Question of the day
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* It’s graduation season and this is from a press release…
State Senator Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago 13th) congratulated and encouraged graduates on Sunday as he delivered the keynote address at Chicago-Kent College of Law. Raoul earned his juris doctor degree from Chicago-Kent in 1993, then embarked on a career he told graduates was unorthodox but equipped him “to serve as an advocate in more meaningful ways than I could have imagined as a law student.”
On November 6, 2004, I was asked why – among six or seven individuals vying for the appointment – I was best qualified to replace then-State Senator Barack Obama, who had just been elected U.S. Senator. I wasn’t the likeliest candidate – either on paper or in the minds of the political odds-makers. But I was able to point out to the people in that room that I had applied Illinois law in just about every conceivable circumstance, from employment and labor to child welfare to personal injury to higher education to workers’ compensation to criminal law. I’d been a small businessman. I’d prosecuted the accused and defended them.
* From the accompanying photo…
* The Question: Caption?
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* From a press release…
Gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner today released a round of automated calls to voters in four state senate districts, including Illinois Senate President John Cullerton’s district.
The calls come as Governor Pat Quinn, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton are renewing their push to make Quinn’s state income tax hike permanent.
Rauner encouraged voters to stand against the Quinn-Madigan-Cullerton tax hike.
The calls are going to districts represented by Sens. Andy Manar, Bill Cunningham, Mike Jacobs and Senate President John Cullerton. Yes, Cullerton. The script for Cullerton’s district…
Hello, this is Bruce Rauner. Governor Pat Quinn and State Senator John Cullerton are pressuring state lawmakers to raise your income taxes. Pat Quinn and John Cullerton think you don’t pay enough in taxes – but I disagree. There’s still time to help me fight the Quinn-Cullerton tax increase. If you oppose higher income taxes and want to get more involved in my campaign, call me at 312-583-0704. Paid for by Citizens for Rauner, Inc
* The script for everybody else…
Hello, this is Bruce Rauner. Governor Pat Quinn is pressuring state lawmakers to raise your income taxes. Pat Quinn thinks you don’t pay enough in taxes – but I disagree. There’s still time to help me fight Pat Quinn’s tax increase – and to let State Senator *NAME* know you want [him/her] to protect you from higher income taxes. If you oppose higher income taxes and want to get more involved in my campaign, call me at 312-583-0704. Paid for by Citizens for Rauner, Inc
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In an editorial today, the Peoria Journal Star joins the “chorus of Illinois newspapers opposed to Illinois Senate Bill 2187, the so-called RxP bill that would allow psychologists to prescribe.”
“This bill requires too little training and oversight,” the paper wrote, calling the bill “an unnecessary risk to patient safety.”
The editorial articulates the same concerns that other critics of the bill have cited – inadequate training provisions and the fact that it would do nothing to improve patient access.
“Though the Illinois Psychological Association is pushing this bill, more than a few psychologists have serious reservations,” according to the editorial. “In fact only two states — Louisiana and New Mexico — have passed such legislation, and theirs have some additional safeguards that this bill does not.”
Twenty-six states have considered and rejected RxP legislation. Illinois legislators should listen to the many psychologists, patient advocacy groups and medical professionals who oppose this bill: “This bill is opposed by the Illinois State Medical Society and the Illinois chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, the nation’s largest advocacy group for the mentally ill. That’s good enough for us,” the Journal Star wrote.
We can’t sum it up any better than today’s Journal Star: “This bill should be defeated.”
For more information, visit http://coalitionforpatientsafety.com.
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More mandates, less mandates
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
Illinois high school students will have to learn how to conduct cardio pulmonary resuscitation and operate automatic external defibrillators under a new law passed by the legislature.
The measure passed Tuesday was sponsored by State Sen. John Mulroe. The Chicago Democrat says the legislation could help save lives.
The legislation was prompted by the 2008 death of St. Charles High School student Lauren Laman during a drill team practice. Laman’s parents say her life may have been saved if her teammates were properly trained to use an automatic external defibrillator, or AED.
Gov. Pat Quinn has said he will sign the bill into law.
* And in the same committee…
An Illinois Senate committee has amended a far-reaching education funding bill with a provision allowing local school districts to opt out of dozens of instructional mandates, including driver’s education.
The amendment was made Tuesday to SB 16, which may be headed for an even greater revision Wednesday afternoon in another Senate committee.
There, said sponsor Sen. Andy Manar, R-Bunker Hill, the legislation’s existing language will be replaced with an entirely new bill.
* More…
Senate Bill 16 aims to tackle the inequities in the state’s funding of public education by rewriting the school funding formula based on student need—a move that inherently creates “winner” and “loser” districts.
