Archive for June, 2009

Bill Foster and the Gambling Mystery UPDATED

by , posted on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 8:52 pm

While n0madic has been pondering the mystery of whether or not Foster will be running again in 2010, Foster has been busy brewing a mystery for me to ponder.

Foster has signed on as a co-sponsor of Barney Frank’s internet gambling bill.

I don’t claim to be very familiar with this issue, but I can’t help but be aware that at least two large employers in IL-14, the casinos in Elgin and Aurora, are potentially threatened by the legalization of internet gambling.

So, yes, all other potential ethical questions related to gambling addictions, etc, aside, I’m more than a little surprised that Foster would sign on as a co-sponsor.

I asked for a statement regarding his co-sponsorship, and Shannon O’Brien, his spokesperson, has replied tonight by e-mail with this:

No, we have not made a public statement on this subject.
Best,
Shannon

So the mystery of why it seems like a good idea to Foster to put jobs in IL-14 in possible peril in these tough economic times abides.

UPDATE: 2,332 jobs to be exact

Share

Clarification from Foster’s Office

by , posted on Tuesday, June 30th, 2009 at 6:41 pm

Someone at Foster’s office must have noticed this comment in n0madic’s post about Foster’s intent to run in ’10, because I received an e-mail from one of his senior staffers today informing me that his office in Dixon is indeed still staffed. Specifically, the staffer says:

We have two people working in Dixon (1 full timer and 1 part timer) who also staff Geneseo on Thursday. We will post our hours on the website. We actually work longer hours than most Congressional offices. We are here in Batavia from 8-6 M-F.

Thank you to Foster’s office for the clarification.

Share

Fight for a Fair Budget – Chicago, Springfield, Aurora

by , posted on Monday, June 29th, 2009 at 9:34 pm

Chicago, June 18, 2009. Thousands responded to the “Doomsday Budget” which would deeply cut social service organization’s funding by the millions and devastate families by the thousands throughout the State.

(more…)

Share

Has anyone else been wondering whether Bill Foster is running for re-election or not?

by , posted on Sunday, June 28th, 2009 at 10:08 am

When Ethan Hastert officially announced he was running for Congress a few weeks ago, a number of the stories made passing reference to Bill Foster’s intentions. Or perhaps I should say lack of intentions, because the impression that was initially given was that maybe Foster hadn’t decided yet whether he was going to run for re-election. Which seemed odd, because why on earth wouldn’t he? He just got the job, what, a little more than a year ago?

And yet, the first story I saw, in DeKalb’s Daily Chronicle, stated that “Foster said this afternoon that he hasn’t decided if he’ll run for re-election.”

The next story I saw, in the Kane County Chronicle, said Foster wasn’t undecided at all: “Foster is planning on running for re-election, according to a spokeswoman who released a statement Monday in response to Ethan Hastert’s announcement.” But all the statement itself had to say about whether Foster was or was not planning on running was this: “he is not thinking about elections right now,” which didn’t seem to unambiguously support the claim that he was indeed planning on running again. Washington Wire, a Wall Street Journal blog, quoted that same line from the official statement, but said nothing to indicate that he was nevertheless going to run again.

That Daily Chronicle story seemed pretty unambiguous. “Foster said … he hasn’t decided.” Where was the Kane County Chronicle‘s certainty coming from? Was it possible that some of these media outlets were running only a part of the statement that Foster’s office had released? “What’s the deal, here?” I wondered.

(more…)

Share

Kane County 2030 Plan Test

by , posted on Thursday, June 25th, 2009 at 5:45 pm

The Kane County Board will have its commitment to the 2030 Land Resource Management Plan tested at the July 14, 2009 Board meeting.

On that date, the Kane County Board will consider Special Use # 4213. Special Use #4213 seeks to convert 7.6 Acres of Prime F-District Farm Land to B-3 Zoning. This will essentially create an Industrial Park in the midst of Prime Kane County Farm Land in Burlington Township. An area strongly identified by the Kane County 2030 Plan as Agricultural.

Kane County Board Chairman Karen McConnaughay campaigned on her commitment to this plan. The vote will determine which Kane County Board members truly support the 2030 Land Resource Management Plan.

Citizens supporting structured growth & the preservation of farm Land in Kane County, should email Chairman McConnaughay & their respective County Board member, asking them to re-affirm their support for the 2030 Plan by rejecting this proposal.

Share

Listen Up Silly People

by , posted on Monday, June 15th, 2009 at 6:41 pm

It appears that we are not done yet with the “English Only” silliness, so I feel compelled to note a few things.

1. Sorry, it does smack of racism and

2. It’s ridiculously unecessary – rather like getting worried about defending the Borg because they wandered into the same sector of space as a dozen random humans.

And this is where I whip out my little-used English degree to point out that English is the Borg of human tongues: all will be assimilated.

(more…)

Share

Ethan Hastert officially in: IL-14 officially over

by , posted on Monday, June 8th, 2009 at 7:45 pm

The Kane County Chronicle is reporting that Ethan Hastert has officially declared he will run for the IL-14 congressional seat formerly held by daddy Denny.

Meh – no surer way of ensuring Foster hangs on to the seat, imho.

Anyone who was paying any attention at all knows that Foster outpolled Obama in Kane County (which contains about 50% of all voters in IL-14) in ’08 – and anyone who is local knows damned well why that happened: Lauzen supporters voting for Foster as a means of getting even with the powers-that-be who got behind Oberweis and managed to leverage the nomination for him.

Which makes 2010 a repeat-in-the-making, because Lauzen will be Lauzen, will be Lauzen, ad nauseum: he’s so scary that moderates will vote for Foster (or whatever alternative is on the ballot) if Lauzen does get the nom, and his supporters are so violently pro-Chris, they will likewise vote for whatever alternative there may be to the Repub who beat Chris out for the nomination – exactly as they did in ’08.

Only way out of the spoiler-Lauzen scenario for local Repubs is if they can get Lauzen to throw his support behind someone like Ethan Hastert. And anyone who has followed Lauzen’s career knows there’s a snowball’s chance in hell of that happening.

So the Dem on the ballot in IL-14 in 2010 is elected by default: barring Lauzen getting struck by lightning or a random meteorite, it’s already done.

Share

Ultra-Efficient Green Buildings –- One Solution to Global Warming

by , posted on Tuesday, June 2nd, 2009 at 11:26 pm

Most scientists, supported by concrete data, agree that the earth is heating up. Over the last ten years the average temperature has climbed about 1 degree Fahrenheit around the globe. And, even if you choose to reject science and the assessment that global temperatures and sea levels are rising, it would be difficult to ignore the economic recession. Rising gas prices compound the economic crisis caused by the mortgage meltdown and rising unemployment numbers

So, what do we do about it?

Do we all put solar panels on our roofs? Is it enough to replace our light bulbs with compact florescent light bulbs (CFLs)? Do we have what it takes to start carpooling to work, turning the thermostat down in the winter and up in the summer? I started asking myself all of these questions after being laid off from my last job as a carpenter at the LaSalle Nuclear Power Station (a touch of irony) in January of 2009.

Initially I came to the conclusion that we should focus our efforts on conserving energy or producing energy from non-carbon emitting sources like windmills or solar panels. It turns out that solar panels are actually a poor return on investment and wind only makes sense in rural areas. Nuclear invites controversy while we try to develop a better way of disposing of nuclear waste.

(more…)

Share