* This will definitely help. Via the great Shia Kapos…
Billionaire philanthropist Neil Bluhm is backing Kwame Raoul, the Democratic state senator who’s running for Illinois attorney general.
Bluhm is a longtime campaign donor to Democrats. He raised $200,000 for former President Barack Obama’s 2008 bid and $500,000 for the 2012 race.
No word yet on how much Bluhm will donate to Raoul, who was appointed to the state Senate in 2004 to fill the vacancy left by then-state Sen. Obama after he won a U.S. Senate race.
Bluhm will serve as finance chair for the campaign. With an estimated net worth of $3.2 billion, it will be interesting to see if his backing scares off other Democrats from running against Raoul.
Today, State Representative Peter Breen (R-Lombard) and State Senator Dan McConchie (R-Hawthorn Woods) filed the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” which would prohibit units of government in Illinois from using taxpayer funds for elective abortions, reversing key provisions of the recently enacted House Bill 40. Breen and McConchie are pressing for full debate and a floor vote on the measure during the upcoming fall veto session later this month, before HB 40 goes into effect in 2018.
“With the signing of HB 40, Illinoisans will be put on the hook for roughly 75% of the state’s 40,000 annual elective abortions,” said Breen. “Strong majorities of Illinoisans, especially folks in the suburbs and downstate, oppose taxpayer funding of abortions, and the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act will respect both their pocketbooks and their consciences. Considering the average cost of $1,000 per Medicaid abortion, we don’t have the $30 million required to cover 30,000 abortions every year.”
“The No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act is a critical piece of legislation that respects the moral and fiscal concerns of our residents,” said McConchie. “In states that have legalized Medicaid abortions, over 50% of all abortions become taxpayer-funded. The residents in my suburban district are overwhelmingly opposed to this new spending scheme.”
The legislators are relying on data from the Guttmacher Institute, the former research arm of Planned Parenthood, about income levels of those seeking abortions and payment data from other states that provide elective abortion funding. Guttmacher indicates that 75% of women seeking abortions are below 200% Federal Poverty Level, and that, in states with elective abortion, over 50% of all abortions are paid for by Medicaid. See, https://www.guttmacher.org/report/characteristics-us-abortion-patients-2014. Because Illinois’ Medicaid system extends eligibility to pregnant women up to at least 213% Federal Poverty Level, those who will be eligible for taxpayer funded abortions may be even higher than 75%. See, http://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=14091 (pregnant women considered at least family size 2, as Illinois law counts unborn children in family size). The legislators also received information from the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services showing that the average cost, over the past five years, for a Medicaid abortion and ancillary services is approximately $1,000 per procedure.
Breen drafted the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act on the model of the federal Hyde Amendment, which prevents federal funding for abortions, other than for abortions sought in connection with pregnancies that result from rape or incest, or that threaten the life of the mother. Abortions under these circumstances constitute roughly 1% of all abortions. Federal law already requires states to provide Medicaid abortions under these three conditions, and the proposed Act recognizes those federal provisions.
While the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act reverses the substantive provisions of HB 40 and prevents taxpayer funding for abortion at all levels of government, it adds new public policy language on abortion, not including controversial “trigger language” about Roe v. Wade that was at issue in HB 40.
“The ‘trigger language’ in HB 40 had no legal effect, and there’s no need to reopen a theoretical debate about language from over 40 years ago. Instead, we wanted to start fresh with updated language and concepts that reflect the majority position of Illinoisans, especially folks in the suburbs and downstate, who care very deeply about this issue,” Breen added.
“This controversial and culturally divisive act should not be one that taxpayers should be forced to fund,” said McConchie. “Likewise, there is no good reason for taxpayers to be on the hook for someone else’s personal decision.”
Additionally, while the federal government typically matches a state’s Medicaid expenses, it will not do so for elective abortions. Breen has stated previously that, based on the estimated direct cost to the state of $30 million for abortions, the true impact to the Medicaid system is actually double that, $60 million in lost medical services.
Within an hour of the filing of the No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act, numerous legislators from across Illinois joined the bill as cosponsors. The bills are pending as HB 4114 & SB 2241. Legislators are also considering legal action in the coming weeks to challenge whether HB 40 can be effective before June 1, 2018, due to it being held beyond the May 31 deadline set by the state constitution for the passage of bills. The current effective date is set at January 1, 2018, and legislators estimate the five-month difference in effective dates could prevent taxpayer funding of 10,000 abortions or more.
“I’m not ruling anything out. I just don’t want to talk about another office or another race today or any time in the near future. But I can tell you I’m not done in politics. I’m sure that I will run again.”
A natural alternative for supporters of Pawar’s populist campaign is progressive State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston). But Pawar said he is not prepared to endorse any of his opponents “at this time.”
Pawar’s absence may boost the chance that Biss or Kennedy will emerge as the top competitor to Pritzker, instead splitting the anti-establishment vote. […]
Meanwhile, a Democratic political consultant who’s not affiliated with any candidate for governor, ex-Rahm Emanuel aide Tom Bowen, agrees with my take that Pawar’s withdrawal “frees up a little more of the progressive lane, probably to Biss.”
But Pawar didn’t have that much support to start with, so the impact is limited, Bowen continued. “If Kennedy or Biss left, that makes a difference.”
But Biss seriously disrupted his own campaign when he picked and then dropped Ald. Carlos Ramirez-Rosa as his lieutenant governor running mate. And Kennedy has yet to find his stride as a contender, with his fund-raising short of what he’ll really need to be competitive against Pritzker.
* The Question: What impact, if any, will Pawar’s exit have on the gubernatorial campaign?
Wanted to flag this Register-Mail article for you. Mark Kleine is running an impressive campaign for Congress in IL-17. So far, his campaign has raised $507k, with 90% of those funds coming from donors within the district. $100k of that total comes from Kleine himself.
Cheri Bustos probably hasn’t noticed the groundswell of support for Kleine because she’s too busy helping Madigan and Chicago Democrats anoint J.B. Pritzker with the Democrat nomination for governor.
Mark Kleine, a local entrepreneur running to represent Illinois’ 17th Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives, announced Tuesday his campaign has raised close to $400,000 since he announced his candidacy in late August.
Kleine said that money came from donors. He provided roughly $100,000 in his own money. The total contributions amount to $507,000, and over 90 percent of the donated funds came from donors living in the 17th district, Kleine said.
“I’m investing in my own campaign because I want to utilize my money to help people throughout the district,” Kleine said.
* Bustos’ campaign just sent out a fundraising e-mail entitled “Urgent Message → Read Immediately”…
We can’t afford to sugarcoat this: Since Cheri was one of only TWELVE Democrats to win a Trump-district — this fundraising haul could doom our campaign.
We need to fight back — so we’re asking 5OO people to chip in $5 before Saturday.
Will you RUSH a $5 donation to Cheri’s Democratic Campaign?
Look, Cheri’s Republican opponent is ramping up his campaign arm.
The GOP knows their best chance of passing their extremist agenda is to replace strong Democrats like Cheri.
And since Cheri is FIGHTING BACK to stop Trump and the GOP from gutting Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid, they’re desperate to defeat her.
That’s why hitting Saturday’s goal is critical. Everything we care about is at stake.
An annual tracking of child well-being finds huge gaps statewide in educational access and achievement that spans birth through college, and disproportionally affects low-income and minority children.
Illinois Kids Count 2017, being released Thursday by Voices for Illinois Children, blames systemic inequities in access to early childhood education, public funding for kindergarten through 12th grade, and both readiness for and access to college for those disheartening education statistics.
The annual report by the advocacy group shines new light on the critical nature of recent reforms to Illinois’ public education funding system. It found 82 percent of state kids most in need had access to preschool in 2015.
In 2016, only 22 percent of third-graders in that same population were meeting English Language Arts standards; and only 14 percent of sixth-graders were meeting math standards. Racial disparities in graduation rates remain entrenched. In 2016, only 75 percent of African-American students graduated in four years; 81 percent of Hispanic students, and 90 percent of white students. […]
Of those enrolling in college, less than half were meeting college readiness benchmarks, and only 60 percent were graduating from public or private nonprofit colleges and universities.
* From Voices for Illinois Children…
“The data in the 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book clearly proves that to build a future for Illinois where every child is a high achiever, we must reduce systemic inequities and increase support for the students who need it most,” said Tasha Green Cruzat, President of Voices for Illinois Children. “It’s time for leaders across Illinois to fulfill their promise to all our children by providing adequate revenue for quality and competitive programming. We must close the achievement gap and give children, in every community, the tools they need to reach their full potential.”
