It marked a day of jabs at Rauner for attacks on the middle class, the minimum wage, labor rights and working families. But Thursday afternoon at the traditional, old-style state fair rally, few answered the trumpet to arms. Many dignitaries hit the gates before the speeches ended. Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, a candidate for state comptroller, told about 50 stalwarts, “Thanks for sticking around.”
There weren’t a whole lot more than 50 to begin with. When you don’t have the governor’s office, you don’t get the crowds, especially in an off year.
You’d think, though, that organized labor would send some folks. Didn’t really happen.
And those who did show up weren’t exactly enthusiastic, in stark contrast to the Governor’s Day crowd, which was a fired up bunch.
It was tough for anybody to get fired up, though, considering the ability of some of the speakers, one of whom went on and on and on so long that I might’ve considered heckling her if I’d had any beers in me. There wasn’t much there there. The Sun-Times had to resort to writing about yet another announcement by Secretary of State Jesse White that he isn’t running again.
But, hey, it was good to see some old pals, even if I was among those who split early. But I was under doctor’s orders not to stay longer than 90 minutes. I don’t think many others had that excuse.
* A friend snapped this pic of me at Governor’s Day yesterday…
I kinda wanted a beer and a corn dog, but I obeyed my doctor’s orders and didn’t even get out of the golf cart. It sure was good to get out of the house and see some friends, though.
Thursday, Aug 20, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Exelon has been dropping not so subtle hints lately that it’s about to close its Quad Cities plant unless it gets a bailout. They’re complaining the plant is losing money. They’re complaining the energy market is getting worse.
But here’s what they’re not telling you:
•Exelon Profitability Grows: In the last six months alone, Exelon, the company that claims it needs a bailout has reported more than $1.3 BILLION in PROFITS.
•PJM Capacity Auction Revenues Substantial: The PJM grid operator that includes the ComEd service territory is conducting three auctions for “capacity”. These auctions will pay winning power companies hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue starting in June 2016.
•Carbon Regulations Likely To Boost Revenues: The US EPA finalized its rule restricting carbon emissions which will likely close some Illinois coal plants, resulting in higher prices for electricity and more revenue for Exelon.
EVEN IF EXELON ANNOUNCES IT’S CLOSING QUAD CITIES, IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE
•No Closure Possible Before June 2017: because Exelon has already sold its Quad Cities power through that period.
•PJM Reliability Study Before Closure: If Exelon notifies PJM it is planning to close a plant, PJM will launch a study to determine if that plant is needed for grid reliability.
•Must Run Contract to Ensure Reliability: If PJM determines Quad Cities is needed for reliability, Exelon will receive a “must-run” contract which will keep the plant open and pay Exelon its costs plus a guaranteed profit for a number of years.
Just Say “NO” to the Exelon Bailout
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visit www.noexelonbailout.com.
[Gov. Bruce Rauner] went on to blame Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan for Illinois’ troubles.
“He doesn’t care about central Illinois, he doesn’t care about agriculture. He’s about the Chicago machine,” Rauner said to reporters.
On stage, he raised the rhetoric, saying “I love Illinois. This is home and boy, I’m a feisty guy. You mess with my home, Speaker Madigan, you have picked a fight with the wrong guy! You have picked a fight with the wrong guy!”
* The Question: How much is House Speaker Michael Madigan to blame for Illinois’ economic and fiscal woes? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* US Sen. Dick Durbin reiterated his support today for US Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s Senate bid. But others are touting one of her opponents…
U.S. Senate candidate Andrea Zopp is more qualified for the post now than President Barack Obama was when he ran for the Senate in 2004, one state senator said Thursday.
“If you look at President Obama’s experience at the time he was running for U.S. Senate, yes, [Zopp is] better than President Obama,” Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, told reporters. “President Obama did not have the experience of being in the U.S. Attorney’s office, running the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. President Obama didn’t have the experience of being the senior vice president and general counsel of three major corporations. President Obama, you know, he was a community organizer but he did not run the Chicago Urban League.”
