Andy Martin: Contrarian Commentary

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Location: Manchester, New Hampshire, United States

Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Andy Martin says Jim Nalepa is unfit to serve as chairman of the Illinois Republican Party

Andy Martin, who has been a leading corruption fighter in Illinois since he was a student at the University Illinois College of law, says that the Illinois Republican Party is corrupt because the indirect manner in which the party’s leadership – the state central committee – is chosen is undemocratic. Andy says one of the candidates to serve as state party chairman, Jim Nalepa, is a “delusional jerk.” Andy continues to be committed to fighting corruption in Illinois although he now resides in New Hampshire. Andy also notes that U. S. Senator Mark Kirk is again making false claims that Kirk is a combat veteran; Andy says Kirk and Nalepa are “perfect pair.”
Andy Martin, J. D.


adjunct professor of law



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May 29, 2013





Dear Illinois Republican:



I am no longer involved in Illinois Republican politics. The internal politics of the party is corrupt because the “leadership” of the party is not elected by the party voters but is instead imposed on Republican voters by an undemocratic and unrepresentative “leadership.” The result of this undemocratic selection process, which was originally imposed by Governor Jim Thompson to make himself an absolute ruler, has been a disaster.



The recent machinations involving Pat Brady are instructive. Brady was the worst party chairman of either party in the nation. Brady single-handedly defeated the Illinois Republican Party in 2010, and he again led the party to defeat in 2012. Brady’s removal had nothing to do with “gay marriage.” Brady was a crook who surrendered his law license and was working to defeat, not elect, Republicans.



Now the party is choosing Brady's “successor.” Days away from the “vote” no one knows whether the committee will meet openly or in secret. No one knows how the “nominees” were selected to replace Brady. Is this any way to run a party? Unless and until Republican voters can directly elect the membership of their state committee this travesty of machine politics will continue.



Having left Illinois politics a couple of years ago, I don’t have a dog in the Brady-successor race.



One of the candidates, however, Jim Nalepa, would be a disaster for the party. Nalepa is being promoted by various individuals because he is a “speaker.” The only time I saw Nalepa speak he was incoherent and his “joke” bombed.



More to the point, during Nalepa’s “exploratory” campaign for the U. S. Senate in 2007 I exposed Nalepa as a complete nut:





http://andyforussenator.blogspot.com/2007/08/

andy-martin-challenges-exploratory.html



http://andyforussenator.blogspot.com/2007/08/

andy-martin-questions-judgment-of.html





My final commentary on Nalepa was devastating, and follows:



NEWS FROM:

ANDY MARTIN

Republican for U. S. Senator

“He works for the People of Illinois”

Suite 4406

30 E. Huron Street

Chicago, IL 60611-4723

(312) 440-4124





JIM NALEPA CONTINUES TO INFLATE AND DISTORT HIS MILITARY RECORD





(CHICAGO)(September 6, 2007) Republican U. S. Senate candidate Andy Martin issued the following statement in response to an article in the Hinsdale Suburban Life. http://www.chicagosuburbannews.com/hinsdale/homepage/x1185660350



“Unfortunately, ‘exploratory’ senate candidate Jim Nalepa continues to inflate and distort his military service. Because Nalepa has made a virtual career of being a ‘West Point graduate,’ the fact that he distorts what he did during his brief mandatory service on active duty is doubly distressing and embarrassing to him.



“In response to calls from an area newspaper, Nalepa continues to play fast and loose with the truth.



“First, Nalepa was accused in an e-mail to my campaign of claiming he had completed Ranger training when there is no evidence he ever completed the program and earned the Ranger designation. Is the accusation true, or not true, Jim?



“Second, Nalepa landed on Grenada long after combat operations, which were mercifully brief, had ended. There was no ‘combat’ going on when Nalepa arrived in Grenada. The ‘combat’ was in Nalepa’s mind.



