Sage of Springfield

Do you have crop insurance?

2019-06-02T12:17:00.002-07:00

I found a couple of sites. I hope they are helpful.

1. USGS Illinois Cumulative Rainfall Map with National Weather Service Radar Overlay.

2. Current Results: Average Precipitation for Illinois in May.

Here are some news articles about flooding.

1. CNN 05/30/2019: Large areas of the central US are under water -- and the threat isn't going away.

2. Floodlist: A collection of articles reporting on flooding in Illinois.

3. Accuweather 06/02/2019: More rain during early June could push river levels higher, expand flooding in central US

4. CBS News 05/27/2019: Central U.S. under dangerous cycle of severe weather as deadly storm brings historic flooding

5. The Weather Channel 06/02/2019: More Flash Flooding Possible This Week in Plains and Midwest as Major River Flooding Continues

Oh, and it's Hurricane Season.

1. The Weather Channel 05/30/2019: Hurricane Season is Now Underway. Here's What Typically Happens Early in the Season

2. Surfline 06/01/2019: Now Serving "Barry": 2019 Atlantic Hurricane Season Opens

Election 2020

2019-04-05T05:30:00.000-07:00

I'm gathering some information about the 2020 Presidential candidates at https://sites.google.com/view/election2020/home

I plan on updating this when I can with more local election data and/or sources. I don't get paid for this so don't expect much.

Illinois Governor 2018 Data Sources

2017-05-10T12:00:00.000-07:00

Here I collect sources for further study on the matter:

Illinois State Board of Elections
2018 Illinois Gubernatorial Election Wikipedia Page
Chicago Sun Times: 2018 Illinois Governor's Race
IVCA - PAC

Illinois Sunshine Search Results

Chris Kennedy

https://www.illinoissunshine.org/committees/kennedy-for-illinois-32590/

LittleSis Connections List

William J. Kelly

Kelly for Illinois
LittleSis Connections List (Not sure if this is the same person though)
Illinois Sunshine Search Results
Kelly Truth Squad
Top Talk Radio
Twitter
The American Spectator
Huffington Post
Chicago Sun-Times

Bruce Rauner

~~Ameya Pawar~~ (dropped out)

https://www.illinoissunshine.org/committees/ameya-pawar-for-governor-32469/

J.B. Pritzker

J.B. Pritzker for Governor

https://www.illinoissunshine.org/committees/jb-for-governor-32762/

Daniel Biss

https://www.illinoissunshine.org/committees/biss-for-illinois-23971/

LittleSis Connections Page

Robert Marshall

Scott Drury

http://scottdrury.org/
Vote Smart Bio page
Friends of Scott Drury (Illinois Sunshine)
Wikipedia Page
Ballotpedia

Tio Hardiman

Alex Paterakis

Bob Daiber

Jeanne Ives

Grayson Kash Jackson

Sam McCann

Confrontation

2016-11-16T13:24:00.000-08:00

Whether it's the workplace or living in an apartment or condo complex, you're never supposed to directly confront a neighbor or a coworker because it could create animosity that may escalate to what could be illegal forms of harassment, intimidation or even physical violence.

Talk to a manager or supervisor. They should be professionally trained mediators and deal with situations in a way that deescalates the situation.

Crazy News for Nov 12, 2016

2016-11-12T13:19:00.002-08:00

Back to the Emergency Room for Everyone

2016-11-09T12:15:00.000-08:00

Now that Obamacare (The Affordable Care Act) is on Death Watch for the foreseeable future, I might as well give up on trying to find health insurance with government subsidies until I find gainful employment, if there is such a thing anymore.

Now everyone will just die. That is apparently what they want after all. Either pay for insurance while starving to death, or don't pay for insurance while suffering a slow agonizing death. The other alternative is to take them with you and go out on your own terms, in a blaze of glory. What have you got to lose?

Worker compensation

2011-05-24T13:51:00.000-07:00

Currently, if you get injured on the job you can't sue your employer, but your employer must pay a premium for worker compensation claims, like an insurance policy, or maybe it is an insurance policy.

What would happen if the worker compensation law was completely repealed and re-written?

