Capitol Fax.com - Your Illinois News Radar

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

“Ronald Reagan said the Soviet Union was the focus of evil during the cold war. I believe that the judiciary is the focus of evil in our society today.”

- Alan Keyes, speaking at the recent “Confronting the Judicial War on Faith” conference.

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Attention, all posse members

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Check that last e-mail I sent you.

You have to log on with my username and password. Both are included in my last e-mail.

21 Comments

Gay rights diluted?

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

The House just passed an amendment that would, opponents say, greatly reduce the protections for gays and lesbians in Illinois that were won earlier this year. More in the Capitol Fax tomorrow.

3 Comments

COMMENTS RESTORED!

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Good news! I’ve deputized a ~~handful~~ fistful of posse members and am now able to restore the comment function.

The posse is under orders to shoot to kill, so to speak. They are to err on the side of godlike retribution. When in doubt, they’ll delete. So let’s try to be relatively civil to each other here.

Comment away

12 Comments

“49th in the nation”

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

The art of using statistics.

It may be lonely at the top, but when it comes to education funding, Arizona has plenty of company at the bottom. Or so they say. At last count, more than half a dozen states claimed to be 49th in education funding:

“The political reality is that (Florida) lawmakers are cheap and entirely too satisfied with education spending that ranks 49th of the 50 states.” St. Petersburg Times editorial, Oct. 15, 2004.

Â·”Illinois ranks 49th in the nation in the proportion of state school funding it provides, caucus officials said.” Chicago Tribune, Aug. 13, 2004.

“Tennessee . . . ranks 49th out of 50 states in per-pupil spending.” Amy Ritchart, the Leaf Chronicle, Oct. 17, 2004.

Add to that list, Idaho, Louisiana, Pennsylvania, Utah and, of course, Arizona.

Who’s right depends partly on what you include in education funding. For example, Census Bureau rankings include certain capital outlays. The National Education Association’s “Rankings and Estimates” and Education Week’s “Quality Counts” exclude such funding.

Arizona’s ranking also changes considerably depending on how you define education funding. For instance, the Census Bureau ranks Arizona anywhere from 18th to 51st on 20 funding measures. Such variety makes it possible to pick and choose a state’s ranking and then put it under an ominous “education funding” headline.

The complexity of state public-school finance systems makes it hard to know what’s being spent and easy for people to believe their state is 49th. A 2004 Educational Testing Service poll found that nearly one in two Americans thinks per-student funding averages less than $5,000. However, U.S. Department of Education figures put average state spending closer to $9,000.

Read the whole thing. Pretty good stuff.

2 Comments

You gotta be kidding me

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

I find this difficult to believe. Nobody’s ever done any poll-watching in Aurora?

Chicago-style election tactics make Aurora debut

Poll watchers: People bused in from as far away as Windy City

By Ed Fanselow
STAFF WRITER

AURORA â€” Voters here got a taste of big-league politics Tuesday, courtesy of Democratic and Republican poll watchers bused in from as far away as Chicago to get out the vote for their parties’ respective mayoral candidates.

Although recruited partisan poll watchers have been used for decades in places like Chicago and Cicero, Tuesday marked the first time such tactics have made their way west to Aurora, local political observers said.

“In all my years, I’ve never seen this,” said Charles Bolwin, a longtime Republican precinct committeeman on Aurora’s far East Side and a former DuPage County election judge. “I couldn’t believe it when I saw it.”

Is Aurora really that backwater? Poll-watchers have been used for decades, and not just in Chicago or (shiver) Cicero. DuPage County uses them, Sangamon County uses them. The list of places that have never used poll-watchers would be much, much shorter.

I would also assume that both the Democrats and the Republicans used poll-watchers in the highly targeted 2002 House race that was based in Aurora. If they didn’t, they were fools.

I can understand how locals might be wary of imported workers, but that happens so much in legislative races - going back at least 20 years - that I don’t see it as an issue any longer.

And if this is, indeed, the first time that poll-watchers have been used in Aurora, all I can say is, “Welcome to the 19th Century.”

3 Comments

Falling on deaf ears

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

The Cross Blog comes down hard against an appeal of a recent court ruling:

Listen….I’m totally a ‘Root, Root, Root for the Hometeam kinda guy’, but if our party is to rebuild we need to get past stuff like this.

