CHBlog

Microsoft, a successful business model versus Illinois boondoggle, Peotone Airport

2012-02-12T20:59:07Z

In 1985, Bill Gates who incorporated Microsoft four years earlier, released the first version of the Windows Operating System. It made him one of the country's youngest millionaires.

That was also the year that three Illinois state senators sponsored a resolution to begin the study of a new airport to serve the Chicagoland area. It has since evolved into the Peotone Airport, one of the state’s biggest boondoggles.

Look at the evolution of the two projects.

While state officials with ties to real estate and construction businesses were busy trying to sell their idea to anyone who would listen, Bill Gates of Microsoft was honing his product and becoming one of the richest men in the world—a billionaire by 1994.

That was the year the Peotone Airport was exhumed. It had actually died and was buried two years before when officials from two states and the City of Chicago voted against it. In 1992

At the final meeting of the BiState Policy Committee, when a preferred site for a new airport was to be chosen, the nod was given to an airport in Chicago's Lake Calumet area. Illinois and Chicago members, including ex-Gov. George Ryan. Indiana officials remained committed to the Gary site, the runner-up. Three separate amendments by the late State Sen. Aldo DeAngelis to study the Peotone site if Lake Calumet failed, were voted down unanimously. In the summer of 1992, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley withdrew the Lake Calumet site from consideration, reportedly because the Republican-led Illinois General Assembly would never give Lake Calumet a stamp of approval.

Thanks to Gov. Jim Edgar, in 1994, the Peotone Airport was brought back from the dead, though it has been on life support ever since, unable to ever breathe on its own. There was always state intervention to breathe for it.

What a contrast between a successful business model—Microsoft--and a government boondoggle—the Peotone Airport.

A successful business model must be reliant on customers to use it and stockholders to invest in it. Neither of those two things would happen without a basic need for it.

And then there is the Peotone Airport. Not only is it questionable that an airport near Peotone, about forty miles south of downtown Chicago, would attract enough passengers to make it viable, but airlines say they refuse to use it. No official need has been established for it.

In fact, aviation experts that cite a downward trend throughout the aviation industry, claim that building the Peotone airport would result in losses similar to the other state fiasco—Mid-America Airport near downstate Mascoutah—an airport that has sat virtually empty for more than ten years.

Both Microsoft and the Peotone Airport do share one aspect.

Microsoft has had many different versions. So has the Peotone Airport. The big difference is that each version of Microsoft was an enhancement of the product. Variations of the Peotone Airport have resulted in no significant change. It is not only not better than the airport proposed in 1985, it is much smaller, and even less useful. That hasn't stopped the State of Illinois however, from trying to convert useful farm property from unwilling sellers through condemnation in court.

Oh, there is one more big difference between the successful business at Microsoft and the Illinois boondoggle that is the Peotone Airport.

Microsoft continues to make money. The Peotone Airport continues to cost Illinois taxpayers money.

Copyright 2007. All rights Reserved. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in CHBlog and those of commentors are theirs alone. CHBlog is not responsible for the accuracy of information supplied by the commentors on this blog.

Will County hypocrisy

2012-02-09T20:53:08Z

Will County Executive Larry Walsh, a Democrat and Will County Board Chairman Jim Moustis, a Republican, seem to have joined forces, on the same side for once.

When U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr. started shooting off his mouth about a deal with Illinois Governor Pat Quinn to build the long-beleaguered Peotone Airport, Moustis wrote a letter to Quinn.

“You will not dump on us,” Moustis told the governor.

Moustis continued by saying he did not want Will County to be treated like second-class citizens. He said Will County would fight all the way. He referred to governance of a potential airport.

They are nothing but hypocrites

Why do Moustis and Walsh refuse to see that what they are complaining about are the same things residents of eastern Will County have been experiencing at their hand for more than 25 years?

Their costly shenanigans, borne by the taxpayers of Will County, to hire lobbyists and consultants, for example, is designed to result in an airport the airlines say they won’t use, a majority of the citizens countywide don’t want, and aviation experts say will be an unsuccessful business venture. Yet they continue to pursue it. It is now like a game with them—a game of one upsmanship—between them and Jackson at the citizens’ expense.

They are arguing over controlling something that may never exist. The airport remains unapproved by the Federal Aviation Administration. The U.S. Transportation Secretary dismisses it.

Gee Jim, it is hell to be treated that way

I know what Moustis must be feeling. It really is hell to be treated like a second class citizen.

I no longer live in Illinois, but I will never forget what it was like to stand before those people—to testify against the proposed Peotone Airport.

Some of those 27 board members weren’t even courteous enough to listen to what I and others had to say. Their blank-stares and nose-in-the air expressions couldn’t wait to dismiss us. Rarely have I ever experienced such unpleasantness as in trying to reason with public officials. It is no wonder regular people steer clear of public meetings and have such a bad taste in their mouth about politics.

It is too bad Will County didn’t listen to reason all those years ago. I wonder what might have come of eastern Will County had so much energy and resources not been squandered chasing the Peotone folly. Will County could have found fame and fortune by using its own resources had there been leadership and intellect. Perhaps eastern Will County could have set a world-class example for organic farming; Del Monte or some other company could have built a plant there and begun processing a new line of heirloom tomato products; or perhaps grapes grown in Will County soil could become the basis of a new Eastern Will County wine. Alternative energy, such as wind or solar or something brand new could be developed there. The sky’s the limit, but instead these fools decided to chase a 1968 project.

I’m really sorry you are being treated like a second-class citizen Jim.

Voice of reason

2012-01-23T16:34:26Z

A voice of reason has finally crept into the Peotone Airport debate.

The pure voice of reason, so often muffled, finally echoed throughout Illinois media recently. It was that of Michael Boyd, a Colorado aviation consultant of Boyd Group International, Inc., the company co-founded by Boyd in 1984.

Boyd who began his aviation career at American Airlines in 1971 has an independent philosophy that rings throughout his company. That quality has catapulted the Boyd Group to become one of the most respected voices in the industry.

Boyd is not a political pundit. He is not a mouthpiece for proponents of building a new airport near Peotone which has traditionally filled countless pages of newspapers for as many years. Instead, Boyd is an independent aviation expert, which is not normally associated with the Peotone project. Perhaps that explains why newspapers from all over the state have picked up an Associated Press story recently that quoted Boyd as he warned against proceeding with a new airport near Peotone.

For this one story, headlines were varied; each told the story in its own way. Headlines included: “Aviation consultant predicts losses for proposed Peotone airport project; Would Peotone be next airport boondoggle?; and Critic says third airport could be fiasco.”

No matter what the headline, the message was clear. Claims that a Peotone airport would be some kind of panacea for the State of Illinois in general and the south suburbs in particular is nothing but a bunch of hooey. Rarely has there been a news story about this project that wasn’t spun out of a positive press release issued by the Illinois Department of Transportation, governor’s office or worse yet, by one of Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr.’s cohorts.

This was an honest, indisputable airport story and it was damning.

From what I could glean, the first story was reported in the Bloomington Pantagraph, and picked up from there. It quoted Michael Boyd as saying the Peotone airport could be a “major fiasco” similar to MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in southwestern Illinois. He called MidAmerica “a monument to dishonest planning.” Last year, MidAmerica Airport posted an operating loss of nearly $12 million, according to the Pantagraph.

Countless other people, including myself, have said the same thing for years, but coming from an aviation consultant of Boyd’s caliber, the facts are worth listening to.

Boyd’s comments were prompted by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn saying a compromise to move the Peotone Airport planning were forthcoming. He referred to a compromise in the governing of the project, not the need for the project, which remains unproven.

