* Gov. Bruce Rauner appeared today with Juan Salgado, the innovative President/CEO of Instituto Career Health Services Academy, to talk about the future of education. From the governor’s comments…
“[As Salgado said a few minutes ago, he would] put more resources into the other support networks for our students. Psychological support, counseling support, health support, because the challenges students have to overcome every day in their lives to be able to get in the classroom and study and learn is pretty overwhelming.
“That’s one of the reasons that we just created the Governor’s Cabinet for Children and Youth. We have 15 state departments that touch our young people in different elements of their life. We need to coordinate that, better focus it, so when we interact with a student who needs support, healthcare, counseling, potentially unfortunately sometimes justice issues, corrections issues. When we have a government touching a student, we should be coordinating that effort so we can maximize the impact with the students.
“For example, right now we have a dozen different databases about students, and if a student touches one department another department doesn’t even know that that interaction is even going on, and they can’t impact and benefit each other by coordinating the services that that student needs to realize their full potential. We need more cooperation, we need less bureaucracy, more efficiency and more money in the classroom to support our students.
“If we do that, every student can realize their fullest potential and we can have great schools and students ready to step into great careers in every neighborhood.”
The governor absolutely nailed it. He really gets this.
Except for one thing.
Those much-needed support services he spoke of are being decimated by this impasse.
As we were speaking with Gail Owen, the regional schools superintendent for Tazewell, Woodford and Mason counties, after the budget address, she made a point about another impact of the stalemate that hadn’t gotten much attention.
Of course many of us have heard — if not from the full-throated voice of our own local law enforcement — about how cutbacks in social services, many of them providing care for mental illness, affect the justice system.
But whether it’s violence prevention, post sexual assault counseling, even the lengthy fight over child care reimbursement, other support networks are seeing the effects on kids of cutbacks in programs that help either them or their parents and guardians. That includes teachers in the classroom.
Owen put it bluntly to us: “Without those support services, the schools are picking up the slack.”
Changes in state law have made it difficult for organizers to put on amateur events for kickboxing and martial arts, which aren’t regulated the way boxing and mixed martial arts are, so over the years opportunities for athletes to compete in Illinois have become fewer and farther between. Pending legislation that would allow for such competitions seems to have stalled in the state Senate.
“I think it’s very frustrating that we’re training year-round and we may have four opportunities to fight,” said Josh Brackett, who trains fighters and competes himself. “We probably haven’t fought in Illinois in five or six years.” […]
The current legislation, House Bill 1646, drew support from athletes and trainers and has been endorsed by public bodies, including the Peoria City Council and Peoria Civic Center Authority, and passed the state House by a vote of 114-0 last spring. The bill is opposed, however, by the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation, which oversees licensing and regulation of boxing and would oversee kickboxing competitions, should they be allowed. […]
Ryan Blackorby, a kickboxing trainer and enthusiast, estimates that the number of kickboxing competitions has dropped in Illinois by 90 percent in the last decade, while boxing and MMA have continued to be allowed.
* The Question: What other things should Illinois over-regulate to the point of almost banning it?
Snark is heavily encouraged, of course. But please explain your tongue in cheek nomination. Thanks.
* US Sen. Mark Kirk has been whacked by Democrats for not saying whether he supports his party leadership’s rejection of the notion that the President ought to be able to appoint Justice Scalia’s successor. Kirk has an op-ed in the Sun-Times on this topic…
As a 23-year veteran of the U.S. Navy Reserve and as a United States senator, I swore an oath to protect and uphold the constitution. That oath is to our constitution, not to a party or any one individual, but to the ideals that bind our nation.
In that role, I recognize the right of the president, be it Republican or Democrat, to place before the Senate a nominee for the Supreme Court and I fully expect and look forward to President Barack Obama advancing a nominee for the Senate to consider.
I also recognize my duty as a senator to either vote in support or opposition to that nominee following a fair and thorough hearing along with a complete and transparent release of all requested information. The Senate’s role in providing advice and consent is as important and significant as the president’s role in proposing a nominee.
A partisan or extreme nominee would not be prudent nor would it provide a steady, scholarly hand to guide the constitutional ship of state.
