Another reason why I hate national politics
Friday, Jun 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Wednesday…
* Today from the NRCC…
Hey there,
Vulnerable Democrat Sean Casten backs teaching Critical Race Theory in the military and learning more about “white rage.”
Do Casten’s Democrat colleagues agree that members of the military should spend more time being taught that they are racists?
Mike Berg
NRCC
Deputy Communications Director
Casten won his last election by 7 points.
* Here’s what the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said…
I do think it’s important, actually, for those of us in uniform to be open-minded and be widely read. In the United States Military Academy is a university. And it is important that we train and we understand. And I want to understand white rage, and I’m white, and I want to understand it. So, what is it that caused thousands of people to assault this building and try to overturn the Constitution of the United States of America? What caused that? I want to find that out. I want to maintain an open mind here, and I do want to analyze it. It’s important that we understand that because our soldiers, sailors, airmen, Marines and guardians, they come from the American people. So, it is important that the leaders now and in the future do understand it. I’ve read Mao Zedong. I’ve read Karl Marx. I’ve read Lenin. That doesn’t make me a communist. So what is wrong with understanding, having some situational understanding about the country for which we are here to defend? And I personally find it offensive that we are accusing the United States military, our general officers, our commissioned, non-commissioned officers of being, quote, woke or something else, because we’re studying some theories that are out there. That was started at Harvard Law School years ago. And it proposed that there were laws in the United States, antebellum laws prior to the Civil War, that led to a power differential with African Americans, that were 3/4 of a human being, when this country was formed. And then we had a Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation to change it. And we brought it up to the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It took another 100 years to change that. So look, I do want to know. And I respect your service, and you and I are both Green Berets, but I want to know. And it matters to our military and the discipline and cohesion of this military.
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* Northwest Indiana Times…
[A Calumet City] alderman has asked the Illinois attorney general and Cook County state’s attorney to remove recently installed mayor Thaddeus Jones, citing a city ordinance prohibiting city elected officials from holding another elected office. […]
They cite a municipal referendum passed on Nov. 3, 2020 that bars anyone seeking office in Calumet City in 2021 and beyond who also holds another elected office at the time they file nominating petitions. The measure passed by a 9,485-4,385 margin.
Jones filed petitions to run for mayor on Nov. 16, eight days before the referendum results were certified on Nov. 24. On Dec. 21, a city elections board removed Jones from the Feb. 23 Democratic primary ballot, citing the referendum result. […]
The Illinois Supreme Court upheld the Appellate Court ruling, and Jones defeated 18-year incumbent Michelle Markiewicz Qualkinbush 1,699-1,417 in the Democratic primary. He then defeated write-in candidate Tony Quiroz 2,057-128 in the April 6 general election to become the first black mayor in Calumet City’s 128-year history, taking office on May 1.
* The governor recently signed the omnibus elections bill, SB825, into law. From that Public Act…
Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a unit of local government may not adopt an ordinance, referendum, or resolution that requires a member of the General Assembly to resign his or her office in order to be eligible to seek elected office in the unit of local government. Any ordinance, referendum, or resolution that contains such a provision is void.
A home rule unit may not regulate the eligibility requirements for those seeking elected office in the unit of local government in a manner inconsistent with this Section. This Section is a limitation under subsection (i) of Section 6 of Article VII of the Illinois Constitution on the concurrent exercise by home rule units of powers and functions exercised by the State.
This Section applies to ordinances, referenda, or resolutions adopted on or after November 8, 2016.
* From Rep./Mayor Jones…
Thaddeus M. Jones- Mayor of Calumet City- is expressing his gratification concerning Governor Pritzker’s signage of SB 825, which will allow Mayor Jones to continue to serve as the Mayor of Calumet City and the Illinois State Representative of the 29th Legislative District.
Senate Bill 825 declares that the referendum that the city of Calumet City filed against the mayor is void and not enforceable.
“The signage of SB 825 officially puts an end to a long history of divisive politics within the government of Calumet City. As the first African American Alderman elected to the Calumet City Council nearly twenty years ago, my family and I have been victimized by every form of harassment and intimidation by the previous administration. The move to prevent me from taking office as the first African American Mayor was baseless and without merit.” says Mayor Jones.
On February 23, Mayor Jones defeated long time former Mayor Michelle Qualkinbush in a hotly contested battle that allowed him to become the Democratic nominee and essentially win the April 6th, General Election.
Give it up, already.
* Related…
* New campaign finance law allows child care expenses to be paid from political funds
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Question of the day
Friday, Jun 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* House Speaker Chris Welch held a press conference last week after session ended. Greg Bishop at the Center Square was the first to ask a question…
Bishop: Speaker, you said it was a new day. Republicans are pointing to last-minute bill drops, very little oversight leading to errors in the budget. How is it a new day if we’re seeing the same types of tactics?
