2024 Fundraiser

January 15, 2024

RCF's 2024 Fundraiser

- FREEDOM IS LOCAL -

FEBRUARY 19, 2024

5:00PM

The Barn on Prairie • 5828 S County Rd G • Janesville

RCF'S VISION

The RCF vision is to ‘protect liberty and freedom in our local communities.’ With this as the backdrop behind this year’s fundraiser, the theme is “Freedom is Local.” We are very pleased to be joined virtually by Ms. Yeonmi Park, a famous North Korean defector (see her bio below). She will be discussing the fragility and importance of maintaining our freedoms.

RCF believes freedom is local. This is where our educational (quality education), financial (local taxation), religious (ability to practice one’s religion), and electoral (providing consent of the governed) freedoms are largely maintained. These freedoms must be protected and reinforced by our local county, municipality, and school boards, which consist of the engaged citizens of Rock County.

Over the last three years, RCF has created a powerful platform and community focused on this mission. You and your participation are both appreciated and critical for our success.

Please join us at this momentous fundraiser on President’s Day, February 19th! Buy tickets via the button above.

“No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”

• SPECIAL GUEST, YEONMI PARK

Yeonmi Park is a renowned, human-rights activist and North Korean refugee and defector who has become a leading voice of oppressed people around the world. The BBC named Park one of their “Top 100 Global Women.” Her personal story of living in tyranny, then eventually escaping to freedom in the United States, is one you will likely never forget. Also, her words of caution to its citizens about its waning freedom is one that everyone should hear. Ms. Park will be joining us virtually.

EARLY BIRD GIFT

The first 20 RCF Supporters to register for this event will receive a FREE autographed copy of Ms. Park’s book entitled, While Time Remains.

BUY TICKETS

• SPECIAL MODERATOR, TIM BREMEL

Tim is probably the most ‘in touch’ person in Rock County as he interviews local business people, various local governmental administrators, as well as local, state and Federal elected officials five days a week on this local radio show called “Your Talkshow.” He also spends time speaking with local citizens on what is on their minds that day. The ongoing success of his radio show on WCLO (9:15 – 11:30 am Monday – Friday) is largely due to Tim’s willingness to speak to anyone on nearly any topic, and his penchant to ask the tough questions of his guests. For Tim, it is not as much about partisan-politics as it is about informing his listeners of topics they are most interested in learning more about, and those topics which may otherwise go uncovered. Tim is a resident of Orfordville and started as Program Director in 1998, but started his career as a successful copywriter. In the summer time you will catch Tim driving around in his ’98 Pontiac Sunfire convertible. His dream would be to own Janesville’s first Sonic drive-in.

“I believe the highest aspiration of man should be individual freedom and development of the individual.”

Ronald Reagan

Year End Reflection

December 19, 2025

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year. The holiday season is busy for all of us, and it is one of the best seasons to see Liberty in action and used in ways that uplift us all. The choices we make as to where we will do our holiday shopping, which charities we will contribute dollars to and what we do with our time seem to all center on the idea that Christmas is for everyone. We reach out to those in need and those who are downtrodden. We want to provide a lift to those with low spirits. We want God to “bless us, everyone.” The coming New Year has many of us thinking of changes we can make in our lives to make things better. Maybe we look to eating better, getting healthier, helping more charities, mentoring children or any number of other choices. It underscores the goodness in the souls of most of us. I’ve never heard anyone make a resolution to gain weight or to get in more arguments with their neighbor. We seem to feel a keener definition on what a society should look like.

If All Else Fails, Raise Debt!

November 6, 2025

Let me explain this as simply as I can. See if you can follow this tiny government example. Your government receives $1000 in taxes each year and has $1000 in expenses. Taxes are predictable and stable. Then, your governing board decides that an item is needed that is outside the budget. Rules prevent them from raising taxes. They could “tighten their belt” and find areas to cut to accommodate the new expense. But instead, they decide it would be easier to borrow $100 for 10 years at a 5% interest rate. Even at simple interest rates, this means that the cost of the money borrowed is $5.00 that first year. The government must increase their expenses by $5.00 that year to cover the interest. With principal repayment, the government has now created a deficit of $15. They can either hope the rules allow them to raise taxes to balance the budget, or they may have to borrow again to cover the difference. This example can be expanded by moving the decimal point. A $10,000,000 budget and $1,000,000 in borrowing in the same example brings a burden of $150,000 per year.

Local Spending is Unsustainable

September 30, 2025

Are you tired of your property taxes increasing every year while your household income doesn’t? Local government is an interesting entity. We all know that we can’t spend more than we make and expect our neighbors to make up the difference. In the governmental view, however, that doesn’t appear to be true. So what is one to do? Don’t let them get away with it. You don’t have to. You can do your homework on current Rock County Board Supervisors and see how they vote. (You can obviously do this at your local municipal level as well). Better still, seek out board members and ask some questions right now. You might ask why the county has continually allowed a budget process that ends in the result of spending growth outpacing the county resident’s ability to pay for it, or the growth of our community. You could ask what your county board supervisor is doing to drop Rock County’s status as one of the top four percent highest taxed counties in the nation (relative to personal income). You could ask them about upcoming budget items they plan to support and those they would not support funding with taxpayer dollars. Your board supervisors might be your neighbors, but is their hand out to help you, or to grab even more of your hard earned money? (BTW: ALL County Supervisors are up for re-election next April).