Your evening assignment
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the governor’s daily schedule…
PEORIA – Governor Pat Quinn will attend the “Help on the Homefront” telethon to help raise money for tornado relief efforts in central Illinois. The telethon will be broadcast live by WMBD, WEEK, WHOI and WTVP.
WHEN: 7 p.m.
Hopefully, some of you can watch and contribute.
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“I exorcise you”
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Dave McKinney is covering Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s gay marriage exorcism. Dave posted a page from today’s church program that begins “I exorcise you”…
…Adding… As mentioned earlier today, you can watch the gay marriage signing ceremony live by clicking here. There is no live stream for the exorcism, but a few reporters are present and tweeting…
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Another Daley bill comes due
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
A Chicago casino anchoring a redevelopment that includes the former Michael Reese Hospital site would be more economically viable for the city than a Barack Obama presidential library or a cluster of convention hotels, according to a study Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s administration released Tuesday. […]
Under all three scenarios, the city would spent more than $200 million to develop roads, sewers and other infrastructure. But the study found that by putting a casino there, the city would receive at least triple the proceeds for the land it acquired compared to the other two options.
As a result, the study found that a casino development would generate $208 million in net proceeds for the city while an Obama library would cost the city $142 million and a hotel complex would cost $199 million. And that doesn’t even include what’s expected to be a large amount of gambling revenue after the casino opens.
* OK, now scroll all the way to the bottom of the story…
The release of the study came more than 15 months after the mayor signed off on a contract of up to $885,000 to study potential redevelopment uses for the Michael Reese site, which the city purchased for $91 million in 2009 under then-Mayor Richard Daley. […]
The city’s first payment on the land purchase is due next year.
That blows yet another hole in a city budget that’s already riddled with holes. And considering no payments will have been made for five years, I’m assuming interest has piled up quite high. They need a casino just to help make those payments.
* In other gaming related news…
It appears a drastic reduction in 2014 Illinois racing dates will be avoided.
A statement from Glen Berman, executive director of the Illinois Thoroughbred Horsemen’s Association, said his organization and those representing other horsemen had reached an Advanced Deposit Wagering agreement with the state’s racetracks and ADW outlets.
The deal was reached Tuesday evening when the horsemen’s representatives and track management met after the adjournment of the Illinois Racing Board’s monthly meeting.
The statement said the agreement calls for the ADW law to be extended three years beyond its Jan. 31 expiration.
More…
With the current ADW law set to expire on January 31, and the uncertainty of the legislature voting to renew or rewrite it looming — thanks in large part to competing fronts within racing — a united front seemed the industry’s best hope.
In fact, members of the legislature have gone public in saying a unified front was the only way to move the process along.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The auto dealers convinced the General Assembly many years ago to ban retail car sales on Sunday. It was a slow day of the week, but dealers are so competitive that they felt they had to remain open and a ban saved them money, as well as provided a day off for their sales employees.
Sen. Oberweis wants to repeal the ban…
State Senator Jim Oberweis says he wants to introduce legislation next year that would end the long-standing ban on Sunday automobile sales. […]
Oberweis believes the law is “anti-consumer,” and “doesn’t make a lot of sense.”
However, Peter Sander, the president of Illinois Automobile Dealers Association, says “the majority” of the industry wants the law to remain on the books.
* The Question: Should the state repeal the Sunday auto sales ban? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
web polls
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Distorting reality
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bruce Rauner on cleaning up government…
Avoiding discussion of recent ACA woes Rauner said, “Medicaid in Illinois is completely out of control. An investigation of 20,600 enrollees proved that 50 percent were not eligible for Medicaid benefits. I am going to reform that system. Quinn has been dramatically expanding it.”
Actually, the investigation Rauner referenced is part of the reforms already in place and signed into law by Gov. Quinn.
* Rauner is basically repeating some talking points by the Illinois Policy Institute, although his numbers are outdated. The group has been screaming about the termination numbers for weeks as proof that Illinois’ Medicaid system is rife with fraud. A recent IL Policy Institute story was entitled “Half of Illinois Medicaid enrollees reviewed found ineligible”…
Since January, the [state’s] independent vendor has reviewed nearly 419,000 case files of individuals currently enrolled in Medicaid. Of those, the vendor identified more than 210,000 that were ineligible for benefits, which amounts to more than 50 percent of all cases reviewed so far.