“I don’t think we’ve had a candidate like this,” said Raoul, who replaced Obama in the Illinois Senate.
* Sen. Raoul left out part of her work history, however. Zopp sat on the CPS board when it closed all those schools. And one of the other African-American Senate hopefuls brings that topic up everywhere he goes, including today…
Cook Cmsn Boykin goes after Zopp's CPS tenure. "Close a school, open a prison," says Boykin in Dem US Sen exploratory bid.
* Duckworth spent a good part of her speech today talking about her upbringing. Her middle class family went broke after her middle-aged father was deemed “over qualified” for his job, she said. They wound up in a one-room apartment and had real trouble making the rent payments.
She also told some jokes…
Tammy Duckworth on Mark Kirk's absence at fair: "I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to be seen with Gov. Rauner either."
To: Interested Parties
From: John Hagner, Clarity Campaign Labs
Date: August 14, 2015
Subject: IL-10 Voters Show Strong Support for Federal LGBT Non-Discrimination Protections
A new poll conducted by Clarity Campaign Labs on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign shows strong support for a new federal LGBT non-discrimination bill (The Equality Act) in the district of Congressman Bob Dold. The same survey shows Dold starts with a narrow lead over former Congressman Brad Schneider and is well under 50%.
Support for the new Equality Act was widespread. Voters in IL-10 support it by a 21 point margin, with 49% saying Congress should pass it and 28% saying they should not. Democrats support it by wide margins – 70% to 10%, but equally important is the strong support from Independents: 59% to 21%. There is substantial Republican support as well, with 22% of Republicans saying Congress should pass the bill.
We described the law neutrally, reading voters this summary: “The Equality Act is a bill that would extend existing non-discrimination laws to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in housing, services and public spaces, credit, and employment.”
Voters who are undecided on this new non-discrimination bill appear highly persuadable. 71 percent of those undecided on the Equality Act are either Democratic or Independent voters. Importantly, Congressman Dold’s willingness to oppose the Equality Act could have significant implications for his re-election.
If he opposes the Equality Act, 18% of his current supporters say they would be less likely to vote for him next November, and 29% of people who are currently undecided say they’d be less likely to support him. Only 18% of undecided voters say they’d be more likely to support him.
We find that in the race for Congress in 2016, the incumbent Republican Dold starts out with a narrow lead, within the poll’s margin of error. Including leaners, 44% of voters are supporting Dold, with 40% supporting former Congressman Brad Schneider.
The voters of the district have divided opinions on Dold, with 43% having a favorable view and 33% an unfavorable one.
Methodology: A poll of registered voters in Illinois’s Tenth Congressional District. We surveyed 530 voters with an IVR survey and we matched the sample to the voter file and weighted it to reflect the electorate in this district. The margin of error is +/- 5.16% at a 95% confidence interval.
So, in other words, supporting the bill might erode some of Dold’s conservative GOP support. Then again, where else are they gonna go unless a strong third party candidate emerges?
* Some charts…
* Meanwhile, there’s been a bit of chatter recently from gay rights groups about ginning up a Democratic primary against Congressman Lipinski. So…
To: Interested Parties
From: John Hagner, Clarity Campaign Labs
Date: August 14, 2015
Subject: IL-3 Voters Show Strong Support for Federal LGBT Non-Discrimination Protections
A new poll conducted by Clarity Campaign Labs on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign shows strong support for a new federal LGBT non-discrimination bill (The Equality Act) in the district of Congressman Dan Lipinski. The same survey shows Lipinski leading in his re-election campaign, but that more than a third of his supporters would be less likely to support him if he didn’t support the Act.
Support for the new Equality Act was widespread. Voters in IL-3 support it by a 28-point margin, with 56% saying Congress should pass it and 28% saying they should not. Democrats support it by wide margins – 74% to 10%, but equally important is the strong support from Independents: 49% to 31%. There is substantial Republican support as well, with 27% of Republicans say Congress should pass the bill.
