McHenry County Blog

A press release from We Ask America:

Adam Kinzinger

Don Manzullo

Too close to call

Following the GOP race for Illinois’ 16th Congressional district the last few weeks would almost guarantee the onset of vertigo. The race features a classic confrontation between a veteran politician–Don Manzullo–against a young, talented upstart–Adam Kinzinger.

Kinzinger, who handily beat blue-dog Democrat Debbie Halvorson two years ago and has since impressed many, found himself without a political home when Illinois’ majority Democrats drew the new congressional map. About the only palpable option he had was to challenge the venerable Manzullo.

At the time, it seemed to make sense as Manzullo was heavily rumored to be ready to retire.

Even though Manzullo slow-rolled his decision, it was difficult for Kinzinger to get an operation cranked up in the 16th since Illinois’ GOP congressional delegation agreed to a court challenge of the new map.

The lawsuit fizzled, leaving Kinzinger with a shorter time frame to mount a challenge against a newly re-focused Manzullo who had since decided he wanted to keep his job.

Early on in the campaign, Kinzinger had all the momentum.

At one point not too long ago, we polled Kinzinger up by as much as 13 percent.

That support, as the old expression says, may have been “a mile wide and an inch deep.”

Manzullo and his campaign team have ferociously fought back to the point that the race is a dead heat. How close is it? We went out to the hundredth of a percentage point to show you:

Type: Automated – Date: 3/11-12//2012 – Participants: 1,605 Likely GOP voters – Margin of Error: ± 2.44%

• Kinzinger- 42.25%
• Manzullo – 42.64%
• Undecided – 15.11%

Logic dictates that Manzullo has the momentum leading into Illinois’ March 20 Primary, but Kinzinger continues to surprise and impress many with his abilities, and may have a better GOTV effort overall.

As in any race, estimates concerning turnout vary greatly depending on who’s handicapping the contest.

At any rate, it may be a very late night for the folks in Illinois 16.

Here’s the invitation for the Thursday, February 16th, 6-8 PM fund raiser for Cliff Surges in Lake in the Hills’ Moretti’s. The price is $25.

The featured speaker will be former Republican gubernatorial aspirant Adam Andrzejewski.

Click to enlarge this invitation.

Cliff and Audrey Surges

Here’s the press release from Adam Andrzejewski:

FOR THE GOOD OF ILLINOIS PAC ENDORSES CLIFF SURGES FOR SENATE

Adam Andrzejewski, chairman of For the Good of Illinois PAC, is pleased to announce his endorsement of Cliff Surges for Senate.

“I am endorsing Cliff Surges as he champions the very principles of transparency and accountability that For The Good of Illinois PAC stands for,”

Adam stated.

For the Good of Illinois is known for calling for open books government and accountability in government.

“I am honored to receive Adam’s and the For The Good of Illinois PAC endorsement. They both have a reputation of integrity and working toward a proud Illinois.” Cliff said.

“Empowering the citizens to demand opportunities where they can flourish is a worthwhile ambition.”

For more information go to CliffSurges.com.

A press release from Dave McSweeney:

McSweeney Receives Endorsement of Former Gubernatorial Candidate and Reformer Adam Andrzejewski Barrington Hills

Adam Andrzejewski

Dave McSweeney

Former Gubernatorial Candidate and Reformer Adam Andrzejewski has endorsed David McSweeney in his race for State Representative in the 52nd District.

Andrzejewski ran as a state government reform candidate and has continued the cause of transparency in government with his “Open the Books” campaign.“

In Springfield, David McSweeney will champion the principles of transparency, accountability and limited government,” said Adam Andrzejewski, Chairman of For The Good of Illinois PAC.

“I am confident that McSweeney will execute on full transparency and not stop until ‘every dime’ of state spending is online. As a businessman, he will ‘follow the money’ with deep audits.

“As a friend to taxpayers, McSweeney will cap the size and growth of state government,” said Andrzejewski.

“David McSweeney has a proven track record that defends hard working families, small business owners and entrepreneurs. Illinois has an acute need for bold, independent leadership,” said Andrzejewski.

“I am proud to have the endorsement of Adam Andrzejewski in my race for State Representative. Adam is a champion of government reform and the principles of an open and transparent government.

“His support means a lot to me and we share the common goal of repeal of the 67% tax increase, seeking property tax relief, and cutting wasteful spending out of Illinois’ budget,” said McSweeney.

“McSweeney will usher in a new day in Springfield.

