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Due Diligence Required

I was told that a favorite ploy of the wind industry is to escort people concerned about the noise level to a spot directly underneath them. They are relatively quiet there.

I wonder what Lee County board member, Ann Taylor, R-Amboy, was doing while she spent several hours under the turbines? Did she knit, or read to pass the time? Seeing that there would be no shadow flicker at that spot, she wouldn’t have suffered vertigo like the nearby homeowners might. I’ll bet she was there around noon when the flicker would be minimal or nonexistent. In my uneducated, humble opinion, she would better spend her time in the home of someone who lives with turbines hovering over them 24-7.

I am so sick of hearing “We need to generate tax revenue.” After all the theft the hard-working tax payers have suffered in Lee County, I’ll just bet they do need it.

How awesome it must be to be so sure of yourself, like the new Lee County board chairman, Rick Ketchum, D-Amboy, who is so positive he knows what’s best that he can override the 80 hours of meetings the zoning board held to come to their decision against the wind farm. Why have a zoning board, if their hard work is going to be so blatantly dismissed? Did Mr. Ketchum review the many testimonies given at the zoning board meetings? How about the professional real estate appraisers who testified of the devaluation of property close to wind farms?

Thank you, Mr. Tom Fassler, Mr. Craig Buhrow, and Mr. Mike Pratt, of the Lee County Zoning Board, for their vote of “thumbs down” for Mainstream. The County Board may still give them their approval, but you gentlemen will be remembered, down the road, as having the intestinal fortitude (guts) to stand up to Mainstream—God bless you.

Thank you also to Mr. David Giuliani for your fair and unbiased coverage of these meetings.

Thank you David Gusse, R-Dixon; Marilyn Shippert, R-Dixon; and Judy Truckenbrod, R-West Brooklyn, for taking seriously the testimonies of the people living with the turbines. To quote Marilyn Shippert, “We need to look beyond the money. There are concerns about the health effects. We need to keep people safe.”

Sue McGinn
Tampico, IL

Relay for Life Thank you

Dear Editor:

Recently Carroll County held their Relay for Life Cancer Survivor dinner and we served over 100 cancer survivors and their spouses/caretakers/or guests.

Many businesses, organizations, and individuals contributed to this very successful dinner. We would like to say a “big thank you” to the Mt. Carroll Church of God for the use of their facility, to all of those contributing food, monetary contributions, and door prizes to honor these survivors. A job well done!

To all cancer survivors - we want to remind you that we have another event planned for Saturday, June 22, at the West Carroll Middle School in Mt. Carroll, when the Relay for Life Event – Survivor Victory Lap will be held. The Relay gets underway at 6:00 p.m. with the opening ceremony and all survivors are invited to participate in the Victory Lap at 6:30 p.m. There will be a “survivor’s tent” where you may sit and participate in activities especially for you. All survivors will get a special events T-shirt that evening.

If you are a cancer survivor and you have not registered for this event please contact Bev Lundquist, 1106 E. Benton Street, Mt. Carroll, IL 61053 with your name, complete address, telephone number, and what size T-shirt you need or you may call Bev at .

We know we are missing lots of survivors on our mailing list so we are asking you to send in your information or if you know of a survivor get their information to Bev.

Thanks to everyone for helping to honor these survivors. Let’s all work together in hopes that cancer will one day be eliminated.

Cancer Survivor Dinner Committee
Karen McCarty
Sally Koch
Carol Stoner
Bev Lundquist
Lenore Schrader
Sandy Steiner

The 2nd isn’t ‘All Inclusive’

Dear Editor:

Congress voted down expanded background checks for gun sales at gun shows and on the internet, even though polls show that 90% of the population favors such changes! That doesn’t sound like democracy to me. It sounds like a small minority is getting their way by using strong-arm tactics.

Perhaps that minority feels that guarding their “2nd Amendment rights justifies their actions. Have they considered that similar amendments guaranteeing freedom of speech and freedom of press are not all-inclusive? No one can make false and incriminating statements, either verbally or in print, without risking legal action. The second amendment is no different. No civilian should be allowed to own military equipment such as hand-held missile launchers, or machine guns. Somewhere a line MUST be drawn as to what is reasonable and what is not. Nearly everyone agrees that guns with small capacity magazines used for sport and self-defense are reasonable.

