With the exception of Ron Paul, who I’m convinced is still a political Libertarian, I’ve found myself pondering whether the Republican candidates for President in their zeal to appeal to the Righteous Right have displayed more their arrogance or their ignorance. Both of which I find flabbergasting, to say the least. However, in speaking with one of my sons last evening, the puzzle was resolved.

“It’s both, Mom, it’s arrogant ignorance,” he said. And listening to these Good Old Boys over the past weeks try to out-do one another in their attempt to blatantly violate that document they pay such raucous lip service to – our Constitution – I thought, he’s so right.

Could it be that, just as with so many of the bills they ‘yay’ or ‘nay,’ they’ve never bothered to read this document? Or is it that they figure that so few Americans have read both it and the other of our Founder’s documents that they can slip their proselytizing propaganda by those of us who have?

Whichever, as one who adores genuine history and abhors the re-writing of it that is so prevalent of late, I would like to offer to those candidates who appear to be running for Pulpit Master rather than President just the final 20 words from Article 6 of the Constitution proper: “ … no religious Test shall ever be required as a Qualification to any Office or Public Trust under the United States.”

These treasured words come down to us, lady and gentlemen, from the original framers of the Constitution you seek to swear an oath to uphold and preserve; they are not an amendment, nor should any American voter allow any of you to amend them with your particular brand of superstition.

Europe and the USA have many things in common, one of which noted currently is the massive debt crisis both are experiencing because of politicians who fail to learn from history. George Santayana noted that those who fail to learn from the mistakes of the past are doomed to repeat them. In both Europe and the United States, power-hungry politicians have been trying to buy votes with money we don’t have, taxing not only this generation but every generation in the future, guaranteeing a lower standard of living for our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. These short-sighted politicos, thinking only of the present, seem to think they can go on forever, steadily increasing the public debt, by just printing more and more money without an equal increase in goods and services, hoping to find someone to buy our consequently less and less valuable bonds. As history has repeatedly shown us, this does not work. Every society that has tried this has collapsed. A prime example is the Soviet Union. If socialism were a better system, we would all be speaking Russian. Previously democratic civilizations and nations that have tried this have collapsed into dictatorship. Some noteworthy examples are the Greeks, the Romans, and the post-World War I Weimar Republic of Germany, the latter printing so much money that its currency became virtually worthless, bankrupting the country, and resulting in the establishment of Hitler’s Nazi (National Socialist) party dictatorship that brought on the horrors of World War II.

It is time to rid ourselves of such history-ignoring, out-of-touch-with-reality, power-mad politicians, ousting them from power, and never let them in office again.

Lowe’s Corporate Execs have caved in, as of today, to a muslim-hating group, taking their commercials off the “reality show” portraying an American Muslim family.

But, all across the television stations, cable and otherwise, Safe Auto commercials have continued for some months now, before and after and in between various programs, showing a young man being kicked in the crotch by a succession of men and a woman. Another one shows a man being given what’s known as “wedgies” over and over again.

I’ve called, and my husband has called and have been reassured by their reps that they are receiving lots of calls. But just two weeks before Christmas, at the end of a special Holiday family show, there it was again.

Do we have to retire to bedlam if we’re already there????!!!!

Republicans very loudly proclaim their mission to shrink government by eradicating as many departments as possible – and one wonders – impossible. But how can they shrink government when the plutocrats – the Kochs, Waltons, Coors, oil barons, etc. – are now an unelected and unofficial “department” of government. That is the department that really needs, jot just shrinking, but totally eliminating. It is a large and malignant tumor on the body politic.

Yes, they are indeed unwelcome invaders, not as lobbyists or advisors, but as dictators who have accomplished a coup by buying their power. They found that very easy to accomplish. In fact, that power was handed over by legislators who gladly took their golden offering to satisfy their greed and cravenness.

In doing so, the Republicans have betrayed, not only the great middle class of Americans, but their own constituents. Constituents, I might add, who apparently fail to recognize that in destroying the middle class, they are also destroying Republicans as well ad Democrats.

One of the things they are buying is immunity from legitimate taxation on their wealth. The insane concern on the part of most Republicans on sheltering their overlords from any raise in taxes can easily be understood when one considers (again the greed) of those on the receiving end of all that largesse.

All this is particularly disturbing when you consider that by protecting their sugar daddies, the Republicans are blocking bills designed to increase employment, rebuild the infrastructure and provide other benefits for the American people – including reducing the deficit.

And this is the party that tells us their mission is to take back and save the country from Obama and the Democrats. If blocking every attempt to create jobs, increase revenues and benefit America is what they want, they’re taking a rather strange way of accomplishing it. Especially when those running for office tell us the way to a better future for America is to repeal child labor laws, defund public education, take away the voting rights of millions of American citizens, eliminating programs for the poor, including medical coverage – in other words, stealing from the poor and giving it to the rich, who in turn, cross the palms of those who bow to their lordships and cater to their quest for power.

Unfortunately, that unofficial and unelected department of government, should the Republicans win the White House, will continue to run the country, and run it into the ground.

We support  protecting the Springdale Savanna.  It’s a piece of Illinois history that deserves to be left alone.

