A Couple Of Political Observations

Is it me or did anyone catch how the media totally missed the fact that President Barack Obama did not attend the celebration for the 20 year anniversary of the falling of the Berlin Wall? November 9, 2009 marked the 20 year anniversary of an important event in recent history... the fall of the Berlin Wall. Many heads of state travelled to Germany to take part in the remembrance of the beginning of the end for Communism. This included British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, French President Nicholas Sarkozy and Russian President Dmitry Medvedev. Even Mikhail Gorbachev and Polish anti-communist leader Lech Walesa were in attendance. But US President Barack Obama was no where to be found.

Pres. Obama claimed his agenda was just too full for him to attend. It's funny. In early October when his schedule was full, but he was able to find time to travel to Copenhagen with his wife and Oprah Winfery to lobby for the Olympics to come to Chicago. Not to mention, Obama has travelled abroad more during his first year in office than any other US President.  It makes one wonder where his priorities are.

The US was a major player in the Cold War.  Doesn't it look bad that the US President is absent from this important global celebration? The US had no representation in the event at all.  At the very least, he should have sent Vice President Joe Biden to represent the United States. Sure, we run the risk of him opening his mouth and making a gaffe. But we've had 8 years of that; one more time is not going to hurt anything.

The second thing that I have observed is Obama unable to make a decision regarding the war in Afghanistan. Granted, those are tough decisions to make. But that's what a US President needs to do. President Obama receives daily briefings so he should know everything that is going on. He has received opinions and advice from our generals, experts and his staff for the past several weeks. It has now come to the point where it has been made clear there are only a few options to take. Mr. Obama wants to devise another option for him to take.

Let me read between the lines here. As a typical politician, he is looking for the magical option that will make him look good politically, first and foremost. Winning a war against terrorism and reducing the risk of losing lives is second to that.

Put simply, what we need here is leadership. With leadership, you have to make a decision. Sometimes, making no decision can be more harmful than making the wrong decision. Mr. Obama, it's time to shit or get off the pot. Traveling to Asia and reestablishing ties there has its own merits. But the Afghanistan situation has been going on for months. Whatever action we take there will need time to implement. And right now you are wasting time by not making a decision.

And one last observation... anyone notice, and correct me if I'm wrong, that the current time table for all troops out of Iraq is in 2011. Wasn't that time table set by the Bush Administration? Didn't Obama say he was going to bring the troops home from Iraq first thing once in he was in office? Did he not say he was going to focus more on Afghanistan as well? Time will tell.

Correction & Amplification: Turns out, Obama did send Secretary of State Clinton to Germany for the 20th Anniversary remembrance.  However, I still think that looks pretty weak that every other country's top leader was there but the United States'.

Apple vs Microsoft

I think my favorite commercials on TV currently are the PC and Mac commercials... the one where the PC character favors Microsoft founder Bill Gates and the Mac character favors Apple founder Steve Jobs. These commercials are sometimes more entertaining for me than the actual program I'm watching.

The battle between Microsoft and Apple has probably been going on for 20 years now. Most of those years, Microsoft has been the declared winner. But only in sales and marketing. I think for the most part, the Apple Mac product was probably far superior. Unfortunately, it never gained any traction with the consumer. I always speculated that Microsoft catered to the business and corporate users while Apple catered more towards desktop publishing. This gave Microsoft and PCs an early advantage as all businesses needed "number crunching" software. However, I believe things are starting to change.

Previously, Apple was pretty much on life support while Microsoft was making money hand over fist. I had read somewhere that if you had purchased $100 worth of Microsoft stock in 1989 and held it for 10 years, it would have been worth $60,000 in 1999. But with the Internet/tech boom of the 90's, you would have done really well if you got out in 1999. Since then, Steve Jobs returned to Apple and the company was once again innovative. Since that time, the company introduced the iPod product, the iPhone and have for the most part reinvented the Mac product line.

In the summer of 2008, I was in the market for a new laptop computer. I had first considered a PC laptop, but I knew it would have come equipped with Microsoft Vista. Vista is a full blown, multi-definition of "failure," "disaster," and "headaches." And I was tired of these computers that would take 6 or 7 minutes to completely boot up, only to then run in a slow, unstable environment. I had a friend who had previously purchased a Macbook. He didn't have enough time to fully review it for me, but claimed he liked it for the brief amount of time he did have it. Well, since I mainly use a laptop for surfing the Internet, e-mail and other generic uses, I decided to take the plunge into the world of Mac.

