76 Comments - vibes - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 2:56 pm: Wikipedia: “Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, peace, compassion, and mercy. Since the middle of the 19th century, it also has come to be used as an English greeting to say goodbye and hello.” Illinois Translation: “Goodbye” - Ducky LaMoore - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 2:57 pm: ===Our health and human services leadership teams have been working to lay the groundwork for this historic transformation.=== Really? Gee, I thought you guys were just unbelievably incompetent. Turns out, you were doing this on purpose. Huh…. Seriously, Linda, have you been paying attention? - Red Ranger - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 2:59 pm: Is it just me or does the “Aloha” make it even more tone def? She really needs to cut that out. She was born in St. Louis!!!!!!!! - John on the spot - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:00 pm: Is the Lingle letter a joke? It must be a joke - Thoughts Matter - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:01 pm: This memo mentions a meeting with the Governor, in which he required the help of the social service providers. What meeting was this? How about we fund these providers so they won’t close while we are ‘transforming’ them. - 360 Degree TurnAround - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:02 pm: I don’t know what this means? I actually have some respect for Governor Lingle - but, is this an invitation to communicate? - Mama - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:03 pm: “Aloha, Linda Lingle Chief Operating Officer Office of the Governor” Someone needs to tell Linda her vacation is over. - 47th Ward - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:03 pm: Mahalo. For nothing. - The Equalizer - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:03 pm: I doubt “open communication” is what he would really want… Heh. - Oswego Willy - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:04 pm: Sometimes… there just aren’t enough parades to organize to keep someone busy… - 360 Degree TurnAround - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:04 pm: I wonder how many of Lingle’s letters came back because the agency closed? - TheOvernator - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:04 pm: She left out the paragraph that described how The Overnator’s cybernetic systems glitched at the words “caring” and “compassionate,” but that a collaborative effort amongst senior policy advisors to point out how it would weaken the demoncrats and punish the less fortunate successfully kept him on track. - Anon221 - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:05 pm: “The Governor’s vision…”- Linda, did he give you a pair of blinders and rose colored glasses as part of the “Superstar” deal??? - Honeybear - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:06 pm: Rich, exactly. I sometimes wonder if they live in such a bubble that it just doesn’t sink in as to what they are doing. It’s like they are running after something and they don’t realize the cliff they are running next too or the people they have just pushed over it running after whatever it is they are after. You can’t say that person is malicious because they didn’t even realize what they are doing. When someone runs along with them and says “hey dude you just pushed that old lady off the cliff”. “I can’t talk now I’m chasing efficiency, outcomes, etc”. or better yet, “that elderly woman should not have been next to a cliff! Where is her family to care for her. Why didn’t you do something to help that poor woman! Madigan put her there!” - Omega Man - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:06 pm: Translation - “Help us destroy the current System and watch all of the degenerates leave. That will mean a better Illinois for those of us who can still afford to live here.” - wordslinger - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:07 pm: It’s a nasty gag. The Frat Boys havin’ a mean bit-o-fun around the keg, writin’ tauntin’ prank letters to social service providers. No one can be so lacking in self-awareness, for real. - Ghost - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:07 pm: new ideas 1 pay the bills 2 see number 1 - Earnest - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:10 pm: >No one is more aware of this need for transformation than leaders such as yourself who have worked so hard for so long within our siloed, expensive, and too often ineffective system. Expensive? Linda, you forgot to label your letter as /snark. - Huh? - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:11 pm: Ghost - You forgot #3. When in doubt, see #1. - The Dude Abides - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:13 pm: I’m surprised the letter didn’t include “work with me and you will be rewarded, work against me and you’ve got trouble”. Do these changes need Legislative approval? - LizPhairTax - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:14 pm: I’m a big fan of these silly autocorrect mistakes like when “GFY” autocorrects to “Aloha.” So fun! - Former State Worker - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:14 pm: Perhaps our wonderful Governor is trying to drive enough people out of the state to the point that these services will no