* An email today to Rep. Deb Conroy (D-Elmhurst), one of many such emails she’s received on this topic…
* Facebook message…
What the heck? Allow me to explain.
* Let’s start with this one-pager from the Northern Illinois Public Health Consortium, of which the DuPage County Board of Health is a member. The legislation was brought to Rep. Conroy by a Statehouse lobbyist for the DuPage County Board of Health …
Empower Local Health Departments Through Data
State Legislative Proposal HB 4640/ SB 3131
Background: Data Matters
Local health departments (LHDs) need timely access to health data, from hospital admissions to opioid prescriptions to death certificates. This is how LHDs learn patterns of disease activity and develop fast, robust responses. COVID-19 is a prime example. If health departments know what’s leading people to go to the hospital, for instance—or if they know what’s causing maternal mortality—they can identify causes and intervene. The CDC says this process is “essential” to public health.
Problem: Missing Data
State agencies such as IDPH are frequently the direct recipients and keepers of data from healthcare providers. All too often, however, LHDs are unable to access this data—or they receive subsets of it only after years have passed. Voluntary data use agreements generally don’t resolve this problem since they are often years in the making. The result is a lack of current data, which hinders local jurisdictions from carrying out their core public health functions.
Proposal: Improve Data Sharing
Our bill would ensure State agencies share public health data with LHDs upon request, with safeguards for privacy and security. Important data—some of which is shared with LHDs to varying degrees today—includes but is not limited to:
• Hospital and emergency department data, including admissions, discharge, and patient information.
• Vital records data, including birth, death, and maternal health data.
• Illinois Comprehensive Automated Immunization Registry Exchange (I-CARE), the State’s immunization data registry.
• Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program, which collects data on controlled substances.
• Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System, an ongoing survey of women who have recently given birth.
• Illinois Cancer Registry, a source for cancer incidence information.
• Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program data about people living with HIV and the services they receive.
• List of individual healthcare providers.
• Illinois Medicaid and Medicare datasets of various kinds, such as client-level data for syphilis and HIV, including enrollment in prenatal services.
• Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) data about people’s health conditions, access to care, and demographics.
Proposed amendments to the proposal are welcome as stakeholders work together to determine a path that is doable while empowering local health departments through needed data. [Emphasis added.]
Seems basic. The data already exists, but much of it isn’t shared in a timely manner, making it almost useless.
* But some amateur morons who can’t read legislation looked at the bill because it mentions immunizations and concluded that it will lead to concentration camps. I am not making this up. Here’s Fran Eaton’s Illinois Review…
Villa Park State Rep. Deb Conroy (Democrat) wants to “isolate or quarantine persons who are unable or unwilling to receive vaccines, medications, or other treatments.”
HB 4640 is scheduled to be heard in the Illinois House Human Services Committee February 2 at 9:00 AM.
If HB 4640 were to become law, persons exposed to an infectious disease could be placed under Public Health Department observation, only possible in a contained atmosphere with Department watch guards, some suggest such as a concentration camp.
The bill says:
To prevent the spread of a dangerously contagious or infectious disease, the [Public Health] Department may, pursuant to the provisions of subsection (c) of this Section, isolate or quarantine persons whose refusal to undergo observation and monitoring results in uncertainty regarding whether he or she has been exposed to or is infected with a dangerously contagious or infectious disease or otherwise poses a danger to the public’s health.
HB 4640 would also set up a state network data collection system for persons that have received mandated vaccines, medications, or otherwise.
Ridiculous. The quarantine language is part of existing state law. People are either too stupid, lazy and/or ignorant to realize that, before they threaten someone’s life, maybe they ought to check to see if only the underlined sections of bills are new language.
So far, the bill has 13,578 opponents online.
* Rep. Conroy sent Illinois Review a letter. Excerpt…
I am writing to let you know that your flagrantly false post about HB4640 has resulted in dozens of death threats aimed at my staff and me. It would have taken no more than 5 minutes to verify what the bill did and where it was coming from, but instead you chose to publish false information, I assume with the intention of enraging people in the hopes they would further spread your misinformation.