US citizens own far more guns than citizens of any other nation, and we also have a much higher homicide rate. We have 7 times more homicides than any other country and at least 30 times more than Germany, England, Australia and Japan. Handgun ownership and murder rates are also much higher than in any other industrialized nation, 100 times higher than in Japan.

Certainly we must not only keep guns out of the hands of young men who are mentally ill and prone to crime and violence. We must also make societal changes that help youth resolve conflict and deal with failure and loss more effectively.

The present situation is intolerable. Now is the time for the US to join the other economically advantaged nations of the world and do whatever we can to stop the killing. Doing nothing would be unconscionable.

(Sources: CIA World Fact Book, The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco & Firearms, The Center for American Progress, Time Magazine and others)

Delmar Lohr
Forreston, IL

Morrison Council Corner

April 22, 2013 Morrison City Council held a Public Hearing at 6:50 pm concerning the Fiscal Year 2013-14 Budget. All aldermen were present.

Public Comment: Harvey Zuidema said he wasn’t sure why on page 16 of the budget the Field Groomer was purchased this fiscal year for $18,500. We paid $10,500 this fiscal year leaving $8,000 to be paid 2013-14 fiscal year. He wanted to know why it couldn’t be shown that we are paying the balance this coming fiscal year.

Public Comment: Marti Wood listed many questions that had been sent to the City Administrator and many others - with no response, except from incoming Mayor, Everett Pannier. 1) I wanted either ending or beginning balance so we would have a true sense of what the city had for funds. 2) As an alderman, I did not have any information on Meadowbrook Drive Road Project ($40,000) and Scenic Road Project ($40,000) and still don’t. All of a sudden we went from a budgeted amount of $40,000 for Blacktopping /Street Maintenance up to $705,700 for 6 projects - those 3 and French Creek Road Extension ($120,000), Market Street Parking Lot ($75,000)and Morrison Rockwood Recreational Trail ($390,700). I wanted to know where the money was coming from and what the projected finish dates are. 3) I also want Street Lighting to be paid other than through Motor Fuel Tax. 4) I also asked why the projected Utility Tax is projected down to $165,000 from $209,660. 5) Community room may need to have the Breaker Box location addressed – did we budget enough? 6) Parks and Recreation-- Utilities were $8,750 - Are we looking at alternate ways to save money on this? Grounds maintenance went up??? And how did our expenditures drop from $397,275 down to $210,350?

Nancy Anderson stated she thought the way the budget was being changed constantly, that it was kind of a “shell game” with no follow through. She asked to have the mayor develop a format for the budget that everyone could read and understand. She would like the alderman to take their time to vote, not just rush to get it done. Really understand what they are voting on.

At 7:05 pm, April 22, 2013 the regular Morrison City Council Meeting began. All aldermen, all department heads, all newly elected city officials and many residents were present.

The main agenda item was the approval of the 2013-14 Fiscal Year Budget. Discussion: I stated that I had questions from the Budget meeting the council held at the Community room that CA Wise said he would answer. I asked for the information, he said send me the questions, and I said he told me he would get the answers for me (but he had not written any of the questions down). I sent him, each of the present council members (one at a time), and the newly elected city officials a list of the items I brought up at the Budget hearing. The only response I received before the hearing was from our newly elected Mayor (who has not even been sworn in yet). I suggested we wait until we have more information. Scott Connelly said we can amend the budget at any time by writing an Ordinance. Sarah Thorndike said that the entire budget would have to be recreated if we did not vote on it that night. The budget passed with 7 ayes and me abstaining because I had asked a lot of questions and did not get the information from CA Wise, .again.

The other Agenda item was to allow the American Legion to opt out of the Historic District….unanimous vote to allow them to opt out.

Other items for consideration: Sarah Thorndike stated she and a committee had gone over all the code books and she thinks the city should adopt building codes BEFORE discussing hiring a building inspector. CA Wise recommends Ken Crane from Crane Project Management for Building Inspection Services. As far as I am concerned, the council has not discussed this thoroughly enough as a unit. Will we offer the position to anyone else, or is this a cut and dried situation? Need more discussion.

