Now we’re not talking about the computing term GUI, pronounced gooey ( graphical user interface) which allows users to interact with electronic devices. We are talking about something more nefarious and troublesome for residents of Naperville, the state of Illinois, and our country in general. We are talking about government gone wild, or ‘Governing Under the Influence’ (GUI).
The Naperville city council appears incapable of saying ‘no’ to spending, and thereby ‘yes’ to just about every expense they encounter. The Department of Energy (DOE) ‘bought’ the Naperville city council with the offer of millions of dollars towards the forced installation of Smart Meters on homes and businesses in Naperville, if the city spent millions of tax dollars on the same, and having it done within a short, reckless period of time. In essence the Naperville city council became a gaggle of puppets for the DOE.
This is the same Department of Energy that was created in 1977 to lessen our dependence on foreign oil. It has ballooned to 20,000 employees with a budget of $34 billion a year and we import more oil than ever before. They had 36 years to get it right and it is an abysmal failure. And the Naperville city council allows themselves to be played like puppets in exchange for a ‘handout’. This is why 99% of politicians give the other 1% a bad name.
Now the Naperville city council is doing the same thing, this time with the State of Illinois throwing millions of tax payer dollars (that they don’t have) towards a recycling center in Naperville. The state of Illinois is broke, and the council is falling all over themselves grabbing this monopoly money.
During the last two Naperville city council meetings, the council has had to vote on 16 expense items totaling over $32 million. Every expenditure was approved. In fact, out of a possible 144 council member votes (16 items X 9 council members), there was only one (1) ‘no’ vote on spending, and that was by councilman Doug Krause. The other 143 votes approved spending. Of the 144 individual council member votes, only 11 times did a council member even question an expenditure; four by Krause, three by Chirico, two by Hinterlong, and one each by Wehrli and Wentz. Not once did council members Brodhead, Fieseler, McElroy, or Pradel even question an expenditure.
That is appalling. If those Naperville council members managed their personal businesses, and households like they manage tax payer expenses, they themselves would be equal to the State of Illinois finances, and the Department of Energy. If they don’t question expenditures, or vote against spending, then the residents of Naperville can vote against those council members during the next city council election. Until that time, we need an ordinance against GUI.
GUI should stand for,”Guilty Unless proven Innocent”!
Usually it is the other way around but with the history of this crowd and what they continue to do and have done in the past couple of years it’s a good bet they are guilty of many of the average tax payer suspicions of graft, corruption, kickbacks, cronyism, nepotism and just the normal political activities of Chicago Land mafia tactics.
2002 Naperville City Debt 132.6 Million. 2013 Naperville City Debt $310 Million
https://www.moodys.com/research/Moodys-assigns-Aaa-rating-to-Naperville-ILs-56-million-GO–PR_276731
Naperville owes $176,000,000.00 in GOULT*** Bonds and. $131,000,000.00 in unfunded pensions. That’s about $310,000,000.00 of debt for the City alone.
When did voters authorize Naperville Council to issue these GOULT Bonds?
In 2002-2003 City of Naperville had 108,000,000 in bonded debt. In 2002 there was a SURPLUS of $890,000.00 in IMRF. The Police Pension unfunded liability was 14.4 million. The Fire unfunded Pension was 11.2 million. From about 24 million in unfunded Pensions to 131,000,000.00in ten years!
This year the city gave away 1.7 million to poor Walmart, 7.5 million to the Waterstreet and 7.5 million (plus pus) to the Convention Center in various incentives.
When will the spending stop? Note that the Moody’s report noted further dropping home values, which equals reduced property taxes..an but the City continues to raise the tax rate!
So who, from Council, who helped to run up this debt, now wants to go to bankrupt Springfield to straighten things out? Sounds like the RINOs are alive and well in DuPage.
***”An unlimited-tax general obligation pledge is identical to a limited-tax pledge except that the local government is required to levy a rate at whatever level is necessary (theoretically up to 100%) to recover a shortfall from taxpayer delinquencies. Often an unlimited-tax pledge must follow a voter authorization in which local residents agree to raise property taxes by an amount equal to debt service requirements over the life of the bonds. This feature provides the political advantage of voter affirmation of the use of the bonds and allows the local government to not need to raise its property tax directly or find room in its budget to pay for debt service”
The City debt, added to the School Distict debt, DuPage County Debt, Illinois Debt and the Federal Debt is horrifying. Worse yet, as Naperville kept piling on the debt, home values have fallen and real wages are stagnate. Accepting $900,000.00 (recycling) from bankrupt Illinois was immoral, and adding $250,000.00 more of Naperville taxpayer money is ridiculous. Naperville needs to stop funding the pipe dreams of government managers, Council and staff. Let the free private economy take the risks to build business and get government out of our pockets. Any entity, that continues to run up the debt like Naperville doesn’t belong in any entrepreneur endeavors. Families can’t afford it!
http://www.zerohedge.com/news/2013-08-05/40-us-workers-now-earn-less-1968-minimum-wage