WHAT'S YOUR OPINION......VOTE IN THE POLL!

Vote (and add your comment) in the Better Government Association poll regarding the number of Alderman needed in the City of Chicago: Link here.

MUST READ...

Try to wrap your head around this....

"Today just 400 Americans have more wealth than half of all Americans combined."

"Let me say that again. 400 obscenely rich people, most of whom benefited in some way from the multi-trillion dollar taxpayer "bailout" of 2008, now have more loot, stock and property than the assets of 155 million Americans combined. If you can't bring yourself to call that a financial coup d'état, then you are simply not being honest about what you know in your heart to be true."

Read the full article here.

THE BIG LIE(S) ABOUT PUBLIC EMPLOYEE UNIONS......

Why can't we get the truth from the Main Stream Media about major, current issues?  The reporting and impression left regarding the situation in Wisconson and 'public employee' unions, is that they feed at the taxpayer's trough. IT'S A LIE perpetrated by 'RepubliCON' right wing politicians and their shills, Corporate special interest lobbyists and the MSM.  Here are the FACTS!

THE ELECTION RESULTS.......

Congratulations to both of the major 49th Ward Aldermanic candidates....

To Joe Moore for his strong win!

To Brian White for his  integrity and effort in running a campaign based on the issues!

Now it's time for all to move forward, working together, in the best interest of all the constituents of the 49th Ward.

49th WARD ALDERMANIC RACE ENDORSEMENT....

Readers of this blog are well aware of my disappointment with Joe Moore's 20 year record as Alderman of the 49th Ward.  His form of 'leadership' has been divisive and not in the best interest of the residents of the 49th Ward, focusing on special interest, driven by campaign donations and a lack of real community input and/or serious long range planning for the future of the Ward and it's residents.  Therefore, as stated in an earlier post, "I urge everyone to cast their Vote for Brian White in tomorrows election for Alderman of the 49th Ward.  After 20 years of Mr. Moore's brand of 'leadership?' it is  more apparent than ever that we need real change to come to the 49th Ward and its'  56,000 residents."

 Mike Luckenbach

 I encourage everyone to read "Decision Time" posted by Kheris in the 'Living Room In Rogers Park' blog yesterday.  And then there's this from Toni at 24/7 North of Howard Watchers.

PHOTOS FROM THE HOWARD AREA LEADERSHIP ACADEMY CANDIDATE FORUM

(click photos to enlarge)

Thanks to the students, faculty and staff from the Howard Area Leadership Academy for providing this opportunity to the neighborhood to hear from aldermanic candidate Brian White on a wide range of issues.  It was very informative and very well done!  A special thanks to candidate Brian White for his insightful and thoughtful responses to the excellent questions.  Congratulations to all!

TOWN HALL MEETING/CANDIDATE FORUM NORTH OF HOWARD

(click on flier to enlarge)

Note that this is a morning event: 
Thursday, February 17th, 2011

 10AM to 11AM at 7649 N. Paulina!  
 Also note that the incumbent Alderman has
declined to participate with the Leadership Academy faculty, students and North of Howard residents, in this forum!  Challenger Brian White will be present to respond to community concerns and questions.

EARLY VOTING HAS STARTED..

Early voting for the 2011 Municipal General Election will be available at 51 Chicago sites from Jan. 31 through Feb. 17, 2011.  Chicago voters may use any city site, regardless of where they live. Voters don't need a reason or excuse to use Early Voting -- but voters do need to present government-issued photo identification.
Click here for important information if you are not registered to vote at your current address. 
Ballots cast in Early Voting are final. After casting ballots in Early Voting, voters may not return to amend, change or undo a ballot for any reason. It is a felony to vote more than once -- or to attempt to vote more than once -- in the same election.

All locations will be open Monday through Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., except for Lincoln's Birthday on Fri., Feb. 11.  Early Voting locations in the 48th, 49th & 50th Wards are:

48th Ward - Edgewater Library 1210 W. Elmdale Ave.: Mon. thru Sat., 9 am-5 pm
49th Ward - Pottawattomie Park 7340 N. Rogers Ave.: Mon. thru Sat., 9 am-5 pm
50th Ward - Warren Park 6601 N. Western Ave.: Mon. thru Sat., 9 am-5 pm

Three locations (the Board's offices at 69 W. Washington, Welles Park and Mount Greenwood Park) also will be open from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays and Lincoln's Birthday on Fri., Feb. 11.

