The jovial nature of previous banter between two former General Assembly colleagues was gone Wednesday as House GOP Chief Deputy Whip Peter Roskam told President Barack Obama that Congress fears he’s leading the country to the same financial bankruptcy as the state they both hail from.
Roskam, of Wheaton, told the Daily Herald he tried to “teasingly translate” the “reluctance” heard in House Republicans’ voices in dealings with the White House during the closed-door meeting, where even a limited number of staff members were allowed to attend.
“When they hear the president talking about how he approaches the economy, they fear he’s leading in the same direction Illinois is now,” Roskam said he told the president during the meeting in the Capitol basement with 232 Republican members. “Pursuing revenues, not dealing with the underlying spending problems. Higher than average unemployment. What they hear is avoidance behavior.”
The meeting is part of the president’s aggressive outreach effort to Congress over the deficit, which has been nicknamed his “charm offensive.”
White smoke is pouring out of the chimney from the Vatican’s Sistine Chapel, signaling the Roman Catholic Church now has a new pope.
Vatican officials say that man will be introduced on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica in less than an hour. The bells of the basilica also have begun to toll.
* The Question: What is your religion?
*** UPDATE *** From CBS News…
BREAKING: Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina announced as new #pope
Gov. Pat Quinn wants the state’s attorney general to appeal a federal court ruling that Illinois’ concealed carry ban is unconstitutional. An appeal would put the matter before the U.S. Supreme Court.
Illinois is the only state with such a ban. Quinn said Wednesday that an appeal is Illinois’ “only hope” of maintaining it. […]
Attorney General Lisa Madigan disagrees with Quinn. She told reporters Wednesday that she wants to see what lawmakers will do before considering an appeal.
This is being portrayed as a clear choice, so much so that I was considering making it a question of the day, but I decided to call the AG’s office first.
It turns out that by the time the US Supreme Court could do anything, even if Madigan files an appeal immediately (which she can’t reasonably do because these things take a bit of time and amicus briefs have to be solicited, etc.), the 180-day time limit decreed by the federal appellate court would have already expired, the AG’s office claims. And in the interim if the General Assembly passes a bill that becomes law, the case would be moot anyway.
Plus, there’s already an appeal to the top court of New York’s concealed carry law, which the US Supremes may take and Illinois could then possibly join.
* AG Madigan has, however, quietly filed a brief with the Illinois Supreme Court in a separate gun case which argues that the federal appellate court ruling was an “unsound decision,” is “plagued” with “infirmities,” uses references to previous US Supreme cases “out of context,” and commits a “failure to engage in an independent historical analysis.” The brief was sent to me by the NRA a few days ago and got lost in the usual session shuffle. From the filing…
(T)he majority opinion incorrectly marginalizes the significance of the extensive empirical evidence that supports a ban on the public carry of guns by arguing that Heller made clear “it wasn’t going to make the right to bear arms depend on casualty counts.” However, public safety was not a central concern in Heller where it involved the right to possess a gun for self-defense at home.
Neither defendant, nor the majority, dispute the fact that public safety is a relevant factor to be considered in evaluating the validity of public carry laws. Their position, though, disregards that fact that public safety, by definition, entails an assessment of whether the conduct sought to be regulated or banned places police officers and the public in general at risk of injury or death. As the dissent aptly recognized:
The Illinois statutes safeguard the core right to bear arms for self-defense in the home, as well as the carry of ready-to-use firearms on other private property when permitted by the owner, along with the corollary right to transport weapons from place to place.
Guns in public expose all nearby to risk, and the risk of accidental discharge or bad aim has lethal consequences. Allowing public carry of ready-to-use guns means that risk is borne by all in Illinois, including the vast majority of its citizens who choose not to have guns. The State of Illinois has a significant interest in maintaining the safety of its citizens and police officers.
The dissent, thus, properly found that the Illinois General Assembly “acted within its authority to conclude that its interest in reducing gun-related deaths and injuries would not be as effectively served through a licensing system,” and instead enacted a statutory scheme that prohibited most forms of public carry of ready-to-use guns. Accordingly, this Court should hold that the AUUW statute passes constitutional muster under any level of scrutiny.
* Madigan filed the brief with Cook County State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez, who made headlines recently when her aide claimed that the General Assembly wasn’t bound by a federal appellate court ruling. However, AG Madigan argues in the brief that the Illinois Supreme Court isn’t bound by the appellate ruling until the US Supreme Court weighs in…
This Court is not bound to the Moore/Shepard decision. It is well-settled that “[bjecause lower Federal courts exercise no appellate jurisdiction over State courts, decisions of lower Federal courts are not conclusive on State courts, except insofar as the decision of the lower Federal court may become the law of the case.” People v. Kokoraleis, 132 111. 2d 235, 293-294 (1989). This Court has recognized that “[ujntil the Supreme Court of the United States has spoken, State courts are not precluded from exercising their own judgments on Federal constitutional questions. Kokoraleis, citing United States ex rel. Lawrence v. Woods, 432 F.2d 1072 (7th Cir. 1979).
