Can't Secretary of State Jesse White count?

I just got the mail this morning and received a notice for the renewal of my license plate for 2010. It comes from Jesse White, of course, the secretary of state. And it shows an increase in the license fee, now $99. White was careful to make sure the letter pointed out that it was the fault of the "Illinois Legislature" for the increase in the fee. The note, on the upper flap of the convenient return payment envelope reads:

"Public Act 96-34, approved by the General Assembly and signed into law by the Governor, established a $20 fee increase for license plate registration/renewal and applies to registrations expiring in January 2010 and later."

That's me, of course. My license plate expires March 31, 2010.

I'm also not surprised that White would pass the buck and that the legislature made sure that the increase didn't get announced until AFTER the February 2 primary elections, so that people like White would be unopposed. Because if the voters knew White was planning to raise the fee on license plates and pass the buck on the legislature, maybe someone would have run against him.

I like Jesse White, but I wonder about how much he likes me. He spends more time leading the Jesse White tumblers on tours throughout the state to promote his re-election candidacy than he does spending time worrying about me.

Can you blame him, though? Every elected official cares about themselves before they care about us.

But I am perturbed that no one in White's office can count. Well, they were able to count the days on the calendar to make sure the timing of the increase came AFTER White won his Democratic Party nomination, unchallenged. he knew enough to count those days to make sure I didn't get my notice until after the election.

I am more perturbed though by the error on the billing. Yes, an error from the Secretary of State's office. Imagine that. The last time I renewed my license, it cost me $78. This time, White says, it will cost me $99. Yes, $99.

So, if they increased the fee $20, shouldn't my bill be $98 not $99. But who cares about an extra dollar theft from some government agency that rips off the taxpayers everyday routinely and without any accountability, caring or explanation.

The math is wrong, Jesse. But with how many millions of vehicles in Illinois, that $1 mistake could reap even more money.

I'll pay it, of course, But I will also be praying that one day we get an honest politician to hold public office, instead of the sneaky little slippery people who claim to be our elected officials today.

$1 is nothing to jesse White and his tumblers and his patronage workers, but it means something symbolic to me about the inherent corruption and failings of our unaccountable government in Illinois.

-- Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

How Mayor McLaughlin is manipulating the property tax collections to shore up his re-election

How Mayor McLaughlin is manipulating the property tax collections to shore up his re-election

Click HERE for a history of Orland Park's elections (1998 to present)

Want to know how the Orland Park Tax Rebate program is being manipulated to manage the results of the local elections?

First of all, remember, that when you impose a property tax and then rebate it, it is a tax reduction. When you repeal all or part of the tax rebate, it is a TAX INCREASE. Don't let the politicians define for you what a tax increase is or isn't. It IS defined by the bottomline of how much money is taken by the village from your pocket and KEPT.

But back to our main story this morning on how Mayor Dan McLaughlin used and abused taxes to help shore up his re-elections over the years and how the tax rebate plan was used to keep the sheep voters (you) sleepy and happy grazing on our "Tall Grass."

In 2002, the Village of Orland Park increased the sales tax .75 in order to generate more revenues for their spending. (Most people have forgotten that.)To off-set the increase, and counter the anger from the community, Mayor McLaughlin and the Village Board proposed rebating the village property tax that was collected. They could have reduced the property tax itself, but like all politicians they want you to remember that he that taketh can also giveth. That year, they returned 50 percent of the property tax rebate and the Orland Park sheep, I mean voters, went back to grazing mindlessly and uncaringly about their community. It was a great political gimmick and it worked. Go to the Village's very informative web site and you'll see press releases one everything, all the "happy talk: McLaughlin is used to pouring into the spoons of the local newspapers. But there ISN'T a press release on cutting the tax rebate program, which is a BACKDOOR Property tax increase. McLaughlin won a contested re-election in 2001 by a comfortable margin. But comfortable isn't good enough for politicians like McLaughlin who say one thing from one side of their mouths and somethign else from the other. That's why the Tax Rebate plan was so ingenious. Take the property tax burden that he and his village board put on the people of Orland Park, and then withdraw it and pretend like you are doign the taxpayers a favor. That's the concept of the "Tax Rebate" Plan. It really benefits the elected officials more than it does the home owners. (The rebate equals about 5 percent of the total taxes on a typical Orland Park property, but it means huge benefits for McLaughlin.)

At first, it was only a half-rebate of the village tax. But in 2002, McLaughlin went to a full rebate after imposing the Sales Tax Increase of .75 percent. Remember, McLaughlin's argument then was the burden fell on people who lived outside of Orland Park who were coming into this retail giant of a shopping strip, so, he argued, while you would pay, too, outsiders would pay and help build the village.

AND McLAUGHLIN WOULD REBATE YOUR PROPERTY TAXES in order to make you accept the sales tax increase.

