Trump l'Orange

Lake County Delegates who will be fleeing to Cleveland ahead of the Zika virus this summer, may be able to hitch a ride to the GOP convention with one candidate for President. According to the Daily Herald ...

So, you want to be a delegate to the Republican National Convention? You could have a rare opportunity to help make history, if none of the Republican presidential candidates reaches the target 1,237 delegates needed to clinch the nomination on the first ballot. And maybe - just maybe - billionaire businessman Donald Trump will take you for a spin on Trump Force One.
Want to be a delegate to the GOP convention? It's not easy

Here is a list of high-profile Republican delegates from Lake County, with their election numbers:

Delegate to the National Nominating Convention (REP)
Lake County -- MARCH 15, 2016 GENERAL PRIMARY

Cook County, DuPage County and even McHenry County are sending delegates to the Convention. However, your LakeCountyEye observes a lot Bush's and Rubio's and Kasich's on the Lake County delegate list -- losers -- so don't expect to bump into any of these people on Hair Force Trump.

However, one notable nominee from Lake County, who never hid her true colors, is expected be a Trump delegate at the Republican Convention:

Donald Trump	Princess Nudelman
Orange you glad this is another hilarious LakeCountyEye Double Vision™?

A spokesman says Ms Nudelman is always eager to support anyone who is underwater with the voters.

Dirty Ballots

Aaron Lawlor, the Lake County Board Chair, has a new dirty job. He is now working for the new Lake County Clerk, Carla Wyckoff. For the lowdown, go to the Lake County website ...

Lake County processed 180,000 voters for the March 15 Primary election – a record turnout. While all the ballots have been cast, the Lake County Clerk's Office still has much work to do. Watch this edition of Lake County's Dirty Jobs where Chairman Aaron Lawlor helps in the clean-up process of the 122 Lake County polling places.


Lake County’s Dirty Jobs: Post Election Cleanup

Lawlor, who has been a candidate on every every Lake County ballot since 2003 (and is a candidate on the November ballot) could be expected to know a thing or two about counting votes. Here, Lawlor volunteers to police some voting equipment, while confessing to the County Clerk that the task is ...

one of the most complicated jobs I've ever seen in County government because there are so many moving parts, so many statutes, and all sorts of things.

Your LakeCountyEye looked up some of those statutes. And not just anyone is permitted to tally ballots in Illinois. Did you know that an election worker must ...

• be a citizen of the United States and entitled to vote at the next election
• be of good repute and character
• be able to speak, read and write the English language
• be skilled in the four fundamental rules of arithmetic
• not be a candidate for any office at the election

Note to Ops: four out of five isn't bad, even with the five-fingered discount.

Here Lawlor shuffles some loose documents atop one voting machine:

All the while, there is more to this job than sweeping up. Equipment needs to be moved:

And with so many moving parts ...

... be careful that something isn't misplaced!

Mulberry Child: From China's Cultural Revolution to Chicago

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Author Jian Ping will talk about her family's story of surviving the chaos and persecution during China's Cultural Revolution, as revealed in her memoir Mulberry Child. The book has been turned into an award-winning documentary film and was broadcast on PBS.

• Sunday
  April 10, 2016
  2:00 pm
• The Stevenson Center on Democracy
  25200 N St Mary's Rd
  Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
  773- 281-0378
• $15
  No Charge for Students
• Coffee and Conversation Afterwards

Three are Better than Two

The voters in the 10th District cannot make up their minds whether to send a Democrat or a Republican to Congress. And this uncertainty factor may increase by 50%, this year, as a 3rd Party candidate hopes to be on the ballot in the 10th District:

The Aquarian Agrarian

A press release that was sent out says Joe Kopsick will need some 10,000 petition signatures (as of June 27) to be on the ballot in November.

For the record, more than 150,000 votes were cast in the March Primary for 10th District candidates. None of these voters will be eligible to sign a nominating petition for Kopsick. Your LakeCountyEye hazards to guess that the Kopsick campaign may have their work cut out for them. Especially considering that Kopsick is running under the banner of the Absurdist Party.

politics1.com / ILLINOIS

Note to Ops: If you are running a 3rd party insurgency campaign and you need 10,000 signatures on short notice, it may behoove you to give your new party a sensible name ... like the Sensible Party, maybe. Just sayin'!

The Motley Fool

Those Lake County voters who live in Wisconsin will cast their Primary ballots for President next Tuesday. Within Lake County, however, the Primary numbers are in, and they are not even close:

• Hillary Clinton : 50,271
• Donald J. Trump : 30,952

Lake County -- MARCH 15, 2016 GENERAL PRIMARY

Hillary Clinton is officially the President of Lake County -- by a landslide.

This fact was not lost on Lake County favorite son and former teen idol, Ted Nugent. On Friday, Nugent endorsed Hillary Clinton for President on his Facebook page:

(Operatives can click Ted Nugent's Facebook page and verify the post's authenticity:

Ted Nugent / Facebook

For the record, Facebook is a virtual senior center where the elderly go to exchange photos of the grandkids and Internet cats.)

