C’mon, man!
Thursday, Apr 23, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Peoria Journal Star…
When Gov. Bruce Rauner was last in the Peoria area, he said his “turnaround agenda” of reform proposals was ready to go, written into legislative form and ready for debate in the General Assembly whenever lawmakers were prepared to receive it.
Days later, he worked with legislative leaders to plan a test drive for the proposals covering matters including workers compensation reform, lawsuit reform, allowing municipalities to institute right-to-work restrictions on unions within their boundaries, freezing property taxes, raising the minimum wage, and a host of other topics — putting them before legislative “working groups” to hash out some of the details. […]
“I met with all four of the leaders in the General Assembly last week, and we’ve formed working groups and now various legislators have been assigned working groups under the different pieces of legislation. That process is underway,” Rauner said. “Those bills will come out of that in the time those groups decide and when the legislative leaders decide they’re ready for introduction to the full General Assembly. Hopefully that’ll be soon.”
However, a spokeswoman for Senate President John Cullerton said that matters were not nearly that advanced.
“The goals, members and operational details of the groups are still being determined,” Rikeesha Phelon said by email Wednesday afternoon.
C’mon, Bruce! Stop getting so far ahead of yourself. Also, the Speaker says you don’t have anything “in legislative form.”
* Tribune..
Mayor Rahm Emanuel is dealing with a federal investigation into a no-bid contract approved by the Chicago school board he appointed — a scandal that has forced his hand-picked schools CEO to step down and for the contract in question to be suspended.
But that didn’t stop the mayor from throwing stones at the elected board at the College of DuPage, which is the subject of its own federal investigation amid questions about no-bid contracts given to companies with links to members of the board.
Emanuel was appearing Wednesday on WTTW Ch. 11’s “Chicago Tonight,” where a group of teens asked him policy questions. He was pointing out his reasons for opposing an elected Chicago school board in response to a question from a Kelly High School student, and mentioned the problems at the west suburban community college.
“Let me give you juxtaposition. The College of DuPage has an elected board, yet you read all about the problems they have at the College of DuPage,” he said. The mayor’s comment came as federal investigators probe the Chicago School Board’s contract with SUPES Academy.
C’mon, Rahm! You’ve got an appointed superintendent under federal investigation and you have the gall to throw CoD under the bus?
* From IDES…
March was the thirteenth month in a row that unemployment rates fell in every metro area in the state compared to a year ago, according to preliminary data released today by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) and the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Rates also fell in all 102 counties for the twelfth consecutive month and the thirteenth time out of the past fifteen months. Not seasonally adjusted data compares March 2015 with March 2014.
Illinois businesses added jobs in eight metros. The largest increases were seen in: Kankakee (+2.3 percent, +1,000), Rockford (+2.1 percent, +3,100) and Danville (+2.1 percent, +600). Total nonfarm jobs in the Chicago-Naperville-Arlington Heights Metro Division rose (+1.5 percent, +52,100). Decreases were seen in: Decatur (-1.6 percent, -800), Carbondale-Marion (-1.5 percent, -800) and Bloomington (-0.6 percent, -600). The industry sectors recording job growth in the majority of metros were Retail Trade (9 of 14), Transportation, Warehousing and Public Utilities (9 of 14), Education and Health Services (8 of 14) and Leisure and Hospitality (8 of 14).
“It appears that the decline in the number of unemployed people has translated directly to the decline in the overall labor force both locally and statewide.” IDES Director Jeff Mays said. “This is very troubling and merits more study.”
C’mon, Jeff! According to your own numbers, state employment grew by 65,300 jobs since March of last year, and you want to focus on labor force participation, which is not out of line with surrounding states?
* Don Fullerton and Julian Reif with the University of Illinois Institute of Government and Public Affairs writing in the SJ-R…
To emulate private business, Illinois could charge for the use of its roads with a fee based on vehicle miles traveled. Users would pay a small price for each mile driven on public roads or they wouldn’t get to use those roads — just like laundry services and package delivery.
