Negative Campaign Mailings are 'Serious Business'
Letter to the editor
We have always thought that there should be some semblance of real facts in political mailings and even in negative advertising.
Of course, we all now expect negative advertising. However, the continued barrage of negative advertising from the Democratic Party on behalf of Carol Sente is neither logical nor factually correct. As the Chicago Tribune pointed out in its recent editorial, the mail piece now out and stating that Carol Sente will defend Medicare and Social Security would be laughable, if this were not serious business. Similar mail pieces, put out for Sente and other Democratic candidates and funded by the Democratic Party of Illinois, claim local Republican candidates “are leading the charge to cut Social Security and Medicare.”
“These are candidates for the Illinois Legislature. They have absolutely nothing to do with Social Security and Medicare,” the Sept. 30 editorial stated. “How often do state House members vote on Social Security and Medicare? Never.”
Medicare and Social Security are strictly federal issues and there is no power residing in the General Assembly to either cut or not cut these programs.
The second mail piece that we received attempted to blame state Rep. Sid Mathias, Sente's opponent, for higher real estate taxes. Well, we checked the legislation cited and it did not raise real estate taxes at all! What it did was give local school boards, where deemed locally feasible and helpful, the ability via a “front-door referendum” to consolidate with other school districts.
On the other hand, Carol Sente is in favor of forced consolidation of school districts directed by Springfield and without local input.
These are just two examples of the Sente mail campaign in this election that conveniently rearranges the truth.
Our vote is for Sid Mathias - honest, truthful and hard-working for our community.
Debbie and Joel Brodsky
Buffalo Grove
HKS
10:19 am on Saturday, October 27, 2012
Don't forget the .50 cal Machine gun weapons ban. Since when are they allowed in the hands of non-military people? As for .50 cal rifles, please check the statistics and facts. Absolutely 0 ( ZERO ) have been used in the commission of a crime in this country. Ever. Why is this a major campaign issue ? Should we be a nuclear weapons free zone next ?
R. Franklin
4:36 pm on Sunday, October 28, 2012
This Letter to the Editor sounds like it was written by the Mathias campaign. Besides the obvious tie of both attending the same synagogue, Joel and Sid are longtime friends.
And to the previous comment, the slippery slope fallacy is not an argument. Besides, it's legal to own a .50 caliber rifle. Ever heard of a Barrett? Also, the Democratic Party mailer in question talks about assault weapons and uses a .50 cal as an example.
Sid must be desperate if he is resorting to getting his attorney friends to submit letters to the editor. We don't need another term with Mathias. 14 years as a Rep, 30 years in politics and 3 pensions is enough! Sente for state rep!
Grand High Exhalted Mystic Ruler over all Racoondom
3:02 pm on Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sente ... Mathias ... does it really matter? Both will just continue the bloated, debt-ridden work that has been the hallmark of Illinois government for the last century. Want change? Best move to another state.