Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Ring in the New Year with a Bang

Yee Haw Operatives looking forward to the New Year's Eve festivities are encouraged to take advantage of the free rides available. The Daily Herald says ...
If you're headed out to celebrate New Year's Eve in Chicago, both the CTA and Metra are offering incentives to lure revelers out of cars and onto public transit.
Celebrating tonight? Don't forget public transit
Operatives are also reminded that it is illegal to discharge their concealed carry firearms at midnight -- when their blood alcohol level exceeds .08 percent.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Happy New Year.

Monday, December 29, 2014

Take the "A" Bomb

They really are a scree-um. Lake County has been railroaded. The accelerating volume of hazardous material passing through Lake County via rail has caught the attention of the Daily Herald:
A proposed rule by the U.S. Department of Transportation to update older hazmat tank cars (dubbed DOT-111s) that carry highly flammable liquids like ethanol and crude oil is under consideration and could be finalized in 2015. The intent is to prevent breaches of older tank cars, reflecting national concerns given the increase in oil trains and deadly high-profile derailments near Rockford and Quebec in 2009 and 2013, respectively. Many derailments, however, fly under the radar.
Suburbs have dodged a bullet so far with hazmat derailments -- so far
As luck would have it, your LakeCountyEye was stuck at a train crossing (and with an unplanned hour or two to kill) -- so to get the low-down, made a call to Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Loco Motion at the College of Lake County.

"Ya" said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "Lake County has more tracks than the Florida Dog Racing Commission."

But how safe are those tracks? Your LakeCountyEye wanted to know.

"The question isn't how safe. The question is, in case of a derailment, who is culpable." Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi then posted this Daily Herald story on Instagram:
"The vast majority of tank cars are owned by shippers or railway-rolling-stock leasing companies who are responsible for the maintenance and qualification of their privately owned equipment -- not railways," Canadian National Railway spokesman Patrick Waldron said.
Mistakes, equipment issues pose serious threats with rail-related hazmat
"Hehe." chuckled Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "If one of those old tankers goes tick-tick-tick-BOOM, don't blame the railways, it's not their fault."

Unwelcome news for the LakeCountyEye legal dept.

"The tracks that cross Lake County have an evacuation zone, mandated by the US DOT." continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Anyone living within half a mile of these rails is advised to map an escape route. Try to avoid going over slow train crossings."

Your LakeCountyEye made a mental note.

"Here is a startling statistic published by the NTSB: If all the railroad tracks in Lake County were laid end-to-end along the Equator," read Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "that would be a good thing."

Your LakeCountyEye was down with that. Did Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi have any parting advice before the crossing gate went up?

"Tell your operatives to leave their firecrackers and firearms at home on New Years Eve. And celebrate the New Year near a rail crossing. Chances are there will be plenty of fireworks."

Friday, December 26, 2014

The Route 53 Explosion

Operatives who look at this map of Lake County and recognize the Route 53 Extension should look again. It is actually an Oil Train Blast Zone map:

Every day the oil industry sends millions of gallons of highly flammable crude oil through cities and towns across North America. Our rail system was never built for this dangerous cargo.
Oil Train Blast Zone
The map shows where exploding railroad trains criss-cross Lake County. The Yellow areas denote the potential impact zone in case of an oil train fire. Red is the evacuation zone for oil train derailments.

An actual map of the Route 53 Extension is below:

Transitized
Presumably the Route 53 Extension will be put to use as an evacuation route when one of Lake County's exploding railroad trains explodes.  Provided, of course,  the Route 53 Extension does not catch fire as well.

Wednesday, December 24, 2014

Merry Xbox

XXXLYour LakeCountyEye observes an annual tradition of sending holiday greetings to every reader of this blog in their native language:
Merry War On Christmas!
Startling news, however, has recently come in via the Intertubes:
Everyone knows the story of how the world wide web made the Internet accessible for everyone, but a lesser known story of the Internet's evolution is how automated code -- aka bots -— came to quietly take it over. Today, bots account for 56 percent of all of website visits
Bots Now Outnumber Humans on the Web
The site stats do not lie: Were it not for web bots (and North Korean hackers) this blog would see no traffic at all!

None of which, in your LakeCountyEye's estimation, should be reason to discontinue a perfectly good annual tradition. So to all readers of this blog, young and old, human and otherwise, best wishes for the holiday season ...
  • print("Merry Christmas")

  • Response.Write("Merry Christmas");

  • echo "Merry Christmas"

  • PRINT "Merry Christmas"

  • printf("Merry Christmas\n");

  • std::cout << "Merry Christmas\n";

  • Console.WriteLine("Merry Christmas");

  • ? "Merry Christmas"

  • (println "Merry Christmas")

  • WRITE(*,*) 'Merry Christmas'

  • System.out.println("Merry Christmas");

  • alert('Merry Christmas');

  • (princ "Merry Christmas")

  • WriteLn('Merry Christmas');

  • puts "Merry Christmas"

  • SELECT 'Merry Christmas'

  • MsgBox("Merry Christmas")

  • @echo Merry Christmas
And to those hacking in from North Korea ...
  • 메리 크리스마르

Saturday, December 20, 2014

Ready Aim Fire

Where's the fire? Did you hear the one about the school superintendent who made all of his employees quit smoking? He was fighting more personnel fires than he bargained for.

Haha, Liz Biondi gained some notoriety this week. She is the only member of the Warren Township High School Board referred to by a sobriquet in the local press: Biondi is the 'No Gay' Warren Board Member ...
People push for 'no gay' Warren board member's ouster
The 'No Gay' Warren Board Member's fifteen minutes of fame began last week with a fatuitous statement uttered during a Warren Township High School Board meeting. The exact nature of the remark has not been revealed to your LakeCountyEye -- inquiries are being made as you read this.

Needless to say, over the years there have been countless local government board meetings where some clueless elected official has said something, well, clueless. But none have metastasized like this one. News of the 'No Gay' Warren Board Member's remark spread like wildfire. Stories appeared all over the print, broadcast and electronic media. There have been YouTube videos, online petitions, newspaper editorials.

Your LakeCountyEye attended the Warren Township High School Board lynch mob meeting this week to find out what the ruckus was about. The Daily Herald was there too:
Neither Biondi nor board member Catherine Campbell attended Tuesday's meeting.
People push for 'no gay' Warren board member's ouster
Readers of this blog will be aware that ...
School of Business?
Liz Biondi and Catherine Campbell are the two Board Trustees who did not vote for a proposal to shake down extract $90,000 out of the Warren Township High School.  The village of Gurnee wanted the money -- in the form of tax concessions -- to lure a high-tech into the village.  The proposal passed despite opposition from Biondi and Campbell.

Note to Ops: Watch what you say in Gurnee. They pay hardball there.

Wednesday, December 17, 2014

School of Business?

Rah Rah Rah Sis Boom Bah If you can read this sentence, chances are you've been to school. Your LakeCountyEye is no exception. School is where your LakeCountyEye learned all about evolution and sex education and how it is illegal to recite prayers out-loud on the taxpayer's dime.