Manar’s newest amendment gives school districts the opportunity to skip out on the instruction of the following topics: drivers’ education; daily physical education; avoiding abduction; internet safety; the Holocaust and genocides; black history; women’s history; United States’ history; disability history; the disability rights movement; charter school education; consumer education; natural resources; steroid use and prevention; requirements applicable to sex education courses; patriotism and representative government; and violence prevention and conflict resolution.
It would also allow schools to stop observing certain holidays—Leif Erickson Day, Arbor Day, Bird Day, American Indian Day, Illinois Law Week, “Just Say No” Day—as well as watching a Congressional Medal of Honor film.
Those exemptions would be available to all school districts across the state for school years 2014, 2015 and 2016. After those three years, Manar said he thought it would be good to assess the impact of those changes.
* But the Republicans were not satisfied…
State Sen. Chapin Rose, R-Mahomet, said it was curious that the panel was debating an elimination of mandated programs just minutes after signing off on two new mandates.
“There’s a complete irony here right now,” Rose said.
Rose added that eliminating some of the mandates would not result in any significant savings for school districts.
“The monetary value of Leif Erickson Day is zero,” Rose said.
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A glimpse into the future?
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Remember this story from February 2011, the month after Illinois enacted an income tax increase?…
Weeks after launching an advertising campaign that encourages businesses in Illinois to relocate to New Jersey, Gov. Chris Christie is heading to Chicago with the same message.
The Newark Star-Ledger reports that Christie plans to meet with local business leaders about the “current economic climate” in the state, and possibly convince them to take their businesses east.
“Both New Jersey and Illinois are providing business leaders with certainty,” Christie said, according to the Star-Ledger. “In New Jersey you can be certain taxes are going down over the next three years, and in Illinois you can be certain they are going up.”
Gov. Christie had earlier vetoed a bill to restore an income tax surcharge on millionaires and has handed out a ton of money in corporate tax breaks. He has opposed every tax hike measure that has come down the pike.
Keep in mind before we continue that just about every penny of Illinois’ tax hike has gone to make the state’s pension payments.
* New Jersey’s fiscal chickens have now come home to roost…
Gov. Chris Christie, R-N.J., announced on Tuesday that he’s reducing planned pension payments by nearly $2.5 billion in order to deal with New Jersey’s $807 million budget shortfall.
“It is about survival,” the governor said from the New Jersey State House, where he told reporters he would reduce a payment planned for this year by about $1 billion while cutting a payment slated for next year by about $1.5 billion. The governor said the state will cover the cost of active employees but not the unfunded liability in the pension fund that accrued under other governors. […]
Still, he threatened to veto any income tax or sales tax bills that make it to his desk.
Actually, this means the chickens won’t be roosting until Christie leaves office.
* This isn’t meant as an endorsement of an income tax hike extension here. It’s simply a reminder that a state has to pay its bills. Gov. Christie stuck to his orthodoxy through thick and thin. And now, his state’s pension crisis will become much worse.
Christie, by the way, has given bigtime support to Bruce Rauner, who has blasted the new pension reform law for requiring the state to make its full pension payments. Rauner also says he wants to get rid of the income tax hike, but won’t say how he’ll fund government after that happens.
Like Christie, Rauner will almost assuredly have to deal with a hostile Democratic legislature. You gotta wonder if New Jersey is a template.
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* From the Twitters…
Smith’s trial is scheduled to begin May 28th.
Rep. Smith is a “Yes” vote on the income tax hike extension, so that means the House has to wrap up that issue by May 27th.
* Sun-Times…
U.S. District Judge Sharon Johnson Coleman, obviously irritated, said Smith “should have known” when the House session would end when his trial was reset earlier this year for May 28.
Coleman was also unimpressed by Smith’s attorney Vic Henderson’s complaint that Smith had been hurt in a car accident last month.
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An abundance of “social moderates” in the GOP
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois’ Republican US Senator Mark Kirk is pro-choice. The GOP’s gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner says he’s pro-choice, as do Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka and state treasurer nominee Tom Cross.
So what about the newly elected Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider? Greg Hinz…
One thing Mr. Schneider wouldn’t talk about is social issues, the kind of things that often bury statewide GOP candidates in a left-leaning state.
“We’re a big-tent issue. There’s certainly room for disagreement,” he said. […]
Ergo, Mr. Schneider said issues such as gay marriage and abortion will be on the table later, when the party drafts a new platform, not now. […]
For what it’s worth, Mr. Schneider described himself as a “social moderate and fiscal conservative.”
When Republicans say “social moderate,” they usually mean “pro-choice.”
* But, US Sen. nominee Jim Oberweis is against abortion (despite once coming close to comparing Republican pro-lifers to the Taliban), so the pro-life activists do have one prominent candidate to bring ‘em to the polls.
