It marked a day of jabs at Rauner for attacks on the middle class, the minimum wage, labor rights and working families. But Thursday afternoon at the traditional, old-style state fair rally, few answered the trumpet to arms. Many dignitaries hit the gates before the speeches ended. Chicago City Clerk Susana Mendoza, a candidate for state comptroller, told about 50 stalwarts, “Thanks for sticking around.”
There weren’t a whole lot more than 50 to begin with. When you don’t have the governor’s office, you don’t get the crowds, especially in an off year.
You’d think, though, that organized labor would send some folks. Didn’t really happen.
And those who did show up weren’t exactly enthusiastic, in stark contrast to the Governor’s Day crowd, which was a fired up bunch.
It was tough for anybody to get fired up, though, considering the ability of some of the speakers, one of whom went on and on and on so long that I might’ve considered heckling her if I’d had any beers in me. There wasn’t much there there. The Sun-Times had to resort to writing about yet another announcement by Secretary of State Jesse White that he isn’t running again.
But, hey, it was good to see some old pals, even if I was among those who split early. But I was under doctor’s orders not to stay longer than 90 minutes. I don’t think many others had that excuse.
* A friend snapped this pic of me at Governor’s Day yesterday…
I kinda wanted a beer and a corn dog, but I obeyed my doctor’s orders and didn’t even get out of the golf cart. It sure was good to get out of the house and see some friends, though.
Thursday, Aug 20, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Exelon has been dropping not so subtle hints lately that it’s about to close its Quad Cities plant unless it gets a bailout. They’re complaining the plant is losing money. They’re complaining the energy market is getting worse.
But here’s what they’re not telling you:
•Exelon Profitability Grows: In the last six months alone, Exelon, the company that claims it needs a bailout has reported more than $1.3 BILLION in PROFITS.
•PJM Capacity Auction Revenues Substantial: The PJM grid operator that includes the ComEd service territory is conducting three auctions for “capacity”. These auctions will pay winning power companies hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue starting in June 2016.
•Carbon Regulations Likely To Boost Revenues: The US EPA finalized its rule restricting carbon emissions which will likely close some Illinois coal plants, resulting in higher prices for electricity and more revenue for Exelon.
EVEN IF EXELON ANNOUNCES IT’S CLOSING QUAD CITIES, IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE
•No Closure Possible Before June 2017: because Exelon has already sold its Quad Cities power through that period.
•PJM Reliability Study Before Closure: If Exelon notifies PJM it is planning to close a plant, PJM will launch a study to determine if that plant is needed for grid reliability.
•Must Run Contract to Ensure Reliability: If PJM determines Quad Cities is needed for reliability, Exelon will receive a “must-run” contract which will keep the plant open and pay Exelon its costs plus a guaranteed profit for a number of years.
Just Say “NO” to the Exelon Bailout
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visit www.noexelonbailout.com.
[Gov. Bruce Rauner] went on to blame Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan for Illinois’ troubles.
“He doesn’t care about central Illinois, he doesn’t care about agriculture. He’s about the Chicago machine,” Rauner said to reporters.
On stage, he raised the rhetoric, saying “I love Illinois. This is home and boy, I’m a feisty guy. You mess with my home, Speaker Madigan, you have picked a fight with the wrong guy! You have picked a fight with the wrong guy!”
* The Question: How much is House Speaker Michael Madigan to blame for Illinois’ economic and fiscal woes? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* US Sen. Dick Durbin reiterated his support today for US Rep. Tammy Duckworth’s Senate bid. But others are touting one of her opponents…
U.S. Senate candidate Andrea Zopp is more qualified for the post now than President Barack Obama was when he ran for the Senate in 2004, one state senator said Thursday.
“If you look at President Obama’s experience at the time he was running for U.S. Senate, yes, [Zopp is] better than President Obama,” Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, told reporters. “President Obama did not have the experience of being in the U.S. Attorney’s office, running the Cook County State’s Attorney’s Office. President Obama didn’t have the experience of being the senior vice president and general counsel of three major corporations. President Obama, you know, he was a community organizer but he did not run the Chicago Urban League.”
“I don’t think we’ve had a candidate like this,” said Raoul, who replaced Obama in the Illinois Senate.
* Sen. Raoul left out part of her work history, however. Zopp sat on the CPS board when it closed all those schools. And one of the other African-American Senate hopefuls brings that topic up everywhere he goes, including today…
Cook Cmsn Boykin goes after Zopp's CPS tenure. "Close a school, open a prison," says Boykin in Dem US Sen exploratory bid.
* Duckworth spent a good part of her speech today talking about her upbringing. Her middle class family went broke after her middle-aged father was deemed “over qualified” for his job, she said. They wound up in a one-room apartment and had real trouble making the rent payments.
She also told some jokes…
Tammy Duckworth on Mark Kirk's absence at fair: "I don't blame him, I wouldn't want to be seen with Gov. Rauner either."