“State representative is a part-time position with a gold-plated pension. McSweeney will decline and spearhead efforts to cut legislative pensions,” said Andrzejewski.

= = = = =

McSweeney is running against State Rep. Kent Gaffney and Danielle Rowe.

And the information about the forum, which will feature Joe Walsh, Adam Andrezejewski, Tom Morrison and Penny Pullen, is below:

Click to enlarge.

Here’s the information about the event and the group:

Guest Speakers For Transparency Kick-off this Saturday

On February 5th, this Saturday, at our Transparency Kick-off, one of our own, Congressman Joe Walsh along with Illinois State Senator Dan Duffy, Gubernatorial Candidate Adam Andrzejewski (For The Good of Illinois) and Leader of Palatine TeaParty, Craig Mijares, will be joining us to share their experience in and explain the importance of Government Transparency.

Adam Andrzejewski

When: February 5th, 2011, 12:00-2:00PM

Where: Living Waters Assembly of God, 525 N. Atkinson Road, Grayslake

Check Out Our Beginning Transparency Pages

Local Transparency Illinois Transparency

Welcome to Lake County Illinois!

Where our property taxes help to rank us as the 17th most expensive County to live in in the United States and #1 in Illinois!

That’s not bad I guess….except when you look at the 3,124 counties across the United States that are cheaper!

Forbes estimates as of 2007 tax records that the average household in Lake County pays 6.7% of their income on property tax alone.

Personally I think this is low as many people I know have had massive property tax increases in the past few years, some as high as $1,000 per year.

We also have that 6.25% State sales tax to add on top of our local sales taxes. The average family in Lake County pays 25% Federal income Tax.

Not to mention what it costs to run Government Locally!

American Legislative Exchange Council ranks Illinois 38th in education based partially on 68% of low income fourth graders who did not test proficient in reading!

Nation wide according to the National Assessment of Educational Progress who gives a nation wide test, 35% of our High school students scored proficient in Reading and only 23% in Mathematics.

In the 2006 PISA exam according to the US Department of Education the performance of US 15 year old students in Math and Science Literacy, scored lower than 23 other countries and lower than the average scored by other industrialized Nations, such as Poland, Slovak Republic, Hungary, Norway and Spain.

Just by looking at one local public school financial report card you can take the per pupil operating expense plus the instructional expenditures per pupil and multiply that times and average of 21 students per class and I come up with a cost per classroom of…..are you ready?

$451,248.

Have you ever wondered where all this money goes?

We need your help to find out!

Our new agenda………Transparency in Local Government!

If they can’t hear us in Springfield maybe they can hear us at home!

Dorian and Tom

About The 912 Patriots

You’re invited to join like minds in preserving what our founding fathers established in the Constitution. If you’re unsettled, uneasy or just disgusted with the direction our country is headed…we’re here for you. 9/12 stands for the day after Sept. 11, 2001 when we as a country came together putting aside our political affiliations for the betterment of the United States of America. It also represents the following…

THE 9 PRINCIPLES

1. America is good.
2. I believe in God and He is the center of my life.
3. I must always try to be a more honest person than I was yesterday.
4. The family is sacred. My spouse and I are the ultimate authority, not the government.
5. If you break the law you pay the penalty. Justice is blind and no one is above it.
6. I have a right to life, liberty and pursuit of happiness, but there is no guarantee of equal results.
7. I work hard for what I have and I will share it with whomever I want. Government cannot force me to be charitable.
8. It is not un-American for me to disagree with authority or to share my personal opinion.
9. The government works for me. I do not answer to them, they answer to me.

THE 12 VALUES
Honest – Thrift – Sincerity – Courage – Reverence – Humility – Moderation – Hope – Personal Responsibility – Charity – Hard Work – Gratitude

If you agree with 7 out of the 9 principles, please join us in gathering our voices to be heard by Washington. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Jack Franks

John O'Neill

State Rep. Jack Franks loves to be in the media spotlight.

If it is a popular issue, Franks is ready with a quote.

He supported the forensic audit of state expenditures.

At least that’s what he said.

He voted for auditing Medicaid payments.

House Men's Room with automatically flushing urinals, just as the Tollway has for its high use osases.

And, he should have, because as far back as the 1970′s the Federal government has estimated that 10% of that spending is fraudulent.

But he also supported a forensic audit for the rest of the budget.

What happened when it was time for the vote?

McHenry County’s Democrat was Missing in Action.

Another part of the Illinois House men's room.

To put in terms used in the Illinois General Assembly, Franks “took a walk.”