My sincerest hope is that President Obama nominates someone who captures the sentiment he spoke about before the Illinois General Assembly this month — a nominee who can bridge differences, a nominee who finds common ground and a nominee who does not speak or act in the extreme.
Such a selection by the president would demonstrate a break from the rancor and partisanship of Washington and a real commitment to a new beginning even as his own term nears its end.
*** UPDATE *** Duckworth campaign…
“I’m pleased Sen. Kirk has chosen under pressure to do the right thing and support the President’s constitutional duty to nominate a Supreme Court nominee. He should go a step further, however, and demand Senators McConnell and Grassley end their obstruction and hold hearings and allow a vote on a nominee.” — Tammy Duckworth
Monday, Feb 22, 2016 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Exelon announced that its profits for 2015 were $2,270,000,000 and that it is increasing dividends to shareholders 2.5% per year for the next three years.
So you’re thinking – “The company is healthy, shareholders are getting more $$$, the power auctions provided them $1.7 billion for their nuclear plants in Illinois so they must be done asking struggling Illinois ratepayers for a bailout, right?” Nope - it’s never enough for Exelon.
“Groundhog Day was yesterday, but Exelon appears to want to keep celebrating. The Chicago-based nuclear giant is back to threatening to close nuclear plants in Illinois without financial help from the state.” – “Exelon’s Crane beats the drum again for nuke subsidies” Crain’s, February 3, 2016
To review:
Exelon made more than TWO BILLION DOLLARS ($2,270,000,000) last year
Exelon is INCREASING DIVIDENDS FOR SHAREHOLDERS
Exelon received a $1.7 BILLION WINDFALL through new capacity charges
Illinois still has no budget, the state’s finances and services are in shambles, the social safety net is being decimated but Exelon STILL wants the Legislature to pass a huge 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 correctly pointed out today that he couldn’t have totally balanced the General Assembly’s budget last year with line item and reduction vetoes alone because so many spending programs are tied to state statutes. But then he was asked why he didn’t include many cuts in his budget proposal last week and instead listed $3.5 billion in revenue or cuts that don’t actually exist…
Because this is a partnership. This is something that we’ve gotta do together. There are many ideas on the table of things to cut. The best answer is bipartisan decision-making on that process… Everything we do should be on a bipartisan basis.
Um, OK.
* That answer obviously wasn’t good enough, so he was pressed again…
We, we proposed a bunch of, of things last year in a budget. We proposed a budget last year. It was completely ignored. My, my, my point is, let’s not just reproduce what happened last year. Let’s just not do that again.
I listed some things out last year, they got ignored. So, you can go study it. You can go study it.
One thing that got “ignored” was Rauner proposal to immediately use savings from his pension reform plan, plus another $800 million or so in savings from state employee health insurance. Those projected savings are down to about $500 million in his current budget proposal.
The Governor shall prepare and submit to the General Assembly, at a time prescribed by law, a State budget for the ensuing fiscal year… Proposed expenditures shall not exceed funds estimated to be available for the fiscal year as shown in the budget.
* Related…
* Illinois governor eyes blocking Chicago school debt: Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner said on Monday the state has the power to block any debt offerings by financially distressed school districts, including the cash-strapped Chicago Public Schools (CPS), which has been dependent on borrowing to fund operations.
* It’s amazing to me that candidates are still getting caught doing this. From Kerry Lester…
A candidate running for state Senate wrote a $2,595 check to the Cook County Assessor on Friday after I called to ask him about improperly claiming two primary homeowner exemptions for a number of years.
Steve Caramelli, who’s running against Cristina Castro of Elgin in the 22nd District Democratic primary, listed homes in both Hoffman Estates and Chicago as primary residences during property tax years 2010 to 2014, records show. Caramelli, who rents out the Chicago property, wasn’t aware of the issue, spokesman Ryan Keith said, and took care of it as soon as he learned.
Caramelli’s not the only politician to run into this problem in recent years. In fact, Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner was claiming exemptions on a Winnetka home, a Chicago penthouse and a condo on a separate floor of the same building for a number of years. Congresswoman Tammy Duckworth also claimed two homeowner exemptions from 2007 to 2010 in DeKalb and Hoffman Estates. Like Caramelli, both paid the amount owed after the Daily Herald pointed out the errors.
