Legal Blog of Thaddeus M. Bond & Associates

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Ballot access should be easier

We make it too hard for candidates to get their names on ballots. The omnipotent leaders of our two parties have manipulated the rules to favor their candidates. They require an onerous number of voter signatures on petitions. Getting the signatures on the petitions is easy for the Democrats and Republicans since they can afford to pay people to get them. Independents and those who have not sucked up to the leaders of the big two struggle with this process. Irregularities in the forms used or in the signatures obtained lead to challenges, usually by party higher ups who do not want the competition. Best of all, the challenges are heard by elected officials. Although the members of these boards may not be direct competitors of the prospective candidates, they are often allied with those who are opposing the challenged candidate. (And we wonder why this state is filled with graft and corruption) I say allow anyone on the ballot who wants to be on it. If we insist on petitions being submitted, reduce the number of required signatures significantly. When the petitions are challenged, let an independent arbiter hear the case instead of elected officials with a vested interest. Our two party system has failed miserably, resulting in exorbitant tax rates and unethical elected officials everywhere. We need true democracy. Voters are intelligent enough to chose between more than just a few candidates for any given office.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 2:53 PM 0 comments

Friday, February 20, 2009

The value of service to others

When people perceive their budgets to be tight, one of the first discretionary spending items they cut back on or eliminate are donations to charity. We often feel the need to help ourselves before we help others. Consider that your favorite non-profit organizations likely needs its supporters now more than ever. If the funds you might normally contribute are not available, consider donating your time and talent instead. Service to others can be a life affirming process. Many people get more gratification from their volunteer efforts than they get from their "regular" jobs. At a time when many are feeling down on their luck, try to make more time to help those in need. You will be glad you did.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 12:56 PM 0 comments

Friday, February 13, 2009

The Illinois GOP is an Aristocracy

The Illinois Republican Party's Central Committee met this week and enacted some changes to their policies and procedures. Most galling is a decision to minimize the need for primaries. The elite members of the party have decided that primaries are an unnecessary waste of resources which drain almighty campaign funds needed for general elections. From this point forward, unelected and unaccountable "party leaders" will name their favorite candidate for any office that is coming up for election. Only the anointed will receive the party's support. The apparent hope is to quash the campaigns of those who have not genuflected at the feet of the chosen few. In a state which has been severely tarnished by corruption, much of it related to insider politics and a blood lust for campaign cash, this development should offend all voters. What Illinois needs now is more democracy, not less. Why is the GOP afraid of opening up the primary to as many candidates as possible? Do they think we voters cannot be trusted to select the most qualified candidate, regardless of who his political benefactors and donors might be? The two party system has lead to exorbitant tax rates, near socialism and a disenfranchisement of voters. Shame on Andrew McKenna and all the other political power brokers who are so willing to silence the taxpayers in their never ending search for more and more power.

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 11:32 AM 0 comments

Friday, February 6, 2009

How hard is it to pay your taxes?

It seems that those who are seeking to take billions of taxpayer dollars and redistribute them to those they consider most worthy do not feel the need to contribute their own funds to the pot. Several cabinet nominees withdrew their candidacies after it was disclosed they failed to pay all of their taxes. The new head of the treasury department, and thus in charge of the same IRS we are all forced to pay, conveniently ignored some of his tax obligations for several years. Sorry folks but it ain't that complicated. Report ALL of your income. Everyone knows how much they have been paid and what revenues were generated by their assets. Track all of your expenses. How hard is it to keep canceled checks and receipts? Hire a tax professional, especially if you itemize deductions. A good one will save you a lot more money than you pay for the service. It is baffling that all these government big shots cannot follow these simple practices. Perhaps all that time in D.C. in a position of influence and power makes one feel as though they are immune from the rules they force upon us "regular people". I suggest one simple rule: if you don't pay what you owe (on time, not after you get caught), you never get to work for the government. Considering these delinquents have avoided any criminal prosecution or jail time, it hardly seems like much of a punishment to be demoted from the Washington elite to a "regular person."

posted by Ted Bond, Jr. at 2:38 PM 0 comments

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