There's a bit of a learning curve to using a Mac, that is if you've spent 25 years using Microsoft. I got home with the Macbook and it was able to log onto the Internet by plugging in a Cat 5 line into my home network. My wireless router was too old and was incompatible with the Macbook. So then, another purchase... the Apple Time Capsule. This is a 500GB backup drive with wireless router. It took no time to start up and was many times faster. And it worked well with my PCs in the house.

Over time, I preferred working on my Macbook over my PCs. This summer, I replaced my office PC with a new iMac. Works like a charm. It is so much faster and stable. It also doesn't take as much space and it is by far quieter; there's no clunky fan sounds. And better yet, in less than 45 seconds, it is fully booted up vs. my PC with took about 7 minutes.

Earlier this month, I did encounter my first problem with an Apple product. My Apple Time Capsule crapped on me. I believe the hard drive in it was fine, but the power unit quit working. As with everything else, it stops working shortly after the warranty expires. I called Apple support and was able to talk to Dave, an American citizen in California. Dave was extremely helpful. To make a long story short, Dave worked with me to find an option to exchange out the unit for a minimal price. However, I thought I might have to get some files off of that hard drive. He also help me with that, though it turned out I didn't need to. Dave is the first customer service rep that I have ever dealt with that not only returned my call, but 5 minutes after he left a message on my voice mail, called me back again in hopes I was available. Apple customer service has to be the best customer service I have ever used.

In less than 2 days, I received a new Apple Time Capsule, I put the old one in the same box, sealed it up, tore off the top sticker, which then displayed a new one that was pre-paid and I simply dropped it off to be sent back to Apple. Incredible!

I have since purchased an iMac for my home computer and it's due to arrive on Wednesday this week. I have pretty much, 99%, converted to Apple. So, goodbye Microsoft. Yea, I know Windows 7 came out last Thursday. Good for you, but I think I'll stick with Mac.

If I were to make a prediction, I will say in 10 years, if that, Apple will have gained far more market share than PCs. Millions of consumers are using iPods and iPhones and are completely satisfied with them. This is their introduction to other Apple products. If these iPods and iPhones are so good, they will probably check out their computers as well. It's only a matter of time.

Say No To 2016 Olympics In Chicago

This is likely to be another boondoggle in the making. Only in gigantic proportions. I'm speaking of the possible selection of Chicago hosting the 2016 Olympics. Not only would this decision allow the international community to experience Chicago and Illinois corruption up close, but will most probably end up becoming another money loser for our near-bankrupt state.

Chicago is at odds against Madrid, Tokyo and Rio De Janerio for hosting rights. It has projected a cost outlay of $4.8 billion to prepare the city to host the Olympics that year; the lowest of all the contending cities. Now I'm guessing it will cost much more. When was the last time you saw a government entity come close to projections. Once the corruption begins, the paybacks are made and palms greased, it's going to cost much, much more. And who is going to pay for all this? That's right, you and me.

Instead of the City of Chicago solely paying for all this needed infrastructure, the State of Illinois will most likely be paying for much of it. Should the Olympics prove profitable, it will be Chicago who reaps the rewards. Moreover, the taxpayers who reside in places such as Quincy, Mt Vernon or Carbondale will be paying for Olympic infrastructure. And when the games are finally being played, what benefits will the people in these fine towns see?

Supporters state that some games will be held outside of Chicago and that fans will be staying at hotels hundreds of miles from the host city. That's very probably and the outskirts of Chicago will likely see benefits of some sort. But taxpayers further downstate, like Carbondale, will not see any benefits. Why should they have to pay into this, take the risk and have absolutely no return?

And that's assuming there will be return. From what I understand, many cities that have hosted the Olympics have, overall, never realized a return on investment. It's more of the "build it and they will come" mentality.

I'm not even going to speculate how the crime element may be run out of Chicago for the Olympics and part of it relocates to Peoria.

The wheels are in motion and Chicago is already one of the finalists. We'll just have to wait and see what the International Olympic Commission decides.