Accordingly, this Court should conduct an independent Second Amendment analysis in this case. Such an analysis establishes that Moore/Shepard was wrongly decided, and that it does not control the outcome of this Case.
* Comments made by defense attorneys yesterday have apparently prompted a gag order in Cook County Commissioner Bill Beavers’ federal trial…
The judge in the tax-evasion trial of an influential Chicago Democrat has imposed a gag order on attorneys a day after a defense lawyer said jury-pool selection was “rigged.”
The judge in William Beavers’ trial on Wednesday did not refer directly to the comments made by the Cook County Commissioner’s lawyer, Sam Adam Sr.
Beaver’s defense attorneys say they were shocked when the pool of 50 potential jurors filed into Judge James Zagel’s courtroom and there wasn’t one African American man among them.
“I am outraged, outraged, by what happened today,” defense attorney Sam Adam said. “I thought I was in Mississippi, I thought I was down there in Money, Mississippi, trying Emmett Till’s killers.”
Defense attorney Sam Adam, erupted in anger, after Judge James Zagel refused to request a new pool of potential jurors for William Beavers’ trial for failing to pay income taxes.
The 50 jurors from which 12 will be selected include just three black women and no black men.
“Commissioner Beavers is a black man and of 50 prospective jurors, not one black man,” defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky commented. “How is that a jury of his peers?”
“We were astonished,” Beavers attorney Victor Henderson said to Zagel after the jury was excused from the courtroom. “There is not one black male and just one or two black females.”
After hearing from Henderson, Zagel acknowledged it was rare to have a panel without a black male, but he also said there are potential legal problems with dismissing a properly-selected random panel.
Zagel declined the defense request and instead instructed both prosecutors and defense attorneys to confer with the U.S. Clerk’s office for the Northern District of Illinois to ensure the selection process used to put together the larger panel was done according to established protocols. […]
Outside court, Beavers’ attorneys called the process “rigged” and said they had no confidence that checking with the clerk’s office would make a difference.
Zagel said he would keep the names of jurors sealed until after the trial ends — a rare move normally reserved for mob or terrorist trials, or for especially high-profile cases.
In explaining why he opted for an anonymous jury, Zagel noted the case had drawn major media interest in the Chicago area.
“I’m trying to ensure there are no outside contacts with jurors,” he said.
* Beavers, by the way, continues to insist that he will testify…
Beavers, a former Chicago alderman who has described himself as “the hog with the big nuts,” has contended federal prosecutors charged him only because he refused to cooperate three years ago, when they asked him to wear a wire on fellow Cook County Commissioner John Daley and then-Board President Todd Stroger.
“What they’re really all about is that they tell some tall tales, you know? And I’ve got to straighten them out,” Beavers said Monday.
Prosecutors allege Beavers borrowed more than $225,000 from his campaign fund and converted it for personal use – including trips to a riverboat casino – and filed tax returns on the money only after learning he was under federal investigation.
Beavers and his team of lawyers say the money taken from the campaign fund was paid back and tax returns were amended.
Prosecutors allege Beavers made those moves after he learned he was under investigation. The defense denies that.
“Once you hear what happened here and find out the time period when receipts are given, the time period when money is given back, and you go through it, you’re going to see there’s only one answer here as to why a prosecution came at all: and that answer is going to be because he wouldn’t cooperate with the government,” said Beavers’ attorney Sam Adam Jr.
Monday’s pre-trial court proceedings, however, found defense attorney Aaron Goldstein trying to find other ways to address Beavers’ claims that the misuse of campaign funds he’s charged with was actually a loan he eventually repaid, and that he is being subjected to “vindictive prosecution” for refusing to wear a wire against Cook County Commissioner John Daley (D-Chicago). […]
“An offer was made, so to speak,” Goldstein said, and asked about the possibility of cross-examining federal agents on that subject.
Judge James Zagel has previously ruled Beavers can’t cite how he amended tax returns, or claim he is being subjected to retribution for not wearing a government wire, unless he takes the stand in his own defense. Assistant U.S. Attorney Matt Getter argued it would “sour the jury” for defense attorneys to suggest federal agents had indulged in “strong-arm tactics” against Beavers.
Zagel drew a sharp line between questioning a federal agent’s trustworthiness in cross examination and suggesting Beavers was being subjected to “vindictive prosecution.” The first was a normal part of trial, he said, the latter something for the judge, not the jury, to determine.