Through recent policy and budget changes – specifically affecting early childhood education programs, K-12 funding, school breakfast options, after school program access, high school and postsecondary alignment – Illinois has taken steps to reduce educational inequities for children across the state. The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book concludes that in order to build on the State’s foundation and continue the progress of these policies, Illinois must raise additional revenue.
The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book concludes Illinois will only make systemic gains in education for all groups of students by:
· Increasing investments in quality early childhood education programs for low and middle-income children;
· Examining and addressing inequities in school resources, teacher and principal distribution, course rigor and discipline practices;
· Coordinating support services so that every child has access to food, safe after-school programming and mental and health services.
“This information shines a clear light on where Illinois has made progress and where challenges remain,” said Anna Rowan, KIDS COUNT Manager at Voices for Illinois Children. “The expansion of access to early childhood education is promising, yet too many children still lag behind and graduate high school without the tools they need for college and a career. While new policies are a step in the right direction, we must continue to make necessary investments, especially in low-income and minority communities, so every child has the chance succeed.”
The 2017 KIDS COUNT Data Book uses 16 indicators to rank each state across four domains — health, education, economic well-being, and family and community — that represent what children need most to thrive. Illinois ranks:
10th in health. Illinois has been a national leader in providing children with access to health insurance. From 2010 to 2015, Illinois cut the uninsured rates for African-American and Latino children in half, from 6 percent to 3 percent, for both groups.
13th in education. Early childhood education has been a bright spot for Illinois. Less than half of 3- and 4-year olds do not attend school, ranking the state fifth in this indicator. However, the state still has significant work to do to close the achievement and attainment gaps that exist between low-income and minority students from their white and more affluent peers.
25th in economic well-being. Illinois families continue to struggle with economic security. Although more kids’ parents are now working full-time, year-round jobs than in 2010, the percentage of children living in poverty has not changed when comparing the height of the Great Recession in 2010 to 2015 data.
28th in the family and community domain. Illinois has made great strides in reducing the teen birth rate. There were more than 6,000 fewer teen births in 2015 than in 2010. But there are still far too many children living in high-poverty areas and in single-parent families.
The data show that key investments in health and early education have reduced racial disparities among children. Although Latino children still lag behind in preschool attendance, there is little difference between the percentage of African-American and white children who aren’t attending preschool. Additionally, all groups of kids are accessing health insurance at roughly the same rate. However, there is still work to do to lessen other disparities. For example, more than two-thirds of the half a million Illinois children living in poverty are children of color. If Illinois elected officials fail to enact a budget for a third year, we run the very real risk of causing disparities to grow and wiping out the progress we’ve made.
* Not to diminish the problem with Illinois’ pension debt, but this is an apples to oranges comparison from the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
In one year, Illinois’ pensions added more debt than 25 U.S. states’ entire budgets.
The Illinois Department of Insurance released its two-year report on every public pension in the state. From 2015 to 2016, Illinois’ 671 pension funds added $17 billion in additional unfunded liabilities, bringing it up to $185 billion. That’s larger than 25 state budgets in fiscal year 2016.
The pension debt is long-term. Those are one-year budgets.
The Teachers’ Retirement Fund is the state’s largest pension. At an estimated $71.4 billion in unfunded liabilities, it also carries the most debt. Director Dick Ingram said that his fund’s main issue is that the older, more generous pensions cost too much.
“The albatross that’s still out there is the Tier 1 unfunded,” he said.
Yep. And that debt can pretty much only be reduced by making the payments. Actually, it’s the only way unless somebody comes up with a brilliant plan that hasn’t yet been devised or tried.
* Moody’s recently issued a rating for the state’s upcoming bond issue to pay off part of the bill backlog. Check out the number one way Moody’s says Illinois can improve its credit rating…
Factors that Could Lead to an Upgrade
- Adoption of a realistic, long-term plan to provide funding for pension obligations
- Progress in reducing the state’s massive payment backlog, and formulation of a legal or policy framework to prevent renewed build-up of late bills
- Enactment of recurring fiscal measures that support the expectation of sustainable, structural balance
And check out the number two factor that could lead to a downgrade into junk bond status…
Factors that Could Lead to a Downgrade
- Structural imbalance that leads to renewed build-up of unpaid bills following issuance of debt to pay down backlog
- Efforts to obtain near-term fiscal relief by reducing pension contributions in a way that exacerbates the state’s long-term funding burden or indicates a lack of long-term sustainability
- Difficulty managing the impacts of adverse exogenous factors, such as a national recession or a reduction in federal Medicaid funding
*** UPDATE *** Dave Urbanek at TRS…
Rich:
The Illinois News Network story you highlighted today misquoted Dick. We saw it late in the morning and asked them for a correction. They complied and changed the story in the afternoon. You ran the original version.
The problem was that in the lead up to Dick’s quote in the original version, they wrote that he said that older pension benefits “cost too much.” That’s not what he said in the interview with them. The “albatross” he was referring to in his quote is the unfunded liability.
No one at TRS would ever give an opinion on the nature of benefits, and especially the cost of those benefits. Benefits are enacted exclusively by legislators and the governor. The job of TRS is strictly to administer those benefits, whatever they may be. We have to stay detached from the creation of benefits. We will talk about whether we have the proper resources and tools to do the job and keep the fund financially healthy, but commenting on the nature or cost of the benefits would violate the System’s fiduciary duty to its members.
“Why would J.B. continue dumping millions of dollars in this race, this early in the primary? Here’s the answer: he and the establishment backing him believe their best chance at winning is by piling on millions of dollars right now,” Biss campaign manager Abby Witt said in an email fundraising appeal.
“They think that a grassroots movement without the backing of a billionaire has no chance. They think it’s time to write our obituary. And they want you to believe that too,” she warned.
Even as she boasted of the grassroots support for Biss, Witt added an unusual cautionary note about the campaign’s long-term viability to try to raise some money.
“We have a lot of ground to make up. If we’re going to take this all the way to the March primary, we’re going to need each and every one of you to step up however you can,” she said.
That’s likely just a standard “scare the contributor into ponying up more dough” line, but in the wake of Ameya Pawar’s announcement today that he’s getting out of the race over money issues, they might want to shy away from that sort of thing in the near future.
Today, I am ending my campaign for Governor. Briefly, I want to explain why: we simply don’t have the money to meaningfully scale this campaign statewide. Without more resources, the only choices for expanding the campaign to a scope that could earn the nomination were to take on more personal debt or to cut staff. I have a young family, and we decided not to take on more personal debt right now. As to cutting staff, I simply refuse. We raised $828k from 2,526 donors; that is amazing. But as you know, the race for Illinois governor will set a record as the costliest race in American history. For democracy’s sake, I hope we see this as a troubling trend. My donors did the best they could, I’m the one who came up short, but I am not ashamed. Just know that while we didn’t have the most money, we have the volunteers (3,200), the signatures (10,000), and the right message. I’m sorry for the people who have stood with me that I don’t have the extraordinary wealth or extraordinarily wealthy connections to make up the difference.
We’ve all heard Winston Churchill’s famous line, “never give in, never, never, never, never.” Less often quoted is the rest of the sentence: “except to convictions of honour and good sense.” I think both suggest that this is the right time for this campaign to come to an end. I wish there was a sensible path forward, but we have always been playing a long game, and this is more of a beginning than an end. At this time, I will not be endorsing a candidate. That said, I urge you to get to know the other Democratic candidates. They are good people, and any one of them will make a fine governor.
Today, I am launching One Illinois, a political action committee to organize young people around progressive issues and fight the false and bigoted divides around race, class, and geography. We all want to see progressive change and policies, but to achieve our goals we must take on the politics that are used to keep communities fighting one another over scraps. I hope that you will join me in this new effort. More on this in the coming weeks.
We all want to see progressive change, but we must organize and attack the false divides around race, class, and geography. If we don’t, we won’t realize the changes we all seek.
Enough about the primary campaign’s end, now I want to talk about a beginning. I began my public service career with, quite frankly, a pipe dream. I decided to knock on every door in the 47th Ward to listen to the ideas of people who had lived there for years, in some cases, more years than I’ve been alive. My backup plan if I lost — and I was almost certainly going to lose — was to join the military. My chances of winning were roughly somewhere between zero and the Cubs winning the World Series. But as we know, these things can happen. My experience in city council convinced me that, as intransigent as politics can be, a normal guy with authentic passion can make a difference. One of the blessings of getting into politics as a no-name with no affiliation was that I didn’t have to play a character. I got to be myself from the very start. And that was the same for this race. I knew that speaking about my own progressive ideas and policies was a risk. When billionaires who own football teams are so afraid of public opprobrium that they say nothing while national politicians vilify their employees for unobtrusively exercising their rights, believe me, I realize that condemning the War on Drugs as a war on black and brown families is going to raise some hackles. But I got into public service speaking my mind when nobody cared what I had to say, and by now all I know how to do is be myself.
