Miasmatic Review

More on Home Rule.

It’s been a while since I’ve gone off on Home Rule in Rockford, Illinois. After putting up my last two posts I can see I’m getting a steady stream of hits regarding it. That makes me feel good, it shows me that people out there, like myself, are willing to do the research on something before they just blindly take someone’s word on it. Then I saw this article.

“During a short statement, Jim Keeling told the council that home rule is an important tool for dealing with problems and opportunities within the community.

I implore you to adopt an enabling resolution,” Keeling said. “Over the next several months, we hope to have a full public-education process about the specifics of home rule.”

and

“The council puts items on the ballot all the time,” (Mayor) Morrissey said. “I think there are a lot of aldermen who are supportive of home rule.”

Aldermen have until Jan. 17 to pass an enabling resolution for the spring election.

Empower Rockford could also collect and turn in signatures from 10 percent of the city’s registered voters, something Keeling said the group would not attempt.

Back in 1983 when the people decided they wanted to revoke Home Rule, because it was abused, they where forced to collect the signatures. The counsel at the time felt it was up to the people. Today it seems that the people that want to restore want to abuse the system and instead of letting the people decide, force it onto the ballet with out even doing the legwork. Why would they want to do this?

Because if forced to get the signatures they may not get the 15,012 that would be required to get the resolution on the ballot. If they can’t get the signatures, why am I worried, they won’t get the votes, right? Wrong! The tendency of people is to vote yes when they aren’t sure what the referendum is for. That might sound strange, but it is true. People when confronted with a choice on voting; tend not to abstain from the vote if they don’t understand the issue. Instead they will guess and in this case yes/no. So right off the bat you have a 50/50 chance of getting the vote you want. THEN, when you take into consideration there are too many people that will vote they way they are told or in some cases “paid”, you really can swing it the way you want.

By Jim Keeling taking this straight to the city council, we are already witnessing the potential abuses of Home Rule. But home rule isn’t even passed yet, how is this an example. Simple. If they are willing to by pass the people on this issue to get what they want, what won’t they bypass the people on to get what they want? In this article in the Rock River Times, we can see where the Mayor is talking about using Home Rule to increase sales tax and decrease property tax. With out home rule this would have to go to the people to decide. With home rule, the Mayor can take it straight to the counsel and they can decide for the people. ABUSE people. Wake up and smell the coffee!

As citizens they are trying to take away our right of self-governing, they want to take away our voice. Do you want this? Do you feel that someone needs to think for you? I don’t. I want, no… I need to be able to go to the polls and say, “No, I do not want this tax” or “Yes, I want more restrictions on our government.”

Please, people of Rockford. Vote No to Home Rule and voice your concerns to your alderman. We don’t want our basic rights taken away from us.

To see the rest of the Home Rule in Rockford, Illinois posts. Click Here.