Arizona Supremes shoot down pension benefit cut
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Arizona Supreme Court ruled today that the state legislature cannot cut state retiree COLAs…
The ruling released Thursday comes in a case brought after the Legislature cut the increases in 2011 for retirees in the state plan for judges and elected officials. […]
The Legislature cut the cost-of-living increases after the judges’ retirement system lost money in the Great Recession and became badly underfunded. The retired judges argued the increases were a promised benefit and lower courts agreed.
The high court agreed the increases are part of a promised retirement benefit and are protected by the pension clause of the state Constitution. That clause bars “diminishing or impairing” public retirement benefits.
The Arizona Constitution is very similar to ours in that regard. But, of course, the ruling has no direct impact here. It could be used by the plaintiffs to buttress their case, however. Our high court often looks at what other state courts have done.
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Dillard wants clear shot at Rauner
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* WLS AM…
In the race for governor, State Senator Kirk Dillard thinks it’s time for party leaders to prevail upon Dan Rutherford or Bill Brady - or both - to quit the race for the sake of preventing Bruce Rauner from getting the GOP nomination.
Rauner’s 20-point lead in the Tribune poll has Dillard is saying party leaders ought to lean on Brady or Rutherford to drop out.
“Well, I really would hope the Republican County Chairmen’s Association would be the group that would try to galvanize our party,” Dillard said. “It is very clear, unfortunately, that the state treasurer who has had allegations of sexual harassment and political dealings on state time is now unelectable. And Bill Brady proved in 2010 that even with a tailwind where we elected a number of Republican congressmen, he was unelectable.”
It’s not a horrible point, and Dillard is obviously trying to show that he’s the challenger with the momentum, but I doubt anyone else is going to get forced or talked out of this race.
Brady was completely counted out last time and he won. If Rutherford gets out, he’s all but admitting wrongdoing.
And what Republican has any real power in this state to make something like this happen? Mark Kirk, maybe, but despite his public claims of neutrality he has two staffers on Rauner’s campaign.
And Rauner is most likely a believer in a “the more the merrier” theory right now. If he’s reached his peak because of the union TV ads, he wants those lost votes split up, not concentrated with one opponent. And since he has some support within that county chairman’s association, his folks will not be involved with this.
Raising a ton of money back when Dillard still had Ron Gidwitz in his corner would’ve done more to bolster his cause now. But all three candidates are financially challenged. Dillard has some endorsements and a little bit of cash, but he has yet to outline a clear path to victory, particularly if Rauner turns the guns on him with “He supported Obama!” TV ads, or whatnot.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Here’s a question I’ve seen debated in comments here and that I’ve debated with my Statehouse pals and my mom: Do you feel sorry for Treasurer Dan Rutherford? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
survey solutions
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Interesting bills
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* You don’t see bills like this one every day. Rep. Elaine Nekritz and Sen. Michael Hastings want to provide a path back to driving privileges for those who have been convicted four times for DUI. From the synopsis…
Provides that certain persons ineligible to re-apply for a license may instead apply for a restricted driving permit after the expiration of 5 years from the effective date of the most recent revocation, provided the person proves by clear and convincing evidence a minimum 3 years of uninterrupted sobriety from alcohol and other drugs and the successful completion of all rehabilitative activity recommended by a properly licensed service provider. Provides that the Secretary of State shall cancel a restricted driving permit issued under the conditions if the holder fails to comply with ignition interlock device requirements and that the person shall be ineligible to re-apply for restricted driving privileges.
* Sun-Times coverage…
Michael Geever, one of the 5,000 people Nekritz estimates her bill affects, testified in favor of her legislation.
Geever, now a deacon at Lamplighter Bible Church in Roselle, said he’s been a changed man ever since his spiritual awakening lifted his obsession to drink and do drugs. Nevertheless, Geever must adjust to a life without driving privileges. […]
Lt. Donnie Pridemore, of the Fulton Police Department, testified in support of the bill, saying he’s seen people—including his own alcoholic brother—turn their lives around. […]
Rita Kreslin, executive director of the Alliance Against Intoxicated Motorists, said she supported the legislation in light of the permit eligibility requirements listed in the bill.
Interesting as well that AAIM is for it.
