CapitolFax.com - Latest Comments in Question of the day

Re: Question of the day

Ben Briscoe — Fri, 14 Jul 2006 12:51:21 -0000

I'll try to write up five reasons for Whitney in between doing data entry and recruiting volunteers for binder check...ah, thanks Dem bureaucrats for supporting a campaign on the issues....

Schroedk, I support everyone's right to vote for the candidate she wants and for that candidate to actually have access to the ballot and mass media..(well, short of fascists, anyway...)

Thanks to the Green supporters on the list who've wrote in, I'm likin' what you wrote, and am behind that...

Now, re the are Greens socialists question: The majority of the Green Party is left populist, I would say. Like Ralph Nader, Evo Morales and the Bolivian Gov't, the Venezuelan gov't, Obrador in Mexico, etc. That is, most Greens are working for regulation of capitalism, not abolition of it.

There is a Left, Red/Black current in the GP, The Green Alliance USA, of which I'm a member. For more info, see _Enemy of Nature_, by Joel Kovel, a Green from NY. Also _Ecology Versus Capitalism_ by John Bellamy Foster. Basically, we are members of and support the Greens because we see the movement to regulate the corporations and break from the two parties as the start of a process that can lead to a more just, rational, democratic and ecological world.

Those of us who are consciously Left inside and outside of the GP think that based on the overall evidence of global ecological catastrophe bearing down on the planet, that the rule of one half of one percent over what's produced, how much is produced and how it's distributed is killing us all.

To really slow down and reverse this damage (and we have somewhere between 10 and 25 years to do it), we need a world where the majority of the population decides on the questions of production and distribution.

Otherwise, our grandchildren are going to be living with a climate that the planet hasn't seen since the age of the dinosaurs.

Now, the Republican Party was born out of the civil war which decided that merchants and manufacturers were going to run the country and that chattel slavery was going to be abolished.

I would say that faced with extinction, we're going to have to have at least one more Party being born to start the process of real democracy, whether you call that Green, populist, good government, democracy, socialism or anarchism.

Re: Question of the day

Squideshi — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 16:19:12 -0000

Schroedk, the Green Party platform is VERY different from that of the various Socialist parties. The Greens call for a mixture of public AND private enterprise--no Socialist would ever do that. Greens are less concerned with the old "who owns it" debate than they are about the "how big is it going to be, how responsive is it going to be, and how does it affect the community" issue.

Re: Question of the day

Fearless Freep — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 12:39:37 -0000

1. JBT is fiscally responsible. No more of Rod's long term borrowing and "smoke and mirrors" budget gimmicks. And above all- no more new programs like All Kids which comes out of the General Fund and are a fiscal time bomb.

2. Rod raided the teachers pension. He should be punished for that.

3. JBT understands business and will bring back a good business climate again in Illinois. We all know about Rod's tax policies and fees that are hostile to business and drove them out of state.

4. Wanna talk about health care and prescriptions ? Blago signed this stupid law about non-prescription OTC cold medications now having to be sold directly from behind the pharmacy counter. Why? Because some dirtbags are using it to make crystal meth. So now the rest of us law-abiding citizens have to be inconvenienced. If you need some Sudafed and the pharmacy is closed, you are out of luck. Thanks to Nimrod.

5. JBT has vast experience in state government. She is intelligent and she has the depth to understand issues and the complexities of the budgeting process. By contrast, Rod Blagojevich lacks experience and he always did. He is still shallow and scripted and simply lacks substance.

Re: Question of the day

Bill from self-exile — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 08:17:22 -0000

Anon 1:53 am,
You really should try to get some sleep. The governor has stated over and over again that there is administrative bloat at state universities due to their lack of accountability and their ability to price fix and raise tuition. They are still open after cuts that were made in 03, aren't they? Would tuition have been cheaper? No!! They just would have hired more employees who never even see a student.Do you think students noticed any difference?
The people who attend those institutions probably don't care if they compete with their peers in wasteful spending. Don't try to blame their poor management on the governor.