Welch: Greg, I know that you like to write the Republican narrative in your publication, but it’s a new day in Springfield. [Cross talk] I’m talking right now. You asked your question. I know that you love to write the Republican narrative, but [crosstalk] this has been a very successful session. And I’m not gonna let you dim that.
We worked hard. It’s a new day. I can show you the thank you notes from Republicans because of the work that we did together to get some things done this session. We got a lot of great things done in a bipartisan way. Ethics reform, Medicaid expansion, cannabis trailer. We have a whole lot of great things to be proud of. FOID got done today in a bipartisan way. Elected school board got done today in a bipartisan way. So why don’t we focus on all of these great success stories that took place in 2021 under a new speaker and the most diverse leadership team ever in the history of the House, rather than the Republican talking points? Any other questions?
* The Question: How would you rate Speaker Welch’s response? Explain.
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* Background is here if you need it. Center Square…
House Speaker Emanuel “Chris” Welch said the fact that all three rating agencies have changed their tune on Illinois is “proof we can support families, invest in underserved communities, and be fiscally prudent at the same time.”
[Bill Bergman, director of research for Truth in Accounting] disagreed, noting that Illinois is spending more and not paying down debt.
“The state’s tailwinds have helped it, but I don’t believe the state is being fiscally prudent by growing its spending at a time when the debts are so massive,” Bergman said.
* From the CTBA…
Yet, despite obtaining the aforesaid new federal and state funding, and the promising year-to-year increase in education funding, the FY 2022 General Fund budget that passed into law over Memorial Day weekend still holds overall net spending on core services in FY 2022 to an amount that’s $100 million less in nominal dollars than in FY 2021. Which means that, after adjusting for inflation, General Fund spending on services in FY 2022 is now scheduled to be $688 million less in real terms than in FY 2021.
The state’s federal loans are being paid back. And then there’s this…
Comptroller Susana Mendoza said the report vindicates the “responsible approach” taken in paying down the backlog of bills “from $16.7 billion in 2017 to $3.4 billion today.”
* More dramatics, this time from a GOP state Rep…
It’s not time to celebrate in the streets. The longterm fiscal outlook still isn’t great. But expressing a little relief for this respite is certainly justifiable.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** You gotta be kidding me
Friday, Jun 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tim Novak, Lauren FitzPatrick and Caroline Hurley at the Sun-Times…
The 3,300-square-foot condo in Water Tower Place isn’t on the ocean, like owners Barbara Kaplan Israel and Martin Israel’s place in Florida, but it does have jaw-dropping views of Lake Michigan.
They want to sell. Asking price: $3.3 million.
They’ve had the place for decades. Their property tax bill last year for their condo on the Magnificent Mile? Just $2,502.
The Israels — who pay $19,000 a year in property taxes on their oceanfront condo in Boca Raton, Florida — pay so little in Cook County property taxes thanks to a law the Illinois Legislature passed three decades ago establishing what’s called the “senior citizens assessment freeze homestead exemption” and problems with how the Cook County assessor’s office manages the program.
Legislators portrayed the senior freezes as a way to protect homeowners over 65 years old, many on fixed incomes, from being hit with big tax increases if, thanks to gentrification and booming development, home values and property taxes in their neighborhoods shot up, creating financial hardships for older residents.
In Cook County, though, officials admit the program is riddled with errors. And oversight is so lax that they don’t even try to verify that applicants meet the household income threshold of no more than $65,000 a year.
That’s according to a Chicago Sun-Times investigation that found:
Go read the rest. Sheesh.
*** UPDATE *** Tribune…
Legislation headed to Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk could set the stage for a wave of annual real estate tax increases across Illinois by giving local taxing bodies the ability to make up for refunds they’ve issued due to erroneous property over-assessments by shifting those costs onto the rest of their taxpayers.
In Cook County alone, refunds issued by local taxing bodies during the 2020 calendar year in categories covered by the legislation total $176.3 million — an amount roughly in line with annual refunds issued since 2015, based on statistics obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request from the county treasurer’s office. […]
The concept of the legislation is an attempt to hold local taxing districts harmless for drawing up their annual budgets, only to the see the amount of revenue they have available to spend through property taxes reduced by having to issue refunds due to erroneous over-assessments.
But Ralia and other critics contend it allows taxing districts to collect money that never truly existed because the assessments were erroneous and shift the burden onto the taxing district’s other taxpayers to make up for assessment mistakes.
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*** UPDATED x2 *** Unclear on the concept
Friday, Jun 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* 97.9 FM…
St. Rep. Adam Niemerg of Dieterich has been meeting with his local school districts who have been catching some flak from the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois State Board of Education because the districts want to make mask-wearing optional in the coming school year.
Niemerg said if you can go to the ballgame and not have to wear a mask, why can’t school children do the same in the classroom this fall?
Hmm. Could it have something to do with the fact that ballgames are outdoors and classes are held indoors in often poorly ventilated classrooms? Also, too, the vaccine hasn’t yet been approved for young kids.