The ruling that Beavers has to testify to bring up the amended tax returns or suggest the trial is pure retribution was left standing. But both Beavers and Adam made clear they intend to pursue that argument.
* On Monday, I told you about a Crain’s story about alleged ties between Bruce Rauner and the notorious Stu Levine. From that Crain’s piece…
In testimony during the 2008 trial of Blagojevich pal Tony Rezko, Mr. Levine and others said Mr. Levine had had a $25,000-a-month contract “consulting” for CompBenefits Corp., an Atlanta-based dental and vision benefits company once known as CompDent. According to its website, CompBenefits at the time of Mr. Levine’s contract principally was owned by four private-equity firms, including GTCR LLC. Mr. Rauner, a founder of GTCR, is the “R” in the acronym.
Mr. Levine said his job was to get work for CompBenefits through whatever means were needed, including payoffs. A 2005 Sun-Times article says the firm then held contracts covering tens of thousands of workers at Chicago Public Schools and with the state.
Mr. Levine testified that he’d paid a bribe to obtain the CPS work, worked with insiders Bill Cellini and Ed Vrdolyak on other deals (both men later were convicted in unrelated federal cases) and plotted with Mr. Rezko to get work with Cook County via Orlando Jones, a key insider who later committed suicide.
Messrs. Levine and Rezko eventually went to prison on other matters, and prosecutors never took any action on CompBenefits. Perhaps that’s because they could not corroborate Mr. Levine’s testimony, or perhaps it’s because some major figures were going to prison anyway. I don’t know. Neither do I know whether Mr. Rauner or GTCR knew the details of what the firm was up to prior to the federal probe.
But I do know that Mr. Rauner, GTCR and Stu Levine had another interaction. That came in 2003, when the board of the Illinois Teachers’ Retirement System—on which Mr. Levine served—first tabled and then approved GTCR’s bid to get a $50 million investment from the giant pension fund.
According to a Sun-Times account, the bid stalled at the board’s February 2003 meeting after Mr. Levine objected but then was zipped through in May, when Mr. Rauner attended the board session. Now-retired TRS Executive Director Jon Bauman corroborates the gist of the newspaper report. He adds that he believes the February flop mostly was because of a bad presentation by GTCR but also says he does not know the particulars of Mr. Levine’s motives
The timing is an issue here. If Levine got that CompBenefits gig after the first unsuccessful TRS vote and before the second vote, then there’s a very serious problem. If not, then it’s not as bad. Neither article has that info, and I wasn’t able to find it online.
* Rauner’s spokesman Chip Englander responded via e-mail late yesterday…
Here’s the answer: Levine’s contract with CompBenefits started in the late 1990’s, years before the 2003 TRS vote.
Here’s the backstory. CompBenefits in the late 90s bought an Illinois company that was co-owned by Stuart Levine. As part of that purchase agreement Levine got a consulting contract. Fast forward, years later when CompBenefits discovered Levine was accused of wrongdoing they terminated the contract and assisted with the investigation against Levine.
I hope this helps.
So, if that’s all there is and Rauner’s flak is telling the truth, then there’s no there there.
As friends and foes assess Ed Rendell’s tenure as governor, few events better illustrate his record in one contentious arena - campaign fund-raising - than his 2001 trip to see a Chicago businessman.
Rendell was in the early stages of the governor’s race. Aides had dispatched him to the Windy City with what they thought was a reasonable goal - a $50,000 check, according to one who spoke on condition of anonymity.
Rendell left the meeting buoyant, but confessed to aides he never asked the would-be donor for a set amount. Rendell “just had a feeling,” he told them.
A week or so later, the Chicagoan, Bruce Rauner, sent a check for $200,000. Another check, for $100,000, came just before the election.
At the time, Rauner’s private-equity firm had business with the state of Pennsylvania. GTCR L.L.C. was managing $110 million in pension funds for the State Employee Retirement System, records show.
After Rendell became governor, the state doubled its stake in GTCR funds, to $226 million. That meant at least $4 million more in management fees to the firm.
As was the case with my column this week, there is no proof in the Philadelphia story that giving led to getting. “There’s nothing improper about the (pension) contract, nor anything to suggest Rendell influenced it or even knew about it,” the paper said.
Indeed, though Mr. Rendell did push an income tax hike when he was governor, he also did a lot of other pro-business things as governor, and earlier as Philadelphia mayor, that might appeal to Mr. Rauner.
As Rauner spokesman Chip Englander emailed me when I asked him for comment on the Philadelphia story, “The vast majority of (Mr. Rauner’s) donations have been to Republicans and conservative and government reform causes, but Bruce is an independent guy, and he has supported some Democrats who he knows personally, or who have pursued education reform or pro-business policies.”
