" Send a big message. Instead of a "tea party" lets have a campaign. Not one to elect any specific candidate but one to NOT elect anyone currently holding office in the capital. Send them all packing the next 2 elections and then if they still won't listen do it again for the next two after that. Shoot, on second thought lets do it for the next several elections.

NO MORE INCUMBENTS!!!!! "

" NO MORE INCUMBENTS!!!!! "
Sounds good to me Jim "

" Don't forget all the revenue from just gambilng. Don't forget what opened that door to begin with. They sold the lottery to voters by promising it would do what? More tall tale promises, and misapropriations, then they had the gall to think about leasing it out.

They evidently have no take backs fine printed in to things that pass by referendum. If it starts, and has funds leveraged, it can't be stopped for any reason. That is the case for the proposed sales tax for schools, and may also be on the kicker tax, as quick as they shifted the 6 million in bonds to it, after I posed possibly putting it to voters about taking it back.

Administrative costs eat big portions of taxes or most contributions to charities or non profits. Administrative costs also eat up large chunks of health care expenses. All of that usually comes right off the top, and is the last place the folks in charge of deciding things dare even consider cutting or capping.

Rod got millions in campaign contributions while he was on his way out. Legislating and government sallaries pale in comparison to fringe benefits and slush funds at their disposal, but mentioning their base feed troughs in sallaries and benefits, is off limits. Even the raises they feel are due every year, get excused. Its not mine I voted for, its the little guys that get lumped in that really need it. Big issues were taken with his travel and other excessive expenses, but nothing has changed since he left, that I have heard of. How many rob peter to pay paul schemes, are now needing repaid, or just haven't been?

Meanwhile taxpayers keep getting held hostage, one way or another. Parks, services, prisons, are all strong arm tactics to sway sympathy to get what they want. The taxpayers get the short end of the stick, stagnant situations, and property values that somehow completely buck any trends rumored to be happening elsewhere.

The folks in charge don't just think everyone is ignorant, they keep suggesting it pretty openly and in round about ways, while they pass or create new responsibilities they have no idea or care how it will be funded, or what the cost/benefit figures say.

All this stuff often starts and ends right here at home. The bigger the picture, the easier to throw blanket accusations at it. But when the exact same stuff goes on in small towns, its usually ignored. Illinois is the sum of its many cities, small towns, and neighborhoods. Just like the country is the sum of every city, town, neighborhood, county, state, and territory in its area.

Solving some of these issues needs to start right here. How can a board, council, city, or county not live within its means and spend responsibly, but jumping to the bigger pictures, its something that needs fixed, but only from the top.

Mattoon and Charleaton are projected to have dropped more than 4% in population, over the past 10 years. In 2007 Charleston had the biggest decline in median income in the country. Charleston's median income is about 10k less than Mattoon's. Mattoon is only at 36k. All of these things and more add up to the state of the bigger pictures they are a part of.

Mismanagement and irresponsible spending aren't restricted to the bigger groups of elected and hired individuals. Big issues need addressed, but ignoring smaller ones, is still feeding the fire, not extinguishing or preventing it.

Too often questionable action get a pass since its local. Local situations are what they are, because of local leaders. If sound basic fundamental foundations were the building blocks of more decisions, more of the lingering issues would have a better chance to actually solve themselves. The go to fix, is to just keep throwing more money, put another hand out, or add a new crafted sales pitch scheme.

If it sounds to good to be true it probably is, has been ignored too much in government of all levels. People keep buying what they are selling. Snake oil sales are good, while situations flatline or plummet over the cliff with the rest of the lemmings. They want their cake and to eat it too. Sapping less folks for more and more money doesn't seem to phase them one bit. All percent taxes depend on sustainable growth, to net needed increases without raising them. Until the focus gets on sustainable growth, all the pitches and promises in the world, will not buck the trends that have long settled in here. Until several towns and neighborhoods get on their feet and can keep their heads above water, the state is in the exact same boat. Until the states get their priorities straight, the country is only as strong as its weakest link, as most complex systems or machines are.

Local entities getting on sustainable footings or not, impacts the states and the countries ability to as well.

The way the area has been run into the ground has far broader impacts than just local stagnation and decline.

Every county that passes the school sales tax referendum is pulling x dollars out of buying potential not just from themselves, but the state, and country. Schools do need sustainable funding, but they also need fiscal restraint and responsibility. Mattoon and Charleston already spend between 9k and over 10k per student, and still have the nerve to stick their hands out for more more more. Why should the state be held to a higher standard? Either this kind of nonsense is acceptable or ir isn't. The bigger the entity, the more spread out its collections are. The smaller it is, the more directly they are reaching right into yours and my wallets.

No tax increase, no new sales taxes or hikes. They made their beds, they should lie right in them. Let them cough up and pony up to fix their own wagons. The entitlement troughs are drying up, so now they are suddenly deeply troubled with the situations they created. "

" AMEN
Quit taxing me into poverty and let me provide for myself and not rely on big brother to determine what and how much I need. Long live liberty. "

" AMEN
Quit taxing me into poverty and let me provide for myself and not rely on big brother to determine what and how much I need. Long live liberty. "

