EDITORIAL

Posted April 29, 2020

This is a station editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, station president, thanking those of you who have e-mail'ed, called, texted, even yelled across the yard in my neighborhood, supporting my last editorial asking why Governor Pritzker hasn't re-opened downstate Illinois on a region by region or county by county basis. 

Here are some observations. 

Fact one:  Downstate counties flattened the coronavirus case and death curve, weeks ago.  The further south you go, the fewer cases and deaths there have been over the past month. 

Fact 2:  Some LOCAL health care professionals I've talked to, are fearful they'll be laid off because no one is going to clinics, doctors, or hospitals, for non-life threatening medical care. Nationally, this could COLLAPSE the greatest health care delivery system in the world.

Fact 3:  In an April 27th interview, Taylorville Memorial Hospital CEO Kim Bourne told our WTIM Morning Show, she knows of people whose symptoms were made worse by postponing going to the Emergency Room, for fear they may contract the coronavirus. 

Fact 4:  Even the Governor of Colorado, a Democrat, on April 27 went from a "Stay At Home" order to a "Safer at Home" order with guidance on how health care and businesses can re-open safely without fear of spreading the coronavirus. 

Fact 5:  In reacting to the lawsuit to lift Illinois' Stay at Home order brought by a downstate Republican State Representative, we downstaters were insulted by the Governor, talked down do, and basically told not to question his Stay at Home order, for fear we'll be the ones responsible for killing more people due to the coronavirus. 

Fact 6:  Iowa Governor Kim Reynolds on May First is re-opening 77 of their 99 counties.  Yes, she did it by county.

Fact 7:  New York City Doctor Daniel Murphy, an E-R doctor in the Bronx, says testing should happen along with the immediate re-opening of the economy and getting people back to work. 

Finally, Fact 8:  Both the Democrats and Republicans have politicized the coronavirus outbreak to avoid blame if the epidemic would have killed thousands, scaring people to shop and get medical care.  Now they want to hang onto their new powers. 

As I said before, this madness has to got STOP.  Where is common sense?  That's our opinion...we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial@randyradio.com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Posted April 27, 2020

Dear Editor:

I appreciate your sentiment in regards to letter writing and asking for something to be done.  However, the time for asking the government for our liberties is over. It is time, to look at some facts and ask ourselves some questions.  

I’m aware there has been some recent legal action towards Governor Pritzker.  The success rate of going through the courts is minimal, up against the state and a billionaire.  Fortunately for the state of Illinois and its citizens we ultimately need to thank former Governor Rod Blagojevich.  Due to his illegitimate abuse of his political position, and that of many other previous Governors of this state, we now have the Constitutional power to recall the Governor.    

I know there are a lot of you who feel voiceless in this crisis but be ecstatic that your frustrations can be solved sooner than you think. Article Three of the Illinois Constitution, the one we all learned in 7th grade, discusses the election process and has an Amendment that’s been added since Governor Blagojevich has left office.   Section Seven of this document is titled: INITIATIVE TO RECALL THE GOVERNOR

(a) The recall of the Governor may be proposed by a 

petition signed by a number of electors equal in number to 

at least 15% of the total votes cast for Governor in the 

preceding gubernatorial election, with at least 100 

signatures from each of at least 25 separate counties. A 

petition shall have been signed by the petitioning 

electors not more than 150 days after an affidavit has 

been filed with the State Board of Elections providing 

notice of intent to circulate a petition to recall the 

Governor. The affidavit may be filed no sooner than 6 

months after the beginning of the Governor's term of 

office. The affidavit shall have been signed by the 

proponent of the recall petition, at least 20 members 

of the House of Representatives, and at least 10 members 

of the Senate, with no more than half of the signatures 

of members of each chamber from the same established 

political party.

    (b) The form of the petition, circulation, and 

procedure for determining the validity and sufficiency 

of a petition shall be as provided by law. If the 

petition is valid and sufficient, the State Board of 

Elections shall certify the petition not more than 100 

days after the date the petition was filed, and the 

question "Shall (name) be recalled from the office of 

Governor?" must be submitted to the electors at a 

special election called by the State Board of Elections, 

to occur not more than 100 days after certification of 

the petition. A recall petition certified by the State 

Board of Elections may not be withdrawn and another 

recall petition may not be initiated against the 

Governor during the remainder of the current term of 

office. Any recall petition or recall election pending 

on the date of the next general election at which a 

candidate for Governor is elected is moot.

    (c) If a petition to recall the Governor has been 

filed with the State Board of Elections, a person 

eligible to serve as Governor may propose his or her 

candidacy by a petition signed by a number of electors 

equal in number to the requirement for petitions for an 

established party candidate for the office of Governor, 

signed by petitioning electors not more than 50 days 

after a recall petition has been filed with the State 

Board of Elections. The form of a successor election 

petition, circulation, and procedure for determining 

the validity and sufficiency of a petition shall be as 

provided by law. If the successor election petition is 

valid and sufficient, the State Board of Elections 

shall certify the petition not more than 100 days 

after the date the petition to recall the Governor was 

filed. Names of candidates for nomination to serve as 

the candidate of an established political party must 

be submitted to the electors at a special primary 

election, if necessary, called by the State Board of 

Elections to be held at the same time as the special 

election on the question of recall established under 

subsection (b). Names of candidates for the successor 

election must be submitted to the electors at a 

special successor election called by the State Board 

of Elections, to occur not more than 60 days after 

the date of the special primary election or on a date 

established by law.

    (d) The Governor is immediately removed upon 

certification of the recall election results if a 

majority of the electors voting on the question vote 

to recall the Governor. If the Governor is removed, 

then (i) an Acting Governor determined under 

subsection (a) of Section 6 of Article V shall serve 

until the Governor elected at the special successor 

election is qualified and (ii) the candidate who 

receives the highest number of votes in the special 

successor election is elected Governor for the balance 

of the term.