The reason I got into this race, honestly, is that I was afraid. Afraid of the society my daughter might inherit if the American ship stays the current course. She’s only one-and-a-half, but America is not a small ship. It is a giant tanker, the kind you need to start steering miles out from shore if you want to dock without crashing. We are not on a safe course right now, and we know it. If from nothing else, that should be obvious when nuclear diplomacy occurs on Twitter. (Threatening nuclear annihilation on Twitter really seems like it should be a violation of the terms of service.) And if we don’t address inequality across race, class, and geography, I believe we are headed to a very scary place. Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump are targeting communities and turning them into ‘the other.’ We have seen before the brand of fear mongering that Bruce Rauner and Donald Trump wield to pit people against their fellow citizens, to divide us by geography, or race, or class, or absolutely any other difference that can be wielded for political expedience. It never ends well.
One of my goals was to force a conversation on progressive values and shine a light on how race, class, and geography are used to drive a wedge between communities and prevent progressive change. That’s why I declared for the race first, so that I could plant the conversation firmly in progressive ideas. We hit the road with our message – a message that included progressive income tax, mass commutations of low-level nonviolent drug offenses, calling out the War on Drugs for the racist failure that it was, universal childcare, and single-payer healthcare. We also listened, a tactic in too-short supply among public officials. Today, I am so tremendously proud and so deeply heartened to see the other campaigns talking about race and class and geography. As the first entrants to the race, I believe we pushed the public discourse to the left, toward a more progressive Illinois. I may have come up short, but together, we made progress. I urge all candidates to continue those vital discussions in the fight against the plainly bigoted agendas prosecuted by the chief executives of both our state and our nation.
While fear got me into this race, as I leave it, it is the shared humanity I experienced on the trail that I’ll take with me. Beyond giving me hope, it literally makes my skin tingle when I remember the love and compassion people expressed, often people in desperate circumstances who were worrying about everyone but themselves. A moment that I can’t wait to tell my daughter about, when she’s old enough to understand, occurred at our campaign stop for a parade in Eldorado. My running mate, Cairo Mayor Tyrone Coleman, was traversing southern and central Illinois as part of our Don’t Close Our Communities Tour, and he was anxious about this visit. Whereas Cairo was the final stop on the Underground Railroad, Eldorado was once a “sundown town.” That is, in the 1960s people of color were required to leave by sundown. As a pastor, a man who came of age during the Civil Rights Movement, and founder of a southern Illinois chapter of the NAACP, Mayor Coleman knew that history well. As he and his wife, Mary, marched in the parade, a woman stopped them and shared how decades of disinvestment from Cairo reminded her of the disinvestment from Saline County and Eldorado. Specifically, she recounted how the decline of jobs ushered in the opioid crisis. Then she said: “We all want the same thing. We’re neighbors.” A town that black people once fled to and one they once fled from, but today they are neighbors in search of the same things.
Memories like that will continue to fuel me.
As will memories of the devotion of my incredible team. Sam, Will, Tom, Kayley, Charissa, Lindsay, Heather, Spencer, John, Maggie, Mica, Zach, Katie, EJ, Maria, Jordan, Morgan, Mary, Anjali, Jenn, Steve, David, Leslie, Stacy, Brian, Kyle, and Collin. Thank you. You are family to me and Charna. We did something amazing. We will be forever grateful for the time and energy you put into this campaign, and we hope you know we will always have your backs, personally and professionally.
To our volunteers, it has been the honor of my life. I thank you from the bottom of my heart. You are the most talented and hardworking people I ever had the pleasure to fight alongside. Your commitment, your energy, and your steadfast support kept me going. I hope you will stick with me because this is just the beginning.
To Mayor Coleman, thank you. Mrs. Coleman, thank you. Charna and I are so honored to call you our friends. Cairo captured a piece of my heart, and I look forward to working together to put a spotlight on Cairo and communities all over the state as they fight for investment. I hope to join you and your community as you fight for affordable housing, the port authority, and jobs. I urge every campaign for governor to meet Mayor Coleman and his constituents. Cairo deserves all of our attention.
Finally, I want to thank my wife, Charna. Our daughter Sigalit was 10 months old when I got into this race. I’ve missed so much, and Charna took everything upon herself so that I could run. She has sacrificed over the last eight years to support me. I am looking forward to sacrificing for her and what she wants. (Imagine that, a gubernatorial campaign wasn’t a new mother’s first choice!)
I wanted to be your nominee for governor. I gave it everything I had. But I don’t have the resources to continue in a manner that I think would both be fair to the people who work with me and would set us up to win, and I require both. But I feel the same way about the inspiration I’ve acquired to make positive change as the Greek philosopher Plutarch did about education: It is not the filling of a pail, but the lighting of a fire.
I will keep organizing around the principle that we are stronger together and that we must defeat the politics of divide-and-rule. For you. For us. For my daughter. After all, we all want the same thing. After all, we are neighbors.
Onward,
*** UPDATE *** Mayor Emanuel…
“Ald. Pawar has been a strong voice on the city council, not just for his ward but for Chicago. While he may have ended his bid for the governor’s office I have no doubt his commitment to public service and his commitment to using his voice to stand up for others will continue.”
* Pritzker…
“I want to thank Ameya Pawar for being a part of this race and running a positive campaign focused on our party’s progressive values,” said JB Pritzker. “Ameya made the race for our state’s highest office a real conversation about the issues that affect all Illinoisans—increasing public school funding, providing universal child care and paid family leave, creating jobs through investing in infrastructure, and reforming our criminal justice system. With his running mate, Mayor Tyrone Coleman, this was a ticket that focused on how we can lift up communities from Chicago to Cairo.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chris Kennedy…
Ameya Pawar is a committed public servant motivated by social justice. We thank him for giving voice to the people of Illinois who have been left behind by a failed government that benefits a wealthy and well-connected few.
Ideas and solutions from a thoughtful, progressive leader like Alderman Pawar are critical to the future of our state. We should all be disappointed in a system where money is driving people out of politics and, in turn, silencing conversations that drive change.
Daniel Biss…
“Ameya Pawar ran an incredible campaign that elevated the effects of systemic inequality on working families. Illinois and the Democratic Party are better for it, but we still have a long way to go. Good candidates are being pushed out of races by big money and insiders. If you care about democracy, this should be unacceptable.
“As a father, I know how tough campaign life can be. Thanks to Charna and Sigalit for sacrificing so that Ameya can serve the people of Illinois. And thank you to Ameya’s supporters for the energy and commitment they’ve shown to progressive politics this year. Ameya, you’ve been a friend for years, and I’m especially proud to call you a friend this year. Today is hard, but I hope you’re proud of the campaign you’ve run.”
In 2017, Colorado eclipsed $1 billion in marijuana sales in eight months; in 2016, it took 10 months.
Colorado’s marijuana retailers logged upward of $1.02 billion in collective medical and recreational sales through August, according to The Cannabist’s extrapolations of state tax data released Wednesday. Year-to-date sales are up 21 percent from the first eight months of 2016, when recreational and medical marijuana sales totaled $846.5 million.
This year’s cumulative sales equate to more than $162 million in taxes and fees taxes and fees for Colorado coffers. […]
The special sales tax rate for recreational marijuana increased to 15 percent from 10 percent in July, as the result of a new law that also exempted recreational marijuana products from the 2.9 percent standard state sales tax. Medical marijuana and accessories are still subject to that 2.9 percent sales tax rate. […]
Here’s a look at Colorado’s previous cumulative yearly sales totals:
Illinois has more than twice Colorado’s population.
Right now, Illinois has decriminalization. But that means it’s not taxed and the production and distribution networks are controlled by criminals - and some of those criminals are violent people.
On the heels of trade mission trips to China and Japan, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner has plans to head overseas again in the coming months.
Rauner says in about three weeks, he will head up a trade mission to Israel, meeting with Israeli officials, business leaders and university heads in hopes of expanding opportunities for Illinois. […]
The governor says after Israel, he will travel to Europe, with stops in the United Kingdom, Germany and Poland.
* Pritzker campaign…
Bruce Rauner is planning on traveling to at least four countries in the coming months, which means four more opportunities for Rauner to bash Illinois abroad.
Last month when Rauner was in Asia, he criticized Illinois’ business and regulatory climate while trying to bring businesses to the state. Now he’s headed to Israel in three weeks and Germany, Poland, and the UK in a couple months, but will Rauner bad mouth the state — again?