The promoters of a summer music festival planned for Waukegan had declined to book the Medicare-eligible Nugent -- to make room for fresher acts. Your LakeCountyEye has heard that Seattle rapper Macklemore may headline the event.

A spokesperson says that Ted Nugent hopes to increase his street-cred and appeal to younger music lovers, by endorsing Clinton.

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Buzzkill

The bigshots among the Illinois GOP have been asked to drop their guns. They cannot bring firearms to the Republican Convention. According to the Sun-Times ...

Secret Service will not allow people to carry guns into the July Republican National Convention in Cleveland, quashing the hopes of more than 45,000 people who have signed a petition saying attendees should be allowed to bring firearms. The Secret Service said on Monday it has the authority to preclude guns from sites visited by the people it protects such as U.S. presidential candidates, presidents and former presidents.
Secret Service says 'no' to guns at Republican convention

Some convention-goers are not giving up without a fight. A new online petition has been posted, saying the Secret Service should to be abolished.

One presidential candidate was quick to rebuff the idea: "Then who is supposed to quarterback the booty patrol, after I get to the White House?"

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Giv'em the gun.

Conventional Weapons

Lake County Republicans bound for the GOP Convention face a vexing choice: Which guns should they take with, to Cleveland this July?

FOX 32 observes that ...

Thousands of people have signed a petition demanding the right to carry guns at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland this summer. Ohio is an open carry state, but guns are banned at Quicken Loans Arena. The Change.Org petition claims that Cleveland is a dangerous place, and that the GOP and the owners of Quicken Loans Arena are depriving attendees of their right to carry arms. Petitioners also claim that the GOP convention might be a target for ISIS terrorists.
Thousands demand right to carry guns at GOP convention

Packing a suitcase is a taxing enough, even without having to pack heat. So your LakeCountyEye consulted an expert, Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Unconventional Behavior at the College of Lake County.

"Ya," said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Who in their right mind would get anywhere near Cleveland without their pocket rocket?"

Easier said than done, it occurs to your LakeCountyEye.

"No doubt about it," agreed Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "it is difficult to transport your guns and ammo by commercial air, these days. If they want my opinion, the RNC should reserve some space on the floor for a gun show. That way the delegates could arm themselves after they get to the convention site. Plus, firearm vendors never do background checks. So the Republican delegates with mental illnesses or felony convictions will be properly armed as well."

Other than standing tall for the 2nd Amendment, your LakeCountyEye was not sure why GOP delegates were making a fuss over their right to bear arms.

"Some delegates are itching for a floor fight, and they need to come prepared. You never want to bring a knife to a gun fight." Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi then smiled. "Forewarned is forearmed."

Have the Presidential candidates said anything?

"I hear Ted Cruz plans to secure the uncommitted delegates by doling out the pork," confided Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "He will be frying bacon on the barrel of his AR-15."

So, should anyone who likes his bacon crispy be worried about ISIS?

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi shook his head. "The last place ISIS would attack is at the Republican convention -- Donald Trump might be ISIS's best recruiter. ISIS may be crazy but I don't think they are stupid. They ought to pledge a donation to every candidate who radicalizes a new ISIS recruit with his campaign rhetoric."

Nothing a little waterboarding wouldn't fix. Did Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi have any parting advice?

"Tell your operatives that if they plan to attend the Republican Convention, they better be sure they are signed up for ObamaCare."

The Pensioner's Delemma

Your LakeCountyEye is obligated by due deligence to post this undeluted screen cap taken from the Internet:

County Seeks Delapidated Home's Condemnation

The source of the shoddelly captioned blog post is the antedeluvian McHenryCountyBlog.

Deligent readers may suspect that crocodele tears are being shed over this delettantish effort -- which your LakeCountyEye will readely admit.

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. No more delly-dallying.

The Elephant in the Rumpus Room

Wednesday may be hump day, but last Tuesday was Trump Day in Lake County. Trump dominated the GOP Primary throughout the County, outpacing his closest rival, Jeb Bush, by a comfortable 30,697 to 524.

Trump romped -- despite dire predictions in the wake of an aborted Trump rally in Chicago, a week before the election:

"Donald Trump created that hostile environment," said state Rep. Ed Sullivan, a Mundelein Republican and backer of Ohio Gov. John Kasich. He predicted a backlash against Trump. But if there isn't one, Sullivan said, "God help us."
Trump backlash swift and loud, but does it matter?

It is conceivable that God asked for a Democratic ballot, because the predicted backlash did not occur.

One political scientist told your LakeCountyEye: "Trump does so well at the ballot box because voters say they won't vote for Trump, and then they vote for Trump. The pollsters need to understand that Trump voters speak in code."

Well, your LakeCountyEye has not only cracked that code, but can identify with 100% certainty who will vote for Donald Trump. Listen for one of these 10 tell-tale tip-offs:

Ten Euphemisms for Voting for Donald Trump

Punch One ... In the Face Pull a Short Finger Take a Trump Fondled the Donald Got My Degree in P/E at Trump University Buy a Rauner Let's Juice the Orange Voto a Favor de Donaldo Trump It's Gonna Be HUGE Trump You

Look for your LakeCountyEye wearin' the orange at a Trump Rally near you.