Some companies believe that it should stay the same, but other businesses say the premiums are too high. Who would believe the premiums are too high for worker compensation claims? Usually businesses that have a higher frequency of worker compensation claims, and must pay a higher rate because they present a greater burden on the fund.

Some businesses are new and perhaps have trouble financing their start-up so they feel that worker compensation should be cheaper for them because they are a very low risk and they feel that what they currently pay for worker compensation premiums is unfair.

Somewhere in the middle there is the business that is making a profit and doesn't see a problem with the current worker compensation premium because, frankly, they just can't see the burden from way up where they are.

Then there are lawyers who, if the worker compensation law was completely repealed, would make a huge profit because they would have jury trials, and juries typically award massive punitive damages in Illinois. This would be delicious for lawyers and the injured employees who could afford the risk of litigation, but this would be terrifying to businesses, and with current pressure from the recent sales tax increase, the added pressure of repealing the entire worker compensation law would be the final nail in the coffin for commerce in Illinois.

There may be new guidelines drawn up for assessing labor risk, and from the categories of labor risk, worker compensation insurance plans can be tailored.

Risk in the workplace typically involves impact from falls, strains from lifting or stooping, repetitive motion injuries, exposure to toxins, lacerations from equipment, infections from contact with liquid or airborne agents, deteriorating health from sedentary work activity. Some atypical risk involves a higher likelihood of victimization, such as delivering pizza, driving a taxi, working nights at a convenience store, bar. There may be others.

Someone suggested putting a cap on medical treatment costs for worker compensation. Some people I surveyed thought that was a great idea, but the doctors would need to start driving cheaper cars. Doctors are saddled with medical school loan debt and malpractice insurance premiums.

I hope nobody suggested government subsidies, that would be hypocrisy.

Political Morality

2011-04-21T01:44:00.000-07:00

My father once said "we must always respect the office of the President of the United States, no matter what!" Did his generation grow up believing that buildings, business suits and uniforms controlled the minds of those who wore them, forcing them to act in ways that maintained the integrity of clothing and architecture?

Back when there were very few channels of mass communication, and major corporations could control one hundred percent of the message, very few people could or would present a dissenting opinion on anything. Most people who didn't really pay attention to history or human behavior were very susceptible to the belief that integrity was sewn or nailed into the fabric of official attire or architecture.

I was taught in public school that voters were "We the people" and voting was the power in the United states. Did everyone assumed that since we could choose, we had control over our society? When I was young I didn't really think much about how politicians got on the ballot, or that politicians needed huge quantities of money to run for office so they pandered to the wealthy, spoke with obscure gilded rhetoric and made the same never-kept campaign promises that got their predecessors elected.

I wonder if there were some rare idealists who were elected and really worked hard to balance our society for equitable prosperity? There certainly are some who appear to try.

These days with digital social networks, I just assume the worst from politicians. Nepotism, cronyism, financial reciprocity, basic corruption, etc. Since politicians pretty much assume that we now expect this of them, they are free to act openly loyal only to their campaign contributors. Since it's now out in the open, who cares? What can you do about it anyway, change the laws?

Campaign finance reforms? Term limits? Sorry folks, its too late. The drawbridge on the castle was pulled up long, long ago. We really have no choice but to prepare ourselves for a sociopathic, predatory political structure that does not regulate an already shark-infested "free" market system which plunders resources and hoards money.

We must approach everything with the notion that self-preservation supersedes equity in everything, that our primitive reptilian brains are still in control, and our lately evolved cerebral cortices allow us to be duped into believing promises, claims and dreams.

Trust, integrity, honesty and righteousness are fictions and faith is foolish. The herd that slows down for its weakest members is soon extinct. Convincing a herd that it's the right thing to do is a triumphant strategy. Honesty is an allegation safely made in the realm of the gullible.

If everyone assumes that bias is impossible to erase and impartiality is a myth, we can all safely practice healthy skepticism and take the precautions necessary to properly navigate what was once considered "risky" endeavors, such as investing in the stock market, applying for loans, or choosing a college.

If you insist on going through the motions of voting just to keep that machine alive, at least you should do some research about your candidate first, and take precautions to protect your assets.