Wacko Jacko: Enough is Enough

I don't know about anyone else, but there is way too much pomp and circumstance and media attention to his passing. Today is to be his memorial service. If you didn't know better, you'd think the President of the United States had died. This past weekend, rouge nation North Korea launched not one, not two, but 5 missiles, with the intention of hitting Hawaii. You'd think that would get the top headline but no, its about Michael Jackson and what toilet paper he used. What is wrong with the American public?!

On two different occasions within a ten year period, he has been charged with child molestation. Jackson even admitted to sleep overs with children in an interview and called it "charming." And remember back in the 80's he was prancing around with Emanual Lewis. I have no doubt that in his mind he actually believes there is nothing wrong with his sleepovers. I believe Michael Jackson to be mentally ill, who has surrounded himself with greed executives and yes men that had fueled him to other strange behavior. This is a guy (and I use that term loosely here) who would otherwise be homeless, living on a park bench somewhere had he not got a break in show business.

And by the way, what was so great about the Jackson 5 anyway? And what was so ground breaking about his Thriller video? It was a longer than normal music video, using the same special effects from the movie An American Werewolf in London and a cheesy dance routine from monsters. In the last 10-15 years, he wanted a comeback album, tour... whatever. However, he appeared to be very frail, even at one point, coming into a courtroom with a cane. So he plans basically a Vegas act for London's O2 arena. From the video clips of his rehearsals, he's not doing anything too dynamic. I just don't understand all the fascination of this once black man, to a white man, to a white woman to grey alien.

So let's face it. Jackson is gone. Deal with it and move on.

Dream Block

Well, it's over!  The local museum referendum passed yesterday, roughly 51% to 49% or by a mere 409 votes. A real landslide, I know. I don't have the actual numbers in front of me, but it was defeated outside the city of Peoria with about 60% of the vote. That to me was expected because I doubt people in places like Glasford and Brimfield are going to visit this museum on any regular basis. 

And since the referendum did not win by a strong margin, I think this tells us the museum will not be as popular as their supporters are claiming it to be. Peoria is a small, mid-western city and that's all.  Perhaps a "Chicago-wannabe" but that's all. It is not a tourist destination and it never will be. Get over it. 

The museum supporters and organizers rant on how people will travel for miles to be marveled at the Caterpillar Experience and the Riverfront Museum. They also predict how this museum will revitalize the downtown area. So basically, the John Q. Public family of 4 in Anytown, USA are sitting at their kitchen table. They are deciding on where to go for summer vacation. "Hawaii? Disneyworld? Yellowstone? I know, Peoria, IL. They have great museum." If the museum organizers and supporters actually believe something like this is going to happen, they are woefully naive. If so, I have a bridge in a large, eastern US city to sell them... or perhaps they'd be interested in some swamp land. If a museum is going to factor into someone's vacation, chances are they'll go to Chicago's museums or the Smithsonian in Washington DC.

I have trouble visualizing 360,000 museum and Cat Experience visitors per year. Here is what I did visualize about 7 years ago when the debate started about what to do with the old Sears block. First of all, the Shoppes of Grand Prairie would not have happened. The richest soil and best farmland in the world shot to hell. Since Peoria has some fetish about copying things from Chicago, perhaps continue with "Rivertower Center," a take off of Watertower Place. Build a 7-9 floor tower. I originally conceived underground parking, but did not factor in flooding concerns... oops. But on the street level, contain a grocery outlet and drug store to help facilitate people who live downtown. The drug store would even contain an old fashioned soda fountain. The other floors would host specialty retail shopping that you'd find at the Shoppes of Grand Prairie. Certain areas or even a floor or two could be allocated for a museum. The very top floor would be a fine dining restaurant with 360 degree view of the city (killer seats to have for fireworks). Also include an IMAX (with the dome screen) on one end of the block. And here's the kicker... all done by private investment (though I imagine the city would take care of some infrastructure needs).

My dream block is not perfect by any means. It doesn't fit 100% with the Heart of Peoria Plan as it doesn't contain any residential use. But if you want to revitalize downtown, if you want to create a regional draw, then this plan I believe is far superior to the one we now have for the old Sears block. But what is done is done and we have to move on the best we can. I hope for the sake of this community that these museum organizers are correct... because if not, it will be very tough times for Peoria.

Block The Block

Here is just a few of my thoughts and observations regarding the Peoria Riverfront Museum (PRM) that is being proposed.

