* From a memo…
October 22, 2013
Timothy D. Mapes
Clerk of the Illinois House of Representatives
420 State House
Springfield, IL 62706
Re: House Bill 214 (Madigan/Cullerton)
Dear Mr. Mapes:
On September 26, 2013, a Cook County Circuit judge held that the Governor’s line item veto of House Bill 214 violated Article VI, Section 11 of the Illinois Constitution and therefore, was void ab initio. This means that the line item veto has no legal effect and it is to be treated as void from the outset. The Governor has appealed the decision and the Supreme Court has agreed to review the issue. However, the order entered on September 26th remains in effect. Therefore, there is no viable veto of House Bill 214 that the House can consider.
With kindest personal regards, I remain
Sincerely yours,
MICHAEL J. MADIGAN
Speaker of the House
As of 12:30, the bill’s status page hadn’t yet been updated.
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* A few years ago, Bruce Rauner’s running mate Evelyn Sanguinetti slipped and fell at the College Avenue Train Station in Wheaton.
According to Jon Zahm, Sanguinetti then sued Wheaton (her home town), DuPage County, METRA, the Union Pacific Railroad, the Illinois Prairie Path Corporation, and the DuPage County Dept. of Transportation.
* According to a copy of Sanguinetti’s suit that Zahm forwarded me, Sanguinetti demanded at least $50,000 each from Wheaton and Metra and unspecified damages from the others.
Zahm is a major Rauner hater, but he’s had some interesting posts on his Rauner-hating blog, including some deets on the Sanguinetti lawsuit…
These are mostly taxpayer funded entities. When they are sued, the cost of government services rise to pay off the settlements and costs of litigation, and to cover the costs of increased insurance premiums. So what did these entities do to Evelyn to receive the wrath of her six count lawsuit?
Let me use exact words from her suit filed on her behalf by Chicago lawyer Ronald Stearney, Jr.:
“Allowed and permitted said sidewalk where pedestrians walked and frequently and necessarily used to enter and exit the College Avenue Train Station to remain, when said Defendant knew or should have known that said sidewalk caused an unnatural accumulation of water, snow, ice or other dangerous substances, which in turn posed a dangerous condition, especially to the Plaintiff Evelyn R. Sanguinetti.”
The suit goes on to say, 8 other ways, very similar things about the sidewalk on the way to that train station. Got to love legalese.
Unbelievable. You fall on a sidewalk while walking to the train and blame the government and penalize the taxpayers where you live and work.
And ask for at least a hundred large.
Zahm says he believes the suit was settled.
*** UPDATE *** From the Rauner campaign…
Evelyn was not after a “big payday.” The case was settled and Evelyn gave the net proceeds to Operation Support Our Troops. She was subsequently elected to an at-large position on Wheaton City Council.
She sued two entities for at least 50 large each. In my book, that’s a big payday. And whatever she did with the proceeds makes no difference. If she didn’t need the money, why get all those lawyers involved?
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Today’s tweet
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From our live feed…
*** UPDATE *** From McKinney’s story…
Advocates for the Senate Bill 10 plan to attend a 5:15 p.m. Tuesday Mass at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception as part of what organizers describe as a “loud Catholic Presence for marriage equality” that will wrap up a daylong rally in support of the stalled legislation. […]
“It is blasphemy to show disrespect or irreverence to God or to something holy,” Paprocki said in a statement released late Tuesday morning. “Since Jesus clearly taught that marriage as created by God is a sacred institution between a man and a woman (see Matthew 19:4-6 and Mark 10:6-9), praying for same-sex marriage should be seen as blasphemous and as such will not be permitted in the cathedral.
People wearing a rainbow sash or who otherwise identify themselves as affiliated with the Rainbow Sash Movement will not be admitted into the cathedral and anyone who gets up to pray for same-sex marriage in the cathedral will be asked to leave,” Paprocki said.
“Of course, our cathedral and parish churches are always open to everyone who wishes to repent their sins and ask for God’s forgiveness,” he said.
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* If GOP Reps. Ed Sullivan and Ron Sandack end up in hot primaries next spring, their new House Republican Leader will have their back. The two men are the only publicly known Republican supporters of gay marriage. Illinois Issues…
[House GOP Leader Jim Durkin] said he plans to back incumbents in primaries next year, regardless of how they vote on the [gay marriage] issue.
