49 Comments - Rabid - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 8:58 am: egg must of hatched in your covid shot - DuPage - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:02 am: I saw on the news that energy costs are going way up this winter. I was wondering about the energy deal the state has with Comed. I think it guarntees them a profit on their nuke generated power. Is there anything in the agreement that limits how high Comed can charge us? - Springfield Hammer - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:04 am: I hope the House brings up HB104 to a vote for once. It has stalled for too long. - Steve Rogers - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:06 am: What an awful Illini game last night. Only Frazier showed up to play. Glad Kofi is back for Cincinnati, which is not going to be a guaranteed win. UC is really good. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:07 am: When facing termination, “retiring” from the field to fight another day is an interesting way to stay alive. That’s been in my mind this morning. - Cheryl44 - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:11 am: This guy https://www.sj-r.com/story/news/2021/11/16/springfield-district-186-board-terminates-teacher-over-covid-mandate/8618663002/ - Joe from Joliet - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:16 am: One thing I am thinking about is what the high rate of inflation will ultimately mean as far as how much Illinois’ gas tax will go up and when. I believe the Capitol Bill and associated fee and gas tax increases included an escalator in the gas tax tied to the rate of inflation. - Keyrock - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:18 am: How ‘bout dem Bulls? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:23 am: Also… also been pondering how one can agree 93% of the time with the leader of your partisan and yet you are an outcast by that partisan because country over party isn’t respected anymore. Pondering… pondering how here we have a partisan retiring from service instead of facing a partisan backlash at the ballot box, ironically because that same person was not partisan enough during an assault on our democracy by partisans he shared a party. Pondering still three vying for two, and the three’s own partisan examined by… maybe… the loyalty each showed during the windows of choice between something greater than us all, or someone who believes he’s greater than it all. It’s never “one” thing, never “one” tipping, it’s always small choices, or seemingly small in their own existence, that build to “only choices” and a point of no return and the path that can’t be changed. Politics is not religion, and religion should not be the foundation of the politics towards any one man (or woman). Times of today won’t be mere partisan whims, they are the winds of a change that could be more damaging each day as the small “things” set a path for the wind where more destruction is inevitable. Been pondering that here in Illinois, and how partisan primaries predict possible problems, not provide possible payback. Country over party. More real now. - lake county democrat - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:23 am: Bulls are fun - I was remembering how much talk there was that Lonzo Ball’s dad was toxic and no team would want the circus he would bring. He’s like motor oil to a prize engine. - Hamlet on the Potomac - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:32 am: Southern Illinois Saluki Basketball plays Colorado this week. - Blue Dog - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:32 am: ImO, there is more to fear for our democracy from socialism than the yahoos that orchestrated the Jan 6 lunacy. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:35 am: - Blue Dog - I read your comment. Good luck. - Downstate - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:37 am: Non-profits are befuddled by the coming OSHA mandate. Total employees is the only measure. It doesn’t matter if employees are spread across many small offices, only what the total number count. So an employer with 94 employees is fine, but the multi-office non-profit has to impose the mandate on each location with a staff of less than 10. Very frustrating. - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:40 am: ===Non-profits are befuddled=== They can’t count to 100? - 10th Ward - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:51 am: Any chance Fast Eddie gets a medical delay before he has to report to jail? 20-1odds or less? - Downstate - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:51 am: “They can’t count to 100?” No, rather it seems a bad plan that offices with less than 15 employees are considered critical to imposing a mandate (simply because they are part of a larger entity), while firms with just under 100 employees aren’t part of the plan. How does the virus know that the 20 person office is more dangerous? /s/ - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:54 am: === How does the virus know that the 20 person office is more dangerous? /s/=== It only takes one to start an infection of others. ===while firms with just under 100 employees aren’t part of the plan.=== This would only bother those unwilling to be vaccinated. The vaccine is free, so it’s not a monetary burden… - OneMan - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:57 am: Went to a concert at the UC last night (Genesis) as the show progressed mask compliance went down, was at about 70% in my area (the little people in the back as Phil Collins referred to us) by the time the show ended. Good show, based on how Phil is looking if you are a fan worth seeing because it may be the last tour. - Ashland Adam - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 9:59 am: Wondering how GA session will be impacted by ongoing Covid-19. Understood - that 54 days have been scheduled, and calendar moved up, w April adjournment planned. But will Covid intervene? Uncertainty. Note Germany and elsewhere in the world, where they’ve handled things pretty well, still having trouble. - BCOSEC - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:02 am: Illini football coach tests positive with breakthrough case despite being fully vaccinated plus booster. There seems to be no end in sight and another rough winter ahead. At least vaccinated people have much better outcomes and medications have been developed to fight it if there is early detection. But it’s been a very long, rough slog. - Downstate - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:04 am: “It only takes one to start an infection of others.” OW, But why the delineation between firms with 100 employees and those with less? - obiter dictum - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:07 am: Marian Hossa was inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame yesterday. He looks like he could still play. The hawks could use him. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:08 am: - Downstate - According to Google, it took me “0.01” seconds to find the link to you question. shorturl.at/rvCMS “COVID-19 Vaccination and Testing ETS Frequently Asked Questions” - Annonin' - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:13 am: Mr. Capt. Fax….seems like the early commenters don’t appreciate your plight. We would call for a “snow day” and enjoy the warmish weather - Downstate - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:14 am: OW, Thanks for the link. Can you explain why a firm with 150 employees, all working from home, are subject to the mandate, while a coffee shop interacting with hundreds of people per day is not? - Rich Miller - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:17 am: ===Can you explain why=== Basic federal law. Try the Google for a change. - Suburban Mom - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:18 am: Are you asking what the mandate is? Or are you asking why the mandate was structured the way it was? - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:19 am: === Can you explain=== Use the link, email OSHA. Thanks. If you’re against the mandate, you can’t be for vaccines… as vaccines in almost every way, and their mandates before covid -19 were things few pondered. - Captain Obvious - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:23 am: He can’t explain it because the policy makes no sense as far as protecting people from covid. This was as pure a political policy/rule as it could be, meant to find a way to force vaccinations on people who don’t want the government making health care decisions for them. - MisterJayEm - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:24 am: “Anyway, what’s on your mind?” This: “An Illinois police union on Wednesday ousted from its membership an officer facing criminal charges for exposing a squad car video that showed his fellow officers slapping and cursing a man dying of a drug overdose.” https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/investigations/2021/11/12/union-ousts-police-officer-featured-in-usa-today-behind-the-blue-wall-series/6396601001/ – MrJM - Downstate - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:24 am: “Use the link, email OSHA.” My point is that the law seems incredibly arbitrary and not well thought out. The mandates of the vaccine don’t seem to match up well with the working world (home based work force as a case-in-point). For example, 45% of Illinois’ work force are employed in businesses with less than 20 employees. So we rolled out a mandate that only covers 55% of the Illinois workforce? I’m just don’t understand the logic of it. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:25 am: ===He can’t explain it because=== … I’m not here to be one’s Google. Being against vaccines and looking forward loopholes to help spread the virus is the only reason one looks to stop mandates. - Anonymous - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:26 am: == Can you explain why a firm with 150 employees, all working from home, are subject to the mandate, while a coffee shop interacting with hundreds of people per day is not? == There are multiple answers to your question. From the link OW provided you Yes. If an employer has 150 employees, 100 of whom work from their homes full-time and 50 of whom work in the office at least part of the time, the employer would be within the scope of this ETS because it has more than 100 employees. However, the standard’s requirements would only apply to the 50 employees who work in the office at least part time around other individuals, and not to those 100 employees working exclusively from their homes So yes your mythical 150 all working from home company would be ’subject to the rule, but would not actually require testing or vaccination of those folks. Much like people working from home are not required to meet ADA requirements even if their company has to for workspaces. As for why not the coffee shop. Without just saying ‘it applies to everyone’ making it applicable to companies of a given size is a handy way of doing it without creating a burden on small companies. Is it ideal? No. But it is a way of doing it and making some progress. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:28 am: === My point is=== … to frivolously complain to have a want, passive or active, to stop mandatory vaccinations that will help us all get closer to an end of this global pandemic. The rest is the in-law uncle circle think to seem thoughtful but isn’t at all honest or thoughtful to global health in a pandemic - Steve Rogers - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:29 am: @ Blue Dog: I think a far more serious threat to democracy is the growing autocratic movement that the Republicans have espoused for the last 20 years. - yinn - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 10:38 am: Several municipalities in my area are buying automated license plate readers for law enforcement. There are no regulations limiting use and storage of data at any level of government. - Amalia - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 12:00 pm: https://www.thenation.com/article/politics/gun-control-supreme-court/. Let a thousand guns bloom. I do not agree. - Rudy’s teeth - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 12:10 pm: No need to delay Eddie Vrdolyak’s incarceration. He’s headed to the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, Minnesota. This is long overdue. Another crook destined for the can. - G'Kar - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 1:17 pm: While I was driving south on Rte 26 to campus in East Peoria, I passed a Rivian pickup sitting in a farmer’s field sort of in the middle of nowhere. It was the first Rivian I’ve seen in the wild. - up2now - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 1:22 pm: Gas $3.27 a gallon in Effingham today. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 1:28 pm: ===forcing people to give up their livelihoods=== Those are choices, friend. Choices. - JoanP - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 2:27 pm: = Gas $3.27 a gallon in Effingham today. = That’s cheap. - JustMe - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 3:17 pm: The guy in front of me in the drive-thru at Dunkin had his car die in line - 3 cars from the window! Only 8 cars behind me… no problem … learn how to use reverse, folks! - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 3:21 pm: Congratulations “400” … “Open Thread” You’ve left your mark, that’s for sure. - Amalia - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 3:26 pm: whoa. 400 threads. amazing. thanks for the opportunity to have our say and give others the opportunity to say our say is ridiculous. I value it all. - Deefer Dog - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 4:13 pm: Choices, Yes OW, and mandates are choices as well. Biden’s OSHA order got shut down and will likely remain that way, as it should. - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 4:16 pm: - Deefer Dog - … and yet employers are still mandating. You are not entitled to a job you won’t comply with what’s expected. There that too. Covidiots seem to think they’re entitled, with no sense of irony, lol - Oswego Willy - Tuesday, Nov 16, 21 @ 4:57 pm: ===will likely remain that way=== Jacobson v. Massachusetts might disagree with you. Sorry, comments for this post are now closed.