• It has been 6 or 7 years the organizers have been trying to make this thing a reality. Not enough private donations came in, due to lack of public interest. So now they want to force it upon the public through tax increases, even still the public has no interest in it.
• Caterpillar wants to build its visitor center in conjunction with the PRM. Fine. But how is it they are laying off thousands and cutting benefits, but they can still throw $50 million into this boondoggle?
• There is NO contract with IMAX yet for a theater. Supporters are claiming the theater will be "IMAX-like." So we have no idea whether or not the PRM will have an IMAX theater.
• Museum organizers claim that the museum and the Cat Visitor Center will experience attendance of 360,000 people per year. They claim it will bring millions of dollars to Peoria and revitalize the downtown. However, they still haven't determined what the admission price will be. I don't claim to know everything, but I would think this would be a major component to determining a budget and projections.
• What happens if the PRM does not make its anticipated projections and begins to lose money? Organizers and supports do not have an answer for this question. There is no contingency plan and no exit plan.
• If it should happen, can the museum building be housed for another purpose? Very doubtful.
• Organizers claim the "Block" will create 200-300 construction jobs for 2 years.  That's great! But after 2 years, then what? These jobs dry up.
• Even if this referendum passes, there is still an $11 million shortfall with private donations. Chances are, the taxpayer will be stuck with that too.
• The referendum on the ballot calls this a "public facility tax." This is very vague and could mean many different things. The county could use this to finance other unneeded projects.
• Museum supporters never willingly state that this is a 100% tax increase.
• This referendum states that this tax will sunset in 20 years or less. As Dr. Evil once said, "Riiiiiigggghhhhtt." Here is a brief quiz: name 1 tax that has ever went away?
• Quiz #2: name one project in the past 40 years that has revitalized Peoria's downtown and made money or broke even. This is not a very good track record when you look at all the money loosing activity, ie Civic Center, RiverPlex, Midtown, Gateway Building, stadium.

Before voting, please become educated on this issue. Check out www.nomuseumtax.org for more info as well as checking out the Build the Block campaign. For me personally, a museum would be a good thing. But there is nothing wrong with the current Lakeview campus. In fact, I went there between Christmas and New Years to check out the Picasso exhibit. There was hardly anyone in the place. So why do we need a bigger museum?

The plan for the Peoria Riverfront Museum has too many flaws in it and too many things can go wrong. It is not thought out very well and there is little support for it, overall. If this was a business plan that someone came to me with for capital, I would decline the offer. 

The price tag is too high and a non-profit group should not be taking taxpayer money. The PRM is a want, not a need. Repairing our deteriorating roads... that's a need.

My endorsement is to vote NO on the Public Facility Referendum, commonly known as the museum referendum.

What You Can Do With Misguided Judgement And Spray Paint

I'm driving home yesterday, about mid-afternoon. As I drive about town, I notice all the political signs and taking note who and what is out there. I take special interest in the upcoming referendum on the "Build the Block" issue. Of course its known as a "public facility tax" on the actual written referendum. Regardless, I am interested to see how many vote no signs there are.

I'm at the intersection of Sheridan/Giles and Knoxville and I see that an opposition sign to the museum had been spray painted over.  The sign has in big white letters within a red block (no pun intended), "Vote No." Beneath that is the web site address for the Citizens for Responsible Spending, the group that is organized to stop museum plan. The word "No" and the web address was spray painted over with the same shade of red. Oddly, the opposite side of the sign was not vandalized.

Driving north on Knoxville, I noticed the exact same thing to another Vote No sign by Edgewild subdivision. But this is all I've seen; who knows how many signs have been damaged.

So, are the museum supporters so desperate that they now have to stoop to this level? I'm afraid to ask what could happen if this referendum does not pass.

Don't Be A Blockhead!

Last month, I received an e-mail from a friend who is currently living overseas. It was a message he forwarded to me regarding the Peoria Riverfront Museum. Obviously, someone in the Peoria area keeping him updated. At any rate, he thought this was something the Peoria Jaycees could become involved. Posted below was my response:

It would be better to "plug" to the members to vote AGAINST this referendum.  Here's why (the blue text comments are mine).

