These stories just make me crazy
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If you have a bit of money in your pocket and you stupidly commit a petty crime, it’s relatively easy to bail yourself out of jail. But if people without any financial means stupidly commit the very same petty crime, they can’t bail themselves out of jail and they rot behind bars for months. And while they’re sitting there, they learn from hardened types about how to be a real criminal.
Our justice system is just way out of whack. Sheriff Tom Dart is sick of it…
At a Tuesday news conference at the county jail, Dart told reporters the system is “not set up to care” about detainees in jail on minor offenses, who sometimes wait for months before for their cases are concluded.
One man spent 114 days in jail, which the sheriff’s office runs, allegedly for stealing packs of Snickers bars—at a cost to taxpayers of more than $16,000, according to Dart, who used the case as one example of “the outrageous amounts of money we spend incarcerating the wrong people.” […]
Beginning next week and continuing weekly, county officials will identify five to ten cases “where we feel people [should] not be there,” Dart said, and meet with public defenders and county prosecutors to brainstorm ways to fast-track those cases. […]
“We need to save our venom, our resources, for violent people,” he said.
* More…
The sheriff said Cook County Jail isn’t just coping with housing the mentally ill, “we also lock up low-level offenders where you cannot find a reason for them to be here.”
“Are we protecting society? No. Are we rehabilitating them? No,” he added.
One woman at the jail has been incarcerated since last summer, awaiting trial for stealing about $4 worth of plums and candy. She was pregnant at the time, and Dart said her incarceration has cost the county $20,000. […]
Dart also wants a new state law requiring cases of retail theft and trespassing to be adjudicated quickly, or suspects should be freed on recognizance bonds or home monitoring, pending the outcome of their case.
He also wants a “rocket docket” for minor drug offenses.
* Look, I’m not saying that everybody who commits a minor crime ought to walk free right away. But they actually locked up a pregnant woman for well over half a year for a $4 theft?
Are you freaking kidding me???
To his everlasting credit, Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he wants sentencing reforms. Let’s hope something substantial is accomplished on this front.
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Today’s number: 97 percent
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I wish it was 100 percent, but Frank’s a tough guy and I’m sure he’ll be fine…
State Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, announced Monday he is receiving treatment for recently diagnosed esophageal cancer.
“During a routine physical in late January, my doctor found a mass. Following a biopsy in February, I was diagnosed with esophageal cancer. My family and I are thankful for the skilled physicians working with me. My prognosis is good, and I expect to make a full recovery.
“I am currently receiving chemotherapy treatment, which will be followed by several weeks of chemotherapy and radiation treatment and surgery.
“While my activity in the district may be limited while I receive treatment, I have adjusted my treatment schedule so I can continue representing local residents, both in my district and in the State Capitol.
“My family and I would like to thank everyone for their thoughts and prayers at this time.”
In a phone interview Monday, Mautino said the cancer was “caught early” and that doctors have told him it was 97 percent curable.
Hang in there, Frankie!
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Editorial: “Don’t fall for Exelon bailout”
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Editorial boards are sounding the alarm about the Exelon bailout bill.
Crain’s Chicago Business: “THIS ‘MARKET SOLUTION’ ONLY BENEFITS EXELON”
You know you’ve got a good thing going when profitability is only a bailout away…
Bailouts for profitable enterprises? That’s not the kind of juice that ratepayers should be shelling out for.
Chicago Sun-Times: “EXELON MUST MAKE CASE FOR BAILOUT”
Not so long ago, Exelon…was extolling the merits of an open market for power as its profits rolled in. Now, with power prices plunging, Exelon has lost enthusiasm for the open markets it championed in the 1990s and wants the Legislature to devise a new formula that will protect its profits, quite likely driving up utility bills for homeowners and businesses.
If Exelon is hard up, they can show us. The company should open its books to show how its nuclear fleet is performing.
What’s good for Exelon doesn’t much matter if it’s bad for the rest of Illinois.
