Things that make you go “Hmm…”
Monday, Jan 3, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* OK, this is quite odd…
Seven of the state’s 32 workers’ comp arbitrators have filed claims themselves. Having more than 20 percent of workers with the same job file claims should be a cause for alarm. But in state government, workers’ comp gets treated as an entitlement.
“They are entitled to file claims. They are entitled to go through the process,” said Mitch Weisz, chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Commission.
“We’re not second-class citizens. We can file,” said Ruth White, an arbitrator who got $19,084 after she fell and fractured her leg.
Who knew that being an arbitrator was such a dangerous job?
* Wow…
Thanks to the eight-month span between Gov. Pat Quinn’s approval of a pension reform bill last spring and its implementation, any public worker hired in Illinois as late as Friday has been enrolled in a far more lucrative pension plan than those hired on or after Saturday.
A Rockford Register Star analysis of pension data has identified nearly 19,000 public workers at all levels of Illinois government hired in that span, from bus drivers to university presidents. More than 300 now work for Rock River Valley public bodies.
The phrase “all levels of Illinois government” is somewhat misleading, since the vast majority of those new hires are at the local level. Still, if that number is accurate, that’s a whole lot of hiring. I do wonder how many of those hirees might be in temporary jobs, but still.
* Yet another group attempts to de-legitimize the lame duck session…
A spokesman for the Illinois State’s Attorney’s Association says many state’s attorneys are upset at how the [death penalty abolition] bill has been introduced in a lame-duck session. The ISAA is planning a press conference Tuesday in Springfield and will let family members of murder victims express their opinions about keeping the death penalty.
The session is in the state Consitution. And, the last time I checked, members are elected for full two- or four-year terms. Having a time period when members aren’t completely obsessed about the next election is not necessarily a bad thing. But, hey, they’re darned if they do what they really think is right, and darned if they don’t.
* Gery Chico has released his fundraising totals…
Chicago mayoral candidate Gery Chico announced today that he’s raised more than $2.5 million for his campaign.
Chico’s campaign released his fundraising total weeks before he’s required to do so in a move to portray himself as a top challenger to former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, who leads in early polling.
A campaign aide said that on top of the money he’s already raised, Chico has lined up 47 more fundraising events for this month. But the campaign isn’t saying how much Chico has left to start the year.
But check out this tidbit from Greg Hinz…
Contender Rahm Emanuel is believed to have pulled in far more, perhaps $10 million, but isn’t releasing any numbers yet.
* Also from Greg…
Using census estimates through 2009, ProximityOne, a Washington-based analysis firm, has put together some figures that suggest the city of Chicago will be particularly short of people come reapportionment time — even more so than Downstate.
For instance, each of the state’s 18 new congressional districts will have to have a bit more than 710,000 residents. But according to the firm’s analysis, seven current districts miss that total by at least 50,000.
The population laggards are concentrated in Chicago, with Congressman Luis Gutierrez, D-4th, now representing just 607,000 residents; Bobby Rush, D-1st, 616,000 residents, and Jesse Jackson Jr., D-2nd, 618,000. Narrowly following them are Downstater Bobby Schilling, R-17th, at 621,000, and Chicago’s Danny Davis D-7th, 631,000.
Districts with an overabundance of residents are concentrated in the Chicago suburbs, with Randy Hultgren, R-14th, representing an estimated 831,000; Adam Kinzinger, R-10th, 776,000; Judy Biggert, R-13th, 769,000, and Joe Walsh, R-8th, 734,000.
If accurate, those numbers suggest that projected growth in Hispanic residents over the past 10 years has been more scattered than in the past — potentially making it difficult to draw a second majority Hispanic district, as some Latino leaders want.
They’ll move those Chicago Democratic districts further out into the suburbs.
* This will just spark more curiosity…
Consensus black mayoral candidate Carol Moseley Braun said Monday she will not release her income tax returns until after the election, passing on the chance to exploit a potential weakness of two of her major rivals.