Usually that means a legislator walks to the bathroom to avoid a vote.

This has not gone unnoticed by Franks’ Republican opponent McHenry Grade School and Library District Board member John O’Neill.

He issued the following statement:

House members had embossed paper towels with which to dry their hands in 2007. Click to enlarge.

“From day one of this campaign, I have been calling for a Forensic Audit of the entire Illinois Budget in order to eliminate waste, fraud, abuse, and corruption throughout Illinois government.“Adam Andrzejewski, who ran for Governor in the Republican primary, wrote a piece in Illinois Review about how the Political Machine in Springfield killed HR 1057, which would have directed the Audito General to ‘commence this forensic audit as soon as possible.’

“My opponent had been a co-sponsor of this resolution, but apparently when it came time for the vote, he ‘went to the bathroom.’

“There is a clever line in there somewhere about his support for the audit being full of…something.”

Photo from a Rockford Tea Party rally.

The following press release has been received:

Announcing Tea Party Express on April 6th in Rockford, Illinois

(Rockford, Illinois) – March 17, 2010 – Join us for the biggest Tea Party Express national tour to date for one of only two stops in Illinois.

On April 6th at 1 pm in Rockford, Ill (home state to President Barack Obama and Senator Dick Durbin and of course Lincoln and Reagan) the Tea Party Express will stop in Rockford on the Tea Party Express Tour taking the Tea Party message across the nation all the way to the White House in Washington, D.C. on April 15th:

“You, the politicians in Washington, have failed We The People with your bailouts, out-of-control deficit spending, government takeovers of sectors of the economy, Cap & Trade, government-run health care, and higher taxes!

“If you thought we were just going to quietly go away, or that this tea party movement would be just a passing fad, you were mistaken. We’re taking our country back!”

Find the Tollway at Route 20 south of Marengo or Kishwaukee Valley Road going west from Woodstock and you are on your way to Davis Park in Rockford. (Get a more detailed map across Boone and Winnebago Counties, if you take the Kishwaukee Valley Road route. You want to end up on Rockford's Spring Creek Road at the top of this map. There are lots of tricky turns.)

This family-friendly rally encourages all citizens who want lower taxes and less government to participate by bringing their American flags, patriotic attire, and signs to display the spirit of the Colonial Patriots of the 1775 Boston Tea Party, which lead to American Independence July 4th, 1776.

Here's a street map closer to Davis Park.

Re-affirm your commitment to our Constitution and our freedoms by being part of this energizing event on Tuesday, April 6th, 1:00pm, at Davis Park 329 S. Wyman Street in Rockford.

Guest Speakers include:

Joe Walsh at John O'Neill's corn beef and cabbage fund raiser.

RockfordTeaParty will also have a food drive to replenish the Rockford Food Pantry Coalition from 1 pm until the Tea Party Express Buses leave at 4:30.

For more information visit our website.

www.RockfordTeaParty.org

Kirk Dillard

Andy McKenna

As I suggested after I got Mary Pat’s call on behalf of Andy McKenna earlier today, the race for the Republican nomination for governor has narrowed down to three candidates:

• Andy McKenna – 19%
• Jim Ryan – 18%
• Kirk Dillard – 14%

The Tribune’s Eric Zorn is reporting the results seen above.

17% reported still being undecided.

Among those with less than 10%, here are the results:

• Bill Brady – 9%
• Adam Andrzejewski – 7%
• Dan Proft – 6%

Bob Schillerstrom had 2%, but he dropped out in favor of Jim Ryan today.

In the Democratic Party primary, Zorn reports

• Pat Quinn – 44%
• Dan Hynes – 40%

As Zorn puts it,

“Game on.”

In the governor’s race, here are the figures offered up by Adrian G. Uribarri in Chicago Current:

• Pat Quinn: $3.15 million in receipts, $2.36 million in expenditures and $1.5 million in available funds at the close of the period
• Dan Hynes: $2.32 million, $2.75 million, $3.1 million
• Andy McKenna: $2.23 million, $2.17 million, $63,500
• Kirk Dillard: $1.4 million, $1 million, $369,000
• Adam Andrzejewski, Republican: $752,000, $775,00, $334,000
• Bob Schillerstrom, Republican: $661,000, $674,000, $120,000
• Bill Brady, Republican: $443,000, $662,000, $192,000
• Jim Ryan: $313,000, $123,000, $190,000
• Dan Proft: $169,000, $135,000, $51,300
• Rich Whitney, Green: $6,120, $6,260, $2,570

He has an analysis in his article.