Mr. Englander adds, “Pennsylvania invested in GTCR funds starting in 1997, four years before Bruce ever contributed (to Mr. Rendell). Pennsylvania invested in them, under Republican and Democratic governors alike, because of GTCR’s strong returns and great reputation.”
As with the Levine stuff, that could make for a good TV ad blasting the supposed “outsider” as a possibly corrupt insider. But they ain’t got him yet.
* The Windy City Times took a close look last week at where the roll call stood on same sex marriage. The Illinois Review published it in a more unreadable form, apparently unaware that they were getting their source information from a gay publication.
I looked at the list, which purports to show that gay marriage is ten votes shy of passage. I’ve talked to some of the House members on that list and I think some of the “No” votes are now leaning in favor of the bill.
But it isn’t going to be easy. One House Democrat I talked with last week wants to vote for gay marriage, but his strongly Catholic wife is absolutely, completely dead set against it. Sometimes, these things happen. Legislators are human beings, after all. He said he’d likely push for an amendment strengthening the protections for religious institutions.
Even with a generous tilt, I think it’s still maybe one to five votes shy of passage, depending on whatever the prevailing winds are at the moment. But proponents are pretty darned sure they can pass this thing, so expect a very strong final push.
Paul Caprio, Family PAC’s director, provides the voice in the robocall and says, “Your state representative Mike Smiddy has received $6,500 from Chicago homosexuals.”
Henry County Republican Jon Zahm works as a field director for Family PAC and sent a statement to local media about the robocall.
Mr. Zahm initially said he did not know which “Chicago homosexuals” the robocall referred to.
But in a subsequent interview he pointed to donations to Rep. Smiddy’s election campaign from two groups that advocate for equal rights for gay people and to a contribution from Fred Eychaner, who Mr. Zahm said is “openly gay.”
Smiddy is an avowed liberal. No way will a robocall move him off that bill…
“This is an issue primarily about the welfare of the children, protection of children, and what effect same-sex marriage has on that welfare and outcome,” Family-PAC’s Caprio said Sunday, claiming that children would less likely know their cultural and medical history if their parents were gay.
“Is it possible that what they call Parent 1 and Parent 2 could raise a child in a loving manner? Sure. But don’t you think it’s important a person know who their biological parents are?” he said.
Smiddy said adopted children can seek out their biological parents regardless of the parents’ orientation and called Caprio’s assertion “ridiculous.”
“I honestly thought it was a very ridiculous comment and a very untrue comment,” Smiddy said.
Caprio’s statement that he has been taking money from “Chicago homosexuals” is “greatly offensive.”
With a vote looming in the Illinois House, Rev. James Meeks is taking a stand against same-sex marriage by sending an “emergency message” to Illinois households.
Meeks, pastor of Salem Baptist Church on Chicago’s South Side and former state senator, said the pre-recorded call that reached roughly 200,000 households in 14 legislative districts beginning Friday was sent mostly to African-Americans.
“Please listen closely,” the message began. “Your state representative in Springfield is under serious pressure to redefine marriage in Illinois. If marriage between one man and one woman is redefined to add same-sex marriage, our family structure, as we know it, is in serious jeopardy.
“While being a member of the General Assembly for the last 10 years, I maintained the fact that this decision is too big for 177 people to make. If we are going to change Illinois, as we know it on such a broad scale, then your voice and input are very much needed.”
The National Organization for Marriage, a nonprofit that lobbies for defining marriage between a man and a woman, funded the pre-recorded message. The group’s backers include a former law clerk to Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas and a presidential appointee to the United States Commission on Civil Rights.
“Obviously [Meeks is] a very well known figure in the area,” said Brian Brown, the organization’s president and co-founder. “He’s an African-American standing up for the issue. We’re very happy he was willing to make the calls and stand up for marriage.”
Then again, Meeks may only have to scare one or two votes off the bill to kill it. Stay tuned.
* From today’s Chicago Tribune editorial about pension reform, the SEC fraud allegations and the 1994 pension funding law…
Many of those politicians, having sabotaged state government and its pension system, still hold office. In the best of worlds, those who voted for the pension plan Edgar signed, or for subsequent pension holidays, would resign.
* From an August 21, 1997 Tribune editorial. Emphasis added…
Jim Edgar can rightfully claim, as he did Wednesday in a preamble to his statement of retirement, that he will leave Illinois on a much sounder footing than when he took office in 1990. A resurgent national economy helped, but there’s no gainsaying Edgar’s leadership in reforming the state’s welfare system and in returning its pension and Medicaid programs to a pay-as-you-go basis. The times demanded fiscal stability, and Jim Edgar is stability personified.
So, um, maybe somebody needs to resign from the Trib editorial board?
Gov. Jim Edgar signed compromise legislation Monday to increase the amount of money flowing into the state’s five government pension systems over the next 50 years.
