McHenry County Blog

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Here’s the message that was sent out by MoveOn.org asking people to show up Congressman Peter Roskam’s Bloomingdale office at noon on Tuesday. One would assume that similar messages were sent concerning demonstrations at all the other Republican congressmen’s offices.

MoveOn member, This weekend, it became 100% clear that Republicans would rather see America default, Social Security checks stop going out, the stock market plummet, and unemployment soar than give one inch on their position: that the very richest people and most profitable corporations shouldn’t pay one penny more in taxes.

Even after the president offered Republicans a debt-ceiling deal most MoveOn members probably consider unconscionable—with trillions in cuts, even to Medicare and Social Security—Speaker Boehner still walked away from the table.

Our only chance to move the Republicans is to make sure that the dire consequences of their actions are laid directly at their feet. So with other leaders of the American Dream movement, we’re putting out an urgent call for every patriotic American to show up outside Republican congressional offices on Tuesday at noon to deliver a crucial message: “Don’t destroy the American Dream.”

We need to show up in force and let Rep. Roskam know that we’ll hold him accountable for his position and for the consequences to our economy.

Can you drop by Rep. Roskam’s office on Tuesday at Noon?

Yes, I can drop by on Tuesday!

We’ll follow up with all the details and a link to print your own “Don’t destroy the American Dream” signs to bring to Rep. Roskam.

Then you just have to show up on Tuesday here:

150 South Bloomingdale Road, Bloomingdale, IL 60108

We need to show as much public concern as possible, so please pass this along to anyone else you know who could join in on Tuesday. This is a moment when we need to bring together the vast majority of Americans who find the Republicans’ position immoral.

Let’s get out there on Tuesday and let Republicans like Rep. Roskam know that crashing the American economy in order to protect tax giveaways for the rich is unacceptable.

Click here if you can drop by Rep. Roskam’s office on Tuesday at noon:

http://civic.moveon.org/debtdropby.html?id=29154-19007439-6BjsRyx&t=3

Thanks for all you do.

–Daniel, Elena, Tate, Robin, and the rest of the team

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Peter Roskam will be Algonquin Township’s congressman, if the Democrats’ remap withstands a still-unfiled Federal court challenge.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Rep. Walsh Statement on Support of Spending Cuts in Funding for Congress

“This bill is an important step in bringing Washington’s spending problem under control.”

WASHINGTON – Today, Rep. Joe Walsh made the following statement following his vote in support of significant cuts in the FY12 Legislative Branch Appropriations bill.

The legislation funds the operations of Congress and represents a cut of $472 million or 12.4 percent from the President’s budget request.

Joe Walsh talks to constituents in a barber shop while ABC is filming him.

“With record deficits and a debt ceiling increase soon upon us, it’s time Congress leads by example and cuts its own budget. That’s why I was proud to vote in support of these cuts to the budgets allotted for each Member of Congress and that of House leadership and congressional committees.”

“I have remained committed to cutting spending across-the-board since I took office in January. I have voted twice already to cut the salaries and expenses account for each Member of Congress by five percent, and I am pleased to once again support further cuts in spending by Congressional offices.”

“Washington has to do more with less.

“I was pleased a number of amendments were adopted such as reducing government printing expenses and limiting the amount a Member may spend for the leasing of a vehicle for government service.

“It’s time we restore trust with the constituents we represent by not taking advantage of the Congressional perks.

“I have elected not to accept the congressional health care plan or any benefit that is not necessary to do my job as a representative.”

“Fiscal responsibility must start in our own backyard first.”

H. Res. 22 and H.R. 1 – which Rep. Walsh supported – both included five percent cuts to the Members’ Representational Allowance (MRA), which is assigned to each Member office for salaries and expenses.

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If Congress works as the Illinois General Assembly, Congress tells the Office of Management and Budget what number to pub in the budget.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh about the budget:

Rep. Walsh, 86 Members to Send Letter to GOP Leadership,

Asking to Stop McConnell Plan

“Republicans weren’t elected in November to ‘Cut, Run and Hide’, which is exactly what the McConnell plan does.”

WASHINGTON – Congressman Joe Walsh will be delivering a letter (attached) tonight, which has 86 co-signatories, to Republican House Leadership urging them to both publicly oppose Senator McConnell’s plan to raise the debt ceiling and ensure it never comes to the House floor for a vote.

