A press release from State Rep. Barb Wheeler:
Rep. Wheeler asks for public input
Barb Wheeler
Fox Lake, IL… With the 98th General Assembly scheduled to come back to Springfield in just one week, State Rep. Barbara Wheeler (R-Crystal Lake) is asking her constituents to let her know their opinions on issues expected to come up in the next year. Wheeler has written a survey using a free electronic service and is asking her constituents to follow the link and let her know how they feel.
“My office has been open for about two weeks now and I already have received people reaching out to me on issues that are important to them,” said Wheeler.
“My email inbox is full with people concerned about hydraulic fracturing and Medicaid funding. I am asking my constituents to let me know how they feel on these and many other issues.”
Residents of the 64th Legislative District can go to http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/LJLZNLY to fill out the survey. Rep. Wheeler’s survey focuses on major issues expected to come up in the 98th General Assembly and issues that directly affect the people of Lake and McHenry Counties. The 64th Legislative District is composed of Eastern McHenry and Western Lake Counties, including municipalities such as Crystal Lake, McHenry, Spring Grove, Fox Lake, Antioch, and Lake Villa.
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The questions in Wheeler’s poll follow:
- Income tax relief
- Property tax relief
- Healthcare costs
- Education funding
- Pension funding
- Job creation
- Conservation of open space
- Energy costs
- Foreclosure
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Some of the above questions have more to them than the question suggests.
Expanding Medicaid, for example, could leave state taxpayers holding the bag when the Federal financing is substantially reduced.
The shifting of pension burden to local government has been suggested for teachers, not state employees.
The cost of living increase versus health care is aimed at state employees and university employees, as I understand it.
There is room for comments, however.
“Pension Funding.”
There’s part of the problem.
It should be “Pension Reform”.
Repeal the pension protection clause and roll back pension benefit levels to 1970 levels when the pension protection clause was added to the IL State Constitution.
Because unless the Federal Government prints money to fund pensions, there will be drastic tax increases and program cuts over time to fund pensions.
The math doesn’t allow the current pensions to be funded.
Taxpayers were never told about all the benefit increases.
Taxpayers shouldn’t have to pay for all the benefit increases.
Because it’s not only state pensions that are underfunded (TRS, SURS, SERS, GARS, JRS).
It’s also municipal pensions.
Campaign contributions and votes in exchange for favorable pension hiking legislation.
I get really irritated when these politicians send out these surveys having you rank the issues of importance.
They are all intertwined and ALL in desperate need of reform.
It is completely ambiguous.
How do you try to interpret what a person is thinking from a ranking?
Do they think it is important to throw more money at education because the person thinks it is number one?
Or is it ranked number one to them because it should be reined in and revamped?
The only valid part of this survey is the comment section.
I only hope the citizens take the time to fill it out.
Perhaps some of the time we spend complaining to each other would be better spent making a thoughtful comment which will give a true idea of our thoughts and concerns!
I just hope she listens to us and not falls into the go along get along policy of the government employees on OUR payroll.
Yes on concealed AND open carry.
Define “assault weapons” that you would ban, then invite debate whether they are or are not what you believe they are.
Do not shackle existing business that is part of the constituency that gets you elected — keep out of the credit card question; allowing customers to charge is a convenience to them not a money-maker for businesses that get less for credit card sales due to credit card company surcharges, which are directly attributable to each charging customer.
If you want to drive business out of your district, ignore the fact that consumers choose whether to charge or not and can control extra costs of that convenient choice.
If they don’t want to pay what it costs to use charge cards, then they should stop using them.
Do not vote yes for any unfunded mandates or other charges or expenses to local constituencies.
We are up to and past the eyeballs with unfunded mandates, hidden costs of projects, sneaked-in back-door costs, and taxes.
Use your influence to block the new and defund already-voted projects rather than add to or continue costly projects and especially anything that involves more bonding.
WE CANNOT AFFORD ANY MORE. WE ARE UNDER WATER. MANY ARE DROWNING. ARE POLITICIANS BLIND?