* And from SEIU Healthcare…
Watch this video to hear child care worker Brenda McMillon and home care worker Vanessa Land talk about their disturbing encounter recently with Rep. Ken Dunkin. We think he owes them an apology.
*** UPDATE *** The earlier video had no disclaimer. It’s now been fixed…
* Gov. Bruce Rauner reverted to his “Speaker Madigan and the legislators he controls” rhetoric today. Click here. Relevant comments start just after the 11 minute mark
Old, wizened, wealthier than a great lord but running out of time, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan sits upon the Iron Throne and looks at what he’s done to Illinois.
Perhaps not a throne of iron exactly, but some great pyramid of bleached skulls of taxpayers who couldn’t make it out of this failing state alive.
It really doesn’t matter what he sits on. For decade upon decade, Boss Madigan has controlled state government and the state Democratic Party, while making a fortune in his legal practice by reducing taxes for owners of downtown real estate, most of whom are Republicans. He sits on high for now.
But he’s in his 70s. His Southwest Side 22nd House District was once heavily Polish, Irish and Lithuanian, but the old ethnics have given way to young Latinos.
Madigan draws the state political maps, but he can’t control the demographics forever. He’s as sentimental as a boning knife, so he’s wise enough to see the end of things.
And he finally has a real challenger in the March 15 Democratic Party primary: Jason Gonzales, 40, a successful business consultant with two postgraduate degrees, one from MIT, the other from Harvard.
* PR consultant Kitty Kurth linked to the Kass column on her Facebook page and then explained why she’s working for Jason Gonzales…
(F)or me it is all about what Mike Madigan did to Patrick Botterman. And what he has not done for the Illinois Democratic Party. I have endured decades of humiliation when talking with my Democratic friends around the country and what seeing how they are all light years ahead of us because Madigan won’t join the modern world. No email in bound or outbound for the Illinois Dems.
Ed Ronkowski, chairman of the Will County Republican Party, says House Speaker Michael Madigan is behind the influx of cash into the Democrat’s coffers.
“(Rep. Kate Cloonen) does exactly what Madigan tells her to do,” Ronkowski says. “When Madigan authorizes money for a campaign, he asks people to vote a certain way. Republicans don’t do it that way.”
Cloonen disputes that depiction.
“There’s never been a time when the speaker has come to me and told me how to vote. That’s not how it works,” Cloonen says.
Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s presidential campaign has brought on a new adviser whose name and face will be familiar to close Kasich observers.
Mike Schrimpf, who has been serving as Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner’s deputy chief of staff, will “oversee strategic message development and outreach” in the role of communications director, Team Kasich announced Sunday in an email.
Schrimpf’s twin brother, Chris, had that title when Kasich’s campaign launched last summer. Chris Schrimpf has taken on a role as senior communications adviser and continues to direct Kasich’s press operation on the road.
Both Schrimpfs are veterans of the Republican Governors Association.
“Mike has worked well with our organization for many years at RGA and will be a good fit with the team as Governor Kasich’s growing support creates new opportunities for us to talk about his positive, unifying vision for America,” Kasich campaign manager Beth Hansen said in the emailed statement. “He is an excellent communication thinker and leader who knows how to work effectively in senior positions with large teams and we’re fortunate to have him join the campaign.”
* From the governor’s office…
Mike Schrimpf remains a trusted adviser to Governor Rauner and will continue to advise the Illinois Republican Party throughout the year.
With Schrimpf’s departure, Lance Trover will serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Communications while Richard Goldberg will serve as Deputy Chief of Staff for Legislative Affairs and Strategic Initiatives.
It was explained to me that Goldberg will now have a role in comms planning.
If Kasich’s bid does peter out sooner than later, Schrimpf will then move toward helping with 2016 state races in Illinois, we’re told. The governor’s office on Sunday said Schrimpf will advise the Illinois Republican Party for the remainder of the year. There are a batch of contested seats in the Illinois Legislature that are part of a larger fight between Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan and Rauner. It’s expected Schrimpf will return to team Rauner at some point.
– Kasich vs. Rubio: Schrimpf, who was the top spokesman during Rauner’s record-spending campaign run, will go to battle against Chip Englander, Rauner’s former campaign manager who recently landed with team Rubio. Kasich managed to capture the support of traditional Republicans in Illinois but Rubio’s team says it’s ties here are just as deep. Game on.