“I don’t want to,” she said.
Rahm Emanuel, Gery Chico and Miguel del Valle have already released their tax returns to give Chicago voters a greater understanding of how they made their money. […]
With that, Braun ended the news conference called to repeat her promise to take Chicago parking meters back from private investors.
As she was walking out the door of her campaign headquarters, Braun was asked why she would refuse if she has nothing to hide.
“Oh, get out of here,” she said.
Oof.
My first reaction to this story was, “Oh, Carol…” which got me to thinking about Chuck Berry falling ill in Chicago on New Year’s Eve, which eventually led me to this video…
You can’t dance, I know you wish you could
* Other stuff…
* Joe Berrios Cool On Ald. Schulter’s Bid For Board Of Review Seat
* Decatur voters to face blank ballot
* Tea Party advocates head to capitol
28 Comments  
|
STOP COALITION MISLEADS. EXELON PROFITS. ILLINOIS PAYS.
Monday, Jan 3, 2011 - Posted by Capitol Fax Blog Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Why does front group STOP tell Illinois legislators one thing while Exelon CEO John Rowe tells investors a completely different story?
In Illinois, STOP lobbyist (and one-time Exelon consultant) Dr. Phil O’Connor says legislators should vote no on Tenaska’s Taylorville Energy Center (SB 2485).
“We don’t need any new baseload. The speculation on the closure of baseload plants is just that, it’s speculation.”
Testimony to House Electric Generation Committee, 11/29/10
Funny, but that’s not what Exelon CEO John Rowe told investors on a July 22, 2010 investor call.
“The upside to Exelon is unmistakable.”
Exelon CEO John Rowe
The EPA’s Utility Men, Wall Street Journal Editorial
December 23, 2010
“EPA regulations will affect both capacity and energy markets, and will do so sooner than many think.”
Mr. Rowe made Exelon’s motivation for killing projects like Taylorville clear: “a $5 per megawatt-hour increase in energy prices would be $700 million to $800 million of incremental revenue to Exelon.”
Taylorville Energy Center opponents like Exelon have billions of good reasons for spreading so much disinformation about SB 2485 and hiding the truth from Illinois legislators – they don’t want competition in baseload generation.
Remember Economics 101. Decreasing electricity supply and rising demand means higher prices for everyone in Illinois.
The math is simple.
STOP COALITION MISLEADS + EXELON PROFITS = ILLINOIS PAYS.
Learn the facts!
Vote yes on SB 2485!
Cleancoalillinois.com
Comments Off
|
Question of the day
Monday, Jan 3, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Sun-Times editorialized against lifting or modifying the state’s smoking ban for Illinois casinos…
The poor national economy gets most of the blame, but the commission also concluded that Illinois’ revenue losses were greater than those of neighboring states — in part because of the smoking ban.
All the same, we can’t see granting an exception to the smoking ban for casinos when all other establishments that also could make a hardship case, such as bars and restaurants, must abide by it.
And having a designated smoking area inside a casino still would endanger employees exposed to secondhand smoke. Even a high-quality ventilation system can’t filter out all of the harmful chemicals from cigarette smoke.
State lawmakers who have resisted efforts to ease the ban in the past may be swayed this time by the state’s increasingly dire fiscal situation.
No one wants to stem the flow of badly needed revenue.
But a smoking ban in public places that begins granting exceptions is, soon enough, no smoking ban at all.
* The Question: Should the smoking ban be lifted or altered for the state’s casinos? Explain.
38 Comments
|
About the automated news feeds
Monday, Jan 3, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My news feed provider is down today. They say they will be back up and running later today. I sure hope so. Hang in there.
…Adding… They appear to be coming back to life, slowly but surely. Sorry for the problems.
