I don't do this too often, but it's looking like a slow start to the week, and many people are off on vacation, so I figured we'd give the floor to TA readers: what's on your mind?
The Russia-Georgia standoff? Hillary's role at the DNC? Veep choices for both candidates? Dan Seals channeling Paris Hilton? School funding reform in Illinois?
Here's your chance to chime in on the issues confronting 10th District politics. Let's see what y'all come up with.
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17 comments:
Saw Seals last night at the Stevenson event. Most folks already knew about his Rangel problems and admitted he is weaker and looks worse than last year.
ButlerLake- didn't hear that Seals was at the Dem lovefest in Mettawa yesterday, but it figures. Heard that Terry Link showed up late, got introduced at the tail end of political hacks, and then left right away.
Hey TA, next Monday night New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg will be here in the district to show his support for our Congressman. That's something bright and new on the horizon. And Congressman Kirk has received an amazing personal letter from Israel's Ambassador to the US, Sallai Meridor, once again thanking him for his unparalled leadership and commitment to Israel's security. This was obviously a personal thanks for Mark's initiative with the X-Band System which is now on it's way to Israel. Lots of us out here are very proud and more than grateful to what Congressman Kirk does for the US/Israel alliance. Dan who????
I saw the Israeli government letter to Congressman Kirk. In my 60 years, I have never seen such a letter to a U.S. figure that was so positive.
Congratulation to Kirk.
TA- check out this letter to the Herald editor calling on Seals to return the Rangel contributions. Wonder if this story is going to get any traction in the big media. And they wonder why they are going down the tubes. How about reporting some actual news instead of just fawning over Obama?
For more breaking stuff, check out the latest comment from Lou Atsaves on Ellen's Blog- pasted below in the event it gets deleted. Lou, you rock!
I remain confused by the Democrat position here. I agree to allow immediate drilling will not translate to immediate filling of gasoline pumps and immediate drop in prices. It is, however, part of the long term solution. Of course, new refineries to process it is a requirement. The American public is not stupid. They know prices will not drop tomorrow if off-shore drilling begins.
Yet the demand for more fuel efficient cars is also a long term solution. You make it sound like every vehicle on the road right now will be replaced overnight (or that the American public can afford it). That is even more fanciful than your arguments against drilling.
Yet the demand for more alternative fuel sources (wind, solar, nuclear etc.) is also a long term solution that won't happen over night.
So why not start on it? The solution of Nancy Pelosi and the majority who control Congress? Go home and start their vacations. It can wait.
I see that George Stephanopoulos ripped on Pelosi during her interview over her refusal to bring the drilling question to a vote and adjourning Congress instead. Repeatedly. Even called her out for violating her promises to allow such votes back in 2006 when she assumed the Speaker of the House position. Her response was to stammer, mumble, fumble and try to quote the party line. Stephanopoulos, a die hard Democrat, to his credit, called her on it and wanted to know why she was ignoring a significant number of Democrats in Congress who demanded such a vote.
I spent the weekend going door-to-door for your favorite Congressman in Moraine Township. Those I spoke with recognize that drilling will not immediately bring relief but the strong sentiment is for drilling as a long term solution to rid or reduce ourselves of foreign oil dependency. By a two to one margin. In a so-called Democrat "blue" region. They are also baffled by the Pelosi refusal to adjourn Congress and go on vacation (actually go on a book signing tour for her latest book) instead of working out a solution in Congress.
What I discovered door-to-door seems to match the polling results I see in Rassmussen, Gallup and others on this issue.
So snicker away limo Democrats. You seem to be out of touch with the American public. Explains why even Obama the Democratic Machine Politician chameleon who you all thought was the "cat's meow" is moving towards drilling as part of the solution.
Louis G. Atsaves
friendsofidf, you are so right. No member of Congress has ever had the recognition and expression of support that Mr. Kirk has rightfully earned. It's not about his votes. This is totally and completely about his leadership. The other side may tout what Seals might do, that he will be good for Israel. Good isn't spectacular, and Good is light years away from what Mark Kirk has shown in his incredible leadership. That the Ambassador put it in writing is what's so unique and so very much appreciated.
Lou, there was a negative letter in today's Herald about Congressman Kirk's position on drilling and of course touting what his opponent "will" do. Your comments posted on TA's blog are a perfect answer to that letter. Please, please send it into the papers because the Seal's crew thinks that if prices don't drop immediately upon drilling we shouldn't bother. These people have no common sense or understanding of much of anything.
Baxter's Mom
I don't usually post comments, but I have been reading TA and Ellen for the past 6 months. This response to Louis's comments stuck out to me.
-Jim
Alright, if we are going to argue with Louis and his pals about energy policy (a word that is foreign to most Republicans), then let us do so in an intelligent manner. The problem of high gasoline prices in the United States has one very simple cause and, guess what, it is NOT the price of crude oil. The reason that gas prices continue to be rediculously high is due to the fact that American oil companies have artificially limited the supply of gasoline. Louis and others may ask "how?!". It's actually fairly simple, I think the NY Times of Jully 22 of 2007 puts it best: "Oil refineries across the country have been plagued by a record number of fires, power failures, leaks, spills and breakdowns this year, causing dozens of them to shut down temporarily or trim production. The disruptions are helping to drive gasoline prices to highs not seen since last summer's records. These mechanical breakdowns, which one analyst likened to an "invisible hurricane," have created a bottleneck in domestic energy supplies, helping to push up gasoline prices 50 cents this year to well above $3 a gallon (in 2007). A third of the country's 150 refineries have reported disruptions to their operations since the beginning of the year."
