McHenry County Blog

The family's five-year old loves to watch the trains delivering food at Wisconsin Dell's Buffalo Phil's, where we dropped over a $100 into Wisconsin pockets, not counting the money grabbers at the arcade.

The Wisconsin State Journal isn’t satisfied with the economic shot in the pocket book that Illinois tourists and students bring to its state’s economy.

It wants more of Illinois residents’ shrinking family income.

The Skinner family was in the Wisconsin Dells at the three water park Wilderness Territory.

I read some interesting depositions and finished up a novel on England’s King Alfred.

And, I handed my credit card to numerous Wisconsin establishments.

Now, the liberals who editorialize to the socialist City of Madison and spread their opinions free of charge (very ideologically pure that paper is) to the resort’s visitors are calling on Congress to allow any state to turn four- or six-lane highways into tollways.

Just like Illinois.

The top of the Wisconsin State Journal's editorial in favor of turning freeways into tollways...at least near Illinois.

In fact, the illustration in the editorial is a photo of toll lanes in Illinois.

If there is any doubt as to the target of this suggestion, read the following:

“An our neighbors to the south–all those Illinois tourists who flock to Wisconsin on weekends and throughout the summer–would contribute to the cost.”

When we went to the Kalahari Water Park in Wisconsin Dells a couple of weeks ago, I was on the lookout for posters about the bargaining rights dispute, the demonstration about which a Friend of McHenry County Blog sent me photos.

I had heard that union members wee going into retail establishments asking permission in a rather heavy-handed approach to put up “We support the union position” posters.

Admittedly, my sample was to small to reach a conclusion that merchants in the Dells wanted no part in the dispute, but my eyes did perk up when I saw the tee shirt below in Buffalo Phil’s:

Where did this high school student get her anti-Republican tee shirt, I wondered.

"Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins.

When I asked what the tee shirt’s message was all about, my hopes of having found something political were dashed.

The teen told me it was a tee shirt to promote a movie entitled, “Down with the Capitol.”

Something about a movie based on a Suzanne Collins’ book entitled, “Hunger Games.”

Below you see the front of the tee shirt, the symbolism of which escapes me

The front of the "Down with the Capitol" tee shirt has a sharp-beaked bird carrying an arrow.

Found a trailer of the movie. Only 1.5 million people have watched it. Good music.

Release date is March 23, 2012.

Maybe Illinois’ Tea Party folks should adopt the tee shirt.

CBS reports on the boycott of the State Senate by Wisconsin Democrats.

When I posted the article below comparing what national Democrats and their cats’ paws had said about conservatives using incendiary rhetoric and what public union members are doing in Madison, Wisconsin, I didn’t know about a tactic being used by their Wisconsin legislative supporters.

Those are the Democrats, just in case you are in doubt.

Apparently at least one person from the minority party must be in the Wisconsin State Senate Chamber before business can be conducted, to meet the quorum requirements.

So, Democrats have left the state…or want people to think so.

Surfing at the Kalahari in the Wisconsin Dells.

Those of us who have visited the Wisconsin Dells know that Madison is not very far north of the Illinois-Wisconsin state line. It’s a long way from Madison to the Kalahari water park.

If you were a Democratic Party state legislator and wanted to get somewhere that the Wisconsin State Police couldn’t get you, wouldn’t you drive down I-90 to Illinois?

Can’t you just hear the cash registers ringing in Rockford?

Maybe at the Clock Tower Inn.

Wisconsin legislative Democrats could cool off by standing under the water tank when it dumps in load.

There’s a water park there named Coco Key.

Madison is so much closer to McHenry County than Springfield I wish the state lines had been drawn at the southern boundaries of McHenry and Lake Counties.

Say, we wouldn’t have to be in the same state as Chicago then, would we?

Sean Driscoll of the Rockford Register wonders if union workers in Illinois, Michigan and Minnesota will boycott Wisconsin.

If so, that might make the resorts less crowded.  They certainly draw a lot of people from Illinois.

= = = = =

If the Wisconsin Democrats don't want to go into the water park, they can sit around the hotel pool.

Since posting this article, the Rockford Register-Star has reported that the Democrats are at the Clock Tower Inn.

When we at Wisconsin Dells, we again stayed at the Kalahari Resort.

The bottom of one of the larger waterslides at the Kalahari Resort in the Wisconsin Dells.

The main draw was the water park, of course, even though the lazy river was closed “because someone did something bad,” according to one of the lifeguards.

The “bad” was seen being scooped up with a net by my son and his friend.

They must have put a good dose of chlorine into water. Maybe enough to cause the rash on my son’s face on Saturday night.

While walking back to the room on the far, far side of the resort we passed a banquet room filled with political types.

There seems to be a vibrant contest of lieutenant governor in Wisconsin. There were signs for Dave Ross, Brett Davis and Rebecca, who must have a long last name, because it isn't on her poster. (I looked it up. It's Kleefisch.)

Posters on the door.

