Question of the day
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Despite their town being devastated by a tornado on Sunday, Washington High School’s football team is still scheduled to play a Springfield team on Saturday in the Class 5A playoff semifinals. The game will be played in Springfield and the coaches have been talking…
“We’ve talked with (Washington coach Darrell Crouch) and their athletic director (Herb Knoblauch),” [Sacred Heart-Griffin High School football coach Ken Leonard] said. “We want to know what we could do as a team and a school to help with what their needs are.
“It’s tough. They’re human beings with needs. I have some relatives of mine in Washington, and all of them are safe, so that’s good. But we want to help.”
Leonard said one clear need for Washington fans is transportation after their vehicles were damaged or became inaccessible because of the storm. He said SHG has secured at least two charter buses to transport Washington fans to the game, and attempts are being made to get more buses.
“We’re going to feed their team before the game and afterward,” Leonard said.
I’ve seen other heartwarming stories as well about Sunday’s tornado storm, as I’m sure you have.
* The Question: So far, what’s the most touching story you’ve seen on the Sunday tragedy? Links aren’t mandatory, but they’d help.
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“Toast”
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bruce Rauner’s latest ad…
It looks like he has a new vest.
* Script…
Rauner: Career politicians are running our state into the ground. And Pat Quinn, he’s at the top of the heap.
Voice Over: Bruce Rauner, not a politician.
Rauner: Here’s the deal, if we don’t fundamentally change direction, we’re toast.
Voice Over: The guts to cut spending and deliver term limits. Bruce Rauner.
Rauner: Right now, we have a governor who won’t stand up to career politicians and government union bosses. Let me tell ya, that’s gonna change. Bigtime.
Voice Over: Bruce Rauner, shake up Springfield, bring back Illinois.
Some strangely mixed metaphors there.
Rate it.
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A little perspective
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A recent Ipsos poll found crack-smoker Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s approval rating at 40 percent.
Gov. Pat Quinn would do public handstands if his approval rating was even close to that. His approval numbers haven’t been above 40 since early 2010.
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Department of dumb ideas
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Phil Kadner…
A new emergency alert system that speaks four different languages failed to signal impending danger during Sunday’s tornado warning, according to some Oak Lawn residents.
“I couldn’t hear the tornado siren in my home,” Mickey Depre said. “I’ve lived her for 24 years, near the center of town at 96th and Cicero, and I’ve always heard the sirens go off when there were tornado warnings out. But not on Sunday.”
Oak Lawn installed a new warning system in April, replacing its old system, according to Art Clark, an Oak Lawn police commander in charge of the village’s emergency management agency. The new system sounds a shorter siren, lasting about 30 seconds, followed by appropriate warning messages. […]
After the initial siren, a spoken alert is made over the system in English, Spanish, Polish and Arabic, “the four primary languages spoken in our village,” Clark said. “The old technology, with the siren, you didn’t know what was happening. You weren’t sure of the nature of the emergency.
* Kadner pointed out the folly of such a warning system…
I told Clark that my experience with public address announcements, even indoors, is pretty poor.
In airports, hospitals, even business offices, here’s what I hear whenever someone is making an announcement over a PA system:
“Brringoh sacco grrgle THIS IS IMPORTANT to fshhhh skullll IMMEDIATELY.”
Oak Lawn’s system is open air. That means announcements are being tossed into the wind. On Sunday, that was a 40 to 50 mph wind. And some of the stuff being said is in a foreign language.
That doesn’t sound like a good thing to me.
No kidding.
* His conclusion…
A really loud air raid siren is still a universal signal to take cover. If the sky is clear, I think most folks would realize they ought to turn on a radio or make a phone call to find out if something other than a weather emergency is taking place.
Exactly right.
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More problems for Dillard
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From what I’ve been able to gather, Sen. Kirk Dillard is right that Lori Montana is still raising money for him. But she’s now just a volunteer and no longer part of the campaign staff…
Lori Montana, a well-respected, GOP fund-raiser and former Illinois Lottery Director whom Dillard brought onto his campaign with much fanfare, has signaled she’s on her way out, several sources with knowledge of the decision told the Sun-Times.
Sources with knowledge of the decision said Montana informed Dillard’s campaign about two weeks ago of her plans to part ways.
“Lori is a volunteer. She did leave the campaign. She’s going to tie up loose ends,” a source close to the Dillard campaign told the Sun-Times on Monday. “She is not being paid.” […]
When asked about Montana’s status on Monday, Dillard first responded by saying he had a meeting with her in 10 minutes, so he hoped she wasn’t going anywhere. “She’s still on board with me. No, Lori still works for me,” Dillard told the Sun-Times. “Lori Montana is still helping me raise money – it must be people’s wishful thinking.” […]
Rumors have been swirling over why Montana was parting ways with Dillard, but Dillard wasn’t even admitting that she was on her way out.
One source indicated there was general frustration by Dillard’s reluctance to make the number of fund-raising calls needed to survive in a four-way gubernatorial primary.
He won’t make enough calls and, I’m told, his appearance at that anti gay marriage rally may have been the last straw. I reached out to Montana several days ago and never heard back.
…Adding… Illinois Review is hearing the same thing…
Sources told Illinois Review that along with the dearth of lucrative commissioned contributions, Montana is leaving the campaign because of Dillard’s public participation in the traditional marriage rally held in Springfield last month, as well as his position on other social issues, which Montana found difficult or uncomfortable to sell to major donors.