* Speaking of Sen. Hastings, his “revenge porn” bill has been getting a lot of publicity. From the Tribune…
The idea is to curb the major embarrassment people suffer when their scorned ex-boyfriends or girlfriends post raunchy photos and videos of their former partners as a way to get back at them.
A new proposal filed at the Capitol would make it illegal for people to take to the Internet with such content without consent. Sponsoring Sen. Michael Hastings likened the posting of such pictures after bad breakups to “harassment and the worst type of cyberbullying.”
The legislation is needed because Illinois statutes fail to protect people who posed for racy pictures and videos while in a private relationship, only to have their “trust broken,” said Hastings, D-Orland Hills.
Under the measure, it would become a felony to post nude and sexually explicit pictures of another person without his or her permission. The bill also would make it a crime to require a fee to get pictures removed from a website. The maximum penalty would be up to three years in prison and a $25,000 fine, though judges would have discretion to impose lesser punishments.
* But…
Mary Dixon, from the American Civil Liberties Union in Illinois, said the wording of the bill might not stand up to the protection of free speech guaranteed in the First Amendment.
Dixon said laws could regulate free speech, but they must be “carefully and narrowly tailored,” something she said Hastings’ bill could work on by including language on malicious intent and emotional harm.
Despite the concerns voiced by the ACLU, Hastings disagreed and defended the wording of the bill, saying it’s hard to prove malicious intent.
“I happen to agree with the senator that it is difficult to prove intent,” said John Carroll, from the state’s attorney’s office. “I do think that there is a drastic need for this bill.”
OK, this is a real problem that needs to be addressed, but why call it “revenge porn” if intent has nothing to do with it? Isn’t revenge a clear intent?
* Sen. Don Harmon has a bill that would provide a permanent funding stream for the state’s chronically underfunded Poison Control Center…
Harmon’s plan would tap into a fund filled by fees that cell phone companies charge users to pay for 911 services. At first, the cell companies used the money to build out 911 technology so that it patched cell phones into the closest emergency dispatch centers, but most of that work has been done and money has been piling up in the fund. Harmon would use 2 cents per user (the total fee is 6 to 8 cents) to pay for the Poison Control Center.
Of course, Harmon isn’t the only one who has noticed that money quietly amassing. Some of it already has been used to help pay administrative expenses of the Illinois Commerce Commission. Now, 911 centers would like some of that money to make their own improvements.
But for panicked parents making that 2 a.m. call, the Poison Control Center is probably the place that would get their votes.
Those parents would probably call 911 first, so shouldn’t we make sure those call centers are adequately funded with all that money piling up as well?
* And finally…
Legislation sponsored by State Senator Jason Barickman of Bloomington that makes it clear sex offenders must report to law enforcement when they lose a job, cleared the Illinois Senate Criminal Law Committee Wednesday.
Barickman says Pontiac Police and the McLean County State’s Attorney’s office brought a quirk in the current law to Barickman’s attention.
Currently although state law requires sex offenders to report a “change” in employment, there was a recent appellate court ruling that said losing a job is not the same as a change in employment. This bill aims to clarify an ambiguity in the existing law.
We really do have a bizarre appellate bench in this state.
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Rauner is living in a fantasy world
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* “This is the reason I am running,” Bruce Rauner told a Springfield business crowd last year…
“The government union bosses, they take our tax dollars, they go to the politicians and say, ‘Mr. Governor or Mr. Speaker, give me a big pension for my workers and I’ll give you ten million dollars for your reelection. Give me more pay for my workers, I’ll give you $20 million for your reelection. Give me free healthcare for my workers off the backs of the taxpayers, I’ll give you another $10 million for your reelection, I’ll give you free campaign workers for your reelection.’ […]
“You won’t hear the politicians talk about this. You won’t. The Democrats don’t talk about it because that’s where Madigan gets all his money or his power. He’ll never talk about it. And you’ll never hear the Republicans talk about it either because a lot of them get that money, too.”
* Madigan gets “all his money” from government union bosses? Let’s take a quick look…
* Madigan controls three campaign committees. Democratic Majority has received just one AFSCME contribution of $15K, but that was over three years ago.
* The last time Madigan’s Democratic Party of Illinois committee received AFSCME money was October of 2011, and that was only $5,000.
* And the last time Friends of Michael J Madigan received any AFSCME money was December of 2009 - more than four years ago.
