Off-duty cops hired to patrol exorcism
Thursday, Nov 21, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday’s gay marriage “exorcism” was unusual, but this Sun-Times tidbit interested me the most…
In an unusual use of public services, the exorcism included two armed Springfield police officers stationed inside the church vestibule where parishioners entered from the street. At one point during the service, one of the officers strode to the front of the church, though his purpose was unclear. There were no disruptions during the hourlong event. [Emphasis added.]
I checked with the Springfield police department this morning and they got back to me late this afternoon to tell me those were off duty officers who were hired by somebody with the church. As far as the person knew, there were no threats issued in advance.
So, no tax dollars were involved, which is a relief, but it seems a bit odd to me.
* Now, on to Sneed…
Sneed hears Paprocki’s decision to conduct a prayer service Wednesday to “exorcise” the evil of the new same-sex marriage law in Illinois even caused Cardinal Francis George — whose nephew is gay — to flinch.
“I am told the cardinal was embarrassed by Paprocki’s decision to conduct such a service,” said a Sneed source.
Sneed is told Paprocki “didn’t have to get permission from the cardinal to conduct the prayer service,” a second source said. “Paprocki’s boss is the pope. But it’s hard to imagine Pope Francis thinking this was a wise move in the era of understanding he is trying to create.”
* Sun-Times…
After the service, sign-waving demonstrators dodged raindrops as they lined up on the sidewalk outside the sandstone pillars of the church and sang songs in favor of same-sex marriage.
One man, Win Colburn, of Springfield, displayed a handwritten placard to passing motorists. In all-capital letters, it read, “JESUS HAD TWO DADS,” a sentiment that angered some worshipers inside the church and produced insults from drivers.
“I don’t want the haters to have the last word,” Colburn told the Chicago Sun-Times.
I don’t like the term “haters” used in this context, but it was still a rather clever sign.
* SJ-R…
The Rev. Martin Woulfe, a longtime advocate of same-sex marriage, said he joined several church and community members in celebration at the Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation. The celebration there began with a live streaming of the bill-signing ceremony in Chicago and was followed by a public prayer of thanksgiving on behalf of gay and lesbians who will soon be able to marry, Woulfe said.
Woulfe said although he disagrees with Paprocki’s actions, it is not his job to judge someone for following their own beliefs.
“Today is a reminder to the population that the bishop does not speak for everyone in central Illinois. He speaks for his faith community, but there are other faith communities who will promote their views and no one person has a monopoly on religious truth,” Woulfe said. “I, of course, follow a very different path and have a very different interpretation. He would see it as a loss, but I see it as a victory.”
* Text of the bishop’s homily is here. You can also watch his press conference…
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Unions gear up for final push
Thursday, Nov 21, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
Illinois unions are planning an intensive lobbying push in opposition to a developing plan to deal with the state’s $100 billion pension crisis.
The “We are One Coalition” represents the state’s major employee unions. The group sent an email to members about “emergency call-in days” next week and Dec. 2-3.
* From the coalition’s website…
With the leaders’ behind this scheme, it will take everything we’ve got to stop it. So be prepared to give it your all.
It’s also likely that the leaders will unveil their scheme quickly and try to jam it through the House and the Senate without enough time for open hearings or public review.
Pretty sure there will be hearings, but if they do come up with an agreement it’ll roll pretty fast.
* I always feel bad for legislative secretaries during actions like this, but it can’t be helped…
* Pension Emergency Call-In Days - November 25-26, Dec. 2-3 - We will swamp the switchboards of every legislator on these four days. No matter how many times you’ve called your legislators, call again. Call both your representative and your senator. Be sure to leave a strong, clear message “VOTE NO ON ANY PENSION BILL THAT DOESN’T HAVE THE SUPPORT OF THE WE ARE ONE UNION COALITION.” Our hotline is 888-412-6570 or click here to call on November 25-26 and December 2-3.
* Pension Emergency Legislative District Actions - Monday, December 2 - We’ll be targeting the district offices of key legislators all across the state for a vigorous grassroots lobbying effort with as many union members and retirees as possible in attendance. Check with your local unions and/or retiree subchapters to see if there is an event in your area — our coalition’s unions will be reaching out to involve their members and retirees in this action day. Then clear your schedule NOW so that you can make sure legislators in your area feel the heat.
…Adding… Eden Martin’s Sun-Times column is about the Gettysburg Address…
President Lincoln wanted people to understand the reason for their war sacrifices. He wanted them to resolve that we not go back to monarchy or any other government by the few. He knew better than most how messy democracy was, but he exhorted citizens to do the work of preserving that democracy, even when it meant accepting decisions with which they profoundly disagreed. Even if it meant they and their representatives had to accept compromise.
Yet compromise is unacceptable in pension reform, Eden?
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* For a long time now, the RTA, Cook County and Chicago have been attempting to stop companies from avoiding paying sales tax revenues by setting up “sham” billing offices in low tax counties. They won today…
The Illinois Supreme Court on Thursday delivered a resounding blow to questionable tax strategies that allow businesses to minimize their sales tax burden in the state.
