Maybe the answers are right in front of you?
Thursday, Nov 12, 2020 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Yesterday evening…
Reasonable request.
* 90 minutes later…
Sen. Rezin lives in Morris, which is in Grundy County, which has a seven-day average positivity rate of 20.7 percent. It’s most recent daily rate was 30.3 percent.
The veterans’ home is in a county with a seven-day average positivity rate of 19.9 percent. That virus had to get into the home somehow. Think it might’ve come from the community, whose leaders are resisting mitigations?
Just a thought.
Also, this isn’t a statewide closure of indoor dining. It was done on a regional basis and every region is now in dire straits.
* Meanwhile…
State Senator Sue Rezin (R-Morris) and State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) joined together to call on Senate President Don Harmon and House Speaker Michael Madigan to call a joint hearing of the General Assembly to discuss the state’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are now eight months into this pandemic. It is well past time for the General Assembly who is a coequal branch to take a more active role in the management of this pandemic,” said Sen. Rezin. “Legislative hearings will allow the public to hear directly from the Governor’s Office, state and local public health officials, small businesses, and other impacted stakeholders about what exactly goes into the decision-making process for our state’s response. In addition to providing the public with much needed transparency, these hearings will finally give legislators the opportunity to directly ask the Administration about the data and assumptions they choose to use. For too long, we have been left in the dark with more questions than answers. This has been particularly true when it comes to the Administration’s mitigation rules.”
Enhanced mitigation has been imposed across the state that disproportionately impacts the hospitality industry despite contradictory claims from local health departments about their role in spreading the virus.
“The surge in positive COVID-19 cases in Illinois forced the cancellation of the Fall Veto Session,” said Rep. Ford. “The General Assembly can’t leave the weight of this virus on the back of the executive branch. In order to protect the well-being of Illinoisans, we need a bipartisan and bicameral plan working with the executive branch.”
Additionally, the two legislators are encouraging Governor Pritzker to join with the General Assembly as an equal partner by supporting public legislative hearings and agreeing to make state officials and consultants available.
The letter is here.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:15 am:
I’d recommend Rezin and Ford take a peek at ilga.gov, where reports from DCEO on the administration response are posted, pursuant to a law passed in May.
There’s also a very helpful IDPH website and a state coronavirus general response website.
Not tough to read, but that’s only if want to be informed, not play cheap politics.
- Candy Dogood - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:15 am:
hos·pi·tal·i·ty
/ˌhäspəˈtalədē/
adjective
modifier noun: hospitality
relating to or denoting the business of housing or entertaining visitors
I wonder if the act of housing or entertaining visitors is something that contributes to the spread of a deadly viral pandemic?
I am disappointed to see someone with Senator Rezin’s legislative record come down on this side of the issue.
- Former State Employee - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:18 am:
Wow, that was a head spinning turn from Rezin in 90 minutes. This is no time to play politics
- Reality - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:20 am:
The cognitive dissonance and lack of logical continuity in the face of the pandemic is astounding. We have to either prioritize business as usual and the economy or public health and peoples lives. We cannot do both. I wish leaders would focus their efforts on lobbying congress for further relief funds rather than lending their credentials and legitimacy to those who attempt to undermine public health recommendations.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:26 am:
Take a look at Sue’s statement of economic interest.
Notice all the dining establishments she has a financial interest in.
It is of absolutely no surprise she is pretending to be concerned about indoor dining.
- hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:27 am:
Scary to think she would probably be headed to D.C. if she had prevailed in the primary.
Also, is there gonna be a thread on the Uihlein COVID news?
https://patch.com/illinois/lakeforest/amp/29075967/trump-megadonors-contract-coronavirus-joining-fellow-billionaire?__twitter_impression=true
- illinifan - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:30 am:
We need a new test before being eligible to run for office and that is the ability to pass a logic test.
- TheUpperRoom - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:31 am:
If you are someone sick of COVID who has tried to practice safety - masks, social distancing, refraining from large gatherings - this type of double-speak is maddening. Unfortunately, it seems conservatives in office only see the light once they are personally affected - either contracting the virus themselves, or losing a family member or close friend to it. See; Chris Christie.
- Duke - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:31 am:
If I remember, Devore and Bailey took a tour through the area as well. I didn’t see any masks or distancing in the press photos.
- Earnest - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:40 am:
>Additionally, the two legislators are encouraging
That people wear masks, social distance and avoid social gatherings to reduce the spread of virus and keep our veterans safe and our businesses able to open again.
That’s snark, of course. Plenty of criticism on Sen. Rezin’s Twitter feed, but no encouragement of safe practices.