Madigan has received a grand total of $821,200 from AFSCME, but that was since August of 1994, which works out to about $42K a year. Madigan raised more than that this month, including $21,100 from Stand for Children Illinois, which is not exactly a favorite of the teachers unions.
* And the Republicans? As I’ve said here many times before, Republican legislators who vote with AFSCME and the teachers don’t do that because they’ve sold their souls. They vote their districts, or their ideology. Rauner has a different ideology, which includes assuming the worst of anyone who disagrees with him.
He’s gonna be a dangerous governor, that one.
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Translation: When heck freezes over
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Senate Republicans said they won’t work cooperatively with the Democrats on the budget without some preconditions being met…
Answering a challenge from Democrats to present a counter plan, the GOP lawmakers announced their list of demands Wednesday at a Capitol news conference. Earlier this week, Democratic Senate President John Cullerton warned of a $3 billion budget hole next year. That includes a $1.6 billion revenue dip if the state’s temporary income tax increase expires as scheduled in January 2015, as well as about $1.3 billion in increased costs to required programs and services.
“If they want us to work with them, there are (several) things they’re going to have to recognize and commit to,” Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno of Lemont said, noting numerous GOP budget proposals have been “mocked” and “buried in committee” in past years.
* And here’s what they want…
* The temporary income tax increase to be allowed to phase out, as is called for under current law.
* A proposal to amend the state’s Constitution to allow for a graduated income tax to be taken off the table.
* The approval of a workers’ compensation reform bill that includes a requirement that employees prove they were hurt on the job.
* A prohibition on new programs and the expansion of existing programs in the FY 15 budget.
* Attorney General Lisa Madigan to request that the Illinois Supreme Court speed up its ruling on the pension changes that were recently passed into law.
* More aggressive implementation of the cost-saving Medicaid reforms approved in 2012.
What, no kitchen sink?
* Oh, wait. Here it is…
Republicans said school aid needs to be changed to eliminate a block grant for Chicago that takes millions of dollars away from suburban and downstate schools
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Uphill climb for pop tax
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Backers of a proposed tax on sugared pop to fund health initiatives are busily lowering expectations…
One of the measure’s sponsors, state Sen. Mattie Hunter, D-Chicago, said the proposal will be “very difficult to pass” due to resistance from consumers and the state’s business community. […]
American Heart Association spokesman Mark Peysakhovich said the legislation is just the first step in what likely will be a very lengthy fight.
“We’re not kidding ourselves,” he said. “This is the first year of a significant campaign. I compare this quite a bit to our work on tobacco taxes. The industry has the dream team.
“It’s going to take time to get the message across, but we feel that the public will finally support us. Anybody playing defense on this issue has already lost.”
* Background…
The tax on the sugary drinks, including sports drinks, soda, fruit juices and some coffees, to name a few, is estimated to raise $600 million annually. Half of the money would go to Medicaid to reinstate dental care and other cuts. The other half would go to a wellness fund to promote community health and awareness. The Illinois Alliance to Prevent Obesity said in a written statement that the tax targets sugar-sweetened drinks because strong evidence links them to obesity and other chronic illnesses.
* But opponents are focusing on the tax itself…
While sugary drinks are linked to obesity and other medical issues, some question whether a tax is the best way to get people to cut back on consumption. “The soft drink industry has done a good job at making consumers know calories — not that it wasn’t on there before, but by putting it on the front of the can and from minimizing the ounces in cans,” said Tanya Triche, vice president and general counsel of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. Triche said merchants are already working on ways to promote better choices by having healthy foods at the entrance of the stores to help consumers think of better choices as they arrive. “It is already happening without the government getting involved by taxing.” She said the organization wants consumers to spend money buying more produce and food, rather than on taxes.
The Taxpayers Federation of Illinois has not taken a stance on the bill, but President Carol Portman said, “If you want to fight obesity, taxing isn’t the way to do it.”
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The home front and political aspirations
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Statehouse demonstrators who oppose pension reform called on CTU President Karen Lewis to run for Chicago mayor...
During the CTU president’s call for unity in the looming pension fight on Wednesday, loud chants of “Run for Mayor!” filled the Capitol rotunda, where unionized city workers gathered to hear her speak.
Afterward, Lewis seemed to suggest she’s staying put in 2015, when Emanuel faces re-election, but she also didn’t close any doors.