Bigtime corporate donor types don’t like social issues all that much. The “strip their pensions,” anti-union Bruce Rauner, therefore, is far more to their liking.
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Brady, Quinn stand together in devastated town
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WLS reports on a couple of quotes from state Sen. Bill Brady…
Here is Brady last month on the governor. “Don’t underestimate Pat Quinn. He may be a buffoon when it comes to leading and on policies, but he is brilliant when it comes to leveraging the populist card in a Democratic state.”
And here is Brady Monday standing with the governor in the devastation of Washington, Ill. “This is obviously one of the most devastating catastrophes we’ve ever seen. It’s really important that we all rally together. This isn’t a partisan problem. This is a bipartisan solution. It’s not a local government problem. It’s a multi-government solution.”
Brady also praised the response by both the governor and his administration…
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Charter fight goes deep
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Josh Dwyer at the Illinois Policy Institute recently derided Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia…
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, has contempt for the state charter school commission, even though she voted for its creation more than two years ago.
It was on full display the last time Jeanne Nowaczewski – the commission’s executive director – appeared in front of the House Education Committee. Chapa LaVia interrogated her, asking her if she financially benefits from the commission’s approval of charter schools and questioning the commission’s integrity.
It’s no surprise then that Chapa LaVia, along with Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester, has introduced concurrent bills aimed at killing the state charter commission.
House Bill 3754 and Senate Bill 2627 would eliminate the charter school commission and instead allow the Illinois State Board of Education, or ISBE, to handle appeals by charter schools whose proposals are rejected by individual school districts.
That’s the way it used to work before the charter school commission was created. Unfortunately, it didn’t work well.
One reason was that ISBE only devoted one part-time employee to evaluating charter school appeals – a herculean task.
The other was that ISBE is predisposed to reject charter appeals. So says a report created by the Independent Charter Authorizer Task Force in 2010.
* Chapa LaVia used to be a charter school supporter until a “virtual learning” charter school wanted approval in her district…
The state charter commission received 29 new charter school appeals from November 1, 2011, when the independent entity took effect, through June 30, 2013, according to a list of frequently asked questions about the commission posted on ISBE’s website in July. […]
In June, the commission voted to accept the withdrawal of 18 appeals by Virtual Learning Solutions, which wanted to partner with online curriculum company K12 Inc. to form the Illinois Virtual Charter School @ Fox River Valley in 18 suburban school districts.
All eighteen school boards rejected the applications for the online charters, and Virtual Learning Solutions filed appeals with the charter commission in May. The commission, however, was poised to deny the appeals before they were withdrawn in June due to a one-year state moratorium on new virtual charter schools that took effect this April. Chapa LaVia also sponsored that moratorium measure, HB 494, and the governor signed it into law May 24.
“I think there’s still a great amount of concern over the [Virtual Learning Solutions and] K12 Inc. application, how that came through,” Laesch explained. “If you look at how much money the school districts spent, it’s well over $300,000 in legal defense for K12 Inc.”
* The Illinois Policy Institute’s Dwyer also opposed Chapa LaVia’s one-year moratorium on virtual charter schools…
State lawmakers should not support HB494 – the bill proposed by Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, that aims to put a one-year moratorium on virtual charter schools in Illinois.
She represents one of the districts that would be affected by the potential opening of the Fox River Valley Virtual Charter School.
Chapa LaVia claims the law is needed because there is no process in place for approving, evaluating and funding a multidistrict charter school.
Unfortunately, she’s wrong. It’s all laid out in the state’s charter-school code.
In fact, a multidistrict virtual charter school must fulfill the same criteria as a traditional charter school to get its charter approved, must meet the same benchmarks on state tests as traditional schools, and is funded through the state charter commission like the other multidistrict charter school in the state – Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake.
* Scott Reeder, the Illinois Policy Institute’s “journalist in residence” also penned a column supporting virtual charter schools…
My 7-year-old- Grace loves to draw and paint, and needs constant “atta girls” as she takes on difficult tasks such as playing a new piano piece.
She asks tough questions of her teachers – and expects answers.
On the other hand, my daughter Anna, who will be 5 in a few weeks, seems to always have her face glued to an iPad, working through difficult math puzzles and other educational games.
As soon as I arrive home from work, she begs me to allow her to log in to her school’s website to learn more.
My 2-year-old Caitlin likes to explore. She has her hands on everything – dogs, cats, shoes, clay. She experiences learning through touch.
No child is the same.
That’s why I was so disheartened to see the Illinois House Education Committee vote this week to approve House Bill 494, which puts a three-year moratorium on creating virtual charter schools. The bill’s sponsor has since backpedaled from such a long moratorium and has amended it to make it a one-year moratorium.
* But there is another alleged connection. From Progress Illinois…
A series of new reports allege that the State Policy Network (SPN) and its web of think tanks, including the Illinois Policy Institute, are reportedly driving a “right-wing agenda” across all 50 states.
On its website, SPN, a tax-exempt organization, says it’s the “only group in the country dedicated solely to improving the practical effectiveness of independent, non-profit, market-oriented, state-focused think tanks.” SPN works to “enable these organizations to better educate local citizens, policy makers and opinion leaders about market-oriented alternatives to state and local policy challenges.”
