The Illinois GOP also supported prohibiting the government payroll system from collecting union dues from public employees — a key element in defusing powerful public-sector unions and a deterrent for Republican candidates who may be tempted to take campaign donations from those unions.
* The Question: Should state and local government payroll systems be barred from collecting union dues from public employees? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* I bought a couple of great seats for last night’s White Sox vs. Cardinals game. It was a perfect evening for baseball, and we witnessed a heckuva pitching duel.
The hardcore Cardinals fans in front of us politely tolerated my occasional whoops of joy, despite warnings from my friend to tone it down, especially when I less than politely derided those around us for giving their pitcher a standing ovation for striking out our pitcher. I mean, really. How hard is it to strike out Peavy?
The redbird boosters behind us were another story. Cardinals fans always claim that they have the best crowds in baseball. But the idiots behind us talked loudly about golf and took calls on their cell phones all night. Not good. We moved over a few seats to get away from them.
I saw a bunch of friends at the game as well, including one very good buddy from Chicago. We were wearing the white and black in an ocean of red, so it wasn’t hard to spot each other. We hugged and laughed and talked about old times. Then he went back to his seat and I resumed watching intently as the pitchers kept shutting down the other side. By the 9th, the Cardinals had managed just one run. The Sox couldn’t get on the board. Every time I thought we’d score, we wound up with the goose egg. I never lost faith, though. Our team has hitters. No way do we get blanked. And our pitchers can definitely handle them. We got this. Heck, the top of the order is up in the 9th. It’s all good, baby.
* But tragedy struck.
There we were, top of the 9th, one out, men on first and third, Paul Konerko at the bat. Sox were still trailing 1-0. Three balls and one strike to the big guy.
I’m figuring, hey, this is exactly what baseball is all about, man. We’ve got the best hitter in the Major Leagues up to bat and he’s got a hitter’s count, so I’m feeling really comfortable. Not nervous at all. At the very least, we’re going into extra innings. How perfect would that be?
The person I’m with is a Cardinals fan. Rabid, even. My friend is terribly nervous. I’m smiling. All is well. My friend can hardly watch.
And then Konerko hits into a double play.
Game over.
Cardinals win.
1-0.
Shut out.
My friend is jumping up and down with unadulterated joy. I’m literally in shock, slouched in my seat. How could this happen? All the way back to Springfield I have to listen to my friend crow about the game. I guess that’s only fair. I crowed pretty loudly after Tuesday night’s game.
* We stopped at a gas station on the way back to Springfield and there’s a guy wearing a Sox jersey just inside the door. I’m wearing a Sox shirt as well. The two of us stand there and look at each other for a long time with sad faces. And then we bond. His name is Tony. He also lives in Springfield. We talk about how good the pitching was. We talk about our team’s missed opportunities. Neither of us blames Konerko. He’s the best. How can you ever be angry at Paulie? He’s there for us, so we’re there for him. And, frankly, if the Sox hadn’t blown so many other opportunities, the game wouldn’t have been on Konerko’s shoulders.
There aren’t many Sox fans in this town. I wanted to buy a new hat for the game, but finding Sox paraphernalia in Downstate Illinois ain’t easy, man. There’s Cub and Cardinals stuff literally everywhere you go. But almost nothing for us Sox folk. I think about that as I leave the gas station and joke with my friend that Downstate Sox fans are kind of a cult.
* We’re going back to Busch Stadium tonight. We have to win. I made some rather, um, interesting bets on this series during a moment of chutzpah, so I really cannot lose.
* Greg Hinz thinks Gov. Quinn got the best of Aaron Schock on the “Morning Joe” program earlier this week…
The two men who some think will be their respective party’s 2014 nominee for governor shared a TV platform this morning, and thanks to some self-inflicted damage, I give the verdict to incumbent Gov. Pat Quinn, a Democrat, over potential rival Congressman Aaron Schock, R-Peoria.
Mr. Schock started off well and achieved the prime goal of anyone in such matches: hogging the microphone. In fact, Mr. Quinn didn’t even get a word in until halfway through the 9-minute segment.
But after making his points how the GOP’s Mitt Romney is running even in the polls with President Barack Obama, Mr. Schock stumbled when Mr. Quinn challenged him on the inability of House Republicans to get their act together and pass a multiyear funding bill for road and transit projects.
“We passed a five-year highway bill, the Senate passed a two-year bill, and we’re now working out the differences” in a conference committee, Mr. Schock countered. “I think the House passing a five-year highway bill is a step in the right direction.”
