Ed Rutledge for Lieutenant Governor

By Ed Rutledge

Libertarian for Lt Governor of Illinois

07/28/2010

As a candidate, I am frequently asked where I stand on gun control. The problem with answering this question directly is that my support of the Constitution is considered by some to be an approval of kids getting shot. Obviously, while I fully support the Constitution, I am horrified by the nearly constant reports of kids getting killed in our inner cities. But what horrifies me even more than the shootings is the lack of real action to stop the violence.

The problem with gun control laws is that they address a symptom while ignoring the root of the problem. The real issue here is not guns, but endemic inner city violence. But this is a more complex issue than most politicians want to handle, so they continue to pass feel-good, do-nothing gun laws. And kids keep getting shot. Frankly, this is unacceptable. Unfortunately for those kids, while there is a solution to this problem, its implementation will take political courage that our elected officials apparently do not have.

The solution to this problem can be found by looking at the problem, itself. When we consider the disbursement of shootings, and other violent crimes, they are concentrated in areas of high gang activity. This would suggest that our problem with endemic violence is really a problem with gangs. In other words, we don’t have a gun problem, we have a gang problem. So how do we address the gang problem? With a three pronged approach.

First, we need to get kids into performing schools. Whether through vouchers, tax credits, private scholarships, or charter schools, it does not matter. What matters is that our society, through political influence, is condemning a significant portion of our youth to dangerous, non-performing schools. Without a decent education, these kids see a bleak and limited life path ahead of them. Our kids deserve a brighter future than what we are currently offering. We need to start living up to our Constitutional obligation, and make sure that all kids in Illinois have access to a quality education. Unless we start giving these kids a decent education, a life in gangs will remain a very real alternative.

Second, we need to make sure that there are jobs available for kids coming out of high school, understanding that not all Illinoisans will go on to college. There is no reason why Illinois high school graduates should not have opportunities to pick up work experience and start their climb up the ladder of success. Current policy, however, consistently takes away ladders by taxing and regulating jobs out of Illinois. And by imposing a minimum wage even higher than what the federal government requires, our politicians have raised the first rung of those ladders which to a height that few high school graduates can reach. A kid cannot start down the path to success without being able to take the first step. We need to eliminate the government created barriers that limit job availability for these kids. Unless there are real entry level jobs awaiting these kids upon graduation from high school, a life in gangs will remain a very real alternative.

 

Finally, we need to cut off gang finances. It is well known that gangs generate enormous amounts of money through the illicit drug trade. But since the “merchants” in this market have been forced outside of the legitimate legal system, they also have been forced to protect their business through violence. In other words, government policies have given gangs a highly lucrative reason to exist, while forcing these same gangs to rely on guns, rather than lawyers, to settle disputes. And who gets to carry those guns? The very kids that society left uneducated, without a job, and without hope. Unless we take the government induced profits out of this black market, gangs will remain a very real alternative. 

 

It is time to demand that our politicians address the root causes of the endemic violence plaguing our state. Gun control laws have not worked, because guns are not the problem. Instead, we need to refocus our energies on giving kids the best possible opportunity to succeed, while reducing the attractiveness of street gangs as a viable option. If we give kids hope for the future, and if we destroy the financial foundation supporting gang activity, then we will see a reduction in violence. We just need the political courage to make it happen.

GOP Hypocrisy

By Lex Green

Libertarian for Illinois Governor

07/29/2010

 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Bill Brady found to be against voter choice in Illinois

 

Bloomington, Illinois – July 29, 2010 – Republican Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady responsible for attacks on voter choice

 

The truth is out about who is behind the attack on voter choice. During petition challenges against the Constitution Party, one of the objectors stated that he is working for Bill Brady. In spite of Senator Brady's silence about this disregard for ethical ballot choice, he is, in fact, a co-conspirator. And the lawyer who is the principle objector is John Fogarty, long time ally of Tom Cross. It looks like the Republican Party is calling out the big guns.

 

This is especially interesting, considering the loud protests of injustice when the Democrats attacked Republican Cedra Crenshaw's petition. This is hypocrisy in action. Congratulations to Cedra for winning her case. Now is a good time for her to call for the Republicans to drop their objections.

 

A true limited government would let the people decide who runs for office, and who gets elected. Senator Brady's using unfair laws, some put into place by his party, to push the kind of Big Government policies he says he opposes. This kind of doublespeak is not the leadership we need in Springfield. Senator Brady is the epitome of the career politician who puts Party ahead of Principle. Isn't that what we are trying to change?

 

For a real change, vote Libertarian. Vote Lex Green for Governor of Illinois.

 

Contact:
Lex Green
media@electlex.com
www.electlex.com
PO Box 5713
Bloomington, IL

Ph: (309) 828-9212

 

 

 

GOP Fear

By Ed Rutledge

Libertarian Candidate for Lt Governor of Illinois

07/29/2010

 

Bill Brady is afraid, as well he should be. Only as the Libertarian candidates became increasingly active on the speaking circuit was our opposition compelled to speak in public. And when he does speak, he flees the scene before the hard questions can be asked because he knows that he will not be able to offer consistent answers throughout all of Illinois. But he should know that the Libertarian candidates are not afraid of our future employers and are, instead, overjoyed to talk with citizens about our ideas for a better Illinois. And the Libertarian candidates are willing to go anywhere in Illinois to do so.