Re: Question of the day

Anon — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 02:53:28 -0000

Red,
"There appears to be some resentment towards our stateÃ¢â‚¬â„¢s fine institutions of higher learning. Could it be because their numerous and sundry chancellors, presidents, and head coaches make more individually than the president of the US and Gov of Illinois combined?"

You are brilliant. That is exactly what Rod is trying to do - reign in spending for higher ed because administrators make too much....right.

Rod does not care about public higher education. He could care less if UI, SIU, ISU, etc competes with their peers - because it is impossible to compete with them when other schools are paying their people the same or more. The fact is that he could care less if those schools continue to compete. He went to Northwestern....screw the publics.

Re: Question of the day

M.V. — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 01:23:52 -0000

Schroedk, the Greens are not socialists, and the party takes a comprehensive view of society (not just about the environment, as you say). Do a little reading, k?

So here are my reasons for supporting Whitney:

1) He speaks intelligently and truthfully...I don't get that anxious feeling of "oh god, what lie is coming next" when he opens his mouth

2) He's the most hard-working ... he's done more work JUST TO GET ON THE BALLOT than Topinka or Blagojevich

3) He's fiscally responsible...his campaign has little money, yet accomplished an enourmous feat. Blagojevich, by contrast, accomplishes small feats on enoumous budgets (yeah, I'm talking about All Kids!)

4) Is not part of any political machine

5) Is the only one talking about issues that will improve our state's economy, health, environment and education.

Re: Question of the day

schroedk — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:25:41 -0000

Squideshi, I would love the ballot access barriers to come crashing down as much as you. And I also know that Whitney wouldn't be able to do too much damage given the democrat stranglehold on the legislature in this state, but I still can't vote for him. I realize that technically there is a Socialist Party and a Green Party (separate), but if you look at their platforms, the Greens are socialists that claim to care deeply about the environment and want to please Mother Earth at the exclusion of almost anything else, including common sense; whereas a pure socialist does not necessarily have to care about the environment. At least that's how I see it.

Re: Question of the day

Squideshi — Thu, 13 Jul 2006 00:06:41 -0000

Vote for Whitney, schroedk, and those ballot access barriers will come crashing down. You can then vote Libertarian, Constitution, or however you want. Also, in case you weren't aware, the Socialist Party and the Green Party are different political parties.

Re: Question of the day

tiny dancer — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 23:45:36 -0000

1. he didn't raise taxes
2. he doesn't like bureacracy
3. he gave more people health care
4. he has contempt for the press
5. he's not judy

Re: Question of the day

schroedk — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 22:42:54 -0000

anon sequitor at 1:54 summarizes much of how I feel regarding this election. I absolutely refuse to vote for Blago given his track record. By the way, reading through these lists, I love how many of the same issues are spun one way if you like him, and the other (correct, IMO) way if you don't. Anyway, I'm finding it extremely difficult to get behind either major candidate, but I cannot support a socialist green party candidate, either. My vote would LOVE to go to a constitutional party candidate, but the way the elections are stacked in this state that doesn't look likely. Unfortunately, the least of all evils is JBT. Therefore, my five reasons:
1) She's not Blago, and does not share his vision
2) She's not Whitney, and does not share his vision
3) She has true budget and accounting experience
4) She supports my right to bare arms
5) She's acted as the most adult candidate, for the most part, during the primaries and beyond of any candidate (Whitney excluded, but I haven't heard much about him personally; I just don't agree with his policies, but to each their own).

Re: Question of the day

Anonymous — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:20:56 -0000

5. Topinka will not name overt racists to the Human Rights Commision;
4. Topinka will not hire out-of-staters to handle long-range for Illinois;
3. Topinka will protect Veterans rights to employment with the State of Illinois;
2. Topinka is not a POA;

The NUMBER ONE reason I will vote for Topinka:
1. Topinka has better hair.

