Less Representation Not the Answer

The reapportionment presently being proposed by some members of the Carroll County Board should be a serious consideration for all citizens of Carroll County.

The proposed plan would down-size the county board to nine members from the present number of 15. This would cause each district - there are 3 districts in Carroll County - o be represented by only 3 people instead of the current 5.

At first glance, this might sound like a well-thought out reduction; what the reduction would really accomplish is less representation for the county’s citizens.

Some would say it would be easier to get a quorum at committee meetings. However, with committees then consisting of only 3 members, down from the current 5 members, it would take only 2 board members to be a quorum at a committee meeting, thus giving the power of 2 people to make decisions for the entire county population.

In some cases, if only one committee member was present at a committee meeting and the county board chairperson was present, it would count as a quorum. That is poor representation for the county’s citizens.

A county Board meeting could consist of only 4 county board members and then using the county board chairperson, it would be a quorum. Not much representation for county citizens.

I would like to encourage all the voters in Carroll County to contact the county board members of their district and express their concern about this proposed reduction in representation.

If you are unsure which district you live in, you may contact the Carroll County Clerk’s Office at to find out who the county board members are for your area. Hours for the Carroll County Clerk’s office are Monday-Friday from 8:30am-4:30pm. Please contact/call the county board members in your district to keep your representation.

Sincerely,

Ronald L. Preston

Carroll County Board

District II

The Truth MAY Be Out There . . .

Normally I don’t write a rebuttal to a rebuttal to a letter to the Editor that I have written, but I will make one exception this time since the lady rebutting my letter is an avid conservative and Fox Propaganda watcher and that makes it so easy. The steady diet of hate, fear and lies from Fox Propaganda and the Republican leadership strikes again.

Ms. Kathy Hood of Chadwick is another cheerleader of the Arizona racial profiling law SB 1070 which gives any law enforcement officer the right to ask any person for citizenship papers.

I will take Ms. Hood’s misguided “papers” statements one at the time so she can read them and perhaps understand them. Ms. Hood states that everyone has to produce papers each and every day for the following:

She stated that if I bought a home in Lake Carroll I had to show the “papers”. A few years back I bought a house in Lake Carroll and did not, I repeat, did not have to show my citizenship papers. A couple of years later, I bought two more properties in Lake Carroll and again, did not have to show my citizenship papers. I also have properties in Wisconsin and in Texas and when I bought these properties I did not have to show my citizenship papers. While in this country I have bought and sold about a dozen properties and I have never shown my citizenship papers. So Ms. Hood is totally wrong.

Next, Ms. Hood stated that if I had a job I had to show my “papers”. I retired from one of the best and biggest pharmaceutical companies in the world and I never had to show my citizenship papers. I also know that by law, a company must have proof of citizenship or legal residence to give someone a job. However, the law is not well enforced and has not been since its inception in the 70’s.

Next Ms. Hood states that if I’ve been to a Dr. or a Hospital I must surely have shown my “papers”. Ms. Hood is wrong again. I don’t have to show any papers to my Dr. or hospital other than the insurance card. So Ms. Hood is totally wrong again. As a matter of fact, it is illegal for hospitals to ask for citizenship papers to admit someone.

Next, Ms. Hood states that children in school have to show their “papers”. One more time Ms. Hood is totally wrong. No one has to show their citizenship paper to go to school. That may be in Ms. Hood’s neighborhood but not around the country.

Next she talks about needing “papers” for collage. I attended collage here in Illinois and I never had to show my citizenship papers. Wrong again.

Now Ms. Hood is getting to the drivers license needing “papers”. I have had a driver’s license since 1964 and it is renewed every 4 years. I have never been asked for citizenship papers. As a matter of fact, when I moved to Lake Carroll I went to the Chadwick driver’s license facility to have a change of address and did not need my citizenship papers. So Ms. Hood is totally wrong again.

Next Ms. Hood writes about “papers” needed for prescriptions, being stopped for traffic violations, donating blood and traveling by plane or train. There is so much rumbling going on that I just put these four items together. No citizenship paper for prescriptions, donating blood, being stopped for a traffic violation or traveling by plane or train. I still travel by car, plane and trains and I still do not have to show my citizenship papers except when I travel abroad. During my professional career, I traveled to every region of this country and I never had to travel with my passport. I only use my passport when I travel abroad. So Ms. Hood is wrong again.

After all of this nonsense, Ms. Hood goes on and on about President Obama and the left, repeating all of the Republican talking points and of course how Fox propaganda is the only good channel and how the left protects the criminals more than the law abiding citizens and so on. Nowhere In my letter do I support illegal immigration or criminals. Ms. Hood should read my letter one more time and see that it was about this law being unconstitutional. I said it before and I will say it gain, whatever the conservatives accuse the opposition of being, that is what they are.