(reported by the Chicago Tribune on Oct. 5, 2015) Elected to the Senate in 2012, representing the 21st District. He previously served two terms in the House, first elected in 2008; on the DuPage County Board, elected in 200; and as a Lisle village trustee. Connelly is an attorney from Lisle, in private practice for over 20 years. J.D. from the John Marshall Law School,1989; undergraduate degree from Loyola University,1986. Born in Chicago and raised in LaGrange.
Co-Chair U.S. Rep. Darin LaHood
(reported on Oct. 14, 2015) Represents the 18th CD, Peoria; elected in a special election in Sept. 2015. Served in the Illinois State Senate, 2011-15. U.S. Attorney for the District of Nevada, 2001-05. Prosecutor in Tazewell County, IL, 1999-2001. Prosecutor in Cook County, IL, 1997-99. Worked for U.S. Rep. Jerry Lewis (CA), 1990-94. J.D. from John Marshall Law School, Chicago, Ill., 1997; B.A. from Loras College, Dubuque, Iowa, 1990.
Supporter Kenneth Griffin
(reported by The New York Times on Dec. 9, 201) “billionaire hedge fund manager”
Co-Chairs:
Dan Cronin, DuPage County Board Chairman
Dave Syverson, Illinois State Senator, 35th District
Ed Sullivan, Illinois House of Representatives, 51st Distrct
David Harris, Illinois House of Representatives, 53rd District
Ron Sandack, Illinois House of Representatives, 81st District
Tom Demmer, Illinois House of Representatives, 90th District
Randy Frese, Illinois House of Representatives, 94th District
Jim Schultz, Director, Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; Chairman, Citizens for Rauner
Pat Brady, former Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party
Sean Morrison, Cook County Commissioner, 17th District
(announced Dec. 3, 2015)
Jil Tracy, former State Representative, 94th House District from 2006-15
Joseph Mohorovic, Commissioner of the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission
(announced Oct. 14, 2015)
Leadership Team:
Aaron Del Mar, Chairman of the Cook County Republican Party
Seth McMillan, Chairman of the Christian County Republican Party
Jerome Groniger, Chairman of the Coles County Republican Party
Liz Gorman, former Cook County Commissioner, 17th District
Cory Jobe, Director, Illinois Office of Tourism, Ward 6 Alderman
John Farney, Champaign County Auditor
Kristy Stephenson, City Treasurer, City of Metropolis
* House Republicans could be hurt by strong downdraft from Donald Trump if he wins presidential nod: Unlike some other vulnerable Republicans, Dold is not waiting to distinguish himself from Trump in his suburban Chicago seat, where Democrats are likely to turn out in droves to back their presidential nominee. And it is not an idle concern that moderate Republicans — or independents who might support a Republican in another presidential year — will choose to either stay home or worse, back Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders. “For me, it’s personal,” Dold said in an interview with the Washington Post. “[Trump’s] comments about women, his comments about minorities, about Latinos — for me that’s not a guy I would support.” In a refrain that national Republican strategists may be echoing if Trump or Cruz wins the GOP nod, Dold believes the key to his reelection comes from ticket-splitters, voters who are likely to pull the lever for him and either Hillary Clinton or Bernie Sanders.
* Remember Jonathan Kaye? He’s the Republican House candidate running against Rep. Reggie Phillips (R-Charleston) who posted an utterly fascinating life story and confession about a dark chapter of his past on Facebook last month.
Kaye’s problem is that he doesn’t have enough money to respond to a TV ad which uses devastating newspaper headlines against him. He’s reported raising just $8,000 this year, almost all of it from himself.
Then again, even if he had a bunch of money, I’m not sure he could effectively respond.
Citizens for Rauner also transferred $50,000 to the campaign fund of freshman Republican Rep. Reggie Phillips, a Charleston Republican being challenged by Democrat Jonathan Kaye this fall.
Kaye is a Republican, of course, but Rauner is in it to win it.
* Those “//” marks were also all over legislators’ copies of the State of the State Address last month…
There apparently were two printed versions of Gov. BRUCE RAUNER’s budget speech last week.