But the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and ProgressNow’s new study, which includes a local report for Illinois, maintains that SPN and its affiliates in every state are big pushers of public policy backed by the pro-corporate American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and other right-wing funders, including organizations with ties to the billionaire Koch brothers.
According to the national report, some of the issues the think tanks peddle involve privatizing education, restricting workers’ rights and rolling back environmental protections, to name a few. The network of think tanks typically use the “same cookie-cutter research and reports, all while claiming to be independent and creating state-focused solutions that purportedly advance the interests or traditions of the state,” the report reads. […]
The Illinois-based report showed that the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), which describes itself as a “nonpartisan research organization working to make Illinois first in economic outlook and job creation,” received almost $2 million from the Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund from 2005 to 2011. Other high-profile, out-of-state donors to IPI, which does not have to publicly disclose such funding information, include the Roe Foundation, started by SPN’s founding chairman Thomas Roe, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Cato Institute and the Coors family’s Castle Rock Foundation, among others cited in the report. Overall, IPI had more than $2.8 million in reported revenue and more $400,000 in net assets in 2011, the study found. […]
Moreover, the study alleges that IPI attempted to profit from the privatization Illinois’ public schools through new virtual charter schools. IPI fiercely opposed state legislation, HB 494, which successfully established a one-year moratorium on new virtual charter schools in April.
The moratorium stopped Virtual Learning Solutions from setting up the Illinois Virtual Charter School @ Fox River Valley in 18 suburban Illinois school districts. Ted Dabrowski, IPI’s vice president of policy, is a Virtual Learning Solutions board member. Also, Eric Kohn, who is reportedly married to a staff member at IPI, is Virtual Learning Solutions’ treasurer, Chicago Now reported in June. If the charter proposal moved forward, Virtual Learning Solution’s online school endeavor would have resulted in a projected $16 million in Illinois tax dollars over a five-year period.
IPI, however, has denied that its staffers had any financial interest in the online charter school proposal.
The Illinois report is here.
* Speaking of charter schools and the Illinois Policy Institute, Bruce Rauner hater Jon Zahm dug up a little noticed story from earlier this year about how Rauner College Prep - a Chicago charter school - dealt with an underperforming student…
They get to play by their own rules in these schools. If a student is underperforming, rather than motivate them and improve their performance, they get a letter like this:
To Whom it may Concern,
NAME REDACTED is a student who was required to repeat the eleventh grade at Rauner College Prep because he failed to satisfy all of our promotion requirements. Because he is a reclassified student, the credits he earned during his first attempt in the eleventh grade have been deleted. If the student were to transfer to another school, those credits would be repopulated as earned credits.
So, the parents are essentially faced with two choices: Let the kid retake 11th grade, or transfer to a public school with at least some credits from 11th grade.
If the kid transfers, the school bearing the name of a Republican gubernatorial candidate can move an under-achiever off its rolls. And then the public schools will get the blame for failing him or her.
Rauner, of course, has said he gave half a million dollars to the Illinois Policy Institute.
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 18, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Illinois Republican Party…
Naperville attorney Michael “Mike” Webster announced his candidacy for Illinois Secretary of State this morning. He pledged to bring the Secretary of State’s office into the 21st century, and restore some much-needed confidence after Jesse White’s scandals.
Illinois Republican Chairman Jack Dorgan, State Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, and State House Republican Leader Jim Durkin recently met with Webster, 53, to encourage him to challenge the embattled Secretary of State.
Earlier, Chairman Dorgan issued a statewide call to G.O.P. leaders to circulate petitions for Webster.
“I’m pleased to share that Mike Webster has been recruited to run for Secretary of State,” Dorgan said. “Illinois deserves much better than the controversy coming out of Jesse White’s office, and the failure of leadership up and down the Democrat ticket.
“The most recent scandal, involving suspicious hiring and work irregularities of a high-ranking staff with a ‘special’ relationship to the incumbent, may be just the tip of the iceberg. Mike Webster will clean house. That’s why the party asked him to make this run.”
“The people of Illinois have been shortchanged for too long,” Webster said. “It is time for dramatic change. The troubling reports of serious improprieties show it is time for new leadership. I will end the inefficiency, cronyism, nepotism, and patronage hiring that Jesse White has become infamous for, and I will provide the transparency, efficiency, and accountability that we all deserve.”
A lifelong Illinois resident, Webster graduated from Joliet Catholic High School, The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and DePaul University College of Law. He is also a Certified Public Accountant.
“As a lawyer and a CPA, I have the skills to improve the Secretary of State’s office on day one. I am a not a politician, with no ties to Springfield, and I’m beholden to no one. I am not afraid to root out the corruption, end political shenanigans, and reform the office. That is what Illinois taxpayers want, it is what they deserve, and it is what I will do when I am elected,” Webster said.
Webster started Webster & Schelli, P.C. in 1991 with his partner James Schelli, and practices business succession planning, estate planning, taxation, probate and trust administration.
Webster is the President of the Cass School District #63 Board of Education in Darien. He was first elected to the Cass Board of Education in 2005, and re-elected in 2009 and 2013. Webster, his wife, Sandy, and their four daughters live in Hinsdale.
White received 69.87 percent in the 2010 election and 62.82 percent in 2006 against Dan Rutherford.
* The Question: Over-under on White’s percentage total next November?
