Talk Isn't Always Cheap

Brent Maguire Deserved Better

2022-05-25T07:58:00.003-07:00

Brent Maguire deserved better.

The former Fairfield Mayor and 14-year veteran of the city’s police department, was my nominee to become the new police chief. His qualifications were unquestionable.

I announced my pick over the weekend prior to the Tuesday city council meeting. That’s when social media started a high tech lynching of Maguire. I personally had to block a number of posters on my mayor’s Facebook page that intimated he was dismissed from the police department in 2014 for cause. There were other more scurrilous charges….all of which totally false.

Brent Maguire deserved better.

I personally reviewed his police personnel folder and found it to be clean of scandal. My conversation with his supervisor, then-police chief Brad Winter, revealed Maguire served with distinction.

So, his good-name was tarnished without any evidence by a number of keyboard warriors.

Then, if matters couldn’t be worse, the city council decided not to decide.

Maguire deserved an up-or-down vote. What he got was silence. Nobody made a motion, so his nomination died. He put himself out there only to have his character questioned and have eight elected members of his city turn their backs on him.

He deserved better. It would have been better if a motion had been made and then honest discussion as to whether or not he was a good fit for the chief’s chair. But obviously, that discussion had already occurred outside of the public’s presence.

So, the whole debacle has forced me to decide against allowing comments on my Mayoral Facebook page. I will continue to be highly accessible. You can find me nearly every weekday in my office at city hall. Once a month I have “Coffee With The Mayor” at a local restaurant. You can come in and see me face-to-face if you have a problem.

But the stain on my nominee makes finding another qualified candidate even more challenging. What tripe will be dredged up about the next chief candidate?

Brent Maguire isn’t the only person who was attacked over the last several weeks. Opponents to my handling of a police department personnel issue have started posting things about my family. Its all part of a campaign to intimidate me….and it isn’t working.

But it all stops here. No more comments on my Facebook page. I won’t have to worry about comments attached to a fake Facebook profile anymore.

If you need me, come by or call 618-842-3871.

Brent Maguire deserved better. The whole police department deserved better.

Mr. Kallal

2022-01-18T16:00:00.003-08:00

The eulogy of Bob Kallal, January 18, 2022

Our Lady Queen of Peace

It is my extreme honor to talk about the life of one of the most influential men in my life, Mr. Bob Kallal.

Notice I said Mister Kallal.

Generations knew him that way.

I never called him Bob to his face. It was always Mister Kallal. That’s because he engendered respect. Whether it be as an athlete, a teacher, a coach, a businessman or just the guy who sat courtside for hundreds, if not thousands of Bethalto basketball games.

….I’m told Mr. Kallal requested I deliver this eulogy….That makes this one of the greatest honor of my life.

Bob Kallal was a gentleman. A man with morals, principles….a sense of honesty that made him stand apart.

He learned the value of hard work on the farm in Medora. When he wasn’t forced to farm, he was shooting a basketball at a rim hung on the barn. He studied the right way to shoot by checking out books and then replicating the shot, over and over. One rule prevailed----never watch the ball in flight. Watch the rim. It was almost as if it became a metaphor for his life.

Don’t watch the trajectory of your life….be focused on the goal. As all of us know, he suffered some really bad times….the loss of a wife…a son….the dishonesty of a business partner….but he never let that consume him.

He kept his eye on the goal. Today he realizes that goal-----eternity with Jeff and his Lord Jesus Christ.

Bob was a student of athletics. He used the same formula of study and practice to become an accomplished bowler and golfer. He understood the finer points of each sport and never stopped learning. He practiced relentlessly. His passions led him to ultimately become a great teacher and coach.

His senior year, the last year Medora High existed, Bob scored 27-points-per-game. That made him a prize recruit for Shurtleff College in Alton. Bob was pretty good at closing down schools. After his freshman year, Shurtleff also shuttered its doors.

But while at Shurtleff, Bob met an upper classman by the name of Jim Carey. That would be a faithful meeting.

After he graduated he started his teaching career, first in Alton….then St. Louis and then as the head basketball coach of the Worden Trojans. He was contacted by Carey, who had just been named the head coach in Bethalto. Carey needed a freshman coach. He asked Bob and the rest is history. Bob Kallal-coached basketball teams won 178 times and only lost 42 from the mid-1960s to the mid 1970s.

A sidenote, I am personally responsible for 14 of those losses….nearly one-fourth of the total. He never held that against me.

I first encountered him shortly after starting in junior high.

Coaching consumed him. He had the best team in the history of the school…it went undefeated and had, several great basketball players (some of whom are here today). The best basketball player in the school’s history, Dave Taynor was on that team. Bob never stopped Taynor from watching the ball when he shot. Only Taynor could watch the ball after he shot it and get away with it.

