8th District GOP News

More Taxpayer Money Lost

2011-10-07T06:34:00.000-07:00

PhillyDeals:Taxpayer-backed Traffic.com to close Malvern offices

October 05, 2011|ByJoseph N. DiStefano, Inquirer Staff Writer

Theclosing of Traffic.com's Malvern offices, announced last week by owner Nokia'sNavteq division, will idle 300 data professionals. That's bad enough.

It isalso a blow to people who think the federal government should select whichprivate companies get taxpayer support.

Startingin 2000, Traffic.com consumed $50 million in no-bid U.S. Department of Transportationgrants to develop online highway-traffic data, with backing from former Sen.Arlen Specter and former Rep. Bud Shuster (R., Pa.).

Themoney helped Traffic.com win contracts with Microsoft, Comcast, the WeatherChannel, and others. At its peak, it hired more than 600 workers.

But critics inindustry and in Congress, some from districts with rival traffic start-ups,complained that the government's favoritism to Traffic.com unfairly pushedcompetitors out of the market.

What does this mean?

2011-09-27T20:09:00.000-07:00

Rasmussen Reports latest national telephone survey finds that 39% consider it a positive when a political candidate is described as being “pro-gun.” Only 27% see this as a negative description, while another 30% say it lies somewhere in between.

Disappointment with US President Barack Obama’s handling of US-Israel relations has caused a drop in Jewish support for the administration, an annual survey conducted by AJC, a Jewish advocacy organization, revealed. Disapproval among Jewish voters exceeded approval of Obama's presidency for the first time during the current administration. Jewish approval of Obama’s performance as president declined to 45%, with another 48% disapproving and 7% undecided.

A Gallup Poll taken this week shows for President Obama an approval rating of 42% and a 49% disapproval rating.

What does all this mean? Could it mean that the nation is taking a serious look at the President and his policies and are not happy with that Hope & Change thing he offered before his election?

Some words from Joe

2011-09-21T16:04:00.000-07:00

No matter which map prevails, I've decided to run for re-election from the district in which I live and where I represent most of my current constituents. If the Democrat map stands, I will be running in what is the new 14th district which entails a good portion of Lake County, almost all of McHenry County, Kane County, Kendall County, and some of Will and DeKalb Counties. I live in McHenry and my current District office is in Northern Lake County. This area is home.

I understand that there is another Republican Congressman drawn into this new district, Randy Hultgren and it would be unfortunate if we had to run against each other. But the new 14th District, if it stands, doesn't belong to any Incumbent or any politician. The district belongs to the people of this district and they will have to decide who their next representative is. And if they have to decide between two Republican Incumbents, so be it - in many ways Randy and I are both good conservatives who share many of the same values but there are also healthy differences between the two of us, we've both had a very different initial tenure in Washington, and the voters in the new district will decide which one of us will best be their voice in DC.

I went to Washington because I believe America is going through a revolution over her very soul and I wanted to do my part to help win this fight. It's why I've been so vocal this first year, it's why I've been a leader in the fight for the balanced budget amendment, it's why I was one of 22 Republicans who voted against my own Speaker's final debt ceiling compromise, it's why I sleep in my office, why I've limited myself to no more than six years in Congress, it's why I turned down my Congressional health and retirement benefits, and it's why I did not attend President Obama's joint session speech the other week and instead came home and listened to 100 small business owners, the real job creators in this country. We are at a crucial point in our country's history and our side -- the side that believes in freedom and limited government -- has to win.

We took a good first step in getting it right this past year. Let's make sure we Republicans continue to do what's right. Go to www.walshforcongress.com and join us in this fight.

Thank you,
Congressman Joe Walsh

Well Armed Citizens

2011-09-13T20:08:00.000-07:00

Democracy is two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch. Liberty is a well-armed lamb contesting the vote!

Illinois is the only state that does not allow honest citizens to carry firearms. Even after raising taxes on the people, State Government is still broke. The last two governors of Illinois are convicted felons. State government spending still keeps out pacing State income.

I think the lambs in this state need to get armed before it's too late.

Our Country needs US

2011-09-11T08:26:00.000-07:00

With all the challenges and problems our country faces today, we sometimes forget that past generations have also faced great threats to our homeland. Benjamin Franklin while working as member of the Continental Congress noticed a symbol on the back of the Presidents chair that looked like a rising or setting sun. He wondered for many days if that sun was rising or setting and at the same time was this country they were attempting to create doomed to failure or would it rise to become an equal among the nations of the world. Finally as events unfolded he decided it was a rising sun and this country on the strength of its people would rise to become a free nation of this world. I still believe has he did, that it was a rising sun and this country on the strength of it's people will continue to rise up as a free nation and a symbol of hope for all people of the earth. Only we the people can make the future bright.

Joe Walsh statement

2011-07-29T13:26:00.001-07:00

WASHINGTON –It is not lost on me that a court case filed almost 8 months ago regarding a marriage that ended more than 8 years ago would be brought up today. We are 72 hours away from one of the biggest decisions our country has to make about its financial future. I understand why this is a story and why the media has to ask me about it. I understood as a candidate, and I understand as a sitting member of Congress that the scrutiny of my personal life will be intense. This is a tough business. It’s also not lost on me that not everyone agrees with me politically, I am the tip of the spear in this current debate, and I will be attacked.

Let me say this. I love all the members of my family past and present. I’ve always given everything I have to meet my financial obligations to my children and I will fight until my last breath against anyone who says otherwise. My children are truly the treasure of my life, which is why I’ve been trying to resolve this issue since January in a court of law, rather than drag my children into it. That is the appropriate venue and I will not discuss this private family issue in public.

The people of Illinois’ eighth congressional district voted for me not because I’m wealthy but because they wanted a fighter in Washington. They did not vote for me because I was a career politician, but because they wanted one of them as their Representative in DC. They wanted someone to stand up to Washington and tell them the spending has to stop. This morning that is exactly what I am going to continue to do.

I have tried to be the most accessible Congressman on the planet and I will continue to do so moving forward. These latest attacks against me are false and I will fight them in the appropriate venue. And as your Congressman I promise you that I am going to put my head down, get back to work and continue to fight for our freedoms and our children’s future. I’m not going to let some hit piece in the media deter me from that.

Same old story

2011-07-26T20:12:00.000-07:00

With all the back and forth finger pointing going on in Washington D.C. our elected representatives sometimes forget what they were sent there to do. The Republicans have come up with a plan for real spending reductions, a ceiling on future spending, and an amendment that the States can only pass, that would force any future Congress to have balanced budgets.

Our President and Democratic leaders in Congress think such a plan is madness and will hurt the nation.

The attached link shows this Democratic view is nothing new.

http://youtu.be/RWpU8sX10_4

Pay Increases for State Staffers

2011-06-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

While Governor Quinn talks about needing additional funds for the recently passed state budget, he fails to mention the salary increases he has given his staff.

Gov. Pat Quinn's budget office spokeswoman will be making nearly 50 percent more money after receiving an additional job title this spring.

Kelly Ann Krapf, a former broadcast reporter, received a salary boost from about $71,000 to more than $105,000.

Krapf, 38, joined the budget office in 2009. Quinn spokeswoman Annie Thompson said Krapf now holds a dual position of communications director and assistant director of the office.

"In her new role, Kelly formally combines the communications role with the fiscal one to create a seamless position that helps to ensure that the complex issues surrounding the budget are articulated effectively to decision makers and Illinois residents alike," Thompson wrote in an email to the Bloomington Pantagraph.

Last year, an Associated Press analysis revealed that Quinn had given 43 salary increases averaging 11.4 percent to 35 staffers over the previous 15 months. The raises were handed out at the same time Quinn was proclaiming a message of "shared sacrifice" and calling for deep spending cuts because of the state's financial crisis.

The Pantagraph reported that Krapf's new salary is similar to what Quinn was paying former associate budget director Malcolm Weems, who recently left to oversee the Illinois Department of Central Management Services.

Obama vs the Truth

2011-06-21T19:01:00.000-07:00

Congressman Joe Walsh shows the President is not telling the whole truth about the economy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lyyil8xZBIs&feature=youtu.be

State Rep. Mark Beaubien

2011-06-05T19:39:00.000-07:00

State Rep. Mark Beaubien, Jr., who represented the Barrington area in the state legislature for nearly 15 years, died Sunday after suffering an apparent heart attack at a GOP event in Arlington Heights. He was 68.

Beaubien, of Barrington Hills, suddenly collapsed while attending a House Republican fundraiser at Arlington Park racetrack with his wife and several other suburban political leaders. Paramedics’ efforts to revive him were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at 5:10 p.m. at the scene, Arlington Heights police said.

Business as Usual

2011-06-01T15:29:00.000-07:00

Just before the ending days of the State Legislature budget session speaker of the House, Michael J. Madigan held his annual Island Bay Yacht Club fundraiser in Springfield.

There were many people in attendance, all wanting to support the Speaker and get his attention for their own cause. The Laborers' International Union, tobacco company R.J. Reynolds, electrical utility Ameren, Illinois Trial Lawyers Association, The Chicago Federation of Labor, Operating Engineers Local 150, and many more. All this made for a very merry night and brought in $109,000 for the Speaker.

The Speaker is a very powerful person in Illinois government and has been for decades. Mike Madigan and his friend Sen. Terry Link have power over how the State spends its money. They also bear much responsibility for the massive debt the State has. The State cannot pay its bills, but as far as the Cook County Democratic Party is concerned, it is business as usual.

We will continue to have business as usual, as long as we have only one party in control of our State Government.

Cut Federal Spending

2011-05-17T19:11:00.000-07:00

The Treasurer Secretary announced on Monday May 16^th the debt ceiling had been reached. U.S. Senator Dick Durbin stated that the debt ceiling must be raised so that the full faith and credit of the United States would not be endangered.

I met Congressman Joe Walsh Monday night and he announced the sky had not fallen and the Earth did not come to an end because of the debt ceiling limit being reached. Joe Walsh said if a vote were to be taken today in Congress to raised the debt ceiling it would fail. According to Joe, we need to make deep spending cuts before the ceiling is raised again.

My question is how does the White House and the leaders in the Senate tie raising the debt limit with the ability of our Country to pay its bills. When someone has maxed out their credit card do they go to the bank to get another loan? The United States is still collecting taxes and taking in Federal fees on a daily basis. The revenue that the Federal Government takes in daily should go towards paying any debt, after which it should then spend the remainder on essential services. As Congressman Walsh said, the Federal Government needs to cut spending. Our Government cannot take care of the needs of everyone on the Planet Earth.

If our current Government cannot decide what goods and services are essential to keep this country running and safe, not only will it be in violation of the United States Constitution but it will fail in its desire to take care of the needs of all people everywhere. Raise the debt ceiling but do not condemn our children and grandchildren to a debt that can never be paid off.

Senate Votes

2011-05-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

From the floor of the State Senate we have Senator Dan Duffy giving us a front seat view of how the Cook County Dems run Springfield. How long will the citizens stand for the way the Cook County Machine runs Springfield?

"Sitting on senate floor. We are being asked to vote on state budget bills worth billions. The catch is - the majority has not let the Republicans even see or read ANY of the bills. They even rammed the bills through and skipped the committee process...so no discussion on them either. Unbelievable.