I will address one item that she mentioned. She wrote about a rancher being killed in Arizona. This specific murder has never been associated with an illegal immigrant. The authorities still don’t know who committed the murder.

A 2007 study by the Pew research group show that Fox Propaganda watchers rank nearly last about being informed about national and international affairs. This has been my contention for many years. If anyone is interested about how the misinformation from Fox and conservative operatives works, just see what they have done to a career department of agriculture employee by the name of Shirley Sherrod which has been in the news the last few days. If no one has heard the true about this case, maybe Tom, the Publisher of this publication can write an article about it. If Ms. Hood is really interested in understanding what is wrong in this country, it is very simple. All she has to do is learn where to find for the truth.

Paul Gonzalez

Lake Carroll, IL

Great Work at the Fair

The Stephenson County Tea Party wants to give Barb Schexnayder and her family a great big - THANK YOU! - for taking on the job and organizing the fair booth at the Stephenson County Fair. It was a lot of work and many trips back and forth from Winslow. There were so many Patriots that helped man the booth, gave flags, Constitutions, bumper stickers, signs, pictures, and more. We thank you all!

We had mostly supportive people stop by. We had a couple of people with government jobs that said “ Keep up the good work”, but they couldn’t stay long as they could lose their job. The politicians do notice us, and we are making a difference.

See you Aug. 12th. for a great meeting with Jim Tobin, President of National Taxpayers United of IL. \

Bill Dietz

Lena, IL

Immigrant Problem Is Employment Problem

It’s unfortunate that Kathy Hood in her letter (July 21, 2010) has to resort to name calling. It is difficult to have a serious discussion with someone whose letter is full of disdain and mockery.

First, Paul Gonzales is right. If the intent of the law is to find and deport undocumented workers, then the result of the law will be to encourage stopping and harassing all “Mexican” looking people. The effect of the law is to encourage racial profiling.

And no, I do not have to carry and be able to produce papers to prove that I am an American citizen.

The real problem is that we have confused two issues: drugs and gangs, and undocumented workers. We have to deal with them separately and come up with two separate sets of solutions.

Drugs are not a Mexican, USA problem. Drugs are an international problem. As Ms. Hood probably read, the Italian police arrested 320 alleged Italian gangsters for, among other crimes, selling Colombian cocaine in Europe. The news stories didn’t say if the Colombian drug producers are part of the Colombian rebels or our friends, the para-military. We have been helping fight a civil war and a drug war for years in Colombia with little real success. In Afghanistan, it is hard to tell who is raising poppies and exporting heroin. In many cases, it’s our friends, the warlords, assisted by the Afghan president’s brother, but it’s also the Taliban.

In the US, our friends, neighbors and coworkers create the demand for drugs. Worldwide drug users help create an international demand for more and more drugs. And as long as that demand exists, we are not going to win the war on drugs. The solution is easy. Legalize, regulate and tax drugs. The details might get tricky, but we can work out the kinks in the system. After all, alcohol was legalized over eighty years ago and we are still working out the details.

And then the drug dealers from Mexico, Columbia, Afghanistan or wherever will simply disappear. Organized crime won’t go away, but no more drug smuggling, no more drive-by shootings.

The problems we have created by inviting people to come here from all over the world and not just Mexico to work will not be as easy to solve. However, the solution is not going to be to return the immigrants to their home countries. It is simply physically impossible to deport millions of people to their home countries. We are talking about as many people as the number of people who live in Illinois. We would be creating a nightmarish refugee problem. And then who would do the work they’re doing. Corporate America invited them here, because there are not enough workers for the available jobs. We need them here.

Again we can work out the details, later, but first we have to give them residency permits, green cards and create a path for eventual citizenship.

World leaders have to recognize that the immigrant problem is an employment problem and can only be solved by creating billions of jobs or by changing the way we look at employment and employment remuneration. Some obvious areas which need to be changed are the West’s agricultural policies. The West’s subsided commodities drive local producers in third world countries out of business and force them on the road to immigration.

We have to turn the problem around and recognize that we are part of the problem and we, not the immigrants, are the only ones who have the power to create meaningful change.

Chuck Wemstrom

Mount Carroll, IL

Shannon’s B-Day Party

Shannon’s 150th Birthday Party was enjoyed by so many people thanks to the volunteers who gave of their time and talent.

Thank you Jason and Dale for the park looking beautiful, Steve and Janus Sheffey for your gift of music, Mike and Connie Smith for your gift of ice cream, Shannon Baptist Church for the games, Amanda for the kid’s crafts, to all of our cake bakers for your delicious cakes and for serving our guests, to our ice cream servers, setter uppers and cleaner uppers.