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Another drug scare
Monday, Nov 18, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a story in the Joliet paper last month…
The flesh-eating crocodile is here, a local doctor said.
Three patients have been treated this week at Presence Saint Joseph Medical Center for using a synthetic opiate that doctors say rots the skin from the inside out.
“If you want to kill yourself, (using) this is the way to do it,” said Dr. Abhin Singla, director of addiction services.
Crocodile, which also is spelled Krokodil, started being manufactured about a decade ago in Russia, where heroin is harder to find, Singla said.
Codeine tablets are mixed with gasoline, paint thinner, butane and other chemicals to create an injectable drug, he said.
* But the Daily Beast claims stories like that one are bogus.
First of all. codeine has been available over the counter in Russia for years, and codeine tablets are used to make the drug. Codeine is only available here by prescription, making it harder to get and more expensive to purchase than in Russia.
And, oh, tests for Krokodil are coming up negative…
(N)ot one of the dozens of suspected cases tested positive for desomorphine, the drug’s official name. In fact, according to public-health experts and federal officials, the great Krokodil scare of 2013 is really just the latest symptom of a true epidemic long in the making: American’s growing dependence on heroin and prescription painkillers. […]
“To date none of our forensic labs have analyzed an exhibit that contain desomorphine [Krokodil],” Rusty Payne, a spokesperson for the federal Drug Enforcement Administration told The Daily Beast this week. “We have nothing to indicate that it’s out there.” Payne called the Krokodil fiasco the “story of the month,” blaming it both on misinformation and myths propagated by the media. “What happens is people jump the gun,” Payne explains. “Poison controls, emergency rooms, cops—folks that aren’t trained in narcotics,” he says. “We [the DEA] are knee deep in local synthetic drugs. This is what we do.” […]
As widely documented on drug policy sites across the web, intravenous drug users are susceptible to a wide range of deadly infections, including HIV, Hepatitis, B/C, and MRSA—many of which can result in gangrenous skin, deep abscesses, and loss of limbs.
“We don’t have a Krokodil epidemic, we have a heroin and painkiller epidemic,” Dr. Andrew Kolodny, chief medical officer at Phoenix House, a non-profit alcohol and drug rehab center, tells The Daily Beast. A nationally recognized psychiatrist, Kolodny has spent close to 20 years studying substance abuse and addiction. The graphic images flooding the Internet with “Krokodil” tags didn’t shock him. “This is not a new problem. Drug users are prone to skin infections and blood infections. There are serious medical infections that come from injecting drugs,” he says. While the infections are not new, Kolodny says increased heroin dependence means it won’t be the last time we see pictures like these.
* And this was buried way deep in an ABC7 story about the supposed Will County cases…
All three women insist they paid for heroin and never knew they got crocodile in its place. They have come forward to use their story as a wakeup call for other addicts. [Emphasis added.]
Except it’s almost certain that they did buy heroin and are simply suffering some all too normal and horrific consequences.
* Just to make sure, I checked with the Illinois Department of Public Health today and asked if the state has any confirmed Krokodil cases “No,” was the answer.
Even so, a resolution was introduced last month about the drug scare…
Urges the Drug Enforcement Administration to recognize the use of desomorphine or “krokodil” as an immediate threat and to investigate cases of the drug in Illinois to prevent its spread and to safeguard the wellbeing of Illinois residents.
If the past is prologue, I’m assuming we’ll see penalty enhancement bills introduced soon as well. All over something that doesn’t exist and probably won’t because of simple economics.
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It ain’t easy
Monday, Nov 18, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
State Rep. Derrick Smith referred to himself as a “pimp” in secretly recorded conversations, his lawyers have revealed.
But Smith — who won re-election to his West Side seat last year despite being indicted on bribery charges — says he used the word “pimping” to describe the good work he does for his constituents, not because he has any connection to the illegal sex trade.
He wants a judge to ban prosecutors from playing the recording for jurors when he stands trial in the bribery case in January. […]
Smith made “the reference as an analogy to the hard grass-roots work he puts in on the street, canvassing and visiting the public in his attempt to gain the support of voters in his district,” Smith’s attorney Vic Henderson wrote.
“There is no evidence whatsoever that the defendant is a pimp or even tangentially involved in pimping,” Henderson added. “Evidence that the defendant used ‘pimping’ as a metaphor for pounding the pavement in his district is not relevant to the jury’s deliberations in this case.”
Discuss.
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* Daily Herald…
The U.S. House Ethics Committee Friday closed the investigation into Rep. Peter Roskam’s 2011 trip to Taiwan after months of review without recommending disciplinary actions. […]
Roskam and his wife took the $25,000 trip paid for by the Chinese Culture University in Taipei. The Wheaton Republican argued during the probe that the committee had signed off on the trip in advance and his office followed the rules.
The Ethics Committee report Friday said it was “inconclusive” whether the university was a “proper sponsor,” and it couldn’t compel testimony to get the information it needed to make that call. The investigation was closed because there was “insufficient evidence to show that Rep. Roskam’s travel was improper.”
The report says trips paid for by “money-only” sponsors that don’t participate in the planning can be improper but that “the Committee cannot determine whether CCU’s involvement in both trips was significant enough for CCU to be considered a legitimate sponsor.”
* Tribune…
While the committee said that Roskam had fully cooperated, it noted that Taiwanese officials with information “material” to the review had refused to help the committee sort out the matter.