Cancel My Subscription to the General Election

March Madness has arrived, and your LakeCountyEye is two for two. In the wake of the March Madness March 15 Primary, your LakeCountyEye predicted that State Senator Dan Duffy would resign early, and then predicted he would be replaced by Dan McConchie:

Take this Job and Duff It

McConchie, a right-to-life lobbyist who fought a close primary battle, will be the GOP candidate in the November election for Duffy's Senate seat. Now the Daily Herald says McConchie will be picked to serve out the remainder of Duffy's term in the State Senate:

Lake County Republican Chairman Mike Amrozowicz said picking McConchie in this case is a "no-brainer" because voters have already spoken.
McConchie likely to start state Senate term early

If the voters have spoken, however, it is not 100% clear what they said -- especially in McHenry County, where the primary election was botched. One party official spoke candidly to the Northwest Herald ...

"It was the worst-managed election I have ever experienced living in McHenry County, and it's been 20 years. ... I don't know why anybody would trust the results of the election yesterday."
McHenry County primary election: 'Worst-managed' in decades or isolated problems?

Your LakeCountyEye observes that the Daily Herald trusts those results, implicitly. And moreover, with zero percent of the precincts reporting, the Daily Herald has already called the November election in McConchie's favor:

McConchie likely to start state Senate term early

One McHenry County spokesman told your LakeCountyEye: "If Mr McConchie wants to start his 2017 Senate term early, that's fine with us. And if that means canceling the November, 2016 election, that's fine with us as well."

Take this Job and Duff It

If the Illinois Senate is a two-way street, then State Senator Dan Duffy just blew his last red light.

Haha, the lameduck District 26 Senator says he will resign early.  According to the Northwest Herald ...

Duffy, R-Lake Barrington, announced the day after Tuesday's election that he would resign his 26th Illinois Senate District seat effective April 3 to take a job as president and CEO of Prevent Child Abuse America, a Chicago-based nonprofit with chapters in all 50 states, most of which do home visitations to ensure the healthy development of children.
Illinois Sen. Dan Duffy to step down early to lead nonprofit

Note to Ops: Nostradamus has nothing on your LakeCountyEye. Not to brag but, it was as far back as 2011 that this blog predicted Dan Duffy would resign from his Senate seat:

Freakout Punch

(To put this feat in perspective, Nostradamus was still alive in 2011.)

Duffy's announcement came one day after the election -- where Dan McConchie won a closely contested GOP primary in Senate District 26. It was probably no coincidence that Duffy waited until after a winner was called in his Senate district.

Republican Party insiders have been tasked with appointing someone to serve the remainder of Duffy's term, which expires at the end of the year. And your LakeCountyEye can now predict with great certainty that those insiders will select Casey Urlacher. The current Mayor of Mettawa, Urlacher finished a close second behind McConchie in the primary.

Haha, j/k. You don't need to be Nostradamus to know that the GOP insiders will appoint McConchie -- a pro-life lobbyist and activist -- to fill Duffy's vacant seat.

Well, duh.

For an Election Lasting More Than 24 Hrs, Seek Medical Help

Your LakeCountyEye has some good news to report from Mini-Super-Tuesday: Election numbers are finally trickling in from McHenry County.

Haha, if you lost sleep Tuesday night waiting to see who won in Illinois, it's not because you totally forgot about daylight savings time. Thank McHenry County instead -- which totally bungled the election. According to the Northwest Herald, problems already ...

started with the opening of the polls at 6 a.m. with the failure in some precincts of the electronic poll books used to verify voters' registration, and continued into Wednesday. As of late Wednesday – a full 24 hours after the closing of county polls that were extended 90 minutes by emergency court order – County Clerk Mary McClellan's office had yet to post the provisional ballots cast during that hour and a half. A number of county and state races were too close to call. It's a given among veteran McHenry County candidates something always goes wrong in the county on Election Day.
McHenry County primary election: 'Worst-managed' in decades or isolated problems?

One contest impacted was the heavily mail-bombed Senate District 26:

Though he was leading a tight three-way race in the 26th Illinois Senate District Republican primary, Dan McConchie was not ready to declare victory on Wednesday afternoon.
Dan McConchie leads close 26th Illinois Senate race, not declaring victory yet

Dan McConchie was reluctant to declare victory because his opponent, Casey Urlacher, did unexpectedly well in McHenry County. Despite the fact that the McHenry County GOP prides itself on being solidly pro-life -- and that Dan McConchie lobbies for Americans United for Life (a pro-life organization) -- Urlacher (the Mayor of Mettawa) beat McConchie in McHenry County by 6 percentage points. The only plausible explanation for this sort of ballotbox behavior would have to be that Casey Urlacher is the brother of an Ex-Chicago Bear, Brian Urlacher. And that they share the same last name.

