A press release from the Huntley Area Tea Party:

TURNING POINT USA comes to Huntley

Several years ago, a young generation of high school/college age Americans began to awaken to the financial consequences of a national debt larger than the US economy itself and out of control spending by the Federal Government.

In coming decades America’s youth will pay the price for all this debt as they endure a lower standard of living, paying heavy taxes for the decisions made by the current generations of their parents, grandparents and high-spending politicians.

Up until now, the American Dream of every generation has been that a better life for their kids was possible and waiting for them. It now appears that without stopping that spending, that dream may not be passed along to anyone under 30 years of age.

One of the leading groups raising their voices yelling “STOP!” is Turning Point USA (TPUSA), led by Charlie Kirk and his enlightened and energized team.

The mission of TPUSA starts with conversations among young people, educating students about fiscal responsibility, free markets, and capitalism.

Through non-partisan debate, dialogue, and discussion, TPUSA believes that every young person can be enlightened to true free market values and the need for fiscal responsibility through constitutionally limited government.

TPUSA is becoming a national voice for American youth that must be heard and heeded by us all in our debate about the financial future and fate of our country. For more information about Turning Point USA, click here.

On March 20th, the Huntley Area Tea Party will welcome Miguel Melgar, a freshman at Harper CC and local TPUSA representative, to join us and tell us more about the impacts of our debt, out of control spending and what it all means to us today and to his generation.

This is a great session for your kids and/or grandchildren! Invite them, bring them, and help them understand what’s at stake and what must be done.
Plan to be here Wednesday, March 20, 2013 Gather in 6:30pm – Program start 7:00pm
HUNTLEY PARK DISTRICT 12015 Mill Street (Just west of Route 47) Huntley, IL 60142

The only way to freeze McHenry County College’s tax rate is for the Board to do so.

This past week I have been writing articles about how close various tax districts are to reaching their statutory tax  rate limits.

The basic information came from a search of the McHenry County Clerk’s tax rate web site.

I was looking for tax districts near their statutory rate maximum, ones that could not tax dollars, even if the Consumer Price Index increased.

The CPI is the limit on increase for those tax districts (pretty much all but Home Rule municipalities) under the Property Tax Cap.

When I looked at community colleges, I found one that levies almost no taxes in McHenry County.

It’s Rock Valley College, the junior college based in Rockford.

It’s maximum corporate rate is 23 cents per $100 of assessed valuation and that’s what it got last year.

That’s also what it will get next year for its Education Fund. No limit on the amount needed to pay back the bonds and pensions, of course.

No similar situation with McHenry County, Harper or Elgin’s community colleges.

They all are beneath the limits set by law or referendum.

Action Alert -

Potential protests against Joe Walsh

tonight at Harper College

That’s the headline of an email I just received.

It warns supporters of Congressman Joe Walsh that demonstrators may show up at his Town Hall Meeting at Harper College tonight.

Here’s the rest of the email:

There are rumors today that protesters are planning to disrupt the Joe Walsh town hall event tonight at Harper College.

Thursday, February 24th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at:

Harper College – Wojcik Conference Center
1200 W Algonquin Road
Palatine, IL 60067

Please be there tonight if you can. Silent no more! Don’t let Chicago thug tactics intimidate the voters of this district.

National news media have likely been invited to this event by the protesters – both liberal TV media and print media – to help attack him.

Congressman Joe Walsh listens to a woman's concerns after the joint Town Hall meeting at McHenry County College with U.S. Senator Mark Kirk and Congressman Don Manzullo.

As you may have heard, there have been attack ads against Joe this week, funded by Planned Parenthood, because he voted against their federal funding as well as for many other spending cuts. The progressive radicals are going on the attack to try to save their agenda.

Union organizers and students, of course, have also been rallying in Wisconsin, Ohio, Indiana, and elsewhere to try to attract media attention.

There are protest rallies being planned across the country this weekend and other actions to try to create the astroturf illusion of public support for their agenda.

Rather than let an astroturf mob create a false image of voter opposition to Joe Walsh, please attend this meeting if you can and make sure we at least try to get them to pay attention to the truth for a change.

Joe won the election, and has strong support.

The rent-a-mob crowd lost, no matter how angry and noisy they may be about it. We need to make it clear that our member of Congress will not be intimidated by agitators.

Unlike Melissa Bean, who went into hiding for years to escape any critical public discussion of her actions as our representative in Congress, Joe has been out there doing many well-attended town halls and answering every question and every critic for more than a year now.

Don’t let the media turn this into a story about some illusory public backlash against what they have always tried to misrepresent as an “extreme” Tea Party candidate, rather than a principled conservative who is unafraid to say what he really thinks, listen respectfully to those who have different views, and do what he told us he will do. He was elected to represent us – not to listen to the noisiest mob or be intimidated through media attention.

Let the unions and liberal activists show their true colors, as in Madison last week, through their disruptive actions and abusive attacks. We won, and they are just throwing a temper tantrum because they finally are not getting their way by intimidating and fleecing the taxpayers for their own benefit.

Joe Walsh has been standing up for us in Washington. We need to stand up firmly and peacefully to reject these Chicago thug tactics once again.

Congressman Joe Walsh has scheduled another Town Hall Meeting.  The details are in his press release below:

Congressman Walsh to Host Town Hall Event
“My top priority is to ensure your opinions are heard in our nation’s capital”

Before he was sworn in, Congressman Joe Walsh held this Town Hall Meeting at McHeny West High School.

