Politics & Government

Daily Herald | Lake Co. forest preserve wants to buy more land

Photo by birdfreak.com.

Daily Herald | Lake Co. forest preserve wants to buy more land

Well, it looks like $170 million over the past several referenda isn’t enough for the Lake County Forest Preserve District. They want to do another referendum that exceeds the last three successful referenda combined, oh, but it won’t raise your taxes.

First of all, I challenge anyone in this county to find a place where it takes them more than ten minutes to drive to a forest preserve. Then I challenge you to drive more than 10 minutes to find one of those parcels that just has a sign saying it was bought “thanks to your support” and yet the district hasn’t done anything with it yet. Then I challenge you, after using that gas, to put together enough money to play golf at one of the high end golf courses the district owns that is far beyond the reach of most of the average taxpayers. It’s clear to me the folks at the Forest Preserve District have become out of touch, and that means some of your Lake County Board members have let the administration go too far.

According to the Herald article the district has 27,000 acres of land already — 27,000 acres of land that will never yield another tax dollar to any entity. Property acquired by the Forest Preserve comes off of the tax rolls and obviously that tax revenue has to be made up somewhere else, usually by the homeowner.

The Forest Preserve is also engaging in an alarming new tactic - come up with another bond issue when one is expiring so you can get more money but claim that taxes won’t go up. Previous bonds are going to be retired, taxes would actually come down (what a novel concept) if this measure failed. So the district puts out a proposal to borrow more money than its previous three successful referenda combined when the stock market is in the tank and folks are just trying to get enough money to put gas in their car.

The voters have taken care of the Forest Preserve very well over the the past fifteen years, it’s time to turn off the spigot and tell them no, that’s enough now.

Think You Know Obama?

Photo by Steve Rhodes.

Barack Obama talks about change and a new direction for the country, the only issue is you have to be included in his vision the way he sees it. If you’re unlucky enough to be born alive but unwanted he has no interest in protecting you.

I have a difficult time with the abortion issue, I must admit. I believe it is morally wrong but I never look to force my morals on others. Many times I find myself walking a fine line on abortion issues and how I feel and where I stand. However, one thing that has always chilled me to the core is partial-birth abortion and a practice I wasn’t even aware of — “born alive abortion”. A practice, more or less, where labor is induced and babies are left to die.

This all started with me watching this obviously pro right to life video:

So I figured, these are just some pro-life activists who have found a couple of votes made by Barack Obama (good luck with that given the number of times he voted “present” as an Illinois State Senator) and twisted it a bit. But when I looked into it, turns out I was wrong, this video is completely accurate.

According to an investigation by Annenberg Political FactCheck he did vote against protecting these children three times.

Obama opposed the 2001 and 2002 “born alive” bills as backdoor attacks on a woman’s legal right to abortion, but he says he would have been “fully in support” of a similar federal bill that President Bush had signed in 2002, because it contained protections for Roe v. Wade.

We find that, as the NRLC said in a recent statement, Obama voted in committee against the 2003 state bill that was nearly identical to the federal act he says he would have supported. Both contained identical clauses saying that nothing in the bills could be construed to affect legal rights of an unborn fetus, according to an undisputed summary written immediately after the committee’s 2003 mark-up session.

So, my question is, do you folks know the real Barack Obama and what he stands for? I don’t think you do because this is legislation that on a federal level passed 98-0 in the US Senate and was supported by Hillary Clinton and Ted Kennedy. Obama voted against it not once but three times in Illinois and has the audacity to call those brave enough to point it out liars:

I suppose that FactCheck are liars now too Barack? I have a better idea, you are.

I’m Voting Democrat

Photo by riot jane.

No no, you read that right. Please, this is COMEDY, for pete sake I can watch a bunch of nasty Sarah Palin videos let me post my one video poking fun at Dems. So don’t start up with how nasty and vicious Republicans are, this is a SPOOF. I aspirated Pepsi One at 1:06 so I had to share.

Thank you.

And now on to the video……

News

Daily Herald | Palatine school plans to expand

Daily Herald | Palatine school plans to expand

As many of you are aware my son attends New Connections Academy in Palatine, it has turned his life and his educational experiences around. There is no other school like it in the area that I’m aware of that specializes in programs for kids who suffer from autism but are high-functioning or have Asperger’s Syndrome.

This is also a great example of where a privately run program has stepped in to fill a void not being filled by the public schools. It’s a well-run facility with an incredible staff making differences in the lives of these kids every day. I’m glad to see more kids will be able to benefit from this program instead of trying to be placed in a program not designed for their disability. Too many times HFA and AS kids are being placed in ED (formerly “BD”) classrooms where they fall under bad influences (think of a child with HFA or AS as a giant button waiting to be pushed by a child with emotional issues). Or they get put in an LOP or similar classroom with students with more profound learning disabilities where they get bored and cause problems.