“This is Bruce Rauner’s international bad-mouth Illinois tour,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “After failing to lead our state and creating economic turmoil, Rauner is taking his special interest agenda abroad and trashing Illinois wherever he goes.”
* Have you noticed the governor’s Twitter feed recently? He’s all about the international angle…
Happy to celebrate National Day of the Republic of Korea with Consul General Lee and our Korean-American community. pic.twitter.com/m9gexLiqkV
Great luncheon! Illinois has a longstanding releationship with Poland and I look forward to creating new opportunities for the people of IL. pic.twitter.com/8EDOjWuBjt
Great meeting with Sir Alan Duncan, Min. of State for Foreign & Commonwealth Affairs & John Saville, Consul General Designate of the UK. pic.twitter.com/5igs5KC2E9
The most important role of a county commissioner is to pass a yearly budget that meets the needs of the residents and fairly balances services and costs.
I voted Wednesday — along with Commissioner Jerry Butler — to keep Cook County’s sweetened beverage tax because it was a tax on a small number of people rather than a general sales or property tax on all. This tax had a twofold purpose: First, it provided enough revenue to balance our 2017 budget without gimmicks. Second, it helped us fight the increase in heart disease, diabetes, obesity and osteoporosis and the high cost of treatment.
Unfortunately, repeal of the sweetened beverage tax also repeals the law that prohibited the raising of any taxes by Cook County until after 2020. This tax limitation covered property taxes, sales taxes and home-rule excise taxes. The repeal of the tax limitation means all taxes are in play.
Cook County homeowners are getting a property tax break that their counterparts in other counties aren’t.
The $7,000 homeowners exemption and $5,000 senior citizen exemption are both increasing by $3,000 next year, to $10,000 and $8,000 respectively, thanks to legislation Gov. Bruce Rauner recently signed. Cook County taxpayers will see the effects of the exemption increases on the second installment of their property taxes next summer, officials said.
“The exemptions hadn’t kept pace with the values of homes in Cook County,” said Tom Shaer, a spokesman for Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios. “This was designed to help lower-market and middle-class homeowners.”
The exemptions cut taxes by reducing the assessed value of homes.
Meanwhile, homeowners in the collar counties and downstate won’t see similar increases to their exemptions. The homeowners exemption will stay at $6,000 for collar county and downstate homeowners, and the senior citizen exemption will remain at $5,000. […]
Using Cook County’s most recently available average tax rate for the Northern suburbs, the change in the homeowners exemption would reduce the tax bill on a $300,000 home by about $277 next year if tax levies remain flat. People over age 65 who receive both exemptions on a $300,000 house could expect to pay about $555 less.
Facing ongoing criticism from conservatives, Gov. Bruce Rauner this week has put $4.45 million into the state GOP that he controls in what was branded as an effort to topple Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan next year. […]
Since he won the Republican nomination, Rauner, wife Diana and the Citizens for Rauner campaign fund have contributed more than $35.5 million to the state GOP, campaign finance records show. The donations represent more than 71 percent of the nearly $50 million the state Republican Party has raised during that period. For 2017 alone, Rauner has given the state GOP $6.6 million, records show. […]
“He has his tentacles in every part of the Republican Party all across the state because he’s put so much money into it. And now he’s fractured all of those tentacles and we’re in a very bad spot right now,” state Rep. Peter Breen of Lombard, the House GOP floor leader, said before Rauner’s most recent campaign contribution.
“We have a really serious problem. Folks are depending upon money from Rauner. At the same time, he’s betraying our principles. So we have to have a difficult family discussion within the Republican Party: Are we going to continue to stand with a guy just because he’s writing big checks?” Breen asked. “I mean if he wasn’t writing these kind of big checks, you think anybody, anywhere in the Republican Party would still be with him for governor?”
But he is writing big checks and he just wrote another one. Ah, the conundrum.
A former business partner of Gov. Bruce Rauner is suing Rauner, but all court records in the case are being kept secret — allegedly at the governor’s request.
The lawsuit against Rauner was filed last week by Harreld “Kip” Kirkpatrick III and the Kirkpatrick Capital Partners Fund, according to Cook County Circuit Court records. […]
He said the lawsuit was filed as a “result of a dispute with a former partner” — namely Rauner, according to a memo that Kirkpatrick sent to Vistria employees. […]
“In consultation with our legal counsel, we do not believe the lawsuit should be sealed and we are hopeful that a judge will deny Gov. Rauner’s attempt to keep it from public view,” Kirkpatrick added.
While the exact allegations remain unclear, the lawsuit against Rauner is tied to how settlement proceeds from a Michigan lawsuit were divvied up.
Kirkpatrick Capital Partners paid $10 million in 2011 for a 20 percent stake in what’s now Troy, Mich.-based United Shore Financial Services, according to the Michigan lawsuit.
Kirkpatrick served as the firm’s CEO from 2011 to 2013, but relations between him and the company’s founding family soured.
In 2015, Kirkpatrick Capital sued United Shore and Jeffrey and Mathew Ishbia, members of the founding family that remains the majority owner. The Ishbias, the lawsuit claimed, pulled the plug on Kirkpatrick’s efforts to sell the company — which by then was valued by Raymond James Financial Services at $400 million to $525 million. At least four firms expressed interest in buying the company in early 2013, but the Ishbia family suspended the sales process because it “did not want to give away so much of this newly created value to” Kirkpatrick Capital, the lawsuit says.
This morning the Chicago Tribune and Chicago Sun-Times both wrote stories about Governor Bruce Rauner’s involvement in a lawsuit that he’s requesting to stay secret. Rauner is being sued by Kirkpatrick Capital, a firm he was still invested in 2016. From what little is known, the story feels familiar – Rauner and the other Kirkpatrick Capital investors intended to invest in an existing company quickly sell if off at profit while undercutting the owners.
“In 2015, Kirkpatrick Capital sued United Shore and Jeffrey and Mathew Ishbia, members of the founding family that remains the majority owner. The Ishbias, the lawsuit claimed, pulled the plug on Kirkpatrick’s efforts to sell the company — which by then was valued by Raymond James Financial Services at $400 million to $525 million. At least four firms expressed interest in buying the company in early 2013, but the Ishbia family suspended the sales process because it ‘did not want to give away so much of this newly created value to’ Kirkpatrick Capital, the lawsuit says.
‘The parties understood that Kirkpatrick Capital was not making a long-term investment in Shore,’ Kirkpatrick’s lawsuit against United Shore said. ‘Kirkpatrick was investing in Shore with the understanding that Shore would be marketed for sale in the near term.’”
Bruce Rauner leaned on his business acumen during the 2014 campaign, but investigative reports found that companies Rauner invested in were pushed into bankruptcy or stripped down for profits. Flash forward three years to when Governor Rauner called on the legislature to sustain his budget veto even though it would push the state into junk bond status, and a pattern emerges.
“Bruce Rauner sold voters a bill of goods when he said as a businessman he would turn the state around,” said DGA Illinois Communications Director Sam Salustro. “Just like he did in business, Rauner racked up Illinois’ debt and was pushed the state towards a fiscal cliff all for political profit. Now he wants to hide his true record from the public but it’s too late. Voters know they are worse off under three years of Rauner’s failed leadership in action.”
Today, the Illinois Republican Party launched the 2018 Madigan Retirement Plan. The initiative will specifically target members of the Illinois House and Senate who empower their political boss, Mike Madigan. Through the 2018 Madigan Retirement Plan, the Illinois Republican Party will also offer unprecedented support to local GOP organizations by providing innovative grassroots tools, enhanced digital and data integration, and targeted support for local Republican candidates in an effort to defeat Democrats at every level who empower their party leader, Mike Madigan.
The longest serving House speaker in United States history, Mike Madigan was first elected to the Illinois House in 1970 and rose to the speakership in 1983. In 1998, Madigan was elected Chairman of the Democratic Party of Illinois. At the end of his current term in the House, Madigan will have been a member of the Illinois General Assembly for 48 years, speaker of the House for 34 years, and chairman of the Democratic Party for 21 years.
Today, the Illinois Republican Party received a $4,450,000 contribution from Governor Rauner’s campaign to launch the 2018 Madigan Retirement Plan. In total, the Illinois Republican Party has received $6.6 million from Governor Rauner’s campaign this year.
Below is a statement from Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider on the 2018 Madigan Retirement Plan:
“Four decades in power is long enough, and with Governor Rauner’s support, Illinois Republicans can ensure 2018 is Mike Madigan’s last year as Speaker. Governor Rauner has shown time and time again that he is committed to revitalizing the Republican Party in the state of Illinois. Thanks to Gov. Rauner’s unprecedented commitment, we are now closer than ever to retiring Speaker Mike Madigan once and for all.”