In a unanimous opinion, the court found that the widespread corporate practice of shifting the official point of purchase from the Chicago area to downstate counties with lower sales taxes inconsistent with state law.
* Hartney Fuel Oil Co. became the big test case. Hartney’s headquarters is in Cook County, but it sent purchase orders to a tiny “sales office” fax machine in downstate Mark, IL. From today’s Illinois Supreme Court opinion…
This shift from Forest View to Mark removed Hartney from the retail occupation tax rolls of Forest View, Cook County, and the RTA. This effected more than a shift in tax allocation; it effected a full removal from tax liability. It did not, however, remove Hartney from the enjoyment of services offered by the Local Governments.
* Hartney wasn’t alone, however. Tribune…
Saddled with some of the nation’s highest sales taxes, some Chicago area businesses have found a creative way to avoid them: They route purchases through offices in places like Kankakee and Channahon with lower sales taxes. Dozens of companies, from airlines and catalog houses to oil companies and computer purveyors, use the strategy to save money on purchases or make their pricing competitive.
The giant loophole exists because Illinois is one of the few states in which sales tax is applied where a purchase is accepted rather than where the product is delivered.
The Illinois Department of Revenue ruled that Hartney was avoiding taxation and had to pay back taxes totaling $23 million, which Hartney paid under protest and then filed suit.
* But the Supremes ruled today that Revenue did not follow applicable state law and Supreme Court precedent when it wrote its original rules, which Hartney used to set up its satellite “office” and avoid taxation.
The bottom line is that it doesn’t appear that companies can use this specific sort of tax avoidance scheme any longer, which is a big win for the high tax entities…
Just how much money is at stake is hard to track. In one instance, the RTA claimed United and American airlines, which set up offices in DeKalb County to buy jet fuel, deprived public transit agencies of nearly $300 million during the past seven years.
* As an aside, Hartney got its money back because it was merely following the DoR’s original rules, which it was entitled to do…
While we do not find Hartney’s approach to retail occupation tax liability consistent with the statute or this court’s precedent, the company did act consistently with the Department’s regulation published at the time.
* Greg Hinz…
The RTA, in a suit later joined by the city of Chicago and Cook County, is seeking $100 million in back payments from companies that it alleges avoided RTA-region sales taxes by routing orders through downstate Channahon and Cook County. That matter has been pending in court pending a ruling in the Hartney case.
It doesn’t appear they’ll get those back taxes, but it does look like the companies can no longer avoid paying the taxes.
* The Supremes, by the way, avoided discussion of whether setups like Hartney’s were shams…
The Local Governments have additionally argued that Hartney’s arrangement should be disregarded as a sham transaction. Analyzing a sham transaction requires assessment of the multiple steps of a transaction, with each being considered relevant, to determine whether economic reality accords with the formal arrangement. Commissioner v. Court Holding Co., 324 U.S. 331, 334 (1945). Because we conclude the regulation erroneously sited tax based solely on purchase order acceptance in the case at bar, the sham transaction doctrine is unavailing. Hartney structured its affairs in accordance with the regulation, by relocating its order-receiving function to a lower tax jurisdiction. Hartney’s arrangement was not without economic substance or economic effect. “The legal right of a taxpayer to decrease the amount of what otherwise would be his taxes, or altogether avoid them, by means which the law permits, cannot be doubted.” Gregory v. Helvering, 293 U.S. 465, 469 (1935)
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* From a press release…
The Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits announced today that it has collected more than 150,000 petition signatures and is halfway to placing the term limits amendment on the November 2014 ballot.
“Illinoisans are hungry for term limits and our effort is gaining serious momentum,” said Bruce Rauner, chairman of the committee. “This amendment will help put the people back in charge of state government and folks are enthusiastically signing on.”
The term limits initiative has steadily gained steam since it was announced at the beginning of September.
In September, the committee collected 12,250 signatures. In October, over 61,000 signatures were collected. More than 77,000 signatures have already been collected in the first three weeks of November.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Nov 21, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s now the law of the land…
* Gay marriage bill signed: ‘A triumph of democracy,’ Quinn says: Perhaps the biggest legislative advocate for the law, state Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, the bill’s House sponsor, was the last to speak before Quinn. “When our constitution was written, those who wrote it understood that liberty and equality were not destinations, but they’re journeys,” Harris said.
* Quinn signs gay marriage bill into law - Illinois now poised to become the 16th state to allow same-sex marriages: “It takes both parties to make something happen, and when we work together, look what we can do,” said Republican Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka. “I am available to be a flower girl, and I’ll even waive the fee.”
* Illinois governor signs same-sex marriage into law: “We understand in our state that part of our unfinished business is to help other states in the United States of America achieve marriage equality,” Quinn said before he signed the bill on a desk once used by President Abraham Lincoln. He said part of that mission was to ensure that “love is not relegated to a second class status to any citizen in our country.”
