Sunday, December 20, 2009

Q the Eye/12.20.09

Dearest Soul LakeCountyEye,

I am the Governor at a considerable large County Board (USA). I have a business proposal in the tune of $1.575 (One Thousand and Five Hundred and Seventy and Five United States Dollar only). These large monies are my personally authorized Pay Raise that shall relinquish to the Treasury. After the successful transfer; may I count on you Re-Election Vote for Perpetuity? May I continue Apportion and Award large County Businesses? May I count on you for Yardsign? Should you be interested, So we can commence all arrangements? And I will Give you more information on how we would handle This project. Please treat this business with utmost Confidentiality and send me the Following information's bellow to enable us commence immediately: (1) Full names: (2) Private phone number: (3) Current residential address: (4) Occupational: (5) Age and Sex: Best Regards.

Su Zisc Hmidt, Chairman-of-the-Board

Dear Leggo My Lagos,

If your LakeCountyEye took up every offer given for a free lunch, your LakeCountyEye would be known as the LakeCountySilo. But your LakeCountyEye is appreciative of a good scam. Speaking as one grifter to another -- bunko-a-bunko -- there are lots of other pigeons out there waiting to be served up with a salary stuffing. This is reflected in the local media which seems to be in full-throated favor of your proposal to swap some dollars (USA) for some easy votes (REP).
Three Musketeers
NewsSun

19 Lake Co. board members refuse raises
Daily Herald
Keep phishing, and a LakeCountyEye good-luck on your endeavors. If you can't make it in Lake County, you're in the wrong line of work.

If you are an elected official, or a previously elected official, or just a private citizen under indictment, send your political questions to Q the Eye c/o ... LakeCountyEye@gMail.com

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Lake County Eye:

I am one of four Demofats on the County Board who has accepted and kept their payraises under these dire economic circumstances, and after county layoffs.

How do I best explain my greed to the voters who elect me? (1) I am a Demofat who personally sacrifices nothing for the betterment of the citizenry I represent, or (2) I believe in personal government entitlements and in government working for me, me and only me, one of those who pulls the levers of government to make sure that government in fact works for me, me and only me!

Now about those yard signs . . .

Barney Baxter said...

Hi Anon,

A County Board Rep has a full time job. If salaries are kept artificially low, the only people representing us will be those with some financial incentive to be there. Usually individuals with friends or relatives in some position to benefit from their proximity to County financial operations.

On the plus side, we save ourselves $1500.

It's a trade-off I suppose.

BTW, I always send my Nigerian email directly to the spam folder.

-BB-

Anonymous said...

Dear Anon 11:43,

One of those commissioners has returned almost $9000.00 in 'No Questions Asked" expense accounts. Do the math, bunky.

A lot of people are already lining up for her yardsigns. At least those that appreciate the fact that she gave back more than the raise she never voted for to begin with.

Anonymous said...

So BB,

If you are arguing for full time pay that will result in better quality county board candidates, then how do you explain the highly paid alderman of the City of Chicago?

The one female commissioner who refuses to return her pay raise (hey! Didn't she express her disdain over such pay raises when she was running for office?). Never mind! Just proved my point . . . take that "bunky!"

We can easily improve the quality of our county commissioners by removing those four Demofats from office!

Crazy4glf said...

Who is in the Majority, makes the committee assignments, and nominates people to fill unexpired terms among other things?

The GOP public officials.

I guess by 'personal responsibility' they mean blame someone else.

Fiscal responsibilit? Not locally, not nationally.


Just say no and blame others does not a cogent, comprehensive policy make.

Anonymous said...

You're not getting it, Anon whatever. Schmidt isn't proposing a repeal of the pay raise she and the 08' GOP run county board voted for (in the wake of repeated reports or declining revenue and plumetting home sales) only that it be returned, voluntarily. The repeal would have placed those funds back into county general revenue and would return each commissioner's salary back to their 08 level. By not asking for a repeal, they get to keep the pay raise in 2010! What's more, the returned funds didn't go back into general revenue, just back to the county board's operating budget, so that, even if all members returned the raise, no other department would have benefitted. But I guess you're all for Schmidt's political theater instead of real change. And no matter how you slice it, no matter how much you dodge the question, Hewitt returned more $ to the pot than Schmidt and Paxton and Lawlor combined, AND, those funds went directly back to revenue. The pay raise was wrong, but the 'return' is not repealing it, and no other department benefits from the return.

Say what you want about Chicago Alderman. Frankly, I wish Toni Preckwinkle lived up here. She'd make a better county board president than Suzi Schmidt any day of the week.

Your 'demofat' line is so cute. You forgot that under the republicrank controlled county board we have the 17th highest property taxes in the whole country and no county hospital. Oh, but we do have a huge forest preserve district palace going up on Grand Avenue! Recession? What recession? Not here in the land of the TAX-AND-SPEND-Republican. Yeesh!

Barney Baxter said...

Hi Anon 6:37,

Yes I guess that is what I am saying. If we pay our County Board Commissioners a liveable wage we may not automatically get a better quality Commissioner. But we are more likely to get commissioners who represent the interests of their constituents. Instead of the narrow interests of their friends/relatives/business relations.

Regarding the Chicago Aldermen. Last time I checked, Chicago was a municipality. If I were making an invidious comparison with Lake County govt, I would have gone with Cook County.

-BB-

Anonymous said...

Comparing Cook County Government to Lake Count Government? You think that is good? And this Crazy cat person should compare the fiscal health of Cook County Government with Lake County Government. Cook can use a good dose of how Lake operates right about now.

Voluntarily returning the pay raises means it does not get returned to the treasury of Lake County? Where does it go, in a shoebox?

And that one Demofat who campaigned against pay raises and now is accepting one, that hypocritical conduct is not worthy of any single snark from Barney Baxter?

My, my, my! Now about those yard signs . . .

Barney Baxter said...

Hi Anon 11:25,

in·vid·i·ous
Function: adjective
1 : tending to cause discontent, animosity, or envy
2 : envious
3 a : of an unpleasant or objectionable nature : obnoxious b : of a kind to cause harm or resentment

Also, what is a "Crazy cat person"?

-BB-

Anonymous said...

For the third time, the returned pay raises go back to the county board's operating budget. So that means Suzi can provide even more lavishly catered luncheons for every county board meeting.

But it's okay. We get it. Facts don't matter, just innuendo and invective. That's the Team America way.

Anonymous said...

Can you imagine the screaming of the elected County Demofats if their lunch is eliminated? Especially the high screams from the four Demofats who did not return their pay raises, including the hypocritical one who campaigned against such increases?

Oh yes! Everyone put in your ear plugs from now!

Now again, where are those yard signs . . .

Barney Baxter said...

Hi Anon 12:38,

Do you have anything original to contribute?

-BB-

Anonymous said...

Anon whatever: Are you soft in the head? It's our president of the Lake County Board, Suzi Schmidt, the republicrank candidate for State Senate who insists upon the catered lunches. Your mindless refrain is, well, mindless. And just so ya know, at holiday functions all over her district, that county commissioner you're dissing was getting standing ovations. Just like the economy, just like health care, just like the 'old boy' republican culture of corruption in Lake County government, the people know better. Just remember, bunky; only two more seats to go and Suzi comes back as a lowly commissioner in the minority. It's gonna be a grand year!