Despite their many benefits, the schools get no respect. Your LakeCountyEye has been told that charter schools and vouchers and testing standards are all aimed at either eliminating or privatizing the public schools. The public schools are like the Route 53 Extension -- everyone likes the idea but no one wants to pay for it.

Now the village of Gurnee has come up with a novel way to shake down the Warren Township High School. The Daily Herald said ...
Two Warren Township High School board members have raised concern about a lack of publicly available information on a technology company's plan as it seeks about $2.3 million from local taxpayers to move to Gurnee. Warren District 121 board member Catherine Campbell said at a recent meeting that business tycoon panelists on ABC's "Shark Tank" would demand more information from AKHAN Semiconductor Inc. than what elected officials have received before agreeing to any financial incentives.
2 Warren High board members decry lack of information in tax break request
The village of Gurnee looks at the Warren Township High School and must see a cash cow waiting to be milked. Haha, Gurnee wants to see $90,000 siphoned out of the High School and into some high-tech company -- in the form of tax breaks. The Daily Herald said ...
Last week, the Warren school board voted 5-0 -- with abstentions by Campbell and Liz Biondi -- to provide $90,000 in tax breaks as the district's share to AKHAN. Campbell and Biondi questioned the idea of approving the financial incentive without much information about AKHAN's plan. "I just feel like we're asked to be basically an investor," Campbell said.
2 Warren High board members decry lack of information in tax break request
Note to Ops: The next time you find yourself putting the squeeze on someone, remind the chumbolone that he is being asked to be an "investor".

The deadline to file for your local school board is December 22, next Monday. File the paperwork at your County Clerk's Office. Operatives who have never been to school are excused.

Monday, December 15, 2014

Another Brick in the Paywall

This is just your LakeCountyEye's 2 cents worth, but the Daily Herald may want to rethink its social media policy. Not everyone is going to want to shell out 99¢ for an opportunity to like the Daily Herald on Facebook:

Editorial: All the reasons we want to be Facebook friends
Of course, if it did cost a buck to get BFFed on Facebook, your LakeCountyEye would be governor-elect by now.

Billionaire governor-elect Bruce Rauner was not available for comment.

Saturday, December 13, 2014

Busy Work

no loose parts! At $8.25 an hour, anyone earning the minimum wage would have to work 500 hours per week to match the salary of the average Internet political blogger. Needless to say, the typical Lake County resident is quite busy, indeed. But not nearly as busy as the Mayor of Waukegan. According to the News-Sun ...
With the minimum wage debate raging across the country, state and Chicago area, Waukegan Mayor Wayne Motley said this week that he doesn't see a similar move taking shape in his community anytime soon. "I've been busier than a one-armed boxer trying to get the city back on track, and that hasn't even crossed my mind," Motley said on Wednesday, Dec. 3
Officials: Minimum-wage hike unlikely in Lake County
Never having worked in an amazon.com warehouse, your LakeCountyEye does not know how busy a one-armed boxer is.  But if labor statistics are any indication, there are a few jobs in Lake County that will have you busier than even the eagerest of beavers. And not just a few -- 10 by your LakeCountyEye's count:
The Ten Busiest Occupations in Lake County
  1. Busier than a One-Legged Wallenda

  2. Busier than a One-Armed Bricklayer on a No-Bid Township Contract

  3. Busier than the Termite Inspector for the Goliath Roller Coaster

  4. Busier than a Grand Ave Red-Light Camera

  5. Busier than a Backyard Chicken on the Day Before Easter

  6. Busier than a Southlake Mosquito Abatement Truck in a Nudist Colony

  7. Busier than a One-Armed Bandit in Unincorporated Lake County

  8. Busier than a Blind Concealed Carry Certification Instructor

  9. Busier than the Shoeshine Booth at a Lake County Dog Park

  10. Busier than a County Board Chairman on the Route 53 Extension
Look for your LakeCountyEye gettin' busy near you.

Wednesday, December 10, 2014

Keep On Truckin!

I gotcha, uh-huh, huh Culture vultures of Lake County may want to prick-up their ears. On Friday, County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor told the Daily Herald ...
"The Lake County Board's culture is not one of playing gotcha politics," Lawlor said. "We're about good government and good fiscal management."
Lake County's Lawlor, Maine look ahead to big projects
Note to Ops: A self-professed exemplar of "good government" should probably wait more than three days before trying to sneak a sewer bill into a special non-business meeting of the County Board. The sewer is for an unpopular truck terminal in Grayslake:
Residents near the Mundelein/Grayslake border say scheduled action Tuesday by the Lake County Board involving the site of a proposed truck terminal is an unusual, if not unprecedented, maneuver that bypasses the normal review process in response to a corporate threat. The special call meeting, beginning at 9 a.m., traditionally is held to approve rules and make appointments to county board committees. This time, the board also will consider changing an agreement with Grayslake to extend sewer service to the truck terminal site south and west of Midlothian and Peterson roads.
Lake County Board's trucking proposal hearing questioned
But once the maneuver was reported in the Daily Herald, Lawlor pulled a quick one-eighty:
Residents and others concerned with a proposed truck terminal in Grayslake will get another chance for input after an unusual maneuver by Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor did not proceed Tuesday as planned.
Public to get another venue for comment on proposed truck terminal in Grayslake
Gotcha!

Monday, December 8, 2014

To the Victor Go the Spoils

It's not too late to mail in your ballot for Bruce Rauner. A new chief executive would bring to Illinois one thing, above all else: jobs, jobs, jobs.

Haha, the Bruce Rauner administration is hiring and it's not too late to get in on the ground floor. Operatives are advised to spell-check their resumes -- then submit them to the Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner Transition Committee:
Compassionate Illinois is Back Competitive
State job-seekers cannot be blacklisted because of their political affiliation, so even if you voted for Pat Quinn, do not hesitate to submit your resume anyways. Of course it never hurts to make a donation to the Governor-Elect Bruce Rauner Transition Committee, conveniently located at the same website:

Bruce Rauner Transition Committee
Job-seekers may donate $25 through $5000 or more, any amount that fits their budget. Note to Ops: there is a difference between working a toll booth on the Route 53 Extension, or indoors as a station supervisor there. Just sayin!

Friday, December 5, 2014

Safe at Any Speed

pew pew pew Ladies & gentlemen, start your engines. The Daily Herald observed that ...
State lawmakers Wednesday voted to raise speed limits on Illinois tollways to 70 mph in urban areas. The Illinois House overrode Gov. Pat Quinn's veto of the idea without debate. The Senate already did the same last month, so the proposal will become law next year. Suburban county boards could opt out of the plan and keep tollway speed limits at 55 mph.
Tollway speed limit going to 70 unless counties object
The champagne corks must be flying around the Lake County Board offices. One source told your LakeCountyEye: "At 70 MPH we can move twice the number of cars through the Route 53 Extension over previous estimates. That translates into twice the amount of toll dollars. We may just pay off this concrete pork barrel in my lifetime!"

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Hit the road.