- SouthSide Markie - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:41 am:
No indoor dining? Could have fooled me. The lack of enforcement has made the ban a joke. And it’s not just downstate. Nearly every restaurant along Harlem Avenue in Southwest Suburban Palos Heights has defied or is defying the ban. One restaurant’s Facebook posting announcing its defiance of the ban was followed by 100+ positive comments.
https://www.facebook.com/JoesItalianVilla
The south suburban Reporter newspaper carried a list of 20+ restaurants that intend to defy the ban. https://thereporteronline.net/?p=75176
Many municipalities are doing nothing to enforce this ban. Given how brazenly restaurants are defying it, it’s clear the seemingly non-existent threat of State enforcement isn’t being taken seriously. If we want people to take it seriously, the State has to as well, by putting teeth into the enforcement of the ban. Otherwise, it’s just more hot air. Hot Covid-filled air.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:46 am:
===is there gonna be a thread on the Uihlein COVID news?===
https://twitter.com/capitolfax/status/1326934974424084482
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 11:51 am:
===by putting teeth into the enforcement of the ban===
lol
JCAR barely agreed to what we’ve got.
Good luck with that idea.
- hisgirlfriday - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 12:12 pm:
Kentucky’s Supreme Court just upheld their state’s restrictions unanimously.
Maybe if we got something similar from the IL Supreme Court we could see enforcement taken more seriously?
- Frank talks - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 12:25 pm:
Baffling…….. Why are people getting sick? Unacceptable! Let’s hold hearings!
Btw everyone head over to Smokey’s for the lunch buffet they all about freedom no masks required.
- Publius - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 12:28 pm:
The IL Supreme Court could rule in favor of the governor tomorrow but at this point it won’t do any good regarding enforcement. They only way people will get the message is if restraurants/stores/schools close due to lack of staffing due to everone being out sick. It is getting close for hospitals and nursing homes.
- Gus - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 12:31 pm:
I’m to the point that I think social media has really hurt most public elected positions. Most times it best to say nothing. If asked, respond with out backing yourself into a corner. Otherwise say nothing until you have a accomplishment that you can deliver. I know that’s hard for some.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 12:44 pm:
“providing the public with much needed transparency” There are regions, there are objective criteria for the measures, there are objective metrics to arrive at the measures, there are daily updates at IDPH about the situation. I’m not sure how much more transparent it could possibly be.
- zatoichi - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 1:38 pm:
== Were all of the safety protocols meant to keep our Veterans safe properly followed? ==
Sen Rezin, does that include the veterans living in the community or only the ones living in a nursing home? As I drive around Charleston every restaurant is open and seems to have customers. Where is the statewide shutdown happening you are yelling about?
- Strannik - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 2:06 pm:
I do think that the big part that’s at play is that it’s human nature to want to reach toward a particular goal. In the spring, it was “bed the curve.” In the summer and especially fall, it’s harder to persuade people to try to bend the curve when it has already been shown that it only works for so long. Add to this that businesses have to survive somehow, and COVID fatigue is real, and the psychological strain from reduced in-person interactions is real. Add to this the fact that all but a handful of countries have experienced a resurgence, regardless of what mitigation measures (or, in Belarus’ case, no measures to speak of) they’ve taken.
I’m not saying that the state government shouldn’t be imposing restrictions. But given the limitations of what the state can do, buy-in from businesses and the public is more important than ever, there is just less public willingness to follow through. And, come to think of it, with vaccines seemingly on the horizon (though, realistically, we probably won’t see any tangible effects until next spring), there may be more inclination to say - fork it, there’s light in the end of the tunnel, so why even bother.
Again, not saying I support that mindset, but i can understand it.
- Ares - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 2:25 pm:
FYI, the “street price” (before insurance) of an airlift from Palos Hospital (near the Harlem Ave restaurants) to Loyola is $43,500. It’s “only” $7000 at Medicare rates. A mask or carryout costs much, much less.
- Commisar Gritty - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 2:38 pm:
Rezin is a joke, if you counted number of bill’s she’s passed in her legislative career, you miiiight have to use the second hand. If her district voted on performance rather than the letter next to her name, she woulda been a one-term senator.
- Jocko - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 3:20 pm:
==There needs to be a deep dive to determine the reason for this outbreak.==
I can save you the trouble. Either A) someone asymptomatic who brought it unintentionally or B) someone symptomatic who brought it intentionally (through ignorance or desperation). Either way, they contracted it in the community.
- SouthSide Markie - Thursday, Nov 12, 20 @ 7:48 pm:
== JCAR barely agreed to what we’ve got. Good luck with that idea. ==
That’s exactly my point. Why shouldn’t a restaurant owner defy the ban when doing so presents little risk and not doing so risks her/his business. The State cannot expect people to comply with a law that they know it won’t enforce. If people don’t comply, this pandemic is going to continue and the State will bear some responsibility for that.