The place to be
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I forgot to post this earlier, but the annual fundraiser for SIU sports is at DH Browns this evening. I’ll be there. You should too.
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This just in… ISRA issues apology
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Illinois State Rifle Association…
In a recent alert, the ISRA criticized those who exploit shocking criminal events for the purpose of diminishing the Constitutional rights of law-abiding firearm owners. We regret that some have construed our remarks as being insensitive to persons who have suffered the loss of a loved one. Such was certainly not our intent and we apologize to those we realize were genuinely offended.
Like all Americans, the Officers, Directors and members of the Illinois State Rifle Association are saddened by the carnage committed by vicious criminals. We equally abhor the now predictable pattern of bashing law-abiding firearm owners that follows such events.
Background on the group’s inane statement is here. [Fixed link.]
From what I understand, ISRA got major heat from their legislative allies for that boneheaded move.
And I’m not sure this apology really cuts it, but whatever.
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Caption contest!
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner and former Democratic state treasurer Alexi Giannoulis chat during a wind industry event…
Winner gets a Miller Lite.
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Poll: Quinn job disapproval at 62 percent
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The latest poll from We Ask America…
* From the pollster…
We’ve profiled Gov. Quinn before (Tenacious Gadfly), and not much has changed since then. Illinois continues to struggle under oppressive ($100 billion) public pension debt and multi-billion dollar budget deficits despite a sizable “temporary” state income tax now pumping more into state coffers. Quinn is often portrayed in press and the political blogosphere in terms of being hapless–not a great portrait for someone seeking re-election in tough times. Indeed, rumors continue to swirl of the possibility of fellow Democrats trying to take him out in next year’s Primary. But political coroners have tagged Quinn’s toe a number of times in the past only to be confounded. Will that be the case in 2014? Perhaps, but these approval numbers simply cannot be dismissed easily.
It’s problematic for Gov. Quinn that support among Independent voters continues to erode for him. Again, let’s be clear that these approval numbers can’t be viewed as a predictor of doom. Quinn’s dismal approval rating didn’t stop him from winning in 2010.
But we’re sure that some will look at these results and assume that Quinn can best be described as the Walking Dead.
The poll of 1,057 Likely Voters was taken yesterday and has a margin of error of +/- 3.1 percent.
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* A group called Fair Economy Illinois was at the Statehouse yesterday to lobby for a corporate transparency bill and a proposal to close some corporate loopholes.
* But the group also forced its way into the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association headquarters yesterday. From the IMA…
A group of approximately 50 protesters forced their way into IMA’s Springfield lobby and briefly chanted anti-fracking slogans for about 10 minutes Wednesday afternoon.
The well-rehearsed protest disbursed when the group’s leaders heard police being dispatched via scanners they were monitoring.
No damage was done, no arrests were made, and no minds were changed about the benefits of hydraulic fracturing.
The IMA building has a secure, electronic entrance, but apparently one of the protesters posed as a flower delivery person and that’s how the rest of them got in. The protesters also apparently hung up a sign on the outside of the building calling the IMA the “Illinois Money-Grabbing Association.”
* From the Twitters…
* A short video of the protest inside the IMA…
* A photo from the protesters entitled “is this where they manufacture our elected officials?”…
* And a photo provided by the IMA…
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* From an Illinois State Rifle Association “special alert”…
Like all people of good conscience, gun owners were appalled at that the crimes that took place in Newtown.
Nevertheless, gun owners really don’t put much credence in what the Newtown parents have to say.
After all, having a child murdered doesn’t automatically make one an expert in violent crime or an expert in the U.S. Constitution or an expert in the shooting sports. Likewise, being the parent of a murdered child does not give one the right to demand that lawful gun owners give up their constitutional rights just to bring closure to that parent’s grief. No, we gun owners will not be supporting any proposals to ban our guns, limit our magazines, tax our rights, snoop deeply into our backgrounds, or register us like sex offenders. As we have said many times before, we will not accept responsibility for what happened in Newtown because it is not our responsibility to accept. Obama, Biden and the rest of the gun-grabbing crew needs to understand well that our resolve is set in stone.
* By the way, ISRA Executive Director Richard Pearson claimed this in an e-mail sent to members early this morning…
I want to share with you very important news (actually, I’m overjoyed): the Illinois State Rifle Association has reached a milestone by going over the 27,000 member mark. Thank you to all of you who have joined or renewed their membership. To overcome the entrenched anti-gunners and to achieve our goals in Illinois can only be achieved with a large and active membership. We must continue to grow, and we must continue to recruit new members. The outcome of what happens legislatively in Springfield is directly proportional of the power the organization has – we are not there yet, but we are definitely gaining strength.
Discuss.
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Medical marijuana bill heads to Senate floor
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Passage yesterday was expected since the bill was sent to the Executive Committee, which means it was greased…
An Illinois Senate committee has approved a proposal that would allow the use of marijuana for medical purposes.
The Senate Executive Committee voted 10-5 Wednesday to send the measure to the full Senate. The proposal allows physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients who have been diagnosed with certain medical conditions.
The measure creates a pilot program that limits the frequency and amount of marijuana patients can buy.