The only problem is, the House didn’t pass a five-year transportation funding bill. And it appears highly unlikely to do so.
Speaker John Boehner did propose one, but he never called it for a vote after his caucus became divided over exactly what projects to fund and how to pay for them. Nor would Mr. Boehner call for a vote the two-year bill that passed the Senate with a wide bipartisan majority.
Schock was elected to Congress when he was 27, and doesn’t seem to want to stop there. When asked about his ambition for higher office, he uses this line: “In politics, you never know who’s going to die, retire, or — in Illinois — get indicted.” It’s hard to imagine him leaving Washington, where he’s become one of the most celebrated congressmen, for Springfield, where he won’t be able to maintain his tan or buy designer suits. If he does run for governor, though, he’s already lost his first debate with Quinn.
The two politicians were interviewed together on MSNBC’s Morning Joe Tuesday morning, speaking from the NBC Plaza in Chicago. Schock appeared tan, fit, tailored and eager. Quinn appeared whiter-shade-of-Irish pale, bloated, rumpled, and grumpy. He was either irritated enough to poke Schock in the temple or hungry enough to use him as the filling for a Breakfast Buddy.
* Unlike Quinn, Schock effectively countered the governor’s talking points. Quinn said that President Obama “saved” the auto industry and added that Ford was doing much better here now. Schock acidly pointed out that Ford didn’t get a bailout. Quinn, on the other hand, didn’t say a word about Schock’s blatantly false statement about the transportation bill.
But Quinn did effectively counter Schock after the young Republican said he wouldn’t accept ten dollars in federal budget cuts in exchange for one dollar in revenue increases. Quinn claimed that Ronald Reagan, who’s from Illinois, wouldn’t be successful in today’s Republican Party because Reagan raised taxes and closed tax loopholes. Schock then countered that the Republicans want to close loopholes. Apparently, that doesn’t count as new revenue under Schock’s construct, though.
* Quinn has done a much better job of pushing back against Schock since that appearance. He whacked the Republican but good on Don & Roma’s show yesterday, for instance…
Gov. Pat Quinn’s critique of House Republicans as focused only on obstructing the White House is “nonsense,” U.S. Rep. Aaron Schock said Wednesday. […]
“The president knows what he’s doing when it comes to reviving the economy,” Quinn said on MSNBC. “He’s got to have some cooperation, Aaron, from the House of Representatives. All you’ve been is obstructing the president. You can’t even pass a transportation bill, which we did in our own state of Illinois.”
On Wednesday, Schock said that criticism was “nonsense.” For example, the House has at least tried to pass a transportation bill, while President Barack Obama has sat on the sidelines without his own proposal, Schock said.
“The only reason we’re discussing a highway bill right now is because the House put forward its version, the Senate put forward its version, and now we are negotiating between the two bodies to try and come up with a compromise,” Schock said. (Congress faces a June 30 deadline when current highway funding expires.)
Schock also downplayed any interest in running for Illinois governor – talk that surfaced previously but has flared after his run-in with Quinn. Schock said Wednesday he’s not “running for anything other than for Congress.”
“Well, I haven’t ruled anything out, but at this point, I’m not worried about it,” Schock said.
* Schock effectively hogged the microphone, got away with a major falsehood and looked more relaxed on TV. He does talking points with ease. Quinn looked rumpled, slouched in his chair and sounded like he was repeating an Obama press release.
I can’t see how you can give the “debate” to anyone but Schock. Quinn, however, marginally won the post-debate, but I’ll bet a whole lot more people watched the “Morning Joe” segment than saw the resulting Internet coverage of Quinn’s push-back. And instead of solely focusing afterward on Schock’s falsehood about the transportation bill (that nobody cares about in the abstract anyway), he should’ve also continued to hammer Schock on the Reagan angle. He’s right. Reagan would be a liberal socialist to today’s DC GOP crowd.
So, Schock wins this round. And Quinn really needs to up his game if he plans to continue going toe to toe with the kid.
* Restarting the early release program for good behavior had bipartisan support in the General Assembly and has received applause from newspaper editorial boards. But, as always, there are consequences…
As Gov. Pat Quinn mulls a bill to allow early release for inmates in state prisons, parole agents who monitor ex-offenders say the program would add to their already burdensome caseload. […]
An IDOC report from 2010 showed there were about 28,000 parolees that year and a ratio of one agent for every 80.4 parolees. That works out to about 349 parole agents statewide. IDOC’s website currently says there are about 26,000 parolees. […]
The 2010 IDOC report shows 8.6 percent of inmates admitted to prison that year were former inmates who went back to prison for committing new crimes, while 29 percent were inmates who violated the terms of their parole.