As the demand for these programs increases they will continue to expand. So if you have a child who suffers from HFA or AS I encourage you to insist on a placement that fits your child’s disability. It is your child’s right under IDEA to be placed in a such a program — the fit that is right for your child not the fit that is right for the school district. There is no greater advocate for your child than you, it’s up to you to insist on the proper placement so I encourage you to go into your next IEP meeting prepared and with the facts on what’s right for your child. By simply going along with a placement that may not be right for your child you aren’t doing him any favors and you’re ensuring there isn’t enough demand for programs like New Connections Academy.

The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit

Great video and article about Apple’s penetration into the business world. Macs have always been popular in education and Apple’s attractive, desirable, feature-filled products were why we ended up awarding them the contract for the new Magee computers. It appears that corporations are starting to see the same thing.

The Mac in the Gray Flannel Suit

Education

RLHS Music Alumni Wanted

The RLHS music department is looking for alumni participation in Homecoming this year. Check out the attached PDF for more info!

Fine Arts Boosters Alumni Letter

Daily Herald | Palatine school plans to expand

Daily Herald | Palatine school plans to expand

As many of you are aware my son attends New Connections Academy in Palatine, it has turned his life and his educational experiences around. There is no other school like it in the area that I’m aware of that specializes in programs for kids who suffer from autism but are high-functioning or have Asperger’s Syndrome.

This is also a great example of where a privately run program has stepped in to fill a void not being filled by the public schools. It’s a well-run facility with an incredible staff making differences in the lives of these kids every day. I’m glad to see more kids will be able to benefit from this program instead of trying to be placed in a program not designed for their disability. Too many times HFA and AS kids are being placed in ED (formerly “BD”) classrooms where they fall under bad influences (think of a child with HFA or AS as a giant button waiting to be pushed by a child with emotional issues). Or they get put in an LOP or similar classroom with students with more profound learning disabilities where they get bored and cause problems.

As the demand for these programs increases they will continue to expand. So if you have a child who suffers from HFA or AS I encourage you to insist on a placement that fits your child’s disability. It is your child’s right under IDEA to be placed in a such a program — the fit that is right for your child not the fit that is right for the school district. There is no greater advocate for your child than you, it’s up to you to insist on the proper placement so I encourage you to go into your next IEP meeting prepared and with the facts on what’s right for your child. By simply going along with a placement that may not be right for your child you aren’t doing him any favors and you’re ensuring there isn’t enough demand for programs like New Connections Academy.

Sports

Steve Goodman - Immortal

For those of us in Chicago familiar with the work of Steve Goodman we know that he was so much more than just The City of New Orleans or You Never Even Called Me By My Name. No, Steve was a hard core Cub fan through and through. Shortly before his death he did a promo radio song for WGN that became the current Cub anthem of Go Cubs Go.

However, Steve wrote another song about the Cubs that has a lot more relevance this year as it has for the past 100 years. And it’s this one here. I challenge you to watch it, if you or someone else cries you know they’re a true Cub fan.

Praying For Cuban

I can’t tell you how sick I feel right now because these jerks had me believing in them yet again only to be let down yet again. They gave up on this game in the first inning and that is just absolutely disgusting. They gave up on this series on Wednesday. Yes, there’s a few of the guys who never quit, Rich Harden for one pitched a great game and was just victimized by some more bad defensive play and bad breaks. Geo had a great year as well and unfortunately didn’t have a great post-season like he did last year. Maybe it’s because he was used too much and spent, maybe because it was a rookie trying to do too much to pick up his team. He had a great year though and of course will be back behind home next year.

This team needs to be broken up a bit, it’s not going to happen as it is currently constructed. Derrek Lee is the first guy that needs a ticket out of town. He probably has some value that you can get for him. He was so distracted this series it was disgusting and this is not the same guy who pummeled us in 2003. I found it interesting that Harden got charged for a throwing error on a play that Lee makes with no problem in any regular season game. His hitting has be virtually non-existent and he turned into Mark Grace without getting the hits, Lee needs to go. Unfortunately the free agent market is a little weak with Mark Teixeira being the only big free agent 1B out there. Maybe offer a deal to Arizona with Lee for Connor Jackson and some other players, they might bite at that.