I was in 7^th grade and I idolized the members of that team----the class of ’70----

I found myself working for the assistant principal one summer at the junior high, hauling textbooks and cleaning out lockers.

About a week before school started, I was walking along the hallway when I heard a man’s voice, warbling in one of the classrooms.

He was singing a popular Dionne Warwick song…..written by Burt Bacharach.

“What do you get when you fall in love?

You only get a life of pain and sorrow

So for at least until tomorrow

I'll never fall in love again. No, I’ll never fall in love again.

It was Mr. K. and he wasn’t known for his singing ability…

“Dont' tell me what's it all about

'Cause I've been there and I'm glad I'm out

Out of those chains, those chains that bind you

That is why I'm here to remind you…

What do you get when you kiss a gal?

You get enough germs to catch pneumonia

After you do, she’ll never phone ya

I'll never fall in love again..

Don’t you know….I’ll never fall in love again.

That song would become prothetic. I’ll explain in a moment.

Bob had a tacit interest in my basketball abilities in my seventh and eighth grade years, but I truly didn’t know him. He asked how tall my mom was…..he told me to stop watching the ball when I shot it.

I wanted to be a good basketball player. I certainly practiced a lot. I idolized Taynor, a disciple of Kallal….and so….time came for me to play for Mr. K. I remember the day I showed up for the first practice.

I had my Chuck Taylor high top tennis shoes and I was wearing my Dave Taynor signature knee pads purchased at Black’s Sporting Goods in Alton.

Bob spotted me walking into practice and called me over.

“I see you are wearing knee pads,” he said. “Why?’

I said because Taynor wore knee pads.

Apparently that was the wrong answer…..

Bob looked me up and down and I’ll never forget what he said….

“Lose the knee pads. You’re no Taynor.”

I’ve always believed that is why we lost so many games. I clearly needed those knee pads.

But an interesting thing was occurring at our home basketball games. Just like the year before---when we played for Willard Wallace-----there was a mysterious blonde at the games…in the crowd. It was a small town. We knew everybody who came to the gym and their connections.

In 8^th grade, the mystery blonde ultimately became Mrs. Wallace.

The same thing was happening in 9^th grade. Doneeta became that year’s mystery blonde. Allegedly from Alton. Much younger than Bob.

He was clearly dating her-----and in fact I remember him talking to my father---Bob saying he thought “she might be too young for him.”

“Age is just a number,” my dad told Bob. You would have to know my dad to understand that later in his life, he lived out that philosophy….

So thereafter it happened. Bob proposed. Doneeta accepted.

Bob often lamented their age difference would make it impossible for them to some day celebrate a golden wedding anniversary.

Six months ago. I was incredibly honored to perform the ceremony where Bob and Doneeta renewed their vows after 50 years of matrimony.

Of course the marriage produced another child, Joanna. She has always been his devoted daughter. His love for her was total and obvious.

For a moment….Bob had a number of quirks which ended up greatly affecting my life. For instance…

His research indicated that a child’s growth, their height, was largely dictated by the genetics of the mother. He spent his lifetime asking young basketball players this question:

“How tall is your mother?” Also…

“Do you have any tall aunts or grandparents?”

The whole practice became a problem for me because I wanted basketball players in my house too. (You can ask my son Andy). When he brought home a young woman, I would do my best Kallal.

I didn’t ask about her education or her background……I would look her over for potential breeding stock and ask her: “How tall is your mother?”

Before long, the boys stopped bringing girls around.

Now…

I need to talk about a key moment in my life and its meaning. This point is hard for me so bear with me.

Shortly before Jeff’s death, I lost touch with my own dad. We just stopped talking.

I was in need of a father figure. That’s when Bob lost Jeff. He apparently needed a son to father. We bonded. I owe him so much for his time and love.

Today is so hard for many of us because he was so much a part of our lives. He was so influential.

I took a few moments to scan the things said on social media when news started to spread about his death.

Here’s just a couple of comments…

“He taught me so much about the game of basketball plus his morals and ethics made him a person I always looked up to. God bless Coach Kallal and his great family.”---Jeff Stephens.

Mike Rethorn said: “A treasure to all of us who received great coaching and mentorship from him.”

Steve Porter, the former Alton Telegraph sports editor told me: “Bob loved basketball as much as anyone I’ve ever known.”

Dave Taynor told me: “Mr. Kallal was the best coach and teacher I ever had.”

And finally this from Scott Schroeder…

“He was an angel on earth and now we have an angel in heaven to look over us….

…and whisper to us to stop looking at the ball when we shoot.”

St. Peter is going to learn….only Taynor can do that.

God Bless Robert Kallal.