* As usual, of course, it’s ideology first, actual facts second for those guys. The reality is, the Department of Healthcare and Family Services initially pointed the contractor Maximus to the lowest hanging fruit, so the termination numbers will initially be high because those are the folks who are suspicious to begin with.
And lots and lots of cases were terminated simply because recipients failed to respond to a paper work request. Here’s the HFS explanation about what those Maximus contractor numbers (click here to see the most recent) actually mean…
· For all cases to date, Maximus has recommended canceling just under 50%. It is down from earlier percentages because, we started out cases that were flagged as having the highest likelihood of being ineligible (such as having a discrepancy in data or not reviewed for a long time). Almost all the cases they have worked the entire year are still cases that we think have a “higher” likelihood of being ineligible, but we are moving down the chain of likelihood. The cases we have not reached are those with the least likelihood of being ineligible. About 75% of them were cancelled for failure to respond to a request for more information.
· Those are just recommendations by Maximus. In reality, the State is only cancelling about 39% of the cases. Under the SMART Act rules, Maximus gives 10 business days to return information. But caseworkers then have 20 further days to work cases. The main reason the State disagrees with the Maximus recommendation is the client shows up with additional information that establishes eligibility.
· Of these who are actually cancelled, about 20% are returned to the rolls fairly quickly because they finally turn up and provide the missing information. This gets us down to approximately about 32% of cases being cancelled so far.
· We believe this overstates the proportion of people ineligible because the above numbers only cover those cases that are Medical only…that is, they do not have SNAP. People are more attentive to their SNAP re-de’s because they would lose money immediately if they didn’t respond. (As opposed to only being impacted at some future time…and with the ability to get reinstated at that future time.)
· The bottom line is that we are cleaning up the rolls as we said we would – and this is important for the integrity of the program. However we also believe that the early results overstate the number of people who are ineligible and enrolled in the program. We do expect the percentage who are disenrolled to come down as we make it all way the way through the redetermination process.
There’s no doubt that people are indeed getting medical care provided by the state who shouldn’t be. But there is an ongoing effort to clean the rolls, despite the hype by folks who aren’t exactly Medicaid fans to begin with.
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Fire and eggs
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From KMOV TV…
An Illinois lawmaker says his office was ransacked during a fire that damaged his district office.
Firefighters were called Monday night to 101 S. Point Drive, where State Representative Dwight Kay (R-Glen Carbon) has an office. Other parts of the multi-unit building were damaged badly. Kay’s office has smoke damage and that’s what Representative Kay expected to find, but he says there was more.
“We just observed our office has been ransacked. I’m sure at this point, some sort of foul play may be considered,” says Representative Kay.
After taking a good look inside the office, Kay said it looks as if someone was inside looking for something.
“All the desk drawers were pulled out, emptied. All the papers on the desktops were thrown on the floor,” says Representative Kay.
* But…
Chris Guy, a spokesman for Kay, R-Edwardsville, said fire investigators told him most of the damage was in the basement. He said he and Kay went into Kay’s office today and saw smoke damage but found nothing “of consequence” damaged or missing. Guy and Kay retrieved supplies and computers from the office today.
I talked with an Edwardsville police spokesman shortly after noon today who said there are no new updates. He did say that as far as he knew, nothing was missing from Rep. Kay’s office. He also said he didn’t know whether the open desk drawers and strewn papers could’ve been done by firefighters. However, he said the case was being investigated as a suspicious fire and a possible burglary.
If this is politically related, it’s awful darned stupid. There is no statute of limitations for arson in Illinois.
…Adding… Oops. A now-deleted story about the egg-throwing popped up on a Google News search by date. I didn’t notice that both stories I eventually posted on the incident were actually from 2012. Sorry about that. Better take my own advice and stick to Bing.
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Interesting history, but not a lot of new ground
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Chicago Magazine has a profile of House Speaker Michael Madigan online. There’s nothing really new in it, but there is a lot of history, so go read the whole thing.