Now we must ask, why are these refineries breaking down? Again, a simple answer from the same article: "No refineries have been built in the United States in over three decades, because refiners say they are too costly."
Louis would nod his head and agree the cost is high, yet he forgets that the Republican Congress, including Mark "I swear I am Moderate" Kirk, in 2004-2005 authorized $18 Billion in subsidies and tax breaks to American oil companies such as ExxonMobil, Shell, and Conoco-Phillips. Now, Louis, what did ExxonMobil and others do with these subsidies??????? NOTHING! They pocketed them and ExxonMobil turned the largest profit in the history of business in 2007 at $40.6 BILLION.
(All of these numbers are from a Washington Post article from Feb. 28th of this year)
So, the question of how to solve the problem of high gas prices has yet another simple answer: Stop subsidizing big oil like Mark Kirk did in 2004 and use the money as leverage to force American oil companies to build more refineries and expand the capacity of current ones. The expansion in the supply of gasoline would, though free market principles, bring the price back DOWN. For too long have we allowed tankers full of oil to sit in our ports because we didn't have the capacity to refine the oil when it arrived, thus leading to higher gas prices.
Before we enter into a frankly rediculous conversation about expanding drilling, let's start talking about the real problem here: Big Oil and its GOP friends have set up a system that keeps prices high REGARDLESS of how much oil we drill. This system hurts each and every one of us every day, even Mr. Louis and his SUV.
Until Next Time,
A Concerned Colonial
Colonial is blasting Kirk for a bill Obama voted for.
Next they will blast Kirk for the FISA vote.
Oh, Obama voted for that too.
On Chicago Tonight this evening it was comedy hour and yet oh so sad, that we have nothing in our party to respond to this.
The "good democrats" on the program were telling viewers that they didn't deserve a pay raise this year because they had failed.
The "bad democrats" were admitting failure AND yet still demanding a pay raise. One guy was from the city and I was waiting for someone to ask him how many kids needed to get shot for him to think his work this year made the world a better place.
The fact we don't have a state party to fight this is also probably why we are dealing with an unemployed former intern running for congress against an entrenched incumbent with a $3 million war chest.
"Former Intern" is kind to Seals.
He has been largely unemployed for three years -- maybe why he is selling his house because they can't make payments.
Hey, that's why Seals supports a government bailout!
The World According to Ellen.
The Georgia war is a McCain war.
I'm not kidding!
Louis G. Atsaves
I noticed that too, last night, Lou. Sometimes no snide comment is adequate for the crap Ellen puts up.
Notice that Barack Obama has once again swung around to the McCain position, albiet too late, after he realized that he sounded weak by failing to take a stand against Russia.
Ellen can try to blame McCain for Russian aggression all she wants--in fact, I hope Dan Seals takes the same approach.
Lou and TA, one is actually forced to laugh out loud at Ellen's convoluted thinking, or lack of any intelligent thinking. When the sun doesn't shine it's our congressman's fault. There is such a silly lack of reason and common sense that she has lost all credibity. Now the focus is John McCain, but what else could you expect?
I have something on my mind and that would be Lou Atsaves. He needs to get a blog, his very own blog, where his viewpoints are on the front page. He wastes his breath at Ellen's..
Can someone convince Lou on this one?
Your not the only one to tell me this Publica. Stay tuned.
I'm posting this comment over here in case it gets deleted "over there." Seems that she is now upset that Kirk is running commercials.
___________
"Ahem!
If you want to see a true summary of the GOP "drilling plan" then go to the RNC website and McCain website and read it. I've said this before around here, but then, how does that expression go? You can lead a horse to water . . .
If you want to see Ellen continue to deliberately misstate these policies, keep reading this blog.
This is the same Ellen that blamed the Georgia war on McCain! The same Ellen who tried to justify "The Bridge to Nowhere.
Too bad Pelosi adjourned Congress early and left us without any real energy plan. Her book signing tour is more important than the business of the nation. The Republicans who took over the chamber after she turned off the lights and the microphones are sure making her look silly. Check out Stephanopoulos' interview of Pelosi where he ripped her too. Mercilessly.
Like the pay raise and ethics issues in Springfield. Democrats refuse to call votes on them and stall them for months until the angry public forces their hand. Now state funding for schools in Illinois has hit a 30 year low and there is no bill to consider for the "special session?" Goofy!
I'm getting tired of saying this, but with each passing day it becomes more and true: "Democrats are incapable of governing."
The only way to change this inertia is to reelect Kirk and elect new members to serve in Springfield, bright intelligent candidates named Stratton, Sugrue, Grey just to throw out a few examples.
Louis G. Atsaves
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