A lot of good came out of the recent Republican Primary. Tim Wells won the nomination to be our next County Treasurer. Jim Oberweis won 72% of the vote in Henry County and will be the Republican nominee to take on liberal Sen. Dick Durbin, who was first elected to Congress in 1982. And we have a strong candidate for Henry County Clerk/Recorder. He is Dan Swanson, a decorated Veteran, former AlWood School Board member, and longtime family farmer and dedicated husband and father..
I am in my 2nd year as one of your Regional School Board Trustees, first elected in April of 2013. I am also continuing to represent the good people of Osco Township on the Republican Central Committee.
Thank you for your support and please follow me on Facebook at Jon A. Zahm or Twitter @GoliathSlayer68..
I update those much more frequently than this blog.
God Bless You,
Jon
(Sorry about the way the formatting transferred here- the originals were cleaner)
For Immediate Release
May 1, 2013
From: Jon A. Zahm, Osco Township Republican Committeeman
Re: Ethics Complaint Filed Against Congresswoman Cheri Bustos (D-East Moline)
(Osco)- The Congressional service of Cheri Bustos has gotten off to a rocky and embarrassing start.
First she had her Chief of Staff, Jerry Lack, quit in the first 30 days of his tenure. Then she struggled
to get her offices opened quickly in a geographically diverse spread throughout the district as promised.
From day one Bustos has gone to DC to vote with the liberals there, starting with her support for
San Francisco liberal Nancy Pelosi for Speaker of the House. Then she comes home to our district
and tries to please everyone with middle of the road rhetoric. However, that make both those who are left, and those
who are right, unhappy.
Now Bustos has a bigger problem. It appears that she violated the Rules of the House of Representatives by
directing people who visited her campaign directly to her taxpayer funded web site. The mixing of private campaign
resources with publicly funded, and taxpayer paid resources, is strictly prohibited.
Below is the letter that I wrote, with the attachment, to the House Office of Congressional Ethics.
I can be reached for comments or questions by return e-mail or by cell at 630-946-8683. In conclusion I say…
“It is very sad to be stuck with a Chicago/San Francisco style Congresswoman in the heartland of America right
here in Western Illinois. Rep. Bustos has hardly arrived in Washington and she is already violating ethics rules
and voting against the people and values of our region,” said Jon Zahm, a Republican precinct committeeman and
Regional School Board Trustee-elect to be serving approx. 100,000 constituents in Bureau, Henry, and Stark Counties
beginning May 20.
To: United States House Office of Congressional Ethics
P.O. Box 895
Washington, D.C. 20515-0895
From: Jon A. Zahm
14910 Osco Road
Osco, IL 61274
cell 630-946-8683
goliathslayers@gmail.com
Date of Infraction: January 17, 2013 and for an undetrmined length of time thereafter.
Dear Honorable Committee:
The House Committee on Ethics (“the Committee”) publicly released an important letter recently that represents a significant change in policy regarding political websites and social media. In sum, the Committee has realized that with the rise in the prominence of social media and the Internet, constituents are often sending messages to political websites and social media outlets with the intent of reaching a Member’s official site. Thus, it is now the policy of the Committee that Members’ campaign sites may provide a hyperlink to Members’ official websites IF that hyperlink is accompanied by a disclaimer that has been approved by the Committee on Ethics in advance. This also applies to a Member’s political Twitter and Facebook sites, and extends to any other social media outlets that campaigns may be using on the internet. Any sites without a disclaimer may not contain a hyperlink for, or reference at all, a Member’s official website. Please note that while linking to the official site from the political site is now permitted, the reverse – linking to a political site from the Member’s official site – is still strictly prohibited.
The Committee has said that the following disclaimer is permissible:
Thank you for visiting my campaign (website/Twitter page/Facebook page). If your intention was to visit my official House of Representatives (website/Twitter page/Facebook page), please click here.
Rep. Bustos’ message:
This message is concerning and worthy of investigation because…
Rep. Bustos had a direct link connecting her campaign Facebook page with her official, (and purportedly) taxpayer paid, web site and Facebook. That is strictly prohibited without the official, pre-approved disclaimer. (Please see attached letter on previous ruling).
