Virtual Coffee Hamilton Chang Illinois State Rep.

Chang for Change, from Wilmette:) Can you help? From one of my friends:

Dear Friends,

Often times in political campaigns you will receive an invitation to attend a coffee with a candidate for elected office at a mutual friend's house, where you will hear a stump speech and be encouraged to donate money to the cause. This takes time away from your family and requires you to attend the gathering at a less-than-ideal time and date.

Because I care too much about your time to impose on you like that, I am including you on this "virtual coffee" gathering for my friend, Hamilton Chang, who is running for the Illinois General Assembly (the state house of representatives). Just reading this short email is all that is involved - no time commitment, no travel, no inconvenient calendaring. So here's your virtual coffee: [coffee icon should appear here - if not, it's your computer's fault]

While enjoying that really good coffee, let me tell you: Illinois is in terrible shape - our elected leaders have backed us into a dangerous corner. Illinois now has the highest credit default risk of any U.S. state. It's worse than California, New York and New Jersey. In fact, the credit default risk for Illinois is now higher than Bulgaria, Egypt, Kazakhstan, Mexico and Colombia. For all of the things you might say about the inept management of those 3rd world countries, each of them have managed their finances more adroitly than Speaker Mike Madigan. Illinois has soaring debt of $130 billion, which amounts to a super-priority first mortgage on every home in Illinois of more than $25,000! And your local property taxes are also increasing because of the corrupt leadership in Springfield, as the Speaker forces ever-increasing unfunded mandates on local government, i.e., your property tax bill. Had enough? Do something about it on November 2 - do something more than merely casting your vote.

Hamilton Chang will lead the fight against Speaker Mike Madigan's plans to spend more, borrow more, and tax more. Please consider voting for Hamilton Chang on November 2, and please encourage your friends and neighbors to do the same. And you can do more - you should do more - there is still time to really help in this election. Here's an easy list of things you can still do in the final week:

1. Donate any amount of money to Hamilton's campaign - click here for his easy on-line donation page
2. Write a quick email to your friends and neighbors encouraging them to vote for Hamilton Chang (or forward this email).
3. Put a sign in your front yard - click here for his easy sign request

4. Write a short "letter to the editor" of your local paper

5. Walk precincts and train stations with Hamilton to help get out the vote before election day!

When you wake up on November 3, the day after the election, will you be able to say that you did all that you reasonably could to change our system of government? Will you be able to say you did more than just cast your one vote? If you don't do anything more than simply vote, please don't wake up on November 3 and continue to complain that Speaker Mike Madigan is still in charge.