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“Plan B” nowhere in sight
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
Some Illinois Democratic lawmakers reluctant to vote to make tax increases permanent are splitting with party leaders and calling for alternative approaches such as gradually reducing income tax rates or finding spending cuts to help balance the budget.
But Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn and House Speaker Michael Madigan are unwilling so far to look at those options, despite being what Madigan described as “significantly” short of the number of votes needed for approval of the tax increases in the House. […]
Like Quinn, Madigan has seemed resistant to the idea of a “Plan B.”
“We’re going to find those 60 votes,” Madigan said Monday, noting the House was “just supporting the governor’s plan.”
You don’t go to “Plan B” until “Plan A” has failed. However, I do think a phase-out option ought to be considered. Maybe, for instance, roll it back by a quarter point or more right away, then mandate further annual reductions which can be covered by natural revenue growth.
But the top dogs don’t even wanna discuss that right now. And I’m not even sure that even a gradual phase-out would attract enough votes to help this thing get over the hump.
* Related…
* Governor: School cuts coming: Stepping up the campaign to make a temporary income tax increase permanent, Gov. Pat Quinn’s office today released figures showing how each school district in the state would fare with the loss of $875 million in education funding statewide.
* Press Release: Failure to Maintain Tax Rate Would Force Schools to Cut $875 million or Raise Property Taxes on Illinois Homeowners - Click here to download list
* Vallas Slams Rauner For Not Proposing Budget Plan
* Rauner pressures lawmakers on income tax hike: “I still stand as a ‘no,” said Rep. Sam Yingling, D-Grayslake. “My position on this is very clear, if Mr. Rauner wants to spend his money telling people to encourage me to vote a way I’ve already been on record to vote, so be it.”
* Rauner hits House Dem targets with anti-tax robocalls: “Thanks for raising my name ID,” state Rep. Marty Moylan, D-Des Plaines, told Early & Often, the Chicago Sun-Times’ political portal, when asked his reaction to being singled out by Rauner. “It saves me a couple of thousand dollars.”
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* Sun-Times…
Voters would be asked in November to weigh in on raising the state’s minimum wage to $10 an hour under legislation drafted by House Speaker Michael Madigan and backed Tuesday by the Illinois House.
His measure, which passed the House 71-43 and now moves to the Senate, would place an advisory referendum on the Nov. 4 ballot asking whether to raise the $8.25-an-hour minimum wage to $10 an hour on Jan. 1. […]
Four Republicans supported Madigan’s bill: Rep. John Anthony, R-Plainfield; Rep. John Cabello, R-Machesney Park; Rep. C.D. Davidsmeyer, R-Jacksonville; and Rep. Michael McAuliffe, R-Chicago.
Democrats who bucked Madigan included Rep. Carol Sente, D-Vernon Hills; Rep. Jack Franks, D-Marengo; and Rep. Jerry Costello II, D-Smithton. […]
“I voted for the minimum wage before when it was up a couple of years ago,” said McAuliffe, who represents parts of the northwest side and adjoining suburbs. “There’s a lot of people that are unemployed- young and also a lot of seniors. When they go into the job market, sometimes they’re denied good-paying jobs, and all they have, the only jobs that are available, are the ones at minimum wage. A lot of seniors are still trying to make ends meet and for me I feel it’s a good fit for them.”
* SJ-R…
Earlier Tuesday, a group of Republican lawmakers introduced a bill to put an advisory referendum on the fall ballot regarding whether the income tax hike should be made permanent.
Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, said Illinois is becoming more like California, which is famous for putting issues to voters.
“These kind of issues are for us to decide,” Harris said. “We shouldn’t fob off our responsibility onto an advisory referendum.”
* Lee Newspapers…
House Speaker Michael Madigan, who sponsored the proposal, said a higher wage will help pull people out of poverty.
“We think that it helps people in society that do need some help,” the Chicago Democrat said.
“Nobody should be working and living in poverty,” added state Rep. Arthur Turner, D-Chicago.
Republicans said it could stifle economic growth by limiting small businesses from hiring work
Discuss.
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Credit Unions – Serving Consumers, Honoring Veterans
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
America’s credit unions are dedicated to fulfilling the daily financial needs of their membership and serving the needs of their communities. The movement’s “People Helping People” philosophy also motivates credit unions to participate in meaningful local activities, such as honoring our veterans. Each year at Christmas time, NuMark Credit Union in Joliet sponsors wreaths that are placed at gravesites as a thank you to veterans from each branch of the military who have made the ultimate sacrifice. This past year, through member donations collected at their branches and with funds directly provided by NuMark Credit Union, more than 140 gravesites were decorated with wreaths sponsored by the credit union at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery. In addition, Alliant Credit Union, also in northern Illinois, recently received an award from the Business and Professional Women’s Foundation for its strong commitment to providing literacy resources for women veterans. For Alliant Credit Union, financial literacy support and career guidance is tremendously important in helping women veterans transition to civilian life. As not-for-profit financial cooperatives with a mantra of “People Before Profits”, credit unions are a highly valued resource by nearly 3 million Illinois consumers — and remembered for their efforts in serving their communities this Memorial holiday and every day.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Massive fail?