* Meanwhile, a DuPage County Board member running for retiring GOP Rep. Mike Fortner’s seat launched on Rauner today…
Tonia Khouri, candidate for State Representative in the 49th District releases the following statement:
I consider myself a free-market conservative and pro-life.
Being a loyal Republican for 30 years makes this decision difficult and sad. However, I cannot in good conscience support our current governor, Bruce Rauner. He has made decisions that financially hurt our state like the Chicago school “bailout” and the expensive “sanctuary state” bill. However, the final straw was allowing taxpayer-funded abortions on demand. The financial and moral consequences of HB40 will haunt this state for years to come.
If we continue down this path, not only will Illinois be financially bankrupt, it will be morally bankrupt as well.
Therefore, I stand in unity with conservatives, with pro-lifers, and those who feel betrayed by our governor’s recent actions and will not be supporting Bruce Rauner for Governor.
It’s not too late to save our state - we just need the right people in Springfield to do it.
* As Mark Brown rightly notes, most of these inmates will eventually be released, so it’s in all of our interest to make things better…
On Tuesday, lawyers representing 12,000 mentally ill prisoners in Illinois asked a federal judge in Peoria to force the state to meet its agreed obligations to provide them with adequate mental health care.
The state’s “deliberate indifference to serious medical need” constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, the inmates’ lawyers argue.
The filing comes a week after a court-appointed federal monitor advised state corrections officials by letter that poor psychiatric care continues to create a “state of emergency” in Illinois prisons.
The lawyers want U.S. District Judge Michael Mihm to enforce a settlement agreement reached in May 2016 with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration promising to overhaul mental health care in the prisons.
The court monitor, Dr. Pablo Stewart, a psychiatric consultant from San Francisco, credits the state Department of Corrections with making “substantial improvements” to its mental health care delivery system during that time.
But Stewart said those improvements have been undermined by the department’s “grossly insufficient and extremely poor quality of psychiatric services.”
Those services are “exceedingly poor and often times dangerous,” Stewart wrote.
Cook County President Toni Preckwinkle predicted “painful” budget cuts and forecast a rough budget battle ahead as she suffered her biggest public defeat yet: Wednesday’s repeal of the much-maligned sweetened beverage tax.
“I’ve been in public life for almost 30 years,” Preckwinkle, a former Chicago alderman, told reporters. “I know that if you’re in public life, you need to make difficult choices.”
The Chicago Democrat, who is seeking a third term, blamed Wednesday’s 15-2 vote by commissioners to repeal the penny-per-ounce tax on “tax fatigue,” and said the effort “bore the brunt” of other recent tax increases both in the county and state. Only Commissioner Larry Suffredin of Evanston and Jerry Butler of Chicago voted to keep the tax in place. […]
Describing a nationwide “anti-government sentiment,” Preckwinkle said it makes it difficult for governments to raise the revenues they need to deliver services.
“I think people understand what their city, town and village does. It’s police and fire and garbage,” she said. “We need to help residents understand we’re the basic social safety net.”
Some pretty darned liberal Democrats were up in arms about that tax, so I don’t think the backlash was about an “anti-government sentiment” in general.
* Rep. Norine Hammond (R-Macomb) had been one of just two three out of 15 House Republicans who either retired or attracted a primary opponent after voting for the income tax hike. Hammond got a primary opponent today. Two guesses who’s backing him…
Joshua L. Griffith has announced his Republican candidacy for State Representative of the 93rd House District pledging to oppose the political classes’ tax hikes.
Born and raised in Knox County, Joshua Griffith joined the Army at 17 and served for 11 years before retiring as a Sergeant First Class and returning home.
“Illinois has the highest taxes in the nation and the politicians only plan is force us to pay more,” said Griffith. “Families are fleeing Illinois because they can’t afford to stay. We need a State Representative who will stand up for our interests, not do the bidding of Mike Madigan and the Chicago Democrats.”
Griffith is running to replace incumbent Norine Hammond, who was hand picked to join the General Assembly and appointed to the seat in 2010.
After seven years in office, and another decade as legislative aide, Hammond is most famous for joining with Mike Madigan and Chicago Democrats to pass a 32% income tax hike earlier this year.
Rep. Mike Unes (R-East Peoria) is the last one standing, in case you were wondering. ADDING: Rep. Charles Meier also doesn’t have an opponent.
Donald Moore, a retired U. S. Marine and current Madison County Board member, today announced his campaign for State Representative in the 108th district to strengthen conservative leadership and conservative convictions in Springfield.
Moore is running to provide voters with a principled and fiscally conservative alternative to incumbent Representative Charlie Meier. Moore said Meier, a registered Republican, joined the ranks of Speaker Mike Madigan and Chicago Democrats to pass a 32 percent income tax hike built into a budget that does not recognize that Illinois continues to spend more money than you already send them in taxes.
“I’m running for office to bring our conservative values and principles to state government,” said Don Moore. “Our families deserve to be represented by a leader who will stand up and not waiver when it comes to seeking a fiscally conservative approach to solving Illinois’ debt problem.”
Charlie Meier voted in opposition to Governor Rauner and with Speaker Madigan to pass a 32 percent tax hike that will cost the families of Madison County an additional $70 million in higher taxes. It will cost the families of Clinton County $9.6 million, St. Clair County $56.5 million, and Washington County $3.8 million in more taxes.
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Speaking of which…
Potential gubernatorial challenger Jeanne Ives adds $10K from Illinois Liberty PAC, currently chaired by Pat Hughes.https://t.co/08dmki1YEt
* Let’s do some other campaign stuff while we’re at it. BND…
St. Clair County State’s Attorney Brendan Kelly’s first quarter as a congressional candidate has garnered more than $350,000 in campaign contributions, including some from a top Democrat.
The campaign also said it’s the best off-year quarter by a challenger, according to its research.
Kelly, a Democrat hoping to unseat U.S. Rep. Mike Bost, R-Murphysboro, in the 12th congressional district in the 2018 election, has received more than 900 individual contributions. […]
According to Federal Elections Commission data, Kelly’s first quarter of fundraising on the campaign trail was better than any quarter by C.J. Baricevic, who was the Democratic nominee for the 12th district in 2016.
The Republican Attorneys General Association (RAGA) released the following statement following Sharon Fairley’s announcement that she would be running for Illinois Attorney General. Fairley most recently served as the chief administrator of the Chicago Civilian Office of Police Accountability.
“Sharon Fairley was recently appointed as Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s police oversight chief, but is already looking for a promotion. The Civilian Office of Policy Accountability was literally open ten days before rumors began circulating the she was likely to leave,” said RAGA Executive Director Scott Will. “Not exactly the qualities you look for in a leader of a critical law enforcement agency, let alone the top law enforcement officer of an entire state. Illinois needs an attorney general that actually wants to do the job.”
When it came Madigan’s control as [Illinois] Democratic Party Chair, will candidates work with the Speaker of the House in their bid for the governor’s seat? Ahern states, “some people say he has more power than the governor.” She asked about the candidates’ relationships with him.
Tio Hardiman rebukes Madigan:
“We need a governor who will stand up to Mike Madigan and Mayor Rahm Emanuel. We don’t get a governor to stand up to politics as usual in Illinois, it’s the same powers over and over,” he continues. “Once I become Governor, I believe Mike Madigan will retire because I don’t believe he wants to deal with me.”
Biss adds, “Mike Madigan has been the Speaker for way too long and it’s held us back. It’s held the Democratic party back.”
As one of the hundreds in attendance, community activist Wallace ‘Gator’ Bradley was miffed at the ant-Madigan comments. “I don’t think anyone should be afraid to stand with anyone who stands with them and what they feel is better for Illinois. That was a question in the debate. In the end, whoever becomes the nominee, they’re not going to turn away Madigan or Berrios’ support,” says Bradley, who is a supporter of Pritzker.
So, Gator Bradley defended… Madigan and Pritzker? Yep.
There was a time not long ago when Gator Bradley was considered pretty darned controversial. I asked the Pritzker folks today if Bradley had a role in the campaign and was told “Nope.”
As nationwide reports of dicamba-related damage to soybeans and other crops continue to climb, the American Soybean Association reiterates its commitment to find a solution to the issue.
This issue isn’t going away — in fact, it’s only getting worse. There are now a reported 2,242 complaints affecting 3.1 million acres of soybeans in 21 of our 30 soybean-growing states, and we expect that number to continue to rise.
