IFI E-Alert: Support SB 600, to Make GOP Leaders Accountable to the Grassroots
5/18/2005 9:54:00 AM
By Peter LaBarbera, IFI Executive Director
 | House Minority Leader Tom Cross |
Once again we are asking you to take action on SB 600, a bill that calls for the direct election of the Republican Party State Central Committee. Senator Chris Lauzen (R-Aurora) sponored the bill in the Illinois State Senate, where it passed unanimously.
SB 600 is now in the House Rules Committee. Republican House Leader Tom Cross assigned Rep. Skip Saviano as Sponsor of SB 600 in the House, but he has not worked to see the bill get an up or down vote on the floor.
We don't want this important bill to die in the General Assembly!
ACTION: Illinois conservatives can provide tremendous influence to the effort to pass SB 600 by calling and/or e-mailing Republican House Minority Leader Tom Cross as soon as possible. Leading Republican reformer Doug Ibendahl of Republican Young Professionals writes that Mr. Cross could surely use his influence to get this bill out of the Rules Committee to the floor of the House for a straight up-or-down vote.
House Minority Leader Tom Cross
217-782-1331
tom@tomcross.com
Background
Ibendahl writes:Illinois Republicans deserve the same level of involvement in the democratic process that Illinois Demmocrats have always enjoyed.
SB 600 would return direct democracy to the Illinois Republican Party and provide greater accountability to its leaders. That would be good for Illinois.
Passage of SB 600 would mean that Republicans would be able to actually vote for their representative to the State Party every four years in the Republican Primary.
Republicans would be able to vote for the people who last year nullified the Republican Primary by abandoning the duly elected U.S. Senate nominee Jack Ryan with no one on deck.
They would be able to vote for the people who eventually chose Alan Keyes as Jack's replacement -- without asking you for your input -- and then shortly abandoned him, too.
They would be able to vote for the people who are obligated to provide adult supervision over the IL-GOP staff -- but who for the past two years refused to.
In other words, Republicans would finally be restored the same right that all Illinois Democrats have always enjoyed in their Party.
They would be able to exercise the same right that any corporation's shareholders take for granted: to directly vote for members of a company's board of directors.
Some Republican leaders have so little respect for grassroots Republicans that they want to give them even less power than Enron and WorldCom gave their shareholders!
No State Party in any other state has a system nearly as closed as the Illinois GOP.
Those Republican elected officials who remain opposed to this change are going against President Bush as he travels around the world promoting pro-democracy reforms. It's embarrassing that we even have to fight for this reform within our own Party here at home.
Call Tom Cross today at 217-782-1331 and ask him to help make his party truly accountable to grassroots Republicans.
Join IFI June 8-10 in Our Effort to Protect Marriage in Illinois at One of Our 3 Summer Galas!
 IFI's fundraising galas will feature Phil Burress, architect of the succesful Ohio Marriage Protection Amendment. Burress' and the Ohio marriage coalition's successful campaign is widely credited with drawing pro-family voters to the polls, helping give President Bush an Ohio victory on Election Day.
Proceeds for the galas will go to Illinois Family Institute, helping us achieve our top priority of passing a state constitutional amendment protecting marriage as a union between one man and one woman. Please inform your friends of these events, and thanks for your help:
Wednesday, June 8, 2005: Metro East St. Louis
6:00-8:00 PM - Tickets: $50/person
Thursday, June 9, 2005: Springfield
6:00-8:00 PM - Tickets: $75/person
Friday, June 10, 2005: Columbia Yacht Club (on the deck of the Club Ship Abegweit, overlooking beautiful Lake Michigan) in Chicago
6:30-8:30 PM - Tickets: $100/person
Complimentary Valet Parking Available for this event!
Please make your check out to "Illinois Family Institute" and send it to: IFI c/o Erin, 799 Roosevelt Rd., Suite 3-208, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137. You can also pay by credit card by calling IFI at 630-790-8370. If you have any questions, ask for Erin, or email her at info@illinoisfamily.org.
Please forward this announcement to your friends and coworkers. For more information, click HERE or call IFI's office at 630-790-8370.
Invite Your Pastor to Our Complimentary Pastors' Luncheons June 9 & 10!
IFI is also sponsoring complimentary pastors' luncheons on June 9 in Springfield and June 10 in Wheaton to educate pastors about our marriage protection project. Phil Burress will also be speaking at these luncheons. Please invite your pastor to attend and call IFI to RSVP or for more details.
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Illinois Family Institute
P.O. Box 88848
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188
Phone: (708) 781-9328
Fax: (708) 781-9376
Evil men don't understand the importance of justice,
but those who follow the Lord are much concerned about it.
~Proverbs 28:5
(NKJV)
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