School Cuts and Budget Issues

Illinois Education budget is proposed to be cut by 1.3 billion dollars!
Quinn wants legislators to raise the income tax to negate these cuts.
Lawmakers do not want to raise taxes for fear that they will make their constituency angry and be voted out.

Right now school districts are cutting many jobs and some are cutting less by making concessions that are much needed.

For Example : Bethalto cut 65 positions; Edwardsville, 60, including 25 teachers; and Alton, 48, including 29 teachers.

But Granite City has only cut 4 teacher positions due to the fact that the teachers gave up additional raises this year beyond increases based on seniority. Superintendent Harry Briggs credits that savings, estimated at about $500,000 for teacher salaries alone, for preventing the deep cuts that have occurred at other districts.

So there are things that can be done to help out, but everyone needs to be looking out for each other right now as well. It makes things better in the bigger picture.

February 2, 2010 Election Results Madison County

February 2, 2010 Election Results

Make sure to view the Madison County Election Results for the 2010 primary.
Some really close races!

Enjoy!

Aggravation Over Legislature's Actions or Inaction

Aggravation Over Legislature's Actions or Inaction

It is extremely aggravating to me that our legislators are not working towards budget resolution and state payments to our school districts!
This is all going on simply to assist in getting re-elected by keeping as quiet as possible before the primary this February 2nd.

We have schools struggling to make payroll, buy books, fund programs and are having to layoff teachers and faculty.

I'm not saying that it is specifically our local districts legislators that are at fault here, but the legislature as a whole is to blame and Michael Madigan.

I understand it will take some difficult decisions and not everyone will be happy with the choices, but please make some kind of action happen. Things are not good!

- John Bracamontes
http://www.JohnBracamontes.com

Health Care Bill and Massachusetts

Massachusetts and Health Care

So Scott Brown won the Senate Seat in Massachusetts on one platform, "I will vote against the Health Care Bill".
Now it may be that some Americans do not want Health Care Reform, and it may be that Scott Brown won due to the fact that Massachusetts has already implemented their own reform for Health Care.

Here is the ironic part: By Massachusetts wanting to elect a candidate who would not jeopardize their Health Reforms that they love so much, they are keeping the rest of the Country who wants some sort of reform from getting it.

This is politics at its best.

Frank Miles for Madison County Treasurer

Frank Miles is the newly appointed Treasurer of Madison County Illinois. Be sure to give him your support this November at the polls.

Frank was the Director of the Madison County Planning and Development Department before taking this position and is very good at working to better the state of our county.

Find out more about Frank Miles at http://www.milesfortreasurer.com

Granite City Overpass

The Granite City Overpass is making great progress. I am currently not sure of the timeline for the project but it is moving along swiftly. It was halted for a while.



This is an older picture, but I will have a new one up soon.

It has taken quite a while, but when finished this should definitely increase property value on the other side of the tracks and will definitely make travel a little easier.

Just get it finished, please!

In Madison County and Illinois Government

I heard a recent comment about Illinois Government and then it was likened the Madison County Government as well.
So things had been going pretty sweet for a while politically besides everyone hating Bush. It can always be made to look like there is great struggles and decision making going on in these forums, but there are a lot of times where not much is being done. Granted this is some peoples opinions and not everyone's, I just thought it was funny.
What they thought of was that the perfect song for our current government is Party in the U.S.A. by Miley Cyrus.

So here it is folks, put to it what you will, but what was being said was funny and I had to put this up here: