Give Commissioner Collins what she wants

Cook County Commissioner Earlean Collins, abstained from yesterday's vote on the effort to override President Todd Stroger's veto of the repeal of Todd Stroger's repressive 1 percent sales tax.

In effect, the board was not able to override Stroger's veto. The county has an outrageous standard that requires 80 percent to override a president's veto. That, hopefully will change but probably not as fast as change will come to the county board itself in the Spring when Stroger is dumped as the Democratic Party candidate for re-election. Maybe Stroger, who I predict will be rightfully ousted by the party, can form his own party and run under that banner: "The Excessive Repressive Taxation Party."

And while every commissioner voted the conscience, or at least their fear of a backlash from voters, the most fearful and cowardly were Collins and Robert Steele, the son of a former commissioner who grabbed the president's office long enough to greedily jack up her pension.

Collins told commissioner in explaining her refusal to vote, "You want to vote me out of office? Hooray. I would just love to go home for once in my life and relax."

Really? Then do us all a favor Earlean and quit. Why waste your time and our time by having you take up that wasted space on the Cook County Board. Go home, Earlean. Don't wait for anyone in your district to throw you out. Do us a favor.

Stroger's veto of the sales tax repeal was the best move for the taxpayers of Cook County. It will be just the right incentive to galvanize voters to throw Stroger out of office in the Spring Democratic primary rather than waiting until November. He'll be able to cause all kinds of havoc as a lame duck loser between elections, but it can be repaired.

The first thing they should do in sweeping Stroger out of office is take his disgraceful name off of the County's bloated and inefficient and poorly run hospital.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com