STATION EDITORIAL

Posted August 29, 2021

This is a station editorial, I’m Randal J. Miller, station president.

It seems that politicians, no matter what political party, many times just mess things up.  Here are 3 cases to prove my point.

Case # 1:  The way the United States pulled out of Afghanastan.  Now, I’m not a military expert, but common sense tells me that when you’re in a country half a world away, you don’t tell the enemy when you’re going to pull your troops out of a country, and you especially don’t pull out the troops BEFORE you get American citizens and Afghans who helped us, out of the country. The Taliban has proven that they are not nice people, and the consequences of the bungled withdrawal for those not airlifted out, are going to be dire.

Case # 2:  The way the COVID-19 pandemic has been handled.  While you can criticize the way the vaccine approval process was sped up, they were still thoroughly tested before released to the public.  But, the way both Republicans and Democrats have sold us on getting whatever vaccine you desire, hasn’t been enough to convince the majority of Americans to get the shot.  Instead, many have framed the discussion as overreach by the federal government, telling us what to do, instead of allowing us to make the choice ourselves.

It IS a choice.  My wife and I CHOSE to get the COVID-19 vaccine.  Sadly, I’ve experienced the outcome of NOT getting the vaccine first hand, when my sister-in-law passed away from COVID on August 21st.  The way she died wasn’t pretty, gasping for her last breath.  It’s YOUR choice.

Case # 3:  Illinois lawmakers claimed they HAD to re-draw the state senatorial and state representative maps this spring, BEFORE the 2020 Census data came out.   BUT!  Those same Illinois lawmakers ARE waiting on that 2020 Census data before re-drawing the U-S Congressional maps..  

All 3 cases I cited, don’t give me a lot of faith in politicians right now.

That’s our opinion, we welcome yours.  Our e-mail address is editorial@randyradio.com.

STATION EDITORIAL

Posted August 23, 2021

This is a station editorial, I'm Randal J. Miller, station president.  The August 4th executive order signed by Illinois governor J-B Pritzker mandating that students attending school in grades kindergarten thru the 12th grade this school year, set off a firestorm of emotion and reaction statewide.

Parents of students filled the meeting rooms of local school boards across the state, demanding that the state policy be reversed by the local board.

Unfortunately, the Governor and the Illinois State School Superintendent made it very clear, that any school district that failed to follow the executive order, would risk state funding as well as not being able to participate in I-H-S-A sports.

There are 2 problems with this approach.  First, what the Governor did was nothing more than send an edict down from on high sounding like a dictator rather than a Governor.  Not that downstate was going to vote for him anyway, but it is getting closer and closer to the November 2022 election.

The second, and this is the one I have the biggest problem with, is the position the Governor has placed local school boards and their superintendents, who are helpless in the situation other than being a lighting rod for angry parents that need an outlet to express their opinion.  Many local school boards in our Taylorville and Clinton service areas, were faced with lots of upset people who wanted action, but couldn't get it unless that school board wanted state funding and the ability to play competitive sports, to go away.

As I've indicated before, we're a country of choices, and all of us have choices to make every day.   A student wearing a mask in school, is a decision that needs to be made by the local school board and local parents, not by a Governor's executive order.

Such approach doesn't do anyone any good.  People's mental health have already been stretched to the limit as a result of this pandemic the last year and a half.  Governor Pritzker didn't have to pile on.

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

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Posted August 20, 2021

Dear Editor:

In response to the letter from Barb McMath I had a long chain of emails.  in fact I asked 3 times for a response to my question about curtailment. The first was answered that PJM needed 20 minutes notice to curtail. Upon reading about curtailing for our condition, they finally  answered that curtailment without out permission can occur for safety and mechanical reasons. I did not get this response until after the meeting on the 22nd of July. I,in fact, stated at that meeting that I had hoped for my answer for the meeting. 

I resent the accusation of holding off in order to delay. I have been on record that the Condition 1 had been met as 30 permits have been issued. This is a contentious issue but our SUP set the guidelines for the project and the letter of our ordinance must be followed by Enel and the County

Thank you,
Terry Ferguson

Dewitt County Board Chair

Clinton, IL

LETTER TO THE EDITOR

Posted August 19, 2021

Dear Editor:

We study history so we do not make the same mistakes again.  Unfortunately, some members of the DeWitt County Board do not remember the years of 2011 thru 2015 when poor leadership depleted county funds to almost bankruptcy. 

During the years 2016 thru 2020, new and old members of the board worked diligently to get DeWitt County back to financial stability.  Once again, DeWitt County is headed in the same direction.

The DeWitt County Board is currently being sued for their vote to stop issuing permits to Alta Wind Farm II due to questions of curtailment.  The county’s vote has put the taxpayers and the wellbeing of the county at fiscal risk. 

What is worse is that the Chairman of the Board had a letter from PJM, the grid operator, confirming that the wind project could curtail turbines immediately without notification “to prevent personal injury or equipment damage” two days before the vote took place. Why did Chairman Ferguson not present the letter to the board and citizens of the county?  Why would he allow the county to face millions in damages?

The day after the vote, he DeWitt County Administrator sent the PJM letter to every county board member confirming that the project could be curtailed. 

Why does the board continue to let the lie go on with millions of dollars on the line?  The board should do the right thing and stop pretending this new business in DeWitt County is something to play with?

Barbara McMath
Clinton, IL 61727