Dozens of state retirees were shepherded into the governor’s State Capitol office to witness his signature on the legislation, which now gives pensions the same status as bond financing in automatically receiving the first crack at money in future state budgets.
Though a co-sponsor of the measure, Sen. Penny Severns of Decatur, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor, said the legislation Edgar signed will cost taxpayers $17 billion more over its lifetime than an alternative plan proposed by her running mate, gubernatorial candidate Dawn Clark Netsch.
“Jim Edgar acted today to fix the pension mess, in great part, because this is an election year,” said Severns. “We need to have active leadership protecting our retirement systems all the time, not just in election years.”
Edgar, however, defended the new law and said Netsch’s alternative proved too costly and was unrealistic given the demands for state money from education, child welfare and other social services.
“This, we feel, is fiscally realistic,” Edgar said. “What we’re talking about putting in each year in new dollars can be done with the type of growth we expect to see in the revenues in the next few years.”
* Netsch talked about her efforts to reform the pension systems during an oral history compiled by the Chicago History Museum last year…
* Rumors are apparently flying that the Koch brothers are interested in buying Tribune Co.…
Multiple sources tell L.A. Weekly that Charles and David Koch — the infamous right-wing billionaire brothers — are considering an offer on either the Tribune Co. newspaper group, which includes the L.A. Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Baltimore Sun or the entire Tribune Co., which includes more than 20 stations like WGN and KTLA Channel 5.
So, you think those Trib editorials are harsh now? It’ll be Colonel McCormick all over again.
“As an entrepreneurial company with 60,000 employees around the world, we are constantly exploring profitable opportunities in many industries and sectors. So, it is natural that our name would come up in connection with this rumor. We respect the independence of the journalistic institutions referenced in today’s news stories, but it is our long-standing policy not to comment on deals or rumors of deals we may or may not be exploring. “
Wrapports LLC, owner of the Chicago Sun-Times, is exploring opportunities for expansion, including considering a purchase of Tribune Co. assets, according to sources familiar with the company’s plans.
Chicago-based Wrapports, led by Chairman Michael Ferro, has engaged New York investment bank Allen & Co. Inc. specifically to explore a purchase of assets of Chicago-based Tribune
Others who have said they’d be interested in buying Tribune holdings include News Corp. CEO Rupert Murdoch — who owned the Sun Times in the 1980s — as well as Freedom Communications CEO Aaron Kushner, owner of the Orange County Register based in Santa Ana, Calif., and San Diego Union-Tribune owner Douglas Manchester.
Click here for a bit of Murdoch history by Roger Ebert.
Tuesday, Mar 12, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
ComEd continues to make significant infrastructure improvements as a result of the Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act of 2011, also known as the Smart Grid law. In 2012 alone, the utility:
• Installed approximately 472 “smart switches,” preventing 82,000 service interruptions;
• Replaced or refurbished 450 miles of underground residential cable—more than double the pace of any previous year;
• Replaced approximately 46 miles of mainline cable—four times the annual average;
• Assessed 8,000 manholes and refurbished 4,400 manholes;
• Repaired or replaced 2,700 utility poles, doubling previous years; and,
• Completed 500 storm hardening projects, including moving equipment underground and installing tree-resistant cable.
These efforts are aimed at reducing and shortening power outages and creating a modern, reliable electric grid, which is critical for attracting new businesses and keeping Illinois competitive. These projects created 700 jobs in 2012 alone.
However, to keep the reliability improvements and job creation moving forward, ComEd needs to restore funding to the grid modernization program. Senate Bill 9 / House Bill 2529 will address this issue and get grid modernization back on track.
Members of the General Assembly – vote yes on SB 9 / HB 2529.
DAVE BLANCHETTE, a state government veteran who is now deputy director of the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum, will become Gov. PAT QUINN’s Springfield spokesman as of March 18.
“With his remarkable command of Illinois history and communications expertise, Dave will make our team stronger and effectively communicate information the public needs to know,” said BROOKE ANDERSON, Quinn’s press secretary. “Serving as Springfield spokesman for Governor Quinn, who himself is a history buff, is a perfect fit for Dave.”
Tuesday, Mar 12, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
ComEd and Ameren are at it again – this time trying to pit the General Assembly against the Commerce Commission with Illinois consumers caught in the middle.
House Bill 2529 is not about improving infrastructure, or ending ComEd’s smart meter delay. It’s about money — your money! ComEd and Ameren want to get more of you money through higher rates. And they will even charge you interest!
ComEd and Ameren are failing to meet the very metrics they wrote in PA97-0616. But instead of being accountable to ratepayers and legislators, HB2529 would make it look that they are in compliance with the law and grant them retroactive rate hikes plus interest.