The Senate floor vote is final passage.
* Yesterday’s most interesting objection…
Republican Leader Christine Radogno told [sponsoring Sen. Bill Haine] she doubted that if medical marijuana were legalized, it would strictly stay in the hands of its intended patients. “It will get out on the streets,” she said. She told Haine she thought the bill’s scope was too narrow for it to work. “I don’t think it addresses the bigger picture. I really think the question is if we should legalize it.”
OK, but would she actually vote for full legalization? If so, that’s huge.
* Another objection…
Supporters have touted the bill as the most restrictive of its kind in the nation, but questions during the more than hour-long debate arose over whether the bill would open up legalization of other substances and whether marijuana is an addictive ‘gateway drug.’
“I’ve seen the devastation of illegal drugs,” said Haine, who served four terms as Madison County state’s attorney. “I’ve seen it, but we can’t build a civilized society on a foundation of fear of a few people that are demented or are addicted that abuse medicines.”
But Jacksonville police chief Anthony Grootens, who worked for the Drug Enforcement Agency for 21 years, testified that he’s seen marijuana linked with other drugs such as heroin and that the amount patients could obtain under Haine’s bill leaves too much room for abuse.
“I don’t know if it’s a gateway drug or not, but what I will tell you, in the thousands of arrests and search warrants that we’ve conducted…for either heroin, crack cocaine, methamphetamine, we routinely found marijuana,” Grootens said. “Does it go hand in hand? I don’t know. But we found it, and we’re still finding it.”
Grootens claimed that even if changes were made to the bill, he wouldn’t support it because marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.
A very weak argument by Chief Grootens.
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Poison pill?
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s either a poison pill, as the Sun-Times says, or a way to make the Senate’s pension reform bill save more money. We will soon find out…
The plan that advanced in the Senate coincides with possible movement on another pension issue in the House, where Madigan has scheduled a hearing Thursday to craft legislation to make downstate and suburban school districts shoulder the state’s cost of funding pensions for educators in their school systems.
The idea to end what Madigan has derided as a “free lunch” for those districts has faced resistance from Republicans and suburban and Downstate Democrats, who worry the pension cost shift from the state could result in higher property taxes.
On Wednesday, Madigan predicted that his chamber will “get the job done” on the cost shift.
Since Cullerton’s plan can be tweaked in the House, there is potential it could merely be a poison pill that could be added as an amendment to help quash the Senate president’s plan in Madigan’s chamber. A defeat like that would leave the Madigan pension-reform version as the only game in town as a scheduled May 31 legislative adjournment looms.
Asked if he intended to move the cost shift as its own piece of legislation or tack it on an existing bill like the Cullerton one, Madigan told the Chicago Sun-Times, “We’ll get to that later.”
Your thoughts on this?
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Today’s quote
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From yesterday’s Senate committee hearing on the pension reform bill agreed to by the unions…
Cullerton is exerting his full political muscle behind a legal theory that state worker pensions can be pared back if employees and retirees are given options. His position rests on the idea that the choice fulfills the need to have a contractual relationship between the state and its retirees to stay within the confines of the constitution. […]
But the Illinois Retired Teachers Association strongly disagreed that there is a way around the constitution.
“A choice that is kind of like ‘Either jump off a cliff or I’ll shoot you’ is not really a very good choice,” said Bob Pinkerton, the group’s vice president. He said Cullerton’s legislation does not provide “any choice that is beneficial” to the group’s 35,000 retirees.
* Roundup…
* Cullerton defends union-backed pension plan
* Cullerton’s pension plan proceeds — on collision course with Madigan’s
* Senate panel approves union-backed pension package
* Cullerton’s pension reform gets committee approval
* Illinois Senate committee approves union-backed plan for $97B pension crisis, nation’s worst
* Illinois Senate votes Thursday on union-backed pension plan
* State Senate could vote on pension plan Thursday
* Retired Teachers Upset Over Senate Pension Plan
* Hinz: Will Pat Quinn seize his pension moment?
* Editorial: If you think Illinois’ pension mess is ugly, just wait
* Cook County pension woes worsen
* A New Way to Tame the Public-Pension Beast?
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Today’s Facebook post
Thursday, May 9, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Republican state Rep. Ron Sandack’s Facebook page…
As of this moment (9:22 am), 151 people “liked” Sandack’s post.
I don’t think this is a joke, by the way, even though Rep. Sandack supports the gay marriage bill.
Thoughts?
*** UPDATE *** Illinois Review reports that State Central Committeewoman Deb Detmers listed folks who have been contacted by the state GOP and have expressed an interest…
* former Congressman Joe Walsh,
* former candidate for lietuenant governor Don Tracy,
* State Representative Ron Sandack,
* Cook County Commissioner Brad Schneider,
* former congressional candidate Jim Nalepa,
* State Central Committeeman Jack Dorgan,
* State Central Committeeman Mark Shaw and
* State Central Committeeman and head of Chicago Young Republicans Angel Garcia.
More…
Eight others have been contacted with no reply yet, Detmers reported, while several others have been contacted and indicated no interest in “applying” for the position. The contacting process will continue until Sunday night, and then plans for interviews with the candidates will begin.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
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