To the best of my ability all information has been obtained legally from materials in the public domain. I am a resident, voter, and taxpayer of the 17th Congressional District of Illinois and am a citizen desirious that the United States Constitution, the laws of the United States, and official rules of the United States House of Representatives are followed. I will send a hard copy of this complaint, with the signed statement of awareness of the “False Statements Act”, via postal mail out of the Osco IL Post Office, 61274 on 4/30/13.
I ask this Honorable Committee to investigate this alleged violation and issue appropriate sanctions and penalties as the rules and law requires.
Sincerely,
/s/Jon A. Zahm
Ethics Letter on Political Social Media linking to Official Webpage
When my friend Rebekah McCaw, and I, spearheaded the Constitutional Carry of firearms referendum on the November ballot we were heartened that the voters of Henry County affirmed the cause with a 74.5% aye vote. The Chicago Democrats though are trying to weaken our 2nd Amendment rights will all sorts of schemes including a $50 FOID card (now it is $5) and all kinds of bans on certain types of guns and ammo that are used currently for perfectly legal purposes. Two days ago, 55 Democrats and 2 Republicans tried to make illegal any clips of magazines that hold more than 10 bullets. Thank you to my Senator Darin LaHood, and Representative Don Moffitt, for staying true to the 2nd Amendment and opposing all of these gun grabbing and rights limiting schemes.
Today the Illinois Senate voted 41-14-1-3 to allow illegal immigrants to legally drive a vehicle on our public streets. I watched the whole debate from the balcony sitting with my 8-year old son Sam. It is amazing to me that there are Republican “leaders” who see this as a good idea. Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, Caucus Chair Matt Murphy, and former Governor candidates Bill Brady and Kirk Dillard are among the Senators who claim that encouraging 250,000 illegal immigrants to drive on our roads will make us safer.
What we need to do instead is pass laws that cause anyone caught driving without a license and/or insurance to face severe penalties, such as confiscation of their vehicle, heavy fines, even some time in the county jail for a second offense. That will set up the type of deterrent to get these untrained drivers, many of whom do not speak or read English, off the roads and either into public transportation, to another state that allows lawlessness like this (so far only New Mexico and Washington), or a return to their home country until legal citizenship is attained.
The new Hispanic Republican Governor of New Mexico, Susana Martinez, is trying to repeal her state’s law because it has made the state a magnet for illegal immigrants and the roads have become less, not more, safe.
The 14 Senators who deserve praise for their NO votes are Bivins, Bomke, Cultra, Duffy, Haine, Christine Johnson, Jones, LaHood, Lauzen, Luechtefeld, Maloney, McCann, McCarter, and Syverson. Gary Forby voted present. Absent were Althoff, Hutchinson, and Righter. Senator Lauzen deserves special mention for giving a strong public statement against the bill. Henry County’s Senator Darin LaHood was a solid NO, as was Tim Bivins, who currently represents part of Northern Henry County. Colona area Senator Mike Jacobs voted AYE. We will have another chance to defeat him at the polls in 2014.
Getting some of these drivers insured will only result in there being some insurance money available to bury the dead legal drivers that are now more likely to come in contact with these lawbreaking illegals since they will be magnetically drawn to Illinois to take advantage of this special privilege. Wait until we see the cost of services, including public education, to pay for all of these new illegals flocking here. Mark my words, This will be a failed experiment, just as it was in Utah and is currently failing in Washington and New Mexico.
Congratulations to the winners in District 1:
Republicans Karen Urick, Tim Wells, Kathy Nelson, Rick Livesay, Loren Rathjen, Bill Preston, Marv Gradert, Jake Waller, and Democrats Ann DeSmith and JoAnne Hillman.
I earned more votes than 8 Democrat candidates, but needed to beat all 10 to get re-elected. When I voted to reduce the number of Board members from 24 to 20 I publicly stated that it might cost me the opportunity to be re-elected, but it was more important to reduce government than look out for my own interests. In fact, I voted to reduce the Board to 12, but only two board members voted with me on that.
There are plenty of ways to serve the public and I will continue to be active in my church, community, and government.
Thank you to all who voted for me, and even thanks to those who did not. Participating in our democratic republic is a great privilege granted by our forefathers, and protected and fought for by our Veterans. God bless you and yours.
It is great to live, play and work in Henry County.