Justice is so expensive that it serves only the adjudicators. Health care is so expensive that it takes quality out of the life it saves. Politics is so expensive we can only choose candidates propped up by the wealthy. Ultimately we all become slaves.

Universities facing "unprecedented budget challenges" need to look in the mirror.

2011-04-12T18:12:00.000-07:00

Did the university shoot itself in the foot?
Is it not self-sufficient? Is enrollment down below a benchmark that was supposed to trigger a special budget review, but did not?

Does it have contractors who are locked in for extended periods with cost-overruns?

Through one-time donations, did the university over-construct infrastructure that now requires unforseen massive annual infusions of funds to maintain?

In an effort to draw more students, did the university defer its core curriculum value system to teaching for popular high-paying jobs, despite the transient nature and out-sourcing risk of those career choices?

Why does the university have a competitive extra-curricular sports program? Doe it cost more than it's worth?

What kind of recruiters show up at job fairs hosted by the university? Are they Fortune 500, or minimum-wage paying part-time employers and insurance business pyramid schemers?

Is the university forced to recruit from great distances, and pay exorbitant six-digit salaries to high-level staffers, while maintaining a majority of professors as "Associate?"

What is the success rate of the university graduates? Does anyone know? Is it public information?

Perhaps universities facing "unprecedented budget challenges" are facing them for a reason.

White Flight Revenge

2011-01-26T01:40:00.000-08:00

Way back when integration became law and then busing was enforced throughout the land, there was a great exodus from the Springfield area of terrified white people.

I'm not saying all of them are racists, well maybe, who knows? They moved far, far out of Springfield because of integration, otherwise they would have simply become part of the urban sprawl within the city proper. The irony is that a lot of them still work for the city of Springfield, and every time someone brings up the topic of residency requirement they all get their panties in a bunch.

Really, the worst kind of racists besides the violent ones are the Limousine Liberals who wear their alleged guilt on their sleeves as they decry the foul odor of the open sewers on 13th street, then quickly exit to Rochester, Chatham, Panther Creek, Spaulding, Riverton, and as far away as Jacksonville.

If everyone who worked for the city actually lived in the city, having "flesh in the game" they would have an incentive to do more than just the bare minimum.

Some people in Springfield are pleased to see the costs going up in surrounding communities. There's a feeling of vindication about those who abandoned Springfield paying more for services: Chatham hikes water, sewer rates - Springfield, IL - The State Journal-Register

Coffey for Mayor of Springfield

2010-12-21T21:13:00.000-08:00

Broker: the adjective.

2010-12-19T14:10:00.000-08:00

We know what a broker is, right? According to some dictionaries online, broker is a noun for someone who manages transactions between two parties. Broke, however, is an adjective commonly related to the term bankrupt.

Illinois may serve to usher in the word broker as an adjective. Could it be used in a sentence?
"Illinois is now even broker."

It's highly likely that this phrase is already in use among the voters who keep reelecting the people who are driving the state of Illinois into the ground. Already, in conjunction with the word better they use worser , and logically therefore best-est and worst-est.

Illinois is spending more money than it can take in and it has been doing so for decades, and now comes another veteran of the Illinois State Representatives and Senate to serve as Treasurer.

You might think nobody cares, but that's only because you don't hear from people who do care, because they're being blocked from the main-stream media due to their inability to pay for advertising.

Television stations, radio stations and newspaper are expensive, and only the very rich who know how to make money just for themselves and have nothing but contempt for you can afford those venues from which to spread their lies and siren songs.

You might think that smart people who have the money to spend on advertising are the only people worth having in political office, but you would be stupid, because smart people who have money to spend on advertising are working for themselves, not you, that's why they have so much money to blow away on stupid television commercials.

Wikileaks

2010-11-29T07:11:00.000-08:00

Remember when Secretary of Defense Don Rumsfeld had a press conference about the release of photographs from Abu Ghraib prison? He was enraged about cameras being allowed into the prison. Now the government is all upset over the Wikileaks.org memos.