* This is an instructive, if dated, passage…
In a 1986 interview with Chicago, Madigan mentioned that he was trying to find a job for the unemployed brother-in-law of a lawmaker. Asked why he was doing it—as a magnanimous gesture or a crass political favor?—he replied: “Because it’s the correct thing for me to do in terms of maintaining a good relationship with the legislator, which builds my strength as the speaker and the Democratic leader.”
Madigan runs the Speaker’s office like his ward office. Got relatives coming into town and need seats for the Cubs game? Madigan has season tickets. Doofus brother-in-law needs a job? Madigan can help. A local mayor not providing services? Madigan can make a call. On and on and on. It’s a political version of the wedding scene in The Godfather, only it’s every day.
* Another passage worthy of discussion…
Or maybe, having outlasted eight governors and eight Chicago mayors, he simply can’t tolerate feeling as if he’s being shoved out—even by his daughter. You don’t have to be Freud to see that Madigan has a profound need for power, order, and control. Angelo “Skip” Saviano, a former Republican legislator from Elmwood Park, notes that the 1994 Republican revolution that swept Madigan out of power in Springfield “drove him absolutely wacko.”
Most everyone who knows him agrees that Madigan is obsessed with winning. To him, bills are primarily cost-benefit analyses (“Will this help or harm my majority?”). Not only does he crave power; he’s become captive to it. “His job is his life, and his life is his job,” says James McPike, a legislator-turned-lobbyist who served 12 years as Madigan’s majority leader from 1983 to 1995 and remains one of the speaker’s closest friends.
I stopped by Skip’s campaign office the Sunday before election day and sat in on a pre-election meeting. They mainly discussed where the troops would be deployed on a general, precinct basis.
But at that same moment, Madigan was in his ward office studying detailed maps of Saviano’s district and demanding to know who was covering specific apartment building stairwells.
Also, I have a friend who tells a joke about how, during the years when nuclear war seemed a distinct possibility, she didn’t really care all that much if the world was completely annihilated. Everybody would die. The party would be over. But dying alone now meant that the party will continue without her and she just can’t stand that thought. Madigan, she says, perhaps feels the same way about “his” House. He can’t stand the idea of someone else running his show while he’s still around.
* One more…
Madigan is famous for reading every bill and every line of the state’s $34 billion budget. Nothing gets passed without his blessing. “He knows members’ bills better than they do,” says Jack Franks, a Democratic state representative from Woodstock. “He knows more about the workings of the General Assembly than anyone, on any issue, at any time.”
Every Sunday during session, Madigan and his top aides spend endless hours, either in Springfield or via conference call, discussing every introduced bill and amendment. They go over every possible angle before approving a bill for movement. It is, I’m told, excruciatingly boring, but Madigan insists on this.
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Gay marriage roundup
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn plans to sign the gay marriage bill into law this afternoon at 3:30. Thousands are expected to attend. You can click here to watch a live video stream.
* Let’s start our morning coverage with a column by Jonathan Rauch at Time.com, which looks at the “end of gay victimhood”…
In the 1990s, a younger generation brought forward a different agenda, one that focused on the two most egregious forms of governmental discrimination: the bans on gay marriage and military service. Around the same time, the “gayby boom” took off, as openly gay couples became parents. Marriage, military service and child rearing: these were not extensions of the 1970s gay-rights agenda but departures from it. Taken together, they constituted a gay-responsibility agenda. We were seeking the burdens of adulthood instead of running to Mommy; asking to serve our communities and country instead of demanding that they serve us; declaring our strength instead of our perennial weakness.
The responsibility agenda has been a hard slog — harder, ironically, than the rights agenda. The anti-gay lobby was more alarmed by strong, independent homosexuals than with weak, victimized ones. Over time, though, the responsibility agenda has done for gays what Israel has done for Jews. It has retired the stereotype of weakness. The country has responded by seeing us in a new and more positive light: one in which oppressed-minority status makes less sense by the day.
* On the other hand, Robert Ritchie, the executive director of America Needs Fatima, isn’t quite saying, but he is asking whether his readers believe that the “massive Illinois tornadoes are linked to the passing of the same sex ‘marriage’ bill” …
The massive tornadoes that hit Illinois after the passing of the same sex “marriage” bill, has stimulated many people to reflection.
In it, some see God’s chastisement; others see it as yet one more merciful warning from Providence; others yet deny both options and give various reasons.