One political scientist summed up the situation on the ground in McHenry County: "I don't think anyone in McHenry County ever got tipped off that there was supposed to be an election on March 15."

Sometimes You Win Sometimes You Louis

The voters sent a message to the Lake County GOP, soundly rejecting establishment candidates backed by Party insiders. Your LakeCountyEye, of course, refers to the stunning defeat of Louis Atsaves for the post of Moraine 203 Committeeman. The soon to be ex-Moraine Township GOP Chair, Atsaves was defeated by one Margaret "Peggy" Siebert -- of whom your LakeCountyEye has never heard:

Lake County -- Election Results

The numbers were not close, but your LakeCountyEye sill expects to see a petition for a recount. One Party insider predicted it would possible to make up a 100-plus vote deficit, "provided they have a stack of absentee ballots salted away somewhere in some Post Office".

Another Party insider was less sanguine. He told your LakeCountyEye that sometimes they are not booing -- they are actually chanting LOUIS LOUIS. But in this situation however the Moraine voters were in fact booing.

Despite the unexpected loss, your LakeCountyEye has no doubt that Party insider Louis Atsaves will land on his feet. Atsaves's wife was appointed by Governor Rauner to a Commission that compensates its members at nearly $120,000/year:

Clout of Commissions

With the unexpected freetime available, perhaps Mr Atsaves will take the opportunity to reanimate his blog Common Sense in Illinois' 10th, which like Ted Williams's head is currently preserved under cryogenic suspension. One Party insider observed that Ted Williams's lifetime batting average -- .344 -- would have been good for a solid second-place finish in Moraine 203.

The Breaking News

An actual unretouched headline, lede and screencap from Lake County newspaper of record, the Chicago Tribune:

The McLaughlin campaign has received word that multiple complaints have been filed against lobbyist Dan McConchie, candidate for State Senate, for breaking election laws and illegally coordinating campaign activities with special interest PACs and political nonprofit organizations.
From the community: Lobbyist Dan McConchie Caught Breaking Election Law

The link is broken, and the Trib may have expunged the webpage. But the original can be seen on the Wayback Machine:

Lobbyist Dan McConchie Caught Breaking Election Law
(Internet Archive)

Internet Archive Wayback Machine

Your LakeCountyEye contacted one legal expert, who was all like: "I'd tell them, if they can't sue the Tribune for libel, at least try suing the Internet Archive."

Note to Ops: This information is intended for satirical purposes only. Any resemblance to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental.

Cruz in Chicago

Your LakeCountyEye went to a hockey game this week. And a Donald Trump rally broke out.

Haha. Much like when the Mongol hordes crossed the Russian Steppes, the Presidential candidates were in Illinois to ask for your vote next Tuesday.

One candidate, GOP frontrunner Ted Cruz, flew in to dispel rumors that he is not trustworthy enough to be President:

Ted Cruz looked to expand upon his base of support in Illinois on Friday, portraying himself to party regulars in Chicago and the Northwest suburbs as the only candidate who had the delegates and the ability to overtake Donald Trump.
Cruz tells suburban GOP only he can overtake Trump

With the Illinois Primary just 3 days away, your LakeCountyEye has been privy to a squatload of oppo dumps. And the junior Senator from Texas has not gone unsullied.

Did you know that Ted Cruz was an original cast member of the 60s sitcom Green Acres?

Ted Cruz	Mr Haney
This is no repeat of another hilarious LakeCountyEye Double Vision™!

Arnold the Pig (who incidentally is registered to vote in Lake County) was unavailable for comment.

Retire, Rehash, Reefer

Some township senior centers have been asked to set an extra chair at the mah-jong table. Chief Keef -- rap star and Lake County favorite son -- is retiring:

Chief Keef is throwing in the towel when it comes to his rap career. The Chicago-based rhymer announced his retirement on Twitter last week, saying that too many rappers sound like him.
Chief Keef Announces Retirement, Says Too Many Rappers Sound Like Him

One retirement planner told your LakeCountyEye that savvy millennials are cashing-in early -- particularly in states where Medicare payments can be applied toward their medical marijuana.

Keef's announcement impacts the City of Waukegan, which is sponsoring a music festival in May:

Despite skepticism from several aldermen about the logistics of staging a large concert at Waukegan Municipal Beach, the City Council voted unanimously Monday to strike a deal with Vet Fest LLC that would allow a series of Memorial Day weekend concerts.
Waukegan finalizes deal for Vet Fest, acts could be announced soon

Your LakeCountyEye has learned that festival organizers are now negotiating with a Chief Keef tribute band:

Chief and Re-Keef

A Ted Nugent tribute band has already been booked to headline the event:

A Complete Re-Ted

Your LakeCountyEye will keep you apprised when further developments warrant.

Q the Eye/03.08.16

Dear LakeCountyEye,

How can I become fantastically famous in Lake County?

A Short Fingered Vulgarian

Dear Mr Trump,

First and foremost, do not be a candidate for President of the United States. A surer path to oblivion has not been devised. Remember Lincoln Chafee or George Pataki? Your LakeCountyEye did not think so.