Coach Kallal.

Mr. Kallal.

2021-10-16T14:13:00.002-07:00

Good evening, thank you for including me to this wonderful gathering of graduates of Fairfield Community High School.

As many of you know, I am not from Fairfield, but I have two sons who are alums from 2004 and 2007….and my wife is a proud grad from 1979. I think that fact gives me a unique perspective on this place as many of you return to reminisce and honor your alma mater.

You return during the midst of unparalleled success at FCHS.

The administration decided to brand two unique venues where the Mules play their home athletic games----The Train Yard and The Mule Barn. They are now almost as famous as the Shelton’s and the Farmer’s Store. Both of them are totally unique and feared by visiting teams for good reason. Our boys and girls’ teams in Fairfield are wildly successful, and they will likely continue to dominate into the near future.

But that is not the whole story. Many of brightest young people are going away to college only to return to give back to Fairfield and Wayne County. Two names come to mind. My primary care doctor is Nicole Fyie Vaughan, daughter of Jay and Lisa Fyie. FCHS Graduate Dr. Patrick Molt will soon welcome Dr. Lauren Williams, the daughter of L. Bryan and Barbara Williams to the hospital to help bolster the medical staff.

These are signature moments where the local culture is rewarded with the return of the next generation.

As mayor, I can tell all of you that Fairfield has a bright future ahead of it. Those of us who are happy to be here…need to drown out the naysayers who only find negative things to say….and print about our town.

I know this next statement might seem bold, but I believe it is true.

We are on the cusp of a new era of prosperity in Fairfield led by our children. I sense it. They expect to win when they compete. We could learn a lot from that mindset. …because success is contagious.

If you are home for the first time in a while, I want to welcome you.

Please shop and visit our restaurants. Enjoy the home of truly some of the friendliest people anywhere.

Thank you, God Bless FCHS graduates wherever they may be.

God Bless our current high school students….and those who will someday graduate from Fairfield Community High School.

I pray they continue to win….in every endeavor they may choose.

Thank you.

2021-10-16T14:08:00.004-07:00

My comments at the annual FCHS Alumni banquet.....

Good evening, thank you for including me to this wonderful gathering of graduates of Fairfield Community High School.

You return during the midst of unparalleled success at FCHS.

These are signature moments where the local culture is rewarded with the return of the next generation.

I know this next statement might seem bold, but I believe it is true.

If you are home for the first time in a while, I want to welcome you.

Please shop and visit our restaurants. Enjoy the home of truly some of the friendliest people anywhere.

Thank you, God Bless FCHS graduates wherever they may be.

God Bless our current high school students….and those who will someday graduate from Fairfield Community High School.

I pray they continue to win….in every endeavor they may choose.

Thank you.

The End Of Something Means The Beginning Of Something Else

2020-12-10T10:58:00.001-08:00

I had an uncle who once said “retirement is the most demanding job of my life.” He was very giving of his time to organizations in need of volunteer help. I think I now understand.

It has been only two weeks since I “retired,” giving up my job managing the local radio station. Honestly, I don’t miss it. The demands were great…..but I’m coming to realize…..retirement can be even more demanding.

With the announcement of my departure from the station, it gave Carol free reign to throw a list of assignments my way. She likes to throw around the word “unemployed” when referencing me. I resemble that remark.

I’ve found it a blessing to not be handy. Can’t use tools, can’t build anything and my ability to repair things is highly suspect. I have skills…just not the kind needed for our 100+ year-old home. Carol comes from a family of skilled craftsmen, so that gets me off the hook most times.

The church and worthy community organizations have come calling for my time and I have given it freely and enjoyed it. Come to think of it, I haven’t had time to even take an afternoon nap since I quit my job at the radio station.

Abe Lemons once said: “The trouble with retirement is you never get a day off.”

With deference to Lemons, I am finding a day next week to go hunting. I will travel to see my children….and I will continue to be highly visible in the community.

…and retirement from broadcasting is like retirement from my career in education.

The end of something means the beginning of something else.

Adieu

2020-11-30T03:55:00.001-08:00

So this will be my final commentary.

When I started, two-and-a-half years ago, I was strongly advised not to comment daily. Just do it once a week. I ignored the advice. Over 500 Talk Isn’t Always Cheaps later, I am hanging up my keyboard.

If you were among the 350,000 clicks on my blog page, you know I was highly opinionated. I didn’t try to be controversial, the copy was generated from my observation of national, state and local issues.

Here is where I tell people of my appreciation of their input. My wife often had to hear my ideas. She deserves an award for her tolerance of this pursuit. There were a number of local listeners (they know who they are) who acted as a sounding board when I was stuck…when the script didn’t flow.