Please keep the existing agreement with the state IDNR. The Savanna should not be used for green burials because of its biological value.  There are many other sites in the cemetery more appropriate for green burials, where volunteers could construct memorial benches and plant gardens for quiet contemplation.

Do not mow any more of the Savanna or sell traditional concrete vault cemetery plots within its boundaries.  If burial sales are slow and revenue is needed, there are plenty of places to sell plots already, especially if you develop creative ideas to market the cemetery.

Destroying the Savanna won’t create many burial plot sales, and is likely to alienate many potential customers including us. We are long time supporters of Springdale.  We are also senior citizens, but have never selected grave sites. We are waiting to see what happens with Springdale!  We know others who agree with us.

Please preserve the most beautiful natural area in Springdale, as even rapacious past owners did for a century.  Destruction of even a portion of the Savanna will not fix the financial problems that the cemetery faces, and likely make it worse, as a boycott of Springdale can be easily organized in this day of instant communication.  (Perhaps the Occupy group can be persuaded to camp out there – that would make news everywhere!)

Get creative young people involved in marketing, to generate more sales, after you promise not to touch that Savanna!

Thanksgiving Day marks my 100th day as Peoria County’s Administrator. Reflecting on the past 100 days, I certainly have much to be thankful for since August 16, 2011.

First, I would like to express my heartfelt thanks to the County Board, other elected officials, my staff, and the community at large for extending such a warm welcome to my family and me. Peoria County truly is exceptional in this regard. The people I have met in the short time I have been in Central Illinois have affirmed we made the right decision this August and my husband and I are looking forward to raising our family here.

One of my first tasks, and perhaps the most significant for a county administrator, was to develop the 2012 Budget. I am very proud to have been able to partner with elected officials and department supervisors to produce a budget that is in the best interest of the citizens we serve. In a challenging economy with shrinking income, we were able to avoid layoffs, maintain our lowest tax rate in a decade, and hold our operating expenses to just .47% over the 2011 Adopted Budget. We are all thankful for this accomplishment!

Another achievement I believe crucial to our success is the ability to maximize efficiency by streamlining the organizational structure. The conversion of existing positions to Assistant County Administrator positions will allow me and my staff to better focus our energy, efforts, and resources on strategic goals and departmental responsibilities. Time previously spent managing 15 direct reports can now be spent solving larger issues and planning for our high performing future.

Lastly, I think it is important to note the progress we have made with our economic development initiative. Much needed revisions have been made to the County’s Government Assistance Program (GAP) Loan guidelines, and new micro and macro loan programs are being developed to address missing links in local financial assistance opportunities. These important initiatives reflect the Board’s commitment to growing the county and, once approved in early 2012, will prove useful tools for retaining and attracting business to our community.

It is amazing how quickly 100 days go by and now the holidays are already upon us. I anticipate the next 100 days will be as productive as these first have been and I look forward to spending additional time with individual Board members over the next several months. Please do not hesitate to contact me with any concerns you may have or ideas you wish to share.

Thank you for making these last few months so enjoyable for me.

With more that 25 million unemployed, the poverty rate moving upward every month, corporations going overseas, and many small businesses turning belly up, I think it is appropriate to take a backward glance to the 1930’s when Franklin D. Roosevelt was facing a situation similar to what’s happening in this country today.

FDR’s NRA – National Recovery Act – enacted to get the country back on its feet can give us something to consider today … Some tell us those programs really didn’t help much, and that it took WWII to finally get us out of the depression. In my estimation, however, FDR at least too action to get something done, and I think he accomplished much that was worthwhile.

The reason why I think that is because I was a teenager during those troubled years and remember very clearly how for one, the CCC – Civilian Conservation Corps – provided employment for thousands of young men along with a sense of purpose and valuable experience constructing buildings, bridges and other things in national and state parks. I remember also the Federal Arts Project that gave unemployed artists an opportunity to earn a living by creating murals and sculptures for post offices and other federal buildings. And walking to school, I saw gangs of men who were put to work by the WPA – Works Progress Administration. In addition to an income they were given a sense of dignity and motivation, attributes often lost when people are faced with long-term unemployment and lose hope of ever finding work.

So here we are. I can easily see a parallel between FDR’s efforts and President Obama taking control attempting to pass job bill after job bill to get people back to work and introduce legislation to help get the country back on its feet. And what’s the result? Unlike FDR, Obama is blocked at every turn by an opposition who lets their hatred of him and everything he tries to do sabotage America. Is it possible that in their blindness the Republicans care more about destroying the president than they do for the wellbeing of America? That they care nothing for the people they are supposed to represent? They were elected with promises – empty rhetoric, it proves to be – about how they are pledged to keep America the greatest country in the world, strong and wealthy and an example of what the blessings of unfettered capitalism can do.

I think it’s time to call their bluff and name their obstructionism for what it is … unpatriotic and criminal.

All the while the Republicans are pandering to their sugar daddies – the Koch Brothers, Coors, the Waltons and oil barons. Keeping them happy is of utmost importance to assure they look favorably upon their foodies and keep a steady stream of goodies coming in the form of bribes and payoffs for doing their bidding.

As Oscar Wilde once remarked, “they know the price of everything and the value of nothing – especially the values of public service, basic morality and common decency.”