“Finally, Nalepa continues to seek to bamboozle the public by equating any service in a ‘war zone’ with being a ‘combat veteran’ (see above link). Nalepa has been living his dream for over 20 years.



“Nalepa has never disclosed his MOS while he served his brief mandatory commitment in the army. He should do so to avoid any confusion that the Army considered him assigned to a line company.



“Even in Iraq, where the front lines are blurred, the U. S. Army has been very careful about issuing the Combat Infantryman's Badge (CIB) to solders. Was Nalepa awarded a CIB? If so, he should show the award certificate.



“Support units do not automatically become ‘combat’ units merely by arriving in a zone where hostilities have ended, as they did in Grenada, or in Iraq, where hostilities continue. In Iraq, where support units have been exposed to combat, some qualified individuals, but not everyone, has received a new metal badge to show the support person was engaged in action. http://www.army.mil/symbols/combatbadges/Action.html?story_id_key=7285



“Although Nalepa mounts his pseudo-soap box and tries to claim that question about his inflated and distorted military service do a ‘disservice’ to current veterans, exactly the opposite is true. It is Nalepa himself who has pumped up his military record in Walter Mitty-style that has done a disservice to men and women who served in real combat; he has been doing this for decades and it is time Jim Nalepa came down to earth and faced the truth. He is not a combat veteran. Period.



“As the recipient of a free West Point education, Nalepa was required to serve a mandatory period on active duty. He served his required time, and shortly thereafter left the service. We honor Jim for his brief service; he dishonors himself by perpetuating that fiction that he is a combat veteran.



“Particularly as one who criticized Senator John Kerry for inflating his military service, Nalepa should know better than to do likewise.



“As a professional headhunter, Nalepa should know what the penalty is for inflating a resume: ‘you’re out.’”

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Chicago-based Internet journalist, broadcaster and media critic Andy Martin is the Executive Editor and publisher of ContrarianCommentary.com. © Copyright by Andy Martin 2007. Martin covers regional, national and world events with forty years of experience. He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law. Columns also posted at ContrarianCommentary.blogspot.com; contrariancommentary.wordpress.com. Comments? E-mail: AndyMart20@aol.com. Media contact: (866) 706-2639

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In closing, let me say that Illinois is a great state that has been raped by the corrupt politicians of both parties. What makes fighting corruption very difficult is that the laws are written to protect corruption. For example, the state central committee in the Republican Party can be chosen in secret, with no voter input, by a handful of operators. Democracy does not exist. By contrast, in January a new New Hampshire Republican Party chairman was elected by delegates who were openly selected in a state meeting that was conducted in public. The process wasn’t perfect but it was worlds better than the way Brady’s successor is being chosen.



Nevertheless, I remain committed to fighting corruption in Illinois and we retain an office in Chicago for that purpose.



I will be eternally grateful to the People of Illinois for all of the opportunities they provided to me over the decades. I hope in some small way I was able to repay them; I don’t think I ever could. But all of you will always be in my prayers.



In my opinion, electing Nalepa would be a mistake for the reasons stated above. It’s your call.



We will continue to distribute our newsletters to Illinois residents and media, and we will continue trying to expose the fraud of Mark Kirk, who is again imagining and claiming in public that he is some sort of war hero. Come to think of it, Nalepa and Kirk make a perfect pair. Two delusional jerks.





Sincerely,





ANDY



AM:sp



(c) Andy Martin 2013 All Rights Reserved

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Wednesday, December 26, 2012

Chicago news conference: Andy Martin says the State of Illinois, Cook County and Chicago should file for bankruptcy relief

Andy Martin, America’s leading independent conservative writer and Internet Powerhouse, will hold a Chicago news conference today, December 26th to urge the Illinois General Assembly to authorize bankruptcy court filings by Illinois pension plans, Cook County and the City of Chicago. Andy says the State of Illinois should also waive sovereign immunity and seek bankruptcy protection. Andy, an economist, predicted in 2005 General Motors should file for bankruptcy; GM did so in 2009 with bailout assistance. Andy says that Illinois state-related bankruptcies are inevitable. He now resides in New Hampshire.

