Dear Fellow Illinois Voter, We are pleased to present to you this 2002 Illinois General Election Voter’s Guide for your use in making informed choices on Tuesday, November 5. In this very significant election year—with every congressional office, every statewide office and every member of the Illinois General Assembly up for election —it is vitally important for Illinois voters to know who the candidates are and where they stand on the issues of importance to families.

Please take the time to review this guide—and be sure to get to the polls on November 5. The future of our state and nation are at stake in each and every election, but this one holds particular importance—not only because of the number of offices involved, but because of the critical issues being decided in Washington and Springfield nearly every day.

It's here to help you.

Along with the candidates responses to our questionnaire, you'll also find phone numbers for boards of election listed by county. By calling the number listed for your county, you can find out such information as your House and Senate district numbers, voting locations. For the same kinds of information online, go to the state board of elections Web site [www.elections.state.il.us].

To help you vote knowledgeably.

This 2002 Illinois General Election Voter’s Guide is here to help you make informed decisions when you vote on Tuesday, November 5. The guide is non-partisan, and is not intended to endorse or oppose any candidate—explicitly or implicitly. It simply provides pertinent information about the candidates themselves, and their positions on issues of importance.

In some cases, candidates chose not to answer our questionnaire, or did not respond despite our several attempts to contact them. In the case of incumbents who did not answer our questionnaire, we have indicated their positions on the questions based on specific votes cast during their tenure.

For those candidates for whom we have no response, we encourage you to contact and question them directly. Candidates included in the IFI voter guide are those who filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections and are listed in the Illinois State Board of Elections Candidate List for the November 2002 Illinois General Election.

Using the guide.

It is perfectly legal to bring this guide with you into the voting booth, although we recommend that you fully review the guide first to determine your selections beforehand. Please also consider passing the Voter's Guide along to others in your family, church, and community to increase its usefulness.
The Voter Guides:
U.S. Senate & Congressional Candidates

Illinois Statewide Office Candidates

Illinois State Senate

Illinois House of Representatives

Illinois Judicial Candidates

Dear Father, I do not take lightly what You have done for our Nation. I appreciate not only the right but the privilege I have to vote. I pray that I, as well as others, will use that privilege wisely, seeking Your will as we consider the qualifications of those for whom we are to vote.

I pray for my Christian family (the Body of Christ) that they would see the right to vote as a gift from Your hand and avail themselves of this
opportunity.

May there arise such a force of righteousness in our electoral system that would affect every realm and level of government in our Nation.

I pray in Jesus' name that the powers that be would gain a profound respect not only for the political strength of the Christian community but
for our spiritual influence in our Nation as well.

Scripture References
Luke 6:13
Acts 6:1-6

Thanks Jim, God Bless.

Respectfully,

Robert H. Goetz, Sr.

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America’s the greatest country in the world and will remain so if Americans take seriously their right and responsibility to vote.

If you care about our culture, and the values we pass on to our children, about our country, then vote Tuesday and ask your friends and family to vote too.

One person can make a difference. Your vote matters.

America’s future will be decided by those who vote.

Sincerely,

George W. Bush

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CHICAGO, Oct. 31 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the ISRA Political Victory Fund (ISRA-PVF):

If there were any doubts as to why Chicago Mayor Daley anointed Lisa Madigan as the Democratic candidate for Illinois Attorney General, they were certainly swept aside during a Wednesday press conference held in Chicago. During that press conference, Daley
announced his intended role for Madigan, should she be elected as the state's top law-enforcement official.

Daley announced that, among other things, Lisa Madigan will be assigned to "take on" the organizations that represent the state's 1.5 million law-abiding hunters and sportsmen. Although Daley did not elaborate on how Madigan will "take on" sportsmen's organizations, one could reasonably expect that Madigan would be tasked with executing a campaign of harassment against the state's sportsmen's clubs.

Daley's passion for abolishing private firearm ownership is nearly legendary -- with him saying time and time again that if it were up to him, nobody would be able to own a firearm. Therefore, it's a safe assumption that Lisa Madigan would repay Daley's
campaign support by working to achieve his stated goal.

"It's clear that Daley sees next week's elections as an opportunity to consolidate his power state-wide," said ISRA-PVF Chairman Jim Vinopal. "It's also abundantly clear that Daley sees the Illinois Attorney General's Office merely as an extension of the 5th floor of Chicago City Hall. If elected, Lisa Madigan would be Daley's "enforcer" - doling out retribution against those who do not share Daley's cockeyed view of the world."

"Madigan's entanglements with the Daley Machine are prime examples as to why she is unsuitable to be Attorney General," continued Vinopal. "The Office of Attorney General exists to represent the interests of the state. However, Madigan and Daley are more likely to use the office as a platform to launch attacks
on their personal and political enemies."

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The ISRA-PVF is a political action committee affiliated with the Illinois State Rifle Association. The Illinois State Rifle Association is the state's largest and oldest firearm owner's organization. A copy of our report may be obtained from the
Illinois State Board of Elections, Springfield, IL.

http://www.isra.org/
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A NATIONAL CAMPAIGN TO SHUT DOWN PRO-LIFE PREGNANCY CENTERS is rearing its ugly head in Illinois.

The Chicago Sun-Times, in an Oct. 20 candidate profile of Lisa Madigan, Democratic nominee for Attorney General, reports Miss Madigan "went so far as pledging to use the attorney general's office to go after 'phony' crisis pregnancy centers that don't offer abortions." That, by the way, is the abortion lobby's definition of "phony" -- anybody that won't commit abortions.

