Excellent points, Mr. Trizna. Every vote and every election counts. My late father regularly reminded me that he fought in WWII, and some of his buddies died, for my right to vote. I always reminded him, in turn, that he also fought for my right to decide NOT to vote. That argument never went very far, and after a number of years I realized why: voting is a duty and a responsibility, no just an option or discretion.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Exactly.

I took a walk on my lunch break to my local polling place (a d64 school) to vote. You might think there would be at least some traffic during lunch hour. I was the only one voting…..no line…..just 5 poll workers and me!!!!

EDITOR’S NOTE: We’d impose a penalty on not voting: miss one vote, become ineligible for the next one. Miss 2 in a row, become ineligible for the next two. Three strikes and you become permanently disenfranchised – unless you petition the courts and prove that you’re not such an irresponsible slug that you deserve to get your vote back.

But that’s just us.

Not voting would just be classified as a disability which entitled the poor deprived person to have his vote counted twice next time.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Only in Crook County.

Voting is the closest thing we have to freedom of speech in the era of Citizens United, where money is speech. We should vote and also vigorously defend against any erosions of voting rights of others anywhere in the USA — most of which erosions are backed by the same cabal that encouraged the Citizens United verdict. Now, there’s a lethal Combine for ya!

Now, back to my viewing of the Medal of Honor ceremony.

EDITOR’S NOTE: That’s the first time we’ve heard the implication that the Supreme Court of the United States is a tool of a “cabal” or of a “lethal Combine.” Too bad Citizens United can only be blamed for the decline and fall of the U.S. since January 2010.

Love your 3 strikes policy! When folks start crabbing about politicians and what they’re doing or not doing, I always ask if those crabbing voted and if not, I tell them they’ve lost the right to crab and change the subject.

At the very least they should make adjustments in the number of voting machines based on participation. If I am not mistaken there were 6 machines when I was the only one voting at lunch today. If PR does not want to show up to vote send the machines to areas where there were lines in the prior election.

What was the last election turnout here…15%? Lame…..

Foss-Eggeman 62.69%, Teschky 37.31%.

Big win for change in the Maine Twp. Republicans. Bobby Pro must be crying in his beer, but when will Dick Barton say he was with Char all along?

Turnout was awful and a candidate like a Atanus wins. Not sure the people have earned the right to keep voting.

Unreal.

Well, look here….Evanston yesterday set an example that Maine Township can follow: Abolishing the township level of government!

http://evanston.patch.com/groups/politics-and-elections/p/evanston-township-headed-toward-abolishment

Who’s with me?

EDITOR’S NOTE: Not so fast, FWT. Evanston chose to abolish Evanston Twp. because it sounds like its boundaries were the same as the City of Evanston’s – so the City could simply take over the township.

Maine Twp, on the other hand, extends well beyond any one municipality, so that option isn’t available for MT.

Count me among those that would favor abolishing Township government in the State. I’m with you FWT.

May not be as easy here as it was in Evnaston, but still worth doing. Just one more taxing body.

I understand your point, PW, so maybe Des Plaines would like to annex the unincorporated parts of Maine Township.

EDITOR’S NOTE: C’mon, FWT, you know better than that. If any of the municipalities within Maine Twp. really wanted any of those unincorporated areas, they already would have taken a run at them.

Sometime in the past few years whatever slate of candidates for Maine Twp. government the Democrats put up was saying that these unincorporated areas should be absorbed into Park Ridge, Des Plaines, etc. Also, we may recall that Mayor Schmidt recently was invited to join some coffee klatch of local pols to discuss Toni Preckwinkle’s similar idea. So…yes, someone is taking a run at these.

EDITOR’S NOTE: No, Cook County has been trying to dump these areas by getting municipalities to annex them; and, in the case of Park Ridge, Mayor Schmidt has made it clear that we don’t want those areas.

