Persistence

If nothing else, you have to give Democrats in the 10th a ton of credit for never giving up. Ever since Kirk refused to hold hearings on the War in Iraq (an offense which future candidate Lee Goodman apparently took personally), residents of the district have been hounding him on a variety of issues.

In the debate on privatizing social security Mark Kirk refused to publicly take a stand. Our only hint as to his stance comes from his adoption of the "Republican Main Street Partnership's stance" that "supports individual savings accounts and work incentives".

Congress must address the rapidly approaching disaster of a depleted Social Security system. Within the next ten years "baby boomers" will start retiring. It is estimated that, as a result of this, by 2013 Social Security will be making greater payments to retirees than it will take in from the workforce. By 2032 the Social Security Trust Fund will be completely exhausted. Congress could rewrite this forecast by establishing individual savings accounts, restoring Social Security to permanent actuarial solvency, improving work incentives and/or resolving internal administrative problems.

Source: Republican Main St. Partnership Issue Paper: Fiscal Policy 98-RMSP3 on Sep 9, 1998

In response, MoveOn.org had residents of the 10th District deliver petitions to Rep. Kirk's office showing opposition to social security privatisation.

Now, this Wednesday, MoveOn, the Northbrook Peace Committee, and a varity of other Democratic groups will be delivering petitions calling on Kirk to reject the budget and work towards fiscal responsibility. This is an issue that can be a winner for Democrats in the district as Republicans like Kirk and Bush have driven the US into greater and greater deficits.

I encourage you to attend and report back on the event:

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Time 10:00 a.m.

Location: Office of Congressman Mark Kirk (Republican, 10th Dist. IL), 102 Wilmot Road, Deerfield, IL (office complex on the northwest corner of Wilmot and Lake-Cook Roads, just east of 294)

As always, look for a video report of what happens over at AtCenterNetwork.com. And, it'd be great if some other local media were there as well.