* Sen. Matt Murphy (R-Palatine) is submitting his resignation tomorrow. Murph, a Deputy Republican Leader who focuses on appropriatiions, will be the senior government relations director for Mac Strategies Group. He’ll be leading the firm’s legislative and regulatory practice
The PR firm was founded by Ryan McLaughlin in 2008. Tom Bowen, a Democratic political strategist, is a partner in the firm and former IRMA honcho Dave Vite is a counselor.
*** UPDATE *** Murphy said this morning that he now plans to formally submit his resignation letter on Monday (he’d told me earlier in the week he was planning to file his letter on Friday). The resignation will be effective on September 15th.
* Tomorrow is the one-year anniversary of my surgery, so I’m going in for my annual checkup this afternoon.
My four brothers, most of their kids, my parents and at least one of my aunts are all coming to town tomorrow and Saturday for a reunion. Today is my dad’s birthday and tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday, so it’s gonna be a party.
Tomorrow at noon I’ll be participating in the 2016 “Celebrity Beef Showmanship” dealio at the Illinois State Fair’s Junior Livestock Building. If you can make it, I’d love to see you there.
Anyway, I’m signing off until Monday, campers.
* Barton will be in charge the rest of the afternoon, and then I’ll be shutting it down for the weekend when I get home. I told Barton not to worry about posting anything unless something significant breaks. And, please, don’t make his life needlessly complicated with silly comment-section arguments. Thanks!
U.S. Sen. Dick Durbin laughed off questions Thursday about whether he would run for governor of Illinois in 2018. But he also didn’t rule out the possibility.
“I’m not even speculating on that,” Durbin said after a ribbon-cutting Thursday for a new command center at Scott Air Force Base. “I have a great job.” […]
At a stop later Thursday in Granite City, Durbin told a reporter: “It’s interesting to me, the speculation. I have not done any polling on this, and it seems to be the most interesting political topic for some.”
But he added: “I’ve got a lot more I can do for the state of Illinois as a senator. I’m honored to have this job. I’m not aspiring to any other position.”
* George Will makes some good points in his latest column about Illinois, so you should definitely read the whole thing. However, let’s look at the quotes he included from Gov. Bruce Rauner…
Illinois’ government, says Rauner, “is run for the benefit of its employees.” Increasingly, it is run for their benefit when they retire. Pension promises, though unfunded by at least $113 billion, are one reason some government departments are not digitized at all. […]
The government is so thoroughly unionized (22 unions represent almost all government employees), that “I can’t,” Rauner says, “turn on a light switch without permission.” He exaggerates, somewhat, but the process of trying to fire someone is a career, not an option. […]
Rauner let the tax lapse. To their demand for more tax increases, he sweetly says: Let’s talk. About pension reforms and tort reform. And about exempting local governments from paying on construction projects the “prevailing wage” — which Rauner says is, effectively, “whatever unions tell them they want it to be,” and which raises costs 30 to 40 percent.
Wow, that was some decision by the federal court in the Rod Blagojevich corruption case, wasn’t it?
No, not the one where U.S. Judge James Zagel resentenced a weeping Blagojevich to 14 years in prison for his criminal convictions. The other one, where the federal appeals court said evidence in a civil racketeering lawsuit demonstrated that “Blagojevich’s regular way of conducting business involved bribery.”
Blago was resentenced Tuesday. The appeals court ruled a week earlier in a spin-off case. It was a reprise of the Blagojevich corruption scandal, but in a different forum (civil court) with different actors (pay-for-play personnel looking to leverage official government action into coin of the realm).
This story is one many corruption watchers are not familiar with unless they burrowed deep into the fetid and festering sewer of official Illinois corruption.
“Hillary wants to abolish — essentially abolish the Second Amendment. By the way, if she gets to pick, if she gets to pick her judges, nothing you can do, folks. Although the Second Amendment people, maybe there is, I don’t know,” Trump said.
He added: “But I tell you what, that will be a horrible day, if Hillary gets to put her judges in, right now we’re tied.”
* Congressman Bob Dold has refused to endorse Trump and he had this to say to CBS 2…
“Obviously that’s asking people to incite violence,” said U.S. Rep. Robert Dold. “Obviously, it is something that’s really dangerous and can’t be tolerated.”
* From his opponent’s campaign…
Schneider for Congress campaign manager Magen Ryan today released the following statement:
“Bob Dold let Donald Trump’s dangerous incitement of violence sit for a full day, only commenting timidly after being forced to respond by media questioning. That’s not leadership – it’s cowardice. Dold should have immediately stood up and denounced the nominee of his party’s incendiary rhetoric at the start.”
“When you’re running for president, you have to be very careful about what you say. He’s not careful enough. We’ve all seen these gaffes that make him not prepared for the big job.”
* From the Democratic Party of Illinois…
Kirk on Kirk’s Gaffes:
“Levine asked Kirk about a series of controversial statements he has made in recent memory. That includes a reference last year to Chicago’s South Side, when he referred to an unmarried colleague as a ‘bro with no ho.’