* Politico…
Under the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act, foreign governments are allowed to pay for such trips. However, a lawmaker cannot accept travel expenses for a spouse or family member.
The Roskams’ daughter was also staying in Taiwan at that time, and OCE noted that the Roskams sought to include her as part of their itinerary for the $24,000-plus trip.
Roskam strongly denied any improper or unethical behavior, and he went as far as signing a waiver to allow the Ethics Committee to turn over to OCE the documents and materials used for vetting the trip. The Ethics Committee did not respond to OCE’s request for those materials.
* Back to the Tribune…
The trip’s itinerary evolved between the June email and the October trip. But Roskam’s post-travel disclosure report to the House described two days of meetings with government officials and four days of sightseeing.
The Ethics Committee report said that “the rationale of having ‘leisure’ or ‘quality time’ with one’s family in ‘a very nice resort area’ as discussed in the background on the trip is not a permissible, officially connected purpose for privately sponsored travel, and if committee staff had been aware of that connection and intent, additional questions would have been asked, at least.”
But the report also stated: “The mere fact that his wife and daughter were with him does not diminish the value of the fact-finding activity or make the activities impermissible.”
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Digging out is gonna take a long time
Monday, Nov 18, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Central Illinois Service Access Inc. helps screen people with developmental disabilities as part of the process for determining benefits. Last year, the state was running six months behind in its payments to CISA. Now, the state is sending out checks within a couple of months.
Illinois has started to get its payment act together, but that progress has exposed another problem. These not for profits are dealing with higher costs, but low reimbursement rates…
[CISA associate director Mary McGlauchlen] stressed that the state’s reimbursement rates need to be adjusted so that care providers can find and keep quality employees.
“There’s not a provider that doesn’t tell me, ‘We can’t find people that can pass the background check that want to work for $9 an hour.’ It’s honestly a very difficult job,” she said.
Sheppard added, “There are some people who work with providers that hold two and three jobs down just because they love the field and they don’t want to give it up, but they can’t live on that. If they’re a single parent with one or two kids, they can’t live on that wage.”
Obviously, significant provider rate hikes are not in the cards these days.
* But it’s hard to imagine what life is like for these caregivers…
Jennifer Dunham, 37, of Lincoln is living the life Sheppard described. She is a single mother of three who works on the direct care staff at Serenity House, a group home for the developmentally disabled.
The facility is a small, four-bedroom house tucked away on a residential street in Lincoln, where six developmentally disabled residents received constant supervision.
On Dunham’s eight-hour shifts, she does the residents’ laundry, distributes medication, cooks meals, assists them with bathing and teaches them basic life skills.
Each of the residents is at a different level of cognitive function, requiring Dunham to take an individualized approach. With residents requiring supervision around-the-clock, Dunham said, it can be a bit of a juggling act.
Dunham makes $8.50 an hour.
* Related…
* Race tracks face cuts if legislature doesn’t act
* Politics helped fund new South Side station, Metra says: Metra officials explained that the project has been planned for years and defended its necessity. But they also acknowledged that funding for the station came about with some political dealing between Gov. Pat Quinn and South Side legislators, specifically Democratic state Sen. Jacqueline Collins, whose 16thDistrict includes Auburn Gresham. Quinn relied on their support for two state bond programs he had championed.
* Shiny Capitol doors block security guards’ full view: Condemned for their cost and gleam, new $670,000 copper-clad exterior doors installed at the state Capitol are raising security concerns because they could prevent guards from fully seeing approaching visitors. A Downstate lawmaker filed a resolution urging Secretary of State Jesse White and Capitol Architect J. Richard Alsop III to install security cameras outside the doors so that guards’ sightlines to the outside won’t be obscured. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, said he was motivated by security guards in the building who told him they couldn’t clearly see who was coming through the doors, which have a decorative pane of glass from a waist-level up.
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* A spokesperson for the Republican trying to unseat GOP Rep. Ed Sullivan claims his candidate has strong backing from the Lake County GOP. From an e-mail blast…
November 17, 2013
Hi George,
A few months ago the Republican State Representative from Mundelein decided to violate our platform – the very platform he ran on – and announce his support for homosexual marriage in Illinois.
At the next meeting of the Lake County Republican Central Committee, our chairman – Bob Cook – announced that enough was enough and that we, as a Party, would seek to remove anyone from office who violates our platform or code of ethics.
After that announcement, the issue appeared to fade in the background and most thought Cook’s threat was just so much noise.
Not so!!!!
Cook and others worked behind the scenes in an effort to convince Sullivan he should vote against redefining marriage, or at least abstain from the vote. Sullivan ignored the request, ignored his constituents, and ignored thousands of years of history in order to appease what the Gallup Organization describes as roughly 4% of the population.
But there is a positive side – Sullivan’s lesbian mother-in-law must be soooooo proud that Mr. Ed stood tall and voted to destroy family values under the manufactured pseudonym of “Marriage Equality.” Unfortunately for Mr. Ed, Bob Cook’s statement at that Central Committee meeting wasn’t a mere threat, it was a promise!
I am proud to announce that Bob Bednar – the past treasurer of the Lake County Republican Party - has stepped up to the plate and accepted the challenge to replace Ed Sullivan. This is a daunting task and although Sullivan has access to a ton of cash, many believe it’s very “do-able.” People don’t like to be deceived – just witness the current mess President Pinocchio has gotten himself into with his lies and deceptions.
