Illinois -- Obama's Model America

by guest columnist
Roger A. Keats
Former state senator, Illinois

Illinois is Obama’s model for America. I lived in Illinois for 60 years and want to be sure voters understand what living in Obama's America for a second term, when he will be immune from public pressure, will be like.

Now jailed Governor Blagojevich made up new state programs with no authorization from the legislature and spent money not appropriated. When Obama was a State Senator he supported ignoring the constitution and supported Governor Blagojevich’s shenanigans. Sound familiar in the Obama administration? By the way, 4 of Illinois’ last 7 governors have gone to jail.

Illinois hasn’t had a balanced budget since the last century. That is unconstitutional, but in Illinois, they don’t care about the constitution. Illinois is buried in debt! The budget increases many times faster than the rate of inflation and huge new programs with no real source of funding are added on a regular basis. The state, with no legal authorization, covers health care for families making almost $90,000/ year. Past insolvent, not one penny has been trimmed from the budget since the last century. Sound familiar in the Obama Administration?

Illinois is #1 in unfunded pension liabilities, failing schools, jailed judges, jailed aldermen and jailed government workers. Illinois has one of the highest unemployment rates in America and it is going up, not down. There were more jobs in Illinois in 2000 than today and their solution was to raise the income tax 67% to go with the nation’s highest sales tax. Like Greece and America Illinois borrows money to fund day to day operating expenses. Illinois buried itself in more debt to pay for massive stimulus spending on public infrastructure. Taxes and regulations are unbearable so the Democrats give special tax breaks to their friends but let small business folks hang. Crony capitalism any one? Sound familiar in the Obama’s administration?

Education reform? Chicago brags the dropout rate from its schools is down to 50%!!! Big city public schools across America, all of them run by hard core liberals are the face of institutional racism as they force minority kids into failed systems that will guarantee the kids are not employable. The Obama administration has lowered educational standards in over 20 states already to make the failure of many public school systems dominated by Obama’s allies, the teachers unions, less obvious. Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

In the corruption capitol of America, Illinois’ Attorney General is a hear no evil, see no evil, speak no evil state embarrassment who refuses to investigate or prosecute public corruption! There has been no investigation of the massive mortgage fraud involving Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac in Illinois or the crony capitalism. Obama allies Rahm Emanuel and the state’s former Democrat Attorney General, Neal Hartigan, were board members of Freddie Mac during the worst of the accounting fraud. No investigation. Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

The Chicago Transit Authority, once a model for the nation, is now continually bankrupt and is getting deeper into debt daily. There is no attempt to control the rapidly escalating costs. The unions have free rein. The governor and the state legislature continue to support an obscenely expensive proposed high speed rail line. Everyone admits it will never come close to breaking even, but who cares? There will always be a federal subsidy, right? Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

Unions go unchallenged at all levels. Government employees either pay union dues or they are fired! In Chicago government there are three union locals with only 1 member! Union officials are allowed into the public pension funds even though they don’t work for the public! Government union members can retire at age 50 with full pensions and health care! Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

Chicago remains the nation’s most segregated city and Democrat politicians regularly split ethnic and racial groups apart regardless of how it affects the city and state as a whole. There are no elected Republicans in the city. Yet White Democrats accuse the Republicans of racism and the Black Wards vote 95% Democrat! Any opposition is bitterly attacked, usually with lies and even complete fabrications to try to destroy them. Sound familiar in the Obama administration?

Chicago has the toughest anti gun laws in America. The U. S. Supreme Court overturned them in a land mark case but it had no effect on how Chicago deals with guns. Similar to Obama’s DOJ Fast & Furious program to sell Mexican drug cartels modern American guns to undermine private ownership.

Radical leftists and domestic terrorists like Bill Ayres and his wife Bernardine Dohrn are high society in Chicago. Despite their alleged criminal past, both were granted tenure at major Chicago universities. Dohrn’s law license was forfeited yet she is a faculty member of Northwestern’s law school! The public schools are dominated by radical leftists protected by the all powerful teachers unions. Sound like the Obama administration?

This is the model Barack Obama politically “grew up” in. Michelle Obama’s father was a Democrat patronage workers in the legendarily corrupt Chicago Machine. Obama was a loyal member of that machine. Democrat’s use their own racism as a political tool. Illinois is a basket case and getting worse. Is this what you want for 4 more years?

I still find it hard to believe America’s voters elected a politician from Illinois. Either party! Don’t they realize what is going on in Chicago and Illinois? If this is the model of what you want, vote for another 4 years of Barack Obama.

by
Roger A. Keats
Former State Senator, Illinois
ltckeats@gmail.com