Simmons says some parole agents are working without vehicles, instead relying on rides from other parole agents to check up on their assigned parolees. He says the Illinois State Police have started allowing parole agents to use their vehicles as a short-term solution.
Oy.
* Meanwhile, Kurt Erickson looked at agency purchasing records to see how serious the Quinn administration is about closing facilities…
But, a review of requests for various services and products at the facilities shows some are continuing to purchase goods, while others are cancelling contracts because of what could be a looming shutdown.
The state’s youth prison in Murphysboro is an example.
On May 29, the Illinois Department of Department of Juvenile Justice canceled a $2.1 million contract extension for substance abuse counseling at the Southern Illinois facility, saying the service won’t be needed after June 30.
That stands in contrast to purchases being made by officials at the all-female Dwight Correctional Center, which Quinn also said he wants to shutter.
In May, Dwight officials signed off on an agreement to spend $59,000 on water-testing services. The facility also just approved a contract to buy $12,800 worth of thread for use in the facility’s garment manufacturing program.
At the youth prison in Joliet, officials there spent more than $15,400 to repair a broken air conditioning system.
But, a response by Illinois Department of Human Services spokeswoman Januari Smith suggests not reading too much into the purchasing requests.
* After yesterday’s swing and miss, the Illinois Republican Party just sent out this e-mail…
For Immediate Release - June 14, 2012
Contact 312-201-9000 info@ilgop.org
Happy Father’s Day Speaker Madigan
A Father’s Day message from Lisa Madigan to Mike Madigan
Dear Daddy….I mean Mr. Speaker,
You are the greatest dad ever. You got me this cool Attorney General job, and that was after you got me that neat state senate seat.
Also, thanks for having all your union friends be real nice to me, they send me tons of campaign money at Christmas time, they must be rich!
My brother-in-law loves that job at Metra you gave him. He loved playing with toy trains growing up. I don’t understand why the republicans complain about the economy, all our family friends have great jobs!
You’ve done so much for the family, I’m glad you took time last month to make sure you got a bigger pension. You’ve been working so hard for the rest of us!
Reached at home Wednesday night, the North Side Democrat confirmed that she has been diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer, and is undergoing tests to help guide her choice of treatment options.
She declined to elaborate further. But she did take time Wednesday night to thank a well-wisher on Twitter, who sent her a message offering prayers for a quick recovery.
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed a $2.7 billion package of cuts and taxes designed to repair a long-term deficit in the state’s Medicaid program.
The Chicago Democrat signed the five bills Thursday, including a tax increase on cigarettes of $1 per pack. Quinn says lawmakers “worked together in a bipartisan manner to tackle a grave crisis.”
Under the measure Quinn signed, hundreds of thousands of poor Illinoisans would lose health coverage under stricter qualification standards.
A prescription drug discount program for seniors would be eliminated and dental care for adults would be greatly curtailed.
Doctors and hospitals that provide care will see payment rates slashed.
Doctors won’t experience any rate cuts at all.
* The governor outlined some of the Medicaid cuts and reforms in his press release…
Reducing eligibility for adults in the FamilyCare program to 133 percent of the Federal Poverty Level ($30,660 for a family of four).
· The state’s subsidy for the federal prescription drug (Part D) program, IL Cares Rx, is terminated, but “Extra Help/Low Income Subsidy” provides federal assistance to low-income seniors and people with disabilities eligible for Medicare.
· New integrity measures will aggressively target client and provider fraud through:
o Enhanced eligibility verification of income and residency through use of private vendor’s access to national databases for annual redeterminations; and
o Expanded authority of the HFS Inspector General to deny, suspend and recover overpayments and conduct pre-payment and post-payment provider audits.
· Eliminates some optional services, such as group psychotherapy and adult chiropractic services, and places utilization control on certain optional services such as adult dental services (restricted to emergencies), adult podiatry services (restricted to diabetics), and adult eyeglasses (limited to 1 every 2 years).
· Limits are placed on adult and children’s prescriptions to four per month, with additional prescriptions available based on patients’ needs.