Your analysis of the HB4640 is foolish at best and maliciously false at worst. It does none of the things you claim. It allows local health departments the ability to employ local health solutions to share data. It does not give any local body the authority to violate someone’s privacy rights and certainly does not allow for anyone to be detained.
But the damage was done.
* Brian Timpone’s DuPage Policy Journal threw even more gasoline on the fire…
“Any rules necessary:” Villa Park Democrat Conroy bill would create Illinois concentration camps for non Covid-vaxxed
State Rep. Deborah Conroy (D-Villa Park) wants to create concentration camps for Illinois residents who refuse to take COVID-19 vaccines.
Her bill would allow the state to “isolate or quarantine persons who are unable or unwilling to receive vaccines, medications, or other treatments.”
That could include segregating non-COVID vaccinated Illinoisans from COVID vaccinated residents, and more.
Conroy’s bill would give local health departments and state politicians formal legal authority to fully control the behavior of any individuals who don’t follow their COVID-19 restrictions and rules, including keeping people isolated and under police guard.
…Adding… Emily Bitter at the governor’s office responded to the DuPage Policy Journal article…
This lying propaganda hits all the high notes for the conspiracy-theory-loving crowd. It equates Covid-19 to the Holocaust, peddles misinformation and attempts to provoke hysteria – a true fringe-element hat trick. This is no surprise; this site is part of a network of extreme right wing sites that consistently try to deceive the people of Illinois.
The governor will continue to deploy proven and lawful mitigations as needed, as he listens to scientists and doctors about how to fight this pandemic.
* Not hyperbolic at all…
* This Einstein also jumped into the fray…
* Greg Hart is on the DuPage County Board and is the Republican candidate for board chair. Rep. Conroy is a Democratic candidate for that job. The local public health board is appointed by the county board chair and confirmed by county board members. Hart even sits on a local public health task force which would benefit from the bill. But here he is fanning the flames…
Republican candidate for DuPage County Chairman Greg Hart released the following statement in response to Democratic State Representative and candidate for DuPage County Chairman Deb Conroy’s new legislation, HB 4640: “Deb Conroy’s bill- HB 4640- presents a serious breach of the public’s trust. There has already been considerable opposition to this bill - over 12,000 opposing witness slips so far. But if that is not enough to communicate the public’s sentiments, then I am happy to express on behalf of all Illinoisans my strong opposition to Deb Conroy’s legislation and the blatant overreach it permits. I call on Representative Conroy to listen to her constituents instead of special interests and pull her bill.”
* Rep. Mazzochi was her usual reserved self…
State Representative Deanne Mazzochi (R-Elmhurst) issued the following statement regarding HB 4640, legislation that State Representative Deb Conroy (D-Villa Park) has recently started pushing:
“State Representative Bob Morgan (D-Highwood) tried to modify the Immunization Data Registry Act by forcing physicians to disclose to the Illinois Department of Public Health sensitive vaccine medical records without patient notice or consent. His efforts were widely condemned by Illinois doctors and residents across the state, and he reluctantly withdrew the bill.
Now Deb Conroy wants to move HB 4640, which will have the effect of doing covertly and dishonestly, what Rep. Morgan tried to do overtly and honestly–expand the power of IDPH, and any local public health authority, to attain peoples’ private medical records to create the registry, without patient knowledge or consent, so long as it created under the guise of “research.”
After the people of Illinois spoke so strongly on this issue, it is an insult to try to achieve the same results through a sneaky back door approach. I call on Rep. Conroy to table the bill, and for Illinois residents to yet again explain to Rep. Conroy that they do not appreciate this cynical effort to have their private medical records targeted in this way, and for this purpose.”
Oh, for crying out loud.
Rep. Conroy told me she had to close down her office because of all the threats to herself and to staff. She’s also reported numerous threats to the Illinois State Police and is also turning over information to the local state’s attorney.