What do you think?
Considering that the tornadoes ripped through towns represented in the General Assembly by “No” votes on gay marriage (except for one), I wouldn’t press that question too far if I were Ritchie.
Just sayin…
* Meanwhile, Springfield Bishop Thomas Paprocki’s plans for an exorcism today are explained by an expert…
“Some Catholics would believe that God is being invoked to dispel evil, the condition of evil in this case,” said the Rev. Gary Thomas, a California priest whose training as an exorcist was featured in the 2011 film “The Rite.” “It would be a rare Catholic to expect something dramatic to happen at the moment.” […]
Though it’s unclear if Paprocki is exorcising the law, the state, the diocese or the legislature, it’s safe to say he’s not exorcising individual politicians, said Thomas, who has no firsthand knowledge of Paprocki’s plans.
“God doesn’t interfere with free will,” Thomas said. “The person has to cooperate with the exorcism. I can’t imagine Bishop Paprocki doing something like that. They have to want to cooperate with that.”
The purpose of exorcism, rather, is to point out the reality and presence of God, he said.
* About 30 percent of Illinoisans identify themselves as Catholics, so coverage of the intersection of faith and politics tends to focus on cardinals, bishops and priests. Not every theologian is on board…
Meanwhile, also at 3:30 p.m. on Nov. 20 in Springfield, the Rev. Martin Woulfe of Abraham Lincoln Unitarian Universalist Congregation will be offering a public prayer of thanksgiving on behalf of lesbian and gay couples that will soon be able to marry.
Woulfe said that before the prayers, the church will hold a screening of the signing ceremony, which is being streamed live. The event is intended as thanks to the activists and legislators who made the successful SB10 vote possible.
The remarks from Poprocki have been consistent with the bishop’s theology in recent years, Woulfe added. So he takes consolation in his own church having an opportunity to show a commitment to fairness and social justice.
“No one church has a monopoly on truth, nor a monopoly on ethics or morals,” Woulfe said.
* And Lynn Bohlmann, pastor of Congregational United Church of Christ in Jacksonville, offers up these insights…
Our United Church of Christ congregation, as well as other UCC, Presbyterian, Lutheran, Methodist, Episcopal and Unitarian congregations, were present at the recent March on Springfield. I was thanked by some in the crowd who were encouraged and surprised by visible support from the Christian churches.
One asked whether we would perform same-sex marriages or whether we were just out for show. A reasonable question, given both a well-deserved cynicism toward the Christian church and the bill’s explicit grant to faith communities the right to marry, or not marry, people in same-sex relationships. I told her that we have performed Holy Unions at Congregational United Church of Christ and will be glad to perform marriage for couples who love one another and seek to commit to one another.
We want people to be able to bring their whole selves to God and know that they are loved. We want people to be able to be part of a faith community that affirms them and facilitates all of our abilities to live justly and wholly.
But our groups from various churches weren’t the only ones who assembled in support of marriage equality. There were at least two banners professing both their Catholic faith and their support. One organization was Catholics for Marriage Equality. The other, a loose collection of mothers and fathers, under a large handmade sign saying Catholic moms and dads supporting their gay and lesbian children.
Isn’t that love of God and love of family what it’s all about?
* Zorn looks at the impact of the Massachusetts gay marriage law…
“The first negative impact was to our children, and the sexual standards they are being taught in our public schools,” said Massachusetts Family Institute President Kris Mineau. The idea that gay marriage is acceptable “is shocking, particularly to kindergartners, and causing a lot of confusion in our families.”
Mineau said people have become “afraid to speak out against same-sex marriage for fear of being marginalized, ridiculed and harassed in the public square” and that this has led to “an erosion of our values.”
Mineau said he’s unaware of any discrimination suits in Massachusetts against wedding photographers, florists and other service providers who refuse to cater to gay weddings, and that he can point to no social science that links gay marriage to the decay of the traditional family, though he does point out that the claims made by proponents that gay marriage will strengthen the overall institution of marriage haven’t come true either.
But…
The Thomas More Society believes the [Illinois gay marriage law] will result in hundreds, or even thousands, of lawsuits.