We described the law neutrally, reading voters this summary: “The Equality Act is a bill that would extend existing non-discrimination laws to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in housing, services and public spaces, credit, and employment.”
Voters who are undecided on this new non-discrimination bill appear highly persuadable. 70 percent of those undecided on the Equality Act are either Democratic or Independent voters. Importantly, Congressman Lipinski’s willingness to oppose the Equality Act could have implications for his re-election. If he opposes the Equality Act, 34% of his current supporters say they would be less likely to vote for him next November.
We find that in the race for Congress in 2016, the incumbent Democrat Lipinski starts out ahead of an unnamed Republican challenger. 51% of voters are supporting Lipinski, with 20% supporting a Republican.
70% of the district’s voters have an opinion on Dan Lipinski, and they’re relatively favorable, with 43% having a favorable view and 27% an unfavorable one. His unfavorable ratings are similar among both Republicans and Democrats – 26% of Democrats have an unfavorable opinion of their Congressman.
Methodology: A poll of registered voters in Illinois’s Third Congressional District. We surveyed 538 voters with an IVR survey and we matched the sample to the voter file and weighted it to reflect the electorate in this district. The margin of error is +/- 5.01% at a 95% confidence interval.
* Charts…
* Questions as asked…
If the November 2016 election were held today and the candidates for Congress were a Republican candidate, or Dan Lipinski, the Democrat, press 1 if you would vote for the Republican, press 2 if you would vote for Lipinski, or press 9 if you’re unsure.
I would like to read you a little bit about some laws being debated in Congress and get your response. The Equality Act is a bill that would extend existing non-discrimination laws to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in housing, services and public spaces, credit, and employment. Press 1 if you think Congress should pass this law, press 2 if you think Congress should not pass this law, and press 9 if you’re unsure.
If your members of Congress didn’t support this law, would that make you more or less like to vote to re-elect him? Press 1 if you’d be more likely to vote for your member of Congress if they opposed the Equality Act, Press 2 if you’d be more likely to vote against them, and press 9 if it wouldn’t effect your vote.
Democrats vying to be Illinois’ next comptroller criticized Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s handling of the budget and attacks on labor unions during the annual Democratic County Chairman’s Association brunch and Democrat Day festivities at the Illinois State Fair. […]
Biss says Rauner is “focused like a laser on destroying unions, shrinking the middle class and pushing down everybody’s paycheck.”
Mendoza says if elected she won’t be Rauner’s “wingman” on hurtful budgets.
The comment is a reference to Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger, who described herself Wednesday as Rauner’s budgetary “wingman.”
* Monique…
Cullerton: "we are willing to work with Gov. Rauner but we don't work for Gov. Rauner."
The bill would allow up to 130,000 students to continue receiving financial assistance through the program even though the legislature and Gov. Bruce Rauner have been unable to agree on an overall state spending plan. Because of that impasse, students who rely on the awards feared they would be left without financial assistance when colleges and universities start the fall semester.
Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, said the amount in the bill is consistent with what Rauner requested for the MAP program in his budget proposal earlier this year.
However, Rauner has said he is opposed to a bill that authorizes another piece of the budget without having a full budget proposal in place.
Republican senators criticized the bill for the same reason. Kotowski acknowledged that, including the MAP grants, the state is on pace to spend about $34 billion because of court orders and existing state laws that require the state to continue spending money even without a budget in place. The state is expected to have about $33 billion in tax collections during the current fiscal year, which began July 1.
The sole Republican “Yes” vote was Sen. Sam McCann.
Illinois property taxes are now so high that they are equivalent to a second mortgage, according to a new study from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, a Washington-based tax-research and -education center.
The report, which shows the effective property-tax rates in each state, ranks Illinois as the second-highest property-tax state in the U.S. The top spot goes to New Jersey, where the effective property-tax rates is 2.38 percent, barely higher than Illinois’ 2.32 percent.
The Tax Foundation’s report is in line with an earlier study by WalletHub that showed the dollar amount for property taxes in each state. WalletHub’s study also ranked New Jersey’s $3,971 as the highest average tax burden, while Illinois’ was just a shade lower at $3,939.