‘When you’re in a race like I’m in, everything is taken the wrong way,’ Kirk says.” [CBS Chicago, 7/21/16]
Confused about the difference, Senator? Maybe you should visit www.TrumporKirk.com to get a refresher.
“We do not know if Mayor (Rahm) Emanuel can stand another teachers’ strike, especially at a time when confidence in his leadership is at an all-time low and the city is in an uproar over another police shooting of another unarmed African-American youth,” she said. “Do not force our hand.”
That’s some seriously over the top hardball right there.
“I want the teachers to be part of the solution. … I believe we can strengthen our classrooms and strengthen our teachers’ pensions,” Emanuel said.
“Chicago taxpayers have stepped up to be part of the solution. The State of Illinois, for the first time, has stepped up to be part of the solution. The [CPS] central bureaucracy, in the sense of the fat, has stepped up to be part of the solution. And I think the teachers should be part of the solution in not only stabilizing their finances, but strengthening our classrooms.”
Emanuel pointed to test results that show CPS fourth-graders “lead the nation” in reading gains while eight-graders are doing in the same in math. He also pointed to a high school graduation rate that, he claimed, is “climbing at a higher rate” than the rest of the country.
“I believe the public knows that. They are willing to step up to be part of the solution … as it comes to stabilizing the teachers’ pension. The state has been an issue for all of us for 70 years [by treating] teachers and taxpayers in Chicago differently than they treat Downstate. We’ve now resolved that issue. But teachers — as it relates to securing their own pensions dating to a decision Mayor [Harold] Washington made for one year — need to be part of it,” he said.
On Thursday, Pastors Protecting Youth (PPY), an association of Illinois pastors, filed a Federal lawsuit against the State of Illinois in regards to the Youth Mental Health Protection Act, the state’s newly enacted ban on sexual identity counseling for minors. The suit maintains that the ban unconstitutionally restricts a young person’s right to make personal choices regarding his or her own choice of sexual identity, as well as the pastors’ right to free speech and the exercise of religion.
The Act, which went into effect January 1, 2016, bans any licensed counselor from helping a young person who is seeking to overcome unwanted same-sex attractions. The Act further states that any “person or entity” in “any trade or commerce” who offers sexual identity counseling in a manner that portrays homosexuality as a disorder or illness, is guilty of consumer fraud. PPY is seeking a Declaratory Judgment from the court stating that the law should not apply to pastoral counseling which informs counselees that homosexuality conduct is a sin and disorder from God’s plan for humanity.
PPY’s attorney John W. Mauck of Mauck & Baker, LLC, says, “We are most concerned about young people who are seeking the right to choose their own identity. This is an essential human right. However, this law undermines the dignity and integrity of those who choose a different path for their lives than politicians and activists prefer. Each person should be free to receive Biblical and spiritual counseling from the pastor of their choice to help them orient their sexuality.”
Pastor Steven Stultz of Nu-Church Apostolic Ministries of East Garfield says, “In 1 Corinthians 6:9, the Apostle Paul writes to those who had overcome many sins including homosexuality, stating, ‘such were some of you’ but you were changed through God’s healing. I have personally witnessed many people change their sexual orientation through counseling and know it is possible. The government is interfering into someone’s private decisions. This ban on counseling creates fear in the people most in need of comfort and support.”
I’ve asked for a copy of the lawsuit, but have yet to hear back from the lawyers.
The Youth Mental Health Protection Act, which was sponsored in the House by state Rep. Kelly Cassidy and in the Senate by state Sen. Daniel Biss, was signed into law by Gov. Bruce Rauner in Aug. 2015. The law forbids mental health providers from engaging in therapeutic practices aimed at changing the sexual orientation of a minor. […]
“Fundamentally, this isn’t surprising,” said Cassidy. “In every state where we’ve had this kind of law, they’ve challenged it, and every time, they’ve lost. So we’re ready.”
Numerous psychiatric and medical professional associations have said conversion therapy doesn’t work, and can lead to further psychological damage to a patient. An American Psychiatric Association position statement said, “Psychotherapeutic modalities to convert or ‘repair’ homosexuality are based on developmental theories whose scientific validity is questionable.
Furthermore, anecdotal reports of ‘cures’ are counterbalanced by anecdotal claims of psychological harm. In the last four decades, ‘reparative’ therapists have not produced any rigorous scientific research to substantiate their claims of cure. Until there is such research available, [the American Psychiatric Association] recommends that ethical practitioners refrain from attempts to change individuals’ sexual orientation, keeping in mind the medical dictum to first, do no harm.”
This is weak sauce. As was yesterday. She’s for and has been for comprehensive immigration reform, which includes enhanced border security measures, as well as a path to citizenship. I didn’t make a stink about this yesterday, but in 2006, she supported a path to citizenship, as well, which is more than you can say for Kirk. He opposes the DREAM Act, for [crying out loud].
*** UPDATE 1 *** Kirk campaign…
Not accurate. The DREAM Act was incorporated into the 2013 bipartisan immigration reform bill supported by Kirk. Below is a clip from Progress Illinois citing that and it includes the quote below from Cong. Bill Foster praising the DREAM act provisions.