Belleville News Democrat: “DON’T FALL FOR EXELON BAILOUT”
Good old Exelon. The company has come up with legislation to subsidize its nuclear reactors, get electric users throughout the state to pay for it and claim it’s in the interest of clean energy.
State lawmakers need to see this bill for the dirty trick it is and kill it.
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Doing more than just screaming
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Keep in mind that a whole lot of mayors (including Chicago’s former mayor) opposed the income tax hike. And now that the hike has mostly expired, the mayors are screaming bloody murder because the governor has proposed cutting their revenue sharing money in half. Well, he’s gotta go somewhere, and you go where the money is…
Suburban mayors testified before an Illinois Senate hearing Monday that a proposed reduction to their share of state income taxes could mean drastic cuts to public services like police and fire protection, or an increase in local property taxes.
Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed cutting half the money municipalities receive every year from income taxes as one part of a budget proposal aimed at addressing the state’s troubled finances. He’s argued many towns have healthy reserve funds that can be used to cover the loss of income tax revenues.
Municipalities across the state currently share in a pool of 8 percent of income taxes. Rauner’s proposal would set that at 4 percent starting July 1.
Mayors from across the suburbs filled a senate appropriations committee hearing room in downtown Chicago to express their opposition to Rauner’s plan.
* And…
The City of Quincy formally adopted a resolution at Monday night’s City Council meeting urging Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and the General Assembly to fully fund the Local Government Distributive Fund. The fund provides the city some $4,000,000 annually, and the Republican governor wants to cut the fund by some 50%.
According to Quincy Mayor Kyle Moore, “those are funds that our citizens earn and then go back to their local government bodies to provide essential services like police, fire and infrastructure. The Governor is proposing reducing that in half, which is a $2,000,000 cut, or a 6% decrease in our overall budget, and that would be devastating for the city of Quincy.”
Compounding the problem for the city is the fact that the city’s fiscal year starts May 1st, and the General Assembly will likely not adopt a final state budget until a date close to July 1st. Moore says the city will not pass a temporary budget for 2-3 months, to wait and see what the state does. “We have to prepare for a worst-case scenario, and every indication out of Springfield is that cities and counties will take some hit in next year’s budget, so we have to prepare for a reduction in our revenue”.
* I could go on forever because there are tons of related stories online that were published just in the past three days. Bing/Google “Rauner” and “Mayor” to see them all.
It’s the opinion of quite a lot of people I know that this particular proposed cut will put huge pressure on lawmakers in both parties to increase state taxes. Mayors have a lot of sway over legislators, and quite a few legislators were local government officials in previous lives.
* But Lake County has come up with a few interesting ideas for getting itself out from under some state mandates. Now, not all of these ideas are great, but some are worth a look. From a press release…
As Governor Bruce Rauner forms a special task force to examine unfunded mandates imposed on local governments, Lake County Board Chairman Aaron Lawlor sent a list of more than a dozen specific items for the group to consider that would save Lake County taxpayers millions. The list is a result of a comprehensive analysis of the hundreds of state mandates imposed on county governments.
Governor Rauner issued an executive order in February creating the Local Government and Consolidation and Unfunded Mandate Task Force, which is chaired by Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti and includes representatives of units of local government, school districts, and State representatives.
Lake County’s list covers mandates that could be reconsidered, as well as opportunities for consolidation and other efficiencies. The immediate cost savings identified in the report add up to $2.1 million, and millions more in ongoing savings related to restructuring compensation packages and workers’ compensation reform. In addition, the State requires certain notices be published in the newspaper and requires local governments to store hard copies of records rather than electronic copies – requirements that are antiquated, inefficient, and costly. Also, recent election law changes now require voter registration in every polling place on Election Day, grace period registration, and early voting at a cost of $1 million to Lake County.
* From the report…
The County is required to retain various paper records, which have to be stored and managed (at a cost). For example, Accounts Payable paid invoices are scanned into our financial system prior to payment, but also are required to be kept in the paper form for seven years.