longer be necessary. - Earnest - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:15 pm: >It’s like they are running after something and they don’t realize the cliff they are running next too or the people they have just pushed over it running after whatever it is they are after. I wish that were true as well, but all of this destruction is intentional. As far as whoever might have met with the Governor, the only meeting I’m aware of is with Secretary Dimas over the crisis in direct care staff recruitment and retention due to over a decade of underfunding plus cuts. - 360 Degree TurnAround - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:16 pm: Kulikuli Governor Lingle - Mama - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:16 pm: ==”The Governor’s vision rests on five important pillars: focusing on prevention and population health, transitioning from institutional to community care, promoting self-sufficiency and education, paying for value and outcomes rather than volume of services, and the use of data to better know and serve the people of Illinois .== 1. prevention and population health? (drug and alcohol dependency & mental health) 2. promoting self-sufficiency and education? (Get rid of public Social Services. Promote education - When did IL stop promoting Education?) 3. paying for value and outcomes rather than volume of services? (What does this mean?) - Whatever - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:17 pm: ==promoting self-sufficiency == The most important goal of this administration. It means “don’t look to us for help - you’re on your own.” It’s our motto, and we want it to be yours, too. - Daniel Plainview - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:20 pm: These superstars remind me of the kids fresh out of school that show up to work talking big about how they’re going to change everything and make a name for themselves, all without realizing they can’t competently perform the basic functions they’re assigned. - @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:20 pm: “A transformation of the way we provide health and human services here in Illinois” The damage is not “collateral”. The damage is deliberate. The damage is intentional. The damage isn’t coincidental to the plan. The damage is the plan. The Damage is the Plan. – MrJM - Former Hoosier - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:21 pm: “…as we partner with you to transform Illinois into a national model for the delivery of more innovative, compassionate, and effective healthcare and human services.” Wow. What sort of alternate reality does this Linda Lingle live in? She was actually the governor of Hawaii? Was she a tone deaf there as she is in Illinois? - Rod - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:21 pm: Rich you have always been a great supporter of not for profit human services providers in our state and it is a great thing. I think Governor Rauner’s people are taking Quinn’s idea of budgeting for results to a new level here. It becomes under Governor Rauner “paying for value and outcomes rather than volume of services,” which can mean trying to get not for profits to drop services for people that are very difficult to produce positive measureable outcomes for in a defined timeframe. - Reading Between Lines - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:22 pm: Really, when you read carefully, she said we’re going to cut and cut deeply. Consider the pillars: 1. Transitioning from institutional to community care. Translation: We’re going to shut down buildings where people get help and throw them out on the street. 2. Promoting self-sufficiency and education. See number one: We’re going to cut programs and let people in need fend for themselves. 3. Paying for value and outcomes rather than volume of services. We’re going to keep not paying our bills and focus on the back end of problems that become too big to ignore rather than invest in programs that prevent problems in the first place. This is Rauner’s definition of “compassion.” - Mama - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:22 pm: Honeybear, I hear this all the time, “Where is her family to care for her.” These people don’t understand not all families take care of each other due to numerous reasons. Plus some people have no family. - Waffle Fries - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:23 pm: Let’s just be clear here…everything is broken, so it all needs fixed and reformed. All of it. External ideas and recommendations are just perpetuating more of what wasn’t working. You need more resources because you haven’t received anything in 10 years? I don’t care, what reforms are you going to give us? We have a team of outsiders and consultants that, although we know nothing about Illinois’ service system, we’re going to fix it. Oh, thanks for your partnership. - Former State Worker - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:25 pm: Those who are suffering didn’t have the foresight to become Venture Capitalists. They should have been more proactive in terms of destroying the lives of others in order to become self sufficient. That’s on them (and Madigan), not our brilliant Governor and the Rodagno he controls. - TD - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:30 pm: I’m not sure how these people sleep at night, although maybe