I am especially pleased to see that this plan includes an expedited path to citizenship for DREAMers and access to federal student aid, because we shouldn’t be pushing away talented young students from the only home they have ever known. We should give them a chance to succeed.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From DPI…
Hey Rich,
Hope you’re feeling better from your fall. I just read the update from the Kirk campaign in your Cap Fax post and thought it was important to note that Kirk voted against the DREAM Act in December, 2010 when it had a real chance of passing.
It was also already in the bill when Kirk voted with 14 other hardliners to filibuster comprehensive immigration reform in 2013 — so if we’re being generous, he voted against it several times before voting for it.
More below:
Kirk Voted Against The Dream Act [Chicago Daily Herald, 12/18/10]
Kirk Did Not Support Bill That Would Grant Path To Citizenship For Dreamers Who Had Come To Country As Children. “While Mr. Kirk is a moderate Republican-he supported last week’s failed attempt in the Senate to pass gun control legislation and recently became one of a few Republicans to support gay marriage-he has yet to say whether he’ll vote for immigration reform. […] In the past Mr. Kirk has been considered a hard-liner on the issue. Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Chicago, one of the leading congressional advocates of reform, said during the 2010 Senate race that ‘I do not see much difference between (Mr. Kirk’s) views and those of the most xenophobic opponents of reform.’ For example, the senator hasn’t supported citizenship for undocumented immigrants who came to this country as children, as outlined in the so-called Dream Act sponsored by Mr. Durbin. The Senate bill introduced last week beefs up border protection and provides a path to citizenship for undocumented immigrants after a 13-year wait, payment of penalties and other requirements.” [Crain’s Chicago Business, 4/22/13]
Kirk Voted To Filibuster Comprehensive Immigration Reform In 2013, siding with conservative hardliners. It was only after a significant amount of criticism in Illinois for “inexplicably” siding “with the most conservative hardliners” that he switched positions and voted for the bill. [CQ, 6/11/13, S.744, Vote 146, 6/11/13] [Chicago Sun-Times, Lynn Sweet, 6/14/13], [Joliet Herald News, Editorial, 6/13/13]
Several U.S. states studied by S&P Global Ratings are ill-equipped to deal with an economic recession, hampered by the slow rebound in U.S. economic growth after the damage wrought by the Great Recession.
Fiscal imbalances, slower state tax revenue growth and increased spending on social services have contributed to a challenging economic landscape, as real GDP has only increased at 2.1 percent per year since 2009, S&P said in a report issued on Tuesday. […]
To determine states’ fiscal capacity to withstand the first year of a hypothetical recession, S&P sampled 10 states, the report said. The study found that a collective revenue shortfall would eclipse the states’ combined budget reserves by $5.4 billion.
Of the 10 states studied, several have budget reserves that equal less than half of “potential revenue underperformance” in the first year of a moderate-intensity recession. These include Illinois, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Connecticut.
Already the lowest rated of the 50 states, Illinois’ revenue and expenditure volatility is moderate relative to other states in our sample; however, the state’s weakened fiscal position, limited financial flexibility, and political gridlock leave it susceptible to the most severe fiscal stress in the event of a recession. Despite seven years of a national economic expansion, Illinois is still operating at a significant structural imbalance and continues to contend with a large and growing backlog of payables. Decision making has been severely hampered by top leadership’s political intransigence and deeply polarized views on how to address the state’s current structural imbalance. It nonetheless adds to existing fiscal pressures at a time when the state is at risk of approaching service level insolvency, which could more fundamentally jeopardize its creditworthiness.
For fiscal 2016, we estimate the state’s structural imbalance was over $4 billion. In the absence of a fully enacted budget the state operated under a de-facto budget that led to unchecked spending based on continuing appropriations, consent decrees, judicial ruling, and appropriations enacted. In addition to its lingering structural budget gap, which opened up following the expiration of the temporary tax increases on Dec. 31, 2014, the state has a large and growing backlog of unpaid bills. We expect the bill backlog to range between $9 billion and $10 billion, close to one-third of the expenditures at 2016 fiscal year-end. The recently agreed upon stopgap budget depletes the remaining $275 million left in its reserves.
In our simulation, the state’s three largest sources of revenue–income, corporate and sales taxes–would experience moderate declines in the first year of a recession. We estimate that these general tax revenues would decline 3.4% from the prior fiscal year. Based on the governor’s fiscal 2017 estimated revenues, and assuming no changes to the tax structure, these revenues would decline by $1.29 billion, or 5.5% from the estimate, adding to the state’s already sizeable structural misalignment. On the expenditure side, a recession would place additional pressure on an already Illinois overstrained social support network. Unemployment, already well above the national average, would increase further, especially if issues such as Brexit negatively affects large employers in the state, such as Caterpillar, which has significant operations in the United Kingdom. Falling incomes and rising unemployment would correspond with rising Medicaid caseloads and translate into a $282 million, or 2%, increase on the state’s projected Medicaid spending.