Comments Off
|
The lay of the land
Monday, Jan 3, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Chicago Tribune’s story last week about the upcoming budget debate was badly cribbed from my own piece several days earlier. Trouble is, the Trib story set off a lot of misleading reports, including this one…
Bill Gross, who invested $5.5 million of his own money in five municipal bond funds run by his Pacific Investment Management Co earlier this month, told CNBC on Tuesday he would avoid Illinois debt.
No, this is not just a one-year borrowing plan. The general idea being pushed by many Democrats is to get rid of the state’s structural deficit with a tax hike and then borrow to catch the state up on its overdue bills and extend the capital plan another year. The new debt would have a specific revenue source, and the bond houses would like that - snap analyses based on incomplete information notwithstanding.
* The state pays a point a month on its overdue debt. Bonding would be cheaper. Yes, the bonds won’t be paid off in a year, but nobody in their right mind could say that Illinois can solve this gigantic, horrific problem in a single year….
Governments take out loans routinely on one-time construction projects that have longevity, but borrowing to pay ongoing, operating expenses is typically ill-advised.
Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, said such a loan would have to have a much shorter term than a bond for a highway or bridge so that carrying costs are less.
Mautino said it would have to be accompanied by a dedicated pot of money to pay it back, such as an income tax increase. Quinn’s proposed 1 percent hike wouldn’t be enough, he said.
More…
The Marion Democrat and chair of the House Finance Committee knows the state cannot generate enough revenue in the short-term to keep state services the same. Quinn’s plan to borrow $15 billion would cover $8 billion of unpaid bills. Bradley says that money will keep the state’s existing debt from growing exponentially.
“A problem that may have been able to be solved four or five years ago for a billion or two billion dollars then becomes a $12- or $13-billion problem,” Bradley said. “If it’s not addressed in a couple years, it will be a $20 or $25 billion dollar issue.”
* It’s also very possible that we could see some significant spending reforms, and not just in Medicaid…
Republicans might get behind efforts in the Senate to reform the state’s budget-busting Medicaid program, which provides health care for the poor.
State Sen. Pam Althoff, a McHenry Republican who was on a Senate committee that has been trying to tackle the issue, said she expects to see legislation moving soon. Changes could include changing who’s eligible for the program and how doctors are paid.
Althoff said Republicans continue to want to see spending cuts from state government.
“Medicaid reform, obviously, is one of those initiatives,” she said.
That Taxpayer Bill of Rights I wrote about before the break is just one aspect of the budget reforms floating around. There are more.
* Now, it’s possible the whole thing could fall apart. It’s also possible that some stuff may be enacted and other stuff may not be. There’s a lot to do in just a few short days. Still, it’s crunch time…
This is the end of 26 year veteran Ron Wait’s career. And he says the Legislature will have to act.
“Usually when the Legislature gets in crisis crescendo, it will get things done and I think we’re at that point right now.”
And…
“Insiders” believe that there are at least eight incumbent House Republicans that are leaning towards voting in favor of tax increases during the lame duck.
* Related…
* Illinois Politicians Study Derivatives On State Debt: Illinois politicians are reviewing whether to follow in California’s footsteps by forcing the state’s bond underwriters to disclose what credit derivatives they have entered into on Illinois’s debt. Staff members working for Illinois House of Representatives Speaker Michael Madigan reached out to California officials on Wednesday for information about how the Golden State has gone about improving disclosures relating to credit default swaps on its own state debt.
* Legislature likely to take up tax hike
* In Politics, Live in the Present and Kick Problems to the Future
* Do Low Taxes = Low Unemployment?
* Brady’s political future in 2011 and beyond
* Follow the money as Springfield gets ready to reconvene
* New pension plan for firefighters, police not expected to deter applicants
52 Comments
|
* The biggest news over the holiday break was Danny Davis dropping out of the mayor’s race, which left Carol Moseley Braun as the only major black candidate…
Braun and Davis had met repeatedly behind closed doors in recent days amid pressure to emerge with a single, consensus black candidate. The decisive meeting came earlier Friday, after Meeks returned to town.