As Crain’s Chicago Business points out:
“…ComEd will be allowed to charge ratepayers interest on its unreimbursed pension contributions with no regulatory review.”
We urge the General Assembly to hold ComEd and Ameren accountable and Vote NO! on HB2529
* Illinois Review has finally begun to cover the cancellation of Saturday’s meeting that was initially called to eject IL GOP Chairman Pat Brady from office. They’re running some reacts. For instance, Joe Walsh…
“In order for the Illinois Republican Party to move forward, Chairman Pat Brady must step down. Pat, in his position as Chairman, can not publicly attack the Party Platform. If he had said the Republican Party must embrace Obamacare, we would be calling for his resignation. If he publicly said we should raise the individual income tax in Illinois, we would demand he step down. The same is true here. The Party Platform supports traditional marriage between one man and one woman and Chairman Brady has not once, not twice, but at least three times publicly refuted that plank in the Platform.
“The majority of Illinois Republicans support traditional marriage and the energetic base of the Party overwhelmingly supports traditional marriage. Republicans can not win statewide without its grassroots devoted base. And this silent majority will not vote nor work to win in 2014 as they should if the current Party Chairman is still in place.
“Pat should do the right thing and resign. If not, the State Central Committee has to vote him out. If he is not replaced soon there will be a schism in the Party that will destroy our ability to win in 2014.”
“We still need reconciliation, and we always need to hear each other very carefully. I am always for that and this might be a great time to start, but we must do so with our focus on 2014. Especially with the SEC finding that Illinois lied to the bond markets, we Republicans are united to reduce the size, scope, waste and bloat of our corrupt and oppressive state government.
“We who consider ourselves Republicans have more than enough to do to rescue our fellow taxpayers and residents in every neighborhood of our beloved state from the serial catastrophes of Democrat domination, wherever and whenever we can. If you consider yourself a Republican, I ask no more than that you put your shoulder to that wheel with me and I am your brother. My litmus test is defeating oppression.
“The clock is ticking. We need a statewide ticket, organization, fundraising and volunteers. In the counties, we need lengthy lists of candidates for county offices. What we do here can foretell the national effort to retake the White House from the Chavez-respecting Obamists. Let’s light the candle that starts that brushfire – let’s do this.”
Tuesday, Mar 12, 2013 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As America looks to its energy future, natural gas holds more promise than ever. Abundant, clean, and domestically supplied, natural gas offers a roadmap to where the U.S. energy industry must travel. Gas remains the primary source of heat, hot water and cooking for U.S. homes and businesses. And in the years to come, we’re going to rely on natural gas more and more. With the price at historic lows, the laws of economics will insist on it.
We need to prepare by creating a natural gas industry that is ready for the future. That means investing in our pipeline systems. Such an infrastructure investment will make delivery safer and more reliable. It will be better for the environment, and it will create jobs.
But Illinois’ current regulatory environment is unpredictable, outdated and inefficient, inhibiting investment. Illinois natural gas utilities need a legislative solution to have the continued confidence to invest in system upgrades. Businesses and labor organizations from across the state support legislation that will enable utilities to continue modernizing the state’s natural gas systems.
Members of the Illinois legislature: Vote YES on the Natural Gas Modernization, Public Safety and Jobs Bill, SB 1665/HB 2414. Click here to learn more: www.peoplesgasdelivery.com/legislation.
* Four new prison guard cadet class and three new state trooper cadet classes are included in Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget. There’s lots of new state hiring, at least partially forced by over 5,000 retirements in the past 18 months…
But, the hiring won’t necessarily boost the total number of state employees.
According to Quinn aides, the state workforce has dropped below the 50,000 mark, primarily because of a wave of more than 5,500 retirements in the past 18 months. Under Quinn’s budget, the number of employees would grow to about 53,000. […]
The proposed spending plan for the Department of Human Services calls for more than 900 new employees, including 450 workers to handle welfare-related programs.
At the Illinois Department of Natural Resources, the budget includes money to hire 100 state park workers and additional conservation police officers. The new workers will restock an agency that has seen a 55 percent reduction in headcount since 2002.
While other parts of government may be facing potentially drastic cuts, Gov. Pat Quinn is calling for an increase in spending on Amtrak train service.
Budget documents show the Chicago Democrat has earmarked $12 million more for passenger rail service in Illinois, bringing the total spent on additional trains between Chicago and routes ending in St. Louis, Carbondale and Galesburg to $38 million.
The 46 percent increase for the fiscal year beginning July 1, however, would not mean Illinois would be getting any extra train service this year.
Rather, a 2008 federal law requires states to begin picking up a larger part of the tab for rail service. The law calls for more state aid for train routes that are shorter than 750 miles long.
Other states facing higher tabs include New York, Michigan and California.
