**
Every once in a while, we get unsigned letters, and we really can’t do anything with them. The policy is that we run only letters with sigs, because any drater can write and submit, but if they don’t have the balls to put their name and location to it, it doesn’t get run.
But today we got one that exemplifies not only the idiocy of some people, but the laziness that’s really rotting our country from the inside out. Like gangrene.
It is my understanding that your company dwells on the laws of Open Meetings Act and FOIA. However, I am not so sure you totally understand the law which I have done research. I hear from people the assumptions and half-truth’s you put in your paper and online. I have never been to your online or bought a paper to me it is close to an enquirer. IF you get real facts that I am requesting I would read it. i think here is a great story for you on some truth. Find out WHY the Illinois Legislators are EXEMPT from Opens Meetings Act and FOIA. I tried to get some Information last year and the AG’s office told me they are Exempt. As a taxpayer of this state that is NOT fair and the people we really need to keep held accountable are untouchable. There is a story! Thank you, Concerned TaxPayer
This “letter” was sent to our P.O. Box in Calhoun…so obviously, this drater has read the address SOMEWHERE. Of course, in his/her idiocy, the response would probably be “sumbawdy gaive eeyut to me”…which is patently ridiculous. Can you see this? “Hey, Bob…yew read thayut thur Diyussclose-shure. Kin ya gimme thayut thur ayuddress so’s I kin send um a layutter?”
Yeah, right, Clem. That’s EXACTLY what happened…
What happens when someone kicks your ass up around your head for being stupid….
Secondly, legislators are NOT specifically exempt from OMA or FOIA. There are certain things that they can’t possibly answer when FOIA’d, however. You can’t send a FOIA to them as regards their paycheck, as an example. That’s not their responsibility; you submit a FOIA to the state treasurer or FOIA officer for the ones from whom they get a paycheck. The legislators will tell you that point-blank. However, if the legislators are looking into something and have in their possession material that IS FOIA-able as a result of what they’re investigating, you certainly CAN FOIA them for that material. That’s what we did last summer when we were looking into all the lies Eric Gregg told while he was illegally holding office after receiving a governor’s appointment to an office.
Read this part of Illinois’ Freedom of Information Act and apply as necessary:
(5 ILCS 140/1.2)
Sec. 1.2. Presumption. All records in the custody or possession of a public body are presumed to be open to inspection or copying. Any public body that asserts that a record is exempt from disclosure has the burden of proving by clear and convincing evidence that it is exempt.
(Source: P.A. 96-542, eff. 1-1-10.)
If you were requesting something they were exempt from, yeah, you’re going to be told that they’re “exempt” under that circumstance. But the entire legislature isn’t exempt as a group, from either FOIA or OMA, and for you to assert that that’s what the AG’s office is telling you is the height of misinformation…and you shouldn’t be spreading that any more than you should be misleading people into believing that we deal in “half-truths” (there’s an entire staff here, working their asses off, who would like to meet up with you long about Friday of production week [which today is] and show you exactly what we go through to ensure that everything we’re producing is accurate and on point…remember, typos are typos. Mistakes are mistakes. Deliberate bullshit, however, isn’t something WE do…it’s something the uninformed do ABOUT us…and that meeting-up-on-deadline thing might be hazardous to the skin of your ass, but you’d learn, now, wouldn’t you?)
The point is: You can’t be a dumbass like this guy. You can’t errantly FOIA a public office for just whatever. You have to be an educated submitter of FOIAs, or you’re not going to get anywhere.
So folks…don’t be like this dumbass, and think you can fool us into thinking you’re “not a reader” and you’re going to goad us into an argument you can’t win. Do your research; it’s available. If there’s a question you have of your legislator, ask. If there’s a question you have about your legislator, learn about how you can find out things from peripheral agencies. But don’t confuse the entire world with your confusion. There’s entirely too much of that going on…and we’re really overwhelmed with working diligently to straighten it out.
