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News :: Elections & Legislation |
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Vote Tuesday! Regime Change Begins At Home |
Current rating: 0 |
by ML
(No verified email address) |
04 Nov 2002
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Progressives need to turn out to vote even if the really good choices are few and far between. |
There are two critical components to tomorrow's election here in Champaign County.
The Champaign County Nursing Home has TWO referenda on the ballot. Vote YES on BOTH if you think you might ever get old. Otherwise it will not be there when it's your turn to need this important facilty. We need to continue this near-hundred year old institution in our community.
The Democratic Party took control of the Champaign County Board for the first time ever in the 2000 election. There are a few good Republicans, but the majority of them would just as soon drag the county back into, not the Twentieth Century, but all the way back to the Nineteenth Century. Our community needs a County Board that is committed to building up the entire community, which means a Deomcratic majority in this case, instead of the general Republican view that what is good for business ought to be good enough for the majority.
After that, the choices are murkier. The candidate that was chosen by the Democrats in a smoky back room to contest the Congressional seat held by Tim Johnson, Josh Hartke, is mainly qualified by the fact that he is a Democrat and he's still breathing. Carl Estabrook (whose own candidacy was what actully caused the Dems to decide to contest to finally contest the race against Johnson) has run a grassroots campaign as a Green that has consistently sought to address real issues for working people, instead of ducking them. Progressives may have trouble with his stand on choice, but at least his pro-life stand is consistent, unlike the pandering of Republicans who are all for fetuses having rights, right up until the minute they're born, after which they become eligible for the death penalty in the eyes of nearly all Republicans. Carl opposes the death penalty and the scheduled war on Iraq. Voters will have to vote their consciences in choosing our next congressperson.
Do NOT confuse Dick Durbin, the current Democratic Senator from Illinois, with Jim Durkin, his Republican opponent. DurBIN has been a good senator. DurKIN thinks what the economy needs is more tax cuts for wealthy Republicans.
As for the state elections, it is clear that decisions have been deferred for too long on crucial state issues in Illinois like tax policy and aid for schools. In large part, this is because Republicans are usually happy to leave things the way they are, no matter how screwed up, as long as it doesn't interfere with the perogatives of their well-heeled supporters. The Republicans have dominated the state of Illinois for over two decades. It's clear that it's time for a change. Vote Democratic at the state level, even though their candidates are uninspring in many cases, except for Blagojevich's late conversion to raising the minimum wage in Illinois. Hold them to it by voting the Dems into the majority in both the Illinois Senate and House. There should be no excuses standing in the way of progress after this election.
For more info from someone who thinks a lot like me, visit:
http://www.michaelmoore.com/
For a more balanced view of the candidates than my admittedly partisan one, see these websites:
http://uiuc.edu/ro/LWV
http://www.will.uiuc.edu/WILL_Contents/Main_Contents/Main_election%202002.htm
Most of all, DO NOT FORGET TO VOTE! |