Thank you especially to all or our wonderful guests attending the party. It was you we had in mind as we planned the details of the party. It was a pleasure to see you enjoying the festivities.

Happy Birthday Shannon!

Community Matters and

Shannon Chamber

of Commerce

Guest Commentary . . .

Less Than the Whole Truth is a Lie

By Arthur C. Donart, Ph. D.

Unfortunately there are all too many people who are prone to taking things out of context in order to convince others that something is amiss. If we were to take a survey, probably every one of us would have to admit that at some time we were quoted out of context, deliberately, by some one who wanted to make us look bad. Should we reverse the question, what would be the survey result? “No, not me, I’d never do something like that!” Why? Because we all know it is a devious form of lying. It labels us as “untrustworthy.”

There is another dimension to this. It is from the listening end. Do we just accept what is being said at face value or do we question it? Secretary of Agriculture, Tom Vilsack evidently learned (more probably relearned) that lesson recently when he accepted as the whole truth a snippet of video conservative blogger Andrew Breitbart posted on his website. Obviously Breitbart intended to slander the Obama Administration as “racist;” and not with standing the fact that he had to know he was deliberately using a deception to do it.

For Vilsack’s part, he was too eager to defend the Obama Administration and indicate it’s “zero tolerance” for racists by firing Shirley Sherrod whose only sin was to advance the cause of racial reconciliation. When Farmer Roger Spooner was interviewed on National T.V. saying if it hadn’t been for Shirley Sherrod, he and his wife would have lost their farm, everyone suddenly connected was exposed; Vilsack for being rash is his judgment and Breitbart for being the lier he is.

The casualties are the truth and Shirley Sherrod. In this sense, we are all casualties. At the root of this is a struggle for power. Achieving power through deception is weakness that leads to more dishonesty not less. It leads to repression because if the truth is to surface, their power will dissipate. Only power through consensus lasts and then only if it is arrived at by everyone having the whole truth. Anything less is something other than democracy.

However, it is more than just Tom Vilsack who needs to question the honesty and accuracy of their source of information. We all do. Especially when our information comes from obviously less than unbiased sources.

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia

State Representative

89th District

It’s been an interesting week. At the request of Alderman Ronnie Bush of Freeport, Senator Bivins and I met with citizens of the third ward and others to discuss issues of concern. At the meeting, retired Freeport School District Deputy Superintendent Joe Crawford, a long-time friend, criticized my columns for “not offering solutions”. That set me back a bit because I believe I do offer pros and cons of issues I discuss. If Joe sees it as not offering solutions, then others likely do as well so I need to fix it.

Long-time friends C.J. and Jeff Gregg of Davis contacted me. C.J. of the “Neighbors” newspaper in Durand, Illinois, inquired if I would be willing to accept questions from constituents and answer them in my columns. The answer, of course, was “I’d love to”.

Speaking to the Jo Daviess County Tea Party event last Thursday, a gentleman took me to task for not having a list of legislation I planned to introduce next January. I explained to the group that I always have an active “New Bill” file and I rely on you, my constituents, to provide me with input on legislation you’d like to see introduced. Again, my solicitations through these columns provide me with a multitude of ideas from you and issues you’d like to see addressed. I do follow through.

Many of you comment on my columns. Often it’s along the lines “I don’t always agree with you, but thanks for keeping us informed”. I know I only touch the tip of the iceberg, but I see it as my solemn duty to do the best I can.

As I write this I’m sitting in the jury assembly room in Winnebago County with about one hundred other citizens waiting to be called. It’s an opportunity to reflect on the comments from Joe Crawford, C.J. Gregg, the gentleman at the Tea Party meeting and other comments I receive. I believe our jury system is one of the purest institutions in our democracy. We, seated here, are from all walks of life, old, young, rich, not-so rich, all ethnicities and all answering that simple summons that is so important to justice and fairness.

We in elected office, and certainly those of us in the Illinois House, in many ways mirror those of us here in the jury room today – a cross section of America. We are all functioning in a system of government that certainly has its flaws, but it’s certainly better than any other system in the world. Struggles on the national, state and local stage affect us all. Each and every one of us has an obligation to make the system better. To me the best compliment you could ever pay to anyone is to say “the world is a better place because he or she is here”.

My columns are my effort to share the observations of an elected person, and to ask for yours in return. Your thoughts and concerns are a reflection of all of you in the district. No, we won’t always agree, but I will always listen, take your concerns to heart and try my best to fix the problem.

As always, you can reach me, Sally or Barb at or e-mail us at . You can also visit my website at www.jimsacia.com. It’s always a pleasure to hear from you.