The arrogance is astonishing. The next press conference you go to, here's a nicely prepared question for the President of the United States:

Sir. Sharing information has become very important for national security since the 9/11, but because of the leaks happening with photos from prisons at Iraq and now memos being leaked by Wickileaks.org, rather than trying to suppress that information, is there a plan to deal with the behaviors depicted in those photos and memos so they won't be so embarrassing when they are leaked in the future?

Really, being upset because you were caught rather than being ashamed of what you did is the behavior typical of a psychopath.

U.S. Congress earmark ban vote on Tuesday.

2010-11-15T17:19:00.000-08:00

Why should we ban earmarks? Remember the Bridge to Nowhere? It was a huge infrastructure project that would have cost the state of Alaska billions of dollars to maintain into the future, on its own.

That's right. That's why states are going broke. A congressman had the bright idea to get a one-time cash windfall for a huge project in his own district, but the cash for the long-term maintenance of that project is coming from where? Take a wild guess.

Okay, it will come out of the state's own coffers going forward.

That's why we need to stop all federal earmarks that don't support the long-term maintenance of projects in congressional districts, which is most likely all of them.

Yet another explanation for states going into debt.

Rules of Subjective Reality

2010-10-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

1. The instinct for self-preservation always supersedes collective philosophies, impartiality, equity, constitutions, rules and laws.

Sports teams regularly gain as many points ahead of their opponent as possible. A team is considered relatively better when the point spread is wider, rather than playing confidently one point ahead throughout the competition.

Political districts are regularly manipulated to control votes. Illinois regularly redraws districts, reinforcing an advantagous position for the incumbent party.

While Marxism and Keynesian economics seems ideal, the application of Marxism under the leadership of Lennin, Stalin, Mao, Castro, etc., resulted in elite political party hierarchies with privileges at the top and starvation at the bottom.

The allegations that the western market is "free" is discounted by the existence of a patent system of engineering and design restrictions, and possession of resources by a handful of organizations.

An economic myth

2010-09-04T09:31:00.000-07:00

I was listening to Fritz Pfister on WMAY this morning. He has several times blamed the recession on the government regulation and taxation. This is a standard mantra of right-wing anti-government conservatives who miss the good old days of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and the great Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire.

The recession is the result of supressed wages and increased prices over the years, remedied by easy access to credit cards, sub-prime adjustible rate mortgage loans falsified by unscrupulous lenders.

The minimum payments on credit cards finally became larger than the low income "middle class" could handle. People just can't buy any more on credit. The reality of their (our) income finally hit a wall.

But get this. The wall would have come into view much later if a Republican was elected. Instead, businesses punished their employees for voting for Barack Obama. The massive layoffs began right after the election.

Now the right-wingers are blaming government again, because businesses don't have consumers. Businesses don't have consumers because they overprice their products (based on a now extinct credit-liquid economy) rather than pricing their products based on a real income (without credit) economy.

It's the "free" market's own fault for allowing itself to be structured around an unsustainable credit-supported economy.

CNN falsely framing Phoenix economy around immigration issue.

2010-07-29T12:55:00.000-07:00

For two years now, since the housing bubble burst across the nation and particularly in Phoenix where, according to Realty Trac, 1 in 5 housing units is in forclosure (1), The economy has suffered greatly due to the sub-prime mortgage disaster. However, CNN thinks we, the viewing audience has a very short memory.

Phoenix Arizona Forclosures. www.RealtyTrac.com

The new immigration law is only just taking effect, partially at best, but CNN has pinned the economy on Arizona Law SB 1070 which was only just signed into law on April 23, 2010, years after the Arizona economy tanked due to the housing crisis.

CNN published a story online titled "Specter of Arizona immigration law slowly drains economy." The article pins the economy on the new law rather than the already existing real estate crisis in a classic "post-hoc ergo propter hoc" fallacy of argumentation.

Honestly, the law doesn't mandate that police officers stand by the entrance of every restaurant that is supplied by the seafood distribution center and check papers. Honestly, are there going to be police officers posted in real estate offices to check the papers of everyone who buys a new house or signs a lease or rental agreement?