By one simple method, Illinois could take annual odometer readings, calculate each car’s annual miles driven, charge a penny per mile and send a bill to each driver. But other more high-tech options also are available.
With GPS to track each car’s mileage, the state could allow people to subtract miles driven outside of Illinois and to subtract miles on roads already subject to tolls in Illinois. The state even could charge a different price per mile depending on market demand: a higher price per mile on a busy urban road at rush hour and a lower price per mile in rural locations or on weekends when drivers are not using vital space on congested roadways.
So, lemme get this straight. You want the government to put a GPS device on my car to track my every movement?
C’mon, man (and woman)!
…Adding… From Sir Reel in comments…
Illinois is billed as the crossroads of America. That’s supposed to be a good thing. At least with a State gas tax we capture some revenue from the out of state traffic. Using a miles driven method means only Illinois residents pay for Illinois roads. Thanks but no thanks.
Yep.
* And, finally…
Former state Rep. Derrick Smith has been sentenced to five months in prison for accepting a $7,000 cash bribe, the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting.
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman handed Smith the sentence at the end of an emotional sentencing hearing Thursday, telling him his willingness to pocket the bribe and his half-hearted apology showed, “It’s all about him, not about the people.”
Smith, who had faced a maximum of five years, did say “Sorry” at Thursday’s hearing, but said, “I am not a criminal.” Coleman said he had failed to acknowledge it was wrong to accept the bribe.
Smith had spent barely a year in the Illinois House when the Feds caught him trying to line his pockets with the $7,000 cash bribe. Prosecutors had asked Coleman to sentence him to as many as five years in federal prison.
He barely apologizes, says he’s “not a criminal,” his lawyer says “Derrick Smith’s life is about serving the public and giving of himself,” and you give him 5 months???
C’mon, Judge!!!
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:32 pm:
This habit the governor seems to have regarding… timetables… or honest stays or updates… this, probably more than any “fib” Governor Rauner continues will harm him in being seen as an honest partner, worthy of trust.
Mike Z, Lance…
If the governor can get past the running of the fibs on status, timetables, and updates, a vast majority of the criticism aimed at him would disappear.
Honest.
OW
- Carl Nyberg - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:34 pm:
Mayor Emanuel is conflating two types of debates about school governance.
Elected school boards vs. appointed school boards can be a theoretical argument.
But Mayor Emanuel got asked about *his* appointed school board.
Emanuel is arguing that his appointees should be held to the standard “not the biggest crooks in the news”.
That’s not taking responsibility. And if Mayor Emanuel isn’t taking responsibility when his appointees screw-up, what’s the point of having an appointed school board?
- Coach Ditka - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:35 pm:
* * * Bruce Rauner, who ya’ #$%!-in’ * * *
And yes, the final G is silent
- Just Me - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:36 pm:
Ah, Illinois…..the more things change the more they stay the same.
(Although on the car and GPS thing I would point out the Tollway already does something similar, but I concede you choose to use the Tollway roads instead of the local roads so not entirely a fair comparison.)
- walker - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:38 pm:
When I, your CEO, say it — it’s done. The rest is for someone else to worry about.
- Corporate Thug - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:40 pm:
Lol! Can you have a “C’mon, man” section once a week? Consider it.
- DuPage - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:40 pm:
That’s 5 months more then someone got for shooting and killing someone.
- Team Sleep - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:42 pm:
Rich - do you need a Snickers?!
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:44 pm:
===do you need a Snickers?===
Just had aanother meeting with the people working on my house. More bad news. I need to sell another ad. lol
- John A Logan - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:46 pm:
Hey Governor. Quit saying things that are not true. People don’t like that.
- Amalia - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:49 pm:
C’mon, man! it’s like REALLY on the SNL news desk of old. love it.
- very old soil - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:50 pm:
Most of my driving is on gravel roads. Will the state pay me ten cents per mike for damage to the paint on my truck?