We'll see if the papers even mention that we were not even given time to read or see any of these bills...they will probably just report we voted "no". The full story NEVER comes out.

Actually these are a series of budget bills...it is not just one big budget bill. We are still voting on them and have been voting for the past 1.5 hours so far on them. They just keep bringing them up, one at a time, describe what the bill is about, and ask us to vote. We have no access to the bills and have no idea what they are really about or what is in them. We have to just take their word for it. They are in the majority and can do whatever they want, whenever they want to. They have both houses and the governors office. They don't need one Republican vote and don't really care what we think...this whole process and todays display just proves that fact."

Tax Questions?

2011-05-11T20:40:00.000-07:00

The new Tax bills are being mailed in Lake County. Doubtless you have questions. Come ask Township Assessors Rebecca Tonigan and John Barrington anything about assessments, appraisals, trends, exemptions and more. Bring your neighbors and bring your questions.

Tuesday May 17th 7:00pm - 8:30pm, Ela Township 1155 East Route 22 Lake Zurich, Illinois

Sponsored by Americans for Prosperity

Stop the Spending!

2011-05-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

The State of Illinois is unable to pay current bills and has borrowed to pay past bills. The debt just keeps getting larger and larger, but instead of working to reduce the debt, the Cook County Democratic controlled state government only wants to spend more. The Democratic leaders only see needs that should be attended, they fail to see the lack of funding that causes harm to the very people they want to help. They continue to dig a deeper hole of debt for our state.

The answer should be spend only what the state needs to function and to pay off past loans. Once Illinois government is solvent again, other needs can be looked at and if there is money in the budget they can be helped.

The link below is by State Senator Matt Murphy, which gives his view of what is not being done in Springfield to decrease the growing debt.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=5xtLz88QUTE&feature=related

We are on the Wrong Track

2011-04-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

A CBS News/New York Times poll shows 63 % of Americans oppose raising the debt limit.

Also unpopular with the American people according to the same poll is Congress. Only 16% approve of the job Congress is doing. Of those polled 75% disapprove of the job Congress is dong.

The President did not fair too well either when it comes to the issues, Mr. Obama has a 39% approval rating on his handling of foreign policy, a 38% percent approval on handling the economy and a 33% percent approval rating on handling the budget deficit.

The poll showed 75% of Americans say the country is on the wrong track.

Despite all this the Democratic Party, which seems to be under the influence of socialists and Chicago politics, seems to think they know better than the majority of Americans when it comes to how this Country should be governed.

The American People are calling for limited government and fiscal responsibility from our Federal Government. Several members of Congress, both Republican and Democrat have said that Washington cannot continue to spend at the levels it is currently doing. To continue on this path that the President and members of his party have put us on will bankrupt the nation.

The same can be said of our state government. The same Chicago/Cook County politics that have driven our nation to the edge of bankruptcy is alive and well in Illinois. We need to contact all our representatives in government, at all levels and remind them that they represent the people and not big government or big corporations. Enough of the bailouts and handouts, we should all be equal to either fail or succeed in life.

Tell Them We Care!

2011-04-17T19:43:00.000-07:00

In the latest election less than 20% of voters in Lake County bothered to cast their votes. This was an election that elected people to local library, park, and school boards which in turn sets the local property tax rates. People complain about taxes but fail to show up to vote their concerns about taxes. Complacency like that is part of how we got into this mess of government over spending and over taxing.

Congressman Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and our Congressman Joe Walsh this Sunday on different national television networks expressed the concerns of the Conservative Republican movement when it comes to our National Debt. The Country is going broke on the current path of tax & spend big government. If nothing is done to Social Security and Medicare both systems will be broke and unable to help our senior citizens. Congressman Ryan has a plan that will not change anything for those 55 and older. His plan will make changes for those younger, which will ensure that there will be Social Security & Medicare in the near future and for many years to come. He wants to get rid of the tax loop holes that some big corporations currently use to not pay any taxes at all. Even if we could tax the top 2% of the tax bracket to 100%, that would not be enough money to pay for all the programs our President wants to keep funded.

The Country is going broke, our national credit card is almost maxed out. Other countries have gone broke but have been bailed out by us and their neighboring countries. No one will come to our rescue and bail out the United States when we cannot pay the bills when they come due. We need to keep the pressure up on all our elected officials that they cannot continue to spend our money and plunge our Country and children into debt. We must not let our members in Congress think that we do not care about our financial future.

Wisconsin or Illinois?

2011-03-25T12:51:00.001-07:00

School District 46 in Grayslake has had a stunning couple of months.

Most recently, the last 2 weeks have proven to be Wisconsin-type politics
brought to Grayslake.

Michael Carbone, school board member, was targeted and censured based
upon allegations only. He was not allowed any due process prior to the censure.

On the other hand, the school board president, Mary Garcia, and Sue Facklam,
the vice-president and secretary, have had charges filed with the state's
attorney's office. There is an investigation pending.

You have to ask...why was the school board so quick to censure Michael Carbone, and
investigating allegations into Mary Garcia and Sue Facklam?

The answer is simple and obvious: Michael Carbone has exposed the corruption and
cronyism that exists on the school board and within the district.

Michael has brought to light, through his efforts at making the district more
transparent, some of the old politics and favors that have permeated that school
district as well as others throughout this state and this country.

You have to ask yourself: what do they have to hide? Why fight the transparency?
What are they doing that they don't want to be found out?

Time for Mary and Sue to be held accountable.

2011-03-01T20:16:00.000-08:00

Have a Cup of Joe with Joe Walsh at Angelo's in Woodstock

Where: Angelo's Restauarant, 117 E. Van Buren St. in Woodstock
When: 10:00 - 11-30 AM
Details: Please join Congressman Walsh to discuss what's going on in Washington and Illinois' 8th District over a cup of coffee at this week's "Have A Cup of Joe with Joe."
Angelo's 117 E Van Buren St. Woodstock, IL 60098
Please bring your friends, neighbors and coworkers out with you. Joe looks forward to seeing you there!

Walsh on ABC News

2011-02-28T14:54:00.000-08:00

In case you missed it, Congressman Joe Walsh was featured on ABC News This Week for a seven minute segment. Here is the link to view the segment:

http://abcnews.go.com/ThisWeek/video/tea-party-freshmen-return-home-13012478

8th Dist. Town Hall

2011-02-23T12:42:00.000-08:00

A message from Congressman Joe Walsh:

As your Congressman, my top priority is to ensure your opinions are heard in our nation's capital. Your ideas, thoughts and suggestions are invaluable as I work to address the issues confronting us in Congress.

Please join me at this Town Hall Meeting for a chance to share your thoughts on jobs, the economy, health care, and spending - nothing is off limits. My staff and I are here to serve you; please let us know how we can.

The town hall will be this Thursday, February 24th from 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. at

Harper College - Wojcik Conference Center
1200 W. Algonquin Road
Palatine, IL. 60067

Dear John

2011-02-20T16:51:00.000-08:00

“May you live in interesting times” is an old Chinese curse that many would say is happening now. If you think the world and national news does not affect you personally, that might be a mistake. I just came across a postcard from a tourist in Germany it reads:

“Dear John, Have had a nice trip so far. Good weather and good conditions otherwise. It does not look like war here.

Regards, Bill”

The postcard is dated 8/20/1939 and about 3 weeks later war broke out in Europe. World War II inflamed the world, killed millions, and touched everyone living in some way.

Today we have riots in Greece, strikes and protests in England, Government overthrow in Egypt, riots & bloodshed in other Middle East countries, back at home the Federal government is in more debt than it has ever had. Our own State government is deep in debt and only thinks of taxing and spending its way out.

Too many of us watch TV shows, ballgames, play video games, or just busy earning a living and taking care of the family to pay attention to world and national news. Most of our fellow citizens think there is nothing they can do that would change these problems that will not really touch their lives anyway.

Years from now will someone find another note from Bill to John today mentioning that everything looks good and there is no sign of trouble.

We can and must get involved, contact your representative in Congress and your representative in Springfield and tell them what you and your community needs.

More Taxes

2011-01-08T19:53:00.000-08:00

The State Legislature has been working on increasing the state income tax and the sales tax on cigarettes. I did not see it mentioned about cutting spending. They claim that most of the income tax increase will be temporally, but twice before the Legislature has raised taxes only temporarily and the taxes are still with us. They raise taxes and increase spending, then expect us to pick up the tab.

The economy of our State is at a disadvantage, the State Capital raises taxes while our neighboring states welcomes businesses and consumers from Illinois trying to escape higher Illinois taxes. Our State is broke and all the Democratic controlled Legislature can come up with is to raise taxes.

When will the day come when this State starts to have a government that watches over the assets of the people and stops treating tax dollars as something that must be disposed of in the best manner they see fit?

A New Year and New Opportunities

2011-01-02T17:36:00.001-08:00

2011 promises to be an interesting year.

In the 8th Congressional District in 2010, we voted for "change" and to move in a new direction. I hope it is "change" we can count on, not the status quo.

Expectations are too high and accountability will be at the forefront of the voters.

First on the agenda - stop the spending. There is no reason spending has to be increased over the prior year just because the prior year's budget was used up. In a lot of cases, the budgets are used up so they don't lose the money going forward. If they have to find ways to use the money at the end of the year, guess what....they don't need all of the money they already have in their budget, let alone an increase.

Not only should spending increases be stopped, spending should be cut. Across the board cuts. It's not an easy decision, and I don't envy our new Congressman for having to make them. The bottom line is that we don't have choices in our homes when revenue slows down, we must cut our own spending.

We EXPECT Congress to act responsibly and do the same. We do not expect anything less than what we must do in our own homes. In fact, we expect them to do it in the "People's House".

Next up on the agenda - Obamacare. Defund, repeal, and replace are all musts. Taking a step back and looking at the make up of Washington D.C., we see a Republican House, a Democratic Senate and a Democratic Executive Branch.

Reality would say that the President will veto any repeal of his signature legislation, Obamacare. Unfortunately this is probably accurate, so we must continue to pressure ALL Congressmen and Senators to defund this slap in the face to the American people.

Only by defunding it can we hit the pause button. We will not be able to rewind this tragic bill unless we make changes in 2012. But those changes MUST start now. The Republicans in Congress must understand that they were the lesser of two evils in November's elections, not the choice many would make if given a more viable option.

Next on the agenda must be tax cuts. Holding the tax rates stable from 2001 and 2003 tax changes is not sufficient. A 2 year temporary hold on the tax rates only provides stability for Congress and Washington, D.C.

2 years is not a long-term solution to the joblessness, the economic rebound, or growth and entrepreneurship in the coming years. Anytime someone starts a business, there is budgeting and forecasting for the short-term, 1-5 years, and the long-term, 5-10 years or longer.

How can anyone budget and forecast anything when rates are unstable? Not only individual tax rates, but corporate tax rates. People are taxed at the corporate level, then taxed at the individual level, then taxed again on their discretionary income through sales tax, use tax, etc.

Finally, people are taxed again when they die. They are taxed again on all of the things they have already been taxed on TWICE while they were living.

Is taxing more stimulative? It only serves to fill the pockets of the out 0f touch politicians in Washington D.C. and in Springfield.

We, as the citizens of the 8th District, MUST pay attention to what the politicians are doing. We MUST hold them accountable, and we MUST be VOCAL. This is the only way they will know we are watching them. It is the only way to remind them that they work for us, not that we work to pay their salaries.