Exactly. Townships were the first unit of local gub-mint because they bridge the areas between the densely settled areas. Do you really want to hope the State of Ill. or Crook County shows up when there is a problem in the township your community is in? Do you ever drive on roads in the township? Of course you don’t even know anyone who has fallen on hard times and might need the township food pantry let alone G.A., but think about it. And I say that as no fan of the current management. Less government is not always and automatically better government, even if that is the mantra of some here.

EDITOR’S NOTE: To compensate for an inept, wasteful and/or corrupt Crook County government by interposing yet another potentially inept, wasteful and/or corrupt township government – even one that predated Crook County government – is inherently flawed.

As for less government not always being better government, we’ll stick with one of Jefferson’s “mantras”: “Most bad government has grown out of too much government.”

Give Mr. Barton a week; then watch for the photo opps with him and Char. And remember I told you so. She’ll hire him in a heartbeat.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Yeah, we’ll remember that one of our many “anonymous” commentators called that shot when it doesn’t happen.

Measly is not strong enough of a word. In fact I am not sure I can even come up with a strong enough word.

When you think of all the political “discussions” and carping and whining around town about budgets and spending and/or not spending and pensions and/or “attacks” on pensions and taxes (and much, much, much, more), and when there is an actual chance to have your voice heard, only 11% show up. If you looked at it as a percentage of legally eligible to vote rather than registered it would be in single digits.

This percentage is made even more embarrassing when you consider that Park Ridge (and I believe all of Maine Township) makes so freakin’ easy to vote. I have NEVER had to wait in line on an election day and there are always very generous early voting hours. I voted on election day and it was a time investment of less than 10 minutes.

I would say that Illinois must have to go broke before people will go to the voting booth except we are essentially already there and people are not voting.

EDITOR’S NOTE: Either: (a) our citizens suck; or (b) Illinois has been so corrupt for so long that even decent citizens have lost hope.

I would add a (c)….the candidates. I think it is a fair criticism to say that so few people showing up to vote is a reflection on the candidates that ran.

Of course every candidate who ran had their supporters but it does not appear that had many passionate supporters. If only 11% even bother to show up what does that say about the candidates platforms and messaging? What does that say about what they said they would do (if they even actually said what they would do)??

This elections had winners and losers but it appears to me that for ALL the candidates there was lukewarm support at best. If you pick a candidate because….”well, they are better than the other guy/gal” it is a hell of a lot easier to not shop up to vote.

EDITOR’S NOTE: “Citizens” – using that term loosely – who feel no sense of duty to their community, county, state or country can find myriad reasons not to vote, including hangnails, toe fungus and that old reliable: “I forgot.”

Claiming the rights of citizenship while ignoring the responsibilities is just another form of what we call “freeloading,” or parasitism. But until that comes with significant adverse consequences, it will continue and even grow worse.

Today, In our society, where we are so focused on those celebrities going in and out of rehab – that we have forgotten our US history and those who served our great nation in order that we here today, can speak here..openly and freely.

Today we also thank Bob Trinza for keeping this blog site open and up for honest discussion and debate.

For one who has much to speak out about…let’s all focus together in how we can….tear down the walls that have been built by the members of the MTRRP along with it’s GOP leadership. This includes our fine Mayor who just recently was taken to task by the editor of the Des Plaines Journal-Topics. We look forward to his leadership for ALL the people.

Open discussion and honest debate I believe can be the offspring from these comments.

Thank you.
Gene T. Spanos
Police-Marines
Dedicated Twice By Choice
Member
55th Dist Veterans Advisory Comte
Park Ridge Resident

Founder/Volunteer
CAPP

EDITOR’S NOTE: You’re welcome.

But in the interest of open and honest discussion and debate, we must point out that the editor of the Journal has regularly supported and endorsed members of the MTRRP, such as Carol Teschky (recently defeated for Maine Twp. Republican committeeman) and Bob Provenzano, all of whom are tight with former mayor/now Democrat state rep Marty Moylan in what seems like a local version of the Illinois “Combine.”