In the waning days of his administration, Ryan took care of 60 friends and allies, giving them state jobs and changing the rules so they would have only 60 days’ probation instead of four to six months as the previous rules stated. The hirings came 61 days before Ryan turned the office over to Blagojevich.

I know that he did nothing new and he was just ‘taking care of his friends’, but we need to be the party of ethics.

Let’s not let Blagorgeous raise the ’spector of George Ryan’ any longer. We need to move on. Don’t think for a minute that this won’t be in Rod’s poltical ‘pocket’….

“When George Ryan stuffed the Government with his cronies, I swept them clean!”

I can hear it now.

It’s time to Move the Party Forward.

But it doesn’t look like they’ll get their wish. The lawyer for the plaintiffs, John Kerley, told the Tribune that he would appeal.

Kerley said that he would appeal Friday’s decision to the Illinois Supreme Court and that he expects his clients to hold their jobs while the court considers the appeal.

By the time a final decision on the case is made, Kerley pointed out, the employees may have less than a year left in their four-year terms.

Almost without a doubt, this case is gonna get dragged into the campaign season.

1 Comment

Strong protections for military earn Navy - Marine Corps Relief Society support for HB 1100

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

(The following is a paid advertisement.)

Strong protections for military personnel has earned the support of the Navy-Marine Corp Relief Society Great Lakes for the Monsignor Egan Payday Loan Reform Act (HB 1100).

According to a study by the National Consumer Law Center, military personnel are attractive prey to unscrupulous lenders. HB 1100 incorporates “best practices” of the Community Financial Services Association which include: banning garnishment of military pay, deferring collection action for military personnel deployed to combat zones, prohibiting the contacting of commanding officers to collect debts, and a requirement to honor any repayment plan negotiated with the consumer or through military counselors or other third party credit counselors.

In addition to these current CFSA best practices, HB 1100 prohibits any payday loan facility from locating within one mile of any State of Illinois or United States military base or installation.

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Poll results

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

As promised in today’s Capitol Fax, here is most of the poll that was released last week by SEIU and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability.

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Another spam-related death

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Rep. Chapin Rose is flooded with spam. From an e-mail last week:

Dear Friend,

I am very sorry, but do to the inordinate amount of spam related materials hitting my inbox, I am no longer able to publish my email address. In its place, constituents of the 110th district may go to http://www.chapinrose.com/contact and complete an online constituent service form. Upon submission, this form will be immediately reviewed by my staff. Please note that in order for the form to work properly you must accurately submit your zip code indicating residency within one of the five counties served by the 110th legislative district. […]

Thanks again and please visit www.chapinrose.com.

Sincerely,

Chapin Rose
State Representative

I received this e-mail because he’s on my e-mail subscription list. I hope he gives me his new address soon.

And, Chapin, it’s “due,” not “do.”

1 Comment

Question of the day

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

What do you think of this?

Voters would be able to cast ballots up to three weeks before Election Day under a measure, designed to boost turnout and make voting more convenient, that passed the Illinois Senate with no opposition Friday.

Pre-Election Day absentee balloting has long been allowed in Illinois, but the measure goes well beyond that. It would authorize in-person early voting to begin the third Saturday before general or primary elections, and extend through the Thursday before Election Day.

The measure, approved on a 57-0 vote, now goes to the House.

3 Comments

Rockford analysis

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Chuck Sweeny has a very good analysis of the Rockford mayoral race.

By 2001, the local economy was tanking and the anti-Democrat vote mushroomed to 61 percent. That year, Democrat Doug Scott was elected mayor with just 37 percent of the vote. Independent Morrissey got 26 percent; Republican Dennis Johnson got 35 percent.

Scott didn’t understand this trend toward removing the ruling Democratic machine that had been in place in one form or another since 1973, when school principal and 1st Ward Ald. Bob McGaw became the first Democratic mayor in modern times.

Scott never tried to win over enough Morrissey or Johnson voters to earn re-election. Scott insisted that managing basic city services well during a recession and the July 5, 2003, windstorm was a darned good job.