The County is required to place certain records on microfilm or microfiche. There are much more efficient technologies available today which are just as effective at indexing and organizing in a more economical fashion. Changing this mandate could save the County approximately $185,000 annually. […]
Revenues generated at the jail commissary are deposited into the Inmate Welfare Fund. This fund has a large, and growing, fund balance, but the State mandates that these funds can only be used for the benefit and welfare of inmates, and not on the basic costs of incarceration.
Currently, the County spends in excess of $2 million annually on the medical care of inmates and is unable to access inmate welfare funds to offset these costs. Allowing the use of inmate welfare funds for the cost of basic medical care would help defray the cost of inmate care and reduce the use of tax dollars.
Etc.
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Dahlia’s Story: The Joy of a New Baby Becomes a Nightmare
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Our names are Eric and Evilyn Ramirez. We were excited for the birth of our first child; instead it turned into a nightmare. Our daughter, Dahlia, needed surgery a month after she was born. A surgery we were told was routine.
However, something went terribly wrong when the surgeons made the first cut. A preventable operating room “flash fire” set Dahlia’s body on fire. It burned our baby over 37 percent of her body with 2nd and 3rd degree burns. Her face was burned, and she lost part of her nose, fingertips and thumbs. Dahlia was without oxygen for at least 15 minutes, which triggered a cardiac emergency that left her brain-damaged and resulted in Dahlia suffering from cerebral palsy today.
If it weren’t for the civil justice system, we would not have had the resources to pay for Dahlia’s everyday care, therapies, specialized education and future surgeries that she needs to overcome her injuries as best she can. It will allow us to give Dahlia all the things she will need to live as close to a normal life as possible.
The Illinois Trial Lawyers Association fights to ensure all citizens get equal footing in the courtroom. To learn more about Dahlia, click here.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
“Change has to happen in Illinois in the next four months,” [Gov. Bruce Rauner] said [last Friday in Elmhurst].
He also said he plans to drive that directive with six floor bills to be drafted in the next three weeks.
Rauner expressed confidence that his legislation would get through the Illinois General Assembly, saying 600 bills go through the legislature every year.
“We can pass six,” he said, then repeating, “we can pass six.”
But Rauner didn’t say what those bills would be, and a spokesperson also declined to provide details.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I don’t think there’s some sort of quota system that says governors are allowed 1 percent of all bills passed by the General Assembly.
And if I were a cynic I’d write some wisecrack about how the governor knows all about that 1 percent number. But I’m not, so I’ll let that one pass.
Also, since there’s no quote attached I can’t be sure if the reporting is accurate, but there’s no such thing as a “floor bill.” Perhaps he meant or even said “floor amendments.”
* I talked about this story in the subscriber section today, so I’ll let the rest of the story be, except for one thing.
The governor, you’ll recall, told Republican Senators that he wanted their votes on ten bills. He told a Decatur audience this last month…
“We get six hundred bills in an average year. We can pass eight bills,” he said.
But now it’s 6.
* The Question: Anybody wanna guess the governor’s final passage count? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
surveys
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Captain obvious strikes again
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ve often heard this refrain from Gov. Bruce Rauner…
“People are saying, ‘Oh Bruce, you’re just anti-union,’” Rauner told a crowd of about 200. “Let me be clear: I am not anti-union. I do believe you should be able to join a union or not join a union. You should have the freedom to choose.”
* And we already know his 1st Amendment argument against fair share fees…
“An employee who is forced to pay unfair share dues is being forced to fund political activity with which they disagree. That is a clear violation of First Amendment rights –- and something that, as governor, I am duty-bound to correct.”
Yep. He’s all about worker rights and worker freedom.
Hooray!