* Sneed: Gov. Pat Quinn sees same-sex marriage bill as ‘road to social justice’: “Nobody should be relegated to second-class status when it comes to love,” Quinn said.
* The Question: What one word describes your reaction to this new law? Keep your response to one word, please. Thanks.
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More Rauner money news
Thursday, Nov 21, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
Palatine Township Republicans met [yesterday] evening to endorse 2014 primary election candidates. Those candidates receiving 60% or more of the votes were officially endorsed by the Palatine Township Republican Organization (PTRO). The results were as follows:
ILLINOIS GOVERNOR
* Rauner: 65% (endorsed)
* Rutherford: 20%
* Dillard: 11%
* Brady: 4%
* As usual, money was an issue. Illinois Observer…
Palatine Township Committeeman Aaron Del Mar, who is also the Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party, helped engineer Rauner’s victory, sources say.
Del Mar and the committees under his control have been showered with cash from both Rauner and Rauner ally Jack Roeser, a wealthy conservative activist .
Rauner, who recently won the GOP Lake County straw poll, donated $1,000 to the Palatine Township GOP on August 28, 2013 and $2,500 to Del Mar’s personal political committee on August 12, 2013.
Roeser donated $5,000 to Del Mar’s personal political committee on October 19, 2012 and $5,000 on August 16, 2013. And since Del Mar become the Cook County GOP party chief in April 2012, Roeser and his wife and his company, Otto Engineering, have donated $46,500.
“Rauner’s Palatine endorsement was foreordained,” said a GOP source. “Roeser and Rauner are Del Mar’s biggest donors.”
Dillard’s gubernatorial campaign donated $500 to the Palatine Township GOP on September 7, 2013.
* By the way, Rauner has reported raising $519,317.53 since he filed his November 13th letter of intent to bust the state contribution caps.
That total does not include Rauner’s own $500,000 contribution to himself. So, he’s over a million. It does include a $250,000 contribution from Glen Tullman, a $100,000 contribution from Illinois Policy Institute board member Elizabeth Christie, and $20,000 from Edgar Bachrach, who is listed on Rauner’s disclosure as an Illinois Policy Institute board member.
* In other Rauner news, Greg Hinz looked at some more contributions…
The story is that four companies listing the same address — 4615 Northpark Drive, Suite 101 — each in recent days have donated $10,500 to the Rauner campaign, according to a state Board of Elections disclosure filed yesterday.
The question is, why? And who?
The Rauner campaign isn’t saying. The candidate’s spokesman failed to respond to several requests for comment.
What I do know is, three of the firms are in the self-storage business and the fourth is a financial firm, RG Investments No. 4 LLC, according to the filings. None has a listed phone number that I could find.
Greg sent me a link to the story and asked if I had any idea what was going on. I searched around and e-mailed him back some clues…
Update — Rich Miller at Capitol Fax may have figured out part of the mystery.
Another donor who gave $5,300 to Mr. Rauner in June is Colorado Springs businessman Richard Graham. And he has a company, Graham Investments, that lists the Northpark Drive address and is in the warehouse business.
Mr. Graham wasn’t immediately available for comment. Perhaps he was just spreading around his donations. But the question remains: Why would a Colorado guy who runs self-storage facilities be so interested in who’s elected governor of Illinois?
Most likely what’s going on here is that we have a wealthy guy who got around the contribution caps by sending maxed out checks from various corporate entities he controls. It’s legal. And now that there are no caps, it’s no longer even necessary.
Still, as Greg notes, it is a bit odd that a Colorado storage business owner would be so heavily involved in the Illinois governor’s race.
* Meanwhile…
Bruce Rauner’s initiative to get a term limits question on the Nov. 2016 ballot just got a new treasurer, according to newly filed disclosures with the state.
At the last reporting period, the initiative raised $600,000 since August and had $458,000 in the bank at the close of the period.
Harlan Teller of Evanston, who now heads the Center for Economic Progress, will now serve as the treasurer of the Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits. Records show he once made a modest donation to Gery Chico for Chicago Mayor.
About the Center for Economic Progress…
We help promote financial education and sound money practices — helping cut ties to predatory financial services.
We provide year-round workshops and one-on-one financial coaching to help clients set financial goals; create a spending plan; access safe and affordable bank products like bank accounts and small dollar loans; and review and correct credit reports and improve credit scores.
We have helped nearly 10,000 families open bank accounts and provided financial workshops in Chicago’s underserved communities to reach thousands more.
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“The belly of the beast”
Thursday, Nov 21, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My former intern Kevin Fanning recently stumbled across a short essay he wrote back in 2009 about his work for me the year before…
I had the rare opportunity to work for Capitol Fax creator and Illinois political guru Rich Miller. The experience was a once-in-a-lifetime chance to look inside the belly of the beast that is our statehouse, and has often been referenced as the best internship in state politics. Riding shotgun with Mr. Miller enabled me to experience things to which few Illinois politicos are privy, let alone a 22-year-old.