To: Interested Parties
From: John Hagner, Clarity Campaign Labs
Date: August 14, 2015
Subject: IL-10 Voters Show Strong Support for Federal LGBT Non-Discrimination Protections
A new poll conducted by Clarity Campaign Labs on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign shows strong support for a new federal LGBT non-discrimination bill (The Equality Act) in the district of Congressman Bob Dold. The same survey shows Dold starts with a narrow lead over former Congressman Brad Schneider and is well under 50%.
Support for the new Equality Act was widespread. Voters in IL-10 support it by a 21 point margin, with 49% saying Congress should pass it and 28% saying they should not. Democrats support it by wide margins – 70% to 10%, but equally important is the strong support from Independents: 59% to 21%. There is substantial Republican support as well, with 22% of Republicans saying Congress should pass the bill.
We described the law neutrally, reading voters this summary: “The Equality Act is a bill that would extend existing non-discrimination laws to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in housing, services and public spaces, credit, and employment.”
Voters who are undecided on this new non-discrimination bill appear highly persuadable. 71 percent of those undecided on the Equality Act are either Democratic or Independent voters. Importantly, Congressman Dold’s willingness to oppose the Equality Act could have significant implications for his re-election.
If he opposes the Equality Act, 18% of his current supporters say they would be less likely to vote for him next November, and 29% of people who are currently undecided say they’d be less likely to support him. Only 18% of undecided voters say they’d be more likely to support him.
We find that in the race for Congress in 2016, the incumbent Republican Dold starts out with a narrow lead, within the poll’s margin of error. Including leaners, 44% of voters are supporting Dold, with 40% supporting former Congressman Brad Schneider.
The voters of the district have divided opinions on Dold, with 43% having a favorable view and 33% an unfavorable one.
Methodology: A poll of registered voters in Illinois’s Tenth Congressional District. We surveyed 530 voters with an IVR survey and we matched the sample to the voter file and weighted it to reflect the electorate in this district. The margin of error is +/- 5.16% at a 95% confidence interval.
So, in other words, supporting the bill might erode some of Dold’s conservative GOP support. Then again, where else are they gonna go unless a strong third party candidate emerges?
* Some charts…
* Meanwhile, there’s been a bit of chatter recently from gay rights groups about ginning up a Democratic primary against Congressman Lipinski. So…
To: Interested Parties
From: John Hagner, Clarity Campaign Labs
Date: August 14, 2015
Subject: IL-3 Voters Show Strong Support for Federal LGBT Non-Discrimination Protections
A new poll conducted by Clarity Campaign Labs on behalf of the Human Rights Campaign shows strong support for a new federal LGBT non-discrimination bill (The Equality Act) in the district of Congressman Dan Lipinski. The same survey shows Lipinski leading in his re-election campaign, but that more than a third of his supporters would be less likely to support him if he didn’t support the Act.
Support for the new Equality Act was widespread. Voters in IL-3 support it by a 28-point margin, with 56% saying Congress should pass it and 28% saying they should not. Democrats support it by wide margins – 74% to 10%, but equally important is the strong support from Independents: 49% to 31%. There is substantial Republican support as well, with 27% of Republicans say Congress should pass the bill.
We described the law neutrally, reading voters this summary: “The Equality Act is a bill that would extend existing non-discrimination laws to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in housing, services and public spaces, credit, and employment.”
Voters who are undecided on this new non-discrimination bill appear highly persuadable. 70 percent of those undecided on the Equality Act are either Democratic or Independent voters. Importantly, Congressman Lipinski’s willingness to oppose the Equality Act could have implications for his re-election. If he opposes the Equality Act, 34% of his current supporters say they would be less likely to vote for him next November.
We find that in the race for Congress in 2016, the incumbent Democrat Lipinski starts out ahead of an unnamed Republican challenger. 51% of voters are supporting Lipinski, with 20% supporting a Republican.
70% of the district’s voters have an opinion on Dan Lipinski, and they’re relatively favorable, with 43% having a favorable view and 27% an unfavorable one. His unfavorable ratings are similar among both Republicans and Democrats – 26% of Democrats have an unfavorable opinion of their Congressman.
Methodology: A poll of registered voters in Illinois’s Third Congressional District. We surveyed 538 voters with an IVR survey and we matched the sample to the voter file and weighted it to reflect the electorate in this district. The margin of error is +/- 5.01% at a 95% confidence interval.
* Charts…
* Questions as asked…
If the November 2016 election were held today and the candidates for Congress were a Republican candidate, or Dan Lipinski, the Democrat, press 1 if you would vote for the Republican, press 2 if you would vote for Lipinski, or press 9 if you’re unsure.
I would like to read you a little bit about some laws being debated in Congress and get your response. The Equality Act is a bill that would extend existing non-discrimination laws to protect gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender people in housing, services and public spaces, credit, and employment. Press 1 if you think Congress should pass this law, press 2 if you think Congress should not pass this law, and press 9 if you’re unsure.
If your members of Congress didn’t support this law, would that make you more or less like to vote to re-elect him? Press 1 if you’d be more likely to vote for your member of Congress if they opposed the Equality Act, Press 2 if you’d be more likely to vote against them, and press 9 if it wouldn’t effect your vote.