An effective property-tax rate of 2.32 percent means that if a typical Illinois homebuyer purchases a home at age 30 and lives there until the age of 79 (the average American life expectancy), that homeowner will pay more to the government for the privilege of owning a home in Illinois than the home is actually worth. If that homeowner lives in that home a few years beyond age 73, the property taxes paid will have surpassed the home’s value. For example, an Illinoisan who buys a $200,000 house will pay $4,640 in property taxes each year, or $46,400 per decade. Owning an Illinois home for a little more than four decades means that person pays property taxes equal to the entire value of the home to the local government.
* We’ve all seen how the governor and the unions have portrayed the AFSCME “no strike” bill. But here’s a take from a Tier One targeted Senate Democrat that I thought you might be interested in…
Forby: AFSCME contract negotiations shouldn’t be politicized
The fight for employee equality advanced today when the Illinois Senate voted on two critical measures that ensure working families are given fair wages and benefits. The first measure Senate Bill 1229, which was overridden by the governor, aims to bar the American Federation of State, County and Municipal employees from striking or being locked out while a collective bargaining agreement is negotiated.
The union’s collective barging contract expired on July 1st. The Governor’s office and the state largest labor union AFSCME have yet to reach an agreement.
State Senator Gary Forby (D- Benton), who serves as the Senate’s Labor Committee Chairman, thinks the measure takes bureaucracy out of the negotiations, which will create a platform for non-politicized negotiations.
“Since Governor Rauner began his term, he has waged an all-out war against organized labor and working families,” said Forby. “It’s clear the Governor doesn’t want fair negotiations, so if we take the bureaucracy out of the negotiation process, then it gives us a clearer path to reach an agreement.”
“There is an unusual degree of hyperbole and hypocrisy about this bill,” said Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. “It does not require arbitration. Both sides can stay at the bargaining table.”
Harmon said similar arbitration has been in place for years for police, firefighters and prison guards, who are not allowed to go on strike. He said AFSCME has never invoked the arbitration provision for prison guards the union represents. […]
Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, is a former director of the Peoria Area Labor Management Council. He said the arbitration bill will actually bring the two sides closer.
“If your proposal is out of line, it has a chance of being thrown out,” he said. “It forces people to the middle.”
Cullerton said current law gives the governor “a real strong position to just impose a draconian plan” that would leave unions with no choice but to strike.
“If we have a strike, then we have trauma,” Cullerton said. “We’re not suggesting the governor can’t continue to negotiate with them, this just makes sure there is no strike.”
Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, said union leaders are fighting for pay and benefits, but those employees are making 80 percent more than they did 10 years ago. “Go home any of you and talk to your taxpayers about that,” he said.
“This is wrong to take the people’s one elected person out of the negotiation room and say we’re going to go to this arbitrator,” Murphy said.
“Do not override this veto,” he warned before the Senate voted.
It’s late. Kid 3 broke her collarbone and this is my wife’s first day going back to work as a teacher. There are likely typos but I wanted to get this information to you. I’m ok with you posting as-is if you warn people that it may not be grammatically perfect. I believe this to be very important information that needs to be discussed.
* So, let’s focus on his considerable substance below, not his style. Here it is…
As you may know, I am on the Higher Education Appropriations committee. I believe Eastern Illinois University is important to the state’s future and wanted to provide additional important information for you and your readers. I am of the belief that the state’s “brain drain” is actually its biggest crisis, trumping the pension situation and the FY’16 budget. Solving our significant issues within Higher Education is a big part of stopping the “brain drain.” We need Eastern Illinois.