Sunday, November 30, 2014

Funny Pages

when speed is of the essence Note to Ops: running for political office is a lot like filing for bankruptcy. Always read the fine print before signing anything. One local candidate apparently did not. The Daily Herald said ...
A Barrington village board candidate is accusing village officials of election tampering for providing him with nominating petitions that contained an error. Michael Kozel, a Barrington resident who ran unsuccessfully for village president two years ago as a write-in candidate, said he collected more than 160 signatures to run for village trustee in the April election but might have to do it again because the forms include the date of the 2013 election.
Barrington gave village board candidate incorrect nominating forms
The banks accept pre-dated checks -- a pre-dated nominating petition should be just a good? Haha.

What to do? In a predicament like this, your LakeCountyEye advises to obtain a new, corrected nominating petition. Then gather one or two signatures. Notarize that single petition sheet and file for office with it. And then dare your opponent to challenge the petition.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Move along.

Tuesday, November 25, 2014

Q the Eye/11.26.14

Hi,

I'm reaching out to you from RebootIllinois.com, a nonpartisan news organization that aims to encourage Illinois citizens to take back control of their governments. A leader in political and government news and views in Illinois, Reboot Illinois has been a top source of information on the 2014 Midterm Elections.

Our goal is to expand our audience to spread the message that more people getting active in government and politics can return power to the people and produce an improved government. We're asking that you consider publishing our some of our articles or linking to our website. We believe that would be a great way for you to provide your users with more of the resources that you want them to have. We know they would be thrilled to see the useful and authoritative posts our website has to offer that help citizens hold politicians accountable.

Please take a look at our website and let me know if you are interested in referring to us or if you have any questions!

Have a great day,

Charles
Dear Charles, Ὥρος Hōros

Users of this blog are unanimous: Who the heck is Reboot Illinois? Your LakeCountyEye carried out an exhaustive, in-depth background survey into the true identity of Reboot Illinois and came up with a couple good Google hits to the MSM:
Some Chicago area billionaires are bankrolling an internet effort aimed at influencing Illinois politics. The group launched a website about a year ago called "Reboot Illinois" to support their plans. Is Reboot Illinois journalism, or an on-line propaganda mill? With deep pockets to back it up, the site appears to be thriving. Madeleine Doubek insists she is still an independent journalist. The former executive editor at the Daily Herald is now the boss at the website called "Reboot Illinois." "We are editorially independent and non-partisan," said Madeleine Doubek, Reboot Illinois.
REBOOT ILLINOIS: INDEPENDENT JOURNALISM OR BILLIONAIRES' PROPAGANDA?
Speaking as one independent blog to another nonpartisan news organization, Charles, it takes one to know one. Haha. But no worries, your pretense is good with your LakeCountyEye.

And if it is OK with you, your LakeCountyEye will just pretend to have looked at your website -- but does express great interest in publishing your articles and linking to RebootIllinois.com. Please contact your LakeCountyEye for a payment schedule that works for you. Daily, weekly and monthly plans are available. You may qualify for the billionaire's discount, which is available through the end of this month. Act today and tomorrow you will see your stories and links salted liberally throughout Lake County's #1 political source.

PS: Love the bitchin mononym, Charles.

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

Saturday, November 22, 2014

Tower of Power

Priceless. It may be $10.5 million over budget but the Lake County Courthouse expansion project is officially under construction. And it already has been christened with a new name. The News-Sun said ...
Breaking tradition of the usual groundbreaking, artwork was unveiled Friday to celebrate the start of construction on Lake County's new $110 million Court Tower. "Justice Tower" was built by Waukegan artist Eric Marston, who used found items to create his original work.
Lake County celebrates groundbreaking of new $110M 'Justice Tower'
Your LakeCountyEye attended the ceremony alongside Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Urban Justice at the College of Lake County. When ground breaks, Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi is the one person who knows where all the fault lines are buried.

He examined an illustration of the completed structure: "Ya, justice is blind, to be sure! And justice is not cheap, either. The County Board could also have used found items to construct this building. They could have saved themselves $10.5 million. They wouldn't be breaking ground over a fiscal hole today."

Your LakeCountyEye wanted to know if the horse was out of the barn and if the new Courthouse will henceforth be known as the Justice Tower.

"Absolutely. And here's why." Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi pointed to a nearby parking sign:
VIOLATORS WILL BE TOWED AT OWNER'S EXPENSE
"If anything, this building is a monument to the municipal tower."

Your LakeCountyEye was confused: Municipal Tower?

"You know, as in towing company." said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Virtually every court case involves a towing operation one way or another. If you don't believe me, just look at how many towing companies contributed to Sheriff Mark Curran's election campaign." He produced a spreadsheet on his iPhone 6:
Friends of Mark Curran
D-2 Quarterly Report
4/1/2014 to 6/30/2014
Contributed ByAmountDescription
A-Express Towing$500.00
6/5/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran
A-Tire County Service, Inc.$1,600.00
6/5/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran
Ernie's Wrecker Service, Inc.$1,000.00
6/2/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran
Fox Recovery & Towing of Lake County$500.00
6/5/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran
J.R.'s Wrecker Service, INC.$2,050.00
5/2/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran
Roger's Automotive Services, Inc.$700.00
6/5/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran
Whitmore's Wrecker Service, Inc.$1,000.00
6/5/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran
Wildwood Service Inc.$2,050.00
6/2/2014
Individual Contribution
Friends of Mark Curran

Friends of Mark Curran
D-2 Quarterly Report
4/1/2014 to 6/30/2014
"How do you think the County got its triple-A rating? The Auto Club doesn't bestow one of those on just anyone."

Quite an arresting revelation.

"We will be calling this Courthouse the Justice Tower for a long time." continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "It's the tower who greases the wheels of county government."

Your LakeCountyEye heard enough. Did Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi have any parting advice?

"Tell your Ops to embrace the change. By the way, do you have any quarters? My meter is expired."

Tuesday, November 18, 2014

In Rauner Numbers

Illinois has a new governor-elect -- who unlike the old governor-elect has promised to increase government spending on everyone a thousandfold while abolishing all taxes. Woo Hoo! Of course spending other-people's-money is never as easy as it sounds, so a website has been launched to solicit suggestions. The News-Sun has the details ...
Gov.-elect Bruce Rauner is launching a website that will allow individuals to apply for jobs in his administration. The website is www.MakeIllinoisGreat.com. Visitors also can submit ideas to improve the state.
Bruce Rauner wants ideas – and resumes – from Illinois residents
Your LakeCountyEye has already visited the website:

ILLINOIS IS BACK
Note to Ops: An opportunity like this does not come by every day. And while these pockets may seem to be deep, an opportunity like this does not last forever. Do not delay!

Thursday, November 13, 2014

Q the Eye/11.13.14

Dear LakeCountyEye,

Applications are being accepted for the Lake County Board District 20 seat being vacated by David Stolman, who recently won election as Lake County treasurer. The seat officially will be declared vacant on Dec. 1. County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor, with consent of the board, must fill the vacancy within 60 days. The appointee must live in District 20, which includes the Buffalo Grove and Long Grove area, and be a Republican like Stolman. The appointee will fill the remaining two years of the term. Send a resume and letter of interest to Lawlor at Lake County Board office, 10th floor, 18 N. County St., Waukegan, 60085

Applications sought for vacant Lake County Board seat
Dear Lawlor, Ὥρος Hōros

Despite still being tighter than a Waukegan Casino slot machine, the election for Illinois Treasurer is all over. At least in the opinion of one candidate, David Stolman, who will resign from his Lake County Board seat and is already measuring the drapes in the treasurer's office. (One can always count on the Lake County Election Commission to deliver an election, especially when one happens to be the incumbent!)