Davis’ departure clears the way for Braun to run as the only major African American candidate in a crowded field that also includes former presidential chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, former School Board President Gery Chico and City Clerk Miguel del Valle. […]
Davis called Braun “an outstanding woman” and introduced her as “the next mayor.”
A smiling Braun hugged both Davis and Meeks before saying their combined goal is to “reinvigorate our city.”
“We will create a city that works for all people in every neighborhood,” Braun said.
* Perhaps the second biggest story was Carol Mosely Braun’s mouth. Ms. Braun was the high-road candidate for US Senate back in 1992. Not any longer…
In response to a critical column, Chicago mayoral candidate Carol Mosley Braun lashed out [last week] against Chicago Sun-Times columnist Neil Steinberg.
“I’m just going to tell the truth about these things. He is a drunk and a wife beater, and he insulted the entire African-American community in Chicago. And the Sun-Times, particularly based on its demographic … ought to do better by Chicagoans than to give this man a continual platform for his divisive rantings in the newspaper,” said Braun at a news conference.
From Steinberg’s column…
Alas, after February we won’t have Carol Moseley Braun to kick around anymore, and I for one will feel the loss. She represents the egomaniacal muddle that Chicago black leadership has slid into, where calls for imaginary and self-destructive racial solidarity trump minor concerns like reason or history. […]
I hope some ambitious University of Chicago sociology graduate student does her masters thesis on the search for a so-called “consensus” candidate among the marginalized black power structure in Chicago; it would make for a fascinating study in magical thinking.
His follow-up…
That I’m a drunk is no denying — reformed, with years of sobriety under my belt. I never made a secret of it, indeed wrote a book about it and am proud of my progress. That she feels recovery is some kind of low indictment just shows how clueless she is. The second accusation is a bald lie, and if Braun ever runs into my wife, she can expect to receive an even worse earful than I’ve ever dished out. Then I guess Braun will picket our house.
* Braun also took a swing at Rahm Emanuel…
Braun also used the press conference as an opportunity to further question frontrunner Rahm Emanuel’s candidacy. After saying that “everybody in this room knows [Rahm] doesn’t live here,” she criticized former President Clinton’s endorsement of Emanuel.
“We know that Mr. Clinton and Emanuel have a relationship,” Braun said in a statement. “But if Rahm is going to invite his buddies to Chicago to campaign for him then he ought to invite his friend Bart Stupak, who along with Rahm took a woman’s right to choose out of the health care bill. He ought to invite his buddy Tom Tancredo who blocked the Dream Act. Or he can have his friend Leland Brendsel stop by. Brendsel was in charge of Freddie Mac and played a huge role in the mortgage meltdown, and was a major Rahm contributor.”
More…
Braun said Emanuel is an outsider because “for one thing, he doesn’t live here.” She was referring to questions about whether Emanuel meets residency eligibility requirements to run for mayor. The Chicago Board of Elections last week ruled Emanuel is a resident and ballot-eligible. That ruling has been appealed in court and could ultimately be decided by the Supreme Court.
“Everybody in this room knows he doesn’t live here,” Braun told reporters. “He had to go search for wedding dresses hidden in the basement to even make the case he had a residence. I mean, come on.”
* And she dissed Police Superintendent Jody Weis…
“The superintendent, again, is not from here, doesn’t understand the city. [He had] to learn it [and] get a guide book out. You need to get somebody who knows Chicago to run the Chicago Police Department,” Carol Moseley Braun said at a press event to outline her own plans to reduce crime.
* But this tidbit should’ve received more attention…
Braun has allotted $5 million for the campaign, including a run-off if needed.
That ain’t much, particularly if there’s a runoff. And campaign contributions are now capped, so the cash won’t flood in if she wins the runoff like it would’ve in the past.