Like every first-time candidate, you need to make the acquaintance of your voters by direct mail. Nothing can turn a disengaged electorate into rabid supporters quite like a stack of 4-color full-page glossy paeans to your awesomeness. Haha, j/k. If anything, those campaign mailers of yours will be turned directly into into the dumpster.

A Lake County candidate is better advised instead to establish a presence on social media. And by social media, your LakeCountyEye, of course, refers to the blogosphere. Where else do Netizens of all stripes gather to swap pics of the grandkids and kitty videos?

And while many in number, there is one (and only one) Internet blog that can be said to serve the entire body politic of Lake County. Your LakeCountyEye, of course, refers to the McHenry County Blog. Their web traffic is just huge. And by huge, your LakeCountyEye means HUGE. Any candidate who finds his name posted on the the McHenry County Blog is guaranteed to become a household name in Lake County.

The trick is simple and foolproof: Retrieve all of those discarded campaign mailers out of your trashbin, highlight your name and address, and send them to the McHenry County Blog:

Proft PAC Disses Urlacher & McLaughlin



Realtors Mails Second Piece for McLaughlin



Proft PAC Hits Urlacher as “Enemy”

Act today and you will be hugely famous quicker than you can say Walter Mondale!

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

A Discussion of the Syrian Crisis, the Iran Connection and How They Impact the Middle East

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Irv Badr, who spent his childhood living and studying in the Middle East, South Asia and South East Asia is an authority on the area's politics, religions and cultures. He has traveled extensively in the region and is fluent in multiple Middle Eastern languages. Badr is a frequent speaker at Middle East forums and political interest groups' gatherings in the Chicago area.

• Sunday
  March 13, 2016
  2:00 pm
• The Stevenson Center on Democracy
  25200 N St Mary's Rd
  Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
  773- 281-0378
• $15
  No Charge for Students
• Coffee and Conversation Afterwards

Campaign Cash

The next Illinois primary election will be held in two weeks. Since most Operatives are occupied with stealing yardsigns, the month's pop quiz is a simple multiple choice:

Who said it?

We're going to grab and grab and grab. We're going to bring in so much money and so much everything.

(a) Donald Trump

If you chose (a) give yourself a nice fat wrongful conviction settlement. The correct answer is Donald Trump.

Haha, as campaign promises go, the appeal of free money is certainly as good as any and probably better than most. Just ask Bernie Madoff or Reverend Ike.

This is a lesson not lost on the candidates in Illinois Senate District 26, where the voters are primed to get rich quick if they elect the right person:

Tuesday, March 15 is Primary day. Until then your LakeCountyEye will be pricing some canine-friendly retirement property in the Waukegan Savanna.

This Deserves an Asterisk

Until now, the Daily Herald -- the gray lady of Lake County newspapers -- has been a Paddock Publication. Henceforth it could be known as the No-Shit, Paddock Publication.

Haha, as readers of this blog are aware ...

Guano Trouble

yesterday, your LakeCountyEye scooped this scatological headline & story off of the Daily Herald website:

Senator on GOP backing Trump: 'Party has gone batshit crazy'

But anyone visiting the website today will discover that the Herald has subsequently eaten its words:

Senator on GOP backing Trump: 'Party has gone bat***t crazy'

On source told your LakeCountyEye: "Sure the Daily Herald has a shit detector. But it hasn't been plugged in since 1968."

Guano Trouble

An actual unretouched headline, lede and screencap from Lake County newspaper of record, the Daily Herald:

Sen. Lindsey Graham is disgusted with the GOP's embrace of Donald Trump: "My party has gone batshit crazy."
Senator on GOP backing Trump: 'Party has gone batshit crazy'

Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi was unavailable for comment.

Note: Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, the Professor of Abnormal Scatology at the College of Lake County, is currently on assignment, covering the Trump for President campaign.

Political Divisions

Those who heard the crowd roaring ...

Hold That Line!
Hold That Line!

this week, were not at a Chicago Bears tailgate party. No, they were at a Senate District 26 election rally.

The new Senate District 26 negative campaign attack ad has hit the mailboxes and, uh-oh, the barbarians are at the gate:

Lake County backed Barack Obama, a Democrat, in both 2008 and 2012, so the Republican perimeter may already be compromised.

Where is the Lake County Republican perimeter today? Your LakeCountyEye asked a political cartographer (who works cheap in Indonesia) -- and seeing is believing. That Republican perimeter has flat-out retreated to the southwest corner of Lake County:

Ahead of a huge March 15 Illinois primary, it should be no surprise that the Trump for President campaign has contacted the Lake County GOP. And candidate Donald Trump himself is promising to build a wall around the Republican perimeter.

Who's Gonna Pay For The Wall?

Cook County!

The Fake News

Who says old media is dead and dying? Lake County has a new dead-tree newspaper, the Lake County Gazette ...