So it has come to your LakeCountyEye's attention that an opening on the Lake County Board has materialized in District 20. There can be no higher calling than public service, particularly when that calling materializes in the form of a sinecure with a healthy per-diem, plus expense account. Granted, the empty District 20 seat is not even cold yet, having been kept warm all of these years. And while these are big seat cushions to fill, your LakeCountyEye nevertheless humbly requests to be appointed to the Lake County Board.

Your LakeCountyEye's resume is attached below. Please do not mistake this for an Internet top ten list. Which is totally different:
Necessary Qualifications to Fill a Vacant Lake County Board Seat
  • Goes by a bitchin mononym, like Lawlor.

  • Republican, like Stolman.

  • Never recalled from elected office.

  • Never charged with carjacking.

  • Never operated a carwash in a forest preserve.

  • Never sold bootleg shoes out of a Pleasant Prairie motel.

  • Never ran down a spouse with the Cadillac.

  • Knows where the County Board meets.

  • Knows what the County Board is.

  • Q: The Route 53 Extension?
    A: Where are the shovels!
Look for your LakeCountyEye at the next COW near you.

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

Sunday, November 9, 2014

I Haz a Suit

We'll throw in an extra pair of pants. Are any of the stories posted here real? Your LakeCountyEye wishes to have $10 million deposited in a Nigerian Bank for every time asked that. Well, as readers of this blog are dubiously aware, all of these fake stories are real.

This story, posted here last week, for instance ...
The Off-Year Infections
... was real, and all you erstwhile pooh-poohers can eat crow:
A local company is working side by side with many health care facilities to create protective wear for medical workers. Medline, a Mundelein-based company, is in high demand right now. They are making life-saving protective gear to make sure people are protected from the Ebola threat.
Mundelein Company's Protective Ebola Suits in High Demand
Of course, pandemics are always good for hazmat sales, and the 2014 Ebola pandemic did not disappoint.  But now that the 2014 Election is over and Ebola has been contained -- if you are anything like your LakeCountyEye you are wondering what you are doing duct-taped into this hazmat moon-suit anyways. Your LakeCountyEye certainly is.

Nor is your LakeCountyEye about to take this lying down -- at least at the risk of not being able to get back up. Who knew, but -- Ebola not withstanding -- there are plenty of pressing reasons why you should continue to wear your hazmat suit. No fewer than 10 by your LakeCountyEye's count:
Ten Off-Label Uses for Your Hazmat Suit
  1. Waukegan Harbor Deep Sea Diving

  2. Proper Washroom Accoutrement at a Route 53 Extension Tollway Oasis

  3. Perform the Moonwalk at a Michael Jackson Tribute Concert

  4. Ride the Goliath During Thunderstorms

  5. Neon-Yellow Goes with Just About Anything

  6. Ample Room for Your Concealed Carry

  7. Casual Friday Attire for the Zion Nuclear Power Plant

  8. Four Words: Southlake Mosquito Abatement District

  9. Smoke Anywhere, Anytime, Anything

  10. It's Flu Season, People
Look for your LakeCountyEye in quarantine near you.

Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Sins of Commission

Outed. Your LakeCountyEye has learned that a general election was held this week. And while that election produced its share of winners and losers, in Lake County one big loser stands head and shoulders above all the rest:
The Lake County Election Commission
The Lake County Election Commission was originally convened as an accountable body to ensure that elections in Lake County would be conducted with competence and in a non-partisan fashion. But that was back in the day. If this week's election is any indication, the Lake County Election Commission has morphed into a horribly slipshod operation, accountable to no one and hellbent on pursuing it's own questionable agenda. The Daily Herald reports that ...
Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has won a court order to let currently unregistered voters keep casting ballots after polls close at 7 p.m. because sites for same-day voter registration in Lake County didn't open until 10 a.m. Madigan says Lake County Clerk Willard Helander is "illegally interpreting" election laws. People who vote the same day they register cast provisional ballots that will be counted later if officials verify the voter is eligible. Earlier, Madigan said Helander was making people vote a provisional ballot if they'd previously requested one by mail but hadn't sent it in. Voters, Madigan said, should be allowed to vote a standard ballot if they bring in the one they got in the mail. Madigan said Helander was requiring them to have the envelope with their name on it in addition to the blank ballot in order to vote in person. A county judge ruled this afternoon that a voter only needs to bring the ballot. "These illegal practices risk disenfranchising voters throughout the county," Madigan said in a statement.
Lake County polls open until 9 for same-day registration
It is clear that the one thing the Lake County Election Commission brings to the table is unaccountability, malfeasance and partisan rancor.

When the Lake County Election Commission was first instituted, your LakeCountyEye knew this was a bureaucratic frankenstein that needed to be stopped -- by legal action if necessary. Well, the chickens have finally come home to roost.

Change is now in the air. Operatives are urged to join your LakeCountyEye in a simple chant. Say it proud and say it loud enough that they can hear it all the way to Waukegan:
Mr Lake County Board, tear down this Lake County Election Commission!

Tuesday, November 4, 2014

A Palestinian Narrative on the Middle East


Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy
Kristin Szremski, Director of Media and Communication for American Muslims for Palestine, will present a Palestinian narrative on the Middle East. American Muslims for Palestine is an education and advocacy organization that promotes human rights for Palestinians with the firm conviction that affording one people human rights does not detract from the human rights of other peoples.
  • Sunday
    November 9, 2014
    2:00 pm
  • The Stevenson Center on Democracy
    25200 N St Mary's Rd
    Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
    773- 281-0378
  • Admission: $15

Sunday, November 2, 2014

Vote Tardy and Seldom

Poll Cat Is there some election scheduled this week? Haha, if you are like your LakeCountyEye, you overlooked the deadline to request a vote-by-mail ballot. And you missed your opportunity to vote early. And with so many choices to be made on election day, now comes the hard part: what will be your excuse for not voting on Tuesday?

This is not the first time your LakeCountyEye has wrestled with this existential question. Or for that matter, the eighth or even the ninth. Your friends and neighbors and relatives and co-workers may be voting on Tuesday -- but not you. That's because your LakeCountyEye has rolled up ten suitable rationales to explain why you did not vote:
Ten Reasons for Not Voting this Tuesday, November 4
  1. Convicted felons aren't supposed to vote.

  2. Voting just encourages them to hold more elections.

  3. Forgot to set the clocks back.

  4. Stuck 13 hours at a CN Railroad crossing.

  5. Voting is how Ebola spreads.

  6. My voting location is on the 9th floor of the new Waukegan Court Tower.

  7. Got caught in a monster pile-up on the Route 53 Extension.

  8. The sign said: No Electioneering Beyond This Point. So I went home.

  9. The Sheriff's police have my three pieces of photo ID.

  10. It just doesn't pay to vote -- not nearly as much as it used to.
Look for your LakeCountyEye not in line at a poll near you.