I also appreciate the Original Company, which probably didn’t agree with some of the pieces, but allowed me to bloviate.

I came to the radio station on a mission. I wanted to end my broadcasting career where it started and I wanted the station to serve,---with relevant and timely information. You will have to be the judge as to whether or not we succeeded.

The goal was to make you think. To be interesting….to force you to take a side…to be able to defend your point of view.

I am grateful for you. Because you listened.

Happy Thanksgiving

2020-11-26T18:15:00.002-08:00

There are so many things to be thankful for this Thanksgiving.

Let me take a shot at a few that come to mind.

Even with a nation struck with a lingering virus, we continue to thrive. There are still many nets that protect the poorest among us. Here in Fairfield, Feed My Sheep Soup Kitchen is just one example. The richest country in the world provides for its own. And while there are many detractors to organized religion, our local churches care for the less fortunate, both locally and worldwide.

The virus has thrown many of us for a loop. It has challenged our local businesses and service organizations. But we will weather it. We will weather it in the same way our ancestors weathered world wars and societal unrest.

If someone asked me---Mike---what are you thankful for?

The answers would be plentiful. I was blessed with great parents who taught me to have a grateful spirit. I have healthy children and grandchildren. We will mourn the loss of our daughter Rachel until the end of time. But we know she is in a better place.

Carol and I both are most grateful for the work we have been able to do in our careers. I will put my microphone on the shelf come Monday. My work here was a mission and that mission is complete. I’ll have more to say later, in my last commentary next Monday

We love this community and want to continue by giving more of our time and passion to make it better. For me, this is the day of the year when I count my blessings.

…and there are so many.

(The final broadcast of Talk isn't Always Cheap will air on WFIW-WOKZ on Monday, November 30th. The blog will live on...but not on a daily basis.--MD)

Your Cell Phone Bill Enriches The Boss

2020-11-24T03:44:00.000-08:00

I found an article posted on the Illinois Policy website to be most interesting. Did you know you pay the highest taxes in the nation on your cellphone? And the person you need to thank is the state’s reigning emperor, House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Illinois state and local wireless tax rates exceed 22-percent, the most in the United States. Throw in 911 fees and the cost soars over 30-percent.

Three years ago Madigan helped engineer a bill with 911 fees that were very favorable to AT&T. Then Governor Rauner used his amendatory veto to strike the boost in fees, but Madigan had the girth to overturn the veto.

Since then, the feds have been investigating the relationship between AT&T and Madigan. It seems a significant amount of money has been sent the Speaker’s way via campaign donations. The figure is around a quarter million dollars. It is more than the company has given to any other lawmaker.

The Chicago Trib has reported there are many former Madigan staffers now on the payroll of AT&T.

It all smells. This is the same thing that occurred at Comm-Ed. The feds haven’t been able to indict Madigan for that multi-million dollar scam and I have my doubts they will for the chicanery at AT&T.

I wish I had more faith in a fair system of government, but I don’t.

As I have said before, I think Madigan will continue to rule. But make no mistake….it comes at a cost to every Illinois taxpayer.

Stan Still The Man

2020-11-23T03:54:00.000-08:00

This weekend marked the 100^th birthday of my greatest hero…Stanley Frank Musial. Stan the Man.

You mention Musial and many words enter my mind. But I think one word sticks…and unfortunately there aren’t many other men in our modern day society who would conjure up the word, “gentleman.”

Musial was the definition of gentleman. He was self-deprecating and unassuming while mastering one of the hardest skills in modern sport, hitting a baseball. He did it as well as almost anyone else who has donned a uniform and he did it with a grace which made him royalty in St. Louis.

This admiration for Musial was multi-generational for me. As a six-year-old, my material grandfather and my dad were acutely aware of Musial’s announced retirement in 1963. They felt the urgency of getting me to a Cardinal game that summer.

I remember sitting in the upper deck of old Busch Stadium, the original, which sat at the corner of Grand and Dodier in north St. Louis. My dad was on one side, my grandpa on the other. Their direction was clear: Watch number 6 out in right field. Watch number 6 bat. Remember. Remember you saw the great Stan Musial play,

I do. To this day I remember that glorious day with my role models. Two generations of my family and the man who was, and continues to be, the greatest Cardinal who ever lived.

Musial was worthy of my admiration. And because of the two men closest to me in my family tree, I can say I saw him play.

Keep Your Mouth Shut

2020-11-20T03:44:00.001-08:00

I will boldly make two predictions here today having to do with Illinois’ biggest problem. The problem is the leadership of the boss, House Speaker Mike Madigan.

First, despite the noose getting tighter around Madigan’s neck as federal investigators seem to be drawing a bead on him in the Com-Ed investigation…..I think he will never personally be indicted. It is obvious that prosecutors are charging everybody around the speaker in hopes of squeezing them.