they would do well to spend their nights and days for a week with those in need of State services. You can judge a society by many things, including how they treat those in need. I wish I could believe that their deafness was due to an ivory tower, but I believe it’s due to a green dollar. - cdog - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:30 pm: The snark is sweet today! Like a neighborhood bar, sans the booze. So how should this letter be analyzed? Walk vs Talk? Lies/hypocrisy/half-truth? Left hand vs right hand? Is it a veiled invitation, wrapped in a threat? “The Governor’s vision rests on five important pillars: focusing on prevention and population health, (I guess important tomorrow? Definitely isn’t today.) transitioning from institutional to community care, (this is GOLDEN; community care is being trashed as we speak) promoting self-sufficiency and education, (riiiiiighht….) paying for value and outcomes rather than volume of services, and the use of data to better know and serve the people of Illinois . Just can’t believe a thing these folks are doing. Lay off the Spam, Linda. - hisgirlfriday - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:32 pm: Not paying them for any of the services provided does promote self-sufficiency I S’ pose. - burbanite - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:34 pm: I am mortified. - There is power in a union... - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:35 pm: “You may have already noticed some changes within the state’s health and human service agencies.” Yeah they’ve noticed you’ve stopped paying them for services… - Mama - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:35 pm: ==Rod @ 3:21: “paying for value and outcomes rather than volume of services,” which can mean trying to get not for profits to drop services for people that are very difficult to produce positive measureable outcomes for in a defined timeframe. == I believe you are right. - sal-says - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:35 pm: == Aloha == Aloha? From Wiki: “Aloha in the Hawaiian language means affection, peace, compassion, and mercy.” peace, compassion, and mercy Obviously ….. the SuperStarts in raunner’s ‘administration’ care clueless about the meaning of words. Dearest Ms. Linda Lingle; Chief Operating Officer; Office of the Governor: COO? Be ashamed, Linda, very ashamed. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:36 pm: Linda: you were fired from your job in Hawaii for smoking some of your grass skirt. Next time you do that, please stay away from the Executive Forms cabinet. - There is power in a union... - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:38 pm: One day, when this place is a grand free market utopia a ton of rich people at a wine party will say, “by golly it was hard but boy has this all been worth it!” - Mama - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:40 pm: ++- There is power in a union… - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:35 pm: “You may have already noticed some changes within the state’s health and human service agencies.” =Yeah they’ve noticed you’ve stopped paying them for services… == I think you just won today’s post! - morningstar - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:41 pm: I agree with “Reading between the lines.” This letter is ominous. - TD - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:43 pm: Linda, All those in need of services have chipped in to buy you a one-way ticket back to Hawaii. Aloha! - ClumsyTuna - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:46 pm: Her watch is set to (PST) Pineapple Standard Time instead of CST. - NeverPoliticallyCorrect - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:46 pm: Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. The Democrats have provided community social services bare minimum funding for years and now Mr. Rauner is going to make us all more efficient. How lucky can we get! - crazybleedingheart - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:49 pm: Superstar Lingle deserves every bit of the humiliation of her post-gubernatorial career as Governor’s Helper. - Motambe - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 3:59 pm: What. a. joke. - rivfun@writeme.com - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:00 pm: “Gov. Rauner today invited the 200..100..uh, 5 social service providers left in Illinois to contribute their ideas for improving social services. Unfortunately, WGOV-TV is unable to air their responses due to the obscenities contained therein.” - Earnest - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:02 pm: Another title quibble: there’s nothing unclear about what they’re doing. - Norseman - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:06 pm: Linda, after finishing the phony baloney letter about innovative ways to provide human services without any money, take the call from the butter cow lady asking for her money again. - Relocated - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:08 pm: Insert buzzwords into the incredible ronco policy-o-matic, hit blend and top with Aloha. Make sure people know you aren’t from here and don’t care to be. - Wensicia - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:15 pm: Imagine Linda Lingle 100 years ago after the sinking of the Titanic. “We’ve