“I’m supporting every one of my colleagues who’s here, no matter how they vote on this issue, or any other issue. We are a caucus that is diverse, and we’re not going to agree on every issue. But my pledge to every one of them when I was elected two months ago was that I want each and every one of them to be returning with me when we get sworn in. … I will support every one of my incumbents who have a primary challenge, no matter what [side of an] issue they take or whatever vote may prompt a primary.”
That could get expensive, particularly considering all the money Durkin will have to spend next fall to take back some seats his caucus lost to the Democrats last year.
Your thoughts?
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hmm. Things are a little slow around here today. So how’s about a caption contest to get the juices flowing? Here’s Rahm Emanuel and Pat Quinn sharing a stage the other day…
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Bringing it on himself
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s goes super-hyper-breathless on John Cullerton…
It’s official: Illinois Senate President John Cullerton is the Alfred E. Neuman of Illinois politics.
As all but the most dedicated news-avoiders know by now, Illinois has a problem on its hands. It’s a big, big problem. Whopping. Ballooning. Staggering. Mushrooming. You could use any of those adjectives and then some, and they’d all be pretty accurate. That’s because Illinois has racked up more than $100 billion in unfunded pension obligations to its public employees. It’s a debt burden that’s threatening to sink the state’s finances. And no one in Illinois government seems ready to do a thing about it.
Now to limited thinkers like you and me, a state that’s more or less in bankruptcy is a state that’s facing something like a crisis. But then, we don’t think like Mr. Cullerton. What fortitude it must take to look upon tempests and never be shaken, to be presented with a mile-long IOU and simply shrug. That’s what happened this past weekend, when the North Side Democrat told a WGN-AM/720 radio interviewer that Illinois’ massive pension debt — the worst in the nation, mind you — is not a “crisis.”
Never mind the fact that the partial expiration of the state income tax increase in a little over a year will cost state coffers hundreds of billions of dollars by 2045 - the year arbitrarily designated by Jim Edgar back in the ’90s to fully fund the state’s pension systems. That tax hike budget hit is not a “crisis,” you see. It’s only a “crisis” if the powers that be decree it is so.
* But, I do admit that it’s Cullerton’s own fault that he’s being ridiculed for his “crisis” comment, as the Tribune rightly notes…
Barely a year ago, on Sept. 13, 2012, Illinois Senate President John Cullerton met with the Tribune editorial board. He was positively loquacious in explaining why public pension reform was his No. 1 priority for the 2013 legislative session:
“It may not be the No. 1 priority of the public because they don’t understand the significance of how this crisis affects the operation of state government,” Cullerton said. “But those of us who know the state budget know this is essential because you wouldn’t have enough money to pay for health care or education.”
And that wasn’t the only time Cullerton referred to the pension “crisis”…
Oops.
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Apparently, it didn’t work as advertised
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Workers’ comp reforms two years ago have succeeded in driving down some costs, but overall costs have barely moved. Oy…
Medical payments for workers’ compensation claims dropped only 4.6 percent in Illinois last year even though the General Assembly reduced the maximum fees for workers’ compensation-related office visits, surgery and other treatments by 30 percent in 2011 (see the PDF). That’s according to a study of 16 states by the Workers Compensation Research Institute, an insurance industry-funded think tank in Cambridge, Mass. The states were selected to represent the high, middle and low end of the cost spectrum.
Medical fees actually fell 24 percent last year, according to the study, as some providers already were charging less than the maximum amount allowed by law. But those savings largely were offset by greater use of medical services and increased spending on litigation over medical claims, second opinions by company doctors and other measures to control medical costs.
As a result, total payments per claim were down just 1 percent.
* And this is just depressing…
While the study addressed only costs per claim, Illinois is well below average in the number of claims per 1,000 workers, in part because of high unemployment in construction and manufacturing, which tend to have more injuries.
Sheesh.
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Kerner and Carlos
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I can’t help but think about our late friend Carlos Hernandez Gomez when reading this story today…
A daylong look at the life and legacy of a former Illinois governor who led a ground-breaking national study on urban violence, reformed the state’s mental health system and became a federal appeals court judge before doing prison time for corruption, is coming to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library.