- Demoralized - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:56 pm:
Once again, lower unemployment has been turned into a bad thing. If we are going to qualify unemployment with labor force participation rates all the time then we are going to hear this same tired mantra every month from now until 10 years from now. From everything I’ve read economists expect the labor force participation rate to continue to decline or at best remain steady. I think if people will check their clock they will see that the Baby Boom generation is at retirement age. That doesn’t explain all of it but it sure explains a significant percentage. We really have to move past this labor force participation rate talking point.
- Anon221 - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:57 pm:
If they go the GPS route, will it also be used to calculate how fast the driver was going? They could not only charge the miles driven, but also issue speeding tickets at the same time!
- Anon. - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:58 pm:
==According to your own numbers, state employment grew by 65,300 jobs since March of last year, and you want to focus on labor force participation==
C’mon, man. If working-age population had gone up by 1 million, that job growth would be horrific. There simply isn’t an employment statistic that tells the whole story by itself, so there are lots of opportunities to cherry pick statistics that support any partisan view. That said, you’re basically right. The employment picture has been improving steadily, maybe not fast enough, but that is still better than deterioriating.
- RNUG - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:59 pm:
Reading the story this morning, my reaction was the same as Rich’s on the GPS for the roads.
But on second thought, it would make it a lot easier to PROVE you hit that monster pothole that just blew your tire and tore the suspension out from under the car. Wonder how suing the road district would go once you could prove you were there? If that were to succeed, they might loss more money than they would gain through the tax.
- Urbs In Horto - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 2:59 pm:
YES! Rich, this is my favorite post ever. MAKE IT A RECURRING THING, please!
- Bigtwich - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:02 pm:
The GPS is no big deal. They probably have that information from license plate cams anyway.
- Langhorne - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:03 pm:
Working groups, seriously?
Do we get to see: participants, meeting schedule, drafts?
Are witnesses allowed? Open meetings? Press coverage?
How about you just follow the legislative article and chamber rules? Thats your working group.
I cant believe these working groups will produce any viable
bills that will generate support.
- RNUG - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:06 pm:
== The GPS is no big deal. They probably have that information from license plate cams anyway. ==
They might have a bit of it from some cams, but this isn’t New York City where you can’t hardly move without being on camera.
- Just a Girl - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:10 pm:
Concerning the car / GPS section, Oregon tested this concept in 2001 and is gearing up to launch the nations first operational program in July 2015. Oregon’s State Road Usage Charge Program was passed in 2013 under Senate Bill 810. The thought was with ever more electric, hybrid-power vehicles and other small cars using less gas, thus eroding the gas-tax funding used to fund transportation infrastructure a new source of revenue was needed. The ultimate goal is to replace the gas tax with motorists being charged directly for their road usage to keep up with the rising costs of infrastructure maintenance, and allowing them to keep roads and bridges reliable and safe. The GPS used did not disclose the vehicles location to anyone and the data was erased after a certain period of time. There is a great article written on it in a publication called THINK, Infrastructure Solutions – Issue 12, 2014.
- Liberty - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:10 pm:
He just isn’t used to saying jump and no one jumps to make it work.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:11 pm:
===The GPS used did not disclose the vehicles location to anyone===
Yeah? Just wait ’til the FBI and NSA come calling.
- MrJM - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:17 pm:
“Just wait ’til the FBI and NSA come calling.”
Correct.
And true for all electronic data.
– MrJM
- Honeybear - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:20 pm:
May’s is right! Participation is the 800lb shadow in the room (to mix metaphors) I get that it has been used as a line be liberals but all political stripes should be profoundly worried about it. We just don’t (to my knowledge….hey no snickering) have a good way to understand what is actually happening to folks besides individually interview people to find out why they dropped out of the labor force. Man the answer to that question is super important.
- Norseman - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:25 pm:
If Rich makes this a regular feature, folks would complain since Rauner would be the regular star.
No to Jeff, really! I know you’re supposed to do the Gov’s bidding and the Gov wants to continue the narrative that Illinois is crap. However, you need to have some credibility. Rauner doesn’t care, but you should.