 

The Contemporary Art Center enthusiastically supports The Build The Block Campaign. We invite our members to “Be a Blockhead!” by supporting and donating to the Riverfront Museum project through www.BuildTheBlock.org

 

Don't believe the propaganda and if they invite you for some drinks, don't order the Kool-Aid.  You'd have to be "blockhead" to support this boondoggle.

Why is The Block so important to our community?

• The Block is poised to be one of the most important developments in our history, annually drawing an estimated 360,000 visitors and infusing an estimated $7 million to $14 million into our local economy. 

That's what they say now... the projections have changed as much as the wind changes directions.  And they are always based on unlikely conditions.  That's almost 1,000 visitors per day per year.  I recently went to Lakeview to see the Picasso exhibit.  There was hardly anyone there... and this was over the Christmas holiday when school was out.  What makes you think we need a bigger museum?

• The Caterpillar Experience, a world-class attraction, will not be built unless the museum is fully funded.

Cat's got money.  If they really wanted their own museum, let them build it... but not on the taxpayer's dime.  The city can give them a great deal on buying the underlying real estate and then bring in real estate tax revenue indefinitely.

• The 25-month construction phase of The Block will create our own economic stimulus package, generating more than 250 local union jobs each month and $1.8 million in monthly labor payroll.

After 25 months, then what?  Construction jobs dry up.  The museum may do well the first few months, then attendance will drop.  Then revenues drop but expenses will no doubt increase.  This museum will then be unable to support itself.  To survive, the museum will then need to be funded by taxpayer money... yet another failed project to be subsidized by you, the Peoria County taxpayer.

• The Block will provide an investment in our present and our future with hands-on learning and entertainment for people of all ages.

Is that so!  Kind of a high price tag for this type of learning.  I can probably learn more by watching the Discovery Channel or National Geographic.

What is the referendum for?

The referendum is for a Peoria County sales tax increase of 0.25% (a quarter of 1%) to pay for public facilities. The tax will close the gap for public funding needed to Build The Block. 

And this is because earlier, there was not a lot of support from private donations and the public to get this thing built.  So because there is little interest and support for this project, it is being forced onto the public by the powers that be because the powers that be want a museum.

How long will the tax be assessed?

The tax would begin on January 1, 2010, and will be assessed for no more than 20 years to pay off museum bonds issued by Peoria County. 

And then 20 years from now, they'll realize the museum cannot operate on it's own and continued subzidation will be required.  Like the $55 million Civic Center addition they built a couple of years ago to extend the HRA (hotel, recreation and amusement tax) tax because the Civic Center could not operate on its own, this museum will do the exact same thing.  This tax will never go away.  Peoria County citizens will pay for it every time they step up to a cash register.  Bend over.

How much will the sales tax be?

The tax would equal 25¢ on every $100 spent on select purchases. The tax would be assessed at Peoria County restaurants, Peoria County hotels and on non-titled, non-food retail goods. Titled goods such as boats, cars, or property will not be taxed. 

Oh yea, a little bit here, a little bit there... but it all adds up in the end.  Face it, we are TAXED TO DEATH!!

How does Peoria County sales tax compare with neighboring counties?

• Peoria County sales tax would increase from 0.25% to 0.50% You mean a 100% increase?!  OUCH!!

• Current Tazewell County sales tax: 0.50%

• Current Woodford County sales tax: 1.0%

And now for those who live in the City of Peoria... add in the city sales tax too.  Be sure you're lubed up for this one.

What should I look for on the April 7 Peoria County ballot?

Only one referendum will appear on the ballot. Below is the referendum text. The language of the referendum will not mention the Peoria Riverfront Museum, but rather "public facility purposes."

To pay for public facility purposes, shall Peoria County be authorized to impose an increase on its share of local sales taxes by 0.25% for a period not to exceed 20 years?

This means that a consumer would pay an additional $0.25 in sales tax for every $100 of tangible personal property bought at retail. If imposed, the additional tax would cease being collected at the end of 20 years, if not terminated earlier by a vote of the County Board.

"Public Facility Purposes" is very vague.  Can mean almost anything.  And sure, this round of taxation will end in 20 years, but what's to stop them for initiating another one to take it's place?  They sure did it with the Civic Center.

What happens if the referendum does not pass?

The Block won’t have sufficient public funding to proceed. The project will lose all of the public and private funds already pledged ($67 million), as well as the Caterpillar Experience. 

