Sun-Times man Mark Brown praises Oak Park Democrat Sen. Don Harmon for casting “a tough vote. A principled one, too” for a change in allocating state money to local schools because the change would short-change Oak Park schools.
Well. It pained Harmon to vote with the party “on a partisan 31-21 vote”? Not as much, we may be sure, as it would have pained him to vote otherwise, making it 30-22. Not near as much.
. . . making it easier and easier to bring home the faithful, dead or alive:
SPRINGFIELD — Lawmakers are relaxing registration requirements for voters this November.
Legislation passed by the General Assembly last month would allow election-day registration and require expanded early voting throughout the state, with a special focus on college campuses. The amendment was attached to a minimum wage ballot referendum bill.
Along with requiring higher education facilities to conduct early voting drives in “high traffic areas” of campus, the bill also requires colleges and universities to send emails to their students with detailed voter registration process information in general election years. The emails will includes links where students can register online.
And thank you, Sen. Harmon (D-Oak Park) for thinking up this ploy:
State Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park, sponsored the amendment from the Senate, and lauded the legislation.
“Anything that makes it easier for people to vote is a good thing,” Harmon said. “This is a meaningful step forward in the evolution of dramatic progress in voter access.”
The easier the better, says Sen. Don. But is there another side to this question?
“Now, the question is what’s the outcome?” asked Sen. Dave Syverson. “And obviously from our standpoint the concern is the integrity of the ballot and what this creates for everybody. When you make it easier for fraud or abuse to take place, that takes away from the integrity of the ballot, which ought to be our biggest priority and concern.”
Fraud or abuse? Why bring that up? It’s the least of Sen. Don’s worries. Tell me, what was the last time you heard a Democrat worry about fraud or abuse, except after the fact, when they lost the election?
More more about this at Rockford Star, “Illinois legislation expands voter access, raises fraud concerns.”
Nicole said she sees signs indicating gun-free zones are currently posted at her child’s pre-school, and finds them to be a frightening reminder of the tragic mass-shooting of young children in Newtown, Conn. in 2012.
She told FOX 32 news that Senate Bill 2669 would render gun-free zone signs redundant and unnecessary at places like her child’s school. She also said local businesses would benefit from posting positive signs as opposed to negative ones.
The positive sign would say guns allowed, presumption being not allowed. Progressive Dem sleight of hand, right?
In a May 12 letter to Oak Leaves, Oak Parker Daniel Hefner finds Ill. Sen. Don Harmon (D) in a classic dodge, switching absolute percentage to relative:
Sen. Don Harmon’s recent explanation for the necessity of the state income tax increase . . . was laughable.
The good senator pontificates, What are we asking of taxpayers? A temporary increase of the individual income tax rate of 2 percentage points.
[But] (a)lthough the base tax rate increased from 3 percent to 5 percent, the overall increase to taxpayers is 66 percent! The state’s corporate income tax also had a temporary increase from 7.3 percent to 9.5 percent a 30 percent increase! The senator forgot to bring this information to his letter.
Hefner also uncovers an unfortunate reality hidden in plain sight from most of us, referring to fellow Oak Parker Harmon as “a career politician.” So are they all, to be sure, with exceptions so rare I can’t think of one right now.
In any case, it’s good to be reminded that almost all elected officials are careerists — and be duly suspicious of them, especially when they call a 2% actual tax increase a mere 2% relative one, without saying that’s what they are doing. Fie, Sen. Harmon!
Blithe Spirit 