decided even fewer lifeboats to be efficient and more than adequate on future passenger ships.” - Langhorne - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:17 pm: Governor Rauner announced a transformation of the way we provide health and human services here in Illinois: We arent paying, unless you get a court order Some consolidation is needed, meaning losers and really big losers. Crisis provides opportunity. We are setting the stage for strategic mergers. Lower wages, lower union membership, lower costs, higher profits - Aloha - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:18 pm: Aloha …. Says it All - Sir Reel - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:28 pm: “Siloed … system?” Really? Siloed? So now instead of separate “silos” being emptied of funding, we’ll have one big silo, empty of funding. A few more of these and I’ll learn this Administration’s business speak. - Angry - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:29 pm: Aloha, Felicia - dr. reason a, goodwin - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:31 pm: We have Chief Operating Officer? Seriously? - DuPage - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:52 pm: This is insane! - Harvest76 - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 4:57 pm: “You may have already noticed some changes within the state’s health and human service agencies.” Yeah. They noticed. We are all noticing. - Jocko - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 5:15 pm: I like how she starts out with the saccharine, then jumps to “paying for value…” and “use of data…” Someone needs to tell the COO you get a whole heap of value when you renege on state contracts and guilt agencies into remaining operational. - Gizmo49z - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 5:16 pm: It breaks my heart to see a system of services destroyed that so many gave so much to build. The only comfort is the thousands of lives that were saved. I was the original director of the LSSI detox program and what was accomplished was wonderful. - Stumpy's bunker - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 5:29 pm: This is social engineering, plain & simple. e.g., If you get rid of the means of dealing with the problem, you’ll get rid of the problem itself. There’s another problem with this that presents itself: no logic. - BobO - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 5:30 pm: Developmental Disability providers were worried that “Phase 3″ would move their state funding to the insurance companies under managed care. No need to worry, as they all go under, a large, multi state for-profit will swoop in to gobble them all up. Same end result. - AnonymousOne - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 5:49 pm: Must agree with MisterJayEm that this damage is not some random unforeseen fallout. This is intentional and deliberate. Part of The Plan. As far as being” more innovative, collaborative and effective in caring for the citizens of Illinois” —that’s absolutely true. But which citizens are they referring to? Certainly not some…. Many seem to not like what’s happening. So now what? - 13TH - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 6:04 pm: 1. PASS A BUDGET 2. PAY THE BILLS 3. REFER TO 1 AND 2 - sideline watcher - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 6:11 pm: chief operating officer? What’s she been operating over the last year? - Bob Roberts Jr. - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 6:22 pm: The health and human services transformation group (including Lingle, Norwood, Dimas, etc.) is really good at talking themselves in circles, as evidenced by this memo full of buzzwords. Yes, you make a system better by having good data, making providers accountable, and tracking your results. But you do that gradually and build on an existing, functioning system. You don’t tear down a system for irrational reasons and expect an improved system to rise from the ashes. - @MisterJayEm - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 6:23 pm: “chief operating officer? What’s she been operating over the last year?” An autopsy is a kind of operation. – MrJM - carbaby - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 6:54 pm: It sounds like the plan is to shift away from large contracts for services and force providers to go completely fee for service with medicaid, medicare and MCO’s. That’s what the code words of outcomes and value as opposed to volume of services mean to me. - Property of IDOC - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 8:13 pm: Who can stop this lunacy? These actions are not moral, People’s lives are being ruined…intentionally. - Anonymous - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 8:25 pm: Has this type of behavior by a governor ever happened in another state before? Deliberately causing harm, unemployment and despair to the citizens who elected him? Precedent? - illlinifan - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 9:35 pm: Honolulu has a large homeless population. Fortunately the climate is good, but up along the coast school buses pick the children up from the tent cities set up. Maybe that is the goal she was hired to achieve. - Dome Gnome - Wednesday, Feb 3, 16 @ 10:10 pm: The social Darwinism is strong in this one! Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.