· Most provider groups receive a rate cut of 2.7% except for doctors, dentists, clinics, safety-net hospitals and critical access rural hospitals. Non-exempt hospitals receive a rate cut of 3.5%. Nursing home cuts average 2.7%, but the homes serving clients who have the highest care needs are being impacted less.
* Yesterday, Illinois Republican Party Chairman Pat Brady issued yet another press release slamming Attorney General Lisa Madigan. This time, it was over AG Madigan’s alleged abdication of her role as a crime fighter in the wake of an “explosion in gang violence”…
“Under Attorney General Madigan, we have seen an explosion in gang violence, including murders of innocent bystanders and Lisa Madigan has done nothing to combat it,” said Brady. “In New York, the state’s top law officer leads the charge in major anti gang operations, most recently indicting 52 for gang and drug activity.”
There has been over 30 homicides in the City of Chicago since the end of the NATO Summit on May 21st.
“Here in Illinois, Lisa Madigan is content issuing edicts about the perils of buying a used car,” Brady added. “She has abdicated her role as the State’s Chief Law enforcement officer. As Attorney General, she has the tools to fight gang violence but unfortunately, she has chosen not to use them.”
* Wow. That was pretty darned harsh. But later in the day, the US Department of Justice issued this press release…
Nineteen Chicago area men, many suspected members or associates of the of the Imperial Gangsters street gang, were arrested yesterday by FBI special agents and Chicago Police officers assigned to the FBI’s Joint Task Force on Gangs, culminating a nearly three-year long investigation which targeted illicit drug and firearms sales in and around the Humboldt park area on Chicago’s near northwest side.
Yesterday’s arrests were announced by Robert D. Grant, Special Agent-in-Charge of the Chicago office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) who was joined by Garry F. McCarthy, Superintendent of the Chicago Police Department (CPD); Patrick J. Fitzgerald, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois; Anita Alvarez, Cook County State’s Attorney, Lisa Madigan, Illinois Attorney General, and Michael Witz, Chief of the Franklin Park Police Department. […]
Regarding the combined efforts that led to the charges, Attorney General Madigan said, “These arrests demonstrate how effective coordination between law enforcement agencies at all levels can produce significant results in fighting drug dealing and gang activity.” [Emphasis added.]
* I asked the AG’s office about Chairman Brady’s comparison with New York. The response…
This comparison of the NY and Illinois AG offices is comparing apples-to-oranges. So, let’s dispense with that right off the bat. In New York, the state passed a law in 1970 creating a Statewide Organized Crime Task Force, putting the AG in charge of that task force (the AG and Governor jointly select the head of the task force), and providing that the head of the task force “may request and shall receive” assistance from every agency of state government (including the State Police) and every political subdivision (including local police departments). So, based on that 1970 law, the AG (working with the Gov) oversees a statewide task force with the power to command assistance from every police department in the state. In addition to that, the NY AG’s office employs 225 sworn police officer investigators. By way of comparison, Illinois does not have a similar statute providing such broad criminal authority and access to state and local law enforcement resources, and our office employs fewer than 20 sworn investigators.
With the inapt comparison to NY out of the way, let’s look at the situation in Illinois. Here, as you know, the significant statewide police resources are in the hands of the Illinois State Police and the broad jurisdiction to prosecute crimes is in the hands of the county state’s attorneys. They have much broader criminal jurisdiction than our office (whereas we have very broad jurisdiction under the civil laws). With that as the background, our office’s criminal prosecution resources are dedicated to assisting state’s attorneys when requested, working with state’s attorneys on cases where we have unique resources (such as using our Internet Crimes Against Children task force to work with local law enforcement and state’s attorneys to investigate and prosecute child pornography—thanks to a grant from the U.S. Department of Justice) and enforcing statutes that give our office jurisdiction (for example, we prosecute sexually violent persons cases all over the state).
Under the Statewide Grand Jury Act, we have limited jurisdiction to convene a grand jury to investigate and prosecute cases that cross county lines and involve narcotics – but only if we can explain to a judge (1) why a local county grand jury cannot effectively handle the case and (2) that the state’s attorneys for the counties in which the crimes are occurring have consented to the Statewide Grand Jury. And if you think about the resources available, it makes sense that the Cook County State’s Attorney, with hundreds of prosecutors and a grand jury sitting every week, would not require the assistance of our office. Where we focus our efforts is in collaborating with state’s attorney’s offices that have significantly fewer resources, as well as with other federal, state and local agencies whenever possible.