“Thousands” of lawsuits? It hasn’t happened anywhere else. A few have been filed, yes, but thousands? Nope.
* The possible economic impact is smallish, but still significant…
According to Smith, researchers at the UCLA School of Law’s Williams Institute, a national think tank on sexual orientation and gender identity law and public policy, predict that same-sex weddings could bring close to $103 million to the state over the next three years.
* More numbers…
When Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn signs gay marriage into law, 38 percent of the nation’s population will live in states where same-sex marriage is legal, according to Freedom to Marry.
* Next door in Indiana, however, a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage is moving through that state’s general assembly…
Despite Illinois’ approval of gay marriage, Indiana has a conservative political culture and “we haven’t followed Illinois’ cues since the Civil War,” Curt Smith, president of the Indiana Family Institute, said Tuesday.
The Republican leaders of both chambers of the General Assembly have committed to hearing the marriage amendment, and “we think strong majorities will again decide that the people should decide,” Mr. Smith said.
He noted that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence, a Republican, has been clear in his support for traditional man-woman marriage and for a popular referendum on an amendment.
On Tuesday, Indiana House Speaker Brian C. Bosma rejected a request to kill the proposed marriage amendment, saying it will be assigned to committee and will be dealt with like any other bill.
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Rauner gets first uncapped contributions
Wednesday, Nov 20, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The caps just came off the GOP primary race and the money is already coming in — for venture capitalist Bruce Rauner.
Glen Tullman, the former CEO of Allscripts Healthcare Solutions, and now with 7WireVentures, has donated $250,000 to Rauner’s campaign, according to newly filed campaign reports.
Outside of Rauner’s self-donation, Tullman’s is the largest contributions yet in the Illinois governor’s race.
Two other contributors have also put in more than $10,000 apiece for Rauner. Before the fund-raising caps came off, individuals were limited to making a $5,300 contribution.
The two $10K contributions were from Joseph Campolo of Arbor Investments and Patrick Gallagher of Arthur J. Gallagher & Co.
* More on Tullman…
Tullman’s donation, however, flags a different potential Republican primary issue for Rauner, who already has been criticized for being too chummy with Democrats. Records show Tullman has contributed to Democrats — including Gov. Pat Quinn. Tullman is the brother of major Democratic donor and Democratic National Committee Trustee Howard Tullman, who has donated to former President Bill Clinton and who is friends with — and was briefly the landlord of — Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel.
* Rauner, by the way, now has a new response to those who criticize him for his close financial and personal ties to Democrats…
Lately he has been savaged by bloggers who have taken issue with his cordial relationship with Chicago Mayor Rham Emanuel.
“You remember when Reagan was president? He and Tip O’Neil were able to get things done in spite of party differences. That’s the kind of cordial relationship I have with Emanuel. I believe you have to be cordial with people in spite of differences.”
“The mayors of Chicago control the schools for 400,000 children. I believe those children are being abused by bad schools,” he said.
Discuss.
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Despite their town being devastated by a tornado on Sunday, Washington High School’s football team is still scheduled to play a Springfield team on Saturday in the Class 5A playoff semifinals. The game will be played in Springfield and the coaches have been talking…
“We’ve talked with (Washington coach Darrell Crouch) and their athletic director (Herb Knoblauch),” [Sacred Heart-Griffin High School football coach Ken Leonard] said. “We want to know what we could do as a team and a school to help with what their needs are.
“It’s tough. They’re human beings with needs. I have some relatives of mine in Washington, and all of them are safe, so that’s good. But we want to help.”
Leonard said one clear need for Washington fans is transportation after their vehicles were damaged or became inaccessible because of the storm. He said SHG has secured at least two charter buses to transport Washington fans to the game, and attempts are being made to get more buses.
“We’re going to feed their team before the game and afterward,” Leonard said.
I’ve seen other heartwarming stories as well about Sunday’s tornado storm, as I’m sure you have.
* The Question: So far, what’s the most touching story you’ve seen on the Sunday tragedy? Links aren’t mandatory, but they’d help.
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“Toast”
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bruce Rauner’s latest ad…
It looks like he has a new vest.
* Script…
Rauner: Career politicians are running our state into the ground. And Pat Quinn, he’s at the top of the heap.
Voice Over: Bruce Rauner, not a politician.