Faced with falling revenues and rising expenditures, the state would be left with very few options. Typically, states would rely on at least some portion of their reserves to either delay or mitigate the blow of necessary revenue raising and austerity measures. In the absence of reserves, Illinois would have to either raise revenues or reduce expenditures, or both. Given the current structural imbalance, tax increases or spending reductions would have to be more draconian to cover the current budget gap plus the newly opened recessionary one. The tax rate decline in 2015 suggests there is some capacity to increase revenues, although taxpayer tolerance for increases might be less when including increases imposed at the local level; say, Chicago, for example. Reducing expenditures would also prove challenging given its high and rising level of fixed costs, including debt and pension expenses, especially in absence of a budget. Reductions to education, in addition to likely facing political resistance, would place increased pressure on entities that are already struggling, such as Chicago public schools and the state’s community colleges. As fiscal 2016 demonstrated, in the absence of a budget, most of the state’s spending will likely continue unchecked based on continuing appropriations, consent decrees, and court-ordered spending.
Even with some room to make adjustments, it is unlikely that Illinois would react to a recession in a timely manner. The state has historically been unable to make difficult and politically unpopular revenue and expenditure decisions necessary to restore balance to its operations and has allowed deficits and payables to accumulate. Illinois is required to adopt a balanced budget, but is not required to maintain balance throughout the year. In our view, this ability to end the year out of balance and carry forward deficits is likely one of the most significant weaknesses in the state’s government framework. Decision making is further complicated by a high level of consensus required to adopt legislation that become effective immediately and political gridlock. The state requires a simple majority to enact immediately effective laws from January 1 through May 31, but a three-fifths majority during the remainder of the year. Despite operating for a full year without a comprehensive budget, growing payables, increased social pressure, and 2016 being an election year, the state was only able to adopt a stopgap measure that funds six months of continued spending deferring action on its structural budget gap until next year.
In our view, the state’s remaining options add uncertainty, are likely to come with an increased cost, and would further weaken the state’s creditworthiness. The state would likely manage its liquidity by continuing to accumulate either short-term or long-term payables, both of which are temporary measures that would further weaken the state’s fiscal position. Arguably, many of the state’s service providers are operating with weakened balance sheets after having to endure a full year with no or reduced payments. The ability, if not the willingness, to continue to provide services in exchange for deferred payment, albeit at a premium, could come into question during a recession, especially if payables continue to rise. As an alternative, the state could access the capital markets to issue deficit bonds. GO must be authorized by at least 60% of the General Assembly and there is a well-established priority for payment of debt. We would expect that if deficit bond financing were to be approved, it would come at a premium.
* S&P estimates Illinois’ Medicaid costs would rise from $7.8 billion to $7.954 billion, or 2 percent in a recession. The revenue shortfall would be $1.286 billion, with no reserves on hand to cushion the blow. Revenue would fall from $23.271 billion to $21.985 billion, or 5.5 percent. And the share of debt, pension payments and other post-employment benefits would rise from 28.8 percent of revenues to 30.0 percent.
Senator Mark Kirk, a major Republican who has un-endorsed Donald Trump, announced on CNN this afternoon he’s writing in Colin Powell.
When Brooke Baldwin asked about Hillary Clinton, Kirk said, “I can’t support someone who is for the Iran agreement.”
Er, he might want to reconsider that Powell write-in vote then. Per NBC News:
Former Secretary of State Colin Powell expressed support for the nuclear agreement with Iran on Sunday, calling the various planks Iranian leaders accepted “remarkable” and dismissing critics’ concerns over its implementation.
“It’s a pretty good deal,” he said on NBC’s “Meet the Press.”
Oops again. You’ll recall that he switched to Powell after dumping his previously favored candidate Gen. Petraeus.
Hillary Clinton is trouncing Donald Trump in several swing House districts, Democratic Party officials say in a new memo obtained by POLITICO that touts the party’s down-ballot prospects in November but does not predict they’ll capture the chamber.
Clinton is posting double-digit leads in several vulnerable Republican districts including Rep. Bob Dold in Illinois, Florida Rep. Carlos Curbelo, California freshman Rep. Steve Knight, Rep. Mike Coffman in Colorado and Rep. Erik Paulsen in Minnesota, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee memo states. [Emphasis added.]
Problem #3: Top of the Ticket Performance Dictates the Outcome of House Races
A “congressional firewall” argument from national Republicans cannot reverse this trend
Down-ballot races are always driven by the presidential race, with performance in House races closely tied to presidential performance. With the country getting more polarized overall, this trend only increases. As Dave Wasserman notes, “Today, rates of split-ticket voting are at all-time lows and House candidates are defined by their party and the top of the ticket more than ever.”
For example, in 2008 and 2012, the national average difference in support between the top of the ticket and the House was only 1.9%. In 2014, 93% of the outcomes in House races followed the 2012 presidential result.