* Related…
* Long road to ‘consensus’ black candidate: Braun ramped up the pressure on Davis on Friday, sending out a news release that Meeks’ heaviest-hitting business backers, Com Ed executives Frank Clark and John Hooker, were joining her campaign. About 5 p.m., Meeks called Braun and told her to come to Davis’ office — he’d be pulling out to endorse her.
* Moseley Braun says she’s most qualified for mayor’s job: Chico instantly tried to portray both Braun and Emanuel as ” Washington, D.C., politicians” while saying he has worked for years in Chicago, serving on boards and as Daley’s chief of staff. “I succeeded in every public service position I held because I built coalitions across ethnic and racial lines,” Chico said in a statement.
* Moseley Braun tours Meeks’ church in show of African-American unity in Chicago mayoral contest: “Rev. Meeks decided that he was going to fight for his congregation and remain as pastor,” Braun said to thunderous applause. “Congressman Davis decided he was going to fight for the 7th Congressional District.”
* Chicago has changed, but black leaders playing old, racial games
* Teacher coalition calls for elected school board
* Top Mayoral candidates opposed to elected Chicago school board idea: Three candidates — former White House chief of staff Rahm Emanuel, ex-U.S. Sen. Carol Moseley Braun and Gery Chico, who once served as Chicago Board of Education president — each said they are opposed to the idea and argued it could further politicize public education in Chicago.
* Will Chicago think big after Daley?
* Candidate Del Valle wouldn’t defend parking meter contract
* Del Valle: Chicago’s parking meter contract is ‘crazy‘
* Rahm Emanuel’s White House experience cuts both ways in Chicago mayor’s race: Based on that philosophy, some of Emanuel’s mayoral foes say he obstructed comprehensive immigration reform because it would hurt Democrats at the polls. Some also hold him responsible for Congress’ failure to pass the DREAM Act, the residency bill for children of undocumented immigrants. Emanuel was noticeably silent on the issue. When asked where he stands, Emanuel reverted to his personal story as the “son and grandson of immigrants.” He also said that while he was in Congress, he sponsored or co-sponsored comprehensive immigration reform every year.
* 2011 brings battles over budgets, mayor
* City water revenues seeping away
* CHA boss has security detail, too
* Alderman of Madigan ward stepping down: The decisions by both [Alderman] Olivo and [Marty] Quinn to file nominating petitions raised eyebrows because both are so close to the speaker. But the 13th Ward Democrats last month told Sun-Times columnist Rich Miller, who also runs the Capitol Fax newsletter and blog, that Olivo was “awaiting final clearance from physicians” to seek another term. “Quinn filed as a precaution,” Miller reported.
* VIDEO: 53rd Ward Alderman Ed Bus makes a surprise appearance
50 Comments
|
Morning Shorts
Monday, Jan 3, 2011 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ex-IDOT workers’ case nears trial…
After six years, countless briefs and motions as well as accusations of impropriety, 16 former state government workers will get to tell a jury why they think they were fired because of their political beliefs.
* The surging pain of foreclosures…
Year-end projections for 2010 show banks and other lending institutions filed 51,900 new foreclosure suits in Cook County Circuit Court. The clerk’s office won’t have a final tally until mid-January, but a spokeswoman said the number is among the highest on the books.
The projections suggest foreclosures continue a steady climb that began in 2006, when filings in Cook County Circuit Court sat at 18,916 and jumped 70 percent in 2007 to 32,269. In the first half of the decade, foreclosures ranged from 12,000 to 15,000 annually.
It also suggests too, experts say, that the housing crisis hasn’t abated, but rather just spread to new demographics.
“What we’ve seen is a lot of shifts in where the growth is occurring and that’s mostly in the suburbs and among middle income and higher income” groups, said Geoff Smith, senior vice president of the Woodstock Institute, a Chicago-based non-profit research organization.
* Full job recovery is years away…
Think three years plus. That’s how long it’s expected to take for Illinois to regain jobs lost during the Great Recession under some of the brightest forecasts. But it could be years longer.
The timelines are unwelcome news for the unemployed.