Apology to Congressman Joe Wilson

2010-06-23T23:08:00.001-07:00

I was with everyone else when Congressman Joe Wilson of South Carolina yelled out "You Lie!" during President Barack Obama's speech before a joint session of congress. I think it was a state of the union address, but I'm not anymore willing to waste the effort to verify exactly what address it was or when. It just doesn't matter anymore. Gitmo is still open, extraordinary rendition is still going on, and U.S. citizens are being officially targeted for assassination by our government. Judging from that, Total Information Awareness was probably dusted off and reinstated, warrantless wiretapping may be rampant, and who knows what else. In any case, I don't believe that any of the campaign promises have been fulfilled yet. I'm still waiting for change.

I must apologize to Joe Wilson because I was too quick to cast aspersions on his reaction during the event. I think everyone else should apologize as well because his reaction was prophetic.

The social class system

2010-05-08T10:16:00.001-07:00

I used to think that there was a social class system whereby people distinguish themselves from others by displaying their wealth in the form of extravagant possessions. During and before the industrial revolution people of wealth were highly visible and respected as individuals of great capability.

Jump forward a few generations and now we have a string of generations clinging onto the coattails of their rich ancestors, the children of the kings of industry were raised with a permanent safety net and free keys to the top offices and penthouses. They may know how to go through some of the motions, but industry has devolved from being about the product and the consumer, to being about nothing but making the biggest profit possible, at the expense of quality and the labor force, which by the way, are the consumers. Corporations are driven into the ground, squeezed of every penny, then dismantled.

Now we are finding that performance by those thought to be professionals is falling short at nearly every level of government, from the local coroner, state legislators that cannot balance a budget, as far up as the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Are we wondering how the heck they got there? Not really because we just take for granted that someone who has enough money to get on a political ballot and send mass mailings is somehow qualified to lead. We almost had a pawn broker for a lieutenant governor.

Politics has degraded to nothing more than a sport. The winner gets to the playoffs by getting the office and then keeping it. Beyond that there doesn't appear to be any real value of politics portrayed in the mass media. The grand prize is retirement with a huge pension.

The Prom? Really?

2010-04-27T07:04:00.001-07:00

According to Answers.com, the prom is alleged to be "an important lesson in social skills, especially in a theoretically classless society that valued behavior over breeding."[1] There appears to be nothing stated in the article that restricts proms to those who have dates, however, the inclusion of young boys and girls without dates often results in emotional scars. Boys and girls who are left out of the prom because they cannot match the wealth, beauty, and/or social connections, may be left to wonder forever what their lives may be like today had they attended.

The prom seems to set the boundary between the "haves and the have-nots," emboldening a class system based on emblems and rituals, but in reality it serves the major fashion industries to acquire that which from a fool is frequently parted, money.

1. http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_did_the_tradition_of_high_school_proms_start

The Wedge of Wage-Gap

2010-03-04T05:30:00.000-08:00

Illinois,government,state,working,job

The goal of working in government is the betterment of the society for which that government is established. Sounds magnanimous, but it seems the goal of working for the state has become money and personal family security.

Western society is organized in a structure based on the human needs structure, or Abraham Maslow's "Need Hierarchy"

5. Peak Experiences
4. Self-Actualization
3. Psychological needs
2. Safety needs
1. Basic survival needs

How these levels of needs are described is debatable, but the key ingredient of these needs is Judgement. People on upper levels of the structure are very judgemental about people on the lower levels of this structure.

The fundamental indicator of the structure is wealth, and humans love to display their position on the need hierarchy by enveloping themselves in symbols, i.e. homes, cars, boats, jewelry, etc.

Humans choose to affiliate only with people of similar status. When they surround themselves with people of similar status, they think less and less about the rest of their society.

Every time you go to a party, don't you see state workers huddled together in the corner discussing their managers, and darting their eyes about looking for their critics from the private sector?

Here is the problem:

The government has become dynastic. Only the rich are capable of winning office, and only people who know someone on the inside can get a state job.

The salaries and wages of state officials and workers is three times outpaced by outsiders to such a degree that the state has become disconnected from its purpose.

The point of government is the betterment of society as a whole for which it was originally established, but the wedge of wage-gap has isolated government into a sub-culture of insiders living in fear of criticism from the private sector.

The people in government have lost their way. They should be motivated to better the lives of society as a whole instead of entering the the gates of the castle and raising the drawbridge, then tossing leftovers to the peasants below.

