McHenry County Blog

The distance from the sign will be the same, but the price for McHenry County residents will double.

The preferred routes to southeastern McHenry County may change for cheapskates like me when they drive to and from Chicago.

That’s because the Pat Quinn Administration’s tolls at the Route 31 Exit will almost double from 40 cents to 75 cents, if one goes all the way to Randall Road, as we usually do.

80 cents to get from Chicago to Crystal Lake under Governor Rod Blagojevich’s tolls…if one rented an I-PASS.  (I consider interest on the mandatory deposit “rent.”)

$1.50 under Blagojevich successor Pat Quinn.

Tolls at Barrington Road, however, will “only” be 45 cents. It’s now 25 cents now, so I could save 20 cents a trip.

There the increase is only a 44% one, not 88%.

Since 45 cents is less than 75 cents, that’s the exit I’ll be taking.

For regular commuters, the savings would be about $80 a year for driving through Barrington Hills on Route 62, also known as Algonquin Road.

When the Skinner family drives to the Wisconsin Dells, we’ll drive up Route 14 to Harvard and across to the Wisconsin freeway.

That will save $2.45 both ways using I-PASS, assuming we would otherwise enter on at Route 20 south of Marengo, as we often have, and assuming I’m reading the doubled fee structure correctly.

Miss the South Beloit Illinois Toll Booths and keep enough money to buy half a glass of Wine in the Wisconsin Dells.

Enough for another glass of wine…which is better than whining about the rip-off we call the Illinois Tollway.

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It’s hard to think about the Illinois Tollways without remembering that none of the Motor Fuel Taxes charged by state government go to defray toll taxes. Instead the approximately $110 million a year in MFT is diverted to state highway purposes.

Somewhere in the vicinity of 45% comes back to the six-county Chicagoland, while it has about 56% of the vehicles and traffic.

Obviously, a Downstate rip-off.

It also should be remembered that local Republican leaders did not oppose the Toll Tax hike. It was hard to find Republican opposition anywhere…except yours truly.

Some images I have collected concerning Veterans:

A Civil War soldier stands atop a pillar in front of the Boone County Courthouse.

Civil War Soldier in the Woodstock City Square.

McHenry County Vietnam War Memorial

Did you know the Northwest Tollway, re-named by Rod Blagojevich as the Jane Addams Tollway, is also called the Veterans Memtorial Tollway?

A ribbon of remembrance for 178th Infantry Sgt. Robert Weinger, killed in Afghanistan on March 15, 2009.

The Greatest Generation reached their goal as the Japanese surrendered.

And, if you would like to see want World War II was like in the Pacific theater, I invite you to see the photos Wonder Lake’s Sully Sullivan brought back from some of the most vicious fighting of the war. The photographs, not all of which are for the faint of heart, include a broader view of the one one you see above of the signing of the unconditional surrender by the Japanese, among many others the physician who supervised this Pharmacists Mate.

At least when Rod Blagojevich put his name on Tollway signs he didn't increase the rates for regular Mikes.

I guess no one should be surprised that no local media took a poll on whether people wanted tolls hiked.

Chicago’s Mike Engle took on Governor Pat Quinn’s assertion that 85% of Illinois motorists understood and approved of the need to double the tolls.

“Doubting the accuracy of statements that are made by our governor and other public officials, I conducted my own impromptu poll,” Engle wrote in a letter to the editor of the Chicago Sun-Times published Sunday.

“Thursday afternoon, I went to my local tavern and asked the first 20 patrons who entere3d if they supported a proposition to double the tolls on the Illinois State Toll Highway system.

“My polling numbers, surprisingly, matched that of our governor’s, but the results were transposed.

“The vote tally was as follows:

• Yes 3 (15%)
• No 17 (85%)

And I thought it was only suburbanites who were disturbed.

The second trial of disgraced ex-Governor Rod Blagojevich is but an echo of the first.

Who cares the second time around?

in mid-December, 2009, there was a spoof on Saturday Night Live. Before the actor took the stage, there was a photo of a grim Blagojevich with the word "Arrested" under it.

It’s not front page news.

No Saturday Night Live skits about his hair and swear words.

“If Illinois politicians think you are too corrupt, you’re too corrupt,”

said Seth in December of 2008.

This past week there was another echo.

A bill passed that would prohibit state officials from putting their names on things. It was sponsored by State Rep. Chris Nybo (R-Elmhurst). Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) originated the legislation.