" We cannot pay TO send kid to college, we can't pay to keep two old vehicles running,
we sit in the dark, turned the gas down last winter, (and owe $102 on last years and here soon be another higher heat bill coming.) We cut down on water, we do laundry when a full load.
We eat 2 dozen eggs, mac n cheese, toast, 2 lb bacon a week, 2 gallons milk,as had to pay taxes, get the roof fixed,(something we cannot do), high cost of medications past couple of months, just taking high blood, glucaphage generic,allopurinol, lasix, insulin and need needles, heart medication. It seems on social security I make $7.00 too much for food stamp help, and am over 60 so not chance having a child so get that. *SMILE.
We feel for others who may even have it worse than us.
The CIPS said be raising for 2010 and run us about $32 higher each month. The electric is up in winter due to blower being electric. It does pay to pay Sheperd to do the winter inspection.
We have relatives who bought us the blanket robes for winter who live in warmer climate. We moved the bird closer to the vent in winter. The cat and dog have throws enjoy when cold.
They are welcome in the bed as keep feet warm at least. Both are small.
Sometimes would like a big St Bernard
to keep me warm. REMEMBER hot water bottles, WE HAVE THOSE. AND thick socks and relatives bought us those fleece boots houseslippers. WE may not look like models, but we are warm on less. I just hope not have run down the thermastat to 60. Last winter it was 65 and pretty cold sometimes. I would like to hear how others have cut down maybe learn something new. "

" Jim1969:"Send a big message. Instead of a "tea party" lets have a campaign. Not one to elect any specific candidate but one to NOT elect anyone currently holding office in the capital.:"

I can't think of a dumber idea. Here in Colorado they term-limited the legislature. And what happened?? The people who KNEW SOMETHING were dropped from the legislature -- and replaced by people who spent their first term trying to find the rest room.
In the meantime, the lobbyists -- who DID know how things worked -- took over.
You trust lobbyists more than fellow-citizens elected by the public???
Don't be stupid. "

" The Informed!"Quit taxing me into poverty"

Look, you guys don't know what poverty is. I'm old enough that I grew up in the Great Depression, and I KNOW what poverty is like. Poverty is when you have to deny a child a $1 toy for Xmas because you're about to lose your farm.

I don't think any of you have EVER
experienced anything like that. If you were poverty-stricken you wouldn't have a computer to spread bs, wouldn't have a newspaper to read, and would be so exhausted from working that you wouldn't want to spend time at the keyboard. "

" Cognitus my parents were in depression and we were kids. Relatives in other state pay the internet, we correspond daily and all have health issues so we keep in touch. Newspapers do a double duty and paid by a grown child, then rolled for fireplace LOGS after cut out Penny Weavers writings, Herbs, or others to send to others not in this state. WE never had it cushy, and we worked jobs which then could not have medicaid, food stamp help like many.
But we lived, not the best on cholesterol but a meal. POOR MANs soup was taught by our father to make. Beans were all would have often and lucky to have them. Mom made poor mans gravy, which was bacon grease, flour, and water with pepper if lucky added.
But it filled the belly when we were small. I was glad liked northern, butterbeans, pinto beans, and blackeyed peas,,,,,now can't look at a blackeyedpea, we had them toooo often.

After living in depression, I appreciated having just some bacon, eggs, toast, cutdown on milk and other things, when out of things mac and cheese a mainstay. Neighbors cow let me milk her, the guys wondered why. WHY?
because I warmed the hands before milking the poor thing in winter. hehe. "

" Well Congnitus, one of the biggest complaints about politicians is they do not listen, really listen to those they are supposedly representing, and many times I think these fools are kept in office because of a "the enemy you know is better than the one you don't" rationale. By booting out all incumbents a time or two, and making the reason clear, it would send a loud message to those who are elected to replace them.

We are suppose to have a government "for the people, by the people and of the people" meaning ALL of the people and not special interest groups who can afford to hire professional snake oil salesman to convince the elected on how to spend OUR money, and influence OUR lives.

Of course just replacing the politicians a time or two is not enough. We, the people, must also speak up and speak out about what we want and don't want and we must do it directly by calling, writing, emailing those we elect and not just complaining on the internet. "

" Cognitus is right. If real ethics reform does not sever the money changing hands, in exchange for access by lobyists, simply replacing everyone, or setting term limits, only changes some of the faces, not the games. That was an excellen't point to make.

Eddie Murphy did a comedic satire on politics, "The Distinguished Gentleman". It still seems pretty relavent today. It didn't matter what side a legislator took on any issue, some group would hold a "fundraiser" just for access, or to show support for the position taken.

How exactly is having experienced hands in a broken system, a favorable alternative to inexperienced but qualified, in anything, especially government?

Illinois has plenty of experience, and still has constant grid lock and irresponsible action, reaction, and inaction.

Rod and Emil were blamed, but so far, little if anything has really changed. Various new experienced faces are still manipulating many of the same old business as usual games and tactics.

Reform legislation has been very tepid and timid. Either they like things the way they are, or they don't see the same issues those outside do, as important enough to take on head on.

California and Florida are seeing net losses in their populations.

New York is worried its wealty only tax systems may have big devestments in property and business going on in the state.

Illinois is often simply doing what others do, which should probably be prime examples of what not to do.

Local leaders are also steering things under many of the exact same misguided principles and also lack open pro/con evaluations of how these things fit the true local realities they keep completely ignoring.

I am not sure how, I know poor, you don't applies to anything, ever. "

" Of course the democrats want to raise taxes all the time.
In fact they have to raise taxes on the middle class so they can cater and buy votes from the illegal immigrants and poverty stricken people who depend on the government to support them.
Sorta like a socialist government where everyone depends on the government to provide them with room & board, food, etc. them tell them when to eat and sleep. "

" And as I keep saying, when the dust settles, 49% of the public will pay no taxes. What a voting block. "

" warrior is right on the money! democraps love to raise taxes, just as long as they don't have to pay them. "