and I refuse to stand by and allow
government to tell me that I have too much and must give some of it to someone
else.
I pay my
taxes and I donate to charities. I volunteer my time in my community and will
help where help is needed.
THAT is MY
decision and because I am opposed to extending that charity to flimflammers and
scammers of the System, I will not believe that I am a bad person.
The state
of the government and the condition of our country is our fault.
So, I say
that it is time to rescue Lady Liberty and to take back our country from dysfunctional
governance.
It is a
non-partisan approach. Republicans and Democrats alike have managed through
several parliamentary procedures to set themselves up as the ruling class and
in the process have trampled on our Constitution.
I will not
consider any candidate from any party who will not work to change it. I want a
government who will allow me to keep what I have earned and return upon my
retirement the Social Security funds that I have paid since I was sixteen years
old.
I have
supported government at all levels. I don’t expect any more than what I have
paid for. I expect government to honor their contract with me. Period.
Rant off.
Game on.
November can’t come soon enough.
TCSS.
The opinions and
views expressed are those of the article’s author, Art Goodrich, who also
writes as ChiefReason. They do not reflect the opinions and views of www.fireengineering.com, Fire Engineering
Magazine, PennWell Corporation or his dog, Chopper. All articles by the author
are protected by federal copyright and cannot be reproduced in any form without
expressed permission.