People didn’t think good management was good enough in 2001; they didn’t think so last week, windstorm or not. But the Illinois Re-publican Party, stung by its collapse in 2004, was in no position to help Rockford GOP’ers bankroll a mayoral candidate, and the local party is in nearly as bad shape. The party couldn’t field a candidate until the last minute.

So, this year’s race amounted to a rematch between Scott and Morrissey, but this time with a weak Republican nominee who lacked her own party’s support — Gloria Cardenas Cudia managed just 4 percent of the vote. […]

Morrisseyâ€™s message

Morrissey added GOP voters to his liberal, yuppie base by promising progressive conservative change. Isnâ€™t that an oxymoron? Not really.

Morrissey offered progressive activism on jobs, neighborhood revitalization, downtown development and education. He promised to crusade for better housing and safer streets for the cityâ€™s poor.

But he also declared a conservative, pro-business doctrine to grow the tax base and was solidly against casino gambling. That was a smart position to take. A Chicago newspaper poll last year found that two-thirds of Illinoisans oppose more gambling.

Morrisseyâ€™s Roman Catholicism also was front-and-center: schooled at Holy Family, Boylan High, Notre Dame. Sicilian mom, Irish dad. That appealed to social conservatives.

Read the whole thing.

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Drug dealers battling judge?

Monday, Apr 11, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Is a judge under legal attack because of efforts by drug dealers? Sen. Chris Lauzen thinks so.

A state panel is “siding with criminals” in its complaint against Kane County Judge James Doyle, according to state Sen. Chris Lauzen, who has launched a petition drive demanding to know how much money is being spent prosecuting the case.

The 20-count complaint was filed in February by the Illinois Judicial Inquiry Board accusing Doyle of violating defendants’ constitutional rights and intimidating others involved with the county’s drug court program. […]

The complaint accuses Doyle, formerly presiding judge of the Kane County Drug Rehabilitation Court, of violating defendants’ rights and other actions that were “prejudicial to the administration of justice and conduct that brought the judicial office into disrepute.” His attorneys filed a response to the state panel’s complaint this week, denying the allegations. […]

A letter Lauzen has sent to local newspapers urges people to sign a petition to reprimand the JIB. His letter states the JIB is “spending tens, maybe hundreds of thousands of dollars of your taxpayer money to side with convicted drug criminals and just five of their attorneys in trying to destroy Doyle and his work.” […]

“The question is, it is possible that some drug criminals would be willing to lie in Kane County about a judge’s conduct,” he said.

Anyone know anything else about this?

6 Comments

Sunday night music blogging

Sunday, Apr 10, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

This story about my brother Devin’s new radio show has already vanished into the Southern Illinoisan’s paid archives, but it’s definitely worth a mention here.

The roots music movement could have lived and died in 2000 with the release of the movie “O Brother, Where Art Thou?”

The Homeric odyssey set in the 1930s Deep South introduced a nearly forgotten soundtrack of American life to pop culture.

Somehow Depression hymns and spirituals, chain-gang songs, spirited bluegrass knee-slappers and old-time folk resonated in a way that surpassed the fad.

“It’s music that was made not necessarily to make the person who wrote it rich. It was an expression of what was going on their life. There wasn’t this artifice that is associated with everything that goes on now,” explains local disc jockey, musician and publisher Devin Miller on the genre’s appeal.

While roots music is resounding on a national level, Southern Illinois sticks out as what Miller calls an “originator.” […]

Miller’s “Original Roots” radio program, which shifts from its home on local indie station WDBX to NPR affiliate WSIU this weekend, celebrates both area and national artists in the blues, bluegrass, rockabilly, zydeco and beyond, representing both old and new creators of roots sounds.

The 9-year-old show moves to bigger markets in an area that not only represents talented makers of such music but ardent appreciators of it as well. […]

“It’s a reaction to a very post-modern society where people feel disconnected,” Miller says. […]

Original Roots: hosted by Devin Miller, airing 7 to 9 p.m., Saturdays starting April 2, on WSIU radio stations FM 91.9, 90.3 and 88.9. Visit wsiu.org for more information.

2 Comments

Comment Posse

Sunday, Apr 10, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

A couple of people have volunteered to serve on the “comment posse,” but not enough to get it off the ground. I figure I need at least five people to make sure the blog is covered all the time.

I want to get away from the new e-mail comment system, which will most likely discourage postings, and go with the posse idea, so I need your help.

