Last Stop Rockford
The Rockford paper is whining again—upset that the two major party candidates for Governor have ignored the Rockford Register Star’s request to host a debate.
Thumping its small chest like a teenage girl on My Space, the paper cannot understand why anyone would dis Rockford. "What are they thinking?" the paper whimpers. But you only get to demand debates, when you have something to offer.
Unfortunately, over the decades the leadership in Rockford, including the paper, have let its citizens down.
Quick…how many people live in Rockford:
a) 783,343
b) 567,384
c) 150,000
(short music interlude)
Time's up! If you answered C, you are correct.
These figures put Rockford in the same category as Naperville, with 160,000 denizens, or Aurora, with 150,000 Aurorians.
Rockford’s plan for growth over the last 20 years has been to complain, whine and badger Illinois that they are the mighty City of Rockford. Please--for the benefit of all of our tired ears--cut the stoic, insular Swedish snobbery, extend the Metra line from Harvard to Rockford, and become a suburb of Chicago.
You might find that people visit Rockford—even candidates for Governor.
CP: Illinois Shadow
15 comments:
I love Rockford - I spent a week there one day.
They are still in the top five as far as Illinois population though aren't they? And when you consider that Springfield is the only downstate city close to population numbers, I feel like Rockford has a decent gripe.
Chicago, Naperville, Aurora, they get plenty of attention. People love going down to the deep south of Illinois because it makes them look like they aren't Chicago-centric. Springfield gets all of its attention since it is the capital. But yet there are lots of Illinoisians in places like Rockford, Peoria, the Quad Cities, Bloomington/Normal, and even my dinky city Galesburg, that genuinely feel like they aren't a part of state politics.
Call us whiney, but I feel like my vote is just as important as someone from any of those cities. Just because I don't have 10,000 people in a quarter mile radius shouldn't make me a second class citizen.
Now I'm not familiar with Rockford itself, so maybe they are pretty whiney, but I think there is still a lot of merit to the argument they are making.
I'm trying to figure out this blog...looks like something Baar would do, blogging for the sake of blogging.
People, if you don't have any real news to report, take a break, but spare us these lame posts.
The 6 county area surrounding Rockford adds up to a number much closer to answer B.
I agree with robbie that many corners of the state (for example, the northwest corner) are all but ignored by statewide office seekers. This is why I scoff at liberals who complain that the electoral college gives an infair advantage to residents of small state (which, not too coincidently, tend to be red states). In fact, the electoral college is pretty much the only thing ensuring that these states' voters have any leverage at all in the national debate.
GOP - I know this is getting off topic, but you brought up the electoral college... While I agree with what you said, I would like to be devil's advocate because this thought also plagues me with the electoral college.
Is it fair to the american public, the voters, and the candidates, if a person wins the popular vote, maybe even by a larger margin than Gore in 2000, and still loses the election?
Isn't that more harmful to democracy than sparsely populated states getting overlooked in campaign season???
Like I said, it's more of a thinking outloud quesiton than anything, but the issue bothers me. Something else I thought of; with cable news channels and the internet, has following a campaign and a candidate become easy enough that the overlooked area becomes less of a problem?
"Thumping its small chest like a teenage girl on My Space..."
great line Shadow
GOP,
Small states actually get a much larger say.
They do not qualify in terms of numbers for a Congressman, but they get one. Why should a much smaller number of voters elect one Congressman in South Dakota than in Chicago?
Why is that person's vote worth more than mine?
Robbie –
It’s not about their physical presence in rural states – it’s about them being concerned with rural issues.
And remember, there is no such thing as the national popular vote. There is only the compiled popular votes from throughout the states. And it is up to the state to determine how their electoral votes are cast. Personally, I think more states should go to the winner by congressional district method. Some states are talking about adopting a “national winner” take all policy.
skeeter,
You're right. It's not fair, I guess. Why does every state get 2 Senators, regardless of size?
But, that's how the Constitution was written. If you have some ideas about how we should go about changing the structure of our republic, I'd enjoy hearing them.
"cut the stoic, insular Swedish snobbery"
Shadow, you crack me up
Sorry GOP, I pretty much lumped campaign visits with caring about issues. Because in all honesty, I don't think most politicians care about their constituents anyways. They are just paying lip service by campaigning.
And I also realize there is no official national popular vote. That for me is the very problem. I think that the method of dividing up a states electoral votes is a step in the right direction. Because if you take that the the 'nth' degree, all you get is a popular vote.
I think we need to remember that just because it was written in the constitution, that doesn't make it infallable. After all, the founders were fighting against that very thing, a concrete government. I feel we should be open to adaptation in order to keep our democracy thriving.
I like the current system of (roughly) proportional representation in the House, equal representation in the Senate. It's what those members do that is so frustrating.
With the ever-increasing sprawl in the burbs isn't Rockford approaching quasi-suburb level? I wonder how many Rockford residents work in Schaumburg or another NW burb. I'm all for a train to Rockford and its airport as O'Hare can't expand infinitely and it's better than tearing up farmland around Peotone.
Rockford has an outstanding Children's Museum, one of the top five in the country. It's definitely worth a day trip. Adults love it, too.
I could not agree more. You buy the media market adn you pay for 80% of voters who live in Wisconsin. Sweeney is old, odd and borish. Rotello a turn coat, Severson untrustworthy. Screw Rockford.
Ummm
2003 Estimates
Aurora 162,000
Naperville 137,894
Rockford 151,000
Aurora has a good Genoa+ on Rockford.
Rich Whitney, the Green Party's candidate for Illinois Governor, is still willing to come to Rockford and debate. Perhaps the citizens of Rockford should consider this.
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