Miss Madigan's "pledge" is ominously reminiscent of one given to the National Abortion & Reproductive Rights Action League by New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer in 1999, when in a NARAL/NY luncheon speech, he promised to establish a unit in his office devoted to investigating pregnancy care centers. He made good on that pledge with a pogrom against New York's pro-life pregnancy service centers, serving subpoenas in February this year demanding extensive information about their services and their clients. Though most centers resisted the Spitzer fishing expedition and he eventually backed off, the spark of controversy has cost the centers dearly in legal expenses and in lost support.

Illinois citizens still have an opportunity to head off a similar search-and-destroy mission in their state's chief law enforcement office. The contest between Miss Madigan and her pro-life GOP opponent Joe Birkett is rated a "dead heat" in current public opinion polls. – Life Advocacy Briefing #9-40 dated 10-28-02
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Gun owners beware!


This governor's race is turning out to be a tight contest. Internal polling has Ryan climbing fast and Blago is on the ropes. Blago's campaign has moved to defense hoping they can hold the line long enough to prevent what would be the most conservative governor Illinois has had in decades Jim Ryan from crossing the goalline. The White House is seeing an opportunity to have a Republican governor in Illinois which will help Bush win in 2004. Sunday, President Bush is coming to Springfield to not only assure Congressman Shimkus's victory over Phelps but also that Jim Ryan becomes Illinois next governor (Thanks W).


Extremely liberal Blago is hoping Southern Illinois voters will be fooled on election day by the conservative rhetoric he uses while campaigning here. Blago speaks like Ted Kennedy in Chicago but John Wayne when downstate.

He is upfront about his antiabortion position; but, Blago is deceitful about his antigun (2nd Amendment) position. He states he won't increase the FOID card fee when he already sposored a bill in the past supporting one (see attachment). Rod is one of the biggest gun control activists in Congress (see gunbanrod.com). Four or eight years of Blago as governor would result in many gun ownership restrictions (upto and incl. gunbans) not to mention his anti family/life agenda

Sknner a proclaimed prolife /profamily supporter is on the ballot representing the Libertarian party. Libertarians, however are not prolife/profamily they are pro-drugs, pro-pornography, pro-prostitution, pro-homosexual, etc (see their platform). While some conservatives believe Skinner is pro-life/profamily (if he was why would he stand on the Libertarian platform?) the Libertarians are happy to uilize Skinner (who has no chance of being elected) to trick conservatives to vote for their party and reach 5% of the vote which will make it easier for them to get on the ballot next elction cycle.

Jim Ryan has been endorsed by the NRA and has stated he would add no more gun laws to the books.

Gun owners beware a vote for Skinner is really a vote for Blago. Blago is controlled by the Chicago Democrat machine. If elected he would promote Mayor Daley's Chicago gun control plan statewide.

Every vote is necessary to stop Blago and the Chicago Dem's from being victorious. Tell all your gun owning friends and family to vote Jim Ryan for Governor on Nov. 5th.

{I know Cal supporters say Cal does not follow the Libertarian platform. But if he gets the 5% he will allow people who do believe in the platform to get on the ballot. Your conservative vote will help a party that agrees with us on smaller government but is against us on social issues to be on the ballot permanently. By using the rift in the GOP the Libertarians will achieve something they could not do on their own.}
Jim

Fritz was a junior lawyer and active volunteer in the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party in the 1950s when state Attorney General Miles Lord resigned to take a state judgeship. Mondale was appointed attorney general by Gov. Orville L. Freeman. Not only that: When Fritz walked into his office on the first day, he was handed a thoroughly researched prosecutor's case against a famous charity, the Sister Kenny foundation.

The foundation's leaders had been misappropriating money that should have gone to fighting polio. The case was sensational; he became the first of many attorneys general to convert what was a dull legal office into a watchdog for the consumers. He was dubbed ''the people's lawyer,'' and Fritz Mondale, by virtue of his appointment and high-profile consumer case, became a nationally known fighter for the consumers. So he was elected and re-elected handsomely.

Then came 1964. Sen. Hubert Humphrey was elected vice president on the ticket with Lyndon Johnson. That meant a vacancy in the Senate. Mondale was appointed to fill it. Following Humphrey's precedent, he lined up with the chamber's liberals. Easily elected later and then re-elected, he was mentioned for the presidency in 1976. He disdained, saying he didn't want to spend a year traveling the country, living in Holiday Inns. Jimmy Carter was nominated, and Carter picked Mondale as his running mate. So Fritz rose up the ladder again by appointment.

After four years in the vice presidency, the Carter-Mondale team lost to Ronald Reagan and George Bush. Mondale returned to private life in Minnesota. It was then that he thought about finally doing something political on his own--running for president in 1984. On that maiden voyage against Ronald Reagan, Fritz lost 49 states. He did carry Minnesota, but by the margin of 0.2 of 1 percent. And, of course, he carried the District of Columbia. Back to private life he went.

He stayed in private life until another appointment came--from President Bill Clinton to be ambassador to Japan. He served there until the end of Clinton's second term. Once again, he returned to private life, a profitable law practice.

The death of Sen. Paul Wellstone leaves an opening again, and once again Mondale has been appointed by his party as replacement. But the televised funeral dirge for Wellstone, as strident as a political convention, has boomeranged. Late polls show Mondale is by no means a cinch for election.

Much will depend on a debate scheduled for Monday, on the eve of the election, between Mondale and his Republican opponent, the able former mayor of St. Paul, Norm Coleman.

Mondale goes into that debate as one trying to straddle Wellstone's positions with his own establishment ones. Already the former vice president has said he would have voted, like Wellstone, to deny President Bush the power to launch a strike against Iraq.

With the bad taste of the Wellstone partisan rally in its mouth, and Mondale's straddling, Minnesota voters just may decide to go with the future and a new face.

If voters do make that correct decision, finis will ultimately be written in the saga of Lucky Fritz.

–

==>Thomas Paine