Re: Question of the day

state worker #1 — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 20:00:41 -0000

I support Judy because:
1. I think she will look at the financial issues of this state like an adult.
2. IÃ¢â‚¬â„¢m sick of the pay-to-play politics (I believe this will be looked at very closely from now on, no matter who is in the Governors seat).
3. I originally supported Rod and he lied, lied, lied.
4. I donÃ¢â‚¬â„¢t like all the inexperienced, uneducated bullies that have been hired and we are still on a Ã¢â‚¬Ëœhiring freezeÃ¢â‚¬â„¢.
5. I like the idea of the Governor living and working in Springfield.

Re: Question of the day

Squideshi — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 19:19:59 -0000

Five reasons to vote for Rich Whitney:

1. He will work to reform the electoral system in Illinois, using Instant Ruoff Voting to completely eliminate the spoiler effect.

2. He has voluntarily refused to accept any campaign contributions from corporations, so he only answers to the people of Illinois.

3. He will work to reduce our reliance on property taxes, moving Illinois toward a truly progressive system of taxation and fixing the structural budget defecit we're now facing.

4. He has pledged to veto any further mobilization of the Illinois National Guard for the illegal and immoral war in Iraq.

5. He will work to implement single-payor universal healthcare in Illinois.

Rich Whitney is a Green. That means that he's part of a larger, international movement that includes elected officials throughout the world. It also means that his campaign is guided by the Ten Key Values of the Green Party. Neither Rod nor Judy is running a values based campaign!

Re: Question of the day

Little Egypt — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 18:43:13 -0000

I can only give you one reason to NOT vote for Blogo - DICK MELL. When you have a father-in-law as influential as Mell thinks he is, who absolutely hates Fearless Fighter, you have to wonder what's up.

Judy has my voate.

Re: Question of the day

Lovie's Leather — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 17:36:21 -0000

Yeah, I only voted for Bush hoping he would get indicted and then Cheney would be president....

Re: Question of the day

Garp — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 17:23:07 -0000

Top five reasons to vote for Rod,

1. Great respect for family elders.

2. Loyal as a starving pit bull.

3. Heroic effort to wean out his fraudulent hires.

4. His uncanny ability to get his face in the background of all the news cameras that were reporting on the Katrina victims coming to Illinois.

And the Number one reason to vote for Rod.

5. When he is indicted Quinn will be the Governor.

Re: Question of the day

Timbuktu — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 17:07:48 -0000

10 reasons to vote for Judy Baar Topinka
1. Rod Blagojevich
2. Lon Monk
3. Timothy W. Martin
4. Tony Rezko
5. John Mitola
6. Jack Hartman
7. Brian McPartlin
8. Jeff Dailey
9. Bradly Tusk
10. Jay Hoffman
11. Christopher Kelly
12. This list is only going to get larger in the coming weeks and months......

Re: Question of the day

4% — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 16:35:35 -0000

JBT

1. Rod has increased the state's debt to $40 billion - more per capita that any state in the nation.

2. 12 federal investigations.

3. The ability to tell the truth (i.e. job numbers, gun issues, actual state debt).

4. $1 million in taxes and fees on the business community.

5. Cheating veteran's preference.

This is TOOOO easy.....

Hurry up with the indictments, Patrick!

Re: Question of the day

302p — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 16:02:06 -0000

Anon 810am, the next census-driven congressional reapportionment will fall to the Governor elected in 2010 because the census numbers don't come out until 2011 for the 2012 elections. Of course, the Supreme Court said we could redistrict now -- why wait?

Re: Question of the day

Anon sequitur — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 14:54:50 -0000

Blago vs JBT: I still don't know.

1) While you wonder how Blago can keep a straight face when he talks, you can't help but wonder if JBT knows what she is talking about. (The commercials are not only effective but right on target.)

2) You know where Blago stands - for himself and himself only - but JBT fidgets around too much on the issues to be sure of anything about her.

3) Blago took a meat ax to the bureaucracy, removing thousands of Republican job holders, only to get caught trying to hire a few Democrats. I still don't think we've seen the last of that. But do you honestly believe it will be better under JBT? She shares a long lineage of pinstripe patronage bosses: Thompson, Edgar & Ryan.