“I have a job that I was elected to. I am not a politician. I clearly am not a politician,” Lewis told reporters when asked about the calls for her to run against Emanuel.
When one reporter pointed out that Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner takes pride in saying he, too, isn’t a politician, Lewis cracked, “But I’m not egotistical or rich.”
Then, she said her husband, John Lewis, had already weighed in on the question.
“My husband has said ‘no,’ ” she said.
Asked if that meant she had ruled out a mayoral run, Lewis then repeated herself and ended questions.
“My husband has said ‘no.’ ”
* Three things can happen when a potential candidate’s spouse says “No.”
1) The candidate heeds the advice and doesn’t run.
2) The candidate doesn’t listen and forges ahead with a difficult campaign and ends up dealing with major trouble at home, which nobody wants.
3) The spouse changes his or her mind.
Right now, anyway, I’m thinking “1″ likely applies, particularly since she’s talking about it so openly.
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Can’t get his story straight
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* After telling Bernie Schoenburg last September that he never called then-Chicago Public Schools CEO Arne Duncan about getting his daughter into Payton Prep, this is what Bruce Rauner said about the clouting controversy during Tuesday night’s debate…
“Frankly, my wife and I, we have some disagreement about who talked to who when,” Rauner said. “I don’t really recall. I talked to Arne all the time. I don’t really recall talking to him about this much.”
* But this is what Rauner told WLS back in January…
On January 14th of this year, Rauner appeared on 89 WLS with Roe Conn and Richard Roeper, and said that not only did he definitely call Duncan, he remembered Duncan’s response when he told him his daughter might not get into Payton because she missed so much time in grade school because of an illness:
“So I called Arne and I said, ‘Hey Arne, she’d really like to go to Walter Payton, but I saw the criteria, she may or may not get in. Um, what do you think, should she even apply?’ And he said, ‘Bruce, if she’s as good academically as you say and it was pneumonia, she’s a great candidate because we have something called the principal’s discretionary pool.’”
* So, to sum up. In September, Rauner said he never called Arne Duncan. In January, he remembered lots of details from that phone conversation. This week, he says his memory is hazy and doesn’t recall talking to him much about this issue.
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Credit Union (noun) – an essential financial cooperative
Thursday, Feb 20, 2014 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Cooperatives can be formed to support producers such as farmers, purchasers such as independent business owners, and consumers such as electric coops and credit unions. Their primary purpose is to meet members’ needs through affordable goods and services of high quality. Cooperatives such as credit unions may look like other businesses in their operations and, like other businesses, can range in size. However, the cooperative structure is distinctively different regardless of size. As not-for-profit financial cooperatives, credit unions serve individuals with a common goal or interest. They are owned and democratically controlled by the people who use their services. Their board of directors consists of unpaid volunteers, elected by and from the membership. Members are owners who pool funds to help other members. After expenses and reserve requirements are met, net revenue is returned to members via lower loan and higher savings rates, lower costs and fees for services. It is the structure of credit unions, not their size or range of services that is the reason for their tax exempt status - and the reason why almost three million Illinois residents are among nearly 99 million Americans who count on their local credit union everyday to reach their financial goals.
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Question of the day
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* What one word best describes the Republican gubernatorial primary so far?
Remember, just one word. No cheating by inventing new words.
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Today’s must-listen audio
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From WUIS…
Upon advice of his attorney, Treasurer Dan Rutherford is refusing to release a taxpayer-funded report probing allegations he sexually harassed an employee and forced the state worker to do his political bidding. Days since the investigation’s completion, Rutherford, who is running for the Republican nomination for Illinois governor, says he has yet to read it.
Listen to this exchange as journalists press him on whether the findings should be made public.
* Listen to the whole thing…
Man, that sure didn’t go well for Rutherford. If he thinks this is going away, he’s dead wrong.
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Reining in some police surveillance powers
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some hardcore police powers types probably won’t like this, but it seems to make some sense. From a press release…
State Senator Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) presented legislation today that would limit the circumstances under which law enforcement may use electronic location surveillance, including GPS tracking information from cell phones, in criminal investigations.
“From your phone to the GPS system built into your car, the devices you use every day can reveal a surprising amount of detailed information most of us believe should stay private,” Biss said. “The legislation I’ve introduced balances legitimate public safety needs with the basic, constitutional right not to be subjected to unreasonable searches.”