2011 promises to be an interesting year. We must not yield, we must not let up, and we must keep going.

If we don't, who will be to blame?

We, The People will be.

2010-12-09T14:56:00.000-08:00

Congressman Joe Walsh will be holding town hall meetings

Dates, times, and locations for the remaining town halls are below.

Lake Zurich
Sunday, December 12 12:00-1:30 PM
Lake Zurich Police Department
200 Mohawk Traill
Lake Zurich, IL

McHenry
Monday, December 13 7:00-8:30 PM
McHenry West High School
4724 West Crystal Lake Road
McHenry, IL

Schaumburg
Tuesday, December 14th 7:00-8:30 PM
Schaumburg Township Center
1 Illinois Boulevard
Hoffman Estates, IL

Gurnee
Thursday, December 16 7:00-8:30 PM
Gurnee Villlage Hall
325 North Oplaine Road
Gurnee, IL

Don't Worry Raise Taxes

2010-12-02T14:53:00.000-08:00

The Illinois Senate today voted to ban caffeinated alcoholic beverages, a move aimed at halting sales of a drink combination that critics contend can spur people to drink to dangerous levels. The measure would prohibit the production, manufacture and distribution of such products.

Meanwhile, a plan in the House to allow for smoking on casino gambling floors has stalled and also wouldn’t be eligible for more debate until next year.

The House adjourned its scheduled session Wednesday and isn’t expected to return until early January.

I have not heard about any plan to reduce the State debt or start paying off the very long back log of overdue bills. But our lawmakers seem to have more important things to worry about then whether the State of Illinois will go bankrupt or not. Maybe they know all they have to do is raise our taxes high enough and they will have more money to spend.

Is it Budget time yet?

2010-12-01T14:35:00.000-08:00

Same-sex couples are one step closer to having the option of civil unions, the bill has passed in the House and will now go on to the Senate for almost sure approval.

A House committee approved a bill that would abolish the death penalty in Illinois.
The state has not used the death penalty since former Gov. George Ryan called for a moratorium in 2000.

No news yet on the State Budget. The current State Legislature has a lot on its plate, maybe too much for it to deal with an unbalanced state budget. Doctors, hospitals, health care centers, and other private companies have past due bills that are several months old, that Illinois cannot pay. All these people must wait for their money until more important business is taken care of first.

What State Budget?

2010-11-30T15:05:00.000-08:00

In Springfield this week the Illinois House defeated a measure that would have allowed people to use marijuana for relief of chronic pain.

The medical marijuana bill got 53 votes, but needed 60 to pass. Another 59 lawmakers voted against it, and one voted present.

Sponsoring Rep. Lou Lang, D-Skokie, argued the measure was aimed at giving people in pain a better quality of life, particularly after doctors have tried multiple medications that have not helped a person suffering from a debilitating illnesses.

Gov. Pat Quinn previously expressed support for the idea, saying those who are seriously ill should have access to any medical treatments that may help relieve their pain.

But no word on the State budget or the massive debt the State is facing. Illinois has a huge back log of unpaid bills but the State Legislature would rather work on medical marijuana and same sex marriage. Does the State of Illinois have to declare bankruptcy before the law makers in Springfield start to do something about it?

Cut Federal Spending

2010-11-27T05:44:00.000-08:00

The First step is understanding what the problem is.

Forty-one percent (41%) of voters now recognize that the majority of federal spending goes to just national defense, Social Security and Medicare. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 39% disagree and say it’s not true, while 20% are not sure.

Federal budget documents provided by the Obama administration confirm this fact and show that the share of the budget consumed by these items and interest on the federal debt continues to grow.

In February of this year, before the campaign season began, just 35% knew that national defense spending, Social Security and Medicare made up a majority of all federal spending. Forty-four percent (44%) said it was not true.

So somehow despite all the noise and fury of the election season, there has been a net increase in public understanding of the budget. However, the data suggests that there’s still a very long way to go.

“Anybody who wants to talk about cutting federal spending and changing the federal budget must first gain an understanding of where the money is being spent,” notes Scott Rasmussen, president of Rasmussen Reports. “Over the past several decades, politicians from both political parties have worked overtime to hide the truth from voters, and that has led to the voter frustration roiling the land in 2010.”

Congressman Joe Walsh

2010-11-18T16:08:00.000-08:00

Let's do it Again!

Please join us for a proper victory celebration on Sunday, November 21 from 4:00 - 6:00 PM held at:

Lakemoor Banquets
28874 West IL Rt 120
Lakemoor, IL, 60050
(815) 385-0999

There will be a cash bar and appetizers.

Spread the word! Bring your family, friends, neighbors and anyone else that would like to join us.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Final count Walsh WINS

2010-11-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

FINAL election count shows Joe Walsh wins by 291 votes over Melissa Bean for 8th Dist. Congressional seat. Fox News reports Bean has called Joe Walsh to concede the election.

Congressman Joe Walsh

2010-11-11T20:39:00.001-08:00

Joe Walsh appeared before the Republican Assemble of Lake County (RALC) Thursday night. As of today the count of absentee ballots in Cook County leaves him with a 347 vote lead over Congresswoman Bean. This Sunday Walsh leaves for Washington D.C. to attend freshmen class orientation.

Joe Walsh thanked Lake County Republican Chair Bob Cook for his support in Lake County. Bean voted for Obama health care, cap & trade, and bailouts, all of which the residents of the 8th District did not want. According to Walsh, Republicans must go to Washington and stop the spending. Republicans need to explain to the American People what they stand for and what they intend to do in Congress.

He also thanked Ray True of the RALC for their support and is planing on having another victory party after November 16th when the final ballots from Lake and McHenry Counties are tallied.

New job for Bean

2010-11-10T05:45:00.000-08:00

Now that it is almost certain that Melissa Bean will no longer be a member of Congress from the 8th District, her name is being mentioned as the first head of the newly created Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

Her Chicago friends in the White House and her leader in Congress Nancy Pelosa are working to take care of Bean after she lost her seat to Joe Walsh. However there are those on the far left that think Bean is not liberal / progressive enough for their tastes and are unhappy that she is being considered for this top post.

The Bean for Congress campaign staffers are still hopeful that somehow on November 16th enough votes from Lake and McHenry Counties will be found to reelect her to Congress. They might consider updating their resumes for a possible new position with the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau.

For the full story please click on the link below:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2010/11/08/melissa-bean-cfpb-consumers_n_780254.html

The Charge for Liberty

2010-11-07T06:13:00.000-08:00

The November Election is for the most part over but the battle is not yet over. There are still people in power that believe that we the people cannot be left to govern ourselves. They see the Constitution as flawed and the words of the Founding Fathers almost meaningless in today's world.

The words and deeds of the Founding Fathers of this free Nation are just as important now as it was then when they fought to establish democracy for this land.

We also have a rebellious spirit to poke fun at almost anything, see the attached link for an example:

"http://www.youtube.com/v/Ezk0e1VL80o&hl=en_US&feature=player_embedded&version=3"

2010-11-06T06:16:00.000-07:00

LAKE County News

County Clerk Willard Helander

‎8th Dist. update: Election Day 2663 ballots in 8th requested by mail not returned. Wednesday mail from Tues and Wed yielded 517 ballots with valid postmark and matching signature. Two additional ballots were challenged and voters contacted. Mail from Thurs. had valid 44 ballots and Fri. yielded 15 valid ballots. Total to be counted on Nov. 16 = 576. Stay tuned for Monday's mail.

2010-11-05T20:56:00.000-07:00

Currently Joe Walsh has a lead of 350 votes over Melissa Bean for the 8th Congressional seat. That margin has come from the counting of absentee and provisional ballots from Schaumburg, Palatine and Barrington townships.

Officials in Lake and McHenry counties will wait until November 16th to begin counting provisional votes and absentee ballots that arrived after the November 2nd election.

With the bulk of Cook County votes counted, and the remaining uncounted votes in Lake and Mchenry where Joe Walsh received the majority of his lead, this should give him a commanding and final lead after November 16th.

This will then finally give the 8th District a member in Congress that truly represents the citizens of the community. The citizens of the 8th District will also hold Mr. Walsh to his campaign promises. We will no longer tolerate the lack of representation in Congress that our past two members in Congress gave us. We as other parts of the country called out for on election night, want smaller government and less interference from government in our lives. We want government to stop the runaway spending and not burden our children and grandchildren with debt.

Do you hear us Joe?

2010-10-29T06:58:00.000-07:00

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that two-out-of-three Americans (67%) feel the country is not better off today than it was five years ago.

This finding comes at a time when just 32% of Likely U.S. Voters believe the country is heading in the right direction, while 64% say it's heading down the wrong track.

Eighty percent (80%) of Republicans and 74% of adults not affiliated with either major political party say the country is not better off than it was in 2005. Perhaps surprisingly, a plurality (48%) of Democrats agree.

Will the House of Representatives and the Senate turn Republican? A better question is, will Congress finally start to listen to the people and not to party insiders and special interest groups. Only we the people can force Congress to truly represent us by voting in members that will represent us. Whoever wins the race for Congress, we need to let that person know what we expect from our member of Congress. If they don't truly represent us then in two years we can replace them.

2010-10-26T19:04:00.000-07:00

The 8th Illinois Congressional District has made it to the Glenn Beck show on Fox. People are still talking about the one and only candidate forum (debate?) that Congresswoman Bean would agree to. Before it even started our friends and neighbors of the 8th Dist. decided to say the pledge of allegiance even if the people running it did not want to. You can see the whole thing with Glenn Beck comments on the Joe Walsh website.

http://walshforcongress.com

Congress for Sale

2010-10-24T08:45:00.000-07:00

Congresswoman Melissa Bean represents our community of the 8th District, but who has paid for her campaign to stay in office?
Here are some of the numbers showing that money from outside the 8th District has paid for her seat in Congress. Who does she represent?

Melissa Bean (D) *

Raised:	$1,995,576
Spent:	$1,737,966
Cash on Hand:	$441,318
Last Report:	October 13, 2010

PAC contributions	$1,228,118	(62%)
Individual contributions	$765,500	(38%)
Candidate self-financing	$0	(0%)
Other	$1,958	(0%)

Top Industries, 2009-2010, Campaign Cmte

Insurance	$216,750	$22,250	$194,500
Securities & Investment	$192,900	$77,500	$115,400
Lawyers/Law Firms	$99,324	$78,925	$20,399
Real Estate	$86,825	$29,850	$56,975
Commercial Banks	$86,700	$17,700	$69,000
Pharmaceuticals/Health Products	$81,800	$5,800	$76,000

Joe vs Bean

2010-10-21T16:17:00.000-07:00

Congresswoman Melissa Bean finally came out to face Joe Walsh and the people of the 8th District. On Wednesday October 20th, approximately 400 voters filled the Grayslake Central High School auditorium to witness a forum on the issues that concern the people of the 8th District. This will be I'm sure the first and last time Congresswoman Bean will face Joe Walsh. She tried to look brave but the crowd and questions were against her. Maybe it would have helped if she spent more time in the community she represents. She claimed that the people were much better off with her votes on the Health Care bill, Cap & Trade, and the Stimulus Bill. She believes Congress is currently headed the right direction.

If you want more of the same vote for her, if you want smaller government, less spending, and lower taxes vote for Joe.