You might remember the wonderful mob movie “Goodfellas” where young Henry was given advice.

“Never rat on your friends and always keep your mouth shut.”

I’m surprised that’s not up on the walls of the capitol rotunda somewhere. Clearly, Madigan, who threw Rod Blagojevich under the bus for corruption, is too cagey. His buddies are keeping their mouths shut…at least for the time being.

So, here are my predictions as we move towards the end of the year. They won’t put a glove on Madigan. He’s too smart. Prosecutors don’t even use his name in their indictments. He is referred to as “Public Official A.” That’s as close as they get.

Second prediction: Madigan will remain the Speaker. He has been in the office every year but two since 1983. The Democrats don’t have the guts to replace him.

This isn’t Goodfellas. The boss isn’t going to jail. The boss is getting another term because this is Illinois. This is what we do.

"We Are Made By History"

2020-11-19T03:43:00.001-08:00

History isn’t a mystery at Fairfield Community High School.

That’s because 13 students are enrolled in…and are learning Wayne County history in a class taught by Collin McDuffee. I can’t tell you how interesting this class is to me.

We have been so fortunate to have our history extensively researched by people like Judith Puckett and members of the Wayne County Historical Society. The wealth of knowledge about the generations who have gone before us is staggering and accessible for a young and enthusiastic teacher like McDuffee.

He says the class has spent considerable time dealing with the Shelton gang and “sun down towns.” It allows for the discussion of prohibition and societal norms at the beginning of the 20^th century. If you were not aware, there was a rule here that African Americans were not allowed on the streets in most Wayne County towns after dark. What a perfect discussion vehicle to deal with what has become a national discussion about race.

And the class does one other thing…..it spawns the next generation of citizens who want to hold onto the stories of this region’s past and maybe spawn a new generation of researchers looking into—for instance---Abe Lincoln’s visits to this region while he was a country lawyer and not the president who saved the union.

Dr. Martin Luther King said it best.

“We are not makers of history. We are made by history.“

The Soap Opera

2020-11-18T03:46:00.002-08:00

I’m not a fan of the governor of Illinois…and I’m sure not enamored by his recent soap opera.

On Monday, J.B. Pritzker was sidestepping questions about his holiday plans. Reporters wanted to know if reports his family was already in Florida waiting for him were true? We know now that Illinois’ first lady and at least one child are already in the Sunshine State.

Personally, I wouldn’t care much about where the Governor is going to feast except…he is the leader of a state that is on the record against interstate travel for Thanksgiving. He is also a resident of Chicago where the Mayor has issued a stay-at-home advisory for the next 30-days.

Asked about the mayor’s advisory, and the Governor got a case of amnesia. He said on Monday he wasn’t aware of Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s decree. But last Friday he lauded her for it. Must have been a rough weekend.

Let me be clear. I don’t care where J.B. gets his third serving of dressing. Finally—after playing around with the issue--yesterday he said he would stay in Chicago with his son while the rest of the family would be elsewhere…. The Pritzker's are batting .500 on the hypocrisy scale.

Why did it take him a couple of days to realize piling on his private plane and leaving his state behind was a problem? I guess it comes part-and-parcel with privilege. He oozes it.

There will be another episode of the soap opera today.

COVID Consequences

2020-11-17T03:42:00.000-08:00

Last week we saw the first evidence of the damage done to our local economy due to the pandemic. The Wayne County Board had to use reserves to patch up their budget for next year because of a significant dip in sales tax revenues. The cities in our region will be dealing with the same issue with their budgets.

I’ve talked often about the need for us to support local businesses as they go through these tough times.

I believe there is a way to do so, safely.

For instance, this coming weekend is the annual holiday open house in Fairfield. The event is Friday, Saturday and Sunday afternoon. There are a variety of businesses participating and many of them have had a rough year.

But, as we know, it doesn’t stop there. The lack of business turns into a lack of sales taxes which turns into a local governmental problem. The State of Illinois projects a shortfall in the billions of dollars. The leaders did nothing to cut expenses in the last budget because they were banking on federal aid and a new progressive tax. Neither have happened. Illinois continues its decline.

There’s not a whole lot we can do about the state. The leadership made its choices and now will have to deal with the consequences.

We can do something about our local economy. Please, get out this weekend. Wear masks, maintain social distancing..

…and support our local economy.

Cherries Jubilee

2020-11-16T05:42:00.005-08:00

I was introduced to coffee almost forty years ago when I first came to Fairfield as a young broadcaster. It became a vital part of getting up at 3:30 in the morning to do the news shift.