8th District Congressman Joe Walsh is the lead signatory on this letter to his Republican House Speaker John Boehner.

“We were sent here in November to change the way that Washington does business,” said Congressman Walsh. “The McConnell plan is the same old politics as usual – it enables Congress to avoid making the tough decisions. Fundamental spending reform has to be part of any plan to raise the debt ceiling.  I cannot and will not support any plan that punts on this responsibility.”

McConnell’s plan would authorize President Obama to raise the debt ceiling without Congressional approval. McConnell calls his plan a fall-back so that Republicans are not forced to choose between government default or increasing the debt limit without spending cuts.

“Republicans weren’t elected in November to ‘Cut, Run and Hide’, which is exactly what the McConnell Plan does.  The plan drags America deeper in debt and fails to rein in federal over-spending and over-borrowing. The House passed a plan that actually addresses Washington’s spending problem — Cut, Cap and Balance. “

The Cut, Cap and Balance Act passed the House, 234-190 on July 19, 2011.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh:

Goodlatte-Walsh Balanced Budget Amendment Scheduled for Vote on House Floor

WASHINGTON – The Goodlatte-Walsh Balanced Budget Amendment, H.J.Res.1, is scheduled for a vote the week of July 18th.

This is the first time a Balanced Budget Amendment has been scheduled to come to the House floor for a vote since 1995. This amendment is the House-companion to the Senate amendment, which has unanimous support from all 47 Republicans and would require the President to submit a balanced budget to Congress prior to each fiscal year.

The amendment includes three key provisions:

1. requiring a balanced budget for each fiscal year,
2. limiting federal spending to no more than 18 percent of GDP, and
3. requiring a two-thirds vote in both Houses of Congress in order to increase taxes or raise the debt ceiling.

“We are at a crossroads in America,” said Rep. Goodlatte. “The fact that Congress is once again debating raising the nation’s debt limit shows that we need to cut spending now. Congress has not been restrained by the same realities that American taxpayers face. When you are preparing a budget for your family, you know that you can’t spend more than you take in. It’s a simple concept but one that Congress has failed to adhere to for far too long. A balanced budget amendment to the Constitution is the only way to ensure that Congress curtails its spending on an annual basis regardless of which party is in control.”

“In 1995, Congress came within one vote of passing a Balanced Budget Amendment,” stated Congressman Walsh. “At that time, our nation’s debt was $4.9 trillion, with annual deficits of $164 billion. Today, our debt is $14.4 trillion, with an annual deficit of $1.65 trillion. This is immoral and unsustainable, and the only way to fix it is to force politicians to live within their means by amending the Constitution.”

On the long ABC News feature on Joe Walsh, he told high school students, "We're going through a revolution. It's wonderful.."

“Rep. Bob Goodlatte has championed the Balanced Budget Amendment since his first day in Congress in 1993. As a freshman elected to change the way Washington does business, I am glad work alongside him and see this historic piece of legislation come to the floor for a vote. We simply cannot raise the debt ceiling without structural spending reform. The Goodlatte-Walsh Balanced Budget Amendment is that reform.”

Congressman Goodlatte and Congressman Walsh are joined by 133 other House Members in support of this Balanced Budget Amendment.

A press release from Congressman Joe Walsh about today’s vote on the Agriculture budget bill.  The amendment about which he speaks passed 283-128.  Ethanol subsidies were involved

Congressman Walsh statement on support of

massive cuts in Agriculture Appropriations Bill

"We've got to cut up the credit card," Joe Walsh told ABC on April 16, 2011.

WASHINGTON – Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) today made the following statement following his vote in support of significant cuts in the FY12 Agriculture Appropriations bill.

The legislation funds the various programs within the Department of Agriculture and related agencies, and represents a decrease of $2.67 billion or 13 percent below the FY 2011 funding level and a reduction of $5.03 billion or 22 percent below the President’s request.

“I was sent to Washington to change the game. To drastically reform the way Washington spends hard-earned taxpayer money,” said Congressman Walsh.

“Today, I made good on my campaign promise to do just that by voting in favor of the FY 2012 Agriculture Appropriations bill. This landmark bill takes agriculture appropriations back to nearly the 2006 levels, and rights the wrongs of the previous Congress’s runaway spending.”