The target was the signs over Illinois toll collection booths.

When Blagojevich was impeached, Tollway officials did not even give Pat Quinn the opportunity for the photo op he undoubtedly desired.

Quinn did follow the example of his role model, Governor Dan Walker, for whom he was a ghost employee in the Department of Local Government Affairs.

The sign Governor Rod Blagojeich had erected over Illinois toll booths.

When the Department of Transportation changed the entry signs to the State of Illinois to remove Blagojevich’s name, Quinn followed Walker’s excellent example.

"Welcome to Illinois" sign with Governor Rod Blagojevich's name.

The current "Welcome to Illinois" sign does not have Governor Pat Quinn's name.

He left his name off.

Way back in 1973, I was so impressed this newly-elected Republican sent the newly-elected Democrat a letter of praise.

Quinn deserves similar praise.

Apparently the leading candidate for the Republican gubernatorial nomination (according to the Chicago Tribune pollster), Jim Ryan, has called for privatizing the Illinois Tollway.

Actually, I see in the Daily Herald, Ryan wants to sell it.

One of his DuPage County opponents, Kirk Dillard has found my email address (Ryan hasn’t yet) and offers the following reaction seen below.

Dillard, by the way, is coming to Crystal Lake’s 1776 restaurant tomorrow morning from 8-9:30 to meet folks. Complimentary breakfast will be available at the event being hosted by State Senator Pam Althoff.

Dillard’s press release follows:

Dillard Statement on Privatizing the Tollway System

LISLE, Ill- State Senator Kirk Dillard, Republican candidate for governor, today released the following statement regarding Jim Ryan’s support of privatizing the tollway:

“It sounds like Jim Ryan is taking a page out of Rod Blagojevich’s playbook and looking for short-term solutions to the state budget problems.  It’s a risky scheme that threatens motorists, primarily suburban drivers, with massive toll increases and could put current bondholders in jeopardy.

“When other states have privatized their toll roads, tolls have skyrocketed, just like parking meter rates in the city of Chicago. I successfully worked with then State Senator and current Congressman Peter Roskam to protect motorists when Blagojevich tried to do the same thing.

“Let’s not lose site of the fact that suburban drivers have tossed hundreds of millions of nickels, dimes and quarters into the toll baskets for the past 50 years. The only way I would even consider leasing the tollway is if there is a guarantee the money would be used for infrastructure and after consultation with economists, transportation experts and leaders from areas served by the toll roads.”

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Privatizing is not the same as selling a public asset. Privatizing the tollway might make it more efficient. I remember Jim Thompson named one of his State Policeman body guards as his first Tollway director. He started cutting employees and trying to save money and got the boot. Replacing him was Thompson’s chief fund raiser.

That’s what future Governor Pat Quinn told the Chicago Tribune.

The egotistical signs cost $15,000 each.

It takes 37,500 forty-cent tolls to raise $15,000 to pay for each sign.

It takes 1.2 MILLION passes through the automatic toll lanes to pay for all 32 signs.

Pretty expensive for campaign signs.

The vendor, Western Remac Inc., based in Woodridge, gave $1,200 to Blagojevich’s 2002 bid for governor. It had been a tollway vendor for two decades when the contract was signed.

You will note Blagojevich does not have his name on signs where the roads turn into freeways.

I wonder if Quinn will also take down Blagojevich’s name off the “Welcome to Illinois” signs at the state line.

When Governor Dan Walker came into office, one of the first things he did was take Republican Governor Richard Ogilvie’s name off those signs and replace it with “The People of Illinois.”

Click to enlarge any image.

That’s what future Governor Pat Quinn told the Chicago Tribune.

The egotistical signs cost $15,000 each.

It takes 37,500 forty-cent tolls to raise $15,000 to pay for each sign.

It takes 1.2 MILLION passes through the automatic toll lanes to pay for all 32 signs.

Pretty expensive for campaign signs.

The vendor, Western Remac Inc., based in Woodridge, gave $1,200 to Blagojevich’s 2002 bid for governor. It had been a tollway vendor for two decades when the contract was signed.

You will note Blagojevich does not have his name on signs where the roads turn into freeways.

I wonder if Quinn will also take down Blagojevich’s name off the “Welcome to Illinois” signs at the state line.

When Governor Dan Walker came into office, one of the first things he did was take Republican Governor Richard Ogilvie’s name off those signs and replace it with “The People of Illinois.”

Click to enlarge any image.