As Boyd points out, Illinois has seen a 10-percent drop in the number of people traveling to and from its nine airports. Routes are being cancelled, and arguably the largest carrier, American Airlines’ parent company AMR Corp. recently filed for bankruptcy protection.

Of the Peotone project, Boyd also categorized it as a “solution looking for a problem.” He says it is a political project fueled more by politics than need.

Blago and Jesse Jackson, Jr.

2012-01-06T17:19:41Z

It is too bad for former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich that he engaged with the likes of Jesse Jackson, Jr. It was a trifling that cost him his freedom.

On Dec. 7, the day the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor, President Franklin D. Roosevelt to proclaimed that day to be one that would live in infamy. It certainly will for Blago, because that was the day he was sentenced to 14 years in prison.

Was that a fair sentence when compared to his predecessor George Ryan who was sentenced only to 6 1/2 years?

In my mind, it wasn't but then I make my assessment based strictly on the character of the man rather than strict legal terms.

I took this picture of Blagojevich during happier times--on a campaign stop in Joliet while running for re-election. I wasn't enamored with him for his stance on the Peotone Airport. While he served as governor, he gave the airport plenty of positive lip service, but never really followed through. That was probably because there was nothing in it for him.

Blago also taught us that size does matter when it references ego. Other than that, his tenure in the state house, or his Chicago house, from which he did most of the state's business, was not as upsetting to me as some of his predecessors--cold-blooded oportunitsts. I found Blago to be more of the warm-blooded variety. Even though he often put himself first, he did try to help others as well.

I would not say he was a bad governor, as Illinois governors go.

Had it not been for that vacant Senate seat issue, would the state have even had a case against Blago?

To me, and I admit some partiality in my opinion, Jackson is the one that should be taken to task. I hope the Senate Ethics committee looks deeply into their investigation of Jackson. His ethics are indeed in question, at least in my mind.

I agree with the following op-ed piece posted in several local newspapers about why the Senate Ethics committee should continue looking into Jackson's behavior. Congressman Jackson has had a pattern of immoral behavior This blog is quoted within it.

Just before Blagojevich was sentenced, the House announced it would continue to investigate Jackson.

I can't speak to Jackson's other deeds in congress, but I know he has misrepresented the facts surrounding the potential of a regional airport at Peotone as well as the potential of utilizing the existing airport at Gary, Indiana. That has been my focus for the last twenty-five years.

Jackson's latest action is in an attempt to gather support for the Peotone project far from ground zero where knowledge, and information is lacking. According to newspaper reports, Jackson is taking his pro-airport dog and pony show to Woodridge, a DuPage County community far from Peotone where so little is known or frankly cared about, that Jackson can get away with saying whatever he pleases without being challenged. He did just that recently in a visit to a village board meeting where he reiterated his fantasy that construction on a new airport could begin in six months. He fails to mention that the project has not yet been approved by the FAA, or that studies will preclude a decision for at least two years.

Jackson will never stop spewing misinformation to get what he wants. Perhaps, in this election year, it is time the people with ballots stop him instead.

Gary Airport to get commercial service; Peotone still a field of dreams

2011-12-13T16:26:01Z

The Gary/Chicago International Airport has once again made an announcement that commercial air service will begin at Gary. This time, the announcement was made by Keith Hanson, who represents the airline. He announced that two flights per week, destined to Orlando, FL will fly out of the Gary airport, starting in February 2012.

Last September, it was rumored that Allegiant would begin service at Gary, but apparently the announcement was premature. The day before a press conference was scheduled, several news sources reported that a big announcement by an unnamed airline would be forthcoming. The marketing firm—Diversified Marketing Strategies of Crown Point, IN, identified the airline as Allegiant. The announcement was cancelled by the airlines .

That isn’t the case presently, as the latest proclamation that Allegiant Air will begin service at Gary, this time, comes from the airline itself. Hanson added that service to Florida may be just the beginning. He added that If it proves to be successful, additional destinations can be added.

While commercial airline service at the Gary airport has been on-again-off-again proposition, it is not for a lack of trying. Indiana officials have long committed to the success of the northwest Indiana airport.

The last commercial airline to utilize the Gary/Chicago airport was Skybus which ceased operation just one week after it began in the spring of 2008. A year prior, SkyValue ceased operation at Gary due to financial difficulties. Other airlines have come and gone over the years, but a subscription for success has yet to be achieved. That certainly isn’t for a lack of trying. The Gary/Chicago airport has had financial help from the federal, state, and local agencies, including the City of Chicago, in an attempt to land long term commercial service there.

Meanwhile, on the other side of the border, Illinois officials continue to: 1) ignore the ready aviation facility at Gary, which is just miles from the south suburbs they claim to be trying to help; 2) try every way possible to coerce support for a new airport in the farm fields near Peotone, IL, almost 50 miles south of Chicago.

The project has been talked about for almost a half-century with little forward progress except to shrink it to about the size of Gary’s airport.

The only real step toward fruition came when the incarcerated ex-Illinois Gov. George Ryan, made a deal with a campaign contributor to buy the first piece of land outside the airport footprint. Since that first parcel in an under-developed upscale subdivision became state-owned, Illinois officials have used scare tactics and threats of eminent domain to scare landowners into selling their property to the state. They have taken full advantage of artificially reduced land prices due to the threat of an airport nearby, and most recently the country’s economy and housing bubble to entice willing sellers who feel they have no other options but to sell to the state. Even still, the state has now obtained only about half of the land it would need for a new airport. Landowners that remain are unwilling sellers who vow to fight the state from taking their property, especially for a project that hasn’t even been approved.

House Ethics Committee needs to dig deep into Jackson dealings

2011-12-04T18:06:50Z

Headlines indicated recently that Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. is still being investigated by the House Ethics Committee for his alleged role in trying to leverage a seat in the U.S. Senate by offering funds to ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich.

Jackson claims that neither he nor his emissaries ever offered money to ex-Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich for the appointment.

Can we believe Jesse Jackson, Jr. and his less than monogamous relationship with the truth?

If the House members believe that Jackson’s role in allegedly trying to buy a U.S. Senate seat is an isolated incident, I certainly hope they probe just a little deeper.

Jackson not only tried to coerce Blagojevich into handing over a seat in the United States Senate, but Jackson also tried to get Blagojevich to hand over land to his self-established airport authority for his pet project, the Peotone Airport.

Jackson has devoted his entire congressional career toward the State of Illinois’ ill-fated effort to build a new airport outside the 2nd congressional district. The latest redistricting, would finally place the Peotone area into Jackson’s grasp. That is, if he wins re-election, which only time and ultimately an election can determine.

Jackson’s campaign website once blatantly included Peotone in a list of communities in the second congressional district. After much criticism, he later corrected it.

In 2007, I was tuned-in to C-Span to watch Jackson’s performance as he sought an earmark of $231,000 in the Financial Services Appropriations bill for “minority and small business development and procurement opportunities.” Jackson painted his usual rosy picture of the proposed airport, which Jackson has dubbed the Abraham Lincoln National Airport. He began talking about how beneficial the project would be to the poorest people of Illinois.

I was angered when I heard Jackson tell his colleagues the airport would abut Ford Heights, one of the poorest community in Illinois. Ford Heights is in Jackson’s district. It is a poor, urban, predominantly black community. It has long been a high crime, blighted area, with high unemployment. In stark contrast, the area where the airport is proposed, is a relatively affluent, predominantly white farming community with low crime and virtually no unemployment. Its economy centers on agriculture. Not only are the two regions geographically far apart, but they might as well be worlds apart politically, socially, and economically. The people who live in the Peotone area are adamantly opposed to the airport Jackson touts. I know. I helped organize an opposition group against the project in 1988.

One of the critics of Jackson’s request earmark was, Congressman John Campbell, R-CA who introduced an amendment to the bill to ban Jackson’s earmark, calling Jackson’s request “federal funding for a phantom airport.”