A big concern of mine has long been the high in-state cost of our public universities. I compared the tuition of U of I and our directional schools to their public conference peers. I used information from US News and World report to be consistent. Our tuitions are 30%-60% more expensive. I can tell from personal experience that the high in-state cost of tuition is driving our youth out-of-state. My daughter received a better deal to go to school at Truman State University in Missouri. My son will likely take his talents out-of-state as well. Both were ranked near the top of their class and will likely pay a lot of taxes — to another state. Studies show that once a student leaves for school, he is much more likely to leave for good. This state cannot afford to lose tomorrow’s high income earners. If you talk to people with children going off to college, you’ll find many of them leaving the state. Many schools offer out-of-state tuition waivers to good or even decent students. They are stealing our talent!
We currently have a net-out migration of over 16,000 students per year! That is like losing 2 Eastern Illinois’ annually. That’s every year. It’s a multiple of that when you consider that kids go to school for many years. Just stemming that tide, would fill Eastern, Western, and Southern quickly. Also, between 2009 and 2014 we have lost 70,689 students going from 397,018 to 326,329. Look, the easiest way to solve our pension crisis is through growth. We are going in the wrong direction fast. I cannot over-emphasize how this demographic shift creates future fiscal challenges for the state. Access the back-up data by clicking here.
Before taking office, I had assumed that the high cost of tuition is due to a lack of state funding. To my great surprise, it is not. According to the State Higher Education Executive Officer’s 2014 Report we actually rank 3rd in Full-Time Equivalent funding. We spend $12,293 while the national average is $6,552. Supporting data is attached. And the entire SHEEO report can be found by clicking here.
Critics will say that the only reason our FTE funding is so high is because we are catching up on our pension payments. But I have also attached a chart that we were given by the board of higher education that shows that after stripping out all pension costs we still rank 9th in the funding of higher education. I know we are making up pension payments, but pulling out all retirement costs is an over-correction. All universities have some retirement costs even if it is merely the matching social security payment. So reality is somewhere between 3rd and 9th in funding. No matter where that is it is well above the national average.
Armed with this data, I asked representatives of various universities in committee, “Why is it so expensive to educate someone in Illinois?” I repeatedly received the same answer. “The cost of doing business is high in Illinois.” Let’s get specific. The University of Illinois actually cited in our data packet the higher cost of Worker’s compensation and liability insurance. Their liability insurance has gone up 1000% in the last 20 years. That’s a wee bit over inflation. Data attached. They also often cited our state’s regulatory climate. When the cost of doing business is high for businesses, it is often high for taxpayers as well.
Another issue raised almost universally was our procurement code. We would hear about having to wait months for approval on items costing administrative time and often price increases. We hear about how the bid process doesn’t work for purchasing specialty items. In fact, U of I has told me that trying to match the state code with federal grant requirements has caused the University to “house” some grants at Purdue. Our federal grants are moving out of state! And last week I heard a new one. Illinois State University spoke at the Lt. Governor’s consolidation committee I am on about a “soy-bean based ink preference.” I’m not sure if this is something for the farmers or for renewable energy. I currently have the LRU looking into how much that requirement is costing the state. Now I’m for renewable energy. And I love farmers. I even own a car that can run on used vegetable oil. But we can’t save the world if we can’t save the state. We have to do things more cost-effectively. Requirements like this have to go. Click here for a link to me trying to get procurement relief for universities.
While procurement and regulatory relief would help, it likely isn’t enough. I believe that the universities need much more autonomy in the way they operate. With all the stories that I have heard, it seems like the state micro-manages them through all sorts of mandates and red tape. But in exchange for autonomy, the state should be measuring a small set of large metrics. We should more concerned about the cost of tuition, amount of in-state students, graduation rates, and in-state job placements than what type of ink a university buys.
Which brings me back to Eastern Illinois University. With a little freedom, Eastern is set to thrive. I have many friends who had children attend recently. I traveled from Champaign to Charleston often during my college years. It is a great campus in a wonderful town. I’ve only heard positive experiences from students. It is very conveniently located close enough to our population center, while far away enough from Mom and Dad. It’s right off I-57. I also would like to mention that according to the May 2013 Auditor General report, Eastern Illinois University has the lowest administrative cost per student. See page vii of this link. Eastern Illinois should be an integral part of Illinois’ renaissance. I expect it to be.