The 2016 election is a nationalized race defined by Donald Trump, and the national polls have Clinton in a clear lead […]
Recent DCCC polling shows that this reality is also playing out in the swing districts:
In CA-10: Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by 6 points
In CA-25: Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by 12 points
In CO-06: Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by 14 points
In FL-07: Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by 14 points
In FL-26: Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by 24 points In IL-10: Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by 31 points
In MN-03: Hillary Clinton is beating Donald Trump by 24 points
Donald Trump’s likely defeat in many swing districts will be a devastating anchor that drags down House Republicans all across the country.
• Brad Schneider is beating Bob Dold (46% Schneider / 40% Dold)—and he has more room to grow. Schneider has a name ID deficit (64% name ID for Schneider / 77% for Dold), and voters who can identify both candidates give Schneider an even larger 18-point lead (54% Schneider / 36% Dold). So Schneider’s lead could very well expand as people get reacquainted with the candidates.
o One of Schneider’s best groups is voters under 35 years old (52% Schneider / 33% Dold) who are more likely to turn out in a Presidential election than a midterm.
• This district is rejecting Donald Trump and the Republican brand. Hillary Clinton holds a 31-point lead in a race for President (56% Clinton / 25% Trump). Voters overwhelmingly dislike Trump (22% favorable / 74% unfavorable), including 64% of
voters who have a very unfavorable view of Trump.
o Even more importantly, voters say they are more likely to vote Democratic than Republican for Congress in an unnamed matchup for Congress (49% Democrat / 31% Republican).
o Voters who are currently undecided in the vote for Congress lean Democratic by almost 2:1 before they hear candidate names (37% Democrat / 19% Republican), making them likely to break for Schneider.
o Barack Obama is also very popular in the district (63% favorable / 35% unfavorable), and voters think he is doing a good job as President (67% positive / 32% negative).
This analysis is based off of a survey of n=400 November 2016 voters in IL CD-10, conducted via cellphone and landline telephone August 2-4, 2016. The data was weighted to be representative of past voter turnout. The margin of sampling error for the overall sample is +4.9% at the 95% confidence level, and it is higher for subgroups.
* Second City Cop, which is usually known for its loud defense of Chicago police officers, has a striking takedown of the “monumental failure in training and preparing officers for street duty” during the pursuit and eventual killing of Paul O’Neal. There’s some foul language in the post, so be careful if your workplace rules are stringent, but it’s today’s must read.
U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk (R-IL) and U.S. Rep. Bob Dold (R-IL,10) are among the elected officials scheduled to attend a Wednesday morning roundtable discussion in Chicago on “commonsense” immigration reform.
Speakers at the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition’s discussion “will be coming together to discuss best practices for engaging bipartisan members of Congress to pass sensible reform that expands visas for high and low skilled workers and agricultural workers, and creates a path to citizenship for undocumented workers,” according to an announcement.
Also expected to attend the event are U.S. Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart (R-FL,25), Illinois State Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno and various business leaders.
“The elected officials speaking in the roundtable discussion are part of a growing group of conservative voices who favor reform over walls and are calling for commonsense immigration legislation in 2017, which would reduce the federal deficit by nearly $900 billion and would strengthen Social Security by $700 billion,” the announcement reads.
I want my U.S. Senators in Illinois to be consistent allies for immigrants and fighters for immigration reform. I want them to be in touch with the concerns of the Latino community and the city of Chicago. I don’t want them to oppose immigrant rights on principle and occasionally flip-flop when it’s politically convenient. And I sure don’t want them to frequently embarrass the state of Illinois by making Trump-like offensive comments, especially about immigrants and Latinos. That’s why I’m voting for Democrat Tammy Duckworth for U.S. Senate this November and I urge everyone reading this to do the same.
For the last four years, I have served in the U.S. House of Representatives with Tammy and she’s been at my side, fighting for immigration reform. Republican Mark Kirk, on the other hand, has been nowhere to be found — until recently when he started running for re-election. Suddenly he wants to claim the mantle of immigration reform. Kirk’s decision to start talking about immigration reform may be politically convenient but it lacks political conviction.
That rant, which goes on for quite a while, was forwarded to me three times today by the Duckworth campaign, along with statements Kirk has made and votes he’s taken on this issue that aren’t exactly in line with today’s event.
So, yeah, he hasn’t always been a loyal ally. And, yes, it’s an election year. But the Illinois Business Immigration Coalition is a legit group, not some partisan front. It has proven its bonafides by working diligently with both sides of the aisle.
Let it go.
*** UPDATE *** Back in 2006, candidate Duckworth was all fired up in a Daily Herald interview about adding thousands more border patrol agents and being against “amnesty” and requiring immigrants to learn English…
Q. List the three or four most important elements of your preferred immigration reform and explain what objectives they would achieve.
Duckworth. In any immigration reform, protecting our borders must be the top priority. In an era of global terrorism, it is unconscionable that the federal government has failed to address the millions of people who continue to enter the U.S. illegally. I would start by adding 12,000 new Border Patrol agents to the current force. We also need Congress to pass a comprehensive reform of our immigration system.
The proposal that I support does not provide amnesty. Instead, it requires illegal immigrants to pay fines, undergo criminal background checks, and pay all back taxes. Immigrants would be compelled to learn English and take courses in American culture and civics. If - and only if - an immigrant meets all of those requirements while continuing to be gainfully employed, he or she would be allowed to pursue legal status. Even then, these applicants would have to go to the back of the line.