Campbell’s bill would have stripped taxpayer funding for the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission because, as he stated the Abraham Lincoln National Airport doesn’t exist.

He pointed out that in a Jackson press release in Nov. 2006, Jackson said he would not seek federal funds for the airport.

Campbell also questioned the potential conflict in the dual role of Jackson’s Deputy District Administrator Richard Bryant, who is now Jackson’s Chief of Staff. Bryant is also the Executive Director for the Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission (ALNAC) that Jackson established.

Back in Illinois, ex-Congressman Jerry Weller, R-Morris, in whose district the proposed project would be located, called ALNAC into question when it raised $267,000 to lobby Blagojevich. Weller called the campaign “self-promotion,” because Jackson was eyeing a possible run for the Chicago Mayor’s office. Weller suggested the money be returned “to the impoverished communities.”

Jackson had envisioned that state-owned land, about half of what the state needs for the airport, could be simply turned over to Jackson’s airport commission. An opinion by Attorney General Lisa Madigan, however, issued an opinion that under Illinois law, the state cannot convey property at no cost or for less than fair market value.

These issues are likely just the tip of the iceberg, which is why an intense investigation is warranted.

South Suburban Airport is all about 'spin'

2011-12-01T18:01:53Z

What a wonderful world this would be if all things could be viewed through the rose-colored glasses of the proponents of the Peotone Airport.

News continues to be manufactured by the Illinois Department of Transportation in its push for Peotone, or South Suburban Airport, (SSA). Funny, it is always positive. Imagine that! Since I began studying this proposal in 1988, ‘spinning’ the news has been IDOT’s long held practice.

Take IDOT’s latest press release, dated Nov. 10, touting the approval of its Facility Requirements Report of the SSA Master Plan.

“Approval of the Facility Requirements Report is a critical step in the SSA Master Plan process,” says Susan Shea, director of the Illinois Division of Aeronautics. Shea continued, “FAA has now agreed to what should be built at SSA and this further demonstrates FAA’s continued support of the South Suburban Airport.”

That is like saying finding your car keys is a critical step in driving your car. But to hear IDOT tell the story, it would be as if this one document was the precursor to a Record of Decision on Peotone. Nothing could be farther from the truth. IDOT never tells the whole story, but rather their hand-picked version to showcase their project in the best possible light.

For example the Facilities Requirements Report, which outlines the basics of the facility is just one of so many documents needed to develop a master plan. I recall the talk about a master plan in 1987 when the first airport study was approved. It is all a part of a process that must occur before the FAA can determine whether or not Peotone is worth doing or not. The latest submission doesn’t even include the airport’s official layout.

The reality is that IDOT is playing catch-up in readying for its new and improved airport layout plan, which is yet to be submitted. I wonder how many different plans IDOT has submitted to the FAA over all these years.

In this instance, it seems they finally hit on something the FAA can agree with. Honestly, this is like an annoying kid who accompanies his mother to the grocery store. You know that kid. He kicks his hands and feet from his perch in the grocery cart. He screams, causes a real ruckus and embarrasses his mother. He wants candy. She finally gives in just to shut him up.

Mundane or not, this submission results in another glowing press release by IDOT. It was apparently enough to inspire yet another over-zealous editorial by the Southtown Star, Tuesday, Nov. 29, a long time advocate for a new airport at Peotone. The paper quoted IDOT spokesman Guy Tridgell, a former editorial writer for the Southtown Star before he was recruited by IDOT, who called the FAA approval “a huge step.”

The latest approval by IDOT is not really that big of a deal, since it is required to be submitted before the airport layout plan, which has yet to be submitted, let alone approved.

Remember the last time IDOT submitted an airport layout plan in 2008—well actually two plans. IDOT officials thought they were being clever trying to entice the FAA into doing its dirty work. IDOT expected the agency to solve the bickering between Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. and Will County officials in their dueling airport plans. Each had a different idea about how the airport should be designed and run. So, IDOT submitted both plans to the agency.

Apparently the FAA’s purview doesn’t include solving petty political squabbles, so they returned the documents to IDOT telling them to submit just one preferred plan.

But that isn’t all. Another example of IDOT’s ‘spin’ came earlier this year with the FAA’s approval of airport activity forecasts. In March, IDOT issued a press release stating the FAA approved its aeronautical forecasts. Using the same crystal ball that IDOT has been carrying around since the late 1980’s IDOT’s numbers finally fit the margin of acceptance for the FAA.

“This is truly a significant accomplishment,” says Susan Shea…”FAA’s approval of our forecasts validates the need to develop airport facilities that will serve the south suburban greater Chicagoland area.”

Oh please, the reality of the FAA’s position was outlined in a letter to Susan Shea, dated March 23, 2011.

In the letter signed by James G. Keefer, Manager of the Chicago Airports District Office, Keefer wrote, “We believe these levels project passenger, cargo and general aviation demand and aviation activity at reasonable levels and outline the risk associated with a proposed new airport such as SSA.”

Keefer referred to the following levels of operations:

--Low-case for passenger operations

--Low-case for cargo operations

--High-case for general aviation operations.

It has been stated, but is worth reiterating that Bult Field, a privately operated general aviation facility which IDOT initially tried to prevent from becoming operational, must be incorporated into SSA to make it viable.

If passenger and cargo operations at SSA are projected to be low, general aviation operations are projected to be high, and Bult Field already handles general aviation—isn’t that further evidence that another new airport is simply not needed?

It seems to me that Bult Field is not for sale, and if it were, could IDOT afford it?

I guess that too would depend on IDOT’s ‘spin.’

Just a little common sense

2011-11-22T14:43:09Z

This clip needs no critique. It is just common sense, spoken by Robert Reich, the Chancellor's Professor of Public Policy at the University of California at Berkeley.

IDOT to collect food for needy families

2011-11-11T17:01:15Z

Illinois Department of Transportation’s Division of Aeronautics has begun an aggressive community outreach program, according to the state’s latest airport improvement plan for 2012 – 2014.

One of the first items of business is to donate food and cash to Helping Hands of Peotone, a food pantry that serves families in Will County.

Helping Hands is a wonderful organization of volunteers that got its start in the late 1980’s by a small group of caring women who devoted their time and talents to stitch new clothes for needy children. As the needs of the community grew, the focus to provide needy families with life’s bare necessities shifted toward the most essential need—food. Today Helping Hands is a member of the Northern Illinois Food Bank.

While on the surface such a gesture sounds noble, it must not be forgotten that IDOT and its agencies and employees have a long history of trying to sell the proposed airport to anyone who would listen through aggressive public relations work. These same people participating in this seemingly good faith move are the same ones that have earned five– and six-figure salaries, paid by Illinois taxpayers for decades, to work on a project that most in the region do not want—the Peotone Airport. While it is good to want to make nice with the people of Will County, it must not be forgotten that these are the same people responsible for the destruction and decimation of the rural community that lies between Beecher and Peotone.

The Peotone Airport has been their golden goose, so it is nice to see them want to give something back for a change. The participating organizations so far have meant nothing but destruction and decimation to eastern Will County.

Let us not forget that more than a decade ago, this was the before and after view of a rural house—the first house destroyed by IDOT in the name of the Peotone Airport in December 2000. Since this time, there have been dozens of perfectly good, livable houses, destroyed, hundreds of letters to landowners threatening to take property through eminent domain for a project that remains unapproved by the FAA, not to mention the destruction of a once-cohesive rural community and its functional farm economy for an airport that is opposed by the industry it is supposed to serve, the people who would be its neighbors, and several government agencies that have signed resolutions against it.

I applaud this gesture that will benefit hundreds of needy people. I just can’t help, knowing the history, if this is being done in good faith or just so they can look good for a change.