That coffee was black….and almost as thick as motor oil. It served the purpose of driving a large dosage of caffeine into my system. No sugar. No cream. No real taste. Just caffeine, which serves as a central nervous system stimulant. I never really saw it as a vice…more a necessity.

Every year or so there is a study that shows that coffee presents a health risk…Conversely, every year or so there is a counter study that shows health benefits. Believe what you will.

Until recently, I never considered different types of coffee. I just had coffee. But then Starbucks started producing cold coffees, Cappuccinos, Soy Lattes and literally more types of coffee than I can keep track of. Still I just had coffee.

But something happened about a year ago. I tried a flavored coffee at a downtown business----Simply Enough----and liked it. It’s called Highlander Grog. So I grogged….and my wife….thinking that was the end of my coffee journey bought a couple of kilos of it. I’ve got a lot of grog.

But recently I went way out there and tried a flavored coffee called “Cherries Jubilee,” and I liked it. It made me think. I can only guess the look on old Gil Wallace’s face if I turned my nose up at his morning brew back in the day.

I think he would have questioned my broadcasting ability…and my manhood… if I had suggested instead….a cup of Cherries Jubilee.

New Standards For Teachers

2020-11-12T03:50:00.004-08:00

In what could at best be considered a horribly vague pronouncement, the Illinois State Board of Education is considering new standards for teachers and administrators which are designed to mandate more sensitivity for different cultures and backgrounds.

It's all part of the “Culturally Responsive Teaching and Leading” standards which are being proposed as rules for primary and secondary educators.

I have no problem with the idea of encouraging teachers to adapt their instructional methods to help students from diverse cultures. I’m sure they do already. But there is plenty of proposed vague verbiage which needs to be fleshed out in this proposal.

For instance, try this on for size.

I’m reading directly from the proposal. They call on educators to “embrace and encourage progressive viewpoints and perspectives that leverage asset thinking toward traditionally marginalized populations,” as well as “understand and value the notion…that there is not one ‘correct’ way of doing or understanding something, and that what is seen as ‘correct’ is most often based on our lived experiences.”

Say what? As a parent, it was my job to teach my children “the correct way” of doing things. It was built on respect and our core values as a family. This gobbledygook essentially says truth is illusive. Truth does not exist.

Note to the state board. Concentrate on your math scores and spare us the progressive agenda.

Clear As Mud

2020-11-11T03:47:00.004-08:00

I’m tired of doing the work of the Governor and the Illinois Department of Public Health.

It was once again left to the radio station to interpret the latest mitigations from on high. The order came down, without explanation, and then it is left to us to try and make it understandable.

The order states increased Tier 2 mitigations are in effect for Region 5….and they started early this morning. They include another limit on social gatherings….moving from 25 to 10 maximum.

Isn’t that crazy? You can pack a school but you can’t pack a church.

Don’t ask our next State Senator about this. Darren Bailey says the Governor has until Friday to respond to the Clay County verdict which ruled against J. B. Pritzker’s executive orders. Bailey says churches should not be closed and most groups around the state routinely ignore the Governor’s orders.

What a horrible place it puts the folks at the Wayne County Health Department…and the state police….and our local law enforcement officers. They aren’t going to show up Sunday morning to close a church and the Governor knows it. Even worse…local spiritual leaders have to make a decision to turn their back on the Governor…or turn their back on religious assembly.

Why would you not say that places of worship are in the same boat as schools who are engaged in live learning?

Some churches have already announced they do not think the mitigation applies to Sunday services. I don’t see that in the order.

Simply stated, the Governor needs to be clearer.

Hunting, A Constitutional Right?

2020-11-10T03:47:00.002-08:00

The State of Utah did something interesting in last week’s election.

It made hunting and fishing a state constitutional right with 74-percent of the electorate voting yes. I don’t know if you are aware but there are 22 states with similar provisions in their constitutions and it is gaining steam. North Carolina voted yes in 2018. Four years ago a similar pro-hunting and fishing amendment was passed in Kansas and nearby Indiana. Kentucky also has it.

Why not?

After all, it took an amendment to keep our current state income tax at the flat rate of 4.95 percent. If that wasn’t in the constitution, I guarantee the folks in Springfield would free-lance every session.

The constitutional right to hunt and fish does not alter the need for the Illinois Department of Natural Resources. They would still mandate seasons and sell licenses to those of us who enjoy hunting and fishing. It would merely insure we have the right to do so in the state’s constitution. No laws could abridge or eliminate that right.

This is not a new idea. It goes back to Vermont. They were enlightened enough to include the provision in their initial constitution in 1777.

Hunting and fishing are among our most lucrative forms of economic development in southeastern Illinois.

They need to be protected as a right.