Rauner: Here’s the deal, if we don’t fundamentally change direction, we’re toast.
Voice Over: The guts to cut spending and deliver term limits. Bruce Rauner.
Rauner: Right now, we have a governor who won’t stand up to career politicians and government union bosses. Let me tell ya, that’s gonna change. Bigtime.
Voice Over: Bruce Rauner, shake up Springfield, bring back Illinois.
Some strangely mixed metaphors there.
Rate it.
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A little perspective
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A recent Ipsos poll found crack-smoker Toronto Mayor Rob Ford’s approval rating at 40 percent.
Gov. Pat Quinn would do public handstands if his approval rating was even close to that. His approval numbers haven’t been above 40 since early 2010.
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Department of dumb ideas
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Phil Kadner…
A new emergency alert system that speaks four different languages failed to signal impending danger during Sunday’s tornado warning, according to some Oak Lawn residents.
“I couldn’t hear the tornado siren in my home,” Mickey Depre said. “I’ve lived her for 24 years, near the center of town at 96th and Cicero, and I’ve always heard the sirens go off when there were tornado warnings out. But not on Sunday.”
Oak Lawn installed a new warning system in April, replacing its old system, according to Art Clark, an Oak Lawn police commander in charge of the village’s emergency management agency. The new system sounds a shorter siren, lasting about 30 seconds, followed by appropriate warning messages. […]
After the initial siren, a spoken alert is made over the system in English, Spanish, Polish and Arabic, “the four primary languages spoken in our village,” Clark said. “The old technology, with the siren, you didn’t know what was happening. You weren’t sure of the nature of the emergency.
* Kadner pointed out the folly of such a warning system…
I told Clark that my experience with public address announcements, even indoors, is pretty poor.
In airports, hospitals, even business offices, here’s what I hear whenever someone is making an announcement over a PA system:
“Brringoh sacco grrgle THIS IS IMPORTANT to fshhhh skullll IMMEDIATELY.”
Oak Lawn’s system is open air. That means announcements are being tossed into the wind. On Sunday, that was a 40 to 50 mph wind. And some of the stuff being said is in a foreign language.
That doesn’t sound like a good thing to me.
No kidding.
* His conclusion…
A really loud air raid siren is still a universal signal to take cover. If the sky is clear, I think most folks would realize they ought to turn on a radio or make a phone call to find out if something other than a weather emergency is taking place.
Exactly right.
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More problems for Dillard
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From what I’ve been able to gather, Sen. Kirk Dillard is right that Lori Montana is still raising money for him. But she’s now just a volunteer and no longer part of the campaign staff…
Lori Montana, a well-respected, GOP fund-raiser and former Illinois Lottery Director whom Dillard brought onto his campaign with much fanfare, has signaled she’s on her way out, several sources with knowledge of the decision told the Sun-Times.
Sources with knowledge of the decision said Montana informed Dillard’s campaign about two weeks ago of her plans to part ways.
“Lori is a volunteer. She did leave the campaign. She’s going to tie up loose ends,” a source close to the Dillard campaign told the Sun-Times on Monday. “She is not being paid.” […]
When asked about Montana’s status on Monday, Dillard first responded by saying he had a meeting with her in 10 minutes, so he hoped she wasn’t going anywhere. “She’s still on board with me. No, Lori still works for me,” Dillard told the Sun-Times. “Lori Montana is still helping me raise money – it must be people’s wishful thinking.” […]
Rumors have been swirling over why Montana was parting ways with Dillard, but Dillard wasn’t even admitting that she was on her way out.
One source indicated there was general frustration by Dillard’s reluctance to make the number of fund-raising calls needed to survive in a four-way gubernatorial primary.
He won’t make enough calls and, I’m told, his appearance at that anti gay marriage rally may have been the last straw. I reached out to Montana several days ago and never heard back.
…Adding… Illinois Review is hearing the same thing…
Sources told Illinois Review that along with the dearth of lucrative commissioned contributions, Montana is leaving the campaign because of Dillard’s public participation in the traditional marriage rally held in Springfield last month, as well as his position on other social issues, which Montana found difficult or uncomfortable to sell to major donors.