* Then again, this is what he told the Wall Street Journal…
“Illinois, we’re the heart of the Midwest, we’re the economic muscle of the Midwest, and we’re sitting here with closed-shop restrictions,” he says. “If DuPage County wants to have closed shop in their county, keep it—terrific, no problem. But why should DuPage force Effingham County to be closed shop? If Effingham wants to compete with Indiana for a new business, and be on the list where companies will look for employment flexibility, why shouldn’t they be able to choose to do that?”
It’ll come as no surprise to just about anyone that the “worker rights” argument is nowhere near to the core of what he wants to do here. This is all about driving down wages and benefits in both the public and private sectors. I mean, why would potential employers care if Illinois is “protecting” workers’ First Amendment rights if it doesn’t put money into their pockets?
* And if he doesn’t want to drive down wages, why bother saying this the other day?…
Gov. Bruce Rauner contended Friday that public employee unions are behind the political decisions that drive how Illinois’ largest city is governed and said until that factor is eliminated, “Chicago is lost.” […]
“The Chicago machine is a government union machine at its core. … Until we deal with that, Chicago is lost,” Rauner said, contending union influence should be part of the mayoral race discussion.
Again, this all just states (and re-states) the obvious, but the governor’s crocodile tears for working people schtick is starting to wear on me. What he really means is working people make too much money and business owners don’t make enough.
Just say it, already.
/rant
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Kirk previews campaign theme: Recovery
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* US Sen. Mark Kirk is basically freely admitting that he’ll extract as much 2016 campaign advantage out of his recovery from a massive stroke as he can. AP…
When U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk suffered a debilitating stroke in 2012, he faced a grueling recovery and serious questions about how he could continue his political career.
Now the Illinois Republican, who won the Senate seat Barack Obama vacated to run for president, is one of the Democrats’ top targets as they try to recapture control of the chamber. But far from downplaying his disability, which requires him to rely on a cane or wheelchair at times, Kirk believes it gives him a unique advantage.
Kirk says the setback has raised his public profile, noting that more people now stop to greet and encourage him. He believes it will help steel him against attacks by Democrats lining up to paint him as too extreme for a state that, before he took office, had only elected one GOP candidate to the Senate since 1968.
“Now I’m definitely a disabled American with a wheelchair,” Kirk said in an interview. “That makes me not quite the demonizable Republican candidate that you would think.”
I can see where he’s trying to go with this, but, wow, does that last sentence ever sound way too cynically calculated.
* Politico…
“I can hopefully be a powerful example for people who have gone through this,” Kirk said recently in an interview in his Senate office.
Yet any physical lapse by the senator, who is often escorted around the Capitol in a wheelchair by aides and uses a cane to walk, could also signal to skeptical voters that he’s not up to the rigors of a grueling job. […]
“A lot of my verbal skills kicked in one night, when I was at a fundraiser, over a glass of pinot grigio. So I’ve been insisting on pinot grigio everywhere,” he quipped.
Yet Kirk is frequently tired. He takes periodic naps on a couch in his office. His physical stamina is bound to be put to the test during a long, high-stakes campaign. […]
“I would say probably the chief limitation that I suffer from for my political future is fatigue,” Kirk said. “Most times people who suffer strokes want to sleep for about a year. In my case, you are always kind of a little bit tired.”
Discuss.
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Schock paid huge bonuses to staff last year
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Legistorm…
The office records of Rep. Aaron Schock (R-Ill.) show an anomaly that may have allowed the embattled congressman to skirt wage cap rules by paying a windfall bonus of $30,000 to his chief of staff. […]
For the first three quarters of 2014, Schock’s Chief of Staff Mark Roman made $30,000 a quarter, or $120,000 annually. Records for the fourth quarter of 2014, however, reported that his salary payment had doubled to $60,000.
December bonuses are not unusual on Capitol Hill. Bonuses, however, must comply with the salary caps defined in House rules. The Members’ Handbook says a staffer may not receive any more than the $168,411 annual cap, and also specifies the staffer may not receive more than 1/12th that amount - or $14,034 - in any one month.