Wednesday, October 29, 2014

The Off-Year Infections

Win Friends and Influenza People The hazmat moon suits are flying off the shelves and they're not for Halloween. Lake County has Ebola fever. At least one prominent resident of Lake County has gotten rattled:
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk has joined other Republicans in calling for a travel and visa ban on those attempting to travel to the U.S. from three Ebola-affected countries in Africa. Kirk contends the public isn't confident the Centers for Disease Control is ahead of the Ebola threat.
Kirk wants travel ban for 3 Ebola-affected nations
When widespread panic threatens to turn into total pandemonium your LakeCountyEye turns to the one person with the sobering facts, Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Viral Phenomena at the College of Lake County.

"Look at how I'm perspiring. Is it hot in here?" asked Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "I've been sealing the cracks in my fallout shelter. Cough -- pardon my dust. As to Ebola, you got nothing to worry about -- as long as you don't vote this year."

That last remark did not scan. As long as your LakeCountyEye did not vote?

"Ya." said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Stay away from the voting booth and you will be fine. Diseases spread when strangers are in close contact. And where do more people get jammed closer together around this time of year?  Epidemiologists have determined that the voting booth has been ground zero for every pandemic since the Black Death."

Your LakeCountyEye was nonplussed. Really?

"Cross my heart and hope to die." chuckled Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Our election judges and government employees are not happy at all. They want either hazardous duty pay or to see the election cancelled for the duration."

Your LakeCountyEye was all like: Shut Up!

"Neither alternative was judged practical." continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi.  "So officials forged a compromise. On election day they will monitor every voter and remove from the lines anyone not deemed safe, and put them into quarantine."

Quarantined -- for how long?

"For 21 days or until November 4th on 7:01PM. Whichever one comes first." said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi.

Stunning revelations. Did Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi have any parting advice?

"Tell your ops that if they plan to vote in this election, they will need to bring some proof they haven't been in Africa."

Saturday, October 25, 2014

A Nod is as Good as a Wink to a Blind Endorsement

The LakeCountyEye Seal of Approval Your LakeCountyEye has learned that a general election will be held on November 4th. While technically speaking an off-brand-election, this one is still a real election -- where guys run for office and get elected and then go somewhere and do some other junk.

Well, if an election is scheduled soon, can the LakeCountyEye endorsements be far behind? Your LakeCountyEye thinks not.

Note to ops: It is still not too late to secure a coveted LakeCountyEye endorsement for your candidate. You know the drill. Just write out a contribution -- with the word Endorse Me! on the subject line -- and deposit it into your LakeCountyEye's PAC ...
A Lake County PAC in the Eye
The minute the check clears, a LakeCountyEye endorsement (suitable for framing) will appear, as if by magic, on this blog. What could be easier?

Sample nut grafs from past endorsements to satisfied candidates -- and suggested donations -- are shown here:
$100 : The Perfunctory Endorsement

"By any outward appearance, this candidate is ebola free."

"He gets the LakeCountyEye nod."

$1,000 : The Qualified Endorsement

"This candidate is not nearly as corrupt as his opponent."

"He gets the LakeCountyEye nod."

$10,000 : The Enthusiastic Endorsement

"All the smart money is going to this candidate."

"He gets the LakeCountyEye nod."

$100,000 : The Gubernatorial Special

"Anyone not voting for this candidate will have a fatal accident."

"He gets the LakeCountyEye nod."
Do not delay. Offer expires Tuesday, November 4, 7pm.

Thursday, October 23, 2014

A Cockamamie Moment

pie gaffe Joe Biden came to Lake County. The News-Sun was waiting for him:
Vice President Joe Biden will show up Wednesday for a political speech in Vernon Hills. It could be dull. After all, it's just two weeks before the midterm national elections, and Biden can be expected to carry the Democratic Party flag and jab at Republicans. Nothing scintillating about that. On the other hand, maybe this will be one of those "Biden Being Biden" moments
Opinion: Maybe we’ll get to see Biden being Biden
The Vice President did not disappoint. Biden was caught cussing and the News-Sun was all over it like ketchup on a Happy Meal:
Criticizing Republican plans to turn Medicare into a voucher system and cut funding for education and other programs, Biden condemned the GOP's budget proposals. "Show me your budget and I'll show you your values." he said, before going into attack mode. "These guys believe it. These guys mean what they say. As cockamamie as it sounds, they believe it."
Biden denounces 'cockamamie' Republican values at Vernon Hills rally
Haha, the Vice President said cockamamie.

Question to ops: Is there a worse feeling than when the boss wanders too close to an open mic and utters some barnyard epithet? Your LakeCountyEye does not think so.

In the Vice President's defense, the word cockamamie is technically not a swear word -- but your LakeCountyEye is reluctant to call down the News-Sun. C'mon, who knows what cockamamie means, anyways? Not likely the News-Sun.

Your LakeCountyEye, however, does -- and has compiled a number of suitable substitutes for the word cockamamie. If you are one who needs to express inner feelings out in public, be sure to memorize all 10 of these:
Ten Genteel Euphemisms for the Word
Cockamamie
Suitable for Polite Company
  1. Shit for Brains
  2. Off the Canadian National Rails
  3. Not Dressed for Concealed Carry
  4. In Low Orbit Around a Lake County Traffic Circle
  5. Riding the Goliath Without a Helmet
  6. Two Buffalo Wings Less Than a Backyard Chicken
  7. Chumbolone
  8. One Story Short a Waukegan Court Tower
  9. Bhatschidtkhrazzi
  10. $2.89 Billion Shy a Route 53 Extension
Look for your LakeCountyEye gaffing out loud near you.

Saturday, October 18, 2014

Imaginary Numbers

politics is a numbers game If money is the mother's milk of politics then the Illinois GOP must be the well-oiled breast pump. At least according to the Daily Herald:
With the election 20 days away and in-person early voting starting Monday, tallies of campaign spending reveal where the toughest legislative battles are being waged in the suburbs. Five Illinois House contests we looked at drew donations of more than $200,000 in the third quarter of the year.
GOP puts big money into 5 suburban races
The Herald examined five IL House races and concluded that Illinois Republicans were spending some big money. Just how much money is big money? Your LakeCountyEye loaded the Daily Herald numbers into a spreadsheet to find out:
ContestRepublicanRaisedDemocrat RaisedAdvantage
IL 61st HouseSheri Jesiel$228KLoren Karner$414K$186K +D
IL 45th HouseChristine Winger$245KJenny Burke$293K$48K +D
IL 55th HouseMel Thillens$124KMarty Moylan$370K$246K +D
IL 62nd HouseRod Drobinski$36KSam Yingling$238K$202K +D
IL 59th HouseLeslie Munger$61KCarol Sente$179K$118K +D
TOTALRepublicans$694KDemocrats$1,494K$800K +D
Source: GOP puts big money into 5 suburban races
As operatives can plainly see, it doesn't look good for the Democrats, at least in the burbs. Out of 5 different State Rep contests -- hand-picked for analysis by the Daily Herald -- the Republicans are outfunded in only 5 of them. And overall they lag behind the Democrats by an insignificant $800,000. The Herald was right on the money!