Will Bean face the people?

2010-09-29T16:24:00.000-07:00

The Walsh Campaign invited Bean to a series of single-issue, town hall style debates, covering a range of topics, including health care reform, jobs and the economy, and immigration and national security. The format of the debates would provide both candidates the opportunity to field questions directly from voters.

In 2002, when Melissa Bean was challenging Rep. Phil Crane, she issued an open letter to Crane’s campaign urging him to debate the issues so the voters could be educated about his voting record. In October of 2002, she wrote:

“So there is no confusion as to my sincere commitment in educating the residents of our district on the issues, I will meet you any day, any time, and anywhere.”

Following her open letter Bean was quoted in a 10/11/02 News Sun article saying the following:

“There are those incumbents who want their records to be known and can stand on their records,” she said. “Crane is not one of them.”He knows his record is out of alignment with the people in his district, and he wants to fly under the radar and not debate me. I say, ‘Come on out Mr. Crane and let’s talk about the issues.’”

Joe Walsh commented on that letter and Bean’s related statements to the press, “It seems that Melissa Bean has ‘gone Washington,’ and she is now employing the same tactics she accused her predecessor of using. She is ducking debates and hiding from her record.”

Walsh formally reissued his debate invitation by saying, “The Eighth District does not support Melissa Bean’s votes for cap-and-trade, the Stimulus, or ObamaCare. Clearly, Melissa is out of touch. She does not want to give me or the rest of her constituents an opportunity to ask about her votes.”

Walsh concluded by saying, “Your constituents and my campaign are waiting to hear from you Congresswoman, I will meet you any day, any time, and anywhere.”

2010-09-25T10:26:00.000-07:00

So far with the Chicago Democratic Party in charge of our State & Federal government this is what they have given us.

It is time that we stop this.

Have you met Joe yet?

State	August 2009unemployment rate	Projected Fiscal '11 Deficit as % of Budget
Nevada	14.3%	-54.0%
Michigan	13.1%	-9.2%
California	12.4%	-21.6%
Rhode Island	11.8%	-13.9%
Florida	11.7%	-20.2%
South Carolina	11.0%	-25.6%
Oregon	10.6%	-17.6%
Indiana	10.2%	-9.4%
Illinois	10.1%	-41.5%
Ohio	10.1%	-11.3%
Georgia	10.0%	-26.2%
Mississippi	10.0%	-16.1%
Source: Labor Department and CBPP

2010-09-22T18:39:00.000-07:00

Congress vs the PEOPLE

2010-09-18T17:51:00.000-07:00

Democrats try to paint Republicans and Conservatives as “out of the mainstream” and not representing the true feelings of the American people. New data from Rasmussen proves them wrong. Here are the hard facts per Rasmussen:

1) Only 29% of the American people think that our country is headed in the right direction

2) 64% of Americans think our country is headed in the wrong direction

3) 90% of Republican voters think that we are headed in the wrong direction

4) 70% of independent voters think that we are headed in the wrong direction

In another Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 62% of voters now rate Congress’ performance as poor,

But then 79% feel most members of Congress are more interested in helping their own careers than in helping people, higher than the findings on this question for all of last year but consistent with views since January. Just 10% say Congress is more sincerely interested in helping people.

Is there any question then on why Joe Walsh is doing so well in campaigning against Congresswoman Bean.

Medicare Fraud & Bean

2010-08-12T12:54:00.000-07:00

The National Review

A Fraud Exposed — and Ignored

August 10, 2010 3:41 PM

By James C. Capretta

“Law Will Extend Medicare Fund, Report Says,” was the New York Times headline. “Medicare Funds to Last 12 Years Longer Than Earlier Forecast, Report Says,” was the similar take of the Washington Post. Those two stories were upbeat summaries of what the latest report on Medicare’s long-term financial outlook supposedly revealed.

But was that really the most newsworthy headline here?

How about the fact that the person who compiled all of the data for this report, and knows its contents better than anyone else, utterly repudiated its findings?

That’s right. Richard Foster, the chief actuary of the Medicare program and the man responsible for overseeing the production of the data which forms the basis of this annual report’s forecast, has advised the public — in his official “Statement of Actuarial Opinion” printed at the end of the trustees’ report — not to believe any of the modestly rosy conclusions contained within it.

It’s hard to overstate the importance of this development. Here is the president’s point man for assessing the financial status of Medicare declaring that much of the claimed benefits for Medicare from the recently passed health-care law — benefits that the president himself again touted on Saturday — are not to be believed. You’d think it might be news if the top expert in government essentially said the president of the United States was basing his public assertions on one of the most important issues of the day on flawed and misleading data. But apparently not.

Foster and his staff began exposing the fraudulent nature of the Medicare claims months ago. In their April analysis of the final health-care legislation, they agreed with the Congressional Budget Office and every other commonsense person that the same dollar can’t be spent twice. If the Medicare cuts in Obamacare are to be believed (a big “if”), they could be used to improve Medicare’s financial outlook, or to pay for another entitlement program, but not both. But of course Obamacare’s apologists continue to argue that both were financed by the Medicare cuts. The unfortunate consequence of this duplicity is that, eventually, taxpayers will be left holding the bag. At some point, they will be asked to pay higher taxes to finance Medicare spending as well as a new entitlement for health insurance, both of which were supposedly covered by the Medicare cuts.

Best of all Congresswoman Melissa Bean is proud of her vote on the Health Care Bill.

Have you met Joe yet?

Bean for Sale?

2010-08-10T18:52:00.000-07:00

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that just 23% of Adults share a favorable opinion of members of Congress. The same survey finds 72% have an unfavorable view of congressmen. These findings include 5% who have a very favorable impression and 45% who have a very unfavorable view of members of Congress.

Another separate Rasmussen national telephone survey finds that 70% of voters believe most members of Congress are willing to sell their vote for cash or a campaign contribution.

Our own member of Congress Melissa Bean as of June 30th has raised $1,628,045 for her own reelection to Congress. Of that amount 58% was raised from Political Action Committees (PACs). Who does Melissa Bean represent when a large portion of her contributions come from outside the district she is elected to represent?

All this compares with Joe Walsh who has accepted only 2% of his campaign funds from PACs.

Have you met Joe yet?

Public Option - Not Dead

2010-07-23T12:59:00.001-07:00

We find ourselves EXACTLY where we thought we would be prior to the so-called Healthcare debate: the public option vs. the non-public option.

Let's review: the Democrats and liberals in Congress, Melissa Bean INCLUDED, voted for a takeover of healthcare. Our medical history and records are no longer private between doctor and patient. Our healthcare providers, or doctors, must take less in reimbursements than before. This requires the doctors and providers to see more patients in the same time to make up for the difference in income OR just not see those with medicare, medicaid, etc.

Frankly, a lot of doctors are just closing shop, deciding that it doesn't make sense to practice medicine because the costs are too great.

Doctors and other providers have not grown in number, so the number of people waiting to see a doctor will get larger, the waits longer.

Let me ask you this - if YOUR doctor is rushing to see as many patients as possible, are YOU getting the attention and care you want?

At some point, when doctors close their doors, the business side of things will become apparent. Doctors not only provide essential healhcare to people, they also HIRE nurses, administrative workers, and other doctors. They are employers. When they close their doors, those people will be out of work, have no job.

The public option, or government controlled healthcare, has already been enacted, if not by technical, legal means, then by design. These things are starting to happen and will continue to happen. They are pushing doctors out of business, onto the "available" governement run healthcare system. This will be phasing in over the next several years.

So what options do you have? Pay for insurance and not food? Things are working out EXACTLY as the liberals and Democrats in Congress and the President planned. This is a public option, they just aren't calling it a public option. If it walks like a duck and quacks like a duck....

Melissa Bean voted for this. She claims to be supportive of small businesses. She claims to be supportive of wanting coverage for all. I was on a recent TELE-TOWNHALL meeting (she doesn't hold face to face townhalls in her district except for those she invites), and she said that the healthcare "reform" bill was going to save money.

Maybe she didn't read the latest restatement by the CBO, who came out several months after the bill was passed and said the numbers had been underestimated by over $500 BILLION dollars. And that the bill does NOT include the so-called "doctor fix".

I, for one, am tired of the condescending attitude those in Congress have towards their constituents. They must think we are not paying attention, that they can slip one past us or that we'll get over it.

How are things going for you? How is the stimulus helping you? Do you have a job? Does your doctor plan to close his or her doors? How do bailouts, stimulus, healthcare, car company takeovers, etc. help our economy?

How can we pay for any of this? How does raising taxes help those of us with jobs and those of us without jobs?

Melissa Bean has voted for each of those bills passed listed above. As for raising taxes, she has said that some hard decisions will have to be made. You read between the lines on that.

Congresspeople did not make the healthcare law applicable to themselves. Congressmen have voted time and time again for pay raises, spending increases, and are letting tax cuts expire at the end of this year.

It's a nice life as a Congressperson if you can get it.

But does Melissa Bean DESERVE it?

Not with her votes. She is out of touch with her constituents, she is out of touch with reality in her district, and she does not seem to prioritize her constituents and our needs over those of Nancy Pelosi and President Obama.

What have they done for us? They have only helped themselves.

Is that who YOU want representing you in Congress?

Vote to save our Country

2010-07-17T19:56:00.000-07:00

The Republican Party of Lake County held a breakfast Saturday for all Precinct Committeeman & Precinct workers to get a chance to rally with the candidates that they will be working to elect. It was held in the back room of Austins Restaurant and it was packed to capacity. There was Joe Walsh of the 8th, Bob Dold of the 10th, Suzi Schmidt, Mark Curran, and many more. They all told the same story that this must be the year Republicans take back Washington and Springfield or else our State and County will be lost.

The Chicago Democratic Party looks north and sees that with 2 more seats on the Lake County Board they will have control of Lake County government. Lake County would then be run as Cook County government is now. Lake will become Cook County North with all the over spending and higher taxes.

The Chicago Democratic Party has complete control of our State government, which is becoming the worst state financially in the country.

The Chicago Democratic Party has taken control of the White House, which has given us the largest budget deficits in history.

It is time to end the rule of the Chicago Democratic Machine over our lives. Tell your fiends, family, and neighbors that this coming November has become our last chance to save our County, State, and Country from ruin. Pleas come out to vote and save the Country our Founding Fathers fought so bravely for.

2010-07-13T04:02:00.001-07:00

This weekend 8th District Illinois Republican Congressional Nominee Joe Walsh celebrated Independence Day participating in parades and festivals throughout the district. In one of his final stops he led the Pledge of Allegiance at the Lake County Tea Party rally in Libertyville.

Walsh has been all over the 8th District in Town Hall Meetings, parades, Health Care debates, and just going door to door.

Have you seen Joe yet?

Reflections

2010-07-06T20:55:00.000-07:00

The United States of America just celebrated her 234th Birthday. How do you suppose people across this country celebrated?

With people risking their lives every day to gain access to this country, both legally and illegally, it makes you wonder why people risk everything to come here and hardly anyone ever leaves.

This blog entry is not going to be about illegal immigration. This blog entry is going to be about what makes America the place for which everyone wants to risk everything to come.

America was founded 234 years ago by the bravest of people. The Founding Fathers did not know what was to come of their experiment, they only knew it was worth risking everything they had, including their lives, to escape tyranny.