- Kerfuffle - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:26 pm:
=== Just had aanother meeting with the people working on my house. More bad news. I need to sell another ad. lol ===
Keep this “C’mon, man” section going and I’m sure you can find a sponsor or two just for it. You might be able to have the contractors build an addition given its popularity in comments made today!
- Wensicia - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:26 pm:
I’ll support the GPS rule if it’s limited to a single driver, Aaron Schock.
- Anonin' - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:28 pm:
On most planets in the galaxy when the supreme commander announces new club (aka workin’ groups) they set meeting times and places and the workin’ begins…so a week has gone by and ain’t been no workin’…..when ya’all gettin’ goin’?
- Sir Reel - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:32 pm:
Illinois is billed as the crossroads of America. That’s supposed to be a good thing. At least with a State gas tax we capture some revenue from the out of state traffic. Using a miles driven method means only Illinois residents pay for Illinois roads. Thanks but no thanks.
- Politix - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:43 pm:
Working groups? Is this normal procedure when a gov submits a bill? We’ve waited months for these grand turnaround proposals and now entire teams are needed to review them? CMON MAN
- Juvenal - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:46 pm:
Jeff Mays almost makes me laugh.
“Almost” because I think these guys at the Illinois Policy Institute actually believe what they are selling.
To them, a world where everyone is working 80 hours a week for $7 an hour is idyllic.
God forbid we have jobs that you can actually support a family on so that both parents don’t have to work. Or the recession end and people’s IRA’s recover their value so that they can retire. If that happened, workforce participation rates would plummet, which would be “very troubling and merits further study.”
Only a diehard wingnut could be upset when the economy is creating private sector jobs, despite the presence of prevailing wage, etc, etc…
- D.P.Gumby - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 3:53 pm:
Maybe Fibber McBrucie is playing Illinois Government on his computer?
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 4:01 pm:
If Illinois is truly the crossroads of America, all we need are 6-lane cash toll booths (and Open Road tolling for holders of EZ Pass) where every IL highway hits the state line. People would be glad to pay $10 or $20 for the privilege of entering our fair state to access our precious crossroads.
Seriously, there are many options for raising more revenue for transportation, but all of them have issues. Few people want to be tracked with GPS for every move, odometers can be tampered with, and although gas and diesel prices are low now, we can’t assume they will be the fuels of choice in the medium to far future…some brilliant kid or organization might come up with a battery that can store 500 miles worth of juice at 1/4 the cost and weight of today’s models.
- Honeybear - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 4:13 pm:
Juvenal- I don’t think the factors that you mention are what is troubling May’s (those data can be captured and monitored through existing metrics) What is worrying them is those folks who just gave up trying to find a job. Are those people draining down savings, IRA’s, are they applying for SNAP (huge increase there), THAT is the worry. Things are not as they were before. It is “troubling and merits further study”. Man, after the recent recession where we weren’t looking at the right indicators, when we weren’t watching the big financial houses and it took our nickers off, I’m really happy when someone wants to look into something that doesn’t feel right to them.
- Enviro - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 4:40 pm:
== The GPS is no big deal. They probably have that information from license plate cams anyway. ==
When did we decide that two wrongs make a right?
Using GPS to track each car’s mileage is a violation of our right to privacy. It would be another regressive tax unfair to low income working people who must drive to work.
- mokenavince - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 4:59 pm:
I have seen more live in Rauner in the last few months than in Quinn’s 1 Plus terms. I may be wrong but I feel we might actually get something done. And Madigan has some sense of history he just might be doing something to help get us out of the mess he made.
- sal-says - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 5:07 pm:
==IDES Director Jeff Mays said. “This is very troubling and merits more study.”==
Yup; employment increases significantly & the DIRECTOR of EMPLOYMENT SECURITY makes that comment. Clueless & appointed by Raunner. How’s come Mays doesn’t show on the ITAP database?
From a St. Louis Today article:
“Rauner himself has defended the higher salaries of the top aides as necessary for “the talent that we’ve got.”