Erstwhile newspaper of record, the Daily Herald, has the story:

A new newspaper started landing in some suburban mailboxes this week with articles about state government and politics that emphasize the points of view of certain Republican candidates running for seats in Springfield. The Lake County Gazette is one of eight papers statewide mailed by Liberty Principles PAC and is intended to support candidates for office. Liberty Principles PAC is run by conservative radio host and former GOP candidate for governor Dan Proft.
Newspaper run by Dan Proft's PAC hits Lake County

Countywide, the reaction has been swift and severe. Community leaders are demanding an immediate investigation out of the State's Attorney's office.

Haha, j/k. Countywide, it's been all like the Zion Nuclear Plant: No reaction.

One media watchdog explained it this way: "So someone is peddling another rightwing newspaper in Lake County? That would be like bringing a Confederate flag to a NASCAR race. Who's going to notice?"

Register, Vote, Repeat

How many times has this happened to you? You show up to vote on election day, only to discover you aren't registered to vote.

If you are like your LakeCountyEye, too many times!

So it is probably no coincidence that your LakeCountyEye received this Email reminder from the County Clerk:

The County Clerk encouraged your LakeCountyEye to log onto LakeVoterPower.info and confirm that, come election day, everything will be A-OK.

Your LakeCountyEye immediately checked, and may happily report is good to go:

Note to Ops: Did you know the Lake County Clerk is Carla N. Wyckoff?

Your LakeCountyEye did not know that!

Who Put the Ram in the Rama-Lama-Ding-Dong?

It's a good thing Lake County has some 30,000 acres of Forest Preserves -- because the County will need all those trees for the election in Senate District 26.

The latest Illinois Senate District 26 mailer arrived today ...

Did you know that Casey Urlacher is a former St. Louis Ram?

Your LakeCountyEye did not know that!

Carded

There is an old saying in Lake County politics:

You Can't Play If You Don't Have A Card

... the card in question being your voter registration card.

Perhaps the single most important piece of identification in your wallet, the Lake County voter registration card is everything from your picture-ID for cheap beer at the VFW to your stay-out-of-jail-free bond card for that long drive home up Route 12.

So naturally your LakeCountyEye takes notice when Operatives report that the County Clerk has been mailing out new voter registration cards. One News-Sun correspondent (who registered to vote in Lake County more than 20 years ago) was surprised to find a new voter registration card in his mailbox. He assumes the card was sent ...

for one or more of three reasons: Because my old card, issued in May 2004, was turning yellow; because information like my Congressional district and/or state legislative districts had changed since 2004; or because the statement about my card being "issued by Willard R. Helander, Lake County Clerk" was out-of-date, even though the name had been written in boldface type, seemingly intended to last until the end of time.
New voter registration cards, same old process

Now, there are more than 410,000 registered voters in Lake County, an historic high. And there is another old saying in Lake County politics:

Voters Are All Like Cattle

... and when the herd grows to a certain size, your LakeCountyEye suspects there may be another reason, hidden behind the cards, and overlooked by the News-Sun:

Reason #4 ...

1. Mail Out New Registration Cards
2. Post Office Returns a Bunch of Cards Marked Addressee Unknown
3. Thin the Herd

Note to Ops: you may already be disenfranchised.

Empowering Communities to Create Sustainable Environments

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Molly Flanagan, Vice President Policy, Alliance for the Great Lakes; Eleanor Revelle, President Citizens' Greener Evanston; Beth Drucker, Co-Facilitator CONSEG (Consortium of North Shore Environmental Groups) and President, Board of Trustees, Go Green Wilmette will share information about grassroots coalitions on combating climate change. We can celebrate the decision of 196 governments at the U.N. conference in Paris to work together by taking collaborative actions here at home to control flooding, drought, polluted aquifers and waste management while improving the quality of the air we breathe, the water we drink and the food we eat.

• Sunday
  February 21, 2016
  2:00 pm
• The Stevenson Center on Democracy
  25200 N St Mary's Rd
  Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
  773- 281-0378
• $15
  No Charge for Students
• Coffee and Conversation Afterwards

Urlacher on the Concept

If you are an Operative and you are occupying a Federal Post Office, you can withdraw and go home now. The new Casey Urlacher campaign mailer has finally arrived.

Casey Urlacher, the Mayor of Mettawa and Chicago Bear lookalike, is running for the Illinois Senate in the 26th District. And as knowledgable readers of this blog will know ...

More Than One Can Bear

this new Urlacher mailer arrived one day after the old Urlacher mailer:

"Casey excelled in athletics. He played on his school's state champion football teams alongside his brother, and future Chicago Bear star, Brian."

Your LakeCountyEye has filed the mailer under:

Since when did Republican mean Brian Urlacher's Brother?

More Than One Can Bear

The Chicago Bears did not send anybody to SuperBowl 50 -- but da Bears may be sending two players to Springfield this year. The Urlacher Brothers -- Brian and Casey -- besides being former Chicago Bears -- have something else in common. Both Urlachers are running for the Illinois Senate in District 26.