 

Bill Brady is afraid, as well he should be. He has refused to debate Libertarian candidates in an open forum, because he knows that he will fall short. While Libertarian candidates rely on firmly held principles and deeply understood ideas to see us through, our opposition relies on polling data and special interest demands to give direction. Allowing the ship of state to drift in whatever direction the wind happens to blow is the sort of leadership that has put Illinois into its current crisis. But he should know that Libertarian candidates have both a compass and a steady hand, and we know how to bring Illinois back into safe harbor.

 

Bill Brady is afraid, as well he should be. It was recently confirmed that our opposition’s campaign is behind the challenges to our ballot access petition. While our opposition may extol the virtues of competition and the need for reform, his actions only demonstrate the inconsistencies inherent in his beliefs. And by attempting to sabotage his competition before the main event, our opposition is once again proving that he is more concerned with winning an election than with ensuring that Illinois has the quality leadership it needs. But he should know that Libertarian candidates will defeat his baseless challenge, and that we will be on the ballot.

 

Bill Brady is afraid, as well he should be. He knows that he is competing against a better product. He knows that he is a status quo career politician masquerading as a reformer because it seems politically expedient. He knows that he will not be able to fulfill his campaign promises because he is carrying too much baggage collected during his overly long political journey. And he knows that he will only be allowed to deliver more of the same. But he should know that the Libertarian candidates are not going to quietly fade away.

By Ed Rutledge

Libertarian for Illinois Lt. Governor

07/23/2010

 

Our politicians in Springfield just announced that construction will begin in late 2010 on a high-speed rail route between Chicago and St. Louis. Just imagine, those of us in northern Illinois will be able to get on a train after work, enjoy some toasted ravioli and a pork steak in St. Louis, and be back in Sweet Home Chicago with plenty of time to catch the evening news. No longer will we Illinoisans be forced to endure the derision of countries like Japan, Germany, and France. Frankly, this sounds pretty exciting!

 

But maybe we should temper our excitement for a moment, and reflect on what this really means. When was the last time you, living in northern Illinois, were in St. Louis? Or the last time you, living near St Louis, rode the Amtrak to Chicago? Why has it been so long? How many trips do you realistically see yourself making once the high speed rail is in place? If you are like most Illinoisans, then statistically you will ride this system less than 60 miles per year, and will make the round trip only once every 9 years.

 

But, you counter, this may be true now, forced as we are to rely on slow trains and cars, but just wait until we have access to bullet train speed – it will open up all kinds of opportunities for travel. A Chicagoan actually could have dinner in St. Louis and be home in time for the evening news. It will no longer be just a dream!

 

Again, perhaps we should look beyond the hype to see what actually is being proposed. By most definitions, Illinois’s high speed rail will not be high-speed, at all. With a top speed of 110 miles per hour, these trains only technically qualify to be called “moderate-speed rail.” True high speed passenger rail, averaging 125+ mph, requires a completely new installation of special purpose tracks, rather than just the proposed modifications to existing freight lines.

 

Well, 110 miles per hour is still pretty fast. Maybe it won’t let us have dinner in St. Louis and be home for the evening news, but it still turns the 5 hour trip into a 2.5 hour trip. That is a pretty substantial improvement.

 

Sorry to be such a wet blanket, but 110 mph is the maximum proposed speed. The average speed of these trains is projected to be 65-75 mph. At best, our politicians expect this rail system to get us from Chicago to St. Louis in just under 4 hours, which is an average speed of about 65 mph. The Amtrak line between Chicago and St. Louis currently averages 55-65 mph. And how fast do you drive? Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone that you drive above the speed limit…

 

Alright, our politicians will counter, you caught us. The goal of this project is not to get to get more Cubs fans down to Busch Stadium in hopes of rattling the Cardinals’ pitchers. The real goal of this project is to “create” jobs. It’s as simple as that. According to the government’s projections, this project is expected to create 900 jobs in Illinois right now and 6,000 jobs down the road (oops, rail). That is a lot of Illinoisans put back to work at a time when unemployment remains sky-high.

 

Well, now we are onto something. Reducing unemployment is a good thing. So how much will this job creation cost? According to our politicians, this moderate-speed rail system will cost $98 million right now, with a total price-tag of $1.2 billion. Taking our politicians at their word, for what that is worth, this translates to $110,000 per job created right now and $200,000 per job created overall. It is also projected that this rail line will require $80+ million in taxpayer subsidies every year going forward. This is expensive job creation, by any measure. Good thing Illinois is so flush with cash…

 

So Illinois’s high-speed rail program has nothing to do with high-speed rail, or linking Chicago to St. Louis? This is really just a job creation scheme in which taxpayers will get something which we already have but which we don’t use at a cost of billions of dollars? This just sounds like more Illinois politics from the same Illinois politicians.

 

How about this as an alternative? Why don’t we use the $1.2 billion to pay down some of Illinois’s debts, keep traveling at 65 mph, and call it a day? France will still sneer at us, but at least Illinois will be better off.