Jake Justen, McHenry Libertarians Chair

10/23/2026

Voters are making clear what matters to them. Are the two major parties listening? Certainly doesn't feel like it.

10/23/2026

Our friend Bill Redpath for Senate got a shout out on the Ron Paul Liberty Report today!

After the most expensive primary race in US House history saw Rep. ...

10/13/2026

"Elgin Community College even tied garbage bags over the cameras, but Flock technicians just cut them down."

Elgin Community College even tied garbage bags over the cameras, but Flock technicians just cut them down.

10/12/2026

09/23/2026

https://www.facebook.com/share/1bUC4W9YFs/

Official Statement from the Libertarian Party

The Libertarian Party does not condone calls for political violence or the initiation of force.

The organization in New Hampshire currently making violent extremist comments is not affiliated with the Libertarian Party and does not speak for our party.

The Libertarian National Committee disaffiliated that organization in May. The Libertarian Party Judicial Committee later unanimously rejected its appeal.

The official Libertarian Party affiliate recognized in New Hampshire is Granite State Libertarian Party.

The Non-Aggression Principle is a fundamental core of libertarianism. It is not optional, and it is central to what our party stands for.

All members of the Libertarian Party are required to take the Libertarian Party Membership Pledge:

“I hereby certify that I oppose the initiation of force as a means of achieving political or social goals.”

Political and social change must be pursued through peaceful, voluntary means — not violence, threats, or aggression.

09/16/2026

"Three different proposals each come with a tax increase."

Gas is $5/gallon. Groceries are expensive. Utility costs are through the roof. McHenry County is facing a multimillion dollar budget shortfall. Anything that comes with any tax increase should be an absolute nonstarter.

Residents and businesses in Crystal Lake need to adjust their budgets. The City of Crystal Lake, IL needs to do the same.

Crystal Lake proposes moving its public library into a shuttered Northwestern fitness center, as it continues to seek resident input on how to transform the property into a community center. Three different proposals each come with a tax increase.

08/18/2026

I think this is an interesting and well-balanced article. Some of the points it addresses are power and water usage, and tax incentives received by data center projects:

- Data centers in Chicago and surrounding suburbs use 1.2 gigawatts of power, projected to grow to 4.1 gigawatts; 1 gigawatt serves approximately 750,000 to 1 million homes
- 7.2% of power consumption in Illinois is from data centers, projected to increase to 15.6% by 2030 and further to 37.3% by 2040
- ComEd saw a 12% increase in monthly charges in June, following double digit increases starting in the summer of 2025
- Regarding water usage for evaporative cooling, a 1 gigawatt data center uses 5 to 10 million gallons per day, roughly equivalent to what 50,000 people use
- From 2020 to 2024, data centers received more than $983 million in tax incentives
- In 2025, Illinois committed to $66.6 million in additional tax credits over 20 years
- While many temporary jobs are added during the construction phase, 27 data centers have resulted in less than 600 permanent jobs

The Chicago area is a target for data center development for various reasons: nuclear energy means that the power requirements cost less and are more reliable than in other parts of the country; access to the Great Lakes means a reliable supply of water for evaporative cooling systems.

On the other hand, people are concerned about what the tax incentives mean for their own taxes, what the new/updated infrastructure and power and water usage will mean for their utility costs, and environmental and noise pollution, as well as privacy concerns as local governments increase AI surveillance that is supported by the data centers.

"But as they grow more and more prolific, the centers have come under fire for their large-scale consumption of electricity and water and growing brick-and-mortar presence. The tax breaks they’ve received, the noise they create and the relatively few people they employ once they’re running also add friction."

https://blockclubchicago.org/2026/08/12/data-centers-are-popping-up-everywhere-in-chicago-heres-where-and-why-theyre-controversial/

08/18/2026

"The system would have been designed to identify potential issues such as overgrown lawns, peeling paint, and illegal dumping, and to flag violations so the city staff can review them later before taking enforcement action.

[...]

"AI imaging systems developed by City Detect have already been deployed in several municipalities."

https://notthebee.com/article/garbage-trucks-join-surveillance-game-sending-authorities-videos-of-homes-with-ordinance-violations?from_social=twitter&fbclid=IwVERDUATUvlRleHRuA2FlbQIxMABzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAwzNTA2ODU1MzE3MjgAAR4iS4NPlJlO3usDl6B0nN55bPj8O3HzQQEbEVJkD1p13sbh17bkQ9xncK3B4Q_aem_FHjBpZozBf5WFjYOSz4a7g

You can kind of justify cameras on buses, maybe even cameras on speed zone signs, but cameras on garbage trucks?

07/31/2026

If you don't want separation, you need decentralization. The municipality should not do what the neighborhood can do; the county should not do what the municipality can do; the state should not do what the county can do; the federal government should not do what the state can do.

Decentralize; make everything as local as possible.

07/26/2026

Each blue dot is a Flock camera in McHenry County

Source: Deflock Maps (https://maps.deflock.org/?lat=42.2152&lng=-88.4468&zoom=9.14)