Senate Bill 2808 would allow law enforcement to obtain a tracking order — similar to a search warrant — if they can show a judge they have probable cause to believe obtaining current or future location information from an individual’s electronic device is needed to solve a crime or prevent a crime from taking place. In the absence of a tracking order, information collected through electronic surveillance would be inadmissible in court. The legislation contains exceptions for emergencies such as responding to a 911 call or locating a missing person believed to be in danger. It also clarifies that police and prosecutors may still make use of information already available to the public, such as locations posted on social media.
In 2012, cell phone carriers reported to Congress that they had responded to 1.3 million requests from law enforcement agencies for customer information during the previous year.
“The technology is new, but the principle is not: a free society needs to put strict limits on the government’s collection of information about citizens’ private lives,” Biss said.
The bill passed a committee today and was sent to the Senate floor.
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Fight over voter file
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I told subscribers recently that the Cook County Democratic Party Chairman had informed ward and township committeemen that “all access to the Votebuilder voter file for committeemen has been suspended.”
Chairman Joe Berrios explained the access had been cut “due to the terms of the new contract between the Democratic Party of Illinois and the national provider for the file.”
The Sun-Times takes a longer look…
John Arena, the alderman and Democratic committeeman for the 45th Ward, says Berrios recently told him he could not get the voter file because his ward organization is “not endorsing the full slate.”
It’s a slate that includes state Rep. Maria Antonia “Toni” Berrios. She’s one of Joe Berrios’ three offspring (the other two being aides in the county assessor’s office that their dad leads).
Arena’s 45th Ward Democrats and some other ward organizations have strayed from the rest of the party flock to support challenger Will Guzzardi, who nearly unseated Toni Berrios in the last election and now is getting help from the Chicago Teachers Union.
Some committeemen who asked for and were denied the voter file also broke ranks with the bosses to support Nancy Schiavone against newly appointed state Rep. Jaime Andrade. He’s a longtime loyalist in Dick Mell’s 33rd Ward Democratic organization who replaced Mell’s daughter Deb in the General Assembly when she left Springfield to take dad’s longtime seat at the City Council. […]
Jay Travis, who’s challenging Democratic state Rep. Christian Mitchell of Chicago, says getting enough signatures to appear on the primary ballot should have qualified her to get a copy of the voter file.
She ran into reality when her campaign asked the state Democratic Party for help.
In an e-mail that Travis shared with the Chicago Sun-Times, a state party official told her campaign manager, “Please be advised that your request for access to VoteBuilder for Jhatoyn ‘Jay’ Travis during the 2014 primary cycle has been denied due to: Challenging an incumbent.”
Essentially, the party pays for the VoteBuilder file, and the party makes endorsements. And if those endorsements are defied, then the party feels it has the right to deny access to the file.
This unruliness has irked Speaker Madigan for years. He was behind a county party rule change some time ago that threatened committeemen with losing their party posts if they backed a challenger to a slated candidate. That didn’t work. So, since so many committeemen were defying the slating process, access to the voter file was completely cut off.
Thoughts?
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* Sen. Kirk Dillard’s best zingers from last night’s debate…
“I’ll give Mr. Rauner a pass tonight on pay-to-play,” Dillard said sarcastically, before outlining Rauner’s hiring of convicted influence peddler and ex-state pension board member Stuart Levine as a consultant and Rauner’s $300,000 contribution to former Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell, a Democrat, before Rauner’s investment company got a boost in pension funds from that state.
Dillard, who Friday won an endorsement from the Illinois Education Association, also tore into Brady for voting on tax increment finance district legislation that Dillard said financially benefited the Bloomington Republican and for initiating a 2010 bill to allow animal shelters to kill rabid strays en masse.
“The demise of his campaign began with an idea that he had to mass euthanize animals. That began the drumbeat that made him a vulnerable candidate,” Dillard said, outlining how Brady’s 2010 gubernatorial run began unraveling almost from the get-go.
* Sen. Bill Brady’s best zingers…
“Sen. Dillard’s ad for Obama, saying he’d serve our country well as president of the United States, is a non-starter among most Republicans and, frankly, independents,” Brady said, alluding to a 2008 commercial Dillard cut for Obama during the presidential primary.