I go back to how do you think people across the country celebrated our nation's birthday?

I would say prior to 2009, most people would most likely have seen the 4th of July as an excuse to have a day off from work, or to have barbecues with family and friends.

While those things still hold true for most people, this year I believe that more and more people are reflecting upon what truly makes this country the best country in the world; what makes this country the country people risk everything for to make it to our shores: LIBERTY.

People come to the United States of America because we hold certain values as a nation. We practice and rely upon freedoms and liberty to help make our own way in this country and in this world.

Sometimes it is important to take a step back and look at the big picture. It is so very easy to get lost in the details of an issue or a debate. It is important to see WHY people come to this country.

They come here because there is no better opportunity to make a better life for yourself and your family than there is in this country. There is no more fertile ground for success, whatever your definition, than here, in America. Generations of immigrants have recognized this and made personal sacrifices to better their situations in life.

Why, then, do we take such liberty and freedom for granted? Why do we need to be reminded only once a year, on our country's birthday, why this country was founded and what this country stands for?

Isn't she worth fighting for every day?

New & higher taxes

2010-07-05T19:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the current Congress controlled by the Democrats and the Obama White House In just six months, the largest tax hikes in the history of America will take effect.They will hit families and small businesses beginning on January 1, 2011:

Expiration of 2001 and 2003 Tax Relief

In 2001 and 2003, the GOP Congress enacted several tax cuts for investors, small business owners, and families. These will all expire on January 1, 2011:

Personal income tax rates will rise.

- The 10% bracket rises to an expanded 15%

- The 25% bracket rises to 28%

- The 28% bracket rises to 31%

- The 33% bracket rises to 36%

- The 35% bracket rises to 39.6%

Higher taxes on marriage and family.

The “marriage penalty” (narrower tax brackets for married couples) will return from the first dollar of income.

The child tax credit will be cut in half from $1000 to $500 per child.

The standard deduction will no longer be doubled for married couples relative to the single level. The dependent care and adoption tax credits will be cut.

Thanks to Obama Health Care, Americans will no longer be able to use health savings account (HSA), flexible spending account (FSA), or health reimbursement (HRA) pre-tax dollars to purchase non-prescription, over-the-counter medicines (except insulin).

Small business expensing will be slashed and 50% expensing will disappear.

Small businesses can normally expense (rather than slowly-deduct, or “depreciate”) equipment purchases up to $250,000. This will be cut all the way down to $25,000. Larger businesses can expense half of their purchases of equipment. In January of 2011, all of it will have to be “depreciated.”

Tax Benefits for Education and Teaching Reduced.

The deduction for tuition and fees will not be available. Tax credits for education will be limited. Teachers will no longer be able to deduct classroom expenses. Employer-provided educational assistance is curtailed. The student loan interest deduction will be disallowed for hundreds of thousands of families.

Do we want Mellisa Bean and her fellow Democrats in Congress leading us further down this path? This November your vote is very important in telling Congress the Change they have given us is not what this Country needs. We need to get the spending under control, we need less government in our daily lives, we need regulation of big business not Federal ownership of big business. We need conservative candidates that know the needs of our community.

Have you met Joe yet?

Bean on the Issues

2010-07-01T19:39:00.000-07:00

It seems Congresswoman Mellisa Bean considers more or less that we are better off now than we were 18 months ago. She ignores that the stock market that keeps dropping, the unemployment rate remaining near 10%, the banks not giving loans, consumer confidence remains low, etc..... Several National polls show that public is not behind the programs of Congress or the President, yet she continues to sell the story that all this is good for the nation and Congress needs to continue down the same path.

Drive down the main streets of the towns and villages in the 8th District, you will see empty store front after empty store front. People are nervous about spending and more concerned about being prepared for more bad times. What we get from Congress is more talk about social programs and placing blame on the banks and Wall Street. The 8th District needs someone that really knows the 8th District. We are tired of taxation without true representation.

See for yourself in the video link what Mellisa Bean is saying about the economy.

http://video.foxbusiness.com/v/4267161/spending-vs-reducing-deficit

Follow the Money

2010-06-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Melissa Bean voted to use your tax money to bailout some of the biggest banks in the country, sparing their demise with your tax dollars. It is not surprising that the banks, financial firms, and other PACs are now some of the biggest donors to her campaign.

Donor PAC ------ ---------- Total donation

Exelon Corp ---- ----------------------- $32,300
JP MOrgan Chase & Co. ------------ $23,500
New Democrat Coalition ------------- $20,000
Bank of America ------- --------- ----- $17,500
Allstate Insurance ------- --- ---------- $13,750
Merck & Co. ----------------------------- $13,500
Price Waterhouse Coopers ---------- $12,500
Hartford Financial Services ---------- $11,500
American Bankers Assn. -------------- $10,000

Have you met Joe yet?

Government vs Private Enterprise

2010-06-27T13:06:00.000-07:00

Part of the new Health Care law deals with student loans. Why student loans should be mixed with health care can only be answered by the majority members of Congress that wrote and passed the law over the objections of the people.

The government will become the direct lender to students for federally subsidized loans. Private Banks will no longer be allowed to give student loans, the government bureaucracy will run this much better than private enterprise. Federal bureaucracy has a proven track record of running things such as: the Postal Service, Amtrak, home loans, and purchasing supplies for the military.

The Congress that is controlled by the Democratic Party has decided that BIG GOVERNMENT knows better on how our children should get loans. BIG GOVERNMENT will make the decision on what kind of higher education if any our children should receive.

It is time to stop the expansion of the Federal government into every corner of our private lives. It is time to stop one party rule of Congress and the White House. If we do not change the course the Country is headed, we will wake up in a country that we the people do not have a say in.

Have you met Joe yet?

Where is Walsh

2010-06-22T19:35:00.000-07:00

Joe Walsh Republican Candidate for the 8th Congressional District seat in Congress.

You will see him in parades,

You will see him in public Health Care debates,

You will see him in Town-hall meetings,

You will see him in a neighbors home,

You will see him in your local restaurant,

You will see this Joe Walsh everywhere,

Have you seen Bean yet?

Bean on the Issues

2010-06-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

On the Melissa Bean for Congress website if you try to open the page for "issues" the message you get is "Currently being updated". That is really the best statement she has given for her stand on issues for the 8th Congressional District. In the most recent past she has supported the policies of the President, which are influenced by the Chicago Democratic Machine. Now she is hearing that the issues and concerns of Chicago are not the same as Northwest Cook, Lake, and McHenry Counties. Congresswoman Bean might have known that if she had lived and worked in the 8th District these past six years as our member in Congress.

In a Pew Survey taken in March, Americans were asked if Obama made them feel hopeful. Fifty-four percent said yes, and Forty-three percent said no.

In a more recent Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey taken in the first week of June. When questioned on the passage of the health care bill, sixty-six percent of all voters now believe the nation is heading down the wrong track.

The nation at large believes the country is being lead down the wrong track by the Liberal Dems in Congress and the White House, while at the same time Melissa Bean's issues that she stands for are "currently being updated". It's time to have someone that knows what the 8th District issues are.

Have you met Joe yet?

Bean - Liberty's Friend of Foe?

2010-06-15T12:52:00.000-07:00

We, as a nation, have taken our freedom and our liberty for granted for too long. Our liberties and our freedoms are eroded slowly by our government. It is only when a far left president is elected to office with a far left Congress that we begin to see how far away from a limited government we have gone. For this reminder, we should be grateful.

When you cast your vote in November, will you be thinking about how Melissa Bean has represented you in Congress? Will you be thinking about how she has voted, on every vote, to further erode our freedom and liberties? Stimulus, bailouts, car company takeovers, healthcare, cap and trade...which of these votes for these monstrosities are for freedom or personal choice?

The left is big into being "pro-choice", but are they really? Are they for more liberties, more freedom, more choice? Not in healthcare, government knows best how you should take care of your body, not you.

Are they for more choice with fiscal policy? No again, they know how better to spend your money than you do. So they must take more of it.

Melissa Bean has voted EVERY time to take your choices away from you.

I challenge every constituent of the 8th District to remember who they are casting a ballot for in November - someone who votes for a government that knows better than you, or for someone that trusts you to make decisions for yourself.

I know what I will choose.

Change vs Freedom

2010-06-13T17:44:00.000-07:00

If you have food tn the refrigerator, clothes on your back, and a roof overhead you are richer than 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank and in your wallet you are among the top 8% of the worlds wealthy.

If you can attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death, you are better off than three billion people in the world.

Our country has been the beacon of hope for countless people around the world for generations. The United States has helped saved the world more than once from tyranny. Our Founding Fathers gave us a government not matched by any other country.

Yet our President and the current Democrat controlled Congress including our member of Congress finds our Constitution and our Country flawed and they intend to change it into something not to be recognized by our Founding Fathers.

Are you happy so far with their change or would it be better to continue the brave experiment in freedom that was hard won with the blood of those that came before us.

Have you met Joe yet?

Upside Down Solutions?

2010-06-01T12:19:00.000-07:00

The world seems to be turned upside down.

The Country has racked up an almost unsustainable debt, the deficit for this fiscal year has reached record amounts, there are people willing to blow up Times Square, oil has spilled all over the Gulf threatening not only that region of the country, but the rest of the country at large, our Commander in Chief doesn't feel it's important to be at Arlington National Cemetary on Memorial Day to honor those that have laid down their lives for this country, Congress wants to spend EVEN MORE money we don't have after their holiday break on projects they call "jobs bills" but result in the losses of millions of jobs, and the Administration refuses to support our strongest and most vital ally in the Middle East if not the world while doing nothing about North Korea sinking a South Korean submarine and nothing to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.

Am I missing something? Does anyone else feel that this Country is perilously close to losing what makes it the best nation to be fortunate enough to live in?

Why is it that people wait YEARS to come to this Country legally, for a better future for themselves and their families. Not only do people come legally, but millions of people are here and continue to pour into this country illegally for the same reasons. Do you see a flood of people to any other nation in the world? Why do you think that is?

Everything is upside down. Foreign leaders should not be allowed or welcomed to address Congress to bash our Country with a standing ovation as a response. Where is the leadership? Where is the common decency and common sense?

This Country is the best country in the world. We are the most generous, humane country. We have the most freedoms, although the seem to be slipping away every day. We have the best health care, or at least we did. We are the most generous, giving not only to charities in our country but also around the world.

How are the solutions the Administration propose and supported by Melissa Bean the right solutions for the Country? They have done nothing to weaken us as a nation to "even" things out or redistribute what some think is too much to others that they think need it more.

There are consequences for elections, and we, as a nation, are learning those consequences all too well. We trusted our elected officials too much for too long.

It's time to take a stand, take accountability for whom we elect to represent us, and demand accountability in return.

The solutions being implemented to problems that don't exist, don't need "overhauling" or "reforming", are all upside down. If true solutions were sought, different decisions would be made. This is about doing what government thinks you should be doing, not you making a choice for what's best for you and your family.

Stand up, use common sense, and hold your elected officials accountable.

Start to turn things back around.

2010-05-31T07:06:00.000-07:00

The American People are losing favor with the Chicago Dem control of the White House, how about you?

Have you met Joe yet?

