West Frankfort Taxpayers Can Take Back Their Local Government

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Chicago – West Frankfort taxpayers have the opportunity to take back their local government next Tuesday by voting ‘yes’ on a referendum to repeal Home Rule, according to Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
“Home rule is home ruin as taxpayers of West Frankfort found out the hard way,” said Jim Tobin, president of TUA.
“After several questionable ‘investments’ of taxpayer dollars into Morthland College, taxpayers are outraged that the city council is engaged in shady dealings with taxpayer money taken through Home Rule.”
“The relationships between the city council and Morthland College as well as the contractors who will benefit from the Home Rule taxes envy those of any Chicago Machine scandals!”
“Home Rule strips the power of the taxpayers to vote on issues of taxation and regulation and places too much power into the hands of the local government bureaucrats. Any government that asks taxpayers to give up their right to vote on matters of taxation has questionable motives.”
“Taxpayers in West Frankfort have the opportunity to put the brakes on the cronyism that Home Rule enabled by voting ‘yes’ to repeal Home Rule.”
“Ask yourselves this question: Are we better off since we adopted Home Rule?”
“Is it in the best interest of the taxpayers to co-sign a loan for Morthland College? Is it in the best interest of the taxpayers to make the loan payments for Morthland College?”
“It should be pretty clear to taxpayers in West Frankfort that Home Rule has placed too much power in the hands of local thugs who abuse the very taxpayers who pay their salaries.”
“Regardless of what the West Frankfort bureaucrats tell us about the need and use for Home Rule power, 80% of Home Rule and all other local taxes go to fund salaries and benefits of government employees.”
“West Frankfort government employee, Daralyn Troutt, retired at the age of 56 and collects $40,115 in annual pension payments that will accumulate to $1,727,837 in estimated lifetime payments. The average Social Security ‘pension’ for taxpayers is only about $15,000 a year!”
· Click here to see the complete list of West Frankfort municipal pensions
“The local unemployment rate is still in double digits and a long list of businesses have closed up shop. It’s time for West Frankfort taxpayers to take their community back from the greedy bureaucrats who are driving the city into the ground.”
“I urge taxpayers of West Frankfort to vote ‘yes’ to repeal Home Rule next Tuesday. Take back your right to vote on taxes and put the brakes on cronyism and petty regulations of power hungry government bureaucrats.”

Strong Candidates Round Out the List of Tax Accountability’s 2014 Endorsements

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Chicago—Today, Tax Accountability (TA), the political action arm of Taxpayers United of America (TUA), announced its Illinois candidate endorsements for the November 4, 2014 general election.
“This is an important time to elect lawmakers at all levels of government, who promise to vote against any and all tax increases,” said Jim Tobin, president of TA and TUA.
“I urge voters to support these individuals who have indicated their intent to spend taxpayer money responsibly and have signed our Taxpayer Protection Pledge in which they vow to reduce the total tax burden of Illinois’ tax-abused constituents. TA will not endorse any candidate that does not sign our pledge.”
“Candidates like Julie Fox, who exemplify the principals and standards of TA need to be recognized for their long history of tax fighting activism. Julie will make an excellent Comptroller because she is a CPA who has the experience required to do the job and experience in standing up for taxpayers and fighting to reduce taxes.”
“Please click on the links below to find out more about each one of these candidates. Consider making a donation to the candidates personally and most of all, vote for them on November 4, 2014 to help put Illinois back on track.”
U.S. Senate
· Jim Oberweis
U.S. House of Representatives
· Eric M. Wallace, IL District 2
· Sharon M. Brannigan, IL District 3
Illinois State
· Julie Fox, Comptroller
· Ben Koyl, Attorney General
· Matthew Skopek, Treasurer of State
Illinois State House
· Denis Detzel, District 14
· Kathy Myalls, District 17
· Bill Grossi, District 57
· Mark Neerhof, District 58
· Steve Reick, District 63
· Joe Sosnowski, District 69
· Jerry Long, District 76
· Glenn Nixon, District 79
· Diane Harris, District 86
· Brian Stewart, District 89
· Yvonne Bolton, District 98
Illinois State Senate
· Stefanie Linares, District 6
· Kyle McMarter, District 54

Senate Despot Dick Durbin Plays Politics with Indefinite Detention

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Chicago – Illinois political hack Richard J. “Dick” Durbin (D) has been in the U.S. Senate seventeen years too long. Time and time again for nearly two decades, Durbin has failed to reconcile his occasional calls for moderate government reforms with his overall track record of encouraging the growth of the size and scope of the government at every level. Perhaps even worse, he plays politics with his voting record on the most important of issues.
Durbin boasts that he voted ‘Nay’ on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) for Fiscal Year 2012, which Pres. Obama signed into law on Dec. 31, 2011. Inserted into the annual legislation which specifies the budget and expenditures for the Department of Defense, one of the most controversial new subsections authorizes the indefinite detention of individuals by military personnel without due process, regardless of their legal status or their location at the time of rendition.
According to an analysis by the ACLU, this act codifies into law indefinite military detention without charge or trial for the first time in American history,” said Jim Tobin, President of Taxpayers United of America (TUA).
Although Durbin voted against the 2012 NDAA and the 2013 NDAA, he cast a ‘Yea’ vote for the 2014 NDAA, which at present still contains the provisions permitting the indefinite detention of individuals without trial. Durbin also voted ‘Yea’ for the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force (AUMF), enabling the endless wars and lawlessness both abroad and at home for the past thirteen years. Unfortunately, the NDAA for Fiscal Year 2015 will almost assuredly pass again sometime in December 2014, as it has for more than five decades.
And worse yet, for more than a year and as recently as last month, Durbin has advocated rewriting the AUMF with even broader authorities, perhaps encompassing or exceeding those provided by the current NDAA he claims to oppose.
“The NDAA detention subsections are not limited to people captured in an actual armed conflict, as required by the laws of war,” continued Tobin. “As the ACLU stated, ‘There is substantial public debate around whether the NDAA could be read even to repeal the Posse Comitatus Act and authorize indefinite military detention without charge or trial within the United States.’ How Durbin will vote this time is anyone’s guess, but his voting record does not match his supposedly stalwart opposition to such tyrannical government legislation.”
“That Durbin would play politics with such an alarming expansion of government power is revealing of Durbin’s mindset, not to mention his knack for political posturing, claiming to be against the legislation while helping retain it as law. Durbin is the epitome of the D.C. Establishment.”
Concluded the ACLU: “The provisions – which were negotiated by a small group of members of Congress, in secret, and without proper congressional review – are inconsistent with fundamental American values.”
“Durbin has been in office far too long, and he needs to go,” Tobin emphasized. “He is a rabid supporter of big government, big spending, and eroding civil liberties, and is therefore a threat to everyone’s liberty and their wallets.”