My official duties included daily work on The Capitol Fax blog, interviews with every legislative spokesperson, weekly opinion columns, and intense on-the-ground reporting at the statehouse. The high profile of The Capitol Fax created opportunities to interact with, learn from, and develop relationships with a variety of key players in the legislative process including but not limited to: constitutional officers, caucus leaders, legislators, lobbyists, journalists, and staffers.
Late-night office conversations, backroom restaurant talk, and quiet corner event discussions became a staple of my residency. Much of the real statehouse action takes place behind closed doors, and oftentimes I was lucky enough to be there to observe. The experience was heightened by the rare spectacle that was the 2008 General Assembly session, the Tony Rezko verdict, and the presidential bid of Springfield’s native son, Barack Obama. I had an exceptional time in Springfield, and will continue working on the blog while pursuing my master’s degree.
* I flat out rejected Jim Nowlan when he initially tried to persuade me to bring on Paul Richardson during the summer of 2006. I didn’t want to be tied down, slowed down, held back, whatever, by a tag-along kid. But Paul turned out to be fantastic, and over the years I’ve learned a lot from those young guys, and we had some amazing times along the way.
The University of Illinois program that brought Paul, Kevin, Mike Murray and Dan Weber changed after Nowlan left, and we no longer work together. SIU’s Paul Simon Institute sent me the irrepressible and smart as a whip Barton Lorimor, and I’ve known Owen Irwin since he was a young child. I took Owen on after he invited me to dinner one evening last year and impressively laid out his future plans and asked for my help.
* I didn’t have an intern this past spring. In some ways it was easier because I wasn’t responsible for anyone else. In other ways, though, I really missed the mentoring and the help.
Barton, Owen and I went out to dinner last night and talked about old times and current events. I thoroughly enjoyed myself and wondered later if I should try and find someone for next session.
* So, if you know a young person who is keenly interested in politics and can hang with the big dogs, send me an e-mail or give me a call. Perhaps we can work something out.
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* Illinois’ $100 billion unfunded pension liability just got a bit smaller. Illinois Issues…
As part of a $13 billion national settlement, JPMorgan Chase & Co. has agreed to pay millions to Illinois’ public employee pensions systems for not disclosing the risks associated with some investments.
As part of the settlement, JPMorgan Chase admitted that it the misrepresented the quality of mortgage-backed investments it sold. “Without a doubt, the conduct uncovered in this investigation helped sow the seeds of the mortgage meltdown,” Attorney General Eric Holder said in a prepared statement. “JPMorgan was not the only financial institution during this period to knowingly bundle toxic loans and sell them to unsuspecting investors, but that is no excuse for the firm’s behavior. The size and scope of this resolution should send a clear signal that the Justice Department’s financial fraud investigations are far from over. No firm, no matter how profitable, is above the law, and the passage of time is no shield from accountability.”
Under the deal, the bank will pay $100 million to Illinois pension systems that purchased the investments prior to 2009. “We are still cleaning up the mess that Wall Street made with its reckless investment schemes and fraudulent conduct,” Attorney General Lisa Madigan said in a written statement. “Today’s settlement with Chase will assist Illinois to recover its losses from the dangerous and deceptive securities that put our economy on the path to destruction.” Madigan has been working with President Barack Obama’s Financial Fraud Enforcement Task Force. The group’s investigations spurred this and other settlements from big banks and mortgage servicers. […]
The settlement is the largest in U.S. history. It also includes a $4 billion settlement with the Federal Housing Finance Agency and a $4 billion for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Some of that money will go toward loans the bank is forgiving or giving more favorable terms to borrowers. Some will go to new low-interest loans to borrowers in areas hit hardest by the housing crisis. The funds will also be used to tear down long-abandoned homes.
Rob a liquor store, go to prison. Steal billions, send the international economy into a devastating tailspin and give some money to the government.
* More…
The biggest chunk, $72.4 million, will go to the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System; $16.2 million will go to the State Universities Retirement System; and $11.4 million will go to a unit that invests on behalf of funds that cover other state workers.
Imagine how horrible that settlement would’ve been for former JPMorgan Chase Midwest Chairman Bill Daley if he’d stayed in the governor’s race.
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Edgar stands by his man
Thursday, Nov 21, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie talked to Jim Edgar about Sen. Kirk Dillard’s emphasis on his socially conservative beliefs…
Particularly since Dillard spoke at a Statehouse rally in opposition to same-sex marriage before the House vote that sent the measure to the governor, some observers have sensed that Dillard is stressing conservative credentials in his quest for the GOP nomination.
“I’ve said on social issues Kirk is far more conservative than I am,” Edgar said in another recent interview. “But as I’ve often said, the key thing is fiscal issues. … I would not encourage him to go any farther right. I still think, and even in a Republican primary in Illinois, you want folks in the middle, too.”
“I don’t expect to agree with the candidate I support 100 percent, “Edgar added. “I still think he is the best prepared to be governor.”