Seeking to keep a targeted Lake County legislative seat in GOP hands, House Republican strategists on Thursday will launch cable television ads highlighting past convictions of Democratic challenger Nick Ciko for theft of a parking pass in college and driving under the influence of alcohol years later.
Ciko, 42, a middle school teacher from Lindenhurst, said Wednesday he is sorry for mistakes he made while he was younger, but the political strategy is “exactly what’s wrong with Illinois and the politics of self-destruction that makes people sick.”
Mike Schrimpf, a former deputy chief of staff to Gov. Bruce Rauner, who now works as a consultant in several state legislative races, confirmed to the Daily Herald the cable ads will begin airing Thursday and detail a 1996 theft conviction Ciko has recently been seeking to expunge from his record.
Ciko, a teacher at Mundelein Elementary District 75 and an Antioch-Lake Villa High School District 117 board member, is making a bid against first-term GOP incumbent Sheri Jesiel, of Winthrop Harbor, in the 61st state House district.
As one Republican remarked, this is “Vetting malpractice. Putting that poor schmuck up just to get nuked from orbit.”
Nick Ciko pled guilty to stealing, but wants us to trust him with our money?
Now that he’s running for state representative, Nick Ciko has been working to cover up his record of theft, deception and recklessness.
As a union leader, Ciko got caught making false statements. Adding to his rap sheet of driving under the influence and theft.
That’s why Mike Madigan is spending big to prop up Ciko’s failing campaign. And why Illinois voters will vote no on Nick Ciko.
Oof.
Although the part about Madigan spending big money to prop him up is kinda funny, considering how far down the food chain the candidate is. But, hey, just about every GOP hit piece these days includes Madigan somehow. The accompanying mailer is here. The allegation about false statements is explained here.
* So, why are the Republicans spending money on this little guy? Because Gov. Rauner’s cash means they can easily afford to make sure he doesn’t ever come even a little close.
Illinois experienced 1,652 overdose deaths in 2014 – a nearly 30 percent increase since 2010. Forty percent of those deaths were associated with heroin. Illinois is ranked number one in the nation for a decline in treatment capacity between 2007 and 2012 – and is now ranked the third worst in the country for state-funded treatment capacity.
Illinois as a state is just plain horrible at dealing with this public health crisis and has been horrible for a long while.
Dianna Morrison read from her son Shawn Holbrook’s obituary. It is a passionate and powerful message on what heroin can do.
“The beast won this particular war, but the fight is far from over now,” Morrison said.
Shawn Holbrook served two tours in the United States Army during Desert Storm. Holbrook was a member of the Night Stalkers, which is a special operations aviation regiment.
“He never talked about the military after he come home,” said Morrison
Holbrook’s mother said he couldn’t.
“He had a lot of built up things that he never talked about, that I wished he could have talked about,” Morrison said.
Mr. Shawn Holbrook, age 48 of Anna, died Wednesday, July 27, 2016. He was born February 2, 1968 in Carbondale.
Shawn is survived by his daughter, Kaitlyn Rae Holbrook of Salem; mother, Dianne Morrison of Anna; father, Dennis Barry Holbrook of Murphysboro; two sisters, Heather Holbrook of Milwaukee, WI, and Shannon Jauch of Springfield; uncle, Tim Morrison and fiancé, Shelley of Cobden; aunt, Deborah (Buzz) Crowell of Anna; nieces and nephews; best friends, Dean Bernhard and Todd Lasley; special friend Tasha Simmerman; other relatives and many friends.
Shawn enjoyed the outdoors, arrowhead, morel and ginseng hunting were a few of his favorites. He proudly served his country in the U.S. Army Special Forces, serving two tours of duty overseas. Finally ranked as E6 Staff Sergeant after five years and nine months of service, a rank of this level is highly marked in such a short time. His military occupational specialty was 67U3C0, medium helicopter repair.
Shawn loved his sisters and was very proud of his family. His daughter Kaitlyn decided to follow in her father’s footsteps and join the U.S. Army a well, currently she is stationed in Ft. Jackson South Carolina for Basic Training.
How does one recover from war? Many don’t. Not fully. As noted from his ranking, Shawn was wicked smart. Many years ago, Shawn was diagnosed with PTSD, which is a very real struggle for many of our nations Veterans. PTSD led to one addiction after another. Many people have a misperception of addiction, and the struggles one endures when the demon latches on to their back. Heroin is a beast and Shawn did not seek out to be an addict, but many things led to that and he left all his fight on the battle field in Desert Storm, fighting for our freedom. The beast won this particular war, but the fight is far from over.
We are all faced with challenges every day and it is our choice how we deal with those in the beginning. However, after one bad choice that takes us down the path of destruction, we don’t always have the choice to turn back around. It doesn’t make us week, or bad, but it ensures that we are all human.