But Bednar needs our help in getting enough signatures to get on the ballot, and once that’s accomplished he will need a lot of help in his campaign.
George, as Bob Cook has said, “Enough is enough!” This is our chance – your chance – to give our elected politicians a wakeup call. And that call is simply this: we will hold you accountable and responsible for your actions. We will no longer sit back and let a rogue politician run roughshod over our platform or their constituents.
George, can you volunteer a few hours each month to get rid of the arrogant Ed Sullivan and let the public know that a scent of fresh air has landed in Illinois? And why you’re at it George, you might want to send Bob Cook a note of thanks and encouragement for what can only be described as a courageous step. His email address is bobcook353@hotmail.com .
Best,
Jack Koenig, Volunteer
Bednar For State Representative
Nothing but class there.
* Look, county party chairmen have the right to enforce partisan discipline in their ranks. No question. But chairmen should also try and keep the peace, not start all-out holy wars, particularly when the state party is trying hard to calm the waters.
Not to mention that aligning oneself with a guy who would ridicule somebody’s mother-in-law is probably a bad idea as well.
*** UPDATE *** Lake County’s Republican circuit court clerk has responded…
Chairman,
I’m troubled by this email, though not because Jack is a passionate supporter of a particular candidate. This email bothers me because it’s coming from the “Communications Chairman” of the Lake County Republican Central Committee (not because it’s Jack, but because of his title), and because the email details that you – working behind the scenes with others – actively were involved with putting one of our incumbent Republican Representatives in a primary race. For this we would send you, Mr. Chairman, “a note of thanks and encouragement for what can only be described as a courageous step”?
As an elected Republican official I find this incredibly repugnant. The notion that my own party Central Committee Chairman would work to find a candidate for a primary against a sitting Republican Representative is stunningly unbelievable. The Republican Chairman, as last I was aware, is not to endorse or take a position to affect a Republican primary, but is rather to only fully endorse and support the victorious Republican primary candidates against a Democrat rival. And the Central Committee as a whole is to take a similar tact. This was a major plank in your election as Chairman – neutrality and impartiality towards all Republicans – and one for which you were roundly commended.
This does not preclude the Chairman, or any other Republican, from participation in the electoral process – both as a supporter and as a voter. But in their capacity as a citizen only, not as the Republican Party Chairman. And that also means that the Chairman and party officials have no place in recruiting candidates to run against incumbent Republican officials. It doesn’t matter if that official votes “the party line,” or even votes with Republicans on anything else – the decision is up to the voters of the district, and not to the Central Committee or the Chairman. This also doesn’t preclude you, as Chairman, from pointing out that a particular official has strayed from the party platform, but you would do so without involvement in the race as Chairman. If you want to pre-cast races, pit candidates against each other, or decide who is the perfect party supporter, I suggest that you put a “D” next to your name and call Terry Link. The Democrats are rather infamous for pulling those stunts every election cycle, and ironically it’s one of the many reasons that so many people dislike the Democrat Central Committee and Senator Link.
Sadly, if you will not disavow these series of events tagged with your name as Chairman, I would ask you to resign your official position until such time as a replacement may named. I think you are a passionate man, and a great supporter. This email is very painful for me because your heart is in the right place – more so than so many others. But your official title limits you, and if your personal actions and your position are at odds then I would ask you to resign your post.
Respectfully,
Keith Brin [Emphasis added.]
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Rauner polling within same range for months
Monday, Nov 18, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Back in mid-August, near the end of his summertime TV advertising blitz, Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner scored 14 percent in a Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of likely GOP primary voters. That was up a tick from the 12 percent he got in a June 20th poll by the same firm. His campaign has run some radio ads since then and sent out some direct mail, but Rauner has been mostly absent from TV for a few months or so.
The absence doesn’t appear to have hurt him all that much. According to a poll taken November 14th, Rauner is at 11 percent. So, he while he did slide back a bit, he’s still within the same polling range that he’s been trading in for months. Not to say that’s good news. It isn’t.
Last week Rauner let it be known that he is spending a half million dollars of his own money to support a fresh round of TV ads. Ironically enough, he’s personally spending a fortune on an expensive television spot that tries to show he’s just a regular guy by featuring a cheap watch that he supposedly favors. The folksy ad makes no mention of his home in Winnetka, his big spread in Montana, or his Chicago lakefront condo, of course.
Anyway, the question now is whether the wealthy retired financial wizard with close ties to Chicago’s last two Democratic mayors can finally begin to rise to the next plateau among Republican primary voters. Despite raising $3 million, he has yet to rise above third place in the four-man primary and this latest poll showed him in last place.
State Sen. Bill Brady continues to maintain his lead over the rest of the pack, according to the poll of 1,191 likely GOP voters. Brady scored 25 percent, to Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s 18 percent and state Sen. Kirk Dillard’s 14 percent. The poll had a margin of error of +/- 2.94 percent.
“This poll parallels tracking polls we’ve been conducting in the Republican governor’s race,” said We Ask America pollster Gregg Durham. “While Brady and Rutherford continue to stay a step ahead of Rauner and Dillard, the evidence points more to the top two contenders’ name recognition advantage than anything else.”
