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Matt's Blog
Posted: May 31
The Tea Party groups and others have argued that President Obama’s policies, including health care reform, represent “socialism.” So I was struck by the following quote in a review of Jonathan Alter’s new book entitled “The Promise: President Obama, Year One”:
“It’s a pity that Alter doesn’t delve into some of the similarities between Roosevelt and Obama, not least their vilification by a motley crew on the right, with their lugubrious predictions about America’s descent into socialism. As the midterm elections approach, Obama might recall that in 1934, the American Liberty League, backed by the du Ponts and conservative Democrats, emerged to deem Social Security the “end of democracy.” But in that year’s Congressional elections, Republicans dropped from 117 to 103 seats in the House and 35 to 25 in the Senate. Despite the predictions of huge Democratic losses this fall, a sweeping Republican victory may not materialize, especially if Obama remains personally popular.”
A proud moment for America
Posted: Mar 21
Presidents since Theodore Roosevelt have been trying to reform health care. President Obama and Congress have succeeded. Tens of millions of Americans will have health insurance. Insurance carriers will no longer be able to deny coverage to those who most need it. And we’ll begin getting control of health care costs, which take more and more of our federal, state, business, and personal budgets.
Presidents since Theodore Roosevelt have been trying to reform health care. President Obama and Congress have succeeded. Tens of millions of Americans will have health insurance. Insurance carriers will no longer be able to deny coverage to those who most need it. And we’ll begin getting control of health care costs, which take more and more of our federal, state, business, and personal budgets.
Many of the claims made by the opposition sound familiar. These are the same arguments their party made in opposition to Social Security, civil rights, Medicare, and Medicaid. In every case, history has proven them wrong. You would think they’d get tired of being on the wrong side of history.
I’m honored to be a member of the party that is working to solve our country’s problems. And I’m proud to live in a country where we elect representatives who work for us, not for health insurance carriers.
Posted: Jun 2
Part of a well-functioning democracy is making sure our election laws are followed. In less than one week, our hardworking volunteers found that more than 10% of the petition signatures were invalid. But it appears that the referendum will be on the November 2nd ballot.
Government by referendum has been a disaster in California, and it won’t work here. We need to elect good people, trust them to make wise decisions, and replace them if they don’t.
The school board’s decision to issue “Build America Bonds” was a prudent one. Most of the money will be used to maintain and upgrade our schools. The other $10 million will replenish the working cash fund, which has been depleted because the State of Illinois doesn’t pay its bills on time. When the General Assembly and the Governor solve that problem, District 15 will repay that portion of the bonds. And the Federal government will pay more than one-third of the interest.
The real issue is how we are going to maintain the high-quality public schools that brought my family to Palatine in 1987. Unless we support our public schools, they will decline in quality. Without excellent schools, our area would lose its attractiveness. Housing prices would decline, and our community would no longer be the one we chose to make our home.
Posted: Mar 12
About 30 Tea Party members held a rally Thursday outside Congresswoman Melissa Bean’s office. More than 70 of us came to thank Congresswoman Bean for her support of health care reform. Here’s my press release. http://www.triblocal.com.
Posted: Feb 8
Thirteen candidates sought their respective parties’ nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Few voters could name more than one or two of them. Neither Scott Lee Cohen nor Jason Plummer, a 27-year old who spent more than $1.3 million of family money to win the Republican nomination, is qualified to be a heartbeat away from serving as Governor.
Cohen has withdrawn from the race. No doubt the Democratic State Central Committee will choose someone better qualified as his replacement. But this begs the real question: should we have a Lieutenant Governor at all?
The Illinois Constitution gives the Lieutenant Governor no responsibilities. At least two holders of the office have resigned, one to become a talk-show host and one citing “boredom.” We haven’t had a Lieutenant Governor since Pat Quinn became Governor a year ago. Have you even noticed?
Let’s abolish the office of Lieutenant Governor. If the Governor dies or resigns, the Attorney General (an elected official with actual duties) would become Governor. This will leave one less office for voters to elect, so they can spend more time studying the qualifications of candidates for the remaining offices.
Illinois has too many elected offices and overlapping jurisdictions. Getting rid of the Lieutenant Governor would be a good start.