Jon Zahm
Today I will attend rallies in Kewanee and Geneseo to support our Henry County Congressman Bobby Schilling.
I ask for your vote for me for a second term. Here is a summary of my work on the County Board:
Perfect attendance at all 22 general County Board Meetings
One of only 6 to oppose 2012 deficit budget
One of only 3 to refuse to take all mileage reimbursements
Chaired Committee that reduced Board size from 24 to 20. Tried to reduce board to 12 but got outvoted 21-3.
Led Redistricting map that united Geneseo and Atkinson in the same district and reduced districts from 3 to 2
Proposed increasing number of dogs allowed on rural properties to 4 from 3. Lost Committee vote 3-1
Called for ending of PR Spokesman position. This saves $7,000 a year.
Proposed numerous specific cuts to Finance Committee including rents, reimbursements, and above COLA raises
Wrote numerous monthly columns for free in the Colona Courier newsletter to inform citizens of board business
Called for improvements to web site for more transparency. Great changes made. Will push for more ongoing.
Member of Communications Committee, Served as Acting Chairman twice
Member of Planning and Development Committee
I suggest you vote for our whole Republican team of 10 in District 1 and 10 in District 2. We are the bottom ten names on the ballot. Among ourselves we are diverse and offer a wide range of experience and backgrounds.
I am voting for State Senator Darin LaHood and State Rep. Don Moffitt, two conservative and effective legislators. If you are in the Colona area please vote for Senate candidate Bill Albracht and Rep. Rich Morthland. They are excellent as well. For Circuit Clerk Jackie Oberg is exceptionally well qualified with 15 years direct office experience.
Lastly, vote YES on Constitutional Carry of Arms. We need to send a message to our State government in Chicago and Springfield, even if it is advisory, that we deserve the Constitutional right to carry a firearm, open or concealed, for personal protection. Every other state in the country has some form of right to carry legislation. The time is now to make this right.
And, yes, I support Mitt Romney for President and have his sign in front of my home. I think he will win the Presidency in a very close race, but, unfortunately, not Illinois due to the influence of Chicago.
I wanted to get around District 1 as much as possible today to support all the community events that I could.
My crew of helpers/companions was limited however. Sam, our 8-year old, was just diagnosed with asthma and had a serious middle of the night asthma attack a few days ago that resulted in a trip to the ER at HHH in Geneseo (care was great there as always). So he is on limited duty. Jonah, one of the twins has a bad cough and is under the weather too. So it was me and Daniel, the other 12-year old twin to hit the road today.
We started by walking in Ward 1 of Geneseo. Great response. Then buffet lunch at Golden Garden with County Board Chairman Tim Wells, his great wife Cynthia,and County Board members Kathy Nelson and Bill Preston. After that a visit to the American Action Network office, capably manned by David Reke,.
Then on to Geneseo HS for the close loss in the playoff game to Coal City. 12-10. But an amazing 50th straight winning season is in the books for the storied Green Machine program. Congrats to all the players, coaches and parents!
Next was a delicious wild game dinner in support of the Boy Scouts of Geneseo at the Moose. I also won two auction prize packages there. One from Springfield Armory and one from Geneseo Republic.
Finished up at Orion HS for playoff football. The Chargers kept it close for more than a half but then succumbed to a very tough Amboy/Lamoille team. Coach Filler and the whole organization should be proud of the season, especially the second half when they put together a string of strong performances. This is a young team and they will be a force next year. They have a middle school team that has not lost in 2 years so more help is on the way to the varsity.
Fun day. Kind of have that bone chill feeling from being outside so much. But it was worth it. Henry County is a great place to live, work, play, and raise a family.
Good job by our State’s Attorney on this important issue.
9 Illinois counties to consider concealed carry
By DAVID MERCER
Associated Press
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. (AP) — With most voters focused on the economy or health care when they vote on Tuesday, some in Illinois will get a chance to send a message about gun control.
Gun-rights advocates in at least nine mostly rural counties have placed measures on ballots asking voters if they want Illinois to allow its residents to carry concealed weapons. Currently, it is the last U.S. state where it’s entirely illegal.
The measures are non-binding, since no local law can override state law. But advocates hope the votes help build pressure on lawmakers to support so-called “concealed carry,” an issue that resonates in much of Illinois, and highlights the divide between Chicago’s powerful anti-gun forces and the rest of the state.