Lawsuits against Monsanto continue to pile up pushing state agriculture boards to look into new regulations for next year that include cut off dates for application and strict times during the day for spraying.
Among the dozens of lawsuits against Monsanto, a large class action suit involving farmers from ten states including Illinois.
New versions of the herbicide dicamba developed by Monsanto and BASF, according to farmers, have drifted across fields to crops unable to withstand it, a charge authorities are investigating.
As the crisis intensifies, new details provided to Reuters by independent researchers and regulators, and previously unreported testimony by a company employee, demonstrate the unusual way Monsanto introduced its product. The approach, in which Monsanto prevented key independent testing of its product, went unchallenged by the Environmental Protection Agency and nearly every state regulator. […]
In this case, Monsanto denied requests by university researchers to study its XtendiMax with VaporGrip for volatility — a measure of its tendency to vaporize and drift across fields.
The researchers interviewed by Reuters — Jason Norsworthy at the University of Arkansas, Kevin Bradley at the University of Missouri and Aaron Hager at the University of Illinois — said Monsanto provided samples of XtendiMax before it was approved by the EPA. However, the samples came with contracts that explicitly forbade volatility testing. [Emphasis added.]
In Illinois, retired biologist Lou Nelms who operated a prairie seed nursey and was a researcher at the University of Illinois, has documented damage to oak trees across the state from dicamba and filed numerous complaints with Illinois Department of Agriculture and Department of Natural Resources. […]
But, in the cases of oak tree damage, internal Monsanto emails indicate that the company has tried to shift blame away from dicamba to other pesticides.
The emails were written by company lobbyists who shared them with the Illinois agriculture department. The emails were obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request.
Nelms filed more complaints in August about damage at the Sandra Miller Bellrose Nature Preserve, an area officially recognized by the Illinois Natural Preserve Commission, and at the 412.7 acre Revis Hill Prairie, an official state natural area.
The Monsanto correspondence followed Nelms filing complaints with the department.
Nelms filed one of his complaints, on the morning of August 16, with the Department of Natural Resources about dicamba damage to oak trees at the state nature preserve Funk’s Grove.
Funk’s Grove, about 10 miles south of Bloomington, Illinois, is one of just 654 undisturbed natural areas in the state of Illinois. The 25-acre forest is famed for its sugar maples and the syrup they produce. The nature preserve, a popular destination along the famed Route 66, is also home to oak trees hundreds of years old.
But this year, the leaves on the historic oak trees “cupped” and died, exhibiting clear signs of harm from either 2,4-D or dicamba, which is the most widely used weed killer of this type, Nelms said.
Just one hour later after Nelms’ August 16 complaint, Jeff Williams, a Monsanto lobbyist based in Springfield, Illinois, sent an email to Dave Tierney, the regional director governmental affairs in Des Moines, Iowa.
In the email, Williams wrote he had talked with Warren Goetsch, deputy director of the Illinois Department of Agriculture, and Wayne Rosenthal, the director of the Illinois Department of Natural Resources the night before.
With the landmark education funding legislation that Governor Rauner signed into law, Illinois has its first-ever scholarship tax credit program to help children receive a better education, in addition to the highest level of public education funding ever.
The scholarship program is specifically designed to help Illinois’ neediest children. Only students whose families earn less than 300% of the poverty level are elligible for the scholarships. Programs such as this have been praised by education advocates as empowering for low-income children.
The Democrats running for governor, however, all opposed the scholarship program. And the candidates spoke out in opposition to the compromise bill that passed the legislature and was signed by Governor Rauner.
J.B. Pritzker promised to do away with this program, taking away school choice from the thousands of low-income children it is designed to help. He continues to tout his opposition as well as his running mate’s ‘no’ vote on the compromise.
Chris Kennedy and Ameya Pawar also oppose providing low-income children with the opportunity to choose what educational opportunities are best for them. According to them, providing Illinois’ neediest families with the ability to choose the best education for their children is “wrong.”
State Sen. Daniel Biss not only voiced his opposition, but cast his vote against the compromise bill. Biss called it “absurd” to include a program that directly benefits needy communities in the state.
Time after time, the Democrat gubernatorial candidates have shown that they do not stand on the side of the people. Their united opposition to historic reform is a clear example that their policies are wrong for our children and wrong for Illinois.
Andy Manar sold out to Chicago politicians when he proposed a new school funding formula this year. Manar actually proposed cutting numerous school districts that Manar represents. Carlinville, Staunton, and Hillsboro would have seen cuts of about half a million dollars. Taylorville would have seen nearly a million dollars less in funding from Manar. In fact, Manar wanted to give Chicago Public Schools a 500 million dollar bailout.
Those district figures McMillan mentions are apparently the same ones that Gov. Rauner used to tout his own school funding proposal which went absolutely nowhere…
* Rep. Avery Bourne, a Republican who represents half of Sen. Manar’s district (and would usually therefore be considered a McMillan ally), penned this op-ed with Manar in September…
One main Republican concern under the previous version of school funding reform was that Chicago would have received its pension payment through the school funding formula, skewing education dollars to Chicago Public Schools first. Under this compromise, Chicago still does well — like all other underfunded school districts. The bipartisan agreement pays downstate teacher pensions in full and moves Chicago’s pension costs out of the school funding formula, treating that district like every other school district in the state. Chicago also is given the ability to raise its property taxes so that it will support its own schools locally, just like every other district in the state.
One main Democratic concern under the governor’s amendatory veto of the previous version of school funding reform was his move to strike several provisions that protected underfunded schools in future years from potential cuts. The bipartisan agreement keeps these provisions intact, ensuring that the state continues to make underfunded schools its highest priority with the goal of eliminating our worst-in-the-nation inequity gap.
In short, this compromise treats all 852 Illinois school districts the same and will benefit every school district and every student in the state.
Changing that pension language as the Republicans demanded actually increased the amount of money going to CPS.
* McMillan got his $500 million number from the ILGOP…
Mike Madigan and his political allies are trying to hold schoolchildren hostage in order to force through a $500 million Chicago bailout without reform.
And that brings us to the top of this post, which has the ILGOP praising the new law (which gives CPS more than the Democrats asked for) and bashing the Democrats for opposing it.
* But it’s not just the Republicans. From the Pritzker campaign’s response to Rauner’s new TV ad…
According to Bruce Rauner, Illinois is a pile of dirty socks and pizza and he is the parent cleaning up after Illinois families. We get that it’s hard to run a campaign without accomplishments, but it’s generally best not to both lie and insult voters in a single ad. The truth is, Bruce Rauner pitted communities against each other, vetoed the school funding formula, and then forced other leaders to clean up his mess
Except, as noted above, Pritzker didn’t support the final bill. He did support an earlier version of the bill, however and got blasted for it…
“J.B. Pritzker’s support for SB1 in its current form is all about politics, not the children. He knows that a Chicago bailout hurts children across Illinois by redistributing their tax dollars towards a broken pension system without reform, but he doesn’t care. Pritzker is willing to hurt children in order to maintain his good favor with Mike Madigan’s Chicago machine.” – Illinois Republican Party Spokesman Steven Yaffe
In advance of tomorrow’s sentencing for Patrick Edwards, who along with a group of nine others, has been convicted of robbing more than 100 guns from an unsecure Chicago train line, Chris Kennedy and Ra Joy will speak about the violence that plagues our communities and the access to guns that pass through Chicago’s rail yards.
They will be joined by Cook County Commissioner Jesús “Chuy” García, anti-violence advocates and families that have been affected by gun violence.
I’ve heard him talk about this before, but this event will put the issue in focus.
A federal judge today sentenced a convicted felon to ten years in prison for stealing hundreds of firearms from a cargo train on the South Side of Chicago and selling more than a dozen of them.
On April 12, 2015, ANDREW SHELTON and several acquaintances burglarized the cargo train while it was parked overnight in a railyard in Chicago’s Avalon Park neighborhood. The cargo train was en route from a Ruger factory in New Hampshire to Spokane, Wash. The thieves broke locks on a train car and walked off with approximately 111 firearms, with Shelton keeping 13 guns for himself. He quickly sold the 13 firearms on the black market.
To date, law enforcement has recovered 19 of the 111 stolen firearms at various locations and crime scenes in Chicago and the surrounding area.
A suburban Chicago mother of seven is accused of urging Facebook followers to kill a gang member-turned-FBI mole for his role in a sting that put an associate of hers behind bars on charges he tried to sell semi-automatic rifles stolen from a freight train, court documents show.