Dillard’s campaign just Wednesday issued a news release announcing support from several conservative leaders. They include PHYLLIS SCHLAFLY, president and founder of Eagle Forum; former state Rep. PENNY PULLEN of Arlington Heights, president of Eagle Forum of Illinois; the Rev. BOB VANDEN BOSCH of Lake Zurich, director of Concerned Christian Americans; LIZ EILERS, a member of the board of directors of Springfield Right to Life; and SANDY RIOS, a conservative radio host.
An open letter from the group of endorsers states that among the four GOP candidates for governor, “All but Dillard have failed in their duty to lead on issues like life, marriage and lower taxes.” The word “lead” is boldfaced in the letter.
Discuss.
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Your evening assignment
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the governor’s daily schedule…
PEORIA – Governor Pat Quinn will attend the “Help on the Homefront” telethon to help raise money for tornado relief efforts in central Illinois. The telethon will be broadcast live by WMBD, WEEK, WHOI and WTVP.
WHEN: 7 p.m.
Hopefully, some of you can watch and contribute.
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“I exorcise you”
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave McKinney is covering Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s gay marriage exorcism. Dave posted a page from today’s church program that begins “I exorcise you”…
…Adding… As mentioned earlier today, you can watch the gay marriage signing ceremony live by clicking here. There is no live stream for the exorcism, but a few reporters are present and tweeting…
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Another Daley bill comes due
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A Chicago casino anchoring a redevelopment that includes the former Michael Reese Hospital site would be more economically viable for the city than a Barack Obama presidential library or a cluster of convention hotels, according to a study Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration released Tuesday. […]
Under all three scenarios, the city would spent more than $200 million to develop roads, sewers and other infrastructure. But the study found that by putting a casino there, the city would receive at least triple the proceeds for the land it acquired compared to the other two options.
As a result, the study found that a casino development would generate $208 million in net proceeds for the city while an Obama library would cost the city $142 million and a hotel complex would cost $199 million. And that doesn’t even include what’s expected to be a large amount of gambling revenue after the casino opens.
* OK, now scroll all the way to the bottom of the story…
The release of the study came more than 15 months after the mayor signed off on a contract of up to $885,000 to study potential redevelopment uses for the Michael Reese site, which the city purchased for $91 million in 2009 under then-Mayor Richard Daley. […]
The city’s first payment on the land purchase is due next year.
That blows yet another hole in a city budget that’s already riddled with holes. And considering no payments will have been made for five years, I’m assuming interest has piled up quite high. They need a casino just to help make those payments.
* In other gaming related news…
It appears a drastic reduction in 2014 Illinois racing dates will be avoided.
A statement from Glen Berman, executive director of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said his organization and those representing other horsemen had reached an Advanced Deposit Wagering agreement with the state’s racetracks and ADW outlets.
The deal was reached Tuesday evening when the horsemen’s representatives and track management met after the adjournment of the Illinois Racing Board’s monthly meeting.
The statement said the agreement calls for the ADW law to be extended three years beyond its Jan. 31 expiration.
More…
With the current ADW law set to expire on January 31, and the uncertainty of the legislature voting to renew or rewrite it looming — thanks in large part to competing fronts within racing — a united front seemed the industry’s best hope.
In fact, members of the legislature have gone public in saying a unified front was the only way to move the process along.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The auto dealers convinced the General Assembly many years ago to ban retail car sales on Sunday. It was a slow day of the week, but dealers are so competitive that they felt they had to remain open and a ban saved them money, as well as provided a day off for their sales employees.
Sen. Oberweis wants to repeal the ban…
State Senator Jim Oberweis says he wants to introduce legislation next year that would end the long-standing ban on Sunday automobile sales. […]
Oberweis believes the law is “anti-consumer,” and “doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
However, Peter Sander, the president of Illinois Automobile Dealers Association, says “the majority” of the industry wants the law to remain on the books.
* The Question: Should the state repeal the Sunday auto sales ban? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
web polls
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Distorting reality
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bruce Rauner on cleaning up government…
Avoiding discussion of recent ACA woes Rauner said, “Medicaid in Illinois is completely out of control. An investigation of 20,600 enrollees proved that 50 percent were not eligible for Medicaid benefits. I am going to reform that system. Quinn has been dramatically expanding it.”
Actually, the investigation Rauner referenced is part of the reforms already in place and signed into law by Gov. Quinn.
* Rauner is basically repeating some talking points by the Illinois Policy Institute, although his numbers are outdated. The group has been screaming about the termination numbers for weeks as proof that Illinois’ Medicaid system is rife with fraud. A recent IL Policy Institute story was entitled “Half of Illinois Medicaid enrollees reviewed found ineligible”…
Since January, the [state’s] independent vendor has reviewed nearly 419,000 case files of individuals currently enrolled in Medicaid. Of those, the vendor identified more than 210,000 that were ineligible for benefits, which amounts to more than 50 percent of all cases reviewed so far.