One, which wasn’t given to the news media, contained double slash marks — like these // — after several sentences.
“This is the budget speech he handed out,” said Sen. JOHN SULLIVAN, D-Rushville, clutching a copy of the speech with slash marks. “Wherever the hash marks are, that’s where the Republicans were supposed to applaud. I’m following the speech and about on this page I’m like what are those? And all of a sudden it hit me. Every time he got to that point the Republicans all applauded.”
Rauner spokesman LANCE TROVER said “it’s unfortunate Democrats are more focused on hash marks in a speech” than passing a balanced budget.
I think they used to call Lance’s response a “non-denial denial.”
There are always two audiences for formal gubernatorial addresses: 1) Legislators who actually attend; and 2) Everyone else outside the Statehouse who watch it or read about it later.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget address last week seemed far more designed for people outside the building, most of whom don’t really care about the intricacies of government finance. Most do, however, want to see everyone finally get along and end this 8-month governmental impasse, despite what you may read in online comment sections.
That’s probably why Rauner barely even talked about the budget. It’s no surprise why. For the first time since Illinois became a state in 1818 a governor has submitted a budget for the next fiscal year without having passed a budget for the current fiscal year.
The failure is not just an embarrassment. Tens of thousands of the most vulnerable Illinoisans are paying dearly. No budget means the state can’t help homeless teens, assist women with the trauma of a brutal rape or help addicts kick heroin.
Tens of thousands more may have to drop out of college because state universities and a special scholarship program aren’t being funded. The majority African-American Chicago State University is perilously close to shutting down, as are Western Illinois University and Eastern Illinois University.
Even Rauner’s lines that some described as an “olive branch” to the Democratic legislative majority seemed aimed more at the folks back home.
Why? Well, words, even very kind words, are not going to be enough to get this done. The sides are simply too far apart, and now that election season has cranked up again, I’m not sure how this thing is going to be resolved.
The governor wants Democrats to help him undermine their labor union allies before he’ll cut a budget deal. But he’s got tens of millions of dollars in campaign bank accounts which are already being unleashed on Democrats. They won’t unilaterally disarm themselves in the face of a threat like that.
House Speaker Michael Madigan is one of those Democrats with a well-funded primary opponent. Despite adamant denials from the governor and the opponent himself, Madigan firmly believes that Rauner put the guy into the race.
So, after Rauner concluded his budget address and turned to shake Madigan’s hand, Madigan leaned in and sarcastically cracked, “Thanks for the candidate.”
This was the second time that Madigan “thanked” the governor for his opponent. The first time was immediately after January’s State of the State Address. A noisy House chamber meant Rauner didn’t understand what Madigan said, thinking he made some comment about state Rep. Jack Franks. But the message came through loud and clear last week.
Some people think that if we could just get rid of Mike Madigan then the governor would have a free hand to solve all the state’s problems.
But that’s just not the reality. Almost all rank and file Democratic legislators are adamant about opposing Rauner.
Hours after his budget address, Rauner attended the Illinois Legislative Black Caucus’ annual dinner event. The governor chatted with folks and was then unexpectedly asked to speak. Rauner relied on his usual stump speech that he gives at black churches, saying “The Good Lord didn’t make us Democrats and Republicans, the Good Lord put us on Earth to do His work.” He talked about how he wanted to work with everyone in the room. But then he laid an egg.
“My agenda, my goal aligns exactly with the interests of the African-American community,” Rauner declared. “But we’ve got a broken politics in Illinois and around America where African-Americans primarily vote Democrat and as a result Democratic leaders can pretty much ignore the interests of the African-American community because they have the votes all locked up anyway.”
Um, most people at the dinner were Democratic leaders, and most of them were also African-Americans. His remarks were taken as a direct insult by many in attendance.
Rauner’s comments were from an often-used GOP playbook. And I don’t think he had ill intentions because he also said, “Republicans don’t want to listen to African-American concerns because they never get their votes. That is wrong. We should change that. We should work together in the common interests.”
I don’t know if many people heard that, but they did applaud when Rauner said he wanted to spend more money on education “so it goes disproportionately to low income schools.”
What he didn’t say, but what everyone in the room knew, is that he will only agree to do this after Democrats help him gut the power of organized labor.