For this positive effort, IDOT will bring together the following participants:

AECOM, Chicago
Alpine Demolition, Geneva
C.J. Pohrte Maintenance Inc., Steger
Chicago Title Insurance Co., Joliet
DL Dubois & Associates Ltd., Hickory Hills
Hanson Professional Services Inc., Tinley Park
IDOT, Division of Aeronautics, Springfield
Kowalenko Consulting Group, Chicago
Mach Security Operations Inc., Beecher
Midwest Environmental Consulting Services Inc., Yorkville
Peter and Dorothy Quattrocchi, Oak Lawn
South Suburban Airport staff, Peotone
Southcomb & Associates, Joliet
Susan Shea, Director, Springfield
Total Property Maintenance, University Park
William H. Metz & Associates, Oak Forest
Windy City Home Inspections, Highland Park

Jesse Jackson Jr.'s jive talk continues

2011-10-30T15:15:32Z

Jesse Jackson, Jr. continues to make the claim that he can deliver a shovel-ready airport at no cost to the taxpayers. He refers to the unsuccessful project that dates back to 1968 and is known as the Peotone Airport. The State of Illinois calls it the South Suburban Airport. Jackson calls it the Abraham Lincoln National Airport. Make no mistake, none of these projects are close to becoming a shovel-ready project at no cost to the taxpayers.

In a recent rah-rah speech in Kankakee, at the southern reaches of Jackson’s newly-drawn second congressional district at a meeting of the NAACP, Jackson made this outlandish statement.

I’d like Jackson to explain how a project could be shovel ready when more than half of the land needed for a new airport remains in the hands of landowners unwilling to sell to the state. Or, how does he consider a project shovel-ready when it hasn’t even gained approval by the Federal Aviation Administration? And how can it be shovel-ready when a general aviation airport that is privately owned and sanctioned by the FAA—Bult Field--already operates in the footprint of the airport Jackson wants to build?

I’d also like Jackson to explain how his pet project would not cost the taxpayers. Oh he claims to have developers who will put up their own money to build the Peotone Airport. But the construction of the facility is hardly the only cost to building an airport—one in the cornfields 40 miles south of the City of Chicago. It would be a facility surrounded by rural land which is serviced by well and septic systems. It would be located amid creeks and streams that tend to overflow during heavy rain. Who will pay to build the infrastructure needed to service an airport in the cornfields if not the taxpayers?

How does Jackson explain buying the remainder of the land, if not at the taxpayers’ expense? Or how can Jackson forget about the tens of millions of dollars already spent on this ill-conceived, folly. Former Illinois Transportation Secretary Kirk Brown once estimated the state had spent $100 million on the project. That was during his tenure with the state. He retired in 2002. I can guarantee the bills certainly didn’t retire with him. The state has continued to wrack up costs for state-sponsored studies, land acquisition, legal fees, consultants, public relations work, etc.

That was just the past. Future cost to the taxpayers will continue to be thrown at this dead-end project in the form of infrastructure, additional land acquisition costs, and guaranteed legal fees to fight all the innocent landowners who have been under pressure to sell their property since this project began.

It all sounds like the same kind of jive talk we’ve been hearing for years. I don’t believe it for one moment.

Illinois farmers greet Jesse Jackson Jr.

2011-10-23T15:31:05Z

Interestingly Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr. finally came to Peotone, the place he has been talking about for 18 years, the place that has been the focal point of his congressional tenure, the place he wants to decimate and urbanize.

Now that Jackson’s new congressional district has been redrawn, it includes the land where the proposed Peotone Airport has been tentatively sited. The remap is a victory in itself for Jackson, who has long tried to mislead people into believing it has always been in his district. See Jesse Jackson needs a geography lesson.

It is almost laughable how Jackson has tried to schmooze the farmers whose land he wants for his pet project, into thinking he gives a damn about them, the land they work, or their rural way of life. He doesn’t. They are only a mean to his end. He wants only to use them to get what he wants—political power over jobs, contracts and ultimately campaign cash.

Jesse Jackson, Jr. had to talk hard and fast to get this audience of eastern Will County farmers to listen to what he had to say; he carefully crafted his words to try to reach them. Yet what he actually said might have the same effect as that which these farmers spread on their fields to help the crops grow. Jackson probably decided prior to the visit, that the best way to reach them was to emulate his conservative colleagues which he loathes, since most of these farmers traditionally cast a Republican ballot. I’m sure he did his homework and learned that many of them sympathize with the tea party movement. Jackson is too arrogant to consider that he has little chance of winning them over.

As a longtime advocate for these folks keeping their land out of Jackson’s hands, I resent Jackson’s inference that he understands their lifestyle. His talk of praying for sun and rain, joking about driving a combine, and drawing first a comparison with his African-American ancestors who picked cotton in the south and later with the people of Iowa he met along the campaign trail, was insincere and likely ineffectual. Try as he might to get into their good graces, I doubt it worked.

It is offensive that Jackson would try to take advantage of religion and culture to worm his way into the hearts and minds of the local farmers in eastern Will County. These are good people, with too much dignity to tell the congressman what they really feel. I can almost guarantee they will never vote for him, no matter how many stories he tells them about how he understands their plight.

The one thing he did offer that might give them pause was his promise of a “fair market exchange” for those who are willing to sell their land to the state. Closer evaluation will show this to be a ruse as well.

First, Jackson promised that if they became willing sellers, they would receive fair market value. Anyone could make that promise since that is the law. But he also said they could farm the land for free until the land is needed. On one hand, Jackson claims construction could begin by June. Even Jackson knows that isn’t doable. So he is dangling the carrot on the end of the free farming stick. It was an interesting ploy, given that farmers are businessmen like everyone else in this faltering economy. Jackson also knows that for some the fight might be out of them after all these years since the Peotone Airport was first proposed in the 1960’s but heavily marketed since the 1980’s.

“An airport will be built on that land,” Jackson said, speaking of the needed state-owned land which represents less than half of what is needed. No doubt, that is as he sees it, yet his view seems to be shared by less people every year as support for the airport dwindles.

His flim-flam guarantee for the opportunity to farm the land for free is simply not his to make. While Jackson acts as though he and his self-appointed airport authority, ALNAC (Abraham Lincoln National Airport Commission) owns this project. It does not. It hasn’t even been approved by the FAA at this point. No decision will be made for years since the perpetual studies continue. Jackson is a U.S. Congressman unaffiliated with the State of Illinois, yet he continues to behave as though he has the right to negotiation with landowners for the State of Illinois. He has no such right.

The bottom line is that if Jackson thinks he is going to convince farmers in eastern Will County that they should voluntarily sell their land for an airport they don’t want for the sake of jobs in the south suburbs, Jackson is delusional.

I will at least give Jackson credit for finally coming face-to-face with Peotone-area farmers. Because his adversaries appear polite, easy-going, reserved, and all the other attributes the good people of the Peotone area possess, Jackson probably thinks winning them over will be a cake walk. That shows how little he really knows about the farm community.

Portions of Jackson’s visit can be viewed below in three parts, thanks to willcountynews.

Halvorson will run against Jesse Jackson, Jr.

2011-10-10T16:57:38Z

It is no surprise that Debbie Halvorson plans to run again for Congress--in the newly-drawn 2nd congressional district. The seat happens to be held by U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., her former colleague with whom she battled during her previous tenure in congress.

Halvorson served only one term in the 11th district which abutted Jackson’s district. Since maps have been redrawn, the 2nd district now includes much of the territory in her former 11th. She was defeated, at the conclusion of her first term, by newcomer U.S. Rep. Adam Kinzinger. She rode into Congress in 2008 on President Barack Obama’s coattails. The Republican takeover by the tea party in 2010 swept her back out of office.