Iesha Stanciel, 38, faces federal cyberstalking charges for the threats, as well as a gun charge after she was arrested carrying a bag containing one of the brand new AR 15-type assault rifles stolen from the Chicago train that had stopped overnight at a Norfolk Southern yard on Sept. 18, 2016, according to a federal complaint examined by The Associated Press this week. […]
That 2016 theft angered residents near the South Side rail yard because it came a year after the theft of 104 Sturm, Ruger & Co. guns, which quickly fell into the hands of gangs. After the 2015 heist, aldermen sought assurances from Norfolk Southern that such thefts wouldn’t happen again.
At a sentencing hearing last week in that 2015 case, Judge John Tharp said criminals prize new guns because they’re hard to trace and he said their theft contributed to “an epidemic of violence” in Chicago. A prosecutor told the court there’s a little-known “subculture” of thieves who regularly rob trains in the nation’s busiest rail hub.
It was Stafford’s arrest that led Stanciel, just days later, to start posting the Facebook threats that included the informant’s name, court papers said.
Whew.
* These train burglaries have long been a problem. A small sampling..
* May 2014: I-Team: Assault rifles stolen from freight train in Englewood
* November 2016: 2 Investigators: Gun Thefts Continue At Chicago Railyards: Chicago Ald. Pat Dowell was so concerned about railyard gun heists that last year she wanted to hold a public hearing to question railway representatives. But she tells the 2 Investigators the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and railyard giant Norfolk Southern “strongly encouraged” her not to go public for fear she would expose serious security deficiencies. Dowell held off. Now, it’s happened again.
* January 2017: How modern day train robberies are bringing more guns to Chicago
* March 2017: Railroad thefts and guns: A deadly mix in Chicago
* March 2017: Gang Thieves Use Rail Yards As Shopping Malls, Steal Scores Of Guns
Come out and help protect your second amendment rights and maybe even win a gun. By supporting this event you are helping to support and elect candidates that realize your constitutional rights are not a gift from the government.
We will be starting the night off at 5:30pm with appetizers at 6:00pm.
Dinner will be served at 7:00pm with gun raffle ticket sales being sold from 5:30 until after dinner when the drawings will start.
A $2,000 check makes you a “2nd Amendment Sponsor” and gets you 10 dinner tickets, a full-page ad in the program, 10 dinner raffle tickets for a Mossberg shotgun, 6 raffle tickets with the chance to win one of three 22 rifles. You’ll also get a Smith & Wesson M&P 15 SPTII 223…
Lake County Republicans are moving ahead with a fundraiser where at least a dozen firearms will be given out to donors Friday night, less than two weeks after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history in Las Vegas. […]
Mark Shaw, the Lake County GOP chairman, said the first-of-its-kind event for local Republicans would proceed as scheduled because it had long been in the planning stages. The Oct. 1 shooting of concertgoers in Las Vegas by a sniper at the Mandalay Bay hotel killed 58 people and wounded hundreds of others.
“Unfortunately, obviously, the tragic events in Las Vegas happened and the fact that we had a dinner scheduled for the 13th of October, that’s been something that’s been in the works for over a year,” Shaw told the Chicago Tribune on Tuesday. […]
“Only the right-wing Republicans would be having something like this at this time. If you truly believe in the 2nd Amendment and that it was a terrible situation in Las Vegas, you probably could easily cancel something and nobody would think bad of you,” said [Sen. Terry Link of Waukegan, the Lake County Democratic chairman], who had been unaware of the fundraiser until asked about it by the Tribune.
A portion of the proceeds will be donated to the Las Vegas Law Enforcement Assistance Fund, according to the Tribune.
*** UPDATE 1 *** The governor has been dodging reporters’ questions on gun control since the Las Vegas shootings. This, however, gives the issue a state angle for reporters to pursue…
Bruce Rauner has donated $16,000 to the Lake County Republican group hosting this gun giveaway https://t.co/7vpe7tf6GV
*** UPDATE 2 *** More fodder for Rauner questions…
Earlier today, State Representative Scott Drury (D-Highwood) introduced legislation to ban the sale, manufacture, possession, transfer or importation of bump stock devices – firearm equipment that essentially converts a semi-automatic weapon into a machine gun. The shooter responsible for the recent devastation in Las Vegas, Nevada used bump stock devices to fire his ammunition at a much more rapid pace than would otherwise have been possible. The devices allow a shooter to increase his firing rate from between 45 and 60 rounds per minute to between 400 and 800 rounds per minute.
“Machine guns are illegal in Illinois,” said Drury. “Common sense dictates that a device that essentially converts firearms into machine guns should also be illegal.”
Since the Las Vegas massacre, there have been bi-partisan calls for a ban on bump stock devices. Drury says his proposal answers those calls. According to Drury, he intentionally limited the scope of the proposed legislation to bump stock devices to allow the public to see which legislators truly support a bump stock ban. “There is nowhere to hide,” said Drury.
Drury has long advocated for more responsible gun laws, and currently is a co-sponsor of legislation requiring the licensing of gun dealers. In 2013, Drury successfully raced to make sure towns throughout a major part of his legislative district imposed assault weapons bans and regulations notwithstanding an NRA-backed law that sought to eliminate towns’ abilities to exercise local control on the issue. “The NRA’s legislation gave towns 10 days to implement assault bans or forever lose the right,” said Drury. “In that short timeframe, we accomplished what the NRA thought would be impossible – we acted quickly and won, preserving local control in the process.”
Drury says it is again time to act swiftly. “Illinois has the opportunity to take the lead on a national issue of critical importance and help save lives.”
Drury’s legislation is House Bill 4112.
*** UPDATE 3 *** This was sent a couple of hours ago, but I never got it…
In the wake of the deadliest mass shooting in American history, Lake County Republicans are moving forward with a party fundraiser that hopes to draw crowds by raffling off a host of firearms. But Bruce Rauner has been silent on his own party’s controversial fundraising tactic.
If history is any indication, Rauner will likely have nothing to say. Two days ago, Rauner refused to speak out about mass shootings, saying he has “no obligation to comment” on national issues. Last week, Rauner dodged reporters’ questions for days on his position on gun legislation and what he would do to keep Illinoisans safe.
“While Bruce Rauner refuses to tell Illinoisans how he will prevent mass shootings in our state, his party is raffling off guns just weeks after the tragedy in Las Vegas,” said Pritzker campaign spokeswoman Jordan Abudayyeh. “This is a shameful insult to American families still mourning and should be immediately condemned by Rauner, the top Republican in our state.”
* Chris Kennedy spoke at the Mom+Baby governors candidate meet and greet yesterday. I didn’t see anything on his Twitter page about it, but I’m told about 30 moms and 10 kids had to wait at least half an hour for him to arrive. And it went downhill from there. From a few text messages that were forwarded to me…
He was a hot mess. Shirt barely tucked in. He had on biking shoes. He spoke about Trump the entire time. Crazy!
It was embarrassing. He misquoted stats that our members corrected him on. He got called out on lack of supporting single payer and marijuana legalization
He also starting talking education inequity and misspoke on the cps funding. It was nuts.
* Well, it came up again during the recent gubernatorial forum hosted by Our Revolution Illinois…
Mary Ann Ahern: Mr. Kennedy, you had received criticism after an event Downstate called Mom and Baby. You were late to the event, some of them felt, some of the moms there at the event felt you disrespected them. You’ve also been somewhat reluctant to take reporter’s questions unless it’s a one on one setting. Do you have what it takes for a high-profile governor’s race?
Chris Kennedy: I hope so. [Laughter]. Um, as for the Mom and Babies interaction, I’d say that the people in Vernon Hills would be shocked to know that they now live in Downstate.
Ahern: Sorry. Correction.
Kennedy: That’s OK. I mean, truthfully, they were, a number of them were interviewing for jobs with JB Pritzker and a lot of the criticism came out of that job application process [Pritzker shakes head “No”].
I go to multiple events every day. I’ve had enormous amounts of press exposure, I grew up in a very exposed family, and I’m very comfortable with other people. I don’t know what you’re looking for in terms of an answer but I’ll take you all on one at a time or all at once, either way I’m prepared, so thank you.
Hey Rich! How are you? My org Mom+Baby was slammed again by Chris Kennedy. See this link for the video and check out the 30 seconds starting at an hour into the video. He is blaming our org and the moms for his campaign issues.
Below is the statement that I made on FB in response and the comments. I also showed some additional posts our members put out too.
Facebook friends as you know I am the founder and President of Mom+Baby, a non profit organization that is non-partisan and helps women get involved in the legislative process. Yesterday at a Gubernatorial Forum that we sponsored Chris Kennedy stated that we were being paid by JB to ruin his campaign. These are lies!