“The passage of today’s bill was only the beginning of drastically reducing spending through the appropriations process. The House must continue to everything it can to live up to the mandate the American people gave Congress last fall and continue to tackle Washington’s reckless spending habits.”

“We have no other choice than to step up and be responsible through detailed examination of our spending initiatives. I will continue to scrutinize each appropriations bill that comes my way, and I will only vote for bills that make significant cuts to spending.”

Congressman Walsh introduced H.J.Res.56, a Balanced Budget Amendment to the United States Constitution on April 4, as a companion bill the Senate’s Balanced Budget Amendment, S.J.Res.10 in order to help remedy Washington’s spending addiction.

State Rep. Mike Tryon has issued the following end of session press release:

Legislators Approve First Balanced Budget in Years

$33.2 Budget Package Includes Full Pension Payment and No Borrowing

Mike Tryon on the House floor.

SPRINGFIELD…..Conservative budget figures, fiscal discipline and a bipartisan approach has led to the first balanced budget for Illinois in many years. According to State Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake), it is the first balanced budget he has seen since he was elected to the General Assembly in 2005.

“The final budget included difficult budget decisions, but it forces the state to live within its means so that bills can be paid and finances can get back on track,” said Tryon. “It is a huge step in the right direction for Illinois.”

The $33.2 billion spending plan is $2 billion less than what Governor Quinn requested earlier this year in his budget address.

Whereas the last two budgets included $3.7 billion in borrowing to make the pension payment, this new budget includes $4.2 billion to fully fund the mandated pension payment with no borrowing required.

“For the several weeks leading up to the budget votes, Representatives from both sides of the aisle worked together reviewing the budget line-by-line,” said Tryon. “We started by cutting pay raises and administrative costs wherever possible.”  Just one component eliminates cost of living increases for legislators and mandates 12 unpaid furlough days for legislators and many other state employees for FY 12.

Tryon went on to say that the efforts that went into this year’s budget process must continue. “It is not a one-year process, and if we hope to get out of the hole and stay out of the hole this is the way we will need to approach the budget every year,” he said. “Only with continued discipline will we truly change the culture of overspending that has been too prevalent in Illinois.”

The budget now awaits the signature of the governor.

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This year’s budget is $31.1 billion, reports Tryon’s office.

Therefore, spending could go up $2.1 billion.

How about a chorus of “We’re in the money.”

The following is on the main page of the Lake in the Hills web site:

Local Government Distributive Fund

The state is faced with a $13 billion budget deficit. This budget deficit has been allowed to grow over several years while local governments have been reducing their budgets to align spending with lower revenue projections.

9-12 Patriots demonstration on Randall Road for lower taxes.

Despite several years of hard decisions and painful sacrifice, local governments are in danger of losing even more scarce revenue. These losses would not come from natural revenue declines, but by any act of the General Assembly.

Policymakers in Springfield are discussing ideas to reduce the massive state budget deficit. Two proposals in particular advocate for reductions in state-collected local government revenues. These revenues are used in funding social services, public safety, transportation and infrastructure.

“We are proposing that the governor’s proposed budget needs to be reduced,” Senator Althoff said. “Would I consider that 5 percent reduction as a possibility? Yes. Do I want it to be at the top of my priority list? No. But at this particular juncture, what we’re trying to do is share in the pain and do it as reasonably and responsibly as possible, meaning there are no sacred cows. Everyone will feel the pain.”

Some have called for $300 million in cuts from revenue that is collected by the state on behalf of local governments. This kind of revenue diversion would amount to a loss of $23.40 per municipal resident. The revenue loss for the Village of Lake in the Hills would be $677,781.

The loss of these critical revenues would jeopardize the Village’s ability to maintain current service levels. The Village has already pushed its limits with the cuts endured.

Losing any state-collected local government revenue could affect the Village’s ability to fund priorities like public safety, social services, and basic infrastructure. The Village has already eliminated any excess and would be forced to cut core and essential community services.

Residents would absolutely notice the cuts.

What you can do:

Contact Senator Althoff to express your concerns:

Springfield Office:
Senator 32nd District
M103E Capitol Building
Springfield, IL 62706
217-782-8000

District Office:
1 North Virginia St.
Crystal Lake, IL 60014
815-455-6330
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If you want to make contact, I would suggest calling Springfield. That’s where legislators are.