Two Urlachers running for one legislative office? Ordinarily, your LakeCountyEye would be quick to report that not since Cain slew Able during the Civil War has anyone foreseen a battle dividing brother against brother of these epic proportions. Sadly however, your LakeCountyEye no can do. The simple fact of the matter is more astonishing: Brian and Casey Urlacher are not running against each other. No, the two Urlacher Brothers are running together, as a team, for Senate 26.

Operatives, nodoubt, will be skeptical.  Your LakeCountyEye would be in total disbelief as well, were it not for this campaign mailer from the Urlacher Brothers:

Urlacher Brothers
Morning Workout in Mettawa

Seeing is believing.  This dynamic duo -- Brian and Casey Urlacher -- want you to send them both to the Illinois Senate.

The Urlacher Brothers certainly have contrived a novel way to ask for your vote.  In a time when the headlines are often about sports-related head injuries, two heads may indeed be better than one.

Can two individuals collectively run for the same Illinois legislative office, much like an Australian tag team would? One Illinois Constitutional scholar was surprisingly unconcerned: "If they don't mind having to share a spot in the Senate parking lot, I don't see anything to stop them."

The message is clear: A vote for Urlacher is really two votes in one. Just like voting early and often -- and without having to do either!

Too Close to Home

Talk ordinarily is cheap. Talk is not cheap, however, when the services of a court reporter is required for a transcript. According to the Daily Herald ...

Hoping to move along a court case involving a dispute over the fate of the old Midlothian Manor property in Ela Township, a unit of Lake County government has paid an outstanding $6,000 cost for a public hearing transcript and is looking to residents who opposed the project for reimbursement.
County wants $6,000 from Lake Zurich-area homeless opponents

The dispute has spilled over into small clams court, and is scheduled to be heard this Tuesday.

One unhappy resident told your LakeCountyEye: "The County sure knows how to spend money. $6000? Give me a break. If they crowdsourced the job out to a designer in Indonesia, they could have gotten the same document for pennies on the dollar!"

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Now go home.

Designing Women

Nodoubt following in the footsteps of Gauguin (who went to Tahiti) the Village of Gurnee has acquired its new logo from a designer in Indonesia:

Rather than a strike a traditional contract with a design firm of consulting company, Gurnee used the crowdsourcing website 99designs.com to start what turned out to be worldwide competition to design the village's new logo.
How Gurnee's new logo came from Indonesia

The artwork was obtained via the services of a crowdsourcing website -- where a buyer posts graphic specifications on the Internet, and then purchases a design from out of a collection submitted by remote designers.

In related news, two employees of the Lake County Circuit Court Clerk were arrested this week for altering court documents:

Two sisters working in the Lake County circuit court clerk's office have been charged with altering court records for "personal benefit," prosecutors announced Friday.
Two court employees charged with altering documents

Now, Photoshop may be a powerful imaging tool, but one software expert was candid with your LakeCountyEye: "Those two suspects should have just outsourced the job to Indonesia. They'd have saved themselves time and money. And on top of that, good luck with finding or extraditing someone in Indonesia."

That's all your LakeCountyEye has. Make like Vincent Van, and Gogh.

Land o' Swooshen

That giant sucking sound you heard was not the Lake County board in executive session. No, it was the sound of jobs leaving Lake County. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics said that the ...

Lake County, Ill.-Kenosha County, Wis., area reported a 5,100-job loss (1.2 percent)
Little change in area unemployment numbers

Ordinarily those Lake County jobs would be siphoned into Kenosha. But, if those statistics are to be believed, either those jobs are fleeing back into Lake County from Kenosha -- or they are going somewhere else.

Your LakeCountyEye investigated, and can exclusively report that these jobs are going to Indonesia. The Daily Herald has reported that ...

In need of a fresh logo quickly and at low cost, one Lake County town put out a request online -- and had it filled by someone in Indonesia. Rather than a strike a traditional contract with a design firm of consulting company, Gurnee used the crowdsourcing website 99designs.com to start what turned out to be worldwide competition to design the village's new logo.
How Gurnee's new logo came from Indonesia

After sifting through 325 proposals, the Village of Gurnee chose for itself a new logo from an Indonesian designer -- a logo that featured ...

a swoosh incorporated into the "N" of Gurnee.
How Gurnee's new logo came from Indonesia

Indonesian workers are no strangers to the iconic swoosh. Chances are your athletic shoes were made in Indonesia:

Note to Ops who plan to kiss goodbye that minimum wage job in Kenosha, for greener pastures in Indonesia: Set your clocks backward -- Indonesia is not on Central Standard Time!

Dr. Dongsheng Di: China's Economic Reforms and Their Implications

Adlai Stevenson Center on Democracy

Chinese economist and university professor, Dr. Dongsheng Di will examine the economic reforms being initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping and discuss the implications for that nation and other of the world's economies. His research covers topics such as the politics and economics of global currency and financial issues, as well as Chinese foreign economic relations.