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Andy Martin, J. D.

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ATTENTION NATIONAL AND ILLINOIS DAYBOOK/ASSIGNMENT EDITORS



FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:



Maverick Republican Andy Martin says Illinois state agencies and pension plans should immediately file for bankruptcy



The conservative blogger and Internet Powerhouse says that delaying the inevitable is making matters worse for the economic future of Illinois



Andy urged general Motors to file for bankruptcy protection in 2005; GM ultimately did so in 2009



Andy says there will be no federal bailout of Illinois’ profligate state and local governments



Andy says that Illinois politicians have devastated the state’s economic future and lied to current and future retirees



Andy says a bankruptcy reorganization plan should bar multiple pensions, pension enhancements and gimmicks, and ‘pension kings” such as former Governor James Edger who is drawing hundreds thousands of dollars in annual pension cash



Andy says Illinois should establish 401 (k)-style pension plans at every level of government, so employees receive a fair return on what they invest and so that going forward they actually own their own pension funds



(MANCHESTER, NH) (December 26, 2012) Republican activist and Conservative blogger Andy Martin will hold a Chicago, Illinois news conference today, December 26th to call on the Illinois General Assembly to authorize bankruptcy court filings by Illinois pension plans, Cook County and the City of Chicago.



Andy says the state government should also waive its constitutional sovereign immunity so that the state itself can also seek bankruptcy potation.



Andy says that if Illinois politicians are waiting for a bailout from Washington, they are dreaming. Profligate states are going to have to resolve their own pension and spending excesses without federal assistance.



"When I went to the Illinois General Assembly as an intern in 1965 Illinois was a wealthy state,” Andy says. “Both the Democrats and the Republicans have since destroyed the state’s economy and jeopardized the state’s future.



“Legislators are supposedly meeting in a few days to ‘address’ or ‘resolve’ the state’s multiple pension crises. There is no way out except bankruptcy. Postponing the pension debacle only adds to the state’s liability every day. Simply put, Illinois politicians have made promises they can’t keep and Illinois taxpayers cannot afford.



“Chapter 9 of the federal bankruptcy code allows state agencies to file for bankruptcy protection and to seek to reject burdensome pension plans (see links below) and employment agreements. Municipalities in other states are increasingly doing so. Cook County is bankrupt. Chicago is bankrupt. They are betting that by not paying their bills and postponing the day of financial reckoning they will escape responsibility. It’s not going to happen.



“Likewise various Illinois state pension plans can never pay what they have promised to pay current and future retirees.



“I suggest some of the following:



“First, the bankruptcy court should place an absolute limit on annual pension payouts to any one individual or filing entity. ‘Pension kings’ such as former Governor Jim Edgar who collects a state salary as well as hundreds of thousands in pensions, should be limited. No one who draws a current paycheck should be allowed to also collect a ‘retired’ pension.



“Second, the court should permanently outlaw pension gimmicks: there was the police chief who sought to stick Oakbrook with enhanced liability, the state senator who worked for the executive branch for a few weeks and will collect tens of thousands in additional benefits for life, and so on (some of these practices have been limited going forward, but none address current retirees who are depleting the system).



“The reality is that some pensioners are ripping off the state by colleting excessive pensions based on insider deals and loopholes,” Andy says. “We should protect the smaller pensions of average or ordinary retirees, and eliminate the excessive sums accumulated in the past by ‘gaming the system.’



“Third, state government should convert to a privatized retirement plan. Employees should be given 401 (k)-style accounts with contributions by both the state/municipality and the employee. Employees would actually own their pension assets.



“Fourth, the court should ban Illinois’ current ‘shoebox-style’ financial operations, where the state accumulates unpaid bills and allows revenues and liabilities to stay out of kilter. By law Illinois is supposed to have a balanced budget. But that requirement has been ignored by simply accumulating bills and then not paying them. Enough.