Mike Claffey, a spokesman for the Quinn administration, said the final amount owed to the feds could be lower.
The proponents of high-speed rail say: No sweat, after the expensive upgrades the system will be much more productive. Faster trains will be a big draw for passengers, which will produce new revenues.
But Amtrak passenger revenues don’t come close to covering the cost of the service and there’s little prospect that they ever will. Who will be on the hook in Illinois? It won’t be Uncle Sam. It will be Uncle Springfield.
For many who had worked at Malcolm Eaton Enterprises in Freeport, it felt like getting laid off.
Malcolm Eaton, a training center and workplace for developmentally disabled adults, no longer can take on clients from Frances House, operator of several Rockford-area group homes, because the state of Illinois is so far behind in promised payments.
Frances House had sent clients to Malcolm Eaton for more than two years. There, the roughly 60 adults, mostly in their 40s and 50s, would complete small jobs and developmental training programs based on their abilities.
But with the state behind on the bills, Frances House doesn’t have the cash flow to continue the program, and now administrators and families are scrambling to find someplace else for clients to spend their days.
For months, the Quinn administration unsuccessfully tried to force the state’s largest employee union to accept wage cuts as part of its negotiations over a new labor agreement.
Not only were the governor’s efforts unsuccessful, but a new University of Illinois study shows government workers are a relative bargain compared with their private sector counterparts.
As 35,000 members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union vote this week on a new three year collective bargaining agreement with the state, the study appears to show they were right to hold out against Quinn’s push to cut their paychecks.
The study found that state and local government workers in Illinois earn incomes that are 13.5 percent less on average than workers in the private sector with a comparable education.
“When you control for education and other demographic variables, it turns out that public sector workers suffer a wage penalty,” says Robert Bruno, a professor of labor and employment relations on the Urbana campus. “So it’s a myth that state workers in Illinois are overpaid, and to lay the blame for the state’s budget woes and underfunded pensions on state workers is just plain false.”
* Gov. Pat Quinn hasn’t listed a single event on his official public schedule since unveiling his budget last Wednesday. But he is making some public appearances. This one, for instance…
With the gusto of a stump speech, Gov. Pat Quinn told congregants of a prominent Chicago church Sunday that combating street violence is a priority and his proposed budget would help address the problem.
“We’re never going to give up,” he shouted from the pulpit before congregants at Greater St. John Bible Church. “We’re not going to let the gangbangers take over!” […]
The budget contains a bit more money in some areas of public safety — new cadet classes for Illinois State Police and $25 million for mental health care — along with huge cuts in education. Quinn played up his efforts to retain funding for early education and increases for mental health. […]
He referenced last year’s slaying of 7-year-old Heaven Sutton, who was killed by a stray bullet as she was selling snow cones in the neighborhood, which isn’t far from Quinn’s Chicago home. Her death was among the more than 500 murders in 2012, an increase from years past.
“Little Heaven’s up in heaven today,” Quinn said. “We better take good care of our babies.”
On Sunday, March 10, 2013, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn spoke to about 90 North Shore residents at the Winnetka Community House. He covered a variety of topics including pensions, gun control, civil unions, casino gambling, high speed rail, and education funding. The event was sponsored by the New Trier Democratic Organization.
Perhaps the most interesting part was the Q & A after his 25 minute speech. My question was the first one asked, which was, “Governor, for new state employees, would you consider an IRA or 401k, in order to phase out government from the pension business?” The governor gave a long three minute answer without really addressing the question.
I also caught a glimpse of the governor on my TV while watching the Class 2A high school basketball tournament.
* A group opposing fracking will hold a rally and a press conference today. From this morning’s press release…
NY has a moratorium on fracking. Don’t the people of IL deserve the same?
Press conference in the state capital rotunda at 1:30.
High volume, high pressure, horizontal hydraulic fracturing, or “fracking,” threatens not only the health of Illinois residents, but important Illinois industries such as tourism and farming. SB1418/ HB3086 would set up an investigative task force of scientific experts and stakeholders to examine the risks to local economies, tourism, public health, and the environment — before fracking can proceed.
A Cornell study has found that cumulatively, fracking activities are a major threat to tourism. Southern Illinois, targeted for hydraulic fracturing, is currently a tourist destination for hunters, hikers, wine trail enthusiasts, and those interested in the newly-blossoming microbrewery industry. Introducing fracking to this already economically disadvantaged area of the state will be devastating to local economies.
The risk of economic fallout from fracking in the form of damage to tourism, agriculture, infrastructure, and property values is NOT outweighed by job creation for Illinois residents. Evidence indicates that the industry relies mostly on out-of-state workers. What local employment does exist is primarily in part-time, short-term, or low-paying jobs; the economic gain here is nominal compared to the costs of damage.