Good!  Then maybe we can use whatever money we have to fix real problems, like our repairing our outdated and almost collapsed sewer system at a cost of over $100 million, or to fully fund our police and fire departments, or... the list could go on.

Note: I noticed in the e-mail message that public and private funds donated were $67 million. In the last week, I received a mailing stating $90 million was already raised. On March 7 in the Forum section of the Peoria Journal Star, a letter from Caterpillar VP Sid Banwart claims over $80 million. The numbers and figures on this project change so much, no one knows what to believe. This is yet another clue to vote NO on the Museum Referendum on April 7, 2009.

Toyota vs Ford

To read a good analogy of what American corporate culture has succumbed to today, read this. This is a post from a conservative blog called Illinois Review, which I glance at every once in a while.

Disclaimer: I have owned a '97 Ford F-150 and was very pleased with it. Earlier this year, I traded that for an '08 F-150 and again I have been very pleased with this Ford product and have found both trucks to be of high quality. I did chuckle a bit reading this story, however, it is a sad truth.

AMVETS Building Not Historic

The powers that be voted Tuesday night not to designate the Amvets building as a historical landmark. And I am happy with the decision and happy for the Amvets!

I think it was wrong for the Central Illinois Landmark Foundation (CILF... not Chicks I'd Like to F...) to push for this designation after 5 or 6 years the Amvets were trying to sell their building and they finally received a bid and purchase agreement. I belive that many on the city council voted it down because of the situation many of these players were in.

According to CILF, the building passed the criteria to be considered "historic." And it is probably so. But in my opinion, from what I know, I think it is just an old building with beautiful design. They just don't make buildings like that anymore. But what was historic about it? And CILF wanted the city council to stand with them and designate this building a historic landmark. And once this is done, they wanted the Amvets to make the proper improvements and refurbishments at their expense. This is what I think is really wrong.

As a property owner, you have several responsibilities. You need to ensure that your property is kept up on modern fire and saftey codes, follow any zoning laws and make sure it is clean of litter and nuisance free. But if CILF had their way, what right do they have to force the Amvets to make unneeded renovations to satisfy the historic landmark certification?

The Amvets is not made of money. Their membership is declining rapidly from older members passing away and younger veterans not signing up to join. The reason they were selling was to get a smaller, more manageable and economical facility. That is what they were going to do with the proceeds. The Amvets next door neighbor, the Riverside Community Church, was going to raze the building to make way for a youth center. Basically, shit happens and life goes on. While I hate to see a beautiful old building go down, the alternative would have been for the Amvets to stay where they are and watch the building, and their post, fester.

It would be unlikely for the Amvets to sell this building had this historic landmark been made. Who is going to buy a building that was just designated as a historical landmark and that they would have to put upwards to a $1 million of renovations? Instead, if CILF really wants to save that building, they need to buy it themselves and they can then perform whatever refurbishments are needed on their dime. As it stands now, its the Amvets building and they can do what they want with it, within reason of course. And that includes selling it to Riverside so they can begin construction of its youth center.

This Was Nothing

Warning: This post may not be safe for the squeamish.



There is a recent interview with Alaska Governor Sarah Palin by a local Anchorage TV station where she is involved in preparing turkeys for Thanksgiving. In the background, you see some of the process it takes to get the bird to the store and/or dining room table. In effect, there has been some disgust and outrage.

This is nothing. I will admit, the camera operator may have picked a better backdrop, whether they were gutting a turkey or field dressing a deer. But I am guessing that those who find this disgusting are pretty much "city folk" who more or less have never seen, nor never imagined, some of the things that go on out in the country. I've seen much worse. Each winter I head down to St. Thomas, MO to partake in the annual hog butchering with my Uncle and cousins. My Uncle's neighbor does all the really hard work. We purchase the hog from him and we simply cut out the pieces we want, i.e. pork chops, ribs, bacon, sausage, etc. I like to go for the liver sausage myself, which entails a lot of "head meat." (I've got pictures and video if anyone is interested. I debated about putting them up, but decided not to.)

My mom has told me stories of her childhood living in Argyle, MO. They did not have much. So whatever meat or vegetables they grew, they tried to make the most of it. That's what everyone did after going through the Great Depression. If they decided to have chicken for dinner, my Grandma would go out to get a chicken and would swing it around to break its neck. After it was done flopping around, my Mom (or perhaps some of my aunts and uncles) would have the duty to take the feathers off of it.