* As usual, of course, it’s ideology first, actual facts second for those guys. The reality is, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services initially pointed the contractor Maximus to the lowest hanging fruit, so the termination numbers will initially be high because those are the folks who are suspicious to begin with.
And lots and lots of cases were terminated simply because recipients failed to respond to a paper work request. Here’s the HFS explanation about what those Maximus contractor numbers (click here to see the most recent) actually mean…
· For all cases to date, Maximus has recommended canceling just under 50%. It is down from earlier percentages because, we started out cases that were flagged as having the highest likelihood of being ineligible (such as having a discrepancy in data or not reviewed for a long time). Almost all the cases they have worked the entire year are still cases that we think have a “higher” likelihood of being ineligible, but we are moving down the chain of likelihood. The cases we have not reached are those with the least likelihood of being ineligible. About 75% of them were cancelled for failure to respond to a request for more information.
· Those are just recommendations by Maximus. In reality, the State is only cancelling about 39% of the cases. Under the SMART Act rules, Maximus gives 10 business days to return information. But caseworkers then have 20 further days to work cases. The main reason the State disagrees with the Maximus recommendation is the client shows up with additional information that establishes eligibility.
· Of these who are actually cancelled, about 20% are returned to the rolls fairly quickly because they finally turn up and provide the missing information. This gets us down to approximately about 32% of cases being cancelled so far.
· We believe this overstates the proportion of people ineligible because the above numbers only cover those cases that are Medical only…that is, they do not have SNAP. People are more attentive to their SNAP re-de’s because they would lose money immediately if they didn’t respond. (As opposed to only being impacted at some future time…and with the ability to get reinstated at that future time.)
· The bottom line is that we are cleaning up the rolls as we said we would – and this is important for the integrity of the program. However we also believe that the early results overstate the number of people who are ineligible and enrolled in the program. We do expect the percentage who are disenrolled to come down as we make it all way the way through the redetermination process.
There’s no doubt that people are indeed getting medical care provided by the state who shouldn’t be. But there is an ongoing effort to clean the rolls, despite the hype by folks who aren’t exactly Medicaid fans to begin with.
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Fire and eggs
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From KMOV TV…
An Illinois lawmaker says his office was ransacked during a fire that damaged his district office.
Firefighters were called Monday night to 101 S. Point Drive, where State Representative Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) has an office. Other parts of the multi-unit building were damaged badly. Kay’s office has smoke damage and that’s what Representative Kay expected to find, but he says there was more.
“We just observed our office has been ransacked. I’m sure at this point, some sort of foul play may be considered,” says Representative Kay.
After taking a good look inside the office, Kay said it looks as if someone was inside looking for something.
“All the desk drawers were pulled out, emptied. All the papers on the desktops were thrown on the floor,” says Representative Kay.
* But…
Chris Guy, a spokesman for Kay, R-Edwardsville, said fire investigators told him most of the damage was in the basement. He said he and Kay went into Kay’s office today and saw smoke damage but found nothing “of consequence” damaged or missing. Guy and Kay retrieved supplies and computers from the office today.
I talked with an Edwardsville police spokesman shortly after noon today who said there are no new updates. He did say that as far as he knew, nothing was missing from Rep. Kay’s office. He also said he didn’t know whether the open desk drawers and strewn papers could’ve been done by firefighters. However, he said the case was being investigated as a suspicious fire and a possible burglary.
If this is politically related, it’s awful darned stupid. There is no statute of limitations for arson in Illinois.
…Adding… Oops. A now-deleted story about the egg-throwing popped up on a Google News search by date. I didn’t notice that both stories I eventually posted on the incident were actually from 2012. Sorry about that. Better take my own advice and stick to Bing.
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Interesting history, but not a lot of new ground
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chicago Magazine has a profile of House Speaker Michael Madigan online. There’s nothing really new in it, but there is a lot of history, so go read the whole thing.
* This is an instructive, if dated, passage…
In a 1986 interview with Chicago, Madigan mentioned that he was trying to find a job for the unemployed brother-in-law of a lawmaker. Asked why he was doing it—as a magnanimous gesture or a crass political favor?—he replied: “Because it’s the correct thing for me to do in terms of maintaining a good relationship with the legislator, which builds my strength as the speaker and the Democratic leader.”
Madigan runs the Speaker’s office like his ward office. Got relatives coming into town and need seats for the Cubs game? Madigan has season tickets. Doofus brother-in-law needs a job? Madigan can help. A local mayor not providing services? Madigan can make a call. On and on and on. It’s a political version of the wedding scene in The Godfather, only it’s every day.
* Another passage worthy of discussion…
Or maybe, having outlasted eight governors and eight Chicago mayors, he simply can’t tolerate feeling as if he’s being shoved out—even by his daughter. You don’t have to be Freud to see that Madigan has a profound need for power, order, and control. Angelo “Skip” Saviano, a former Republican legislator from Elmwood Park, notes that the 1994 Republican revolution that swept Madigan out of power in Springfield “drove him absolutely wacko.”
