Donkey
Tails
By Maury Goodman
January 2006
For the "Warrenville
Today"
Newspaper
Congressional Races
Warrenville is near the boundary of three congressional districts: 6,
13 and 14, where the current congressmen are Henry Hyde, Judy Biggert
and Dennis Hastert respectively. Most of Warrenville is in 14,
though several precincts on the south side are in 13, and District 6 is
just to our east. Even though most voters are not in district 6,
we will probably hear the most about that race, since Henry Hyde is
retiring. I will cover Districts 13 and 14 in more depth in my
next two columns.
Candidate Forum Sunday
January 29th
A candidates forum where Democratic candidates for Congress in
Districts 6 and 13 are expected will be held Sunday January 29th from 2
to 4 pm at the Jackson Middle School, 301 W. Jackson, Villa Park, IL
60181. It is sponsored by the York Township Democratic
Organization. Candidates from 6 Duckworth, Cegelis and Scott and
candidates from 13 Reedy and Shannon are expected. For further
information, contact 630-920-9252 or s.stawarz@comcast.net.
District 6
The big news in the last month is the addition to the District 6 race
of Tammy Duckworth, an Iraq veteran who has received quite a bit of
local publicity. She comes with the backing of Congressman Rahm
Emmanuel, head of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and
Senator’s Obama and Durbin. Here is some information about
District 6. Three Democrats have filed to get the
chance to represent the 6th district.
- Christine Cegelis is a Rolling Meadows technology consultant who
ran two years ago. Since she fought the good fight then, she has
the emotional support of a number of DuPage Democrats. In her own
words, “To bring fiscal responsibility back to Congress I plan to fight
to give tax breaks to those who need it most -- the middle class. I
also plan to fight pork-riddled legislation. This lobbyist-funded,
insider ‘business as usual’ culture must end. Increased oversight into
programs will not only prevent ethics abuses, it will help the
government direct spending to successful programs and reduce spending
on low-performing programs. Establishing accountability in Washington,
DC, will help us to better target and utilize our resources, and with
better results. We expect results from our corporations, why not our
federal government?
- Lindy Scott is a Wheaton College Professor of Spanish and Latin
American Studies. He also directs the Center for Applied Christian
Ethics. In his words, “My goal as a public servant is quite
simple: to advance policies that seek the good of my neighbors, the
well being of all of my neighbors. We need to strengthen the social
fabric of our communities by implementing policies that promote and
cherish life for everyone, a ‘seamless garment’ that covers all aspects
of our society. If we want a culture that promotes the well being of
all, we need to move firmly in that direction.”
- Tammy Duckworth, a former Army Major helicopter pilot.
. She had personally opposed the Iraq War, but as an Army Major,
when the call came, she served. Now she wants to bring the voters
of DuPage County a better choice for representative than Peter
Roskam. She says, “I believe America is a fundamentally strong
and great nation with an important role to play in the world and I am
positive and optimistic about what the future can hold for us. However,
as a nation we are currently faced with significant challenges, many of
which directly affect the families in this community, and it is time to
make some tough choices. We need people in Congress who are not afraid
to make difficult decisions when it comes to providing affordable
healthcare, creating good jobs in growing industries and ensuring a
quality of education that prepares our youth and our workers for the
new globalized economy.”
One of these things is not
like the other
This is an activity on Sesame street, but it also makes a good parlor
game for Democrats. Here’s a list, you find what doesn’t
belong. An answer is at the end of this column.
Rod McCulloch, Scooter Libby, George Ryan,
Scott Fawell, Tom Delay, Duke Cunningham, Jack Abramoff, Michael
Scanlon, David Safavian, Picabo Street, Karl Rove.
Illegal Signs
When primary and election season nears, some ardent political advocates
always feel they have the right to violate the law and place signs on
public property or on private property without the permission of the
owner. One often finds these signs plastered on the busy
intersections. Other signs are properly placed on private
property by the owners of the property themselves. But sometimes
these people also improperly put them on the public right-of-way, where
they don’t belong. Anyone can remove illegally placed
signs, just as anyone is allowed to pick up litter. The city will
usually eventually remove illegally placed signs, but so many of them
go up, and they aren’t removed promptly, so it gives some people the
incorrect impression that anyone can place a sign anywhere.
Clearly, no one should remove a sign legally placed by an owner on
his/her own property,
Upcoming Events
Many events of interest to Warrenville and DuPage County Democrats can
be found at http://www.dupagedemocrats.org/dupagenews.html Send
information about events that aren’t listed to
webmaster@dupagedemocrats.org
Answer to one of these things
is not like the other
Picabo Street is a downhill skier. The others are Republicans who
are under indictment or investigation for various crimes, who
collectively are bringing our country downhill. The majority of
all elected officials, Democrat and Republican are honest hardworking
public servants, but recently the Republican Party has had more than
its share of neer-do-wells. Roc McCulloch is a Milton township
GOP political consultant indicted in 2005 for forgery. Scooter
Libby was Vice President Cheney’s chief of staff, indicted for
purgery. George Ryan is on trial for corruption. Scott
Fawell, from DuPage County, was former Governor Ryan’s chief of staff
and was convicted of Racketeering. Tom Delay, former GOP House
Majority leader was indicted for money laundering. Duke
Cunningham, republican congressman from California, plead guilty in
November to bribery (2 million dollars.) Jack Abramoff, a GOP
lobbyist, was indicted in August for fraud. Michael Scanlon,
former staff member of Congressman Tom Delay, is under indictment for
fraud and has reportedly made a plea deal. David Safavian, who
oversaw $300 billion of annual federal purchasing as director of the
Office of Procurement Policy, was arrested in September for three
criminal charges relating to obstruction of a federal
investigation. Karl Rove is under investigation for revealing
classified information. Of course anyone who has not been
convicted is presumed innocent until proven guilty, and Donkey Tails
does not endorse guilt by association – we present this only for its
obvious entertainment value.
Feedback
It is welcomed and appreciated maurygoodman@dupagedemocrats.org