Congress vs the PEOPLE

2010-05-25T19:35:00.000-07:00

In the latest CBS News Poll, 77% disapprove of what Congress is doing. The same poll showed that of those surveyed 61% believe the Country is heading in the wrong direction. It also showed 47% believe that the President does not share their priorities.

A separate national telephone survey of Likely Voters finds that an overwhelming majority (72%) are not confident in Congress when it comes to addressing current economic problems.

With all this Congresswoman Bean is confident that she is best representing her district by supporting the programs promoted by the President and the Democratic Party. Maybe if Congresswoman Bean lived in or visited her district more often she would know that the People of the 8th District do not approve of the recent programs to put the Nation into further debt.

Have you met Joe yet?

Congresswoman Bean - Is She Serious?

2010-05-06T11:41:00.000-07:00

Last night I got lucky to be one of the invited "RIGHT NOW" to join a live tele-townhall meeting that Congresswoman Bean was holding. First of all, it was now or never. Secondly, when I joined in the telephone town hall, it was already in progress and missed the beginning of the townhall meeting. I don't know what the format was going to be, all I know is that the automated voice told me that Congresswoman Bean was interested in hearing from her constituents.

Let me tell you what happened next. I sat on the phone, listening to Melissa Bean talk about her votes against earmarks, cutting out earmarks, and how we would have to make some difficult choices with entitlement spending coming up. She went on to say that cutting entitlement spending is not a popular stance, but it must be considered.

OK. I almost fell over from laughter. How could Congresswoman Bean, with a serious tone in her voice (I couldn't see her face as she doesn't hold townhall meetings open to the public in her district), actually pretend to tell her constituents that some tough choices must be made ahead? And that she is taking a strong stance against entitelment spending?

I don't know whether to be more insulted or more afraid for our district as well as the country. Does Congresswoman Bean think we have been hiding under a rock for the last year and a half? She voted for the so-called stimulus bill, Cap and Trade, bank bailouts, and healthcare. She voted against the wishes of her constituents and the majority of the citizens around the country.

I'm afraid for our district and our country because Congresswoman Bean puts party politics ahead of her constituents. I'm afraid for our country because the policies that Congresswoman Bean has voted to make into law are WRONG for our district, WRONG for our country, and WRONG for us.

Is it that party politics are a priority over her constituents, or is that she truly doesn't understand what she has voted for? I'm not talking about the bills themselves, we all know Congress didn't read them before voting on them. I'm talking about the big picture - the policy implications on our district and on our country.

Whether Congresswoman Bean is insulting each and every one of us or she just plain doesn't understand the implications of her votes, is she the person you want representing YOU in Congress?

2010-04-28T18:47:00.000-07:00

Congresswoman Melissa Bean campaign finance report as of

March 31, 2010

PAC contributions ---------------- $797,661 __ 60%

Individual contributions ----------- $528,126 __ 40%

Candidate self-financing --------- $0 _____ __ 0%

Other --------------------------------- $1,907_ ___ __0%

Congresswoman Bean has represented the 8^th Congressional District for six years but does not live in the District. Her campaign is mostly backed by Political Action Committees. Our member of Congress does not work or live in our District and owes allegiance to special interest groups. This November the citizens will have a chance to vote in a candidate that only owes allegiance to the people of the 8^th District.

Have you met Joe yet?

Bean vs We the People

2010-04-15T19:31:00.000-07:00

A recent CBS News Poll reported 85% of us disapprove of the Health Care bill passed by Congress, 73% want the Congress to start over, and 80% of us think the Democrats will do poorly in the November 2010 Election.

Thirty-four percent (34%) of U.S. voters say the country is heading in the right direction, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey conducted this week.

The same poll showed Sixty-one percent (61%) of Democrats are optimistic about the nation’s current course, showing little change from last week. Thirty-three percent (33%) are not. Prior to the passage of the health care bill, Democrats were almost evenly divided on the question: 48% said the country was headed in the right direction, and 44% felt it was going down the wrong track.

A solid majority (86%) of GOP voters and 69% of voters not affiliated with either major party continue to think the nation is heading down the wrong track. These findings, too, show little change from the previous survey.

So according to two separate polls it appears the general public is still not in favor of the Health Care Bill or the path President Obama is taking the country down.

So why would our Congresswoman Bean still support this when the majority of the country and the 8th District does not support it?

Have you met Joe yet?

Accountability - It's Not Just For Businesses

2010-03-26T12:42:00.000-07:00

Merriam Webster's Online Dictionary defines ACCOUNTABILITY as "an obligation or willingness to accept responsibility or to account for one's actions".

Do you think Melissa Bean views accountability in the same manner? Businesses have to be accountable to their lenders, their employees, and to their vendors. Publicly held companies have to be accountable to their shareholders and investors, the SEC, and sadly other government organizations and czars.

Individuals have to be accountable to their families and friends, their lenders (mortgages, car loans, etc.), their bills, and their jobs. If individuals are in school, they are accountable to their teachers and families.

Who else are we accountable to? The biggest entity of all - the U.S. Government. If you don't pay your taxes, who comes knocking on your door? The IRS. If you don't fill out your census information, how many postcards and door knockers have you gotten and will you expect to get?

Who does Congress have to be accountable to when they make a poor vote or a series of poor votes and decisions? The U.S. Constitution states that the U.S. House of Representatives have newly elected members every 2 years. The U.S. Senate has newly elected members every 6 years, 1/3 of existing members are up for re-election every 2 years.

The way for Melissa Bean's constituents to hold her accountable is to vote her out in November. She refuses to hold her constituents' overwhelming desires and wishes ahead of her party's interests, so we MUST hold her accountable in November.

Why should We, The People, be held accountable to our obligations and to our government when Congress appears to not care whether they are held accountable to their constituents? Why should Melissa Bean be held to a lesser level of accountability than businesses and individuals?

The obvious and simple answer is that she should not. We MUST hold her accountable for her decisions, actions, and votes in November. We have an obligation to hold her accountable, ESPECIALLY since she does not see herself accountable to her constituents but instead to her party leadership.

Congress vs the PEOPLE

2010-03-20T13:01:00.000-07:00

This weekend approximately 25,000 have gathered in Washington D.C. to protest against the Healthcare bill. A bill of over 2,000 pages that most members of Congress have not read but will still vote on it this Sunday. This bill is only the start of the government take over of health care. The Speaker of the House and the President both have publicly said that this bill is only the start of planned reforms. In the end this Healthcare bill will cost more, add more to the National Debt and allow the Federal Government to control your access to health care. This bill will also give the Federal Government more control over student loans. As the President & the Speaker said, this is only the start of the reforms they have in mind for the nation.

This is the time when We the People need to take back our government and remind Washington that it is our government. When Congresswoman Bean votes "yes" for this bill, that is when we vote for Joe Walsh in November.

Have you met Joe yet?

Bean - The So-Called Moderate

2010-03-19T12:21:00.001-07:00

How could Congresswoman Bean consider herself a moderate? There have been several votes where she could have put her constituents, her district and her "moderate" beliefs ahead of her party. She chose not to. Cap and trade. BAD for small business, bad for constituents paying for electricity and natural gas. BAD on principle, VERY BAD in this economy.

Congresswoman Bean voted for the Healthcare bill to get out of the House to go to the Senate. BAD for small business, VERY BAD for every person who needs to see a doctor. Common sense dictates that by covering 30 million more people with the same or less number of existing doctors, that healthcare would not be rationed. It just defies logic.

It also defies logic that covering 30 million more people will not raise the deficit and debt. How could there be more people to cover without it costing more money? The obvious answer is to increase taxes, but how much can you raise taxes? Raise taxes on healthcare, raise taxes on energy, raise taxes on investments, etc. At some point, the well runs dry.

The truth of the matter is that Congresswoman Bean has put party ahead of people. If she votes for the Healthcare bill, whether it be by deem and pass or an outright vote, she can no longer consider herself a moderate Democrat. A lot of people stopped considering her a moderate a while ago, but with this important legislation, she will no longer be able to consider herself a moderate. She will be as progressive and liberal as her party tells her to be. That's where her record stands, and SHE should have the courage to stand for principles and the constituents that she went to Washington with and for, not loyalty to party first.

Republicans on the Rise

2010-03-14T11:18:00.000-07:00

A recent Rasmussen Poll, reports voters now trust Republicans more than Democrats on key issues.

Republicans lead Democrats 46% to 41% in terms of voter trust on the economy.

Voters trust Democrats more on government ethics and corruption, 35% to 28%. But 27% are not sure whom to trust.

Republicans are trusted more than Democrats on the issue of health care, of those polled 45% place their trust in Republicans, while 42% trust Democrats more.

Voters not affiliated with either major political party heavily favor Republicans on health care, 45% to 29%.

On taxes, Republicans hold an 11-point lead, down from a 16-point lead in early February. Republicans have led Democrats on this issue for over a year.

Republicans now hold a four-point lead over Democrats on abortion, down from 14 points last month.

Voters trust Republicans more on national security by a 47% to 37% margin, little changed from the previous survey.

Republicans still have a long way to go but it seems they are headed in the right direction as compared to Democrats. What the Republicans need are more good candidates in local and national elections. We in the 8^th District have State Rep. Ed Sullivan Jr., State Sen. Dan Duffy, and candidate for the 8^th District in Congress Joe Walsh.

2nd Amendment Rally

2010-03-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

The 2010 ILL. Gun Owners Lobby Day (IGOLD) in Srpringfield March 10th.
Just 3,000+ ordinary citizens lobbying their government for their rights.
Will the Democratic Cook County controlled State government listen?

8th District Republican Chairman

2010-03-10T03:41:00.000-08:00

I am writing this letter to THANK YOU for your tremendous support for my re-election as your Chairman of the 8^th Congressional District.

The support I received at the Convention was both humbling and overwhelming. I promised four years ago that I would work hard. I hope I have shown that I keep my word. You have given me the opportunity to continue your work to make the Republican Party in Illinois something we can be PROUD of. We have a great conservative Platform and we should be following that Platform for the benefit of all of out constituents

Let us all work hard to get our Candidates elected in November so that we may once again be proud of “The Land of Lincoln-The Great State of Illinois”.

I will give Connie a card for each of you so that you have my information and can contact me at any time.

Sincerely,

Gene Dawson,

A very proud member of your State Central Committee

A message from Joe Walsh

2010-03-08T19:16:00.000-08:00

Walsh to Bean on Health Care Vote:
Vote Your District Not Your Party

(Lake Zurich, Illinois) - 8th District Republican congressional nominee Joe Walsh today called on his liberal Democrat opponent Rep. Melissa Bean to swallow her pride and vote “No” on the Obamacare federal takeover of health care legislation nearing a vote in the House.

“For the first time in a long time Melissa Bean needs to listen to her constituents and vote her district,” said Walsh.

“A government takeover of health care is absolutely the wrong approach to fix what ails with health care in America- and 8th district voters know it.

“Melissa Bean was not elected to represent public sector unions and march in lockstep with her party.

“She was elected to represent the interests of 8th district families and support policies that speak to their very real economic insecurities. This legislation will worsen the quality of care we have access to and increase unemployment,” Walsh said.

The proposed takeover of health care that would cost Illinois 169,000 jobs, $4,418 per person, and shrink Illinois’ economy by 5.1 percent, according to a study by the Illinois Policy Institute. This is against the backdrop of a state with 11% unemployment.