4) On the positive side for JBT, you can be sure JBT won't borrow against any funds because there won't be any surplus money left after Blago finishes robbing Peter to pay Paul.

5) Neither one of them really cares about the rest of Illinois outside of the Chicago metropolitan area. Brickhead brings a lot of balance to JBT's ticket, hah! On the other hand, if anyone would actually listen to Quinn, he might be able to help Blago.

I really don't want to vote for Blago but unless or until JBT gets her act together - doubtful at best - I'm afraid that is where I may be headed - assuming I actually cast a vote in the gubernatorial race.

Why not the Green candidate? That "kamikaze" act has already been done - World War II - and it didn't work then either.

Re: Question of the day

Carl Nyberg — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:34:05 -0000

Why I support Rich Whitney (Green):

1. If voters don't vote for anyone who isn't a Dem or a Republican those will be the only choices we get. The more successful non-D, non-R candidates are, the stronger independent and minor party candidates that will be attracted to the process.
2. I want to believe that we are making progress toward making Illinois less of a cesspool of kickbacks and conflicts-of-interest. The Dems and GOP have shown their contempt for the people of Illinois by nominating their candidates. If the Greens get enough votes, it will force the Dems and GOP to court these pro-change voters.
3. I support removing the structural barriers to independent and minor party candidates.
4. If Whitney were elected, I expect he'd do a decent job managing the state. It's not like we've had great management from Dems or Republicans lately.
5. If Whitney wins, I expect it will pressure the Dems and Republicans to nominate better quality candidates in the future.
6a. I'd like to see how the Greens do once the party achieves major party status.
6b. Getting over 5% of the vote will mean the Greens will have a presidential primary in Illinois. Hopefully, this will include a serious debate of issues neglected by the Dems and Republicans.

Re: Question of the day

Whitney Voter, Go GREENS Go — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:32:22 -0000

1. Rich Whitney & the Green Party won't steal from retirement accounts to fund state budget
2. Rich Whitney & the Green Party have a plan to Put Illinois OUTFRONT nationally as an alternative energy leader
3. Rich Whitney & the Green Party plan to restructure school funding to make schools more equal in resources they receive
4. Rich Whitney & the Green Party will stand up and take action to end corrupt government & dirty elections
5. Rich Whitney & the Green Party have a REAL & WORKABLE plan to deliver health care to all Illinoisans!!!!!!!
6. Rich Whitney & the Green Party CAN win, Be OPTIMISTIC Illinois, VOTE GREEN!!!!!
Opps, That was 6

Re: Question of the day

Anon. — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:23:27 -0000

JBT

1. A woman of her word. No more MOU's.
2. If Judy makes a wrong decision she will admit she was wrong and fix it.
3. Job creation
4. Pension reform
5. Judy's personality is very colorful. She brings humor in her comments.
6. She understands the financial system of Illinois.

Re: Question of the day

Illinois Observer — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:11:20 -0000

Resons to vote for G-Rod

1. All Kids - while we cant pay our medical professionals now, why not add another program for their payements to get further backlogged in

2. Less state employees, who cares that our prisons are so understaffed they can hardly operate, we are sending less criminals to jail, becase we dotn have the staff to handle them

3. Federal investiagtions, those just have to be the result of George Ryan

4. Education Funding, yes lets sell yet another state property just to lease it back (Thompson Center)

5. State jobs only cost $100,000.00 Contributions to G-Rod

Support Rod, please. I love how some people STILL fall for his empty promises and so called reforms.

GO JUDY GO

Re: Question of the day

SangoDem — Wed, 12 Jul 2006 13:00:29 -0000

Five Reasons I'm voting for Rich Whitney.

1) The only candidate who hasn't been investigated for corruption while in office.

2) The only downstater running who can bring regional balance to state government.

3) Universal Health Care

4) He'll bring Illinois Guard troops home from Iraq.

5) He's the only candidate who will fix the way we fund education in Illinois.