Cheap politics. But the sheep in Orland Park simply went about their business uncaring, grazing and baaaahing!

They went to the full rebate to shore up his re-election chances. And sure enough, in 2005 McLaughlin and his clerk David P. Maher, (the father of the Orland Fire Protection District head who clobbered seniors recently by ordering that they pay for ambulance service out of pocket -- what a putz!), were UNOPPOSED for election. McLaughlin received almost every vote that was cast in the contested race four years early, 9,200 or so votes.

And the rebate stayed the same.

Now, McLaughlin wants to abolish the rebate. Who cares about the taxpayers who have proven to be sheep-voters who are easily abused and exploited. But McLaughlin DOESN'T DARE eliminate the ENTIRE TAX REBATE because he is up for re-election on April 7, 2009 and he won't know until January if he is going to face a challenger and McLaughlin doesn't take chances., the huge salaried union plumber spokesman that he is.

Believe me when I tell you that they WILL repeal the entire Rebate after this next election. They don't need it any more to make you forget about the .75 increase in the Orland Park sales tax because you have already forgotten. McLaughlin's pals in Cook County Board President Todd Stroger's regime sure took care of that this year.

So, McLaughlin WILL repeal the tax rebate, but after the election.

In the meantime, they will reduce it 33 percent as a start. They need the money. Their strategy to choke this community with retail businesses to boast sales taxes is not working 1) because sales taxes are so high many people are fleeing to Will County to make larger purchases and 2) the economy has tanked.

You can go to my Radio Show Web Site http://www.radiochicagoland.com/ and get information on how EASY it is to run for public office. Are you going to let McLaughlin run unopposed again?

Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Letters, letters and more letters: Fire "Protect the President's Career" District

Dear Mr. Hanania

I am a faithful reader of you blog. In regards to your recent article regarding the Orland Park Fire District charging for ambulance fees, I would like to respond, anonymously, of course.

The "whisper" behind these fees is that the President of the Board of Trustees [of the Orland Park Fire Protection District], Pat Maher, will be seeking a seat on the Cook COunty Board of Commissioners in the 2010 election.

As was stated in the Southtown/Star, "the fire district is not running short of funds but the new policy, which will bring in about $1 million a year, will help prevent future tax increases."

Mr. Maher will collect these ambulance fees, sit on them until he has a nice accumulation, then he will rebate them back to the taxpayers just in time so this "good deed" is fresh in the voters' minds when we go to the polls in 2010. A move right out of the playbook of Mayor Dan McLaughlin.

This should also answer the question you asked in your July 29, 2008 article titled "Campaign Disclosure Notes for Orland Park." Under article V -- Friends of Patrick M. Maher, you asked, "So why did he [Maher] create this campaign [fund] in March?

Now you know.

Sincerely,
Anonymous

Dear Anonymous.

Thank you for sharing your views and what you have heard. I think you hit the political nail on the head and I believe Maher is planning to run for higher office and Cook COunty Board -- which does nothing in Orland Park ala Elizabeth Gorman Doody -- is the perfect spot to grab. Gorman will probably retire, as she is worthless. Maher and McLaughlin are politically very close. They share friendship in a certain computer company involved in another legal mess.

And I hope voters are smart enough to see past Maher's scheme. I mean, McLaughlin raised taxes in Orland Park and built up a huge surplus that he "rebates" back to voters. Of course, this year he imposed a back-door property tax hike by only rebating a part of that promised rebate. He's keeping about 40 percent for the village and that is a 40 percent hike in property taxes.

Not that I can get McLaughlin or Maher to ever respond as they don't care. They share that imported 19th Ward Chicago arrogance that they can do whatever they want because the people they "govern" are too apathetic to bother protesting or asking questions, and most newspapers in this area don't write about controversy, especially when kissing ass is so much more lucrative.

Thanks for writing
Ray Hanania
www.OrlandParker.com

Dear Ray

You wrote a while back that Orland Park Police Chief Timothy McCarthy would make a great candidate for mayor. Is there any truth to the rumors McLaughlin is retiring?

Thanks
a "Blue Heron"

Dear "Blue Heron"

Thanks for your letter. I am not sure. My sources in the village hall and in the police department tell me McCarthy wants to run for office and may run for mayor only if McLaughlin steps down. McCarthy would make a great elected official so I hope the rumors are true.

Thank you for writing.

You do more than the Village Clerk, his son and the mayor combined.

Ray Hanania
www.RadioChicagoland.com

You can email your comments to:

rayhanania@comcast.net

and I will keep your identities private and will not publish them if you request. Or, you can also send your letters to my PO Box at

Ray Hanania
PO Box 2127
Orland Park, IL., 60462

OR ... you can call me on my radio show every morning on WJJG 1530 AM Radio Monday thru Friday from 8 am until 9:30 am and share your thoughts anonymously also.

Let's put Orland Park back on the map of accountability.

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