Bigtime corporate donor types don’t like social issues all that much. The “strip their pensions,” anti-union Bruce Rauner, therefore, is far more to their liking.
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Brady, Quinn stand together in devastated town
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WLS reports on a couple of quotes from state Sen. Bill Brady…
Here is Brady last month on the governor. “Don’t underestimate Pat Quinn. He may be a buffoon when it comes to leading and on policies, but he is brilliant when it comes to leveraging the populist card in a Democratic state.”
And here is Brady Monday standing with the governor in the devastation of Washington, Ill. “This is obviously one of the most devastating catastrophes we’ve ever seen. It’s really important that we all rally together. This isn’t a partisan problem. This is a bipartisan solution. It’s not a local government problem. It’s a multi-government solution.”
Brady also praised the response by both the governor and his administration…
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Charter fight goes deep
Tuesday, Nov 19, 2013 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Josh Dwyer at the Illinois Policy Institute recently derided Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia…
State Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, has contempt for the state charter school commission, even though she voted for its creation more than two years ago.
It was on full display the last time Jeanne Nowaczewski – the commission’s executive director – appeared in front of the House Education Committee. Chapa LaVia interrogated her, asking her if she financially benefits from the commission’s approval of charter schools and questioning the commission’s integrity.
It’s no surprise then that Chapa LaVia, along with Sen. Kimberly Lightford, D-Westchester, has introduced concurrent bills aimed at killing the state charter commission.
House Bill 3754 and Senate Bill 2627 would eliminate the charter school commission and instead allow the Illinois State Board of Education, or ISBE, to handle appeals by charter schools whose proposals are rejected by individual school districts.
That’s the way it used to work before the charter school commission was created. Unfortunately, it didn’t work well.
One reason was that ISBE only devoted one part-time employee to evaluating charter school appeals – a herculean task.
The other was that ISBE is predisposed to reject charter appeals. So says a report created by the Independent Charter Authorizer Task Force in 2010.
* Chapa LaVia used to be a charter school supporter until a “virtual learning” charter school wanted approval in her district…
The state charter commission received 29 new charter school appeals from November 1, 2011, when the independent entity took effect, through June 30, 2013, according to a list of frequently asked questions about the commission posted on ISBE’s website in July. […]
In June, the commission voted to accept the withdrawal of 18 appeals by Virtual Learning Solutions, which wanted to partner with online curriculum company K12 Inc. to form the Illinois Virtual Charter School @ Fox River Valley in 18 suburban school districts.
All eighteen school boards rejected the applications for the online charters, and Virtual Learning Solutions filed appeals with the charter commission in May. The commission, however, was poised to deny the appeals before they were withdrawn in June due to a one-year state moratorium on new virtual charter schools that took effect this April. Chapa LaVia also sponsored that moratorium measure, HB 494, and the governor signed it into law May 24.
“I think there’s still a great amount of concern over the [Virtual Learning Solutions and] K12 Inc. application, how that came through,” Laesch explained. “If you look at how much money the school districts spent, it’s well over $300,000 in legal defense for K12 Inc.”
* The Illinois Policy Institute’s Dwyer also opposed Chapa LaVia’s one-year moratorium on virtual charter schools…
State lawmakers should not support HB494 – the bill proposed by Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia, D-Aurora, that aims to put a one-year moratorium on virtual charter schools in Illinois.
She represents one of the districts that would be affected by the potential opening of the Fox River Valley Virtual Charter School.
Chapa LaVia claims the law is needed because there is no process in place for approving, evaluating and funding a multidistrict charter school.
Unfortunately, she’s wrong. It’s all laid out in the state’s charter-school code.
In fact, a multidistrict virtual charter school must fulfill the same criteria as a traditional charter school to get its charter approved, must meet the same benchmarks on state tests as traditional schools, and is funded through the state charter commission like the other multidistrict charter school in the state – Prairie Crossing Charter School in Grayslake.
* Scott Reeder, the Illinois Policy Institute’s “journalist in residence” also penned a column supporting virtual charter schools…
My 7-year-old- Grace loves to draw and paint, and needs constant “atta girls” as she takes on difficult tasks such as playing a new piano piece.
She asks tough questions of her teachers – and expects answers.