* Related…
* National Butterfly Center on Texas border closing indefinitely after attacks from right-wing conspiracy theorists
- Roadrager - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:06 pm:
And so, Adam Kinzinger’s search for other level-headed, pro-truth Republicans in Illinois continues apace.
- H-W - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:11 pm:
=amateur morons=
This has been going on too long to call them amateurs. They are perfected at this point.
- Watching - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:11 pm:
It would help if these right wingers could get out of their own way. Their opponents are on the ropes because of crime issues. Let them implode on that. If you have a problem with other issues, work them carefully and stay away from the over the top garbage that then makes you look like an idiot. And never ever advocate or threaten violence of any type - way way out of bounds.
- JoanP - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:11 pm:
= People are either too stupid, lazy and/or ignorant =
Or all three.
Worse, though, are those who DO understand the language of the bill, but for their own cynical purposes choose deliberately to misrepresent it.
- Fivegreenleaves - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:11 pm:
Desperate politicians call for desperate talking points, even if they’re manufactured.
- Just Me 2 - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:13 pm:
I think it is interesting how only the conservative base’s “leaders” believe it is acceptable to spread misinformation. I don’t see the liberal base “leaders” blatantly lying to their like-minded people to get them riled up.
- Obama’s Puppy - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:16 pm:
Fishing for new clients now that we may be on other side of COVID. A snakeoil salesman who brings in Kentucky.
- MisterJayEm - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:17 pm:
If you can’t beat ‘em at the ballot box, stir up threats from some dangerous nutjobs and then maybe next time they won’t run at all.
– MrJM
- WestBurbs - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:18 pm:
Perhaps this is unfair but when I hear people reacting to a Covid issue by screaming “concentration camp” or “Nazi” or “Hitler” I think, “that crazy nut has no Jewish friends.” I get that the 1940s is now “ancient history” but come on….
- DuPage Saint - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:20 pm:
Has the state put out a request for bid for land to use as concentration camps yet or are they going to use state parks /S
- Huh? - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:21 pm:
“And so, Adam Kinzinger’s search … continues apace.”
No. He is wondering who stripped the car and left the hulk on cinder blocks.
To the post - it boggles my mind the level of stupidity and denial around what ought to be reasonable sharing of information for State offices. The fact that covid was used as an example of why the legislation is needed and caused the resulting uproar demonstrated the rabid denial of science and public health.
- illinifan - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:21 pm:
Sometimes I think too much information being provided to the public is not a good thing. They have just discovered the language about health departments having the authority to quarantine people. They have used this language for years especially when there is a case of infectious TB identified. They also have a requirement to track public health trends which is knowing when a community has an infectious disease outbreak. So now the uninformed want to make a big deal out of this without bothering to understand context. This is reaching a dangerous level of stupidity.
- Soccermom - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:26 pm:
Has Jim Durkin made a statement condemning this?
- Sue - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:26 pm:
It is sad how insane some people are
- Lincoln Lad - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:27 pm:
Time for the law and order candidate to speak up and say something about the threats being made against public officials and their staff. Let’s start arresting people and then his law firm can defend them.
- FormerParatrooper - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:28 pm:
Someone’s parent failed in raising them.
I am a person who leans right, and I find this behavior offensive. Civility is needed more than ever.
- Tomorrow is yesterday - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:28 pm:
Greg Hart is on the Dupage Board. He doesn’t know that this is a Dupage initiative? He’s either stupid or pandering. Probably both
- Eww David - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:29 pm:
just when i thought i couldn’t have any less respect for mazzochi
- 47th Ward - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:31 pm:
Is that one of the proposed uses for the Thompson Center? Big Jim’s COVID Camp?
- Socially DIstant Watcher - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:31 pm:
This guy at it again. https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/18/technology/timpone-local-news-metric-media.html
- just the facts - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:31 pm:
Someone should be asking Greg Hart why he doesn’t support giving the local health department access to information and why he’s supporting the people threatening elected officials.
Now he is part of the problem.