While this year is expected to bring continued gradual improvements in job growth, the biggest gains aren’t forecast until 2013 and 2014 by economic research firms IHS Global Insight and Moody’s Analytics.
* Jobs 2011 Slight upgrade, but competition still stiff…
If you’re planning to keep your job or find a new one in 2011, the new year’s outlook is positive, labor experts say.
In terms of layoffs, planned job cuts are already down about 60 percent from 2009, according to Chicago employment counseling firm Challenger, Gray and Christmas.
Although hiring will improve slightly in 2011, that doesn’t necessarily mean job seekers will have an easier time finding work, the firm reports.
* Another Victim of the Great Recession: Child Support Payments
* Illinois unemployment rates keep falling
* Tourism numbers at Lincoln sites show a drop: But tourism and historic-site managers said the fall-off from the 200th anniversary celebration of Abraham Lincoln’s birth in 2009 was anticipated. They remain encouraged that numbers in most cases were ahead of 2008.
* Hospitals giving more, but demand also is rising
* Big donors get front row seats at tax sales
* Quinn signs police and fire pension measure into law…
The bill adds some punishment. For towns that don’t make minimum payments, starting in 2015, the state can divert some of a town’s income or sales tax receipts to cover the pension payments. Municipal lobbyists suggested that will lead to dramatic tax hikes or service cuts.
But the measure also pushes pension debt further out, requiring suburbs to reach just 90 percent funding by 2040 instead of the current law: 100 percent by 2033.
And the bill would eventually save Chicago and suburbs by cutting benefits of new hires starting next year. The traditional retirement age would rise from 50 to 55 and it would become more difficult to spike pensions with end-of-career salary bumps.
* New law bars most credit checks in hiring
* Wage-theft law takes effect without many teeth: More than five months since Quinn signed the law, however, his administration hasn’t finished writing enforcement rules.
* Illinois’ first limits on campaign contributions finally becomes enforceable
* Campaign cash, state pensions addressed under laws for 2011
* New Ill. law pushes ‘fair’ taxes on mobile homes: The measure, scheduled to take effect Saturday along with nearly 200 other new Illinois laws, requires a factory-assembled home on private property and not part of a mobile home park to be assessed and taxed as real property. Gone would be the days of such affected properties being taxed by counties at 15 cents per square foot — a rate that drops over time as the home ages… [The law] exempts existing homes until they’re sold, transferred or relocated.
* State FOIA stronger, but work in progress
* New pet laws in Illinois
* Brynden’s Law among new 2011 laws: The new year will ring in more than 200 new laws, of which several originated in southern Illinois. One, named in memory Herrin child Brynden Gibson, will expand the state’s violent offender registry to include persons convicted of shaking babies to death.
* New Speeding Law On the Books: The law, crafted by Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White, eliminates the possibility of court supervision for any driver convicted of speeding 40 miles per hour or more over the speed limit, allowing only for up to a year in jail, probation, or both.
* New Law To Stop Burglars
* Lawmakers go ape with new laws
* Tribune: Eden Martin’s Illinois
* New offer to St. Clair County deputies: ‘If they accept this, there will not be any layoffs’
* ‘I believe they were sick’: Union chief defends East St. Louis cops who did not report to work
* Judge sued twice over land deals
* Opponents fight to protest outside Church of Scientology: A Chicago judge will decide this month whether a city code prevents protesters who oppose Scientology’s teachings from expressing their discontent any time the church’s doors are open or only during its conventional Sunday worship service.
* Ousted Ryan juror wins lawsuit
* Long-serving Illinois Supreme Court clerk retires
* Lost German Chicago: Lost German Chicago traces German-American life through the tumultuous events of the Beer Riots, Haymarket Affair, Prohibition, and America’s entry into two world wars.
* Chuck Berry Collapses On Keyboard At Congress Theater
*Agent: Chuck Berry suffered from exhaustion
4 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
|
Comments Off
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