* Earlier…
Niemerg said he was also introducing a bill to end the mask requirements in schools.
“We need to be an example to our children that we no longer need to fear each other,” he said.
Says the guy who sponsored or co-sponsored 18 pro-gun bills this past spring. He also signed on to this resolution…
Urges the United States Congress and President Joe Biden to pass the “Fauci’s Incompetence Requires Early Dismissal” or “FIRED” Act to relieve Dr. Fauci of his role.
* Related…
* Dr. Fauci says children ‘more likely’ to get COVID Delta variant
* New Mexico pushing child vaccinations as Delta variant begins to spread in the state
* Expert shares how we can protect children from coronavirus Delta variant: Given that there’s now a more transmissible and potentially more dangerous variant circulating in the country, the focus has turned to young people 12 and older, who are less likely to get vaccinated, and to children younger than that, who aren’t eligible yet for the COVID-19 vaccines. Experts like former FDA chief Scott Gottlieb are now warning that “we’re going to see that children and schools do become more of a focal point of spread” as schools reopen later this summer.
* COVID May Cause Long-Term Brain Loss, Study Says
*** UPDATE 1 *** Just 38 percent of Schuyler County is vaccinated…
A COVID-19 outbreak at an Illinois summer camp has infected dozens of people, health officials say.
The outbreak stemming from The Crossing Camp in Rushville has led to over 50 people being infected with the virus, the Pike County Health Department said Wednesday.
On Tuesday, the health department in nearby Schuyler County said the coronavirus exposure happened during a camp from June 13 to 17. The church camp was designated for students from 8th to 12th grade, according to the camp website.
*** UPDATE 2 *** IDPH…
In mid-June, more than 50 teens and adult staff at a summer youth camp in central Illinois tested positive for COVID-19. At least one person was hospitalized. Although all campers and staff were eligible for vaccination, IDPH is aware of only a handful of campers and staff receiving the vaccine. The camp was not checking vaccination status and masking was not required while indoors. All campers and staff went home and were asked to be tested and told to quarantine. As more transmissible and dangerous COVID-19 variants spread, including the Delta variant, largely among people who have not been vaccinated, IDPH continues to encourage all residents 12 years and older to be vaccinated.
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It’s almost a law
Friday, Jun 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mike Miletich…
A bill on Gov. JB Pritzker’s desk could make Illinois the second state in the country to decriminalize HIV. Nearly 40 states have laws that make it a felony to have sex with someone without disclosing HIV status.
Illinois legislators tweaked the law in 2012, however most feel it’s past time to repeal the law completely. Prior to 2012, someone could face a Class 2 Felony charge even if they didn’t transmit the disease. Many feel the law increased harmful stigma around HIV and health care disparities.
“The laws across the country haven’t kept up with the science of HIV,” said Tom Hughes, Executive Director of the Illinois Public Health Association. “People who are on medication who are virally suppressed, they don’t pass HIV along anymore.”
This fight is personal for Hughes. He spent years working in the Illinois House while lawmakers tried to pass bills discriminating against people living with HIV. Hughes feels most of the reaction to the HIV epidemic in the 1980s was based on ignorance and fear.
“I’m really glad to have lived to see the progress that’s been made not only medically, but socially too,” Hughes said.
* Center Square…
A recently passed bill would add self-identified gender identity and sexual orientation to the existing annual reporting requirement for public corporations.
The bill is on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
State Sen. Emil Jones III, D-Chicago, filed Senate Bill 1730. It aims to identify corporations that want to promote qualified LGBTQ individuals to serve on their leadership boards.
Jones said that SB 1730 is an important step to help move the state forward and to develop policies that reflect the state’s diversity. […]
“This bill is not meant to get anyone to out themselves, it is to help those who want to self-identify and help develop legislation that will reflect the diversity in the state of Illinois,” Jones said.
* One more…
Townships in Illinois would be required to either lower taxes or even possibly rebate excess general assistance funds to taxpayers under a bill that’s on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
In 2017, a measure from state Rep. Brad Halbrook, R-Shelbyville, was enacted that prohibits townships from having more than 2.5 times the annual average expenditures in reserves of the previous three fiscal years.
“There was a 1969 Supreme Court case based out of Adams County that a local businessman said that his county is overtaxing because of the large fund balances that they had and he was proven right because of the decision of the Supreme Court,” Halbrook said.
Halbrook’s measure enacted in 2017 excluded a township’s capital fund from the cap.
This year, Senate Bill 1799 from state Sen. Tom Cullerton, D-Villa Park, adds township general assistance funds to that cap. The bill passed both chambers nearly unanimously.
“This bill I believe just kind of reiterates what we put into practice two years ago,” Halbrook said.
If SB1799 is signed by the governor, it could lead to lower taxes.
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Open thread
Friday, Jun 25, 2021 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois topics and polite conversation, please. Thanks.
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