- btowntruthfromforgottonia - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:36 pm:
“She’s also reported numerous threats to the Illinois State Police and is also turning over information to the local state’s attorney.”
Good.
That is what she should do.
And these ignorant and dememted people making the threats should be charged and prosecuted.
Some jail time and some mandatory mental health counseling (with the expense coming out of their pockets) may stop this garbage.
- Club J - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:40 pm:
Reading multiple comments from the DeVore Puppets about this bill was like watch Jerry Springer on steroids. Then he wonders why these people are acting this way. Mr. DeVore this is the group you created. Two years ago you started with your frivolous lawsuits and Facebook rhetoric about Governor Pritzker. You trained these people to read the worse into every scenario. And yet once again you spend thirty minutes telling them how to think and how to act. Spin it to be no more than big miss understanding after all the damage is done and you are Tom the hero.
- Eastside - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:41 pm:
Perhaps those manufacturing outrage learned from the decades of Illinois House Dems ads claiming those running for STATE House positions were going to cut Medicare.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:41 pm:
== If you can’t beat ‘em at the ballot box, stir up threats ==
It’s a bit worse than that. Some of the strongest pushers of this stuff are the same people who LOST their last elections for school board on their anti-mask stances.
The residents told them resoundingly in an election they want no part of this, but they will not stop. That’s how theocracy minded people operate. This is not hyperbole. Can we stop pretending they are just random nutjobs please, because that belies the seriousness of what they are trying to accomplish.
- Glenn - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:43 pm:
Is it time yet to reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine, repealed in 1987?
The antidote to bad speech is more speech.
https://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/274/357
- The Opinions Bureau - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:44 pm:
Yeah, Eastside, you’re right, this is all Mike Madigan’s fault.
- Norseman - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:44 pm:
The GOP as a whole was never a cheerleader for public health, but today’s Trumpified party is at full scale war on public health. Unless this is halted by rational thinkers, we’re going to be back to leaches and self-flagellation.
Because of time I don’t know about the merits of the bill, but sentinel surveillance systems were a priority for IDPH and other public health agencies. The purpose was to quickly get information out to the community to address health concerns. Barriers to the development of effective systems were political, legal and financial. Obviously, those barriers have yet to be effectively breached. Given today’s environment, I fear things will become worse.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:46 pm:
===reinstitute the Fairness Doctrine===
lol
C’mon. That’s so far off topic you might be on the moon.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:50 pm:
== And these ignorant and dememted people making the threats should be charged and prosecuted. ==
What happens when the county states attorney silently agrees with this group, and refuses to press charges. The only reason it has advanced this far is because of the failure to prosecute their previous acts.
That’s the reality in Kane county. Right now.
In my area, the punishment for trespassing during a school board meeting without a mask and refusing to leave the premises, was quietly changed by the local officials to just a simple ordinance violation. I guess they felt sorry for the guy breaking the law, what with already having a criminal DUI on his record as well.
I’m not sure the gravity of these small steps over the past two years is apparent yet. I worry that we’ve crossed an invisible line, where the only way out now is for it to come to its full fruition for people to finally realize the horror of what we have created.
- thisjustinagain - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:51 pm:
I see police and prosecutors will be busy rounding up the threat-makers and charging them. Good (banned punctuation). Hope the threat-makers all go to prison; best use of taxpayer money I can think of with people like this.
- Eastside - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:54 pm:
And there is your problem Opinions; everyone is fine with lying if it is there side doing it.
It also occurs to me that none of this would have ever been an issue if DPH would simply share data in a timely manner with their local partners. Did we really need a bill to accomplish that? But I suppose I will be accused of blaming Pritzker for that. Right?
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:54 pm:
Don’t expect Bob Berlin to prosecute any of his right-wing buddies.
- Eastside - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:54 pm:
“their” not “there”
- gfalkes - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:54 pm:
change vaccine and ebola and lets see a different response. and its not lost on me that those who are most virulent in their attacks would rush to the head of the line to put those from African countries on a quarantine list. these folks give Neanderthals a bad name.