The purpose of this obituary is not to excuse Shawn from anything he has ever done, but to promote awareness and education not only for addiction, but heroin addiction. Please as you read this, take a mental note of anyone you know struggling from addition. We all know someone. They need help and support, not to enable but to fight, as sometimes the demons are too strong for them to fight alone. Please pray for his family as they say their goodbyes, remember the good times and lay him to rest peacefully.
Funeral services for Mr. Shawn Reed Holbrook will be at 1:00 p.m. Wednesday, August 3, 2016 in the Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. Interment will be in the Anna City Cemetery. Graveside military rites will be conducted by the Carroll P. Foster Post #3455 of the V.F.W. in Anna and the Illinois Army National Guard Military Honors Team of Marion. Friends may call after 11:00 a.m. and until the service hour at 1:00 p.m. on Wednesday, August 3, 2016 in the Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Anna. Memorial contributions may be made to the Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home to assist the family with expenses. Envelopes will be available in the Rendleman & Hileman Funeral Home in Anna.
Chicago Public Schools CEO Forrest Claypool on Tuesday warned that cuts to the classroom would be necessary if teachers don’t agree to concessions in a new contract.
Claypool ratcheted up pressure on the Chicago Teachers Union a day after the district unveiled a budget that assumes teachers will accept contract terms similar to those that were rejected in February by a union bargaining team.
“The alternative is cuts to the classroom,” Claypool said during a meeting with the Tribune Editorial Board. “We don’t believe it’s the right thing to do, and we’re hopeful that upon reflection the teachers union will understand that’s not the right thing to do either.” […]
“I think if he wants to take a look at who’s been doing the cutting and who’s responsible for the cutting, he should look in the mirror,” CTU Vice President Jesse Sharkey said. “To turn around and blame that on us is really hypocritical and not acceptable.”
That is some weak spin by the CTU. There’ve been cuts because cuts are needed so schools can stay open. It’s now the CTU’s turn.
The district’s contract proposal phased out the district’s longstanding practice of picking up the bulk of teacher pension contributions and increased union insurance premiums in exchange for a series of pay hikes over four years and a promise of no economic layoffs. Union leaders have long said ending the pension pickup could be cause for a strike.
“At some point, a line has to be drawn in the sand. Chicago teachers do not seek to go on strike. We want to return to clean, safe, resourced schools. We want a fair contract,” Lewis said. “We will not accept an imposed pay cut.”
Sometimes, a fair contract means less money. Just ask the UAW, which negotiated a fair contract to keep GM from collapsing.
“The CTU has also been very clear—CPS is broke on purpose. Instead of chasing phantom revenue in Springfield and in between the seat cushions of Chicago taxpayers, Mayor Emanuel and the Chicago City Council can show true leadership and guts by reinstating the corporate head tax, declaring a TIF surplus and fighting for progressive taxation that would pull in revenue from the uber-wealthy in our city and state. The rich must pay their fair share.”
Reinstating the head tax would bring in about $23 million. Emanuel is currently working out a reasonable plan on the TIF surplus issue. And a progressive tax is a pipe dream unless significantly more liberals are elected to both legislative chambers.
“And, though educators have already returned about $2 billion in salary and benefits to the district, with $100 million being returned this year alone, we are being asked to give more when there is nothing left to give. Understand that budget cuts impact students; they include cuts to programming, staffing and services.
$100 million? That’s all you got? Out of a $5.4 billion budget?
Gregg Allman has cancelled all tour dates starting with his appearance at Scranton, PA’s Peach Music Festival on August 12 and going through the Clearwater, FL Jazz Festival on October 16 due to serious health issues. He’s currently under his doctor’s care at the Mayo Clinic.
“I want to thank my fans and friends for supporting me while I rest up and focus on getting better and back on the road as soon as I can.
I’ve been working hard with my band, my pride and joy, to play our music for everyone. We’ll see y’all in October.” - Gregg
Feel better, Gregg!
* Allman’s illness created a hole in the Illinois State Fair’s lineup…
Gregg Allman, who was slated to perform on Sunday, August 21, as a co-headlining act with ZZ Top, has cancelled his upcoming appearance at the Illinois State Fair citing serious health issues that require doctor’s care.
To enhance this final night concert, fair officials have announced the group Three Doors Down will perform on the Grandstand with ZZ Top on Sunday, August 21. The band has sold over 20 million albums worldwide and has shared the stage with artists such as Daughtry, Megadeth, Nickleback, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and ZZ Top.
Current ticket holders do not need to do anything extra in order to attend this concert. All tickets purchased and issued remain valid.
I think that’s the first time I’ve ever seen “Megadeth” and “Nickleback” in the same sentence.
* Meanwhile, Gov. Rauner’s chief of staff sent this memo yesterday…
Sent: Tuesday, August 09, 2016 1:05 PM
To: Goldberg, Richard
Subject: Twilight Parade
Good Morning Directors:
I hope you all are looking forward to the State Fair as much as we are in the Governor’s Office. It’s tradition each year to extend an invitation to the agencies, through the directors, for state staff to join the Governor in the Twilight Parade. Governor Rauner would be honored with their presence this Thursday evening, August 11th.