Former Congressman Mark Neumann had his gubernatorial pamphlets at the front table. It turns out he is a homebuilder, just as Bill Brady, the Illinois GOP candidate for governor.

Pamphlets on the check-in table.

On the way to a restaurant (ribs for me), we passed the room again.

$35 a ticket. Hear the Republican primary candidates in Wisconsin.

There were some folks sitting outside whom I took to be staffers. Most had the name “Lee” on them.

Conquering my inhibitions, I asked,

“What’s a Lee?”

Turns out one of the young people was Chad Lee, the Republican candidate for Congress in Wisconsin’s 2nd District. That’s located north of Rockford.

Wisconsin 2nd District Republican congressional candidate Chad Lee was sitting outside the banquet.

“I’m running against the Nancy Pelosi of the Midwest,” he told me. He added that he was a businessman and had no primary opponent.

He handed me his card.

The front of the campaign card Chad Lee handed me.

“You’re name doesn’t stand out enough,” I told him.

The front of Chad Lee's last palm card.

He handed me another card, which I think he said was the fourth version, the first one being the fifth version.

I suggested that his name was easier to read on the fourth version, although looking at the fifth version more carefully, I do like the way his face is presented. But I do think more contrast would be helpful on the name, rather that the shaded effect you see.

Learning we were from Illinois, he told me his grandfather was a Chicago fireman who had retired in Monee, down in Kankakee County.

Thinking of the April 6th Rockford Tea Party Express stop, I’m wondering if Lee will attend.

The Rockford TV stations do cover the southern part of his district. Since Joe Walsh, the GOP candidate from the 8th district is attending and virtually none of his constituents can view Rockford TV, it seems to me that it might be worth the time for Lee to try to get some Southern Wisconsin face time on TV.

I even sent him an email suggesting that.

At one point I read a story in Springfield’s State-Journal Register the Bill Cellini had invented and patented a shower curtain that bowed outward. He installed them in the Hotel Renaissance, which was financed by never-recovered state money approved by Governor Jim Thompson and State Treasurer Jerry Cosentino.

I have a feeling Cellini’s excellent idea was widely copied by other companies.

We saw the same concept at the Key Lime Water Park in Gurnee last spring:

And this past weekend at the old Treasurer Island Hotel, now re-named Hotel Rome, there was another piece of Bill Cellini in the Wisconsin Dells bathroom, connected to the Mt. Olympus Water Park:

So, Bill Cellini doesn’t have to be in the newspapers for me to think of him.

I remember him every time I see this quite practical and innovative idea.

At one point I read a story in Springfield’s State-Journal Register the Bill Cellini had invented and patented a shower curtain that bowed outward. He installed them in the Hotel Renaissance, which was financed by never-recovered state money approved by Governor Jim Thompson and State Treasurer Jerry Cosentino.

I have a feeling Cellini’s excellent idea was widely copied by other companies.

We saw the same concept at the Key Lime Water Park in Gurnee last spring:

And this past weekend at the old Treasurer Island Hotel, now re-named Hotel Rome, there was another piece of Bill Cellini in the Wisconsin Dells bathroom, connected to the Mt. Olympus Water Park:

So, Bill Cellini doesn’t have to be in the newspapers for me to think of him.

I remember him every time I see this quite practical and innovative idea.

It seems that Michigan has figure it out.

I’m not sure is was deliberate, but prosecuting Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in state court will work to deter future corruption in local government.

Why?

The Detroit mayor will have to serve his time in state prison.

If Michigan’s state facilities are as dismal as those in Illinois, that could a real crimp in Michigan’s political crime.

In Illinois, of course, political crooks know the Cook County State’s Attorney will not be the one prosecuting them.

So, no hard time, even if convicted.

The worst time was served by George Ryan’s top assistant, Scott Fawell, in the Dakotas. And the worst part of that was the round-about trip back to Chicago.

Most can expect to go to Oxford, up near the Wisconsin Dells.

That cannot be as much of a deterrent than any of the prisons in the Department of Corrections.

= = = = =
The article you see is from Elgin’s Courier News of last Friday.

The photo of Denny’s is from the Wisconsin Dells. Click to enlarge either image.

It seems that Michigan has figure it out.

I’m not sure is was deliberate, but prosecuting Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick in state court will work to deter future corruption in local government.

Why?

The Detroit mayor will have to serve his time in state prison.

If Michigan’s state facilities are as dismal as those in Illinois, that could a real crimp in Michigan’s political crime.

In Illinois, of course, political crooks know the Cook County State’s Attorney will not be the one prosecuting them.

So, no hard time, even if convicted.

The worst time was served by George Ryan’s top assistant, Scott Fawell, in the Dakotas. And the worst part of that was the round-about trip back to Chicago.

Most can expect to go to Oxford, up near the Wisconsin Dells.

That cannot be as much of a deterrent than any of the prisons in the Department of Corrections.

= = = = =
The article you see is from Elgin’s Courier News of last Friday.

The photo of Denny’s is from the Wisconsin Dells. Click to enlarge either image.