- Hair On Fire - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:55 pm:
Mazzochi is 100% correct, but it seems people are far to willing to hand over private information to the government for some illusion of safety. Yes this information already exists, in protected medical records where it belongs.
- DuPage Resident - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:59 pm:
Greg Hart, County Board Chairperson wannabe for political reasons attacks this bill which is endorsed by such “Special Interest Groups” such as his own DuOageCountyBoard of Health. Wake up DuPage residents. We don’t need a political opportunist / hypocrite like Hart.
- Dotnonymous - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:00 pm:
DeVore’s emotional trauma is apparent…cause unknown.
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:05 pm:
- Precinct Captain - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 12:54 pm:
Mazzochi is wrong, as she is about nearly everything.
- B Team - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:09 pm:
This kind of nonsense is why I no longer vote Republican. The DuPage County GOP is unrecognizable from it once was, it’s a sad story.
- Lt Guv - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:10 pm:
The asylum must be full & overcrowded.
- Jocko - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:12 pm:
==people are far too willing to hand over private information==
Um, private insurers haven’t exactly been keeping their servers under lock and key.
https://tinyurl.com/yt2yac62
- illinifan - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:14 pm:
Eastside “It also occurs to me that none of this would have ever been an issue if DPH would simply share data in a timely manner with their local partners. Did we really need a bill to accomplish that? But I suppose I will be accused of blaming Pritzker for that. Right?” HDs are always happy to share data. But they can’t share what they don’t have. The point of the legislation is for the Health Department to get the data timely from multiple sources.DuPage County has a lot of intonation at their dashboard https://www.dupagehealth.org/31/Data-and-Reports
- Rudy’s teeth - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:16 pm:
Some folks on FB need to seriously chill. Go outside and shovel snow. Time to step away from one’s keyboard.
- TheInvisibleMan - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:17 pm:
While I highly doubt what follows is a primary factor, one of the things this already existing database also does is track school vaccination rates. The aggregate data(with no identifying info) is shared with ISBE who puts out yearly reports on the vaccination rates in school districts, down to the individual school level.
I imagine it would be preferable for nobody to be able to see which areas would cause you to be more likely to catch an easily preventable disease. That would harm property values after all, and the avoidance of any and all consequences to their actions seems to be the driving motivation.
Long time readers may remember stories posted here before the pandemic around these issues. To the surprise of nobody, the areas where vaccination rates were already dangerously low are the same areas these groups are coming out of today.
- We've never had one before - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:19 pm:
I’ve come across a similar misreading of legislation by a voter who had concerns, I had to show him the difference between new and existing legislation, but this was compounded by the fact that the legislation was a giant re-write.
But here we have a publication by folks with alleged expertise, that make the same sophomoric error and fan the flames.
I’m not a Conroy fan, but she didn’t deserve this.
- Travel Guy - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:20 pm:
=The asylum must be full & overcrowded.=
Reagan closed so many of those places decades ago and gave the patients elephant buttons on the way out.
- Taxpayer - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:21 pm:
I’m shocked by Greg Hart. No election is worth your integrity young man.
- Norseman - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:24 pm:
illinifan, I’m doubtful it’s that simple. Unless things have changed surprisingly so over the last several years, IDPH was eager to develop systems and initiatives that would get helpful information out to the folks. I would like to hear from them before passing judgment.
- Hair On Fire - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:24 pm:
Nice try jocko, but I think most of us know the difference between a data breach and voluntarily hand over information.
- Papa2008 - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:24 pm:
To the defenders of public education: I give you the result.
- DownSouth - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:26 pm:
This whole thing is reminiscent of the recurring wailing and gnashing of teeth over doctors/nurses/providers asking about firearms in the home during well baby/child exams. No, we are not building some secret database and taking info so that we can confiscate your guns or children. It’s basic home safety assessment and education. You know right next on the list is don’t put the rat poison next to the cookie jar. Have guns? Fine- here’s some free gun locks and how you can insure they are stored safely and oh how about this handout to help teach your child about safe behavior around firearms. There is no conspiracy - it’s all a part of basic public health principles.