When the Daily Herald sees the GOP pouring big money into suburban IL House races, your LakeCountyEye listens. Note to ops: if you work for one of those overfunded Democratic opponents, do yourself a favor and cut your losses. Quit now.

Thursday, October 16, 2014

The Fortunes and Misfortunes of the Famous Mollie Netcher

You heard it here first: No longer is Facebook simply the province of nonagenarians and minimum security prisoners. Your LakeCountyEye is on Facebook now, somewhere or other, and already has a friend. Your LakeCountyEye's new BFF is Mollie Netcher.

Here is a screencap of Ms. Netcher's Facebook page:

Mollie Netcher
Mollie Netcher, according to Facebook, is ...
  • Born: September 28, 1932
  • Hometown: New York, New York
  • Current City: Highland Park, Illinois
  • Likes: The Art Institute of Chicago
And Mollie shared a photo on Facebook:

Mollie Netcher
If your LakeCountyEye wasn't in love already, her Wikipedia entry sealed the deal:
Mollie Wilmot (born Mollie Netcher (died September 17, 2002), Chicago, Illinois) was a philanthropist and socialite. Wilmot spent her formative years in Europe where she studied art and achieved fluency in French. She graduated from the rigorous Foxcroft School.
Mollie Wilmot
Your LakeCountyEye not only has a Facebook friend who merits a Wikipedia page, but one that has been dead for 12 years. How cool is that?

If there was any doubt that this is the one and the same Mollie Netcher, Wikipedia says ...
Wilmot soared to prominence in 1984 the day after Thanksgiving when a 197-foot freighter, MV Mercedes I, carrying ten Venezuelan sailors crashed into the seawall of her oceanfront Palm Beach mansion. She served the sailors sandwiches and freshly brewed coffee in her gazebo, offered martinis to journalists and photographers, and granted the stranded Venezuelans access to her pool cabana.
Mollie Wilmot
Your LakeCountyEye made a closeup of the quite becoming Ms. Mollie Netcher, posed against the aforementioned love boat -- the MV Mercedes I:

Beached freighter made headlines, but Disney didn’t make 'Palm Beached' into a movie
For the record, a LakeCountyEye martini is braced with Hendrick's Gin. And a cucumber slice.

Monday, October 13, 2014

Feel Like a Million?

... tick ... tick ... tick ... No two ways about it, there is big money in oil. According to the Daily Herald ...
the state's motor fuel tax law grants counties with more than 1 million residents a significant percentage of the more than $1 billion in annual revenue generated by the tax. In 2013, that amounted to more than $91 million for Cook County. When DuPage County hits that magic number -- projected to happen as soon as 2019, according to estimates from the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity and the Chicago Metropolitan Agency for Planning -- DuPage County would get half of what Cook County normally gets.
Griffin: How DuPage County population growth could hurt Cook County
Should Lake County be concerned? To find out, your LakeCountyEye asked Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Reproductive Studies at the College of Lake County.

"45 million bucks is a lot of dough. It could pay off a Route 53 Extension in no time. That much gas tax money would erase a $2.89 billion debt in only 64 years." said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Ya, Lake County is very interested."

Your LakeCountyEye was confused. Wasn't DuPage County in line for the tax windfall once their population hit one million?

"Not if Lake County gets there first." smiled Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "One million is not a lot of people."

That did not add up for your LakeCountyEye.

"Sure it does." chuckled Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "The population is already at 700,000. Lake County just needs to merge with another County that has 300,000 people. And McHenry County is right next door."

Your LakeCountyEye almost dropped the pumpkin latte. McHenry County?

"Don't worry." grinned Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "That deal fell through. McHenry County wanted to earmark the $45 million for farm subsidies."

Your LakeCountyEye was relieved.

"There's more than one way to hit the magic million mark." continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Build free Section 8 housing for 300,000 people."

Your LakeCountyEye did not think many people would abide by that.

"Or order the CLCJAWA to spike their water with Viagra."

That was hard for your LakeCountyEye to conceive.

"Or even make like Vladimir Putin and annex the Kenosha / Racine corridor."

Your LakeCountyEye heard enough. Was there any parting advice?

"Tell your operatives," said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "not to complain about the lines at the Goliath rollercoaster. Not yet, at least."

Friday, October 10, 2014

This Hall is Available

The Stanley CupThe Village of Mundelein has seized the bleeding edge of municipal governance. In an era when brick-and-mortar businesses are vanishing faster than the dinosaurs, Mundelein has shuttered its brick-and-mortar city hall. The city hall doors are locked and all Mundelein city business, henceforth, is being conducted in the cloud -- via a proprietary amalgam of Skype, Google Docs, a peer-to-peer botnet and dedicated IRC chatroom. Anyone with an iPhone 6 now has no excuse for being AWOL to the next Mundelein Village Board meeting!

Haha, j/k.

The Village of Mundelein now conducts business in a new city hall, located somewhere in the the Village of Mundelein.  And while not like decommissioning a battleship or deconsecrating a church, strict regulations and requirements do have to be met before Mundelein's old city hall building can go off-line. According to the News-Sun ...
A survey will soon go public asking Mundelein residents for help in deciding what happen to the 85-year-old building that was formerly Village Hall.
Community ideas sought for future of old Mundelein Village Hall
If Politicians and old buildings all get respectable if they last long enough, can your LakeCountyEye be far behind? Operatives are advised to keep an eye peeled in Mundelein for your LakeCountyEye, walking the streets. And have ready your suggestions for repurposing the old Mundelein village hall. All 10 of them:
Ten New Uses for the Old Mundelein Village Hall
  1. Halloween Haunted House
  2. Same Sex Marriage Chapel
  3. Drive-Thru Medical Marijuana Dispensary
  4. Lake County Election Commission World Headquarters
  5. Route 53 Extension Rest Area
  6. The Park City Casino
  7. The New Lake County Court Tower
  8. Canadian National Railway Layover Terminal
  9. Old Politicians Retirement Home
  10. Walmart
Look for your LakeCountyEye, not fighting city hall near you.

Wednesday, October 8, 2014

Between You & Me & the Fencepost

If Google is your friend, can the Daily Herald be far behind? Despite showing up on your doorstep every morning, the Daily Herald also wants to be your BFF:
We're doing several things at the Daily Herald this week to help put a spotlight on all the ways we use technology to talk to each other. And, because talking to each other should be easy, we're going add a few things to make it more fun.
Daily Herald and readers: We're in this news business together
Now's your chance to sync up with the Herald on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram. These are only some of fun things they have added to beef up their online presence -- for a complete rundown, follow the story link below. It's underneath the actual unretouched screencap of the actual unretouched Daily Herald story:

Daily Herald and readers: We're in this news business together
No doubt about it, talking to each other should be easy. Along with those fun additions, the Herald should consider some fun subtractions, starting with the paywall.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Please do not block the view of the paying customers.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

Rules for Radicals

Stop me if you heard this one before.  Knock Knock ... October in Lake County is when strangely dressed people will knock on your door and threaten mayhem unless you reward them with a sweet confection. Halloween trick or treaters? Nope, campaign canvassers.

