Part-Time Pundit: Chambana Archives

July 7, 2006

DI Column Up: Vote Yes To Help Champaign's Poor

My latest column is up. It's on a referendum to increase the township tax rate to increase the budget to for general assistance. It's also a swipe at the News Gazette.

Column: Vote yes to help Champaign's poor John Bambenek Posted: 7/7/06 Come November, a referendum on the ballot will ask voters if they support increasing the property tax rate levied to support Champaign Township. The increase will fund greater support and general assistance to the poorest members of our community. The News-Gazette editorial board has come out against this increase.
After interviewing Township Supervisor Linda Abernathy at length, I was unable to find any significant waste or misuse of spending. The township has only two functions - general assistance to the poor and property assessments.

The general assistance provided by the township is welfare of "last resort," meaning that it is available to only those who are getting no help anywhere else and have no assets to their name. In short, they are the poorest of the poor in the community, many of which are living on streets and under bridges.

While there has been an increase in spending under Abernathy, there was one fact that escaped the News-Gazette editorial board. The court had ordered the township, along with other government agencies, to spend the cash they had on hand instead of saving it in their general funds. In addition to the court-ordered draw down of funds, there has been an increase of the number of unemployed people seeking assistance. Somehow helping more poor people doesn't quite seem like rampant spending abuse.

The argument is that the township is a "relic of a bygone era" (much like one can describe the News-Gazette) and the functions should be assumed by the county government. One could argue that the states could be dissolved and the functions be assumed by the federal government, however, we constructed the U.S. system of government to include state governments. The same is true of townships. State law establishes townships and what functions they should perform and there is no movement to dissolve townships. Saying that the township should be deprived of needed funds because we can redo our governing structure is nonsensical.

It is true that the township operates largely invisibly to most voters; however, that is a sign that it is doing what it is supposed to do and not acting like an agency out of control. The township performs two functions and two functions alone. They haven't tried to expand their power or interfere with voters' lives. Ms. Abernathy was easy to reach and willing to spend about an hour on the phone for an unscheduled interview. That's hardly the behavior of an unaccountable bureaucrat. It is clear that those who think the township is unaccountable are just too lazy to pick up a phone.

While the city of Champaign is busy trying to figure out how to use eminent domain to take over utilities so that they can expand their base of power into areas they don't belong, the township is providing assistance to people who have no where else to turn. If providing help to these people is expensive, it is only because as a society we've pawned off our personal obligation to help those in our community on the government.

This is one of the very few tax increases that I support and find no fault with. Come November, join me in voting yes.

Posted by John Bambenek at 1:33 AM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

July 5, 2006

DI Column Up: Welcoming in our New Health Conscious Overlords

I'm also late on posting my latest column, "Welcoming in our new health conscious overlords" on the Champaign-Urbana smoking ban. I was on vacation, sue me.

Column: Welcoming in our new health conscious overlords John Bambenek Posted: 6/30/06 Capitalism has failed in Champaign. More than a hundred years of economic prosperity in the United States has proven to be a sham right here in the twin cities.
Generously, the elites from the Coalition to Protect People from Themselves (as the Champaign-Urbana Smoke Free Alliance was known before they apparently got a public relations consultant) have lobbied for city regulations because we can't trust evil mega-corporations and Big Liquor to meet the demands of their customers. That whole supply and demand thing is really a device by Big Business to keep us "sheeple" as little more than indentured servants pulled around by the whims of board room elites.

Using statistics only slightly cooked to make their point, they showed the city councils that more than 76 percent of people in Champaign-Urbana support governments taking control of all decision-making powers of consumers. Now, at long last, I can enjoy the local hookah bar without having to suffer through the evils of second-hand smoke.

Cigarette smoke is the only weapon of mass destruction that we have to fear. Patrons of campus bars need not worry about the alleged public health concerns of roofies, or for that matter, the entirely mythical raging venereal disease epidemic on campus. It is of critical importance that we fight to stop second-hand smoke so 18-year-old freshmen can binge drink in Kam's without having to worry about lung cancer when they are passed out in a pool of their own vomit.

The several smoke-free establishments already in Champaign-Urbana are not enough for the coalition. It is important that every establishment caters to the desires of clients who will never frequent them. We need to make C.O.'s as comfortable for 50 year-old townies as possible. We'd hate for them to be coughing while they are busy ogling at freshmen girls in tight, black bar pants.

During the intense lobbying, name calling and threats, the coalition refused to let the matter be considerded in a referendum. They're afraid that Big Liquor and Big Burger would hoodwink the 76 percent of people who allegedly support a ban. See, we just can't trust those lemmings, I mean voters, to be able to figure out a ballot. So not only has capitalism failed, democracy is a failed and antiquated concept here in our little patch of cornfield.

I look forward to the future campaigns of the coalition who will not stop with simply banning smoking. After all, consumers are too stupid to be able to make any economic and life decision for themselves. The brave new day when all restaurants and grocery stories only offer organic and vegan fare will soon be here. Soda will be banned from vending machines to be replaced with fair-trade lattes.

There is too much variety in life and too many choices to make. It is high time that government did something about this and set a "one size fits all" standard upon our private lives. Long live the new oligarchy.

Posted by John Bambenek at 10:48 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack

May 11, 2006

Smoke-Free CU

I'm sure if you read the local CU blogs, you've read about the attempts to make the Champaign-Urbana area smoke-free. Well, I've written to the local paper on the subject (here).

Basically, nothing is stopping people from talking to their favorite restaurants and getting them to go smoke-free. However, instead of being responsible for ones own desires, they want their Momma (the government) to do it for them.

Grow up and do it yourself. This is America, if you want something done you have to do it yourself, not whine until the government gives you what you want. This is an entitlement attitude gone sideways and it needs to stop.

Posted by John Bambenek at 8:37 PM | Comments (0) | TrackBack