“A vote for this health care bill is vote against the economic interests of 8th district families, plain and simple,” Walsh added.

Can you hear us yet?

2010-03-05T18:32:00.000-08:00

This past Wednesday afternoon the leaders of the New Democrat Coalition visited to the Oval Office, their membership includes Melissa Bean, Illinois 8th District. President Obama reminded them how important it was for them to vote for the Democrat Health-care Bill. The majority of the American People wants Congress to start over and produce a Health-care program that will not mortgage our future. If Melissa Bean and the rest of Congress does not listen to the People, the People this November will replace the members in Congress.

Have you met Joe yet?

Congress vs the PEOPLE

2010-03-04T12:54:00.000-08:00

The first post-primary Rasmussen Reports Election 2010 telephone survey of the Kirk-Giannoulias race finds Republican Mark Kirk holds a modest 46% to 40% lead over Democrat Alexi Giannoulias in the race for the Illinois Senate following the February party primaries. In the survey voters not affiliated with either of the major parties, Mark Kirk holds a sizable 59% to 22% lead.

The poll also showed President Obama native of Illinois is less popular in the state today. Fifty-four percent (54%) of Illinois voters approve of the job the president is doing while 45% disapprove. Those figures include 33% who strongly approve and 35% who strongly disapprove.

Seventy-one percent (71%) of Illinois voters say the federal government has become a special interest group, and 67% think the government and big business often work together to hurt consumers and investors.

This does not look good for Democrat incumbents to Congress. Could this be the real motive for the attack from the Liberal media against Congressional candidate Joe Walsh? The Liberal media that supports President Obama and wants him to have the support in Congress from members of Congress like Melissa Bean. They fail to take into account that the PEOPLE do not approve of the programs that Congress and the President want.

Bean to visit the 8th Dist.

2010-02-26T17:34:00.001-08:00

Congress Woman Melissa Bean - Rep. (D) of the Illinois 8th District will be available for discussion and meeting the people of the community (a kind of informal town hall meeting) at the Jewel Osco store located at:

855 East Belvidere Road
Grayslake, IL 60030
(847) 543-8976

On Saturday, February 27th, 2010
Starting at 9:30AM

SEE MAP AND DIRECTIONS TO GRAYSLAKE JEWEL-OSCO

MELISSA BEAN OFFICIAL SITE

Jefferson vs Bean

2010-02-25T19:13:00.000-08:00

Congresswoman Mellisa Bean:

Voted YES on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending. (Jul 2009)
Voted YES on modifying bankruptcy rules to avoid mortgage foreclosures. (Mar 2009)
Voted YES on additional $825 billion for economic recovery package. (Jan 2009)
Voted YES on monitoring TARP funds to ensure more mortgage relief. (Jan 2009)
Voted YES on $15B bailout for GM and Chrysler. (Dec 2008)

I predict future happiness for Americans if they can prevent the government from wasting the labors of the people under the pretense of taking care of them. Thomas Jefferson

Vote Congress Out

2010-02-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds 73% of voters agree with Vice President Biden that "Washington right now is broken." Of those surveyed just 15% disagree with the vice president's analysis of the political situation in the nation's capital. Of that survey 12% more are not sure.

However, 75% of all voters now say they are angry at the government's current policies, 60% think neither Republican leaders nor Democratic leaders have a good understanding of what is needed today.

Another 63% believe, generally speaking, that it would be better for the country if most Congressional incumbents were defeated this November. Their confidence in their own congressman also continues to fall. That would include the incumbent Congresswoman Melissa Bean from the 8th District.

Most voters continue to be against the health care reform plan proposed by President Obama and congressional Democrats, which Congresswoman Bean voted for.

The Declaration of Independence, states that governments derive "their just powers from the consent of the governed." Today, however, just 21% of voters nationwide believe that the federal government has the consent of the governed.

2010-02-20T20:36:00.000-08:00

Support the conservative movement in Lake County & hear a good speaker too.

The Lake County Republican Federation Spring Dinner
Keynote Speaker
Minnesota Governor Tim Pawlenty

Friday April 16th
Marriott Lincolnshire
Tickets are $100 or $75 for committeemen.

Lake County GOP
320 Peterson Rd.

Libertyville IL 60048

847-680-6680

Obama = More Taxes

2010-02-17T19:42:00.000-08:00

President Obama has hinted that he may have to go back on his campaign promise against raising taxes on Americans making less than $250,000 a year. So how is that hope and change thing working out America?

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey shows that even if the President and Congress raise taxes to reduce the federal deficit, 58% of voters think they are more likely to spend the money on new government programs. Which means our grandchildren will be even deeper in debt.

Just 23% believe they are more likely to use the new tax money for deficit reduction, and another 19% aren't sure.

Another Rasmussen poll shows that the vast majority of voters nationwide (83%) of Americans say the size of the federal budget deficit is due more to the unwillingness of politicians in Washington to cut government spending. Congress is out of control when it comes to spending and it needs to stop NOW.

Our current member of Congress Melissa Bean has been on the side of new spending to solve the nation’s economic problems. It is time to go back to spending only what we can afford and not leave future generations with the bill. It is time to elect someone that will represent the people of the 8^th District.

Have you met Joe yet?

2010-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you met Joe?

If you have attended any public meetings in the area you might have seen a familiar face at some of them. That face could be Joe Walsh, it seems he is going around to the neighborhoods of the 8th District and asking residents what they think. He is involved in what concerns the community. Joe is also asking for your vote this November to represent us in Congress. Can you imagine someone that comes into the District on a regular basis talking to the people and even more shocking he plans on living in the 8th District. This is something we have not had in the past six years. So have you met Joe yet?

Public comment wanted

2010-02-09T19:32:00.000-08:00

The Lake County Division of Transportation invites you to attend an Open House Public Information Meeting concerning the preliminary engineering study for the Fairfield Road/IL Route 176 Junction Improvement in unincorporated central Lake County. The purpose of the meeting is to present the proposed improvement alternates, the project schedule, and seek public input and comments regarding the project. If you live nearby or travel that area please mark your calendar for

Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010 Time: 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm

Place: Wauconda Community High School

555 N. Main Street Wauconda, IL

The meeting will be conducted in an informal, open house format. The Lake County Division of Transportation and consultant representatives will be present to discuss the project and answer any questions.

If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Chuck Gleason at (847) 377-7447 or cgleason@lakecountyil.gov.

Please forward this information to anyone who you think may be interested in attending.

The public meeting will show 3 different improvements for this intersection and ask for public input. (A typical intersection improvement, a round a bout and a grade separation).

This intersection is currently rated as an F. This location was identified as a consensus project in 2005 at the Lake County Transportation Summit. There have been no decisions on what the improvement will be but this is the time for the public to provide input on each of the alternatives. The Lake County Division of Transportation is in the preliminary phases, first going to public comment. With any improvement at this location, the tunnel that the County built will be incorporated into the project.

Bean Campaign Money

2010-02-07T19:23:00.000-08:00

The majority of Congresswoman Bean's campaign comes from Political Action Committees not from the people of the 8th District. She has not really started her quest for campaign money, how much more will the PACs spend to keep their candidate in office. The 8th District needs a candidate from the community. This November we have the opportunity to vote in someone that will represent the people, Joe Walsh.

Melissa Bean (D)

Raised:	$1,004,549
Spent:	$403,361
Cash on Hand:	$784,896

PAC contributions	$614,766	(61%)
Individual contributions	$387,899	(39%)
Candidate self-financing	$0	(0%)
Other	$1,884	(0%)

Joe Walsh Promise

2010-02-06T19:24:00.000-08:00

From Joe Walsh for Congress:

I will lead by example and act as a Citizen Legislator - the type of person our Founding Fathers envisioned. My pledge to you is as follows:

I will not serve more than 3 terms in the House (6 years), if so privileged.
I will not receive any health plans or retirement benefits that only congressmen get and that aren’t available to all Americans.
I will not vote for any legislation which increases the size of government or isn’t supported by the Constitution.
I will never add an earmark to any bill.
I will always speak my mind and tell my constituents the truth.
I will always be accessible to my constituents and hold town halls on a regular basis, in good times or bad

We need to get Americans to feel good about their government again.

Congressman Walsh

2010-02-02T20:27:00.000-08:00

Joe Walsh is the Tea Party, Conservative, Republican candidate for the 8th District seat in Congress. He will take back the seat for the people of our community and represent the people and not the Cook County Democratic Party.

VOTE

2010-01-30T20:15:00.000-08:00

Now is the time for all good citizens to come to the aid of their country by voting. Our country is at a cross road between the Liberty left to us by our Forefathers and the path to socialism that Obama, Pelosi, and Bean want to lead us to. Stand up and be counted, VOTE.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7nEoW-P81-0

Melissa Bean Votes

2010-01-21T19:30:00.000-08:00

Melissa Bean votes.

NO on restricting interstate transport of minors to get abortions. (Apr 2005)

YES on instituting National Service as a new social invention. (Mar 2009)

NO on Constitutionally defining marriage as one-man-one-woman. (Jul 2006)

YES on $192B additional anti-recession stimulus spending. (Jul 2009)

YES on additional $825 billion for economic recovery package. (Jan 2009)

YES on monitoring TARP funds to ensure more mortgage relief. (Jan 2009)

YES on $15B bailout for GM and Chrysler. (Dec 2008)

YES on $60B stimulus package for jobs, infrastructure, & energy. (Sep 2008)

YES on defining "energy emergency" on federal gas prices. (Jun 2008)

YES on more funding for Mexico to fight drugs. (Jun 2008)

YES on $2 billion more for Cash for Clunkers program. (Jul 2009)

Are these the votes you want your Representative in Congress to make?

The People Speak

2010-01-19T20:19:00.000-08:00

SCOTT BROWN WINS MASSACHUSETTS SENATE SEAT

In the race that will change the direction of the United States and put the breaks on the Obama agenda. This is only the start, now that the far left wing of the Democratic Party has awakened the citizens of this country. The Ronald Reagan "Silent Majority" has once again decided that this is the time for patriots to come to the aid of their country.

The people of the 8th District have also wakened to the danger of BIG GOVERNMENT and TRILLION dollar budget defects. Our Country, State, and the 8th District needs to put an end to taxation without representation. A good start is to have a Representative in Congress that will live in our community. We need someone that will represent us and not the Chicago Democratic Party.

No Representation in the 8th

2010-01-14T13:18:00.000-08:00

The 8^th Congressional District for the last six years has been represented by a member of Congress that has shown no intention of ever moving into the district she represents. The 8^th District is home to several large pharmaceutical companies, hospitals, and many other smaller health care facilities, in spite of this Melisa Bean votes for a government takeover of health care. Average hard working people and thousands of small businesses live in the 8^th District, yet Bean votes for “Cap & Trade”, which would increase the cost of electricity to all of us.

It is time that our community the 8^th District, is represented by someone that really understands what we need and not what others think we need. BIG GOVERNMENT is the problem, not the solution to our problems.

2010-01-09T04:43:00.000-08:00

Below is the percentage of each president's cabinet appointees, who had previously worked in the private sector. A real life business, not a government job?