In addition, various health organizations are seeing the impacts of fracking on public health. The American Nurses Association and American Public Health Association both call for a moratorium on fracking. In October 2012, the American Public Health Association issued a policy statement saying, “The public health perspective [on fracking] has been inadequately represented in policy.”
The USEPA is also conducting a major nationwide study to determine whether fracking can be done safely and, if so, how. Illinois should impose a two-year moratorium on fracking, and wait for the results of these studies before determining how best to proceed.
* Last week, the same group sent out this press release…
On March 6 a federal judge lifted a 17-year-old order that blocked oil and gas drilling in the Illinois’ Shawnee National Forest. Richard Blume-Weaver, a planning and resources staff officer at the National Forest, confirmed that there has been interest in oil & gas leasing. Ultimate approval will rest with the federal Bureau of Land Management.
SAFE (Southern Illinoisans Against Fracturing our Environment) takes a strong stand against drilling in the National Forest and is outraged by the oil and gas industry’s latest maneuver.
I asked whether this meant that the group ought to pursue regulations, since a moratorium wouldn’t appear to stop this drilling. The reply…
Actually, we are certain that fracking is not on its way. Even if the industry bill passes we’ll still be pushing for a moratorium. I’m sure you think that’s an impossible task. We most certainly don’t. NY has extended theirs due to 3 very good studies being done. Shouldn’t IL wait for those studies, too?
Opening the door to fracking in the Shawnee now gives us leverage on a national stage, btw. It was a big mistake on industry’s part to drop that bomb right now. It just gives SAFE more support in S. IL.
Actually, only the lower house in New York’s legislature extended the ban. The Senate is not expected to extend it.
I followed up again and was told this…
Trust me—it’s not coming. What’s going to happen if equipment get’s moved in—trucks start rolling?
I’ve already had lots of people tell me—we’ll do whatever it takes to stop them. (And, so will I. I’m 66 and will be right there with everyone on the front lines.) SAFE has a Direct Action point person who works with other Direct Action groups. She’ll be coordinating, And, Rising Tide will be here, for sure. They’re already helping us out.
It’ll get really messy—industry will have a hard time winning that. You just can’t throw enough money around to dampen the human spirit. You can pass that last quote around to any industry guys.
* And that same group sent out a press release severals days ago about its upcoming anti-fracking protest at the Statehouse which included this background of two scheduled speakers…
Bill Rau, ISU Emeritus Professor and fracking expert, “On the most important issues, the bill (HB2615) remains silent or gives the store away. The gas industry got just about everything they wanted.
Annette McMichael, Leader in IPA and SAFE, and Southern Illinois landowner “There is no local control in the industry bill. They can turn Southern IL into an industrial wasteland and no one can stop them.”
* Both of these folks have been quoted quite in a bit in the media. For example…
About a dozen members of the Illinois People’s Action attended Tuesday’s board meeting wearing anti-fracking stickers.
Spokesman Bill Rau said the group ideally wants fracking banned in Illinois but doesn’t want the counties to lose their local zoning control.
Industrial sociology, until recently a crucial research area within the field of sociology of work, examines “the direction and implications of trends in technological change, globalization, labour markets, work organization, managerial practices and employment relations to the extent to which these trends are intimately related to changing patterns of inequality in modern societies and to the changing experiences of individuals and families the ways in which workers challenge, resist and make their own contributions to the patterning of work and shaping of work institutions.”[
It’s not time for anybody to declare victory yet, according to an anti-fracking activist. After representatives of industry, labor, and environmental interests joined lawmakers to celebrate the introduction of a bill to regulate hydraulic fracturing in Illinois, Annette McMichael was ready to rain on the parade. McMichael is part of SAFE – Southern Illinoisans against Fracturing Our Environment. She lives in Monticello but hopes to retire to Jackson County, where she owns land.
Annette has more than 15 years of experience in planning and implementing advertising campaigns. For seven years she served as the marketing director for a mid-sized business. In this position she purchased about $500,000 of advertising each year, using a variety of media. During that time the business grew from a staff of 15 to over 100 and revenue exploded. But it was a struggle getting there. Whether your annual ad budget is $25,000, $250,000, or more, she’s probably tackled the same challenges that you’re now facing. So she understands what’s important to you.
She has also spent many years working within the media industry. She served as an Account Representative for both radio and television, and as a Sales Manager in broadcast and cable television. This background gives her the advantage of understanding media organizations, especially in central Illinois, from the inside.
* There’s absolutely nothing wrong or untoward about any of this. Self-taught activists have been crucial to many successful American movements throughout history.
But Professor Rau is no fracking scientist, even though you’d most certainly get that impression from his press release bio. And McMichael is apparently a professional media spokesperson.