How is this done? Simply by mandating that salaries in government reflect the average salaries of their society as a whole.

Such a mandate will motivate government to improve itself by improving the lives of it's constituents.

Currently however, government chooses to claim a budget shortfall and cut certain programs so that the overlords can keep their rich salaries.

The Language of the Weak

2010-02-06T15:22:00.000-08:00

1. Use of the word “Retarded”
The use of the word “retarded” long ago meant “not fully developed” and today serves no useful purpose in science as it is too general a statement. The word is so imprecise that its only redeeming value is the rapid discredit of those who use it.

In other words, anyone who uses the word “retarded” in any capacity has symptoms of a generally disreputable lexicon. Such persons more frequently use expletives to fill voids that would otherwise contain more accurate and acceptable messages.

New Government - Hynes keeps his counties

2010-02-04T13:23:00.000-08:00

When I get the election results, I'll draw up some boundaries and carve up the state between Hynes and Quinn. Hynes won Sangamon county so he can keep it as far as I'm concerned.

End of Democracy

2010-01-22T05:41:00.001-08:00

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Are Illinois and the rest of the states in a headlock?

2010-01-05T09:37:00.000-08:00

The United Feudal States of AFSCME.

Most of us know a headlock when we see one. One wrestler has his bulging vein-popped arm around another wrestler's head which darkens to a beet red color before he flops to the mat unconscious.

This morning I saw an ad in the paper for an at-home job opportunity taking flower orders for 1800Flowers.com. Instead of signing up right away, I went to www.RipOffReport.com and searched the name “1800Flowers.”

I was shocked at the results. There were thirteen complaints posted that included the business. Most reports were categorized under credit card fraud, bait-and-switch, mail-order service, etc. So I stopped right there, then shared the information at Facebook and Digg.

I was curious about what other businesses I might find in Springfield, Illinois so I searched Rip Off Report again and found 88 posts. One of which was the American Federation of State County and Municipal Employees, (AFSCME).

I didn’t really think much of it at first, but upon reading the entire report, I have no choice but to arrive at the conclusion that the United States of America is ruled by AFSCME. No matter who gets elected, it doesn’t change the makeup of AFSCME. AFSCME appears to operate with absolute impunity in the U.S. and not even International Human Rights organizations will go near them.

The victim describes how he fought all the way to the Supreme Court to no avail, was unheard by Illinois legislators, unheard by U.S. senators and congressmen, and met with shrugging shoulders at the U.S. Department of Justice and the National Labor Relations Board.

I am compelled to present the document in its entirety below because there is the risk that it will be removed from RipOffReport.com, either by coercion or by malicious internet attacks against the site itself.

So here it is:

Report: American Federation Of State County And Municipal Employees, Council 31,AFL-CIO

Reported By: (River Grove Illinois)

American Federation Of State County And Municipal Employees, AFL-CIO Council 31,AFL-CIO AFSCME, Council 31 took my Union fees for 7 years, then allowed City Colleges to fire me when I exposed ghost student grades corruption, the AFSCME used my fees to hire a law firm to sustain my firing -instead of protecting my job. Springfield Illinois

*Consumer Comment... afscme is a corrupt organization

American Federation Of State County And Municipal Employees, Council 31,AFL-CIO

615 S. Second St., P.O.Box 2328,

Springfield Illinois 62705-2328

U.S.A.

Phone: 217-788-2800

Submitted: Tuesday, April 15, 2008

Last posting: Monday, November 23, 2009

I was teaching Adult Education

at City Colleges ffrom 1981 to 1998. In 1991 we voted to become part of the union American Federation of State County and Municioal Employees (AFSCME, Council 31) for job protection. The classes were free to students, paid by the State of Illinois, and the Illinois of Public Aid (PA) required foreign student receiving assistance to attend English as a Second Language classes to obtain skills and find jobs. But many students tried to beat the system by register for the PA required classes, and after the morning roll call to answer "Present," then they got up and left saying: "Sorry, teacher

, I have to go to work." But when they left, I changed the attendance roster to "Absent", and when at the end of the month they brought me a PA form to verify their attendance, I marked all absences, and the PA cut their assistance and food stamps

. Those students were cheating PA by getting assistance and work for cash! And I didn't want to be part of their schemes because I would legally liable for falsifying student reports to help them commit welfare fraud. On March 11, 1998, I notified by U.S. Certified Mail the Illinois Department of Public Aid of the scheme going on at City Colleges with the consent of the Union.