The Governor walks at the front of the parade, right behind the Grand Marshal. We do want to note: walking in the parade is completely voluntary, and employees should not use compensated time to walk in the parade. For logistical purposes, I ask that you send a final list of staff in your agency who would like to walk with the Governor in the Twilight Parade to Denise Albert by close of business Wednesday, August 10th. We welcome any and all employees to join, but unfortunately won’t be able to accommodate any participants who are not on the list.
We ask that you and your staff meet at the intersection of 9th Street and North Grand Avenue no later than 5:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 11th. Please check in with a member of the Governor’s Office staff (wearing a blue or red shirt with the state seal and “Office of the Governor” on it). You will then be checked off the list of attendees and escorted to the parade staging area. The parade begins promptly at 5:30 p.m. – anyone not checked in at that time will not be allowed to accompany the Governor’s team, so please check in as early as possible.
The lawmakers tasked with fixing how Illinois distributes funds to its public schools want to keep a laser-like focus, but that means a lot of other school funding issues are being left to linger for now.
Illinois’ school funding task force, which met for the first time last week, is only looking at how the state pays for schools — not how much it needs.
The commission will not consider other school funding issues such as property tax relief, pension costs and collective bargaining reforms, although those are important issues that the state will have to address, according to state Rep. Avery Bourne (R-Litchfield).
“We have working groups in the state, right now, that are working on (other) reforms and issues,” Bourne said. “This one is centrally focused on the school funding formula.”
They could easily get bogged down in Turnaround Agenda demands, or teachers’ union demands or school management demands or whatever. Best to just stay focused on the formula, which is complicated enough as it is.
Monday was the deadliest day in Chicago in 13 years, and 10-year-old Tavon Tanner got caught in the worst of the gun violence as he played with his twin sister on the porch of his Lawndale home. […]
Tavon was among 19 people shot Monday in Chicago. Nine of them were killed, marking the most homicides in a single day in the city since July 5, 2003, when 10 homicides were recorded, according to a Tribune analysis of police data.
The toll included Loreal Lucas, 61, killed on the porch of his South Side home in front of his 3-year-old great-nephew; a 24-year-old man killed as he drove a Lexus on the Southwest Side; a 44-year-old man shot dead as he stood with two friends on the South Side.
More than 2,500 people have been shot in the city so far this year, a pace of gun violence not seen here since the late 1990s. There have been at least 426 homicides.
In a final brief presented to the Illinois Supreme Court, attorneys for Independent Maps argued a lower court’s ruling against the constitutionality of the redistricting reform amendment is contrary to both the intent of the drafters of the 1970 Illinois Constitution and the plain language of the constitution’s provision allowing voters to propose amendments.
If the Cook County Circuit Court ruling is not reversed, it “would eviscerate the constitutional right conferred on the people of Illinois by the 1970 Constitution to bypass self-interested legislators and directly propose needed reforms,” according to the brief filed Tuesday.
“If you read the debates of the constitutional convention, it is clear that the drafters created an amendment initiative process to allow Illinoisans to propose changes in critical areas where legislators have too much self-interest and would resist change,” said Dennis FitzSimons, Chair of Independent Maps. “Legislators currently can draw district boundaries to help their own chances of winning the next election, making redistricting a prime example of legislative self-interest where citizens need to step in and propose reform. It is up to the Illinois Supreme Court to restore the democratic rights of Illinoisans and let voters decide whether to amend their state constitution.”
The brief argues that the lawsuit filed against the Independent Map Amendment ignores the constitutional convention debates and so narrowly interprets what the constitution allows to be amended by citizen initiative that “it would be impossible for anyone to put a meaningful proposal for redistricting reform on the ballot.”
Similar to reforms enacted by voters in California and Arizona, the Independent Map Amendment would create an independent commission to draw legislative district boundaries without regard to incumbency or partisanship. It would protect the voting rights of racial and ethnic minorities and allow the public to view and participate in redistricting.
The opposition argued in court that the amendment must be “limited to” structural and procedural subjects, and the Independent Maps briefs argues it meets that test. Redistricting is a structural and procedural subject of the constitution’s legislative article, and everything in the proposed amendment relates directly to – and only to – redistricting, according to the brief.
“The defenders of the status quo are trying to sell an argument that our amendment is unconstitutional because, for example, it involves the Auditor General and Supreme Court in the once-a-decade administration of the redistricting process,” FitzSimons said. “But the amendment does not affect the auditing duties of the Auditor General and only creates a new role limited to redistricting, and the Supreme Court would only be involved when there is a deadlock, as is the case now.
“To remove partisan politics from the redistricting process, the commission selection process must be insulated from partisan politics,” FitzSimons said. “If that’s not permitted, it will be impossible to give voters the right to the citizen initiative process envisioned by the framers of the constitution.”
More than 563,000 Illinois voters signed petitions to put the Independent Map Amendment on the November ballot, and a diverse coalition of two dozen businesses, consumer and public interest organizations has urged the Supreme Court “to allow democracy to prevail and to let the people have their vote” on the Independent Map Amendment.
