John Coonen, who runs Crystal Lake Net has written his take on the rally held in Algonquin yesterday. I thought you might find his idea of interest. It sounds pretty good to me.

Manzullo says, “Screw the Governor!”

ALGONQUIN, ILLINOIS

Wow, it’s not every day you hear a United States Congressman say “Screw the Governor,” but it has come to that. I join Congressman Manzullo, along with a chorus of supporters to applaud the willingness of the Congressman to get into a much-needed down-in-the-dirt fight – and that is what it is going to take to get this job done.

Folks, you don’t need little ol’ me to tell you we in McHenry County are being utterly robbed by our own Governor.

While over a billion dollars in state funding gets diverted to the Dan Ryan Expressway in Cook County -a county that SHRUNK by 1.6% last year – we in McHenry County, still experiencing double-digit growth, are getting ZERO State-controlled dollars of our OWN TAX MONEY to pay for our own infrastructure!

That is due to one man and one man only: the so-called “Governor” Blagojevich. Yes, Mr. Congressman, I’m with you. Screw the Governor indeed.

While I commend our State and County officials for putting together a respectable contingent of truly “blue-ribbon” businesspeople and our best politicians and dignitaries led by the incomparable Bill Dwyer, I must say, I’m not holding my breath on this one. If anyone could do it, it’s Bill. I think he would be successful, and he would win this battle if the “enemy” was logical.

We’ll be hard-pressed to win it with conventional diplomacy. I think we’re sending Winston Churchill with a silver tongue when Thor, carrying a machete and hammer are in order.

I secretly hope that there is a public-private strategy in place. You know, good-cop, bad cop:

Publicly, Bill Dwyer and a contingent of our best-dressed diplomats can schedule appointments and politely await their turn to meet with the Governor, properly seated in mahogany-paneled conference rooms; but privately, I think we need the muscle of the Local Union Labor boys in cement trucks, joined by a few dozen Marengo farmers in their John Deere tractors to make sure actual progress is made. Trust buy verify; and when verification doesn’t check out, let’s see how well the Governor’s security detail can hold up to a Deere on E85. Maybe it’s time for an old-fashioned ass-kickin’, brothers and sisters.

The “Better Roads Coalition” is ramping up; but perhaps it should be called the “Better Pay Up Coalition.” The Howdy Doody guy over there in the silk suit, fancy haircut and $5,800-a-day round trips is living beyond his means (and ours).

In all seriousness, McHenry County will spend far less money by suing the Governor’s Office for a refund (ironically, for our own tax money) than mounting a politically-correct lobbying campaign with four-color brochures (plus a double spot varnish), a website, email campaign, and a $200 an hour lobbyist spewing the reasons why he fell short last week (again) – all the while tying up the very people we in McHenry County need to make PROGRESS on other issues of importance besides road infrastructure. I produce those brochures and websites; trust me, we’re better off calling Lou and getting legal involved.

And yes, there ARE other issues we need to keep our very busy political leaders focused on, not the least of which is how we’re going to keep our businesses in McHenry County with a lunatic threatening to tax them into oblivion.

I say we don’t send in the suits, but we file suit and use our own State’s Attorney Office to send the message to REFUND OUR MONEY. We may lose the lawsuit, but the publicity will be far clearer (and far less expensive, therefore far more COST EFFECTIVE) coming from the SINGLE mouth of one McHenry County State’s Attorney than coming from a DOZEN politicians – all with their own agendas.

Plus, I don’t think it will be all too difficult to solicit the empathy of one Lisa Madigan – the Illinois Attorney General – in building a case against the Governor. She’s got her own axe(s) to grind, and I can’t imagine the Illinois Attorney General would be all too eager to defend Mr. Blagojevich – at least, not with any vigor. She and her father may even accidentally mail a card of a law firm or two willing to do the work gratis.

I can only imagine that McHenry County is NOT the ONLY collar county which is getting bamboozled. I say we use the power of ALL the counties which are getting RIPPED OFF to get their State’s Attorneys together for a brunch. Could you IMAGINE the energy in that room?

I can.

Mr. Governor, you continue to “screw yourself” by screwing the People. I hope you get what you deserve, and I can only hope that your long record of self-serving partisan dealmaking will bring your day of reckoning sooner rather than later – for the good of the great state of Illinois.

It’s time we pull off the boxing gloves and pull out the brass knuckles and remind that little Napoleonic, short-man-syndrome-ridden, $600-haircut-on-our DIME-spendin’, two-faced “ungovernor” who’s the boss.

That would be YOU. I invite your comments back.