Judy, Judy, Judy

If you listen to ads often enough, you may actually hear what they are saying.

I finally caught what Judy Topinka was saying in her TV ad about educational funding in Illinois:

…Illinois-dead last in educational funding…

That’s just dead wrong, Judy.

At minimum, it shows a lack of understanding of educational funding in Illinois; at worse, outright deception.

My gues is you know what you are trying to say is that Illinois ranks low (maybe it is even 50th now) in state funding of education.

But we’re really high in the rankings on local funding for education.

When you combine the two, we rank in the middle of the pack.

Since you are proposing using Chicago casino proceeds to lessen that local property tax burden, it wouldn’t hurt you to tell the whole truth.

When the Senator and Rev. James Meeks said pretty much the same thing (49th), I said it was a half-truth.

You can see my 2005 research on the subject here. You can find more recent data, but it doesn't change much year to year.

A year before I was harsher.

I said it was a “big lie.”

You know, a falsehood which the teller thinks people will believe if he repeats it often enough.

You’re getting that from Governor Rod Blagojevich every day.

I’m sorry you are using the same technique.

Oh, yes, lovers or haters of cats might find the McHenry County Cat Tax Trilogy of interest on McHenry County Blog.