Chicago Board of Elections

49th WARD CANDIDATES FORUM

Hey All;

 

Last night Charlie Didrickson added a special feature to rogerspark.com - an On Line candidate's forum. Charlie will be responsible for monitoring it, overseeing posts.

 

This represents our attempt at developing a viable dialogue within the community on election issues, where we hope that it inspires responsible dialogue.

 

Please check it out, let others know about it, and most important, spend a few minutes adding a comment or two..

We hope that you'll find that the process of adding comments is relatively intuitive, though the first time through is always the toughest.

Thanks,

Mike Glasser

Rogerspark.com

MUST READ

 Top 5 Quotes From Newly-Elected

Climate Deniers.

Climate deniers won an unprecedented number of political offices in the 2010 Midterm Elections. (See yesterday's  'QUOTE FOR THE DAY' post).  It's sad to see that America has reached a place where attacking scientists and their work is not only acceptable, but helps win elections.

 "With the possible exception of Tiger Woods, nothing has had a worse year than global warming. We have discovered that a good portion of the science used to justify "climate change" was a hoax perpetrated by leftist ideologues with an agenda." —Todd Young, new congressperson from Indiana

"I absolutely do not believe that the science of man-caused climate change is proven. Not by any stretch of the imagination. I think it’s far more likely that it’s just sunspot activity or something just in the geologic eons of time where we have changes in the climate." —Ron Johnson, new senator from Wisconsin

"I think we ought to take a look at whatever the group is that measures all this, the IPCC, they don't even believe the crap." —Steve Pearce, new congressperson from New Mexico

"It's a bigger issue, we need to watch 'em. Not only because it may or may not be true, but they're making up their facts to fit their conclusions. They've already caught 'em doing this." —Rand Paul, new senator from Kentucky

"There isn't any real science to say we are altering the climate path of the earth." —Roy Blunt, new senator from Missouri 

QUOTE FOR THE DAY.....

~ In politics stupidity is not a handicap. ~ 
 Napoleon Bonaparte

MUST WATCH VIDEO

I remember...and you should too!

MUST READ FROM TODAY'S SUN-TIMES.....

Voters’ ignorance hamping Dems
By Robyn Blumner

It was a lady in a bar who made me realize Democrats were in trouble in the midterm elections.

   In February, my husband and I were in Austin, Texas, at the Saxon Pub waiting to see a local band, when a middle-age woman sitting next to us started telling us about her life. Long story short, she’s divorced and deeply worried about losing her job and the health benefits it provides. She recently had shoulder surgery and now it looks like she’ll need another operation.

   She asked me about COBRA, which I explained. Then I said, “You have to hope health-care reform passes,” thinking she would nod in agreement. It was then being fiercely debated in Congress. But instead, she snapped back, “Well, we don’t need a two-thousand-page bill.”

   I was stunned. All she knew about health-care reform was the size of the bill, which she did-n’t like one bit. She couldn’t be bothered with details — I guess   Fox News wasn’t feeding her any.  

   This is the level of ignorance the Democrats are up against. Health-care reform was a signal accomplishment. When fully implemented in 2014, it will make all of our lives, especially my bar friend’s, far more secure. No longer will we be tied to a job for the health benefits or have to worry that a catastrophic illness will exhaust a lifetime insurance cap and bankrupt us. No longer will we be kicked off a policy after getting sick. No longer will health insurance be unaffordable or unavailable to someone with pre-existing conditions.

   On top of all that, the Congressional Budget Office says the program will trim $143 billion off the federal budget deficit over 10 years. How are we not applauding this? Where’s the credit?

   The same can be said for financial reform. Republicans want to repeal it, returning us to the same deregulated, shadow system that allowed Wall Street’s unfettered greed to nearly bring down the financial system a mere two years ago. They want to get rid of the new law’s consumer financial protection bureau, which finally creates a government watchdog over the banks that are trying to rip us off.

   Republicans denounce Obama’s auto industry bailout, even though it worked, saving an estimated 1.1 million jobs. Where’s the credit for that?

   On taxes, Obama gave 95 percent of Americans a tax cut in his stimulus package, but only 8 percent know he has cut taxes while about 33 percent think he has raised them.

   And on the deficit, it’s true Obama has had to exacerbate spending during this time of high unemployment, when the government is the employer and spender of last resort. But economists say the $787 billion stimulus helped avert another Great Depression. All this faux outrage by Republicans is little more than theatrics for a gullible public.

