Posted by
Michael J. Stanek on Wednesday, April 15, 2009 9:10:19 PM
The following were my remarks at the Geneva, IL Tax Day Tea Party. I showed up expecting to follow along in protests, but I brought along some things I wanted to say, and they let me have a microphone for a while. Thanks to the Conservative Catholic Women's League and the other Tax Day Teaparty Organizers. My remarks follow pretty much word-for-word:
$51,292,553: Fifty-One Million, Two-hundred-ninety-two-thousand, five-hundred-fifty-three dollars total tax money requested by Representative Bill Foster
$1,200,000 for turning a railway pier into a path Dixon, IL
$550,000 for traffic signals for Pedestrians because it “increases healthy lifestyles” Batavia, IL
$750,000 to install a roundabout traffic pattern in Cortland, IL
$204,610 to buy 35 radios for police—these radios must be made of SOLID GOLD. (North Aurora)
(Village of Wayne’s Police Department could replace all their radios AND computers for just $16,000!) --Why not just buy 35 Boost Mobile cell phones at $50.00 a month? They would last a good 7-8 years and would cost less.
$2,704,610 Taxdollars that is just blatant pork just from reading the purpose of the requested funds. HOW MUCH OF THE REST OF THE NEAR FIFTY-TWO MILLION DOLLARS IS PORK TOO?
You know, until I read this stuff, I didn’t know all that much about Bill Foster. But after reading his budget request outline that he sent to our Federal Government, I’m afraid that Mr. Foster is out of touch with the hard working Americans who put him in office. And not only that, but in addition to the proposal he sent on April 8th, he is also now “accepting project ideas for the SAFETEA-LU” program, which gives local governments access to all types of federal pork for anything remotely resembling a “highway project.”
And the worst part about it is, I don’t see Congressman Foster HERE today. You know where I heard he is? I don’t know if this is true or not, but I heard that today he is at a Jewel grocery store off of Sycamore Road in DeKalb“meeting the people.” He’s schmoozing, walking down the produce section. He’s shaking hands in between rounds of feeling the firmness of fruits and vegetables at the Jewel. Well put down that kumquat and listen up, Congressman. You’re looking to “meet the people?” WE ARE THE PEOPLE.
Ladies and Gentlemen:
These projects are only the tip of the iceberg. 52 million dollars to them is considered mere pocket change. Here in Illinois, we have been subjected to the careless attitude by our elected officials that tax-and-spend policies “just work,” and if we disagree then we “must not know a whole lot.”
Well, I’m no Ivy Leaguer, but I can tell you that taking more money out of the pockets of hard-working Americans, in order to stuff the coffers of government just “DOES NOT WORK.” That KILLS economic growth.
The government sits there and they wonder why the economy looks bad. Why the housing market is in the tank. Maybe it doesn’t have to do with the fact that we “aren’t being taxed enough,” maybe, just maybe, we’re being taxed nearly to death!
People in America are cutting back. I don’t know about you, but at my house, we recently cancelled our AOL internet service, are cutting back on incidental expenditures, and some of you may or may not have noticed that these pants I’m wearing aren’t exactly dry-cleaned. We’re clipping coupons, making the tough decisions, and we’re bringing our spending under control. BUT OUR GOVERNMENT IS NOT.
Oh, on the contrary. We have Governor Pat Quinn who’s talking about raising the income tax by HALF. RAISING IT BY HALF. Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think that Governer Quinn was EVEN ELECTED TO THAT JOB. No, if memory serves me correctly, he was Mr. Corrupto—I’m sorry, Mr. Allegedly-Corrupto— Rod Blagoijevich’s Lieutenant Governor. So this man was never elected, and yet he is trying to impose these borderline-Draconian tax increases that will only stifle growth, and keep us in the spot that we’re in economically. That doesn’t sound like a fix to me.
He’s talking about all these tax increases across the State of Illinois, and do you know why he’s doing proposing all these tax increases? Here’s why I think he’s proposing his tax hikes: I think he realizes that he has absolutely no chance of being reelected to the office. He has no chance, and rather than trying to do what the people want him to do, he’s going to do whatever his friends in the Illinois legislature what him to. He’s “taking one for the team,” but unfortunately that team isn’t OUR team.
By raising taxes, all that is accomplished is that the money is taken out of the hands of Americans who EARNED that money, and is given to Government officials who—reports show, often LOSE the money.
Don’t forget, Ladies and Gentlemen, we might not live in Crook County, but we are all Crook-county ADJACENT. We live in the state where a man was appointed to the US Senate by a man who is under FEDERAL INVESTIGATION.
Does anyone remember the embarrassment that Blagoijevich and “The Paper Senator,” Mr. Roland Burris caused our state? Does anyone remember how people talked about our state for weeks and months? We were the Political Circus laughing-stock of the country.
This is what people with the tax-and-spend mentality have done to our country. Luckily, we have some good guys on our side. Especially a man who isn’t here today, but has fought hard for the adjacent district. This man deserves our praise, he has been a hawk on spending, and a voice for people like you and me, Peter Roskam.
Now, I’ll turn you over to some people who know a bit more about what they’re talking about. Thank you very much for your time, and thanks for letting me vent a little bit.