The overall numbers have moved so little that it’s difficult to say if there’s much of a pattern here. However, Sen. Dillard appears to be doing significantly better in the collar counties, coming in first place with 24 percent in last week’s poll versus 17 percent in August (second place behind Rauner) and 13 percent in June.
And as has we’ve been seen since at least June, Rauner is still doing much better with men than with women, perhaps because his ads so far have relied on “manly” images of him wearing a high-end barn jacket. There’s a seven-point spread between his support among men (14 percent) and his backing among women (7 percent). That’s a larger spread than everyone else’s, but, then again, women are significantly more undecided as a whole than men (37 vs. 28).
Just keep in mind, though, that it’s still early, despite it feeling like this campaign has already been going on forever. Even though he’s raised and spent almost no money, 2010 victor Bill Brady actually scored four points higher than he did in August. Treasurer Rutherford has raised some cash, but has spent almost no money as well, and last week’s polling shows him pretty much exactly where he was in August. Sen. Dillard has moved into third place and his numbers have risen five points, but when it’s this early in a contest, that could just be statistical noise. Far and away the “real” first place finisher, as in all earlier polls, is “Undecided,” at 33 percent.
Meanwhile, former Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross is leading DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan for state treasurer 29-18, in that same Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll of Republican primary voters.
But 54 percent remain undecided, about the same as in June, when the firm found that 56 percent were unsure of their choice.
Cross’ people have to be somewhat relieved by these numbers. They’re polling higher than any Republican gubernatorial candidate just days after Cross received a ton of press for voting for a gay marriage bill.
Subscribers have crosstabs.
* Related…
* Kirk Dillard confident he can beat Quinn
* Rauner the unions-slayer, Nov. 14 in River Forest: Go after government unions, for one thing, whose “bosses bribe politicians.” Gov. Quinn, for instance, while “not a standard crook . . . is inept and owned by government unions.” Unions have “bought [even] a number of Republicans.” To the unions Rauner would say, “You can’t bribe me.” He would limit collective bargaining rights if need be, as Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker did. It’s “a key part” of his platform. Another “big union issue” is the “right to work” for government employees, which he called “critical.” No one, he said, should be subject to “forced membership” in these unions.
* Rauner Raises Bar in Governor’s Race: Rauner predicts the governor will be able to pull in a lot of money and says he’s just preparing himself for the financial fight. “I’m the one person who can go toe-to-toe with him on every dollar and take him out of office next year. That’s critical.”
* Q&A: Illinois GOP leader wants end to ‘name calling’
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* Chicago Cardinal Francis George was asked yesterday whether he would follow Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s lead and perform prayers of “exorcism” to drive out the evil caused by the pending gay marriage law…
“Well, I didn’t do it, did I? Or I wouldn’t do it, so I guess that’s your answer… I can persuade like anybody can, I can say something as a word of advice, but I can’t command.”
* George did send a letter to his churches that were to be included in their Sunday bulletins…
November 11, 2013
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As you all know, the State of Illinois has entered into law the recognition of same-sex unions as marriages. The Church was part of the public debate, as you also know. We tried to explain that this is not primarily a religious issue, since marriage comes to us from nature as the union of a man and a woman, long before Christ walked the earth or the state came into being.
Nevertheless, there will be consequences for the Church and society that will become clearer as the law is used to sue for discrimination. The law has made some gays and lesbians happy, and that is not a bad thing in itself. The law, however, is bad law because it will contribute over the long run to the further dissolution of marriage and family life, which are the bedrock of any society. The Church will therefore continue and strengthen her ministry to families. We have lived with bad laws before, and we will do our best to adjust to this one for the sake of social harmony.
One of the consequences for our religion is already evident in the misuse of Pope Francis’ words, spoken last summer, about our attitude toward an individual gay person who has asked God for forgiveness. The Pope was not speaking about approving gay marriage. To use his words against his teaching, as they were used on the floor of the State House of Representatives on November 5, is less than intellectually honest.
We are called, by reason of our belief that every person is made in God’s image and likeness, to love and respect all of our brothers and sisters, without exception. But we express this respect within the context of our belief in how God has made us and made the world. This belief and this love is the basis of our joy in living the Catholic faith with integrity of mind and heart.
I thank you for your life of faith. God bless you and those you love.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Francis Cardinal George, O.M.I.
Archbishop of Chicago
* More on the Cardinal’s letter…
George writes that he believes Pope Francis’ words about same-sex marriage have been misused, and while he does not mention House Speaker Mike Madigan by name, the Cardinal notes Madigan’s use of the pope’s “who am I to judge?” comment during lawmakers’ debate about the bill.
“The Pope was not speaking about approving gay marriage. To use his words against his teaching, as they were used on the floor of the State House of Representatives on November 5, is less than intellectually honest.”
Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown says the General Assembly altered state law, “not the Bible or the Sunday missal.” Brown spoke in favor of the separation of church and state.
* George was also asked if Democratic leaders who supported gay marriage would be denied communion…
The same day that Cardinal Francis George released a letter predicting Illinois’ soon-to-be same-sex marriage law would help undermine the “bedrock” of society, the normally outspoken leader of Chicago Catholics had little to say about three prominent elected leaders — Catholics themselves — who championed the measure.
“What’s the point of talking?” George told a Sun-Times reporter Sunday after Mass at St. Genevieve Parish, on the city’s West Side.
