Mark Stefanik: They’re back.

Middle school teacher and activist Mark Stefanik.

By Mark Stefanik

The Springfield Poltergeist have returned.

Just received a survey mailer from Democratic State Representative Robyn Gabel which begins “… it is my privilege to serve as your advocate.”

Hoo-Boy… With advocates like Robyn, who needs enemies?

Along with Republican-in-Democrat’s-clothing Senator Dan Biss, these ‘advocates’ of the common man have condoned the theft of teachers’ life savings and promoted a plan that will impoverish state pension retirees.  That is sterling middle-class advocacy, don’t you think?

They’re determined to build legislation over a burial ground of corruption, and these preposterously disingenuous surveys are a favorite tool.

Here’s the latest:

Like most of these update/survey vehicles, the majority of the mailer is devoted to self-promotion.  Did you know that despite one of the most inept sessions in the General Assembly’s history, good ol’ rep. Gabel got stuff done?  Amidst pictures of  herself and windmills, we learn that she’s for renewable energy, she wants to shrink government costs, she’s trying to get more federal money for our sick and our poor, and she’s trying to lower the teen pregnancy and cancer rates.

Framed in this manner, it is difficult to imagine who could possibly oppose her legislative efforts.  And yet, only two of her six highlights have become law, while 4 bills are pending with the governor.

Does Quinn support teen pregnancy and cancer?

Is Quinn opposed to shrinking government costs?

Can Quinn dispute the power of the wind?

Of course not, and Gabel would be the first to scoff at such conclusions, but  her bona fides are established, and the bad guys and opposing ideas are left to her constituency’s collective imagination.

The table is set and now the survey builds upon this tactic.  It provides the usual boiler-plate of issue rankings, fill-in-the-blank wish lists, and participant ID requests.  Everything is quite general.

Then we get to the nitty-gritty.  A specific issue, the state pensions, is ‘explained’ to the voters.

No other issue is ‘explained’ in the rest of the survey.

Did you know…

-that the state made about $100 billion dollars in pension accounting errors?  Oops.

-that as a result of these errors, school kids, the sick, the poor, and the elderly are going to have to pay for the retirees in the state pension?  Help us, Robyn.

-that pension retirees get yearly increases (COLA) that EXCEED the rate of inflation?  Greedy lazy teachers are at it again.

Now that you know these facts, which of the following  (check all that apply) should we do?

_____ Make the teachers pay more toward their retirements.

_____Eliminate COLA.

_____Keep the pension status quo and raise taxes.

What is the constituency’s collective imagination supposed to conclude from this survey?  What would be fair under these circumstances?  What would be just?

Re-armed with this ill-gotten people’s voice, our reps will slink back to Springfield and renew their attacks.

This is how they do it.  Deceive the electorate (omissions and implications).  Turn the people upon each other (taxpayers vs. teachers).  Then claim a consensus for policies to which few would agree.

This is how they roll: government of the people, by the people, and for the people slowly perishes, replaced by a government around the people, despite the people, and ultimately, against the people.

Don’t think it can’t happen here.

It’s happening here… in the Land O’ Lincoln, gol’ dang it.

Shame on Dems Biss, Gabel, et al.  They’re practices are a cancer on democracy.