The Union asked me to recant the PA letter of fraud, because the "Present" grades need for the class funding, and, if it was cut off, the teachers will lose jobs, and the Union will lose their fees. [Copy of original letter to Illinois Public Aid available] The City Colleges and AFSCME were furious, and harassed me in various ways.

Then AFSCME and the City Colleges of Chicago used their clout and tried to scrap a Bill (SB1750) pending before the Illinois House Committee. I then sent letters on May 1, 1998 to each member of that Committee, and urged them to pass the law which -if pass "will establish accountability that will get rid of many educational parasites," on quote. (Copy of that original letter is available).

On June 10, 1998, the Chicago Tribune headlined: "Students get A's for nothing," confirming that the fraud I had reported to Public Aid was also going on at The West Side Institute, and the City Colleges of Chicago campus.

(Copy of that Tribune headline is available)

Ten days later, on June 20, 1998, I was fired by City Colleges of Chicago. The AFSCME filed a grievance for wrongful job termination with City Colleges of Chicago, but it was a smokescreen. And when I contested the case in courts by myself - the Union had cancelled the fake arbitration set up- the Union hired a law firm who joined another law firm hired by the City Colleges

of Chicago and both fought me all the way to the Illinois Supreme Court. There was no way that an individual like me, no matter my high education, could fight the flood of motions by 2 law firms and win a case.

A Union, using the fees of a member to hire a law firm to secure the firing of a whistleblower member for exposing fraud may seem to be unheard in history. But it happened more often, and it just swept under the rug.

In 2001 I started working for the State of Illinois, and AFSCME with hefty political contributions to both Democrats and Republicans has secured control of representation of all State employees. Worse yet, I had to pay monthly fees to the Union that used my prior fees to prosecute my prior employment. Under a "Fair Share Law," the Union took fees from my paycheck without my consent. That was a violation of my U.S. Constitutional Rights, 5th Amendment, because I was forced against my will to finance my own prosecution. But there was no way out.

The AFSCME used its clout to make the "Fair Share" law foolproof by allowing in the law only a provision for a non-member to "Challenge" the Union fees by arbitration.

The arbitration request is made to the Union -not the State- and the Union can ignore it without any penalty. Six years and six requests for arbitration to the Union were never processed.

Upon further research, I found that forcing a person to belong to an organization and paying dues violates 3 Articles of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. But unfortunately, the U.S. is not a party of the Protocol of Civil and Political Rights, and that is why the Intenational Human Rights Commission has no rights to Guantanamo detainees.

On an inquiry to the International Human Rights Commission I was told that I could not file a complaint against the U.S. for allowing "forcible memberships" by Unions.

Also the National labor Relations Board, and the Civil Rights Division of the U.S. Department of Justice told me they have no jurisdiction. And a letter to U.S. Senator John McCain for congressional hearings on the AFSCME's prosecution of a whistleblower, got no response.

In a true democracy, Unions shall not be able to extract fees against the will of laborers, then use those fees as political financing for politicians [their charter says that fees are not used for political contributions, if anybody can believe that] to customize laws that benefit the Union management against the interest of their members. Exposure is needed in that comfy relationship between politicians and unions that has become an anathema to every honest citizen in the United States. The late Wisconsin Senator William Proxmire, who never accepted money as political contribution, told NBC's Tom Brokaw in an interview: "People come to Washington with money and buy legislation." And in a true democracy, nobody shall be able to empty the pockets of other people against their will, then use that money to prosecute them and mess their lives LEGALLY!!!!

AND WRITTEN IRREFUTABLE DOCUMENTAION IS AVAILABLE!

Nikos xxxxx

River Grove, Illinois

U.S.A.

http://www.ripoffreport.com/civil-rights-violators/american-federation/american-federation-of-state-c-acf63.htm