Wednesday, May 21, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers about this on Monday. From the Sun-Times…
A bid to change the Illinois constitution to take political mapmaking out of the hands of state lawmakers faces trouble after state election authorities Tuesday found less than half of the signatures gathered by supporters on petitions were valid.
In a sampling of 5 percent of the total signatures submitted to the State Board of Elections, only 46 percent were deemed legible and from registered voters by state election officials, said Rupert Borgsmiller, the election board’s executive director.
The reform coalition raised $2.7 million, including half a million dollars from former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, in its quest to put the question on the ballot this November.
* The Yes for Independent Maps campaign is claiming dark motives at the Board of Elections…
Kolenc contended the review was conducted hastily and without uniform standards. He also alleged some election workers made unwarranted personal advances to members of his staff who were official “watchers” of the validation process.
“We’re disappointed in the process. We’ve done our homework,” Kolenc said of the petition-gathering process. “Our validation rate is above 60 percent so we feel confident our validation will lead us to the ballot.”
…Adding… So, they walked into the Board of Elections with a validation rate “above 60 percent”? As commenters have been noting, that factoid right there shows some clear problems with the way the organization functioned.
The Board of Elections randomly sampled 25,375 signatures. Out of those, they found that 11,568 were valid - which translate into an invalid rate of 54 percent. The group needs 298,400 valid signatures to get its constitutional amendment on the ballot. So, they needed at least 15,225 valid signatures out of that random sample to clear this particular hurdle.
The Board has been updating the group all along, so the reformers know where their problem signatures are. Trouble is, time is fast running out to change at least 3,657 invalid signatures into valid signatures. They have a little more than a week to pull this off…
By law, the independent map campaign has until May 30 to try to prove up the validity of names that were deemed invalid. Kolenc said that process began last week and that lawyers for the group may try to seek more time. Kolenc also said the group reserves the right to challenge the signature review process in court.
After the map group attempts to restore names to the valid list, the board can conduct a second, random sample of another 5 percent of signatures if it has questions about whether it statistically has enough to appear on the ballot.
* Another possible bone of contention is that the reform group claimed it submitted 532,264 petition signatures, but the Board found only 507,467 signatures on the sheets.
Needless to say, expect a lawsuit. This is the first time the Board of Elections has done this sort of thing after a recent law change, so who knows what the courts will do…
Borgsmiller also defended the process his staff used in analyzing signatures submitted by Yes! for Independent Maps, a process in which those who both favor and oppose the amendment were permitted to observe.
“I do know they’ve raised concerns about the process we have in place. I understand that. But everything we’ve done, we provide daily those signatures that were invalid to both proponents and opponents,” Borgsmiller said.
Still, that error rate is really, really high, especially considering how much money they had.
The Board is now turning to Bruce Rauner’s term limits/etc. petitions.
*** UPDATE *** The remap reform group sent an e-mail to its supporters today…
This week, we saw the state running a rushed, uneven and behind-closed-doors signature validation process. The result of that flawed process was the inaccurate claim that we didn’t collect enough signatures.
It’s time for a fact-check: We have more than enough valid signatures to earn our rightful place on the ballot. We know our validity rate is above 60% because we conducted random samples on every petition that came in our door. Only a flawed review process from the State could have led to a result so biased against us, but now we are fighting back. Our field team is working hard to set the record straight by rehabilitating the supposedly “invalid” signatures.
Here’s some of what we saw this week:
· State Board of Elections staff encouraged validators to rush through review, with a supervisor in the Chicago office repeating the directive time and time again.
· The State Board failed to give staff instructions for how exactly to examine signatures. That meant each validator used his or her own criteria for determining if petition signatures matched. Consequently, we saw wide fluctuations in validity rates per validator.
· State Board of Elections staff reviewed numerous petitions after the close of business, and without notice to the Independent Maps campaign. It was literally a back-room process.
Broken government has led us to this point, but that’s exactly why this campaign is so crucial for our state. This fight is far from over, and we are confident we will make it to the November ballot.
This campaign will continue to stand up for the work that we all did over the past year and look forward to victory on Election Day.
Onward!
Michael Kolenc
Campaign Manager
And Kolenc sent me this…
Note that I said over 60%. 60% is about what we need to make it on the ballot, 59% validity rate to be exact. I stand by the professional operation we ran - paying circulators $14 an hour, organizing volunteer teams across the state, and doing random validity checks on all petitions circulated. We have the numbers, but a rushed, uneven and back-room process has gotten us to this point.
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