Good Grief this all just makes me so ashamed of some of my fellow Illinoisans and Americans.
- Eastside - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:28 pm:
Illifan, with this thread all about people misreading (intentionally or unintentionally) legislation thank you for pointing out that many people are confused on what legislation does. All the bill does is give local health departments more access to information the Illinois Department of Public Health currently possesses. They bill simple makes the Illinois Department of Public Health share this information with local public health departments in a more timely manner. Again, something that can be done without legislation.
- Rich Miller - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:29 pm:
===folks with alleged expertise===
Not to mention that Timpone was a Statehouse reporter and then a spokesperson for HGOP Leader Lee Daniels.
- Lurker - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:33 pm:
White people with guns that make threats, need to be locked away. We’ve seen how it leads to too many killings when they are not.
- Skeptic - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:41 pm:
“To the defenders of public education: I give you the result. ” Show your work please, or else go away with your sweeping generalities.
- Oswego Willy - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:42 pm:
The danger of a Timpone, Proft, those who do indeed know better…
… they weigh the financial gain to stirring up folks where grifting could be mined at some point, it’s an ethical question with multiple prongs of failure, in this instance with Timpone specifically.
To the post,
The sheer reality of danger being involved, that’s wrong, period, full stop.
There should never be danger involved with service.
Hyperbole to agitate and incite angst or worse for “core” GOP types, anti-vaccines, conspiracy theorists… if you fan the flames, someone can get burned, and that’s not what our system of government should encourage by those serving *in* out government, campaigns or not.
I’m sickened by this whole episode, my best to Conroy and Staff and Crew
- NIU Grad - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:47 pm:
I don’t think Richard Irvin truly understands what he’s getting himself into by trying to be the leader of this party…
- Bruce( no not him) - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:54 pm:
===some amateur morons ===
Please explain the difference between amateur and professional morons.
I am unable to tell the difference.
Thanks
- Huh? - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:55 pm:
“Time for the law and order candidate to speak up and say something about the threats being made”
Good luck with that. Those “law and order” types are the one fanning the flames and throwing on the coal oil. The very same ilk who refused to enforce the covid executive orders on the grounds that the orders infringed of “constitutional rights”.
- Southern - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 1:56 pm:
Well, that escalated quickly. Actually, for anyone who has ever watched the conversation on right-wing sites or FB pages, it is no surprise. It takes very little for those folks to get themselves all lathered up. And if it fits the narrative of their echo chamber, it has to be true.
- low level - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 2:06 pm:
== White people with guns that make threats, need to be locked away. ==.
This. Yes.
- Publius - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 2:11 pm:
Will Mayor Irvin be putting these people making the threats behind bars or representing them? Parts of Aurora are in DuPage county.
- cermak_rd - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 2:19 pm:
Anyone who makes a threat to an elected offial with the means to back up that threat (e.g. guns, bullets) with the intention of thwarting the work of that elected official (and no I don’t care about what level of gov’t) should be arrested and prosecuted by the feds. If we take our democracy seriously that really does have to happen. And having the feds do it removes local incentive/disincentives to prosecute.
- Da big bad wolf - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 2:23 pm:
People keep saying the Freedom to Vote Act is going to stop states from asking voters for an ID, when it does no such thing, so why am I not surprised?
- JS Mill - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 2:41 pm:
=It would help if these right wingers could get out of their own way. Their opponents are on the ropes because of crime issues.=
Um no, these are crimes. So they are now the criminals.
Cognitive dissonance on steroids.
=“To the defenders of public education: I give you the result. ” Show your work please, or else go away with your sweeping generalities.=
These are the people attacking public education you fool.
The sad thing is that this is a microcosm of the problem. This is type of thing is taking place in hundreds of places like school districts every day.
People need to be held accountable, that is coming for some.
- Pundent - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 3:02 pm:
And when the Republican bemoan their inability to get suburban votes this will be part of a long list of reasons why they simply don’t get it.