Roosevelt- 38%

Taft - 40%

Wilson- 52%

Harding - 49%

Coolidge - 48%

Hoover- 42%

FDR - 50%

Truman - 50%

Eisenhower - 57%

Kennedy - 30%

LBJ - 47%

Nixon - 53%

Ford - 42%

Carter - 32%

Reagan - 56%

GHWB - 51%

Clinton- 39%

GWB - 55%

Obama - 8%

EIGHT PERCENT! And the White House is holding a "job summit" this week? Too bad most of them never held a real job, do they even know what a real job is?

Fix Congress

2010-01-05T16:25:00.000-08:00

With Early Voting you can vote for a change in Congress, starting as early as January 11th.

Social Security was established in 1935. Congress had 74 years to get it right and it is broke.

Fannie Mae was established in 1938. Congress had 71 years to get it right and it is broke.

War on Poverty started in 1964. Congress had 45 years to get it right; $1 trillion of our tax money each year goes to social programs and we still have poverty.

Medicare and Medicaid were established in 1965. Congress had 44 years to get it right and they are broke.

Freddie Mac was established in 1970. Congress had 39 years to get it right and it is broke.

The Department of Energy was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. We import more oil than ever before. Congress had 32 years to get it right and it is a failure.

November 2010

2009-12-31T12:58:00.000-08:00

The U.S. House narrowly Voted to raise the U.S. debt ceiling by $290 BILLION bringing the total amount the Federal government can borrow to $12.394 TRILLION. Congresswoman Bean was one of the yes votes to increase spending & debt for our government. You, your children, and your grandchildren will pay the bill that Bean voted to impose on us all. You can thank Congresswoman Bean for her vote by voting yourself November 2010.

Bean = Big Government

2009-12-04T20:10:00.000-08:00

Congresswoman Bean wants the Federal Government to decide how large a company should grow. Federal bureaucrats according to Congresswoman Bean, know better on how large or how successful a private company should be. Has anyone in the Democratic Party ever read the Constitution of the United States?

Judge for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=usnmttB8wTY

Primary Victory for Bean

2009-12-02T20:32:00.000-08:00

Congresswoman Melissa Bean has scored an early election victory. Her only challenger in the Democratic Primary election was removed by the Illinois Board of Elections after an objection was filed against Jonathan Farnick by a supporter of Bean.

It seems Congresswoman Bean wants more time to prepare for the General Election in November of 2010 and does not want to waste her time and money in a Democratic Primary Race. From what we hear she may need every minute and penny if she hopes to get reelected to the 8th District Congressional seat.

It might have helped her if she had ever moved into the district or at least visited the district more often.

Congress = Debt

2009-11-26T08:51:00.000-08:00

The United States is currently $12 TRILLION in debt, but Congress can do even better. They just added $5 BILLION of our tax dollars to the 2010 Defense Department budget, which was already at $623 BILLION. Congress saw the need to add 1,858 earmark projects to the Pentagon budget. These are projects that were not asked for by the military, but individual congressmen wanted to help friends and contributors to Congressional election campaigns.

Members of Congress have no problem spending our tax dollars to help them get reelected. Congress has no problem adding more debt onto us, our children, and grandchildren. Remember this when voting in November of 2010.

Bean = Debt

2009-11-23T19:47:00.000-08:00

The National debt is over $12 TRILLION and growing, the current yearly interest payment on that is $300 BILLION. The current Federal budget deficit is $1.4 TRILLION. That is not enough, so Congress is voting for a new health care plan which will add more to the red ink. I will not even go into the debate on how well other government programs are run or seem to always run up higher costs then predicted. It is not carved into any mountain top that this country can not go bankrupt. We and our grandchildren will be paying for debt until we and they are no more.

With all the above, our member in Congress, Melissa Bean is concerned that abortion rights has been left out of the current version of the health care bill. Since that will cost the taxpayer even more money it should be put into the bill, maybe that will be the straw that will break the back of the Treasury of the United States and throw the country into bankruptcy.

We should remember her YES votes on increasing the national debt come next November.

The Great Debate

2009-11-21T16:14:00.000-08:00

The First candidate debate for the 8th District Congressional seat took place at the College of McHenry County on Friday night. T.R. has surveyed several sources of who won and who did not.

All candidates stated that they were Pro-Life and Pro Second Amendment.

The general opinion is Joe Walsh won the debate. He seemed to understand what the audience was looking for and told them exactly what they needed to hear. He started strong and ended strong, very good speaker, very polished.

Maria Rodriguez was a disappointment for most of the audience. For her opening remarks she read from a script, while the others appeared to just share candidly why they should be the Republican Candidate. She did repeat during the debate her experience as Mayor of Long Grove. A good candidate but not the top pick for the group.

Chris Geissler was the surprise candidate of the night. He was very articulate and a fresh new face. He came over strong but he did not hit any home runs. Many were happy with him and hoped that he run again in the future for public office.

Dirk Beveridge did well and was handling the questions well up until the point he said the Tea Party movement needed to be lead and he was the one to do it. He even called himself a community organizer and would create a grass roots campaign to win.

John Dawson made no mistakes and made no great impression on the crowd.

Greg Jacobs made no mistakes.

In the end Joe Walsh in first place, Chris Geissler took second, with Maria Rodriguez and Dirk Beveridge tied for third.

8th District Debate

2009-11-18T19:56:00.000-08:00

Who will be the next member of Congress from the 8th District? Attend the next candidates debate and make your choice for the election.

8th Congressional District Candidate's Debate

Friday, November 20th 6:30PM Registration - 7:00PM Debate

McHenry County College Conference Center (Building B)

8900 US14 Crystal Lake, IL. 60012

Bean a Moderate?

2009-11-13T12:06:00.000-08:00

Is Melissa Bean REALLY a moderate Democrat? Uh, nope. Which issues is she moderate about? Raising taxes? Nope. Taking liberty and freedom of choice away from every American? Nope. Look at cap and trade, or so-called healthcare reform. Look at the so-called stimulus bill, or the budget.

How can anyone that votes time and time again against her constituents, and let's be honest, that's what she is doing, be called a moderate ANYTHING?

I'm going to go out on a limb and take a guess that Melissa Bean hasn't read the healthcare bill she just voted to pass. It's almost 2,000 pages. Who can read that in under 3 days? Who can understand it in under 3 days?

She isn't voting for transparency, she isn't voting for the peopl e in her district to keep more money in their pockets, ESPECIALLY in such a hard economy.

None of her positions on the issues even make any sense. Seriously, take a step back, put on the common sense hat, and look at the issues one by one. If anyone using their common sense hat were to look at the issues, the proposed solutions put forth and voted for passage by Melissa Bean. It's counter-intuitive. It's illogical, doesn't make sense.

So EVEN IF you voted for Obama, Bean, etc. before because you thought things would change...are you fully prepared to make the same mistake?

No Representation in the 8th

2009-11-11T07:27:00.000-08:00

Democratic U.S. Reps. Melissa Bean is siding with her party in voting for passing a health-care reform bill in the House, she said the legislation has provisions she does not support. Does that mean she is against it, but voted for it?

The bill approved Saturday opts for negotiating reimbursement rates under the public plan with health providers. The current language allows the public option to borrow money at a lower interest rate than private companies for start up costs. This gives the government-backed insurance a large advantage over the private sector.

Bean, vice-chairwoman of the moderate Democrats, seemed pleased with other provisions in the bill. She said the legislation provides two years of tax incentives, for up to 50 percent of costs, for up to 16,700 small businesses in the 8th District to help them transition to, or continue providing, health benefits to their employees. This however could also drive up the cost of the program to the taxpayers.

She also said the legislation establishes grant programs of up to $50,000 over three years to small businesses that provide incentives for healthy behaviors among employees. Bean's main concern seems to be about implementing health insurance reform "in a fiscally sustainable way." "While these reforms are deficit neutral, I'm seeking improved cost containment measures in the final version of the bill before I can support it," Bean said. However Bean has already voted for the bill as is, which means she already supports the bill as is.

One provision, which Bean opposed, would block any insurer that accepts federal subsidies for coverage from paying for abortion services. She wants the Federal Government to support and pay for with your tax dollars, abortion.

In the end she has supported a bill that will increase Federal Government control of your health care choices and increase the national debt to an even higher level. She has sided with the Democrats nationally and ignored the concerns of the people she represents. Which gives us residents of the 8^th District, TAXATION WITHOUT REPRESENTATION.

Big Tent?

2009-11-06T12:52:00.001-08:00

I'm sick of listening to how the GOP is not the "big tent party". The truth of the matter is that if one takes a step back and takes an honest assessment of political reality, the truth comes flying in your face.

The liberals, housed in the Democratic Party, are the party lacking the big tent. The proof is in what is going on now, in case anyone doubted it before. Figure it out yet?

Democrats = government control. Who has to think or bring ideas, innovations, freedom and liberty to any issue, community, or family when government can tell you what to do and how to do it? The Democrats are not a "big tent party". They only need a small apartment to house their government is the answer to all of America's problems.

GOP/Conservatives = ideas, innovation, freedom, liberty, LIMITED government. Big tent party of ideas. It has to be a big tent to house all of the possibilities.

There is a purpose for government, but it's purpose is not to tell me which doctors I should go to for which illnesses. Or that my taxes should pay for someone else's...whatever. If I CHOOSE to help someone in a time of need, that is my choice. If I am MANDATED to pay higher taxes to pay for government's ideas as to what is right and wrong, it is STEALING from me.

Now I know liberals and most Democrats are up in arms with statements like that. The truth of the matter is that there is nothing stopping them from paying more taxes. Whip out your checkbook and write a big fat check to the IRS. They'll take your money, happily. That's YOUR choice on how to spend your money. Don't itemize on your tax returns, don't take exemptions, just pay the highest taxes possible, AND THEN SOME. Don't hire accountants to find every deduction out there. No one stops anyone from writing a check to the GOVERNMENT. They will take it, cash it, and spend it...gladly. That's what government does.

I want to CHOOSE how to help other people. I want to CHOOSE which doctors I can take my children to, for what illnesses, and I want government to BUTT OUT. How can someone in a bureaucracy in Washington, D.C. know what is best for me and my family? They don't. They don't live in my house, they don't live in my shoes, they don't have the same experiences I do.

So it is MY CHOICE on what to do and how to do it. You can CHOOSE to pay the IRS as much money as you think is fair, and I'll pay as much as I need to, not a dime more. I'd rather put my money to use in more constructive forms. I'd rather spend it in my community to help out local businesses, to make sure people in my community can keep their jobs. I know what is best for my family, not anyone else.

So the next time you hear how the GOP does not have a big tent, I hope you can take an honest assessment of what the reality is in the current environment: liberals/Democrats = government is the answer, and GOP/Conservatives = ideas, innovations, liberty & freedom.

Who is the party with a big tent?

Meet the Candidates

2009-11-04T06:58:00.001-08:00

The elections in the states of New Jersey and Virgina show that people do not want a liberal agenda for the country. Now we must do our part and replace Congresswoman Bean with someone that represents us in the 8th District.

Meet the Republican candidates for 8th District and ask them face to face why we should support them. Meet the local leaders of the Lake County Republican Party. Meet the future of the Party with the Lake County Young Republicans. It is time to stand up and get involved, we must turn the Obama agenda around and save the Republic.

The Lake County Republican Federation's Annual Fall Dinner Thursday November 5th at the Midlane Country Club: cocktails 5:30pm- dinner 6:30pm. tickets $100. Call 847-680-6680 for your tickets.