Miller Shouldn't Get Comfortable

2020-11-09T03:48:00.000-08:00

I know you are sick of political analysis. I am too. But I think it is important to address the electoral college which insured victory for the Democrats over the weekend.

Illinois was a blue island in the middle of a red Midwest sea. That made it important….but not important enough to visit…even in the primaries. And our state is about to become less significant with the release of the 2020 census.

Illinois now has 20 electoral votes. Back in 1940, it had 29. But decades of miserable leadership have seen a multitude of native Prairie Staters head elsewhere. That means less representatives in the U.S. House and fewer electoral votes. In other words, this dependable blue state is destined to have less influence.

The latest educated guess is that Illinois could see the loss of up to three congressional districts….meaning we will only have fewer votes in the electoral college. There is also an exodus from high tax Democratic states like California and New York. The common denominator is the dominance of the Democratic party in those states. People are looking to states with less income taxes in the Sun Belt.

So how will Illinois cut its congressional districts? The Democrats will decide. I know at least one seat that could go away in two years. Our own 15^th district won last week by Republican Mary Miller.

If I was Miller…I think I’d just rent in Washington, D.C.

A Black Eye

2020-11-06T03:44:00.000-08:00

Once again the polling industry was engaged in an epic fail in predicting several key states during this week’s presidential election.

Texas was supposed to be a toss-up and the President won by six-points…..another high profile poll had the former vice president winning Ohio comfortably and Florida as a toss-up. I said a few weeks ago that the polls, which were horrible in 2016, were under the gun to produce this time around. They didn’t.

As I have suggested, it isn’t really all their fault. People like me do not pick up when it is obvious a call to my cellphone is a pollster. I don’t think I’m alone in not wanting to be polled prior to an election.

One veteran political consultant, Neil Kwatra, says most of the notable public polls are nowhere near as well-funded and accurate as the ones used by the candidates themselves. Money was flowing in this campaign. Did you see the cash thrown at the unsuccessful challenge to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell in Kentucky? The campaigns spent over $100-million dollars collectively. I bet they had good polling.

It is obvious that voter turnout also was a factor. Few anticipated the record numbers who surged to the polls, especially on election day.

It is time for some real reflection in the polling industry. They got it wrong again in many of the battleground states.

I’m not trying to say it had an impact on the outcome. It probably didn’t. I am saying trust in national polls got another black eye on Tuesday.

Postscript

2020-11-05T03:49:00.003-08:00

Just a few notes and opinions surrounding the 2020 election..

First, congratulations to Carrie Jo Dagg who by accounts ran an excellent campaign to upset longtime Wayne County Coroner Jimmy Taylor.

Dagg undoubtedly also benefited from a “red wave” of Republican voters. It didn’t hurt her that the top of the ballot went 84-percent for the president while Darren Bailey and Adam Niemerg also skated to victory. In other words, it is hard being a successful Democrat in Wayne County.

Dagg will be the first county coroner here in decades not affiliated with a local funeral home. Will it cost more to hold bodies or host autopsies for the county now? Taylor was just paid mileage on the use of his vehicle. Will Dagg need a ride? So, the change could cost the county a little money.

On another front….

With the miserable failure of the so-called fair tax, the hole in the Illinois budget gets bigger. I’m sure Governor Pritzker is praying for a Biden victory.

Why? Because a new Biden administration could write a $200 billion dollar check to the state earmarked for pandemic relief. The Governor and Speaker will say, “problem solved,” but we all know that is a sham. The spending will continue.

The revolution that is needed will just get kicked down the road.

Gym For Rent

2020-11-04T03:40:00.003-08:00

The high stakes game of “chicken” continues in Illinois. At stake is whether or not high school basketball will be played starting in December or in the spring….or even at all.

The Illinois High School Association was prepared to start on December 1^st with many safeguards designed to make the sport safer for athletes. They modeled their rules after what has happened in nearly every other Midwest state.

But the Governor thought differently. He ordered basketball season be kicked down the road until next calendar year. Now everybody has an opinion. Three state representatives including our own Darren Bailey issued a letter this week urging local school boards to make the decision.

That’s kind of a moot point. They will end up deciding---either with the IHSA or the Governor. Boards of education have to consult their insurance carriers and legal counsel to weigh the risk of going against J.B. Pritzker. It isn’t even known whether or not they could be personally liable if someone got sick. Boards will most assuredly be skewered by parents and athletes for whatever they decide.

This will come to a head fast. Practice was supposed to start in less than two weeks. Special school board meetings will have to occur before. They will be heavily attended and emotional.

Here’s your sign…Central Illinois Catholic schools, Springfield and Chicago Public Schools have already weighed in. They aren’t playing.

…and that leads me to believe The Mule Barn will be silent this winter.