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Joe Walsh (R-IL) will host a Town Hall meeting on Thursday. The town hall will be an opportunity to inform citizens on what he is doing in Washington.

The Congressman would like to meet all constituents in an open forum where everyone can discuss these important matters.

“As your Congressman, my top priority is to ensure your opinions are heard in our nation’s capital. Your ideas, thoughts and suggestions are invaluable as I work to address the issues confronting us in Congress,” said Congressman Walsh.

“Please join me at this Town Hall Meeting. This is your chance to share your thoughts on jobs, the economy, health care, and spending – nothing is off limits. My staff and I are here to serve you; please let us know how we can.”

The town hall will be this Thursday, February 24^th from 7:00 p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at:

Harper College – Wojcik Conference Center
1200 W Algonquin Road
Palatine, IL 60067

All are welcome. If you have any questions, please call (847) 973-9341.

The Illinois Campaign for Political Reform has released a report on lobbying expenses by units of local government.

I’ve extracted those from McHenry County and present them below:

Carpentersville School District 300
2006-07 $28,347 (Hinshaw & Culbertson)

Elgin Community College
2006-07 $47,500 (Advanced Practical Solutions)
2007-08 $60,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions)

Harper College
2006-07 $84,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions)
2007-08 $126,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions – $60,000; Alfred G. Ronan Ltd – $50,000; Michelle Teresa Olson – $6,000; Zack Stamp Ltd – $10,000)

Huntley
2006-07 $45,000 (Morreale Public Affairs Group)
2007-08 $65,507 (Morreale Public Affairs Group)

Johnsburg
2006-07 N.A. (Advanced Practical Solutions)
2007-08 $35,000 (Advanced Practical Solutions)

And who are these lobbying firms?

Advanced Practical Solutions
Milan Petrovic, Shqipe “Sheri” Osmani, and Matthew R. Pickering were the exclusive lobbyists; the firm also reported contractual relationships with All-Circo, Government Navigation Group, Roger Marquardt, and two other firms. The firm also reported Dan Shomon, Fidelity Consulting Group, Illinois Governmental Consulting Group, and Roger Marquardt, as clients.

Morreale Public Affairs Group
Kim Morreale was the exclusive lobbyist.

Olson, Michelle Teresa
Michelle Teresa Olson is the exclusive lobbyist. The firm also listed Cullen & Assoc as a client.

Ronan, Alfred G., Ltd.
Alfred G. Ronan and Cheryl Axley were the exclusive lobbyists. The firm listed Miguel Santiago and Thomas J. Walsh as clients

Stamp, Zack LTD
Zack Stamp, Kevin McFadden and Steve W. Kinion were the exclusive lobbyists. The firm also reported contractual relationships with B-P Consultants, Cullen & Assoc., Zack Stamp Consulting, and one other.

When we last looked at the tax hike committee known as Citizens for Harper, it had just snagged $100,000.

Now there’s some new money reported, which you can see below:

$12,500 – Gilbane, Chicago
$10,000 – Robbins Schwartz Nicholas Lifton & Taylor LTD, Chicago
$10,000 – Willis North America Inc., Nashville, TN
$5,000 – Cook County College Teachers Union-Cope, Chicago
$2,000 – Gilfillan Callahan Nelson Architects
$1,000 – Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago

$40,500 more money to spend.

And, doesn’t some of it look as if it comes from vendors?

Don’t you wonder why a Nashville firm would give $10,000? Maybe someone in the Chicago office made it possible.

When we last looked at the tax hike committee known as Citizens for Harper, it had just snagged $100,000.

Now there’s some new money reported, which you can see below:

$12,500 – Gilbane, Chicago
$10,000 – Robbins Schwartz Nicholas Lifton & Taylor LTD, Chicago
$10,000 – Willis North America Inc., Nashville, TN
$5,000 – Cook County College Teachers Union-Cope, Chicago
$2,000 – Gilfillan Callahan Nelson Architects
$1,000 – Seyfarth Shaw LLP, Chicago

$40,500 more money to spend.

And, doesn’t some of it look as if it comes from vendors?

Don’t you wonder why a Nashville firm would give $10,000? Maybe someone in the Chicago office made it possible.

Donating $1,000 today is Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

Here‘s where you can find out who gave the rest to Citizens for Harper, including the $100,000 benefactor.

$104,350 now available to convince folks it’s in their best interest to vote “Yes.”

Donating $1,000 today is Seyfarth Shaw LLP.

Here‘s where you can find out who gave the rest to Citizens for Harper, including the $100,000 benefactor.

$104,350 now available to convince folks it’s in their best interest to vote “Yes.”

The pop-up PAC called Citizen for Harper got a $100,000 loan from Rita Canning of Inverness on September 25th.

Contrast that with the relatively paltry $3,200 raised from other donors.

The other tax hike committee contributors follow:

$2,000 – Elk Grove Graphics
$500 – Phillip Burdick, Northbrook
$500 – Diane Hill, Barrington
$200 – Laurie Stone, Elk Grove Village

$50 came from a more ordinary citizen.

Get ready for a barrage.

The banner ad appeared on the Daily Herald web site September 29th. There is more information about the PAC’s campaign in that story.

That part of the Barrington School District in McHenry County is included in the Harper College District.