The idea is to deputize a handful of people who would then be empowered to immediately delete offensive or unsavory comments from this blog. I’d rather go with people I know, but don’t be afraid to volunteer.

If you’re interested in serving, send me an e-mail. As an added incentive, all approved “members” will be awarded this nifty coffee mug:

UPDATE: I’m just about there. Need maybe one or two more. Any volunteers?

1 Comment

Dave and Janet Stover on HGTV

Sunday, Apr 10, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Ever since I started looking for a house, I’ve been watching Home & Gardens TV for tips on home ownership.

I just caught the end of a program on underground homes that featured Dave and Janet Stover, two friends of mine who co-founded the Illinois Association of Rehabilitation Facilities and built an underground home outside of Springfield.

I hope I catch a rebroadcast of the complete program, but here is an Internet link to the show.

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Blogger problem work-around

Sunday, Apr 10, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Frustrated by yet another Blogger meltdown last week, I decided to try using a different browser.

I discovered that I was able to post with my Apple-based Safari browser without any problems, even though my Firefox browser was having all sorts of trouble. I tried it again today, and, lo and behold, I achieved the same results.

Has anyone else had the same experience?

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Poll problem

Sunday, Apr 10, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

I can’t see how they can claim broad support for a concept if they word their question like this:

Backers of a plan to raise the state income tax, expand the sales tax and lower property taxes for schools presented a poll last week showing pretty strong support for the idea. The poll showed 69 percent of respondents either strongly or mildly favored the concept.

Here’s how the poll worded the tax hike part of the question: “The increased state funding for schools and other services would be funded by expanding the sales tax to include consumer services and a 2 percent increase in income taxes for the highest 40 percent of income earners.” That’s one way of phrasing it.

The state income tax rate for individuals is 3 percent. Under the tax swap plan, the rate would go to 5 percent. The tax rate goes up by 2 points, but the actual hit to your income taxes is 67 percent. Also, the top 40 percent of income earners means anyone making over about $50,000 a year.

So the other way of phrasing the question is: “The increased state funding for schools and other services would be funded by … a 67 percent increase in income taxes for people earning over $50,000.” Wonder what the response would be to that question?

A “two percentage point increase” would have been acceptable wording, although still a bit misleading. When they said “2 percent increase,” it completely undermined their results.

3 Comments

Weekend way-back blogging

Saturday, Apr 9, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

My grandfather, George Akers, was a cowboy out West for several years. He also worked the threshing machine circuit throughout the Great Plains. This photo is circa 1928 and was taken at his brother Ernest’s ranch in Colorado.

Click on the pic to get a better view.

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Poll update

Saturday, Apr 9, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

I know I promised to post SEIU’s education funding poll a few days ago, but I forgot about it. Oops. I haven’t written about the poll for Capitol Fax, so I hadn’t even bothered to look at it until just now, when I realized that I don’t have the entire thing. When I do, I’ll post it.

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New Comment Function

Saturday, Apr 9, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

I’m going to try prescreened, e-mail comments for a while.

I’ll preserve your anonymity unless I deem your comment to be a threat of some sort, and I’ll post all comments as soon as I can, unless they don’t meet my standards.

1 Comment

Finally, a win

Saturday, Apr 9, 2005 - Posted by Rich Miller

Governor Blagojevich hasn’t done all that well with the courts, especially since he tried to freeze judicial pay. This is, if I’m not mistaken, his first real win since he took office.

Former Gov. George Ryan had no right to hand out long-term high-paying state jobs to his friends as he left office, and Gov. Blagojevich had every right to fire Ryan’s midnight appointments, a state appellate court ruled Friday.

The ruling reversed the state’s Civil Service Commission and the Cook County Circuit Court, which had reinstated the employees after Blagojevich fired them.

“That’s good news,” said Blagojevich spokeswoman Abby Ottenhoff. “The court’s decision ensures that these important civil service positions are filled by the most qualified people, not the most well-connected.”

Attorneys for the 16 Ryan appointees remaining on the state payroll — including Ryan’s former spokesman David Urbanek, now being paid $99,000 a year by the Capital Development Board — hope to file an appeal Monday morning before the Blagojevich administration can evict them from their offices.

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