Halvorson is a long shot, though she may be the most viable candidate that has ever challenged the entrenched Jackson.

Still, her announcement to run again is no surprise because that is what politicians do. There are never losers in politics--unless you really ruffle the wrong feathers and end up indicted or die in office.

The truth of the matter is that there are rarely losers in politics, especially in Illinois politics. Once connections are made, promises given, and bucket loads of cash ensures ‘a friend in the factory,’ often times the same people run over and over again, sometimes for the same and sometimes for other posts. When it becomes impossible to convince the public to vote for them, they are usually appointed to a government job. It is as if holding elected office is the step to getting a high-paying cushy government job with all the benefits taxpayers will give. Halvorson is no exception. Once she was rejected by voters, she sought an appointment to head Illinois' transportation department, but Governor Pat Quinn had other plans. So, for now, Halvorson will have to forego a big bucks political job in favor of being a congresswoman again, if she can convince voters to take another chance on her.

The Peotone Airport battle

While the two were colleagues, Halvorson and Jackson battled over the proposed Peotone Airport, but not the fight that should have been waged. As the project was located in the 11th congressional district, Halvorson should have represented her constituents, the majority of which have proven countless ways that they opposed the airport. Instead, she chose to pay her allegiance to the unions in Joliet who salivated over perceived jobs and contracts. She sided with the huge concrete and asphalt companies who contributed campaign cash over the people who only had their votes to give.

Her battle with Jackson was over who would control an airport if and when it is ever built.

Both took a pro-airport position despite Halvorson’s first public position being against it.

In 1996, Halvorson was a virtual unknown in the political realm. She was a Mary Kay salesperson and was appointed Crete Township Clerk. She rose to political stardom in 1996, however when she defeated the popular Senate Majority Leader Aldo DeAngelis when she defeated him for 40th district senator.

Halvorson was once anti-airport

Halvorson ran as a no-airport candidate. I know because I was at her campaign headquarters the night the votes were counted. I and many others were elated when this seemingly down-to-earth woman, who was on our side, defeated the godfather of the Peotone Airport. Little did we know that the minute she set foot in the capital in Springfield that she would become a DeAngelis clone.

Saying all the right things to all the right people, Halvorson ascended rapidly to become Illinois’ first Senate Majority leader.

It will be interesting to watch the battle between these two. As far as I’m concerned—they are evenly matched. Neither has been able to get what they want.

Just days into her campaign and already Halvorson is sniping about Jackson’s ethical issues, which includes a House investigation over Jackson’s alleged attempt to buy Obama’s senate seat and his marital infidelity. Political theater is always a spectator sport.

Might as well have a little fun

2011-10-05T16:46:29Z

Sometimes it has to be all about garnering attention.

That is just what Anthony Rayson, George Ochsenfeld, and a band of anti-Peotone Airport combatants are doing with their analogy and their artistry.

The analogy

Rayson and Ochsenfeld, founding members of STAND, Shut This Airport Nightmare Down have decided to ceremoniously transfer, even if only for a little while, the legendary Curse of the Billy Goat from the Chicago Cubs to the Peotone Airport. Being how the legend is sports-related, it is something most folks throughout Illinois and beyond can relate to. At least that is Rayson’s hope.

The curse that dates back to 1945, was supposedly placed on the Cubs when Billy Sianis, owner of the Billy Goat Tavern--the local eatery made famous years later by the Saturday Night Live skit where patrons ordered “Cheezborgers, cheezborgers, cheeps, and Coke, no Pepsi”--was invited to leave a game because his pet goat began eating other fans’ food. Needless to say Sianis was miffed. In response he vowed the Cubs would never win a World Series game because his goat was insulted. The Cubs lost the World Series that year, in a curse that has plagued them ever since.

Rayson wants to transfer that curse from the Cubs, of which he is partial, to the Peotone Airport. The state of Illinois has spent tens of millions of dollars against all logic and common sense, trying to revive an idea that first surfaced in 1968, shortly after O’Hare International Airport proved to be a lucrative prospect for its owner, the City of Chicago. Instead of picking on the Cubs, Rayson would rather see the state never win the game they have been playing, the game that has harmed so many in eastern Will County, not to mention all of Illinois taxpayers who have paid for the state’s folly.

The artistry

The artistry involves the cutting of a farm field, symbolic of potential loss to some of the best farmland known to man, in the shape of a giant no-airport symbol. The symbol, which has long been the insignia of anti-airport sentiment involves the international symbol for air transportation —an airport—in combination with the international symbol for no, which is a circle and a slash.

The protest of the South Suburban Airport dates back to 1985. STAND grew out of RURAL, Residents United to Retain Agricultural Land, a group I co-founded with several other residents of the area who met outside a meeting in Beecher to discuss the proposal. We couldn't’t believe what we were hearing so we formed to stop it. So far we have, but the state is undaunted.

I can attest to the fact that the issues that spark the angst of Americans throughout the country, regarding government ignoring the people they are elected to represent, has been going on in Illinois for almost 30 years. It isn't about what is good for the state, or good for the people; it is about what is good for the politicians who are addicted to control and greed.

And that’s not all

To further the satire, Rayson insisted on naming the goat, Gary, to pay homage to the Gary/Chicago International Airport, that has long been the official third Chicagoland airport that Illinois officials like U.S. Congressman Jesse Jackson, Jr., the most vocally supportive of the Peotone Airport boondoggle, refuse to acknowledge. Yet, the Gary airport is a viable airport complete with infrastructure to serve it, support by an entire state contingency, and a runway longer than Chicago’s second airport, Midway.

Gary/Chicago is in the process of expanding that runway. Once it does, there will be no doubt of its potential. Perhaps then, this Peotone fiasco can finally be put to rest, as it should have many years ago.

Enjoy the video.

My thanks to Tony Rayson for the farm field photo and to Ann Baskerville, willcountynews for staying on top of this issue and all the other topics that are vitally important to an informed electorate.

Egg on our faces

2011-09-28T16:01:15Z

My apologies to anyone who read my previous post regarding future air service at the Gary/Chicago International airport.I have several reactions about the miscommunication, or whatever it was, regarding the big announcement at the Gary/Chicago International Airport, scheduled for 10 a.m. Wednesday Sept. 28.

I’m appalled that I played a part in passing along what turned out to be bad information, even though it originated from several news sources. But as someone who has followed the “third airport” saga for decades, I’m saddened by the outcome.

It was reported Tuesday morning that an airline--Allegiant Air--was planning to make a huge announcement at the Gary/Chicago Airport this morning at 10 a.m. The information, which was reported in several newspapers; The Times, Gary-Post Tribune, and Chicago Sun Times apparently originated from a marketing firm—Diversified Marketing Strategies of Crown Point, which announced coming air service to Gary. Prior news indicated only that a major announcement by an unnamed airline was planning to hold a news conference.

Tuesday evening, a spokesperson from Allegiant Air stated that no such announcement would be made and there would be no news conference.

Apparently talks had been held with the carrier regarding service at Gary, but no decisions were finalized. The Gary/Chicago Airport has been in a holding pattern due to its proximity to the Canadian National Railway tracks. There are plans to move the tracks and complete a runway project that would make the airport more attractive to large carriers, but progress has been slow.

If the south suburbs really cared about jobs for the unemployed or air service for the southern portion of the region, rather than simply controlling pay-to-play contracts, they too would get behind the effort to establish air service at an airport that is already operational and capable rather than beating the dead horse that is the Peotone airport.