Most everyone who knows him agrees that Madigan is obsessed with winning. To him, bills are primarily cost-benefit analyses (“Will this help or harm my majority?”). Not only does he crave power; he’s become captive to it. “His job is his life, and his life is his job,” says James McPike, a legislator-turned-lobbyist who served 12 years as Madigan’s majority leader from 1983 to 1995 and remains one of the speaker’s closest friends.
I stopped by Skip’s campaign office the Sunday before election day and sat in on a pre-election meeting. They mainly discussed where the troops would be deployed on a general, precinct basis.
But at that same moment, Madigan was in his ward office studying detailed maps of Saviano’s district and demanding to know who was covering specific apartment building stairwells.
Also, I have a friend who tells a joke about how, during the years when nuclear war seemed a distinct possibility, she didn’t really care all that much if the world was completely annihilated. Everybody would die. The party would be over. But dying alone now meant that the party will continue without her and she just can’t stand that thought. Madigan, she says, perhaps feels the same way about “his” House. He can’t stand the idea of someone else running his show while he’s still around.
* One more…
Madigan is famous for reading every bill and every line of the state’s $34 billion budget. Nothing gets passed without his blessing. “He knows members’ bills better than they do,” says Jack Franks, a Democratic state representative from Woodstock. “He knows more about the workings of the General Assembly than anyone, on any issue, at any time.”
Every Sunday during session, Madigan and his top aides spend endless hours, either in Springfield or via conference call, discussing every introduced bill and amendment. They go over every possible angle before approving a bill for movement. It is, I’m told, excruciatingly boring, but Madigan insists on this.
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Gay marriage roundup
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign the gay marriage bill into law this afternoon at 3:30. Thousands are expected to attend. You can click here to watch a live video stream.
* Let’s start our morning coverage with a column by Jonathan Rauch at Time.com, which looks at the “end of gay victimhood”…
In the 1990s, a younger generation brought forward a different agenda, one that focused on the two most egregious forms of governmental discrimination: the bans on gay marriage and military service. Around the same time, the “gayby boom” took off, as openly gay couples became parents. Marriage, military service and child rearing: these were not extensions of the 1970s gay-rights agenda but departures from it. Taken together, they constituted a gay-responsibility agenda. We were seeking the burdens of adulthood instead of running to Mommy; asking to serve our communities and country instead of demanding that they serve us; declaring our strength instead of our perennial weakness.
The responsibility agenda has been a hard slog — harder, ironically, than the rights agenda. The anti-gay lobby was more alarmed by strong, independent homosexuals than with weak, victimized ones. Over time, though, the responsibility agenda has done for gays what Israel has done for Jews. It has retired the stereotype of weakness. The country has responded by seeing us in a new and more positive light: one in which oppressed-minority status makes less sense by the day.
* On the other hand, Robert Ritchie, the executive director of America Needs Fatima, isn’t quite saying, but he is asking whether his readers believe that the “massive Illinois tornadoes are linked to the passing of the same sex ‘marriage’ bill” …
The massive tornadoes that hit Illinois after the passing of the same sex “marriage” bill, has stimulated many people to reflection.
In it, some see God’s chastisement; others see it as yet one more merciful warning from Providence; others yet deny both options and give various reasons.
What do you think?
Considering that the tornadoes ripped through towns represented in the General Assembly by “No” votes on gay marriage (except for one), I wouldn’t press that question too far if I were Ritchie.
Just sayin…
* Meanwhile, Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s plans for an exorcism today are explained by an expert…
“Some Catholics would believe that God is being invoked to dispel evil, the condition of evil in this case,” said the Rev. Gary Thomas, a California priest whose training as an exorcist was featured in the 2011 film “The Rite.” “It would be a rare Catholic to expect something dramatic to happen at the moment.” […]
Though it’s unclear if Paprocki is exorcising the law, the state, the diocese or the legislature, it’s safe to say he’s not exorcising individual politicians, said Thomas, who has no firsthand knowledge of Paprocki’s plans.
“God doesn’t interfere with free will,” Thomas said. “The person has to cooperate with the exorcism. I can’t imagine Bishop Paprocki doing something like that. They have to want to cooperate with that.”
The purpose of exorcism, rather, is to point out the reality and presence of God, he said.
* About 30 percent of Illinoisans identify themselves as Catholics, so coverage of the intersection of faith and politics tends to focus on cardinals, bishops and priests. Not every theologian is on board…
Meanwhile, also at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 in Springfield, the Rev. Martin Woulfe of Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation will be offering a public prayer of thanksgiving on behalf of lesbian and gay couples that will soon be able to marry.
Woulfe said that before the prayers, the church will hold a screening of the signing ceremony, which is being streamed live. The event is intended as thanks to the activists and legislators who made the successful SB10 vote possible.
The remarks from Poprocki have been consistent with the bishop’s theology in recent years, Woulfe added. So he takes consolation in his own church having an opportunity to show a commitment to fairness and social justice.