The Governor’s Conference on Otto Kerner begins at 8:30 a.m. Nov. 2 and will include a critical look at what happened to Kerner. Among panelists is Anton Kerner, son of the late governor, who questions the fairness of Kerner’s prosecution; and Bill Barnhart and Gene Schlickman, authors of a 1999 book “Kerner: The Conflict of Intangible Rights.”
In it, they argue that Kerner could be seen as a victim of unfortunate timing — given that his 1971 indictment linked to ownership of racetrack stock came in the wake of the 1970 death of former Illinois Secretary of State Paul Powell, who was found to have hoarded more than $800,000 in cash, some in a shoe box, in the old St. Nicholas Hotel in Springfield.
“We think it’s going to be a fascinating look at one of our former governors,” said Mark DePue, director of oral history at the presidential library. “It’s something of a tragedy that he’s only remembered today because he was … convicted for some things that happened during his administration.”
Carlos was fascinated with Kerner’s legacy. He believed the former governor may have been railroaded by an over zealous federal prosecutor (Jim Thompson) who went on to use that successful prosecution to elect himself governor.
Carlos wanted to write a book about Kerner, but then he got sick and passed away. Carlos was very tough on politicians, but he wasn’t a cynical hater. He always tried to get every side of a story, so I think his Kerner book would’ve been fascinating. We’ll never know.
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Rate the ad
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gay marriage advocates began running this ad on black radio stations over the weekend. Rate it…
Script…
Woman #1: You know what? It’s not fair that same gender-loving couples can get married in some states, but not in Illinois.
Woman #2: Not in Illinois? That’s not fair.
Woman #1: Nope. And that means same gender-loving couples don’t get treated equally when it comes to family leave in an emergency or Medicare. Listen to what President Obama had to say about it:
Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law. For if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well.
Woman #2: So our President’s out there for marriage equality?
Woman #1: And Michelle, too. Here’s what she said:
In a country where we teach our children that everyone is equal under the law, discriminating against same-sex couples just isn’t right. So it’s as simple as that.
VO: Join President and Mrs. Obama and folks across our community who believe in fairness. Tellyour legislators to pass the religious Freedom and Marriage Fairness Act.
Paid for by Illinois Unites for Marriage.
* As subscribers already know, a new head count by the Windy City Times shows pro gay marriage forces within striking distance of passing a bill. Check it out.
* Related…
* Daily Herald Editorial: It’s time for a vote on marriage equality in Illinois: Promises were made then that a vote would happen during the fall veto session. And no matter which way it goes, it’s time for legislators to go on the record despite concerns about the political calendar. Legislators on both sides of the issue are concerned about potential opponents filing against them in the primary based on this vote. Much has changed, however, in the last few months.
* Buses depart this morning for March on Springfield for Marriage Equality
* Illinois gay marriage rally draws protesters to Springfield
* Poll: By 2-to-1 Illinois Catholic Voters Back Same Sex Marriage
* Thousands expected to rally for Illinois same-sex marriage
* All eyes on Harris as veto session approaches
* Latino community leaders lend support to marriage equality
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Credit Union (noun) – an essential financial cooperative
Tuesday, Oct 22, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Cooperatives can be formed to support producers such as farmers, purchasers such as independent business owners, and consumers such as electric coops and credit unions. Their primary purpose is to meet members’ needs through affordable goods and services of high quality. Cooperatives such as credit unions may look like other businesses in their operations and, like other businesses, can range in size. However, the cooperative structure is distinctively different regardless of size. As not-for-profit financial cooperatives, credit unions serve individuals with a common goal or interest. They are owned and democratically controlled by the people who use their services. Their board of directors consists of unpaid volunteers, elected by and from the membership. Members are owners who pool funds to help other members. After expenses and reserve requirements are met, net revenue is returned to members via lower loan and higher savings rates, lower costs and fees for services. It is the structure of credit unions, not their size or range of services that is the reason for their tax exempt status - and the reason why almost three million Illinois residents are among 95 million Americans who count on their local credit union everyday to reach their financial goals.
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