Haha, your LakeCountyEye loves that joke. It seems however that no one loves campaign canvassers. The Sun-Times observed that ...
While people are bombarded with campaign commercials each time they turn on the television, some local political leaders are getting a different story as they knock on their neighbors' doors to have conversations about the upcoming election. Republican and Democratic grassroots leaders are sensing community anger and discontent as they fan out across Lake Forest, Deerfield and Highland Park in advance of the Nov. 4 election. "Everybody's angry and fed up with the negative commercials," Moraine Township Republican Chair Lou Atsaves of Lake Forest said.
Local political leaders sense anger preceeding November election
Not to be a buzzkill, but your LakeCountyEye senses otherwise. Operatives report that overall everybody's been quite nice, and the electorate is no more riled up than usual. Note to ops: if you are received poorly at the door, the problem may not the message but the messenger. Just sayin!

Candidates who send people door-to-door should recognize that there are standards of decorum and, if adhered to, their volunteers could be the margin of victory.  Simply observe these 10 rules and you will walk away from that next house not only with a yardsign in the lawn but a Double-Decker MoonPie in your sack!
Ten Rules of Conduct for Campaign Door Knockers
  1. Wear pants.
        Speedos or pajama bottoms are unseemly.

  2. Keep your concealed carry concealed.

  3. No Smoking:
    • Tobacco
    • Marijuana

  4. Do not hypnotize the backyard chickens.

  5. Skip Chief Keef's House.

  6. Do not play Shave and a Haircut Two Bits.
        That knocker is not a musical instrument.

  7. It is illegal to trade your iPhone 6 for their vote.

  8. It is not illegal to trade your vote for their iPhone 6.

  9. Do not say: "One last survey question: What's for lunch?"

  10. No shirt, no shoes? Stay off the lawn.
Look for your LakeCountyEye on a stoop near you.

Friday, October 3, 2014

Ballot Secrets

Mona Lisa musta had the highway blues. Your LakeCountyEye observes that there are only 10 types of people in the world: those who understand math, and those who get into politics.

Haha, appearances to the contrary, mathematical know-how is essential to success in the political arena. Operatives will be asked to count votes, identify precincts by number, punch a phone number into a robo-dialer, and more. Anyone deficient in these basic skills should immediately get over to the College of Lake County, and sign up for Arithmetic One-Zero-One. Or enroll in a comparable on-line 3rd grade math course. You will not regret it.

Math is also useful when it comes to cracking coded messages. Lake County Clerk Willard Helander told the Daily Herald that her office has been inundated with a record-busting number of requests for absentee ballots:
The possible reason, Helander says, is the nationally watched battle for Congress between Democratic U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider of Deerfield and Republican challenger Bob Dold of Kenilworth in the north suburban 10th District. Both sides are scurrying for votes and trying to take advantage of the law allowing people to vote by mail without having to explain why they can't vote on Election Day.
Riopell: North suburban race for Congress drives ballot requests
Helander divulged a whopping 17,309 requests for ballots. Operatives should immediately recognize this as a coded message, and decipherable by anyone with sufficient math skills. Political cognoscenti will count up the number of absentee ballots requested by their campaign, and subtract that from 17,309. The answer will be the number of absentee ballots requested by their opponent:
17309 - Your Absentee Ballots = Their Absentee Ballots
This resulting number is a campaign secret closely guarded by campaign operatives. You know who you are.

Wednesday, October 1, 2014

DoS and Don'ts

Being Lake County's #1 political blog means your LakeCountyEye can count on a dozen or two or three pageviews every day -- rain or shine. So when the stat-counter clocked more than 2,300 pageviews on Sunday, your LakeCountyEye took notice:


Your LakeCountyEye was once asked by Mae West ...
"Is that a gun in your pocket, or are you just happy to see me?"
Wikiquote
Note to ops:  Was that a DDoS attack? Or are you just happy to see your LakeCountyEye?

Monday, September 29, 2014

The Hunger Game

Even though Peter Roskam is Lake County's vestigial Congressman, one would be hard pressed to find someone in the county even remotely familiar with his name. Whether by design or by default, Roskam has managed to keep a low profile throughout this election year. Your LakeCountyEye had to search the Internet back well into the previous year for any mention of Peter Roskam. This despite the fact that there have been more than a dozen stories posted about Roskam in 2014 on this blog alone! Truth indeed is stranger than fiction.

A November 2013 press release out of Roskam's Washington office says ...
In advance of the Thanksgiving Holiday, Congressman Roskam and his wife, Elizabeth, met with volunteers and helped pack food at Feed My Starving Children in Schaumberg.
Congressman Roskam Packs Food for Philippines
That was back in the day. Fast forward to the present and Roskam plans to be in Crystal Lake to support the Illinois House Republican Organization -- a special guest for an evening of fine food and bourbon tasting:
On the menu:
  • Hors d'oeuvres
  • Salad of Organic Greens
    Garden Grown Tri-Colored Sage and Chili de Arbol Vinaigrette
  • Combination of Local Grass Fed Red Angus Filet Tips and Wild Caught Salmon Cake
  • Butternut Squash and Purple Mashed Potatoes
  • Bourbon-infused Black Bottom Pie with Fresh Whipping Cream
It is unknown whether any starving children have been invited. Your LakeCountyEye has been told that Congressman Roskam will request a doggie bag.

Sunday, September 28, 2014

Tryon Your Hand At It

With the 2014 election season in full swing, your LakeCountyEye has been busier than a growth-hormone-fed rooster in a backyard chicken coop. Whenever freetime is available, your LakeCountyEye can be found searching the Internet for ...
CHEAP LEVITRA
  and
VIAGRA ONLINE WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION
  and
BUY CIALIS IN AUSTRALIA
Haha, your LakeCountyEye discovered that if you Google "ILLINOIS" & "CHEAP LEVITRA" & "VIAGRA ONLINE WITHOUT PRESCRIPTION" & "BUY CIALIS IN AUSTRALIA", a local elected official will appear at the top of your search results:

Google
These Google hits link to Mike Tryon, the former Chair of the McHenry County GOP, and a current State Representative. Operatives who follow the links to Tryon's website will not be disappointed:

MikeTryon
Your LakeCountyEye got a screencap of Tryon's website, above.  The tiny mousetype in the corners may be hard to read, so your LakeCountyEye blew up some insets. Tyron's website bears links galore to cheap Internet Viagra, Cialis, Levitra, and more!

Best Viewed in Internet Explorer 10!
Be sure to visit Tryon's website with Internet Explorer if you want to see for yourself the links to those magic erectile dysfunction pills.

Your LakeCountyEye has long been searching for an unobtrusive way to monetize this blog and turn it into a moneymaking cash cow. Well thanks to State Rep Mike Tryon, your LakeCountyEye now knows how it is done.