Vote. Please.

2020-11-03T04:05:00.000-08:00

Election Day 2020 will unfold with almost two-thirds of the vote cast four years ago already in the book.

No doubt the pandemic drove people to vote early. My wife and I did so because of our fear that we would be unexpectantly placed in isolation and unable to carry out our duties.

And that is what it is. A duty. If you are a member of a free society it is incumbent for you to vote for the leaders of your government. To pass is the same as saying you are totally abdicating control of your life.

I’ll be anxious to see the results, not only in the national races but also the ones closer to home. I will be most interested in the so-called fair tax which would ---if approved---implement a graduated state income tax.

A Bloomington Pantagraph poll over the weekend showed nearly 70-percent of those Illinoisans asked, didn’t like the idea. I don’t either. It gives Springfield much too much power…and doesn’t inspire the real solution to our state’s imminent bankruptcy. You need to cut spending, which is something big government won’t do unless they are forced.

We will cover national, state and local races tonight on 104.9 FM starting at 7:00 o’clock. Jeff Vaughan will join me on the air and Derek Dunn will keep our social media filled with up-to-date results as we get them.

There’s still time for you to weigh in.

Vote. Please.

Grotefest 2020

2020-11-02T03:56:00.001-08:00

Back in around 1983, I was a young news director of this radio station and found myself living in Fairfield alone. I had some time on my hands…..when I had a couple of people talk up the Christmas display at the Paul Mullins farm in Ingraham. I listened.

I actually got in my car during a weeknight and drove up there. It was marvelous. Well if you haven’t noticed, the same thing is happening in Fairfield. Ken Otey reports he ran into a Carmi family at a local convenience store filling up on gasoline and grabbing food here before going by see the Halloween display at the Grote family home on South First Street. And Otey said they claimed there were other White County families on their way here.

Seeing the event was nothing short of incredible. We had a front row seat at our house across the street from the display. We had over 550 visitors and we had a third of the traffic entertained by the Grote family: Terry, Gayla and daughter Mercedes.

It was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Hundreds of people parked along South First, which is also a state highway. I think the city is going to have to consider traffic and pedestrian control in future years.

I wonder if there’s not more that can be done here in town since Fairfield is becoming a Halloween destination. Maybe other organizations can take advantage of the Grote’s imagination and regional pull.

Credibility Of Pollsters At Stake

2020-10-29T03:48:00.001-07:00

Longtime pollster Frank Luntz says there is a lot riding on this election for him and his entire profession.

Luntz says the colossal miss by pollsters four years ago in their prediction of a winner in the presidential race makes it imperative for his colleagues to get it right this time.

That said, I don’t have confidence in the polling industry. Mostly because I do not think people are entirely truthful when approached by a pollster or called on the phone. It’s their right not to be.

I have a Texas area code because I did not change my number when I returned to Illinois in 2012. So, when I get an unidentified call from Houston or Amarillo, I just don’t answer. This time of year it’s a pollster.

I have the same problem when I call people for the first time around here. They are convinced the Texas number that comes up on their phone is either a pollster or a sales person. They don’t answer.

In the last presidential election there were people who would not admit to anyone, much less a pollster, that they supported a populist. People won’t tell a pollster something they feel is socially unacceptable. As the response rate plummets, so does the accuracy.

And maybe some just tell an untruth. It might be as simple as…..it’s none of your business what I do in the sanctity of the polling booth.

That’s fair enough. Not everybody is so transparent to fly a flag or put a sign in their yard. They think it is nobody’s business. And that is why I think Frank Luntz should be worried about the future of his profession.

The Show Goes On

2020-10-28T03:52:00.001-07:00

Fairfield is a giving and courageous community. Even with a pandemic bearing down on us, the city is refusing to say no to tradition.

Yes Virginia, there will be a Christmas parade.

With respect and gratitude to the Fairfield Kiwanis, who have sponsored the parade for decades, Mayor Pro-Tem Gary Moore with the help of the Greater Fairfield Chamber of Commerce and a few civic minded citizens, are making sure kids can see Santa roll into town once again, unintimidated by a virus.

The annual parade will be in the late afternoon of December 5^th and we will live stream it for those who do not feel comfortable attending.

In my view this is just like the trick-or-treating decision. The city decided to move forward with it. You don’t have to participate. If you do, it seems to me the amount of risk to you is extremely light.

The generosity of Doug and Dana Wilson needs to be noted. They made a large contribution to the parade. They deserve Fairfield’s gratitude for their continuing philanthropy. If you see them, they need to be thanked.

This parade was dead…added to a list of cancellations which seem to dominate our local culture….but it was saved through the efforts of a few.

Perseverance needs to be modeled. This parade makes that statement.