While Gov. Pat Quinn, a Chicagoan, and Mayor Rahm Emanuel have both pushed for even tighter controls on guns, both the Republican and Democratic candidates in one downstate congressional race say they’d like to see concealed weapons legalized. And a prosecutor in McLean County in central Illinois said recently that he wouldn’t enforce the current state ban.
“Part of it, I’m sure, is that growing up in more rural areas, people have grown up hunting, shooting guns,” said Terry Patton, the Henry County State’s Attorney, who supports the legalization of concealed weapons. “They don’t have the fear of guns, maybe, that someone who has never held a gun or shot a gun in their life might have against guns.”
Patton said there are nights he leaves the courthouse when he wishes he could carry a gun.
“There’s a fair number of times when I’m walking out of the office at night and just finished making a lot of family and loved ones extremely unhappy, sending someone away to prison.”
Quinn has promised to veto any bill that would legalize concealed weapons, and earlier this year pushed for a ban on assault weapons. And Emanuel has pushed for statewide handgun registration, as part of a tough gun-control stance he inherited from previous Chicago mayors.
“We don’t want situations when people can pull out weapons at their local grocery store, sports stadium or shopping mall,” said Quinn spokeswoman Brooke Anderson.
The Illinois House last year voted down a bill that would have legalized concealed weapons, but the vote was close.
The idea of allowing people to legally walk around with a “deadly weapon” in a pocket or holster horrifies Colleen Daley, the executive director of the Chicago-based Illinois Council Against Handgun Violence. She’s grown used to constant pressure from gun rights advocates to make it legal, but sees no reason to worry it will happen soon.
“Every year we do hear, `This is the year concealed carry is going to pass,'” said Daley, who isn’t related to the Chicago political family of the same name.
In addition to Henry County, the concealed weapons measures are on ballots in nearby McDonough, Mercer, Rock Island and Warren counties, Adams and Schuyler counties in western Illinois, Bond County in the south-central part of the state, and Stephenson County along the Wisconsin state line.
In Warren County, the man behind the ballot measure is 42-year-old Sean McKee, a computer-network administrator, husband and father who lives just outside Monmouth.
He started gathering the signatures needed to get the question onto the ballot after a series of break-ins in the rural area where he lives. He installed a security system but decided he’d be in trouble if he actually caught someone breaking in.
“What am I going to do if I pull up in our driveway and there’s somebody carrying out our guns from our home?” McKee asked. “I don’t have a gun with me.”
Gun-rights advocates believe the ballot measures are a good way to pressure lawmakers to try again, and a reason for optimism. Town hall meetings on the subject around the state have drawn big crowds in both counties with ballot measures and without.
“We had a standing room only crowd of 500 people” at a meeting in McHenry County in northern Illinois, said Valinda Rowe, spokeswoman for a group called IllinoisCarry that tracks gun-rights advocacy around the state. She lives in rural White County in southeastern Illinois.
While there may be strong support in some areas outside Chicago, it isn’t universal. State Rep. Naomi Jakobsson, a Democrat whose district includes most of Champaign and Urbana, says she polled constituents about a year and a half ago and found that two-thirds didn’t want concealed weapons to be legalized.
But in the race for central Illinois’ 15th Congressional District – a largely rural area but including Jakobsson’s state House district and the University of Illinois – both Republican Rodney Davis and Democrat David Gill say Illinois residents should be able to carry guns, even on college campuses.
“That’s where bad stuff happens,” Gill said during an October debate.
A number of state’s attorneys, like Warren County’s Chip Algren, say that while they back the legalization of concealed weapons, they would first want restrictions – background checks, mandatory firearms-safety courses, and limits on where a gun could be carried.
“I don’t think it would be a good idea for everybody to be able to sit around a bar packing a piece,” Algren said, “or walking into a school with a gun.”
© 2012 The Associated Press.
Come join me today at the Bobby Schilling for Congress Headquarters at 367 Avenue of the Cities in
East Moline. Phones are open 9 to 9 and we will be calling into Henry County. I will be there in the afternoon
thru close. Bobby is a great guy and dedicated Congressman. Let’s show our support for him. Volunteers needed every day up to and including Election Day.