My Grandma also had 2 cousins that lived on a nearby farm. They were two bachelors who never married or had kids. There was no running water on the farm and only electricity for a light and a refrigerator in the kitchen. That's all. And it stayed that way until they died in the mid-1990s. And each December, they would butcher hogs that they raised all year. And there was no mechanical process; it was all done by hand and it was hard work. I experienced it myself one year.

Food and meat just doesn't magically appear wrapped in cellophane at the grocery store. It needs to be grown, prepared and shipped there. On the farm, all this is done on a much smaller scale; the commercial operations can be gross.

So for those who live on a farm or out in the country, this is really no big deal. It's a part of everyday life. For those who live in urban areas, I can imagine this seems gross and cruel. As for the TV station that conducted the interview with Ms. Palin, to all of them in Alaska, this was probably not strange to them; only to many of us in the lower 48. But out on the farm if you're hungry, and want to eat right, you do what you have to because as a local TV newsman says, "you gotta eat!" HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

The AMVETS Debacle

File this one under "What the hell are they thinking" folder.

I've been reading here and there about the situation between the local Amvets Post 64 and the Central Illinois Landmark Foundation (CILF). CILF wants to designate the current Amvets building on Monroe St as a historical landmark. But CILF decides to do this right before the Amvets is to close on the sale of the building.

For the past 5 or 6 years, the Amvets have been trying to sell its building so that it could move to a smaller and more manageable facility. Finally, the Riverside Church agreed to purchase the Amvets building so that it could expand its church. This would then allow the Amvets to move to the former Penguin Tap in Peoria Hts. Until now...

CILF has single handily thrown a monkey wrench into the whole works. Riverside Church has backed off from the deal siting uncertainty over what the outcome will be since they would not be able to expand the church if CILF gets their way. Why did they wait this entire time while the structure was for sale and then during the 11th hour before closing, they want to designate the building as historic? This reeks of CILF purposely wanting to derail the Amvets/Riverside deal for reasons unknown.

The Peoria Jaycees monthly membership meetings have taken place there since 1994. And since the Amvets provides a meeting place, the Jaycees have supported the Amvets and will continue to do so. As a member of the Peoria Jaycees, as well as an associate member of the Amvets, I've spent considerable time in the building and I'm familiar with it. It is costly to maintain. Considerable capital would be needed to rehab it, which the Amvets does not have. So if the building should get the historic designation, it's very unlikely it will be fixed up anyway. And that's some gall... CILF telling the Amvets that their building is historic and they have to fix the place up on their dime. It's Amvets' building; they can do what they want with it.

The Amvets have other problems. Their membership is declining as its older veterans are either dying or falling ill while younger veterans are simply not joining. They also don't have the financial strength to remain there indefinitely, let alone rehabbing it because its a historic landmark.

I don't know where CILF gets off on taking this course of action, but if they really want to designate this building as a historic landmark, they should buy it from the Amvets for the same price Riverside was going to buy it. Then the Amvets can move as planned and CILF can foot the bill (and it probably would be a 7 digit figure) to rehab the place.

... end rant...

Is Common Courtesy Too Much To Ask

Is everyone getting tired of all the television and radio ads of all the candidates for political office? The election season is simply way too long now days. And the way all these ads are run, all these candidates must want these offices really bad. Or do they?

I was not in attendance for this forum. This story was told to me by one of the organizers of this event, so technically, it's hearsay. But it comes from a very good source.

The Peoria Jaycees, along with the Biltmore Heights Neighborhood Association and the North Florence Neighborhood Association held a Local Candidates Forum on September 30th at Unity Church. In organizing the event, they invited all candidates for the 18th Congressional District, the 92nd Illinois Representative District, Peoria County Board for that area of the city, the Peoria County Coroner and the Peoria County States Attorney. Colleen Callahan, running for Congress, was the first to respond to the invitation. She unfortunately had other commitments, but offered to send someone to represent her. On the night of the event, Johanna Ingersoll was the first to arrive. Her opponent, Steve Schmidt was one of the last to arrive. The most headed exchange that night was between candidates for States Attorney, Kevin Lyons and Darin LaHood.