That cap would allow Roman to receive only about $4,000 a month additional in bonus above his $10,000 monthly salary.
If the $30,000 additional payment came in December, his total compensation that month would be $26,000 above the limit. Even if the $30,000 additional payment was spread over three months, it would be too high by $18,000.
Schock managed to avoid the monthly salary cap by reporting that the $60,000 was salary Roman earned from March 1-Dec. 31, even though he had already reported Roman’s salary from March 1-Sept. 30. No other salary payment in Schock’s office showed similar backdating.
Since congressional office allowances do not roll over to the next year, the additional $30,000 paid to Roman otherwise would have been forfeited to the U.S. Treasury at the end of the year.
Oy.
* The highly partisan Blue Nation Review has more data…
* Anthony DeThomas was a paid intern who started on August 7, 2014, earning approximately $1,000 a month. Then he became a “temporary employee” and was paid $18,000 from October through December. The former intern’s paycheck exceeded most of the members of Schock’s staff – even accounting for the big bonuses and pay raises they collected. Oddly, DeThomas was also paid or reimbursed $50 and $100 for “Utilities.”
* Jonathon Link, Schock’s full time personal photographer, started September 1 and was paid $4,166 for that month, which translates to an annual salary of about $50,000. In the final three months of the year, he was paid $17,500, which translates to an annual salary of about $70,000. In addition to his congressional salary, Link’s photography studio was paid more than $29,000 during the final three months of the year for “Web Dev Hst, Email and Rltd Serv.” Schock’s office also paid “Web Dev Hst, Email and Rltd Serv” through Fireside21—a company that charges just a few hundred dollars per month and actually specializes in web development, hosting, email, and related services for Congressional offices. Was Link double-dipping? […]
* Matthew Chambers, a staff assistant, was paid $8,888 from July through September but received $13,000 from October through December.
* Genevieve Dejean, a constituent services representative, earned $7,516 from July through September, but received $10,500 from October through December.
* Michael Gilmore, a military/veteran specialist, was paid $9,999 from July to September and then $13,999 from October through December.Kelli Ripp, a legislative assistant, received $11,250 from July to September and $16,250 from October through December.
* Sarah Rogers, executive assistant, received $16,250 from July to September and $26,250 from October through December.
* Mark Roman, deputy chief of staff, was being paid approximately $10,000 a month for the first nine months of the year, but was paid $20,000 per month during the fourth quarter of 2014. The disbursement records are unclear; the fourth-quarter 2014 report lists $60,000 in salary for Roman, but then perhaps erroneously lists the time period as March 1 to December 31 instead of October 1 to December 31.
* Bryan Rudolph, district office manager, was paid $15,000 from July to September and $20,000 from October through December.
Schock’s payroll skyrocketed from $172,000 in the third quarter of 2014 to over $300,000 during the fourth.
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Credit Unions: Member Driven, Built for Main Street
Tuesday, Mar 10, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Locally-owned credit unions return their earnings as a benefit to their members through services like free ATMs, better rates and lower fees. When credit unions exceed expectations, their members – including Illinois working-class families – share even more in those benefits.
Illinois credit unions gave back to their members in a big way during 2014. From CEFCU in Peoria, which delivered a record dividend more than three times the one it issued the previous year; to Gas & Electric CU in Moline; NuMark CU in suburban Chicagoland; and Catholic & Community CU and Scott CU in downstate Metro East – in the aggregate, nearly $43 million in bonus dividends alone.
This success is due in no small part to the continued loyalty of credit union member-owners – and can occur because credit unions are structured as not-for-profit, member-centric financial cooperatives.
Overall, Illinois’ Main Street credit unions annually return $205 million in direct financial benefits to the savings accounts of almost three million members – your local constituents – not to the pockets of a select few Wall Street investors. No matter how much each credit union may return individually, there is one theme the movement agrees upon collectively: It’s all about members!
That’s the credit union difference.
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