DeRosa needs a place to play, you can’t keep doing this to this guy. Put him at second and leave him there, no more of this crap where the guy doesn’t even know where he’s playing. He’s a great player being neutralized by trying to be Mr. Utility and it’s just not fair. Kudos for never giving up as well, one of the few Cubs to have a decent series offensively and was actually up there to work a count.

I’m sorry, the Theriot thing isn’t working for me at shortstop. He’s serviceable but we’re not going to win any championships with him there I don’t think. He’s a great guy, has a great heart, but the talent just isn’t there, I’m sorry. Furcal is going to be available and maybe even Cabrera would work on a serious Cubs team instead of those screwballs on the South Side. I don’t think anyone can argue that Furcal or Cabrera are better than Theriot, he’s a spunky player but he’s a backup, nothing more.

I’m going back and forth on Aramis Ramirez because for yet another post-season he failed to show up for the most part. I’m going to give him a pass, he tried to make some things happen, probably tried to press too much when so much was going wrong in front of him, I will let him slide. Keep Rammy at third.

Do we need to say anything about the guy we have in left field? Soriano has never showed up for post-season play so he wasn’t bound to start now. I’ve been giving him a pass since we picked him up but I’m done with him now. He was god awful on all accounts and staring at that last pitch that was close enough for him to be swinging at (instead of checking and especially when he swung at everything else all series) when your team is about to get the rest of the post-season off is the perfect capper. The Cubs won’t be able to unload him without eating a lot of his salary but they should try. He is an amazing freak of nature hitting talent but he’s just too inconsistent to be any good for us. Here’s something to chew on — imagine we don’t have that kind of money tied up in left field — think Jim Hendry outbids the Dodgers for Manny Ramirez? I think he does too. Yes, huge clubhouse cancer he is, he has absolutely destroyed the Dodgers. Just goes to show you how full of crap a lot of sports writers are. Word is the Mariners clubhouse is tiring of Ichiro, so another option could be to pick him up and put him in left and give Fukudome someone to bond and get comfortable with. The Mariners need to figure out a GM first though but maybe a new Mariners GM looking to make his mark moves Ichiro.

Center field — thanks Jim Edmonds for giving your all you were a great pickup but I think we all know like Gary Gaetti you can’t be counted on next year (not like your batting average this year was that great but you were Mr. Clutch a lot, I give you that). The Cubs either need to give Pie the shot in center or unload him, plain and simple. The Cubs are weak up the middle with a fair shortstop and a cast of characters at second and center. You’re not going to win that way so the Cubs either need to give Pie his shot next year or go after Nate McClouth.

Fukudome deserves another shot in right next year (like there’s any choice with the money spent). You had to know he wasn’t going to be able to maintain the torrid pace of his first MLB season. My only beef with Lou is he sat Fukudome when he should have been starting him — against Kuroda. I’m pretty sure they have faced each other before but at the very least Fukudome understands how Japanese pitchers pitch and his slap swing is the perfect counter to the junk Kuroda was throwing (and before you go off about his velocity it was still cut fastball, cut slider junk). Oh and don’t get me started on the Cubs hacking away at the first pitch all night on Kuroda. They made him work some at the beginning of the game and then it was like they gave up on doing that just like they gave up on everything else. If you get Ichiro here I think he helps Fukudome complete his transition to MLB.

Pitching-wise I’m good, the Cubs have a great pitching staff and it was too bad to see it destroyed by the biggest choke I have seen in my lifetime defensively. Maybe if Cuban can buy the club in the off-season they make a run at Sabathia to bolster the rotation.

The defense was absolutely atrocious and without end in this series, it’s the most disgusting thing I’ve witnessed and I was on the border of being physically ill at watching it. That is not Lou Piniella’s fault, except maybe resting guys too much at the end. They took their eye off the ball, screwed up the first game and never recovered. They had the look of a deer in the headlights on virtually every play and they gave up on themselves long before we, the fans did.

I don’t know if I can ever believe in a Cub team again, this team put together one of the best records in my lifetime and despite the deficiencies I have noted here they have a solid foundation in many places. This one hurts, it hurts a lot. This season is a failure and no one can deny that now, it’s funny how there was all this talk about just getting to the World Series, we can’t even get out of the NLDS. We tried with the bulk of this team as it is currently constructed twice and failed, it needs to be shaken up and hard. I hope you’re listening Jim Hendry, you’ve done a great job but you can’t get attached to some of these guys, they need to go.

Plain and simple, money should be no object with this Cubs team. The first Cubs team to win a World Series in more than a hundred years is going to be worth its weight in gold, it doesn’t matter what the payroll is. So here’s hoping Mark Cuban buys the Cubs and tells Jim Hendry to ignore the balance sheet, he wants to win Yankee style.

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