“The people we’re bringing into our administration, most of them are taking significant cuts compared to what they were making on the outside,” Rauner said late last month when reporters asked about the higher salaries.”
Best & brightest, eh? Maybe best shills money can buy?
- Mongo - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 5:13 pm:
I have gone back and forth with myself on the GPS on roads tax and I just won. I think I am for it. I understand the privacy issues, and indeed they are of some concern and need to be solidly addressed.
But the point about Oregon is great…more hybrids, better mileage, etc, yields less revenue.
I am for it. Charge me for the 19,000 miles a year that I drive. That’s a hunert’ and 90 friggin’ bucks a year. Take it. (I am so tired of tryin’ the write the way BVR speaks)
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 5:14 pm:
===I have seen more live in Rauner in the last few months than in Quinn’s 1 Plus terms. I may be wrong but I feel we might actually get something done.===
Example, please…
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 5:19 pm:
(mileage based tax)would be another regressive tax unfair to low income working people who must drive to work.
It actually wouldn’t be any less fair than the “tax” low income working people who drive to work are paying in the form of motor fuel taxes…the more you drive, the more you pay, whether it be in the form of motor fuel tax on fuel consumed or miles driven. I suppose you could make the argument that the working poor can avoid or lessen motor fuel taxes by buying electric cars or high MPG vehicles, but I don’t see a lot of Tesla’s in the hood, so to speak. There are ways to give incentives to low income drivers that would negate the effects of whatever tax is imposed on driving.
- Six Degrees of Separation - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 5:26 pm:
Mongo, I think a mileage based tax will be more than 1c a mile, if they ever get around to imposing one. Might be 2x or 3x higher. And who knows how they would divvy it up…higher rates for trucks and gas guzzlers, lower rates for electrics and hybrids to promote conservation, etc.
- Wordslinger - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 6:12 pm:
Jeff, you may need to study up on the declining labor participation rate, but others have seen it coming and written about it for decades now.
It’s not a state thing, Jeff, but a national trend, and has been for quite some time.
- DuPage Dave - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 6:43 pm:
It is really disappointing to see IDES downplaying good unemployment numbers. I thought state agencies were supposed to play up good news about the state. This guy leaves a lot to be desired as a director.
- Upon Further Review - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 7:08 pm:
Newsflash to Rahm Emanuel, the former Chancellor of the Chicago City Colleges (the only unelected community college board in Illinois — appointed by the Chicago mayor) doled out $75 million in contracts to friends and relatives of former State Senate President Emil Jones. This same disgrace averaged $10.6 million in annual legal bills to outside law firms (despite the fact that the CCC has an internal law department).
Now, the ethically challenged Wayne Watson is ruining Chicago State University. Critics call the lawsuit plagued university “Crony State.”
The College of Du Page scandal is ugly, but Chicago’s community college district is not a model of ethical integrity either.
- Upon Further Review - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 7:14 pm:
Former State Representative Derrick Smith and Chicago State President Wayne Watson have the same lawyer, Victor Henderson.
Attorney Henderson’s wife is the current Provost of Chicago State. Allegations were raised that her doctoral dissertation was plagiarized. Watson served on the dissertation committee for his employee!
Coincidence? Irony?
- Juniors elk head - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 7:39 pm:
5 months! #&*@! PS FREE BLAGO
- Wronger Rauner - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:12 pm:
“C’mon Man!” I love it@!@!
This needs to be a weekly post of the “best of” Illinois’ hypocritical oxymoron moments that our elected officials consistently bless us with! I thoroughly enjoyed it. But don’t let Rauner hog the page.
- Big Z - Thursday, Apr 23, 15 @ 9:42 pm:
With the propsed fee of cents per mile driven, don’t we already pay motor fuel tax? Also,won’t that increase cost for businesses? Which will in turn drive up prices and cost the consumer more. Where does this end?
- Anon - Friday, Apr 24, 15 @ 7:57 am:
Yes Juniors, more reason to cut Blago some slack.