A press release from State Rep. Mike Tryon:

Rep. Tryon Votes in Favor of Balanced Budget

Springfield…..Today legislators in the Illinois House of Representatives took a dramatic step forward by passing the first budget in years that actually forces the state to live within its means and actually reduces spending from current year levels.

Mike Tryon

“Several key budget votes occurred today which will finally put Illinois on the path toward financial solvency and help to ensure that the temporary tax increase remains temporary,”

said Representative Mike Tryon (R-Crystal Lake). “Legislators showed real fiscal discipline, and said in a loud bipartisan voice ‘we can’t spend money we don’t have.’”

According to Tryon, this year marked the first time in many years that members of both parties were included in budget talks.

“Members from both sides of the aisle worked together reviewing the budget line-by-line in an effort to eliminate waste, find efficiencies, and minimize the pain,” he said. “We started by cutting pay raises and administrative costs wherever possible.”

Tryon said members of the House passed many bills and resolutions that set the stage for a balanced budget. They include:

• House Resolution 110: set a conservative estimate of revenues that would guide appropriations talks
• House Resolution 156: establishes the percentage of general revenue funds each appropriations committee would have available to work with as budgets were developed
• House Resolution 158: mandated that that any surplus revenues this year would be used to pay of the backlog of unpaid state bills
• House Bills 116, 117, 132, 3639 and 3697: fund the statutorily mandated pension payment, bond debt service payments and group insurance payment for state employees

The budget bills approved on Friday spend nearly $1.6 billion less than Governor Quinn’s proposed budget projection of $35.4 billion, which relied on higher taxes and borrowing to support.

“I certainly hope that my colleagues in the Senate and Governor Quinn will join the members of the House in passing into law what I consider to be the first responsible budget in many years.”

A message from State Rep. Mike Tryon to his constituents:

Friends,

As the General Assembly heads into its final weeks of the legislative session, I wanted to update you on some important pieces of legislation.

Budget talks are taking center stage this month and I will continue to provide a voice of fiscal conservancy in the Illinois House.

Mike Tryon

It appears that Governor Quinn is still out of touch with the realities of today’s economy and remains an advocate for runaway spending.

At home in District 64 and across the state I have seen firsthand how families have responded to the current economic conditions by getting by on less and I believe they want their government to do the same.

I will not support a budget that further increases debt.

Significant budget reductions are in order if we are ever to make Illinois a financially-stable state.

To that end, I will do my best to advocate for programs and agencies which rely on state funding, but will be a vocal supporter of initiatives that

• reduce waste,
• eliminate outrageous salary increases for State employees and
• fairly address the failing pension system.

Last week two key votes took place on controversial issues in the House.

HB 148 would have permitted people 21 and older to carry guns if they were properly registered and had completed eight hours of training, including target practice. Applicants would have also needed to pass a background check and a review of their mental health history. The bill came up six votes shy of the 71 affirmative votes that were needed to bring Illinois in line with the 48 states that currently allow concealed carry in some form. I was a co-sponsor of this bill and will continue to fight for the Second Amendment rights of all Illinois citizens. Another high profile vote last week regarded the medical use of cannabis.

HB 30 would have created a three-year pilot program to allow people with certain medical conditions to purchase up to 2.5 ounces of marijuana from registered non-profit dispensaries. I voted against the bill because I still have significant concerns about federal enforcement of medical vs. recreational marijuana and also about how the drug would be distributed.

Over the last few months I served as chief sponsor of several bills that passed through the House and which now are pending in the Illinois Senate. Here is a summary of a few of those bills:

• HB 308 would protect the quality of groundwater in Illinois by providing regulation of the installation of geothermal heat pump systems. The construction of these systems can impact nearby septic systems and water wells, creating a risk to the water supply, and proper regulation would prevent potential problems. Twenty-nine other states protect their groundwater by providing some form of registration or licensure of closed loop well contractors.
• HB 309 would expand the Illinois Transparency and Accountability Portal (ITAP) to include information about the recipients of gubernatorial and legislative member initiatives. State law does not currently prescribe procedures to be followed in the administration of these grants, and HB 309 would provide full and complete disclosure to the public about gubernatorial and legislative member initiatives and hopefully eliminate the misuse of public funds by listing the expenditures in a searchable database.
• HB 3103 would further expand the ITAP to include all floor and committee roll call votes from the House of Representatives and Senate. The bill would make State government more accessible to the people of Illinois and hold legislators accountable for their attendance and activity, or lack thereof.
• HB 2915 also enhances transparency to the taxpayers of Illinois by adding the salary, insurance benefit, and pension/annuitant payment information for all State employees of the legislative branch of government. This would include members of the House and Senate. The bill would also provide that the ITAP must include a database of all current State grants, sorted separately by grantee name, awarding agency, grant value, and the purpose for which the grant is awarded and also a public forum and commenting interface on the site.
• HB 1101 was filed in response to Governor Pat Quinn’s proposal to sell the Thomson Correctional Center to the federal Bureau of Prisons last year. There are substantial public policy implications in selling any valuable piece of State property, and I believe the General Assembly deserves to have a say in large transactions like these. Under this bill the Governor would be required to seek General Assembly permission before selling any state asset with a value of $1 million or more.
• HB 2558 would address the perceived financial issues that arose during the recent corruption trial of the McHenry County State’s Attorney. The bill would mandate that when a sitting public official is investigated and tried on charges, the courts would look to other public prosecutors to do the work. The bill would also require that the scope of the investigation be well-defined and that county boards be given estimates on costs so they could plan for the expense. The bill would also allow county boards to receive itemized bills for the fees.

As always, do not hesitate to call or email me if you have additional questions or if you would like to discuss any other issue. I can be reached at (815) 459-6453 or via e-mail at mike@miketryon.com.

Best Regards,

Michael W. Tryon, State Representative, District 64

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I have searched in vain for Senate committee votes.

Freshman "Tea Party Stars" Steve Southerland (R-FL) and Joe Walsh (R-IL) at the beginning of Christine Armapour's ABC Sunday interview show "This Week."

Four freshman Tea Party Republican “Stars” were interrogated by ABC’s Christine Armapour Sunday morning.

This Left Stream Media host relentlessly pushed the left wing agenda of the Barack Obama Administration. You can find the entire nine-minute video here.

A shorter, three-minute version put on YouTube is here.

One of the four was the 8th Illinois District’s Joe Walsh. The others were Steve Sutherland (R-Florida), Rep. Allen West (R-Florida) and Rep. Renee Ellmers (R- NC).

About raising the debt limit, Walsh replied, “I wish they got as excited as all of the debt that they are piling on the backs of our children and grandchildren.”

“Business as usual in this town is no longer going to exist,” Walsh said concerning raising the debt limit. “The American people sent us her because in a large way they recoiled about all this spending here.”

“There’s got to be something structural on the spending side,” Walsh added, referencing the Balanced Budget Amendment he recently introduced.

Florida Republican Allen West argues that Federal spending should be no higher than 20% of Gross National Procduct. He said President Obama is on track to see 24$ to 26% of what we produce being spent by the Federal government.

“I don’t believe in leadership by fear and intimidation,” former member of the Armed Forces West asked for automatic spending cuts when the debt ceiling was being approached.

Rep. Renee Ellmers' degree in nursing made her the natural person to

Rep. Renee Ellmers, a Registered Nurse from North Carolina, defended the changes in Medicare to “save Medicare.”

“It saves money for Medicare over time and actually increases coverage.”

The Moderator then pushed for the Administration’s goal of higher taxes.

“You raise revenue by growing the economy,” Walsh replied.

"You raise revenue by cutting taxes," Joe Walsh told the ABC audience.

“Every time we’ve cut taxes, revenue has gone up,” Walsh said as moderator Christine Armapour insisted that taxes had to be raised.

"Every time we cut taxes, revenue goes up," Joe Walsh said.

She came back for a second bite and Walsh calmly criticized “your profession hasn’t gotten on him more,” allowing him “a re-do.” Why the pass for President Obama for not leading on entitlement reform.

Reporters don’t answer questions, of course, and she didn’t defend the indefensible.

"I may lose 2012, but I'm not going to lose me in the process "Steve Southerland (R-FL) told the ABC audience.

“Great leadership means you sometimes have to take hits…I may lose 2010, but I’m not going to lose me in the process,” Florida’s Southerland said, concluding the show.