According to a press release issued Monday by U.S. Sen. Dick Lugar’s office, he, U.S. Rep. Pete Visclosky, and seven other members of the Indiana Congressional delegation, including Sen. Dan Coats, and Reps. Joe Donnelly, Todd Rokita, Dan Burton, Mike Pence, Andrea Carson and Todd Young, have asked three major railroad companies to complete a series of agreements with the Gary/Chicago International Airport so the runway expansion project an meet a construction deadline.

“It is our understanding that the Federal Aviation Administration requires that the airport complete its runway extension project by 2013, and we emphasize the importance of promptly finalizing the necessary agreements with the airport. We realize that if the airport fails to meet that deadline, the nearly $160 million which has been committed to this project by the federal government, the State of Indiana, the Northwest Indiana Regional Development Authority, as well as various local governments, would be in jeopardy,” congressional delegation members said in letters to the Presidents of CSX Transportation, Norfolk Southern Corp., and the Canadian National Railway Company.

A final memorandum of understanding signed by all parties last May related to track relocation.

The letter added that the project remains critical to economic development in Northwest Indiana. “We strongly support the new and exciting economic and job growth opportunities the runway extension project will ultimately bring to the Northwest Indiana region.”

An editorial in The Times today called for a cooperative effort by the entire region to come to Gary’s aid. I agree wholeheartedly. Not only does the region include the State of Indiana, and City of Chicago, but it also includes the south suburbs of Illinois. If the south suburbs really cared about jobs for the unemployed or air service for the southern portion of the region, they too would get behind the effort to establish air service at an airport that is already operational rather than beating the dead horse that is the Peotone Airport.

About that Gary/Chicago Airport announcement

2011-09-28T04:08:10Z

About that announcement where the Gary/Chicago Airport was going to begin air service by Allegiant Air, well, as the old Saturday Night Live character Emily Litella, played by the late Gilda Radner,...

Apparently the public relations firm jumped the gun on the announcement that was just hours away. Read further details at http://tinyurl.com/6deb4pu

Gary/Chicago airport to get air service

2011-09-27T20:12:13Z

Once again, there will be air service flying out of the Gary/Chicago International airport, Chicagoland's third airport.

Allegient Air will begin two weekly round trip flights this winter between Gary/Chicago and Las Vegas.

Allegient spokepersons remain mum on the subject, although they will apparently join city and airport officials for an official announcement at a press conference at 10 a.m. Wednesday. For days, city and airport officials have stated that a major airline announcement was imminent.

The Gary/Chicago Airport has been trying to attract airline service since 1999 when Pan Am first began operating there. Pan Am ended service in June 2002, unable to recover from the irreparable harm done following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.

Since that time, Gary/Chicago had hosted Southeast Airlines, Hooters Air, Sky Value, and Skybus Airlines though due to economic conditions within the industry, service had either been slashed or carriers ceased operations.

Allegiant Air has a positive track record. It is listed as one of Fortune Magazine's 100 fastest-growing companies. In recent weeks, the carrier has added several new flights to several of its destinations.

IDOT hires 16 new workers

2011-09-27T19:02:57Z

The Illinois Department of Transportation has never played by the same rules as everyone else.

Despite talks of budget cuts, economic recession, and laying off more than 1,900 state workers in Illinois, its transportation department has hired 16 new employees--supervisors--that critics claim are not needed.

The new jobs, which are supervisory in nature will, according to some critics, duplicate work already being done by field supervisors who recently joined a union.

The move creates an entire new administrative layer, with each earning about $100,000 annually, far more and in some cases double that of the former supervisors.

IDOT denies the new jobs have any connection to the unionization of employees, despite the announcement coming just weeks after the previous workers joined the Operating Engineers Local 150.

Speaking of unneeded new IDOT jobs, IDOT has also hired a new project coordinator for the long-dormant South Suburban Airport.

On Sept. 12, IDOT announced the hiring of William M. Viste, as project coordinator for the South Suburban Airport. The state project has languished since 1985 when it brought to life an idea first considered in the late 1960's not long after O'Hare International airport opened for business.

According to the South Suburban Airport website, Viste will be charged with "ensuring the technical accuracy of the project's reports and submittals, provide status oversight for the various facets of this complex project, and respond to technical questions and comments from federal, state, and local agencies, communities, landowners, and other stakeholders."

We will never forget!

2011-09-11T17:19:59Z

For the husband who told his wife I love you one last time before his plane went down in a field, for the wife who stopped in the stairs to call her husband to say I will love you forever, for the mothers and fathers who kissed their kids goodbye the morning they died, for the policemen who rushed in with the firemen to help get others out only to die themselves, for the soldiers who fought back and lost their lives. today, tomorrow, ten years from now, we will remember.

This was posted on my Facebook page this morning, Sept. 11, 2011, to commemorate the tenth anniversary of the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center, and Pentagon.

While I agree wholeheartedly with these sentiments and vow that we will always remember that terrible morning when a country lost her innocence.

But this is not the whole, complete story. We must also vow to remember the actions we have taken since that horrible day.

We went to war with a country that had nothing to do with the events of 9-11. We went to war based on lies.

In Iraq alone, since March 19, 2003 when the occupation of Iraq began, there have been 4,474 members of the military who have died. Of those who survived, 320,000 veterans have significant brain injuries. How many came home missing limbs? How many committed suicide?

Yet, that pales in comparison to the loss to the Iraqi people killed due to the U.S. invasion of Iraq. That staggering number of dead is upwards of 1.4 million people, which also includes mothers, fathers, sons, daughters, sisters, and brothers. There were also 348 journalists and 448 academics killed in Iraq. This is according to the website, http://antiwar.com/casualties/list.php

I for one, will not forget them either. Nor will I forget that they were murdered as surely as the victims in the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and aboard Flight 93. The worst part is that they were murdered in our name.

These staggering numbers do not even include the invasion of all other Middle Eastern countries in what has resulted in the longest and costliest military action in our history. I cannot even conceive of the financial price we've paid, because frankly, when it comes to trillions of dollars, I just can't get my head around that.

So on this solemn day, isn't it time to consider that perhaps there is a better way to solve our problems? I mourn for the loss of those who died on Sept. 11, but I also weep for those who have died because of it. We must never forget--the whole story.

IDOT compound intrudes on Norman Rockwell landscape

2011-09-08T14:11:57Z

Eastern Will County was once a Norman Rockwell landscape complete with rolling hills, red barns, and scenic vistas stretched along country roads. But the face of eastern Will County has been inexorably altered. The land that nurtured farm families for generations is now scarred by remnants of ripped out homes and burned out barns. Since the 1980's when politicians got the idea that crop land was expendable and should give way to a new use--the Peotone Airport--little has remained the same.

Even the people have changed, the small number of them that still occupy the remaining acres not owned by the State of Illinois. Many of the inhabitants are gone now, moved away or passed on. The entire complexion has changed by a population tired of fighting to preserve and protect their sustainable way of life.

Indifference has worn away their once-strong resolve.

The eroding of public sentiment was all a part of the plan when politicians decided an airport to cater to a growing business class was better than growing food to feed the hungry. But better for whom?

There is no greater illustration to the state's political folly than what is being called "the compound," a former farmstead pillaged by the overseer of what they hope will be their fortune. It sits like a monolith among the crops. It is a testiment to abuse of a government out of control. They and their minions make their living dreaming and scheming about ways to gain power and fortune. Ironically, it is an all-expense paid trip, paid for by the very people who become their victims.

My thanks to Willcountynews for the use of this video. I have not seen the compound in person, but this recording brings it to life for me as clearly as if I was standing next to the iron gates that surround it. I will always weep for the way it used to be and for the way it will be. Something beautiful has been lost and may never be regained.

Are newspapers getting greedy?

2011-08-30T14:50:33Z

So, the Daily Herald is going to go all subscription on us.

In my mind, that is a big mistake. Judging from the online comments attached to the story, Daily Herald to charge for online subscriptions, I am not alone in those thoughts.