Note to ops: this is a closely guarded secret to be held between you and your LakeCountyEye. It is not known what would arise if the McHenryCountyBlog ever found out.

Wednesday, September 24, 2014

No Guns or Butter

630 dog Ks in 630 dog days Your LakeCountyEye doesn't know how they are supposed to celebrate the New Year or the Fourth of July in the village of Highland Park. According to the News-Sun ...
A district court judge ruled Thursday that Highland Park's ban on assault weapons and large-capacity magazines does not violate constitutional rights under the Second Amendment, according to the city.
Judge upholds Highland Park's ban on assault weapons
Lake County citizens typically commemorate victories like these by gathering in their town square to discharge their firearms in celebration.  But, observes your LakeCountyEye, they will not be in Highland Park.

Something else they will not be celebrating, is the price of victory:
The city spent $89,887 in legal fees defending the assault weapons ban in the first three months of 2014, according to legal bills obtained through a Freedom of Information request in May of this year.
Judge upholds Highland Park's ban on assault weapons
$90,000 is not an insignificant amount, even in the village of Highland Park. One official from one undisclosed village told your LakeCountyEye that a $90,000 line item on their city budget is equivalent to "a month's revenue out of our Half Day Road speed trap."

Your LakeCountyEye decided to do some actual research and discovered that there were quite a few village budgets with line items equivalent to $90,000 -- well, OK, 10 to be exact:
Ten $90,000 Expenditures Found in Some Lake County Village Budgets
  1. 101 AR-15 Assault Weapons (now available at Walmart)
  2. 1800 Potholes
  3. 15 Village Trustees (Park City only)
  4. 1½ Springfield Lobbyists
  5. 1 Bike Lane
  6. 28 grams Medical Marijuana (estimated street value)
  7. 19% Stake in a Mine Resistant Vehicle
  8. 1 Backyard Chicken Inspector
  9. Walking Around Money
  10. 27 inches of Route 53 Extension
Look for your LakeCountyEye in a nuisance suit near you.

Saturday, September 20, 2014

The Road to Riches

hope springs eternal Short of threatening to move across State lines unless they get tax concessions, the Route 53 Blue Ribbon Commission has run out of ideas for financing the Route 53 Extension. The News-Sun observed that ...
After months of laboring through a bushel of options on how to build a 25-mile road for about $2.6 billion, the project's finance committee has arrived at an interlocking set of funding plans. What the components share in common is that everyone will hate at least one of the ideas. And lots of people will hate the entire idea, starting with spending $2.6 billion on a road that only begets bad funding ideas.
Route 53 payment plan gives something for everyone to hate
Desperate times call for desperate measures. So your LakeCountyEye paid a visit to Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Leveraged Financial Instruments at the College of Lake County.

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi asked to meet on the Amstutz Expressway, the on-screen location of every Hollywood chase scene ever filmed since Ben Hur. He said, "Every time they shoot a movie here, the City of Waukegan pockets a nice chunk of money for itself. Well, it was only a matter of time before the Route 53 Commission woke up and smelled the Benjamins."

Your LakeCountyEye was nonplussed. Did that mean they planned to finance the Route 53 Extension by making the limited-access toll-road available to Hollywood filmmakers?

"They are already under contract" offered Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "to film the Easy Rider sequel on the Route 53 Extension. The daily commuter isn't even expected to notice. Lake County has plenty of senior citizens riding around on their Harley Davidsons, as it is."

Your LakeCountyEye was all like: and not to mention good ole boys in pickups with gun racks.

"And the LCDOT is already stockpiling barrels of yellow-line paint", continued Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "for a remake of the Wizard of Oz. Tell your ops there will be an open casting call for munchkin extras."

Your LakeCountyEye made a mental note.

"This financing plan will also help save on construction costs." added Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "They will only have to build the bridges half-way across the overpasses. For a remake of Thelma and Louise."

Your LakeCountyEye was none too pleased to hear that. Something else to avoid during rush hour.

"And think about this." cautioned Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "After one or two Chicago winters the Route 53 Extension is expected to revert back to its feral state -- a post-apocalyptic moonscape of potholes and roadkill and homeless squatters. Well, one Hollywood studio has already optioned the rights."

Your LakeCountyEye had a hunch. Another Mad Max movie?

"No flies on you today." chuckled Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "I've heard that the the International Demolition Derby Association -- as well as NASCAR -- have sent out feelers."

Your LakeCountyEye heard enough. Was there any parting advice?

"Tell your ops," said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "that if the location shots on Duck Dynasty look familiar, they'll know why."

Friday, September 19, 2014

Addressing Mental Illness in the Justice System
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart


Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy
Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart, a nationally recognized leader for his innovations in law enforcement techniques and policies, will speak on the growing crisis of mental illness in the criminal justice system. Dart and his staff have worked to reduce over-crowding at the jail and instituted programs to provide job skills for inmates. He re-structured the Sheriff's Police Force and improved the operations of the Court Services Department. And he launched the Office of Mental Health Policy and Advocacy which operates a 24-hour Care Line for mentally ill ex-inmates and families of current mentally inmates, while screening all "pre-bond" detainees for mental illness. He has received many awards from national and local mental health advocacy organizations for his efforts to end what has become a de facto criminalization of mental illness.
  • Sunday
    September 28, 2014
    2:00 pm
  • The Stevenson Center on Democracy
    25200 N St Mary's Rd
    Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
    773- 281-0378
  • Admission: $15
  • Coffee and conversation following

Wednesday, September 17, 2014

Small Compensation

my eyes are up here Illinois's billionaire candidates are amping up their efforts to buy themselves the November election.  Unless they win, they will be forced to pay their employees a decent wage.

Haha, a Chicago Tribune poll says a large majority of voters want to raise the minimum wage:
The poll found 69 percent of Illinois voters back an increase in the state's $8.25-an-hour minimum wage to $10 by Jan. 1 for adults over age 18.
Poll: Illinois voters back referendum issues
Local planners have positioned Lake County to uniquely benefit from an increased minimum wage. That's because the average Lake County job starts at $4.95 per hour.

They say a rising tide lifts all boats -- and what is true for Blarney Island will be true for Lake County. A $1.75 hike in the minimum wage will mean a sudden increase in discretionary spending, county-wide. Industries expected to benefit, above all, include video gaming, medical marijuana and gun sales.

Operatives eager to participate in the good times are advised to get in on the ground floor and snag themselves a good Lake County minimum wage job, while they are still to be gotten. Your LakeCountyEye has been told there are only about 10 left:
Lake County's Ten Best Minimum Wage Jobs
  1. Bouncer at the Quonset

  2. Highly Paid Satirical Blogger

  3. CN Railroad Cowcatcher Attendant

  4. Libertyville TIF District Meter Maid

  5. Woodpecker Hole Inspector on the Goliath Rollercoaster

  6. Special Fundraising Facilitator to the Illinois Route 53/120 Blue Ribbon Advisory Council Finance Committee

  7. Curator of the Lake County Election Commission National Monument

  8. Barrington Hills Bicycle Repairman

  9. Rap Star

  10. News-Sun Fact Checker
Look for your LakeCountyEye, workin it.