As for Aaron Schock, the organizers did not hear one way or another from him or his campaign if he could attend. Granted, there was not a lot of people there, Schock should have at least offered the common courtesy to respond to the invite. I guess these constituents didn't matter enough for him... not even for him to take the time to RSVP.

This is not the only time he has snubbed the Jaycees. In 2004 we tried to give him an award at the annual Distinguished Service Awards. He claimed he was unable to attend the banquet, and these things have happened with other award recipients. But usually these award winners get someone they work with or a family member to accept on their behalf. Not Aaron Schock. Despite how connected he is or appears to be, he claimed he could not find one person to accept his award. You can read more here.

I look at the slate of all candidates for office this year and I'm greatly disappointed as I am every 2 years. Again, we are getting more the same. We need leadership, not more politicians. I'll take an honest "average Joe" over a typical politician any day.

I Just Saved $5,000...

... and I didn't even have to switch my car insurance to Geico!

On Friday, July 25, 2008, President George Bush traveled to Peoria to help fund raise campaign dollars for the 27-year old Republican candidate for Congress, Aaron Schock. The event was held at Weavers' Farm around 1:30pm and it cost $500 a plate, and for another $5,000, you could have your picture taken with the President.

A few hours later at 4pm, when folks finally got off work, Democratic candidate Colleen Callahan held a fish fry at the Kickapoo Sportsmen Club, where it was only $15 for the Walleye dinner. Photos were free!!

Actually, I think I saved $10 grand because I had 2 pictures taken.

Just Schocking!!

I usually don't get around to reading the paper until the evening. Yes, I know, it's old news by then. But it's the relaxing thing to do after dinner while watching yet another rerun of Seinfeld. RLO Today has always been a blog without any political comments... until now.

On the front page of today's paper featured a story stating that US Representative candidate Aaron Schock is now claiming that his position of selling nuclear weaponry to Taiwan "was in jest." What dope is this kid smoking? First he makes this reckless position. Then he retracts it. Now he says it was a joke. If I remember correctly, didn't he present this position when he announced his candidacy a couple of months ago? If this was really a joke at that time, you would think he would say "Just kidding," or something to that effect and then explain his real position. But he didn't. And with his candidacy announcement, you would think there would be a lot of people watching.

Since I don't live in Peoria or in the 92nd District, I've never had to vote for or against him. But I've had a brief encounter with the "boy wonder" in the past. As a member of the Peoria Jaycees, I volunteered to co-chair the Distinguished Service Awards Banquet in 2004. It was my last year until I aged out and wanted to chair one last project. The DSA Banquet is like a 40 under 40 awards program. Of the categories awarded is in government.

Aaron Schock was nominated and selected for the Good Government Award. In coordinating with his nominator for dinner arrangements at the event, she stated that Schock could not attend do to a conflicting event. I said that was no problem as we've had these problems from time to time in the past. I asked if he could have a family member, friend or co-worker accept the award for him. I was told that there was no one available to do this on that evening. "Not one person can accept this for him?" I asked. "No" was the answer I was given. I was actually dumbfounded.

I then said, "You mean to tell me that out of all the people he knows, with all his connections and popularity, there is not one person who can attend the dinner and accept an award he is winning?" Schock's nominator said, "Tell me about it." I could sense some disgust about him the way she said it.

We held the event and all went well. I think we basically told the audience that Aaron Schock won the Charles C. Schlink Good Government Award but was unable to accept it or make arrangements for someone to accept in his behalf. Basically, we told them the truth. Shortly after, I get a call asking if we can present the award at the District 150 School Board meeting. Wanting to keep the Peoria Jaycees in a good light and positive image, I agree.

My co-chair and I presented the award to Schock and he was very sincere and thankful. He seemed very honored and appreciative to win the award. We then went our separate ways. Now fast forward to 2007. Aaron Schock refuses to go to any debate if any his opponents will be video taping the session. He claims he's afraid that his opponents might use something he says out of context. I begin to think that may have been why he did not want to go to the DSA Banquet that February evening in 2004. Someone might have been video taping him. Instead, he was seen by several as a no show. If you're going to be a public figure, you have to get use to people using recording equipment on you.

If our boy wonder keeps up all this odd behavior, the real joke will be him. And I'm speaking from experience!