Thursday, January 29, 2009

Town Meeting

State Rep Keith Farnham and Elgin Mayor Ed Schock
at the Elgin Library January 29, 2009




We had a chance to ask questions and listen to our new state rep, Keith Farnham.
I counted 53 people. Seven of them were AFLA people. That was a pretty good representation.
I asked Farnham if he would help sponsor a bill to get some Immigration training for the State Police. (Alabama has 60 troopers trained.)
He called the idea interesting but stopped short of endorsing it. He then went on to say that he is opposed to employers who exploit workers just because they are illegal.
So I said, "That means you are in favor of E-Verify so employers can't hire people who are here illegally?" He deflected that comment as well.
Then a couple of people on the other side of the room chimed in about illegals taking away jobs. I have no idea who they are but I want to thank them for bringing it up.
I gave Rep. Farnham a copy of our state level initiatives. We'll see if he can buck the party and work on some of those issues.
Farnham is a proponent of "Comprehensive Immigration Reform." I wish those people would stop for a moment and ask, "What will change locally if they give amnesty to illegals?" The answer is that they will take more jobs and more benefits from citizens. The problem already impacts local governments. This will only make matters worse.
Schock spoke a little about the immigration problem and said he's sworn to uphold the U S Constitution and how these are federal matters.
Well, the problem is that not enough people are taking these "federal matters" seriously. They are ignoring the laws on the books.
Schock then went on to say he did not want to see the city sued like Escondido CA and Hazelton PA.
I wanted to ask Schock if AFLA has ever suggested that the city embark on a program that would be against the law. The answer is NO. All of our proposals are grounded in existing programs by federal agencies.
Candidate watch: I saw Brenda Rodgers, Charlene Sligting, and Emi Morales at the meeting. Good for them.
Missing were all the rest, including incumbents Gilliam, Figueroa, and Walters. The perennial Dave Kaptain WAS in the audience.
All in all I think we were well represented. Please put pressure on Farnham to review the state initiatives and give you an answer.

Wednesday, January 28, 2009

Update on Elgin Police and ICE

The city has been kind enough to share with me a memo by Police Chief Womack regarding the way the police department works with Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

For a little clarity I have compiled a recap of the specific case she mentions in her memo:
http://www.legalamericans.net/Valentintimeline.html

Then you can view Womack's memo here:
http://www.legalamericans.net/womackonICE0109.html

I leave it up to the reader to form their own opinion on the matter.

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Take a look

We're up and running with our Candidate Central. Take a peek at the information we have on the candidates. For those of you who wanted more details after the forum last week this is the place to start.

Check back every few days since we are adding information from the candidates as we receive it.

Here's the express link:
http://legalamericans.net/CANDIDATEINDEX.html

IMPORTANT CORRECTION!

Oops! I blew it!
At the forum last week I indicated that people could vote for four of the six candidates in the Primary Election. THAT IS INCORRECT.

The official election notice came with the paper yesterday and you will vote for ONE of the six candidates on February 24th.

The four with the highest vote totals will advance to the election on April 7th.

I apologize for giving you the wrong information.

Doug Heaton

P.S. - For a county clerk under the gun for spending too much, that sure is a nice insert in the newspaper. Full color, 12 pages. There are only about four pages of real information in it. I suppose some regulation or lawsuit requires him to do it.

Thursday, January 22, 2009

A thank you note

Last night while cleaning up after the forum, I found this "special message." The front was one of our AFLA business cards. The back...well.

I know the table I picked it up from. They must have had a laugh over that one, passing notes making fun of their hosts. The person who wrote this wasn't Hispanic and wasn't a child.

On the other hand, I had about a dozen people thank me for hosting the forum. Other AFLA officers reported the same. The candidates were all very gracious.

It's a great deal of work putting together an event like this. We've been planning it for a month. We do it for the grateful ones, the ones who understand the value of the election process and the dear price paid for liberty.

The rest? "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it."-- George Bernard Shaw

Thank you, thank you, thank you

We extend our thanks to everyone who attended the AFLA candidate forum last night. It was a full house. I understand some folks were turned back at the river because the bridge was closed. I'm not sure where we would have put them!

A big thanks to Dave, Pam, Sally, Lynda, Mary, Clyde, Janet, Carol...I'd better stop because I know I'm leaving people out.

And thanks to members of the city council Kaptain, Gilliam, Figueroa, and Walters.

I apologize for not publicly recognizing state rep Keith Farnham but he came in late and we weren't expecting him.

And we'd also like to thank the stars themselves...the candidates.

I believe last night was a shining example of our political process. The tone of the meeting was cordial and focused on the messages of the candidates.

We've sent out a candidate questionnaire calculated to elicit more information on a variety of topics. I've got three back so far and we'll be making their answers available to you.

Keep watching this blog and our website www.legalamericans.net for information about the candidates as well as the other TEN people running for the four-year seat.

Thanks again, everyone.

Monday, January 19, 2009

Come on down...

...the weather's fine.Just in case you were worried about the weather, it looks like things will be fine for our Candidate Forum on Wednesday night.

I drove by the American Legion Hall today and the parking lot looks good. You can even see the asphalt!

So, PLEASE come to the forum Wednesday night. Get out of the house. Meet some other people. Shake off that cabin fever.

Elgin City Council Candidate Forum
Wednesday, January 21st at 7:00 pm
American Legion Hall
820 North Liberty Street
Elgin

Brought to you by The Association for Legal Americans

When will we ever learn?