By appealing to the fringe element, at times almost exclusively, they turn off the rest of us in droves. And if they’re this detached from reality what possible reason would I have to believe that they could solve problems like crime or anything else they’re claiming Pritzker is failing at?
- Da big bad wolf - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 3:29 pm:
I’m glad the butterfly sanctuary wasn’t destroyed by the trespassers building the wall.
=== Marianna Treviño-Wright: “Many of those days for the last three years have been pretty rough, some of them downright terrible.”===
Someone had to have downright terrible days for running a butterfly sanctuary?
- Correcting - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 3:44 pm:
“The quarantine language is part of existing state law.”
And? People are against that too. Do you expect people to have a peaceful reaction to threats of being locked up for a virus with this kind of survivability?
- Whatever the Issue, - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 4:29 pm:
This lack of decorum and basic respect is ridiculous. These “God-fearing, law-abiding” citizens need to unplug, hard.
- cermak_rd - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 4:38 pm:
Correcting,
Yes I do expect peope to act peacefully at all times. Violent people are people to be avoided.
I also expect them to react rationally and know what they are acting against.
No one is going to lock up anti-vax morons. It’s self defeating you would just have COVID in the camps (check out the rates for incarcerated people or nursing home residents)
Especially since Covid is a self correcting problem. People either get vaxed or get it and get antibodies the hard way or they get it and die and are therefore no longer a problem.
- Soccermom - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 6:22 pm:
Bruce - I think the professional morons in this case are Timpone and Proft.
- Correcting - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 6:41 pm:
“or they get it and die and are therefore no longer a problem.”
You believe all people who get COVID die if they are not vaccinated die? So you don’t believe in facts.
- Demoralized - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 7:04 pm:
Its a good thing we don’t lock people up for being stupid because the jails would be full of these idiots
- Jed - Thursday, Feb 3, 22 @ 7:15 pm:
Sadly there are some responsible questions that need to be asked about this bill that will get lost in this carnival sideshow. What if any PHI and PII will be shared under this bill? Who is eligible to access the data. Will it be available remotely or only on state networks. What security controls are required? Count me skeptical on trusting local health departments to properly secure data after watching the IDES debacle for the last 2 years.
- Eastsider - Friday, Feb 4, 22 @ 6:45 am:
Jed is the only commenter on this piece who has a grasp of the real issue with this proposed legislation; the rest is merely ‘bomb throwing’ on both sides
- Ketchup on hot dogs = criminal - Friday, Feb 4, 22 @ 12:58 pm:
Greg Hart is a panderer sort of like Richard Irvin. Claims to be a moderate in some respects and might even be inclined that way but will do a lot of things to jump on the GOP bandwagon for votes- and that involves misinformation like this that ultimately hurts public health. Dicianni certainly won’t tone down the Trumpism so Hart will have to stoop to his level.
- Anonymous Friend - Friday, Feb 4, 22 @ 2:16 pm:
Funny thing about her email address being a ProtonMail address. People use ProtonMail because its servers are located in Switzerland, so the US Gov’t supposedly can’t obtain your emails.
- DuPage Redident - Friday, Feb 4, 22 @ 3:24 pm:
I think young Hart is more of a Trumpster than DiCianni will ever be. I will be voting for Divianni in the primary before I will for Mr. Politcsl Hart. If Hart wins I will probably vote for the Dem. Rep. party voting today to censure two of the foremost Rep who are anti Trump will hurt the Rep which I have supported and voted for my entire life
- Steve Polite - Friday, Feb 4, 22 @ 4:01 pm:
“but it seems people are far to willing to hand over private information to the government for some illusion of safety.”
Illusion of Safety? if not the government, who would be responsible for mitigating a deadly infectious disease during a pandemic? Or are you in the let people get infected and die camp?
Private information sharing? Some of these same people, like Luke Ahring, willingly provide private information to social media corporations without any protest whatsoever. Post personal medical information on social media, it’s tracked. All personal information posted on social media is tracked.