I asked about a building that is for sale on Main Street. In the ad it states that it has a ground floor apartment and that the city okayed a second apartment on the main floor. I do not remember that the ordinance has been changed to allow that. Scott Connelly said it was not a legislative decision, but I asked who makes that decision then since it is in an ordinance and the alderman pass or don’t pass ordinances. CA Wise said that the person should contact him at city hall.

The next Morrison City Council Meeting will be May 13, 2013 at 7:00pm at the County Board Room. The newly elected city officials will be sworn in and take their respective seats. Congratulations and good luck to each of you. See you all there!

A Morrison Taxpayer
Marti Wood

Obama’s Proposed Tax on Smokes is a Teacher’s Union Payoff

President Barack Obama’s proposed increase in the federal cigarette tax from $1.05 to $1.95 on each pack of cigarettes will severely impact low and moderate income smokers and is a payoff to teacher unions.

Pres. Obama (D) already has broken his promise not to raise taxes on low and moderate income taxpayers. Now, according to the Wall Street Journal, his proposed cigarette tax hike, which would raise taxes $78 billion over 10 years, would be used to expand the ineffectual and wasteful preschool education programs. This is a blatant payoff to teachers’ unions, who were among the biggest contributors to his campaigns, and who are a solid voting bloc for him and other Democrats.

Low and moderate income taxpayers are more likely to smoke than high income taxpayers, so this proposed tax increase would hit them especially hard.

Raising the federal cigarette tax would induce even more smokers to buy their cigarettes in areas that have the lowest total taxes, driving additional sellers out of business. Additionally, this tax hike would further encourage the growth of the black market in cigarettes, filling the coffers of the crime syndicates.

Taxpayers have had it with higher taxes. Despite his promise to the contrary, Pres. Obama has raised taxes on the very groups he swears to “strengthen”. The payroll tax increased by 44% for 100% of earnings for middle and low earners, while the high income earners are capped at $113,700.

The economy is still in the tank, unemployment remains high, and it’s time to rescue taxpayers with tax cuts. Tax increases are the last thing they need at this time.

Jim Tobin
President of the Taxpayer Education Foundation
Chicago, IL

Capitol Report

By Jim Sacia, State Representative, 89th District

The inquiries never stop, “where does concealed carry stand now?” Everyone in Illinois is aware that the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that by June 9, 2013 we must have passed a concealed carry bill.

We all take it very seriously except Anita Alvarez, the State’s Attorney for Cook County (Chicago). In committee, her lobbyist stated that it is “advisory only”. He then stated that after that date they will continue to charge the unlawful use of weapons statute (UUW) in the same manner if the bill hasn’t passed.

Setting aside what I believe would be a flagrant disobedience of a higher court - concealed carry will pass before we adjourn on May 31, 2013.

Some very interesting dynamics have occurred in the recent past. HB997, Amendment 9 was called in the House for a vote. This is the NRA sanctioned bill and it fell short of the super majority required so that it can circumvent home rule communities. It is on delayed consideration with more “tweaking” to be done.

A Senate Bill being drafted by our Senator Tim Bivins, the retired Sheriff of Lee County, and Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) is ready to go in their chamber dealing with concealed carry. The senator’s bill is similar to HB997 but exempts Cook County. That means that Cook County can continue to have its “over the top” restrictions but the rest of Illinois will be allowed to carry. If you are traveling through Cook County, say en route to Indiana, you will be legal. If you go shopping there carrying a weapon, you will be subject to arrest.

The NRA is adamantly opposed to this legislation arguing it’s all or nothing. Here’s the interesting twist – I’ve shared this many times in my articles and in personal conversations with you – over the years many of you have said to me, why don’t we make Chicago its own state. Why must they continue to affect the rest of us? I used an analogy on the House Floor saying basically the same thing. Chicago has a problem therefore all of Illinois must be in lock step with Chicago. The rest of Illinois has had its fill and concealed carry has brought the age old struggle to the surface.

Since my comments on the House Floor in early March, I have received hundreds of emails thanking me. Many from Chicago citizens who want concealed carry as much as the rest of us. This one will go right to the wire and one must ask, “Will Chicago win again or will Illinois prevail”.

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.

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