(Source: Amendment adopted at general election November 

2, 2010.)

Focusing first on (a) only, “15% of the total votes cast for Governor in the preceding gubernatorial election.”  Let’s take a closer look at the actual math that would be required to recall Governor Pritzker and personally, I have to thank the good folks of Illinois, for NOT showing up for the most recent election.   Out of a state, in 2018 with 12.72 million residents reported, only 4.2 million actually voted in the 2019 gubernatorial race.  Governor Pritzker received 2,479,746 votes.  Former Governor Rauner received 1,765,751, both according to a basic internet search.  So let’s break this down to what it would actually take to recall the Governor who is crimpling the state economy.  

Only needing 15% of votes cast, is actually pretty minimal when you figure in the overall population or even if you look only at the losing votes.  Fifteen percent of 2,479,746 is only 371,962 people upset by the shutdown.  This is easily achievable. So who's running?

Jonathan Deutsch

Taylorville

This is a station editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, station president.  On April 23rd, Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker extended his Coronavirus Stay at Home Order until May 30th.  

Little changed from his previous Stay at Home Order, with the exception of having to wear a mask when leaving your home, being able to go to State Parks, and calling greenhouses and garden centers as essential.

The glaring thing that's MISSING in the April 23rd announcement, was any recognition that 91% of the cases and deaths have been in Chicago and the collar counties.  91%.

Why do we downstaters again feel like the "tail is wagging the dog"?   All the experts the Governor marched out to speak in his April 23rd extension, were from CHICAGO.  NONE were from downstate.

According to the Illinois Department of Public Health's own web site, there are many downstate counties outside of metro areas, that have few cases and deaths, and the further south you go, the less the numbers are.

One Illinois State Representative from deep southern Illinois, has resorted to filing a lawsuit against the Governor claiming he exceeded his authority in his Emergency Order closing non-essential businesses around the state.

I have e-mail'ed the Governor, our state senators and state representatives, telling all of them that 
there was NO consideration for the LOW number of downtstate coronavirus cases, in the Governor's Order.

Outside of downstate metro areas, there are FEW and in many cases NONE.

In the meantime, small businesses across the state are literally closing by the day, affecting the quality of life in the communities our radio stations serve.

When will the Governor look at this from a region by region or county by county basis?  

By the time he does open things up downstate, he'll have lost thousands of local businesses that our listeners depend on, not to mention the additional loss of state retail sales tax revenue.

When will this madness end?

That's our opinion...we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial-at-randyradio-dot-com.

EDITORIAL

Posted April 14, 2020

This is a Station Editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, Station President.

This is an open letter to U-S President Donald Trump, and Illinois Governor J-B Pritzker, that's being sent to both electronically.

Mr. President and Governor, 

We are not doctors and we are not political leaders, and we respect you as our elected leader but we are confused. 
Every day we see our fellow state citizens filing for unemployment. Every day we see car dealerships and all small businesses wondering how to survive. 

All because we are under the Illinois Governor's Stay at Home order, with limited exceptions.

All to slow the spread of the deadly COVID 19 virus, but at the same time destroying the very fabric of society. 
What do we not understand?

Every day millions of your citizens are going to grocery stores. Before the virus, more people went to grocery stores on a daily basis than visited all other businesses in the state combined.

With the existing "stay at home" Illinois Executive Order set to expire on April 30th, why can't you direct Illinois residents to protect their health and use common sense to visit local businesses after that time?  Why can't our car dealerships, furniture stores and local shops re-open at that time using face coverings and gloves?  None of these businesses have as many as one one thousandth the visitors per day as a grocery store. 

Yes – more stringent rules for restaurants. Yes more stringent rules for offices. We are not suggesting you open schools or places of mass gatherings.

But, Mr. President and Mr. Governor, it is time to understand that with the Illinois Executive Order expiring April 30th--with proper safeguards--our local small businesses are safer than the local grocery store. Let them save our economy – SAFELY.

And, a final thought. We are thankful in all ways for our neighbors who work day in and day out at our grocery stores and at the essential businesses in our community. We are beyond thankful for you = we blessed everyday for your presence and fortitude. Thank you and God bless you. 

That's our opinion...we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial-at-randyradio-dot-com.

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Posted April 7, 2020

Dear Editor:

It’s a chicken or egg question. Which came first, social media, or our sudden, insatiable need for attention? Did the rise of texting trigger a dormant need in us for public approval, or did texting cause it?

A lot has been written about this with no consensus that I can detect, but much of the discussion involves politics. A common target, unsurprisingly, is President Trump. Is his incessant tweeting and taking credit for making America great unique to him, or is he a by-product of modern societal behavior? Everything I’ve read suggests the latter.

In my strictly armchair analysis, I compare today’s leaders with historical figures like Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, and Truman; Illinois Senator Everett Dirksen, Martin Luther King, and Winston Churchill. A mixed bag certainly, but they all had a gift for communicating one-on-one, or to the masses.

Who knows how social media would have influenced their leadership? They may have become savvy online communicators, but it’s hard to imagine Lyndon Johnson frantically pecking an intimidating text message to a congressman instead of cornering him alone in the hall before a meeting. Something might be lost in translation.

Can you picture Winston Churchill scurrying from the House of Commons after one of his WWII speeches to check his smartphone for feedback?

My stodgy world-view implies that we had better leaders then, and/or they were just better people. Again, this is conjecture (and maybe a little cynicism).

World War II and the Coronavirus are two very different challenges, and we’ll never know which set of leaders would have performed better with today’s pandemic. With the WWII group you at least knew who was in charge.

Where the buck stops today is anyone’s guess.

Jim Newton

Itasca, Il 60143