“Fifth, state statutes should be broadened to empower citizens to file lawsuits challenging excessive state spending. Today the state courts have greatly limited citizen participation in challenging government waste and mismanagement.”



In 2005 Andy received national attention when he said General Motors was insolvent and would eventually have to file for bankruptcy reorganization. GM ultimately reorganized in bankruptcy court with the help of federal bailout funds provided by the Obama administration in 2009.



“All of Illinois’ and Chicago’s institutions are dying. Museums and educational institute cannot endure as world-class facilities while their state is slowly sinking into financial oblivion. The Obama-Quinn-Emanuel axis is gradually impoverishing the state and mortgaging the state’s future to pay current bills.



“In effect, today Illinois has ‘no future’” Andy charges.



“Illinois leaders can either voluntarily accept reality, or they can wait to be disgraced and embarrassed when the state can no longer borrow money and effectively has to shut down. To date politicians have ignored reality and pretended there is no crisis. That is a form of governmental insanity.



“Bankruptcy will not be easy or painless. But by placing limits on pension abuses and limits on total payments to individuals and families, the state will start the process of coming back to financial reality. State and local spending is out of control.



“If Illinois leaders think the federal government is going to bail out bankrupt states, they are dreaming,” Andy says.



Andy moved to his mother’s home state of New Hampshire, which has no state income tax and no general sales tax. He says “Smaller government and lower taxes are the future for states. The Illinois/Chicago/Cook County model is becoming history.”



__________________________



DECEMBER 26TH CHICAGO NEWS CONFERENCE DETAILS:



WHO:



American corruption-fighter and Internet Powerhouse/Conservative blogger Andy Martin



WHAT:



Andy Martin says Illinois state government and state/local agencies must immediately file for bankruptcy court protection



WHERE:



Sidewalk news conference, SE corner of Huron and Wabash,

Chicago (weather permitting; otherwise indoors)



WHEN:



Wednesday, December 26th, 2012, 4:30 P.M.

__________________________



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LINKS TO THIS STORY (cut and paste the entire link below and not just the underlined portion):



http://www.uscourts.gov/FederalCourts/Bankruptcy/BankruptcyBasics/Chapter9.aspx



http://govinfo.library.unt.edu/nbrc/report/22chapte.html



http://www.gasb.org/cs/ContentServer?c=GASBContent_C&pagename=GASB%2FGASBContent_C%2FProjectPage&cid=1176156648297



______________________________



WHAT OTHERS SAY:



“Andy Martin is revolutionizing journalism… [Andy] brings to online journalism what Rush Limbaugh [brings] to radio or Michael Moore to film: sleek little stories that fit into larger political narratives…”



“The only American journalists that are “standing UP” [to Obama] are, Andy Martin…”



ABOUT ANDY:



Andy is a legendary New Hampshire, New York and Chicago-based muckraker, author, Internet columnist, talk television pioneer, radio talk show host, broadcaster and media critic. Andy’s family immigrated to New Hampshire 100 years ago; today his home overlooks the Merrimack River. He has forty-four years of background in radio and television. He is the author of “Obama: The Man Behind The Mask” [www.OrangeStatePress.com] and he produced the Internet film "Obama: The Hawaii’ Years” [www.BoycottHawaii.com]. Andy is the Executive Editor and publisher of the “Internet Powerhouse,” www.ContrarianCommentary.com. He comments on New Hampshire, national and international events with more than four decades of investigative and analytical experience both in the USA and around the world.



Andy has been a leading corruption fighter in American politics and courts for over forty-five years. [www.AndyMartin.com] He is currently sponsoring www.AmericaisReadyforReform.com. See also www.FirstRespondersOnline.us; www.EnglishforAmerica.org



He holds a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Illinois College of Law and is a former adjunct professor of law at the City University of New York (LaGuardia CC, Bronx CC).



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© Copyright by Andy Martin 2012 – All Rights Reserved

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