The Daily Herald will become the first newspaper in the Chicago area to charge for online access. I’m sure others will follow. According to its website, the paper will charge $19.99 every 30 days for an online subscription. A 24-hour pass will cost $2.99. A total package is being offered that will allow print subscribers to get digital access for an extra $1 per week.

Are they kidding me?

I have enjoyed reading the Daily Herald just like I enjoy reading several different newspapers. I live in another state. If anyone thinks I can afford a subscription to all of them, think again.

I could almost see charging for online access for a completely local newspaper, one that contains news and information exclusively about the area it serves. Advertising dollars are limited in this case. A local paper must also rely on subscriptions as a revenue source. But I cannot imagine that with instant access to global information, that any newspaper would restrict access to national sports or photos of far-off hurricane damage, for example. Those things sell papers.

Unless the paper is going completely local, why would anyone buy online access to it?

There is nothing in a newspaper that cannot be found elsewhere. For example, access to blogs is free. Credible journalists write blogs. We, news junkies will subscribe to those, for free.

The danger with relying on blogs is the credibility question. An established newspaper stands by its reputation as a credible news source that historically has tried to ensure that what is contained in its pages is accurate. Bloggers often have no history and few follow journalistic tenets. Therefore, a move to restrict free access to newspapers may result in increased misinformation on the Internet. There is so much of that already.

Less people than ever before are reading newspapers. The results are apparent in contributing to a dumbed-down society filled with apathy, under-education, under achievement and lack of imagination. Subscription-only access to the local newspaper will just about guarantee that trend will continue at breakneck speed. And what a shame! At a time when people really need to be informed, the newspaper industry is trending toward making access to information more difficult and more costly.

So now we have misinformation on the rise as well as lack of information.

For a busy family trying to make ends meet, cutting out the daily newspaper subscription is an easy choice. Newspapers are not cheap. I think they should be.

In fact, I have been thinking for days about how all newspapers should be online for free. There will always be some subscribers—those folks who like holding a newspaper, want to take it with them to read during their commute to work, or want to peruse the pages while they drink their morning coffee at the kitchen table. I would think with the high cost of advertising and the number of ads sold each day, those papers would be paid for.

Or, those subscribers could be paid for with the cost savings from cutting staff. Photographers are rarely needed in newsrooms these days because readers provide pictures to fill the pages. There are also fewer full-time journalists sitting in newsrooms. Freelance writers are filing more news copy than ever before. That saves on salaries and benefits.

It is evident that newspapers have suffered during the digital age, so it is apparent that something must be done to sustain the once-proud newspaper industry before it simply dies. But when fewer people are reading the paper now, what makes the Daily Herald or anyone else that charges for a subscription think having to pay for it will breed more readership? That just isn’t the answer.

I have to wonder—is the Fourth Estate becoming just another greedy business? Don’t newspapers with that moniker have a responsibility to rise above just trying to make a buck?

Solving computer woes

2011-08-13T17:29:36Z

I cannot begin to total all the hours I have spent trying to get my ancient computer to operate efficiently, or at some times, even at all. My husband and I, each have at least 20 years experience with computers. We devoted countless hours and all we have learned over the past 20 years to try to solve my problems. It still wasn't enough. Last Saturday, thanks to an offer at Staples that we just couldn't refuse, we broke down and bought a new computer.

That was a week ago. I am now happy to say that I've finished downloading, transferring, and even tweaking some of my favorite old programs. I am writing this blog post on my new computer (and old software). I'm getting to know and understand Windows 7. I'm sure that in time, I will be as thrilled with it as I have all the previous versions I've used (all of them).

It is pure joy to be able to turn the computer in the morning and watch it start, as it was intended. My old computer refused to do that. It would restart itself, intermittently, sometimes six or seven times, before it finally loaded my desktop.

This new computer, by Hewlett-Packard, has much more memory on board too, so I can listen to music, play a game, and download incoming mail, all at the same time.

I've decided that one of my favorite things is tweaking software. I might even be addicted to it, if that is possible. While function of a program is of course the most important, to me, that is followed only by how it displays. With a tendency toward art, color is very important to me. The right color can change my mood; brighten my day. It can also have the opposite effect, if it just isn't right.

I tweaked my new Windows 7 to use a desktop theme based on my favorite photo--the above pic of a sunflower--shown above that I shot myself. It is actually one of my favorites. Other colors are set to a pale lime green with partial transparency. Nice!

When I started my Microsoft Office 2003 software, I opened MS Word. The program displayed a hideous bright blue color that was painful to look at. It was oblivious to the pretty theme I had just created. I'm a writer. Trying to write when the ugly color on the screen stabs the eyes is not a good thing. When I ran this program on my old Windows XP-loaded computer, I was able to tweak all the colors of the various components. But, with Windows 7, the theme default colors don't translate into Office programs.

So, to have that bright blue from MS Office in the way; well, that would never do. I finally found a tweak online that I tried and it worked. It involved changing the setting for default colors in the Office 2003 settings back to a more pleasing gray that blends nicely with my other theme colors.

By the way, I've tried to retrace my steps so I could give a shout out and hearty thank you to the brilliant person that revealed this illusive tip, but I can't find it again.

If that person ever sees this post, my heartfelt thanks.

BD3KFJ26VUHP

2011-07-15T15:50:40Z

Jackson's pet project absent at Blago trial

2011-06-08T18:23:55Z

I've been reading a little about the Rod Blagojevich trial--you know, the latest Illinois governor to have a seat in the defendants chair in a federal courtroom. I can't resist reading some of the coverage as a former Illinois resident. I know some of the players and have watched them "work" in the past.

What amazes me is how both Jesse Jackson, Jr., the U.S. Congressman who has been identified on video tape as trying to win favors from Blagojevich for a fee, and Blagojevich, who has already been convicted of a felony--lying to federal agents--continue to try to paint the other as a bad guy while they are squeaky clean, and simply misunderstood.

I am surprised the trial has not included information about how Jackson tried to coerce Blagojevich to support his pet project, a new airport near downstate Peotone. Jackson has been salivating over this 'go nowhere' project for more than a
decade, trying every possible angle to get some
traction. He tried to partner with some heavy hitters along the way--the late Congressman Henry Hyde, former Bensenville Mayor John Geils who commanded many of the anti-O'Hare northwest suburbs, and a handful of south suburban mayors clammoring for leadership out of poverty. Hyde is dead; Geils was ousted from power; and few listen to the south suburban mayors. Jackson still has an audience with Illinois Department of Transportation officials who appear to work for him rather than the people of Illinois. They have been pushing Peotone so long, it has become habitual.

Jackson's economic successes are dismal, but he tried to leverage what he could, not just with Blagojevich, but with his successor, Ill. Gov. Pat Quinn. Jackson offered up the black vote. In return, he wanted state-own land given to his conjured-up airport authority. Blagojevich promised to make Peotone a priority if Jackson provided the votes. It isn't much of a stretch to assume the promise of a senate seat for a little campaign cash.

Jackson promised to deliver votes to the current governor as well. When Pat Quinn won by a few hundred votes, Jackson was quick to claim credit. Quinn reciprocated in the form of a promise to build Peotone as fast as humanly possible.

Sadly, most black voters in Chicago's south suburbs, which make up Jackson's district stick together, eagerly to vote for anyone with a "D" after their name. That is evident in the fact that Jackson keeps getting re-elected, despite his doing little for the south suburbs. With the exception of a few projects for which he has been able to wrangle some cash, the overall effect of the poor south suburbs is that they remain so. Then again, Jackson needs the south suburbs' image to remain stagnant, in need of jobs and economic development. That is his rally cry for building the Peotone airport, despite evidence of any such effect.