“And with all due respect to Mr. Rauner, his support of Rahm Emanuel doesn’t serve well with Republicans in a primary,” Brady said, referring to the close, personal friendship Rauner and the mayor have. “It doesn’t work to win elections.”
* Brady also got in some shots at Dillard before the debate…
Gubernatorial candidate Bill Brady lashed out at competitor Kirk Dillard, accusing him of allowing politics to guide his “no” vote last December on a landmark — but controversial — pension bill. […]
The comments follow Dillard winning the endorsement from the Illinois Education Association last week. The IEA supported Dillard in 2010, pumping $250,000 into his campaign. If the group gives Dillard a similar amount or more, he may have the capability to get some TV ads in rotation the last week before the March 18th primary. Last year, Dillard voted against a controversial pension reform plan that was strongly opposed by public sector unions. The pension bill now faces legal challenges.
“He sold out on pension reform,” Brady told the Sun-Times.” There’s no question. His campaign wasn’t going anywhere. His Lt. Gov. (Jil Tracy of Quincy) voted for it. He’s used every excuse in the book. He was trying to throw life support to make a political decision which amongst Republican primary voters is really hurting him when you talk to them.”
* Rauner tried again to explain the Payton Prep stuff…
Also on the hot seat was candidate Bruce Rauner.
His daughter won admission to the Near North Side’s Walter Payton College Prep, one of the finest high schools in Illinois. Around that time, billionaire Rauner gave $750,000 to two Chicago Public School foundations.
Rauner initially denied discussing his daughter’s application with then CPS CEO Arne Duncan, now the U.S. Secretary of Education. Rauner apologized Tuesday for what he said last summer to veteran Springfield political reporter Bernard Schoenburg.
“Arne Duncan and I would talk regularly, because I’m very involved and have been for 25 years in school reform in Chicago, very involved in charter schools, vouchers, school choice. So, I talked to Arne regularly. I don’t really recall much of the conversation that my wife and I had around the time of our daughter’s application to Walter Payton College Prep. The important issue we did not ask for any special treatment,” Rauner said.
* But nobody could really say last night how they’d balance the budget if the tax hike expires…
Rauner said the state needs to “reduce spending dramatically,” although the only specific program he mentioned was Medicaid. He said he would appoint a task force to reduce waste and the overall cost of government.
Dillard said he would grow the economy and cut waste in Medicaid, while Brady went a step further and said he wants to end the state income tax entirely. He did not specify areas of the budget to cut.
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Three Republicans defend public employee unions
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From June of last year…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, speaking in Springfield Wednesday, said that even pro-union Democratic President Franklin D. Roosevelt thought government unions “shouldn’t exist” and are “immoral.”
Actually, FDR didn’t say that. Read what he did say by clicking here.
* He also said this last year…
“I think we can drive a wedge issue in the Democratic Party on that topic — that real folks will say, ‘You know what? For our tax dollars, I’d rather help the disadvantaged, the handicapped, the elderly, the children in poverty. I’d rather have my tax dollars going to that than the SEIU or “AF-Scammy” who are out there for their own interests,’” Rauner said, referring to two of the state’s most influential labor organizations — the Service Employees International Union and the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.
* Rauner was asked about that stuff during last night’s debate…
“I’m not against the existence of government unions but workers should be free to choose whether to be in a government union or not,” said Rauner, a venture capitalist from Winnetka.
Still, he maintained there were big differences between public employee unions and private-sector unions.
“When a government union boss has power with taxpayer funded union dues to influence politicians through campaign cash, campaign workers that are free but actually paid by government taxpayers inside the government, it’s a conflict of interest and it’s a corrupting influence. And the result of it is spending goes up, taxes go up and businesses leave our state,” Rauner said.
Watch the video here.
* The react from the other candidates…
Sen. Kirk Dillard of Hinsdale said, “I don’t think unions are inherently bad” while acknowledging that Illinois government has become “incredibly unionized” in recent years. While Rod Blagojevich was governor, thousands of workers in management positions flocked to join unions after going years without pay raises.
Dillard said the way to win concessions from public employee unions is to “meet with them, talk with them, not demonize them.”
Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford said there are supervisory positions in government that need to be exempt from union membership, and the right balance has yet to be achieved.
“To say union bosses are immoral is inappropriate,” he said.
Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington also said a better balance needs to be struck among jobs that should not be part of a union because they are supervisory. However, he blamed the drive to join unions on Gov. Pat Quinn making promises to workers that he failed to deliver.
* More from Brady, who said public worker unions are “not immoral”…
“Unions,” he said, “serve their constituency, the people that they represent. And certainly public and private sector unions have done a lot to assist in enhancing the quality of life of the members they provide for. They also provide for a skilled workforce.”
Discuss.
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Behind the Dillard abortion slam
Wednesday, Feb 19, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Champion News dug up a 2003 Project Vote Smart report that claimed Sen. Kirk Dillard had a 100 percent voting record from Planned Parenthood Illinois Action…
This image speaks for itself and the voting record of Kirk Dillard on pro-life issues.
The image…
Champion News is published by Jack Roeser, who is a major Bruce Rauner supporter. Rauner describes himself as being pro-choice.
* A Dillard campaign surrogate responded via press release…
Recently the pro-life voting record of gubernatorial candidate Kirk Dillard has been called into question by a smear campaign funded by his political opponents. Yesterday, an internet blog calling itself “Champion News” used a decade-old web page to imply that Dillard was favored by abortion provider Planned Parenthood.
Pro-life leaders from around the state are outraged, and have demanded an apology from the staunchly pro-choice Bruce Rauner, who opposes Dillard in the GOP Primary March 18th.
Kirk Dillard has been a long time pro-life leader. He has sponsored parental notice legislation, championed abstinence education, and has stood up for life throughout his career in the Illinois Senate. Just last week, he was the only candidate for governor to be endorsed by Illinois Citizens for Life and Illinois Federation for Right to Life. Dillard has also been endorsed by pro-life Eagle Forum State PAC and Family-PAC. Furthermore, Dillard is supported individually by pro-life advocates state-wide, including Penny Pullen, Bonnie Quirke, Mary Anne Hackett, Liz Eilers, Sheila Devall, Reverend Bob VandenBosch, Nick Costello, and Phyllis Schlafly.
Sharee Langenstein, Illinois’ pro-life representative to the Republican National Platform Committee in 2012, now serves as statewide Co-Chairman of Conservatives for Dillard. She had this to say about the anti-Dillard story: “Champion News is wholly owned by Jack Roeser, who is an open supporter of pro-abortion candidate Bruce Rauner. Rauner and his wife Diana have donated tens of thousands of dollars to pro-choice organizations including Personal PAC and Emily’s List, and Rauner has donated $440,000 to Roeser’s political organizations. We no more trust what Champion News has to say about pro-life candidates than we would trust Planned Parenthood. We demand an apology from Bruce Rauner for this attempt to deliberately mislead pro-life voters through the Champion News blog.”
* OK, what the heck is this about? I mean, Dillard has, indeed, been a pro-life legislator his entire career.
So, I called Planned Parenthood and told them what was going on. They were as initially stunned as I was. Kirk Dillard had a 100 percent voting record? Really?
They checked their records and got back to me. According to Planned Parenthood, they rated Senators on just one bill in 2003. That bill required insurance companies to cover contraception.
* There are plenty on the right who oppose any governmental insurance mandates for contraception, but Dillard wasn’t supporting an abortion bill, so any implication that this record implies he’s pro-choice is ludicrous on its face.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
A new state-by-state report card evaluating America’s support for emergency care has been released, and the results for Illinois are dire: Illinois is ranked 45th in the nation with a grade of D.
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* A new TV ad by Illinois Freedom PAC, a group funded by labor unions, began running last night. Some Rauner campaign guys I know saw the ad last night and dismissed it as ineffective. You can rate it yourself…
* Script…
- It was called “Severe corporate greed.”
A “scheme” to cash in on the elderly.
And in the middle of it? Bruce Rauner’s company.
Rauner’s company was accused of draining money from nursing homes, leaving seniors to suffer from malnutrition and dehydration.
Court after court ruled victims died from abuse and neglect.
Trust Bruce Rauner to be Governor?
His companies’ nursing homes made over a billion dollars while seniors paid the ultimate price.
* The accompanying press release…
Illinois Freedom PAC launched its second television ad today, holding gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner accountable for actions by his company that have been called a “callous disregard for human life” and “severe corporate greed”.