I spotted this sign today in the window of a real estate office at the corner of Kimball and Dundee.

It is in Spanish. It says, "Buy with ITIN. 2% enrollment"

Actually "enganche" literally means "hook" which is perhaps more accurate. It is like paying points to qualify for the program.

What is ITIN? It stands for Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. ITIN is an IRS program specifically for people who should be paying taxes but do not have a Social Security Number.

If you've ever read the 1040 instructions, you are supposed to pay taxes on income you earn as a drug dealer, prostitute, or bank robber. So, everyone who comes into money in the United States is supposed to pay taxes on their income. ITIN makes sure no one has an excuse.

But the IRS also warns that, "ITINs are for federal tax reporting only, and are not intended to serve any other purpose. An ITIN does not authorize work in the U.S. or provide eligibility for Social Security benefits or the Earned Income Tax Credit. ITINs are not valid identification outside the tax system." Here's the link: http://www.irs.gov/individuals/article/0,,id=96287,00.html#what

So, here in Elgin we have a realtor who is encouraging people to purchase a home even though they don't have a Social Security card.

Banco Popular suspended loans to ITIN holders last October.

At about the same time Mortgage Guarantee Insurance Corp. announced that they would no longer insure ITIN loans.

Just so you know, The Illinois State Government proudly supported ITIN borrowers under their I-Loan program. To quote them directly the Illinois Housing Development Authority "will not differentiate between an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number and a Social Security Number. We feel immigration status is an issue for the INS, the FBI, the Department of Homeland Security and other federal agencies that police these issues. Our concern is with the health and safety and housing needs of Illinois' residents. If a family is active in a community, works in a community and pays taxes in a community for three years, they should not be discriminated against."

It is a little difficult to tell if Illinois still holds to that position.

So, I'm not sure if Great Homes Realty has an old sign or if they continue to sell to illegal aliens.
This risky behavior is only one example of a mortgage market run amok and cheered on by realtors, bankers, lawyers and builders...and sadly backed by the "full faith and credit of the United States Government."

I wonder if they've ever read the IRS document on the uses of an ITIN?

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Where will YOU be on January 21st?

I just received this invitation to join a march on the Washington offices of Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) to end the deportation of illegal aliens.

But I’m busy that day, at the Elgin Candidate Forum.

It frightens me when people talk about amnesty for illegals. It didn’t work in 1986 and the problem is worse today. Our youth can’t find jobs. Our less-skilled citizens can’t find jobs. Our social services are taxed to the max and we are importing more needy people.

Make no mistake, ICIRR and SOAP have no desire to push for the enforcement of our laws and assimilation into our culture. They think asking people to adopt the basic rules of good neighbors is “offensive” and they go on to label us “nutcases.” They were responding to this blog about the responsibilities of new arrivals to Elgin:
http://elginlegalamericans.blogspot.com/2008/12/unprintable-i-guess.html

We are a “hateful group” according to SOAP.

Well, these folks are organizing a trip to Washington to march on ICE headquarters, presumably because it is bad to send people home if they don’t have authorization to be here.

These same people think it’s bad to push for the deportation of the criminals living among us.

So, let’s say this Congress passes the amnesty bill and President Obama signs it. What will change locally? Will the illegals suddenly become model citizens who pay their own way? Will they magically assimilate into our neighborhoods?

And perhaps most important…will granting them amnesty discourage a new wave of illegals from Third World countries?

You really need to attend the candidate forum and find out how our future Elgin leaders feel about this problem. Frankly, the current city council does little to stand up to the illegals they know are living here and committing crimes.

You choose. Hop the bus to DC and protest for the rights of illegals...or come to the candidate forum and see if there is any hope for Elgin.

Two Year Candidate Forum
Wednesday, January 21st, 7:00 pm
American Legion
820 North Liberty Street
Elgin

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Billboard ads

People in business know how expensive it is to buy billboard ad space. Lots of people see it daily.

And if you are scouting an area for a home or a business you can get a feel for the image of a city. Well, here goes.



Ellis Middle School on Liberty Street. We first noticed it over the New Year Holiday. It was still there this morning. Should I report it to police or Supt. Torres? IDOT car count: 11,200 cars per day drive past the school.
Update: I sent an e-mail to Dr. Torres last night. He's already been out to see for himself. He informed me that it had been cleaned up before he arrived. The city could take some lessons from him on responsiveness.




Here's a billboard at 860 Summit Street. I reported it on 11/28/08 to the police. Still there today. Car count: 18,300 per day






This is on the building at 465 Summit Street. He was so proud of his work he stopped to have a beer! Car count: 12,300 per day.
Update: Painted over. Confirmed 1/26/09


Highland and Crystal. Car count: 11,800 per day. I reported it to the police on 12/31/08.
Update: New billboard has been put up. I verified it on 1/25/09.





This is a companion to the billboard above. Reported the same day. Maybe drivers will be distracted by the Mexican flags flying in the car lot across the street and won't notice the artwork.
Update: New billboard has been put up. I verified it on 1/25/09.



Reported 12/17/08. Summit and Hiawatha. At the ENLL ballfield. Car count: 18,300.
Update: This billboard was cleaned up on February 1, 2009.

These signs of gang activity aren't in alleys, tunnels, and back fences. They are along the major roads leading through town.


Now, if only we can get all of them to go to the new city website to see this message...
...we can convince them that "you feel right at home." Otherwise they might get the wrong idea.