On the other hand, my daughter Anna, who will be 5 in a few weeks, seems to always have her face glued to an iPad, working through difficult math puzzles and other educational games.
As soon as I arrive home from work, she begs me to allow her to log in to her school’s website to learn more.
My 2-year-old Caitlin likes to explore. She has her hands on everything – dogs, cats, shoes, clay. She experiences learning through touch.
No child is the same.
That’s why I was so disheartened to see the Illinois House Education Committee vote this week to approve House Bill 494, which puts a three-year moratorium on creating virtual charter schools. The bill’s sponsor has since backpedaled from such a long moratorium and has amended it to make it a one-year moratorium.
* But there is another alleged connection. From Progress Illinois…
A series of new reports allege that the State Policy Network (SPN) and its web of think tanks, including the Illinois Policy Institute, are reportedly driving a “right-wing agenda” across all 50 states.
On its website, SPN, a tax-exempt organization, says it’s the “only group in the country dedicated solely to improving the practical effectiveness of independent, non-profit, market-oriented, state-focused think tanks.” SPN works to “enable these organizations to better educate local citizens, policy makers and opinion leaders about market-oriented alternatives to state and local policy challenges.”
But the Center for Media and Democracy (CMD) and ProgressNow’s new study, which includes a local report for Illinois, maintains that SPN and its affiliates in every state are big pushers of public policy backed by the pro-corporate American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) and other right-wing funders, including organizations with ties to the billionaire Koch brothers.
According to the national report, some of the issues the think tanks peddle involve privatizing education, restricting workers’ rights and rolling back environmental protections, to name a few. The network of think tanks typically use the “same cookie-cutter research and reports, all while claiming to be independent and creating state-focused solutions that purportedly advance the interests or traditions of the state,” the report reads. […]
The Illinois-based report showed that the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI), which describes itself as a “nonpartisan research organization working to make Illinois first in economic outlook and job creation,” received almost $2 million from the Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund from 2005 to 2011. Other high-profile, out-of-state donors to IPI, which does not have to publicly disclose such funding information, include the Roe Foundation, started by SPN’s founding chairman Thomas Roe, the Lynde and Harry Bradley Foundation, the Cato Institute and the Coors family’s Castle Rock Foundation, among others cited in the report. Overall, IPI had more than $2.8 million in reported revenue and more $400,000 in net assets in 2011, the study found. […]
Moreover, the study alleges that IPI attempted to profit from the privatization Illinois’ public schools through new virtual charter schools. IPI fiercely opposed state legislation, HB 494, which successfully established a one-year moratorium on new virtual charter schools in April.
The moratorium stopped Virtual Learning Solutions from setting up the Illinois Virtual Charter School @ Fox River Valley in 18 suburban Illinois school districts. Ted Dabrowski, IPI’s vice president of policy, is a Virtual Learning Solutions board member. Also, Eric Kohn, who is reportedly married to a staff member at IPI, is Virtual Learning Solutions’ treasurer, Chicago Now reported in June. If the charter proposal moved forward, Virtual Learning Solution’s online school endeavor would have resulted in a projected $16 million in Illinois tax dollars over a five-year period.
IPI, however, has denied that its staffers had any financial interest in the online charter school proposal.
The Illinois report is here.
* Speaking of charter schools and the Illinois Policy Institute, Bruce Rauner hater Jon Zahm dug up a little noticed story from earlier this year about how Rauner College Prep - a Chicago charter school - dealt with an underperforming student…
They get to play by their own rules in these schools. If a student is underperforming, rather than motivate them and improve their performance, they get a letter like this:
To Whom it may Concern,
NAME REDACTED is a student who was required to repeat the eleventh grade at Rauner College Prep because he failed to satisfy all of our promotion requirements. Because he is a reclassified student, the credits he earned during his first attempt in the eleventh grade have been deleted. If the student were to transfer to another school, those credits would be repopulated as earned credits.
So, the parents are essentially faced with two choices: Let the kid retake 11th grade, or transfer to a public school with at least some credits from 11th grade.
If the kid transfers, the school bearing the name of a Republican gubernatorial candidate can move an under-achiever off its rolls. And then the public schools will get the blame for failing him or her.
Rauner, of course, has said he gave half a million dollars to the Illinois Policy Institute.
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