A jury found that Trans Healthcare, a company co-founded by Rauner’s firm—called a “vulture investor” that bought up scores of nursing homes–cashed in on the elderly by cutting staff at the homes, letting quality of care decline, loading the homes with debt and shuffling money between corporations to escape liability from lawsuits over extreme neglect and death. The ad and the facts can be viewed at www.IllinoisFreedom.com.
“Bruce Rauner brags that his business experience qualifies him to be governor, but what he leaves out is that his companies, such as Trans Health, prioritize corporate profits over human life,” says Michael Murray, spokesman for Illinois Freedom. “As a venture capitalist, Bruce Rauner owned a company that deliberately neglected the elderly to make a quick buck, and now he wants middle class families to believe he will look out for their interests as governor? Stuart Levine showed us that Bruce Rauner has a history of putting profits ahead of his ethics, but now we know that his company’s profits are even more sacred than human life. Bruce Rauner isn’t who he says he is.”
Representing hundreds of thousands of working families in Illinois, Illinois Freedom is dedicated to educating Illinois voters about the important issues at stake in this election. This ad is supported by an initial weeklong buy worth more than $1 million in the Chicago, Champaign, Peoria, and Rockford media markets as well as online.
*** UPDATE *** The Rauner campaign response…
Pat Quinn’s allies launched a desperate and disgusting false attack ad against Bruce Rauner.
“It’s shameful that Pat Quinn and his special interest friends are blatantly ignoring the truth and invoking others’ personal tragedies in an attempt at political gain,” said Chip Englander, campaign manager for Bruce Rauner. “This is politics at its worst and Pat Quinn, the Democratic Governors Association and the government union bosses behind this ad should be ashamed.”
Below is a fact sheet outlining the multitude of ways in which this ad is misleading and false. The first set of facts detail the wrongful statements made in the TV ad, the second set of facts outlines the nature of GTCR’s investment in the nursing home company, Trans Healthcare Inc., referenced in the ad. Following those facts are a series of facts about the specific cases referenced in the ad.
The facts are drawn from publicly available court filings, media outlets and other third party entities. Taken together they prove that the ad purposefully ignores the truth.
The fact sheet can be read by clicking here.
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* The four GOP gubernatorial candidates debated last night. We’ll have more coverage today. If you missed the debate, you can watch it by clicking here.
This post will focus on Treasurer Rutherford’s response to questions about why he won’t release his internal investigation report. Fox Chicago…
Rutherford complained in Tuesday’s debate that Illinois politics is a “blood sport.”
He then danced around his previous promise to release a taxpayer-funded report on the sexual harassment and other allegations against him.
“In fact, when I made the announcement that we were going to release it, that was totally the intent. There was a federal lawsuit filed. Right now, advice of counsel is because there’s a federal lawsuit going on. I’m working it through.
“I want to get that out there. Believe me.
“And I’ve seen Illinois now, at the worst blood sport I’ve ever seen it. This is not easy to stand up here and run in the State of Illinois,” Rutherford said.
OK, first of all, his lawyers were meeting with the accuser’s lawyers. Rutherford had to know a lawsuit was imminent after he broke off talks. And if he wants to get that out there, all he has to do is overrule his attorney and release it.
* Tribune…
Rutherford’s office had said the probe was tentatively scheduled to be discussed at a news conference last Friday. But that briefing was canceled the day before after Rutherford hired a Chicago attorney who said he now represents Rutherford personally and advised his client not to release any information about the case.
The former IRS agent would not discuss the specifics of his work — including who or how many people he interviewed — beyond saying he had conducted and “completed” an investigation. He referred specific inquiries to the treasurer’s office, which on Friday refused to answer questions about how or when the investigation was conducted.
On Tuesday, Rutherford called the campaign the “worst bloodsport” he has ever seen.
“This is not easy to stand up and run,” said Rutherford, who has indicated he’s not getting out of the contest.
But Rutherford’s campaign announced it had suspended future contracted TV advertising time. Documents show Rutherford had reserved 118 spots at WLS Ch. 7 starting March 3 that would have cost $147,100. Over roughly that same time period, Rauner has reserved 98 spots costing $132,350 on Ch. 7, documents show.
* And then there was this from the Sun-Times…
Rutherford also undercut his earlier claims that Rauner somehow was behind the sexual-harassment allegations.
“I do not have direct proof of that,” Rutherford said.
Ugh.
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