• Saturday
  February 6, 2016
  2:00 pm
• The Stevenson Center on Democracy
  25200 N St Mary's Rd
  Mettawa (Libertyville), IL 60048
  773- 281-0378
• $15
  No Charge for Students
• Coffee and Conversation Afterwards

Justice is Not Cheap

The fundamental flaw of the American criminal justice system: Cases are decided by twelve people who couldn't manage to get out of jury duty. Lake County, to its credit, has come up with a unique solution. As County Board Chair Aaron Lawlor explained to the News-Sun ...

a bill passed through Springfield reducing the number of jurors needed in court, but the bill included a pay increase for remaining jurors. He said Lake County is paying $400,000 more per year as a result.
Lake County officials question state report on consolidation

At a pay-scale of $400K per annum, your LakeCountyEye is quite sure the Lake County courts are now awash in quality jurors.

Haha. But one court-appointed attorney cautioned your LakeCountyEye not to blame Springfield: "Think about it. Every wrongful conviction in Lake County means there was a criminal trial. And appeals. And then a civil suit, followed by jury-awarded damages. And more appeals. Even if you only pay your jurors $5 per day -- a wrongful conviction here, a wrongful conviction there, and pretty soon you're talking real money!"

The Motor City Madman

Don't look for Chief Keef at the Oscar ceremonies, this year. Also, the Lake County rap star, and fugitive, will likely be boycotting a Waukegan music festival this summer.

The News-Sun has the backstory:

While a proposed Memorial Day weekend concert series at Waukegan Municipal Beach remains in the concept stages, opposition was voiced at this week's City Council meeting to one of the possible performers mentioned earlier this month by Mayor Wayne Motley: outspoken rocker Ted Nugent. "If Ted Nugent comes to Waukegan, as the chair of the Lake County Black Lives Matter movement, I will contact every chapter from California to New York, and we'll have the biggest protest in Waukegan you have ever seen," Zion resident Clyde McLemore told the council on Tuesday.
Protest threatened if Ted Nugent performs at Waukegan music festival

Ted Nugent, as Operatives know, was frontman for the Amboy Dukes -- the one-hit-wonder 60s psychedelic band. Their anthem to psychotropic substances is nodoubt #1 on the playlist of anyone who was alive in the 1960s (and with only sketchy recollections to prove it):

It's the land unknown to man,
Where fantasy is fact.
So if you can, please understand
You might not come back.
Come along if you care,
Come along if you dare,
Take a ride to the land inside of your mind.
Journey to the Center of the Mind

The demand for drug-soaked nostalgia rock'n'roll may be on the decline, however, because the 67 year old Nugent has transitioned to a new career. The former teen-idol is now a successful insult comic:

Ted Nugent on Barack Obama:
The "Piece Of S**t" should "Suck On My Machine Gun."

Ted Nugent on Hilary Clinton:
"Toxic C**t"

Ted Nugent on Gays:
"How Can We Offend Guys That Actually Have A**l Sex?"

Ted Nugent on Undocumented Immigrants:
"I'd Like To Shoot Them Dead."

It is unknown if Ted Nugent will headline the Waukegan music festival this summer. If he does, look for your LakeCountyEye -- clad with love beads and a peace medallion.

Raise? Hell!

The only thing not frozen in Lake County may be the salaries of elected officials. According to the News-Sun ...

A Lake County Board committee is poised to debate this month whether to raise the salary of the chairman's position after at least one board member noted that the position's compensation lags behind that of chairmen in surrounding counties.
County Board set to discuss possible pay raises for chairman

Whenever the question is "whose is bigger?", your LakeCountyEye looks up Dr. I.M. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, Professor of Behavioral Overcompensation at the College of Lake County.

"Ya," said Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi, "you can't make ends meet these days on a public servant's salary. I've heard that some elected officials are trapping and hunting wild game in Waukegan."

To be sure, the low salaries are a hidden tax on wildlife. But your LakeCountyEye wanted to know if this was a bad thing for the human taxpayers.

"Bad for Lake County." replied Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "The County Board Chairs in Cook and the collar counties all make 150% or 200% over what the Lake County Chair is paid. Even in McHenry County -- where they maintain a standard-of-living far below the other, developed counties."

How bad could that be?

"Quite bad," sighed Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi "because all the good talent is fleeing Lake County for greener pastures -- quicker than an office supply company can flee to Wisconsin."

Low salaries for public servants have led to a Lake County brain drain?

"Exactly." agreed Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "You don't need to be a rocket scientist to get on a Lake County ballot. Can you name any?"

Your LakeCountyEye could not. The last one was thrown off the ballot because he bollixed his paperwork.

"Proves my point." shrugged Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "Most Lake County candidates wouldn't qualify for a door prize, let alone a Nobel Prize."

And all because of the low pay scale?

"No flies on you today." smiled Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi. "When there is more money to be made in the private sector, the remaining talent pool tends to get stocked with fish feeding from the bottom of the barrel. As a consequence, those who rise to the top of the County government food chain are those who know how to steer public policy in the direction of the donor class and the special interests."

A revolting development -- just who are these people?

Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi brightened up. "They are easy to spot. Look for the guy who yells the loudest that he doesn't need a raise."

Word to the wise. Did Dr. Bhatschidtkhrazzi have any parting advice?

"Tell your Operatives they get what they pay for."