He made the comment after being asked specifically whether he would seek to deny communion to the trio of Chicago Democrats: Gov. Pat Quinn, who’s expected to sign the bill into law this week, as well as House Speaker Michael Madigan or Senate President John Cullerton.
Further commentary would be “creating a story of good guys and bad guys,” the cardinal said, adding that he feels his words are “sliced up without nuance.”
“So, I don’t see any point in talking,” George said.
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Storm report
Monday, Nov 18, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Apparently, I barely missed a big tornado yesterday.
We were in southern Illinois for the weekend. We stayed at Rend Lake Resort and toured the wine country (I’m actually becoming converted to some Illinois wines).
After a late, great Sunday breakfast at the resort, we headed to the Metro East on I-64 when we came upon a nasty looking storm. Dark clouds were close to the ground with those scary “fingers” sticking out all over the place and it was raining like heck. Not. Good. I decided I had no choice but to try and push through and was more than relieved when we made it to the other side, considering CNN’s Internet warnings about impending doom for all. Turns out, not long after we passed, a tornado near Okawville knocked over some semi trucks and RV’s on 64.
* The Metro East was sunny and warm and we stopped to do some shopping. My former intern Barton Lorimor called and asked if I’d heard from Speaker Madigan’s spokesman Steve Brown. I hadn’t and asked why. Brown lives in Washington, IL and Barton told me the town had been flattened by the storm. So I texted Brownie and he said he and his family were fine. They had to buy a generator, but other than that all was good for them. He did say that the local devastation was severe and he feared for his neighbors.
* This was a big one…
Weather officials were uncertain just how many confirmed tornadoes might have hit the region. But as of Sunday evening, the National Weather Service website listed reports of at least 77 — most of them in Illinois — although officials cautioned that in some cases there may have been multiple reports on the same storm.
At least six deaths were reported by early Monday morning. An 80-year-old man and his 78-year-old sister were killed when a tornado struck their farm outside New Minden, Ill., about 50 miles east of St. Louis. The man was found in a field about 100 yards from the home, and the woman was found under a pile of rubble, according to the Washington County coroner’s office.
A third person was killed in Washington, Ill., one of the hardest-hit towns, and three others were killed in Massac County in Southern Illinois, according to Melaney Arnold, a spokeswoman for the Illinois Emergency Management Agency. The details of the deaths were not available late Sunday.
Dozens of people were also injured in the town, which has 15,000 residents and is about halfway between Chicago and St. Louis. At least 35 people were taken to a hospital with injuries, according to a statement from OSF Saint Francis Medical Center in Peoria. There was also extensive damage in the nearby city of Pekin, which has about 34,000 people.
* Matt Dayoff has some photos of Washington on his Twitter page…
* More from Washington…
Tears welled in Washington Mayor Gary Manier’s eyes and he struggled to speak during an impromptu news conference Sunday afternoon in the historic downtown square, which was not damaged.
“Devastating. A war zone,” he said of the affected area. “I walked through one of the hardest hit areas and four streets of homes are gone. … I couldn’t tell what street I was on.”
Early reports of looting throughout the city and a continued focus on recovery efforts led Washington police to set a daily curfew of 6 p.m. to 7 a.m. through next weekend, according to Illinois State Police Trooper Dustin Pierce. Proof of residency will be needed to get into the city.
The tornado ripped off the top floors of most of the 16 buildings at Georgetown Common Luxury Apartments, 4800 Georgetown Road.
Tammi Evans was uninjured in her basement apartment.
“I work third shift, so I was sleeping but then it hit so I just ducked,” she said. “It sounded like a train. It hit, and after, when it was safe, we just went to help others who were trapped.”
* From a press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today declared seven counties state disaster areas after severe storms generating tornadoes and high winds ripped across Illinois. Hundreds of homes and businesses have been damaged or destroyed, hundreds of thousands of people are without power, and numerous roads throughout the state have been closed by fallen trees and downed power lines. At least six people are reported dead and dozens more injured.
Later today, Governor Quinn will inspect damage on the ground in some of Illinois’ hardest hit communities: Washington, Diamond, Gifford, Brookport and New Minden. Counties included in the Governor’s declaration are: Champaign, Grundy, LaSalle, Massac, Tazewell, Washington and Woodford counties.
“Yesterday Illinois was hit extremely hard by deadly tornadoes that left many in a great deal of pain and loss,” Governor Quinn said. “Although we are still receiving reports of massive damage to communities across our state, we want to make sure people are getting the assistance and resources they need as quickly as possible. As we pray for the families of those who have lost their lives and others who are injured, the state of Illinois will do everything necessary to help these communities recover.”
The state disaster declaration makes available a wide variety of state resources that can help affected communities respond and recover from the storms. The state of Illinois has personnel and assets that can be mobilized to help local government officials with disaster recovery, including such things as trucks, heavy equipment to remove debris, communications equipment and provide assistance with security and other public safety issues.
The State Incident Response Center (SIRC) in Springfield was activated Sunday afternoon and will remain operational as long as necessary. Liaisons from several state agencies are working with the Illinois Emergency Management Agency (IEMA) to coordinate the deployment of state personnel and assets to assist local governments in the affected areas.
The state has dispatched technical rescue teams to a number of impacted locations across the state, and provided emergency generators, light towers and communications systems.
Discuss.
And if you know someone who needs more help, speak up. IEMA’s director called early this morning and wants to know where his agency can be of additional assistance.
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