“No one church has a monopoly on truth, nor a monopoly on ethics or morals,” Woulfe said.
* And Lynn Bohlmann, pastor of Congregational United Church of Christ in Jacksonville, offers up these insights…
Our United Church of Christ congregation, as well as other UCC, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal and Unitarian congregations, were present at the recent March on Springfield. I was thanked by some in the crowd who were encouraged and surprised by visible support from the Christian churches.
One asked whether we would perform same-sex marriages or whether we were just out for show. A reasonable question, given both a well-deserved cynicism toward the Christian church and the bill’s explicit grant to faith communities the right to marry, or not marry, people in same-sex relationships. I told her that we have performed Holy Unions at Congregational United Church of Christ and will be glad to perform marriage for couples who love one another and seek to commit to one another.
We want people to be able to bring their whole selves to God and know that they are loved. We want people to be able to be part of a faith community that affirms them and facilitates all of our abilities to live justly and wholly.
But our groups from various churches weren’t the only ones who assembled in support of marriage equality. There were at least two banners professing both their Catholic faith and their support. One organization was Catholics for Marriage Equality. The other, a loose collection of mothers and fathers, under a large handmade sign saying Catholic moms and dads supporting their gay and lesbian children.
Isn’t that love of God and love of family what it’s all about?
* Zorn looks at the impact of the Massachusetts gay marriage law…
“The first negative impact was to our children, and the sexual standards they are being taught in our public schools,” said Massachusetts Family Institute President Kris Mineau. The idea that gay marriage is acceptable “is shocking, particularly to kindergartners, and causing a lot of confusion in our families.”
Mineau said people have become “afraid to speak out against same-sex marriage for fear of being marginalized, ridiculed and harassed in the public square” and that this has led to “an erosion of our values.”
Mineau said he’s unaware of any discrimination suits in Massachusetts against wedding photographers, florists and other service providers who refuse to cater to gay weddings, and that he can point to no social science that links gay marriage to the decay of the traditional family, though he does point out that the claims made by proponents that gay marriage will strengthen the overall institution of marriage haven’t come true either.
But…
The Thomas More Society believes the [Illinois gay marriage law] will result in hundreds, or even thousands, of lawsuits.
“Thousands” of lawsuits? It hasn’t happened anywhere else. A few have been filed, yes, but thousands? Nope.
* The possible economic impact is smallish, but still significant…
According to Smith, researchers at the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, a national think tank on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, predict that same-sex weddings could bring close to $103 million to the state over the next three years.
* More numbers…
When Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signs gay marriage into law, 38 percent of the nation’s population will live in states where same-sex marriage is legal, according to Freedom to Marry.
* Next door in Indiana, however, a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is moving through that state’s general assembly…
Despite Illinois’ approval of gay marriage, Indiana has a conservative political culture and “we haven’t followed Illinois’ cues since the Civil War,” Curt Smith, president of the Indiana Family Institute, said Tuesday.
The Republican leaders of both chambers of the General Assembly have committed to hearing the marriage amendment, and “we think strong majorities will again decide that the people should decide,” Mr. Smith said.
He noted that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a Republican, has been clear in his support for traditional man-woman marriage and for a popular referendum on an amendment.
On Tuesday, Indiana House Speaker Brian C. Bosma rejected a request to kill the proposed marriage amendment, saying it will be assigned to committee and will be dealt with like any other bill.
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Rauner gets first uncapped contributions
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The caps just came off the GOP primary race and the money is already coming in — for venture capitalist Bruce Rauner.
Glen Tullman, the former CEO of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, and now with 7WireVentures, has donated $250,000 to Rauner’s campaign, according to newly filed campaign reports.
Outside of Rauner’s self-donation, Tullman’s is the largest contributions yet in the Illinois governor’s race.
Two other contributors have also put in more than $10,000 apiece for Rauner. Before the fund-raising caps came off, individuals were limited to making a $5,300 contribution.
The two $10K contributions were from Joseph Campolo of Arbor Investments and Patrick Gallagher of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
* More on Tullman…
Tullman’s donation, however, flags a different potential Republican primary issue for Rauner, who already has been criticized for being too chummy with Democrats. Records show Tullman has contributed to Democrats — including Gov. Pat Quinn. Tullman is the brother of major Democratic donor and Democratic National Committee Trustee Howard Tullman, who has donated to former President Bill Clinton and who is friends with — and was briefly the landlord of — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
* Rauner, by the way, now has a new response to those who criticize him for his close financial and personal ties to Democrats…
Lately he has been savaged by bloggers who have taken issue with his cordial relationship with Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuel.
“You remember when Reagan was president? He and Tip O’Neil were able to get things done in spite of party differences. That’s the kind of cordial relationship I have with Emanuel. I believe you have to be cordial with people in spite of differences.”
“The mayors of Chicago control the schools for 400,000 children. I believe those children are being abused by bad schools,” he said.
Discuss.
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