   Where were they when President Bush added $4.9 trillion to the national debt? Oh, I remember, they were busily eliminating the “pay-as-you-go” rules that once required tax cuts and new spending to be paid for without adding to the deficit. Then they launched two wars, cut taxes on the wealthy and added a deficit-busting prescription drug benefit to Medicare.

   All that, plus the financial collapse and the TARP bailouts, meant Bush left Obama a projected $1.2 trillion deficit. But when Obama asked Congress to pass legislation establishing a bipartisan deficit commission to get a long-term handle on national spending, Republicans helped block it. Instead, Obama had to establish a weaker one by executive order.

   Obama has spent the last year and a half cleaning up the mess handed to him, while trying to help average Americans through the worst economic conditions since the Depression. But too many midterm voters haven’t noticed. They are too busy with their contrived, Fox News-fed  worries over the page count of bills to have a clue what’s actually in them, or to know who is really on their side.

   Robyn Blumner is a columnist and member of the editorial board of the St. Petersburg Times.

   Tribune Media Services

ROGERS PARK COFFEE PARTY MEET-UP WITH CONGRESSWOMAN JAN SCHAKOWSKY

 RP Coffee Party Members and Friends!
You are invited an evening of questions and discussion

 with Congresswoman Jan Schakowsky

Join us (a coalition of the Rogers Park, Edgewater, and Evanston Coffee Parties) this Sunday when we meet with our 9th Congressional District Representative Jan Schakowsky at the North Shore Baptist Church in Edgewater.

  Sun, May 16, 4pm – 6pm

 North Shore Baptist Church,
5244 N Lakewood Ave., Chicago IL

 (just 3 blocks west of the CTA's Berwyn "L" Station.)

ROGERS PARK ACTIVIST ATTACKED BY GLENN BECK....

Unbelievable....check out the video here!

UPDATE BREAKING NEWS

Mayor Daley to propose that Chicago's Inspector General has the authority to investigate Aldermen. For more link here & here!

REPOST OF THE PETITION TO EMPOWER CHICAGO'S INSPECTOR GENERAL

PETITION TO CHICAGO'S CITY COUNCIL

"The residents of Chicago, demand that the City of Chicago's Inspector General be given the full legal authority, by ordinance, to have oversight and investigative power over all City Hall departments, including the Office of Mayor and the 50 Ward Aldermen and their staff."

Sign the Petition Here and PLEASE pass this on to your friends and neighbors.

(FYI: This petition was first posted in February of 2009. At the time of this re-post there were 203 signatures, with many interesting comments. Please add yours!)

BUILD YOUR BALLOT AND VOTE TODAY!

Link here to the Tribune's "Build Your Ballot" (right side of page) on line! Once you select the candidates of your choice, you can then print your ballot to take into the voting booth with you. It's quick and easy....a great way to be prepared and knowledgeable when casting your vote!

INFORMATION FROM THE CHICAGO BOARD OF ELECTIONS FOR THE FEBRUARY 2ND PRIMARY

Check Your Registration/Find Polling Place

Offices on the 2010 Ballots

Current List of Candidates, by Party and Office

2010: Frequently Asked Questions

2010: Key Dates/Fast Facts

Election-Related Links


"Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.

Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!"

Benjamin Franklin

RALLY & KICKOFF FOR TOM TRESSER, GREEN PARTY CANDIDATE FOR COOK COUNTY BOARD PRESIDENT

Are you fed up with the same old tired politics of the establishment political parties? If so, you might want to consider an alternative:
The Green Party!

Tom Tresser, a real friend of Rogers Park, is running for Cook County Board Preident on the Green Party Ticket. Tom is kicking off his campaign today.

From Tom Tresser:

"I want to invite you to attend my launch party and official campaign kick off event on Saturday, January 30 at 11:30am. This is going to a people-powered campaign and WE NEED YOU to participate!

I'll will lay out the reasons why I'm running and we'll hear from other Green Party leaders. You will have the opportunity to find out how you can take part in this historic campaign. It's important to us that you have a role in the campaign - we want to hear about your own ideas for improving the county. Additionally, you will meet other activists, organizers and like-minded individuals.

The event is being held on Saturday, January 30 at 11:30am at Jaks Tap, 901 W. Jackson, Chicago. We will be providing pizza, refreshments and entertainment.

Let's work together to take back Cook County government and bring world-class service to the people of Cook County.

See you there!"

Tom Tresser
www.tom2010.us
tom@tom2010.us