Through the ten-year redistricting process Jackson will win that prize as his district shifts into the farm fields that surround Peotone and beyond. At least he won't have to lie any more about where the proposed airport footprint is located.

I am surprised this issue never made it into the courtroom since Jackson's obsession for the proposed airport played a big part in his relationship with Blagojevich.

Copyright 2007. All rights Reserved. Disclaimer: The opinions expressed in CHBlog and those of commentors are theirs alone. CHBlog is not responsible for the accuracy of information supplied by the commentors on this blog.

Jesse Jr. no longer has to lie about Peotone

2011-06-01T21:56:00Z

It appears that U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr., (D-Chicago) won't have to lie about where the proposed Peotone Airport is located. It will finally be in his district.

Jackson has certainly been less than honest about the Peotone Airport, his pet project for the last decade. His insinuation that it was in Illinois' second congressional district, his district has been around so long that even newspapers have wrongly reported it. Truth is, all this time, the proposed Peotone airport has been in the 11th congressional district. We have all seen that when politicians tell a lie often enough, the truth sometimes gets lost in the shuffle.

Jackson lied to his colleagues on the House floor with the claim that the proposed airport is next to Ford Heights, one of the poorest suburbs in the State of Illinois. (see stories below). His aim was to push through earmarks attached to a spending bill.

The truth is the Peotone project is far enough from Ford Heights that it would likely have no effect on the jobless there.

Now, it looks like Jackson will finally be getting his way. If the redistricting plan put forth by Illinois Democrats is approved, and it looks as if it will, Jackson's district will encompass the proposed airport site as well as the small farming towns that surround it.

If the people of eastern Will County complained before about their congressional representation, I fear they haven't seen anything yet.

What does Jesse Jackson, Jr. know about farming, soil and water conservation, growing crops, small town living, or any of the other things that will make such a city mouse totally out of his element in the country. The result of this out-of-character pairing will likely be that he simply ignores the will of the people of eastern Will County. Then again, that is nothing new, since he already has a history of trying to steamroll their rights and dismiss their wishes as he advocates taking their land so he can shove an unneeded airport down their throats.

Public officials in eastern Will County will also likely be void of representation. While mayors and their boards have had a decent rapport with their representatives, this will be a whole new ballgame. Many of the mayors have had scathing things to say about Jackson. Now he will be their representative.

100-yr. old man says no to IDOT

2011-05-31T20:15:41Z

One of the obstacles facing the State of Illinois in their effort to build a new airport near Peotone, is a 100-year old man named Anthony Rudis.

I know Tony Rudis and believe him to be a formidable opponent. He is right about his claims in a recent newspaper interview. He said IDOT (Illinois Department of Transportation) is harassing him.

That is their modus operandi. They have harassed the people of eastern Will County for years, dating back to the days I first started following this project, back in 1987.

They forge on despite never getting the go-ahead from the Federal Aviation Administration. Nor does the State of Illinois have the funds to build an airport—funds which are grossly underestimated—because the estimates do not take into account the millions of dollars of infrastructure that would be needed to transform a farming community into a transportation center. In addition, a new airport has never been proven as a necessity for the Chicago region, though numerous state-sponsored studies make that assumption. Finally, despite politicians' claim that without airline partners the airport will never be built. They ignore the airlines' declaration that they will not use an airport at Peotone. Since 1985, this project has remained in a perpetual study phase.

Rudis says it is wrong to use eminent domain to try take property or to threaten to do so even before the Federal Aviation Administration has given the project a green light.

Yet, IDOT continues to try.

Rudis has put his foot down, by not allowing the state to trample onto his property or his rights. He refuses to allow IDOT contractors onto his property to do another assessment of his property's worth. The agency sent out yet another series of letters recently claiming it is their right to inspect the premises in order to appraise his and other properties for the purposes of the airport study. Rudis is right in asking how many times they have to make their assessment. It has been done several times before. Nothing has changed.

A rainy spring in the Ozarks

2011-05-30T18:08:00Z

Storm debris and runoff has clouded the lake and swamped a dock

Despite the sunny skies and warm temperatures, north-central Arkansas is still reeling from the effects of a series of torrential rains. Flooding continues.

The White River basin has experienced so much rainfall that the flood-retention potential of the reservoirs on the White River system have exceeded their capacity. There has just been too much rain resulting in too much water.

Following one of the many articles in the local newspaper, The Baxter Bulletin recently, I noticed a comment about the dams not having any effect at all on flooding. The commenter suggested that it is almost like there aren't any dams at all.

I have to take issue with that. The dams have worked well. Yet, when they were designed, it was impossible to predict the kind of rain that has been experienced this year. I cannot imagine how horrific and widespread the flooding would have been without them. More lives would have been impacted and undoubtedly more lives would have been lost.

At its peak, a record high for water spilling from Bull Shoals dam was 58,000 cubic feet per second.

Controlling the White River basin is complicated, but basically, it began at Beaver Lake. With so much rain, The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers had to release water from the spill gates from the dam at Beaver Lake (near Eureka Springs, AR). The rush of water compromised the storage capacity downstream at Table Rock Lake, (Branson, MO) which also experienced record rainfalls. Those flood gates too had to be opened. When that occurred, people living along Lake Taneycomo, near Branson, endured major flooding. Because of the economic impact to Branson, affecting numerous homes and businesses, this became a huge news event.

The torrent continued to make its way into Bull Shoals Lake, which caused a need to open the spill gates at the dam there.

As I write this, the flood gates remain open at Bull Shoals, allowing 58,000 cubic feet of water per second to rush into the White River below. All 17 flood gates are open. It is a sight to see and hear.

Sadly, the result is high water in the generally tranquil waters of the White between Bull Shoals and Norfork. Homes and docks have been inundated by the swiftly rushing, but crystal clear, cool water.

We had almost 40 inches of rain in a less than two-week period. The rain was amazing. I have never seen anything like it.

While I feel for all those whose property is in a low-lying area, I have no sympathy for the arrogant and/or foolish people who built homes practically on the water's edge. The smart people, such as the pioneers who built the Wolf House, built it on a bluff overlooking the river. They still had their view of the river, but were protected by the nearly annual occurrence back then. They knew then and we should know now that rivers will always flood despite man's efforts. Man cannot overpower, out think, or out maneuver Mother Nature, so he shouldn't even try.

Except for the last day of this rainy spell, I have to say I enjoyed every minute of the rainy weather. Before this started, we were suffering from mild drought conditions. Rain was not something that came easily last summer. I used to watch out the window as clouds formed and then poof--they dried up and disappeared. It was depressing to watch all my plants shrivel and die. Flowers failed to bloom. Trees went into early dormancy. We even lost some. The vegetable garden was the worst of all. So, when the rains began this spring, it was time to rejoice. I had just planted the garden. It was thriving; everything was lush and green. We needed the rain.

Somewhere along the way, we crossed the line. I recall being just a little cranky on that last rainy day. I'm not sure if it was because I knew the rain was going to end, I missed seeing the sunshine, or if I had just reached a personal limit. I'm sure I would have continued my enjoyment of those dark, moody days, had it not been for the severe storms that accompanied the heavy rain. The severity of the weather hit way too close to home, as we are only 80 miles from Joplin, MO where the death toll continues to climb, a week after the storm.

I have always been fascinated with flooding which hearkens back to when I was a small child, living on the south side of Chicago. My family lived on a street that dead-ended at a set or railroad tracks. A pedestrian viaduct below the the tracks allowed access to the other side. It was the way my brother and I walked to school every day. When the viaduct was flooded, we had to walk over the tracks instead. That was normally tabu, but was the only way during a flood. Such a forbidden trek was very exciting to a six-year old child. Apparently, that stimulation has followed me to adulthood.