We have taken the time to meet with all the candidates through our programming called Legislative Coffee Dates. We met with Chris on July 18th for a Legislative Coffee Date. He showed up over 30 minutes late, was disheveled, spoke poorly and did not share key democratic values like taxing and regulating marijuana. Had he shown up on time he would have known he was in a room of power house women and not at a playgroup meetup. The majority of our members are business owners. During the forum he stated that our members tried to get jobs from JB’s campaign. This is not true! Our members have full plates of their own and love volunteering on campaigns but none attempted a job on a gubernatorial campaign.
Chris would have understood the issues that mattered to our members but he neglected to listen. He was disrespectful to our members and assumed because we are women we were not educated on the issues at hand in our state. He treated us like we were ignorant and his continual lack of care and respect for women and moms disgusts me and our members.
I support JB for Governor. I am not paid by JB, I do not work for JB’s campaign. I support the rights of women and children. Mom+Baby has not endorsed any candidate for governor and we will not be endorsing anyone. If you have questions on my stances, the board’s stances or want to get involved more in our politically active organization let us know. Women matter and we will not allow any candidate or legislator to mistreat us! Www.mombabychicago.org #WeAreTheStorm #MomPlusBaby#WSWConference
Kennedy seemed genuinely perplexed about why this ever became a story in the first place. He said members of the group posed for photos with him for 20 minutes after the July event. He apparently thought it went well.
As noted above, one of his critics mentioned that he wore “biking shoes,” which seemed like a show of disrespect. Kennedy said, however, that an attendee had spoken about her work to expand biking and he showed her his shoes and told her he’d biked to work that very day.
He said he was told that one of the women at the event was interviewing with JB Pritzker’s campaign.
“The truth is some people have disrupted my events who were interviewing with JB,” Kennedy said.
* I checked with the Pritzker folks and they confirmed that no one from the group had applied for a job or had been interviewed about a job with the campaign.
* Last year it was President Obama endorsing Juliana Stratton over Rep. Ken Dunkin. This year it’s Keith Ellison. From a press release…
U.S. Representative Keith Ellison, who also serves as the Deputy Chair of the Democratic National Committee attended the campaign launch of Dilara Sayeed, candidate for State Representative of the 5th District.
Sayeed is running for the 5th District seat to be vacated by Lieutenant Governor candidate Juliana Stratton. Sayeed is a community leader and former Chief Education Officer of the Golden Apple Foundation. She would be the first Muslim to be elected to the Illinois state legislature, and only the third in the country.
“You need to have state legislators willing to stand up for public education, to stand up for key issues,” Ellison said. “We’ve got to have state legislators who can be unrelenting and not back down. Dilara is stepping into [this work]. Step into it with her, because you are rolling with the right person.“
Ellison praised her efforts. “She’s reaching out to people, to communities, and we have to be there. Not for her sake, but for all of ours. Dilara, I’m very proud of you.”
“I’m blessed to be able to call Congressman Keith Ellison my friend,” Sayeed said.
Sayeed’s campaign is off to a fast start, raising $50,000 in two weeks from over 60 contributors.
“She’s the real deal,” said Reverend Leslie Sanders, senior pastor of Hope Presbyterian Church. “She has the knowledge, the political skills, and what matters most is that she cares.”
Pastor Joaquin Barry led the guests in prayer. He called on the community to work together and asked for God’s Grace to carve a path to victory.
The campaign launch was held at Sunshine Enterprises, a community incubator in the district that trains and equips local entrepreneurs. One of Sayeed’s key campaign issues is a focus on bringing business and economic revitalization to communities and supporting talent in the 5th District.
“One of the platforms of our campaign is that we shouldn’t call it the American Dream, it should be the American Promise,” Sayeed said. “If people work hard, if we try and are persistent, and if we follow the rules - then we should be able to build a life. My husband and I have been fortunate to build a life…and my career has been about being a bridge so that others can build that life too.
50 grand? Not bad. She may need it. Tregg Duerson, the son of the late Chicago Bears great Dave Duerson, has loaned his campaign $51,000 so far.
The economic lifeblood of this rural whiz-by of a town is frozen French fries. And bacon. And fabricated steel, ethanol, hydroponic tomatoes, the production of passenger cars for METRA.
About 16,000 freight cars roll through each year, picking up and delivering grain and other goods. Soon, boutique whiskey distilled in a onetime downtown theater will also be added to the local gross domestic product.
And just maybe, someday in the not too distant future gleaming new Toyotas and Mazdas could come rolling off a production line that Illinois hopes will be built on what is now 1,000 acres of corn and soybeans.
Tiny Rochelle, 80 miles west of Chicago at the intersection of Interstates 88 and 39, is on an industrial roll, blissfully ignoring a common narrative among political and business elites that economically maligned Illinois is circling the toilet bowl. […]
Jason Anderson, who heads Rochelle’s business development agency, says the supposed bad rep of Illinois hasn’t hobbled recruitment efforts a bit.
“No one we’ve dealt with has ever brought that up,” said Jason Anderson, who leads the Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corporation (GREDCO), which has attracted companies like Nippon Sharyo, Boise Cascade, Tyson Foods, and Hormel. The town is also home to a 1,200 acre intermodal rail park run by Union Pacific, a shipping point that often sends goods to the Pacific Rim.
Establishment Republicans are getting squeezed to death from within. In what should be nirvana — all-party control of Washington — they instead are jammed daily between a president who routinely ridicules them for ineptitude — and Steve Bannon, who’s recruiting hardliners to extinguish their very existence.
Why this matters: The Breitbart News chairman and former White House chief strategist is building a nationwide coalition that — in the words of a former Trump White House official — could “wreak havoc” across the map “if Bannon is even halfways successful.” […]
Bannon is also exploring gubernatorial and House races.
As Bannon told Fox’s Sean Hannity this week: “Nobody’s safe. We’re coming after all of them.”
One can’t help but wonder whether any disaffected Republicans in Illinois have reached out to him yet.
CME Group Inc. has a message for Illinois legislators who see the $47 billion global derivatives trading giant as a piggy bank to help solve the state’s fiscal woes.
Chief Executive Officer Terry Duffy said that the exchange is less rooted in its historical home of Chicago because it now barely relies on face-to-face dealing in trading pits. CME has no plans to leave the city, he said in an interview Tuesday.
“If you were to whiteboard it today, you probably wouldn’t pick Chicago, and it’s nothing against the city,” he said. “We’re here for legacy reasons, and now that we are here for legacy reasons, it makes complete sense” to stay.
Just last year, politicians went searching for new revenue to fix a budget crisis, with some floating the idea of taxing trades on CME’s exchange. It wasn’t adopted. […]
Enough lawmakers in Illinois — which has the lowest credit rating of any U.S. state — get that taxing CME isn’t the solution, he said. And those who don’t should remember the company isn’t tied down: It’s pared back real estate holdings in the area and the shift to electronic trading means CME could move anywhere. The exchange, more than ever, is a virtual operation currently based in a data center in Aurora, Illinois, just outside Chicago.
The whole interview is worth a read, so click here.
Today, the JB Pritzker campaign released a new TV ad, “Commitment.” The ad shows Illinois Secretary of State Jesse White talking about his support for JB for governor.
“JB has spent his life standing up for what’s right, fighting against discrimination, working for criminal justice reform, and being a national leader for early childhood education,” said Secretary of State Jesse White in the ad. “JB’s the one I trust for governor.”
“I’ve known Jesse for more than a quarter century, and I count myself among the many he inspires,” said JB Pritzker. “Together, we’re going to fight to put Springfield back on the side of working families and get Illinois children the education they deserve. Jesse White is the very definition of a public servant and I am so proud to have standing with me in this campaign.”
The governor worked to cut through decades of delay and gridlock to sign a compromise bill that results in record levels of public education funding, a first of its kind tax credit scholarship program for low income students, and more funding for school districts that need it most.
Improving education was a major reason why Bruce ran for governor. Years before running for governor, Bruce and his wife, Diana, had spent years working to improving education in Illinois schools by supporting early childhood development, charter and choice schools, better teacher training and merit pay.
Now, Bruce is fighting for reform throughout Illinois, working to clean up the mess the Madigan Machine created, one step at a time. It won’t be easy, but Illinois is home — and home is worth fighting for.
*** UPDATE *** Galia Slayen at the Pritzker campaign…
According to Bruce Rauner, Illinois is a pile of dirty socks and pizza and he is the parent cleaning up after Illinois families. We get that it’s hard to run a campaign without accomplishments, but it’s generally best not to both lie and insult voters in a single ad. The truth is, Bruce Rauner pitted communities against each other, vetoed the school funding formula, and then forced other leaders to clean up his mess