Democrats vying to be Illinois’ next comptroller criticized Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner’s handling of the budget and attacks on labor unions during the annual Democratic County Chairman’s Association brunch and Democrat Day festivities at the Illinois State Fair. […]
Biss says Rauner is “focused like a laser on destroying unions, shrinking the middle class and pushing down everybody’s paycheck.”
Mendoza says if elected she won’t be Rauner’s “wingman” on hurtful budgets.
The comment is a reference to Republican Comptroller Leslie Munger, who described herself Wednesday as Rauner’s budgetary “wingman.”
* Monique…
Cullerton: "we are willing to work with Gov. Rauner but we don't work for Gov. Rauner."
The bill would allow up to 130,000 students to continue receiving financial assistance through the program even though the legislature and Gov. Bruce Rauner have been unable to agree on an overall state spending plan. Because of that impasse, students who rely on the awards feared they would be left without financial assistance when colleges and universities start the fall semester.
Sen. Dan Kotowski, D-Park Ridge, said the amount in the bill is consistent with what Rauner requested for the MAP program in his budget proposal earlier this year.
However, Rauner has said he is opposed to a bill that authorizes another piece of the budget without having a full budget proposal in place.
Republican senators criticized the bill for the same reason. Kotowski acknowledged that, including the MAP grants, the state is on pace to spend about $34 billion because of court orders and existing state laws that require the state to continue spending money even without a budget in place. The state is expected to have about $33 billion in tax collections during the current fiscal year, which began July 1.
The sole Republican “Yes” vote was Sen. Sam McCann.
Illinois property taxes are now so high that they are equivalent to a second mortgage, according to a new study from the nonpartisan Tax Foundation, a Washington-based tax-research and -education center.
The report, which shows the effective property-tax rates in each state, ranks Illinois as the second-highest property-tax state in the U.S. The top spot goes to New Jersey, where the effective property-tax rates is 2.38 percent, barely higher than Illinois’ 2.32 percent.
The Tax Foundation’s report is in line with an earlier study by WalletHub that showed the dollar amount for property taxes in each state. WalletHub’s study also ranked New Jersey’s $3,971 as the highest average tax burden, while Illinois’ was just a shade lower at $3,939.
An effective property-tax rate of 2.32 percent means that if a typical Illinois homebuyer purchases a home at age 30 and lives there until the age of 79 (the average American life expectancy), that homeowner will pay more to the government for the privilege of owning a home in Illinois than the home is actually worth. If that homeowner lives in that home a few years beyond age 73, the property taxes paid will have surpassed the home’s value. For example, an Illinoisan who buys a $200,000 house will pay $4,640 in property taxes each year, or $46,400 per decade. Owning an Illinois home for a little more than four decades means that person pays property taxes equal to the entire value of the home to the local government.
* We’ve all seen how the governor and the unions have portrayed the AFSCME “no strike” bill. But here’s a take from a Tier One targeted Senate Democrat that I thought you might be interested in…
Forby: AFSCME contract negotiations shouldn’t be politicized
The fight for employee equality advanced today when the Illinois Senate voted on two critical measures that ensure working families are given fair wages and benefits. The first measure Senate Bill 1229, which was overridden by the governor, aims to bar the American Federation of State, County and Municipal employees from striking or being locked out while a collective bargaining agreement is negotiated.
The union’s collective barging contract expired on July 1st. The Governor’s office and the state largest labor union AFSCME have yet to reach an agreement.
State Senator Gary Forby (D- Benton), who serves as the Senate’s Labor Committee Chairman, thinks the measure takes bureaucracy out of the negotiations, which will create a platform for non-politicized negotiations.
“Since Governor Rauner began his term, he has waged an all-out war against organized labor and working families,” said Forby. “It’s clear the Governor doesn’t want fair negotiations, so if we take the bureaucracy out of the negotiation process, then it gives us a clearer path to reach an agreement.”
“There is an unusual degree of hyperbole and hypocrisy about this bill,” said Sen. Don Harmon, D-Oak Park. “It does not require arbitration. Both sides can stay at the bargaining table.”
Harmon said similar arbitration has been in place for years for police, firefighters and prison guards, who are not allowed to go on strike. He said AFSCME has never invoked the arbitration provision for prison guards the union represents. […]
Sen. Dave Koehler, D-Peoria, is a former director of the Peoria Area Labor Management Council. He said the arbitration bill will actually bring the two sides closer.
“If your proposal is out of line, it has a chance of being thrown out,” he said. “It forces people to the middle.”
Cullerton said current law gives the governor “a real strong position to just impose a draconian plan” that would leave unions with no choice but to strike.
“If we have a strike, then we have trauma,” Cullerton said. “We’re not suggesting the governor can’t continue to negotiate with them, this just makes sure there is no strike.”
Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine, said union leaders are fighting for pay and benefits, but those employees are making 80 percent more than they did 10 years ago. “Go home any of you and talk to your taxpayers about that,” he said.
“This is wrong to take the people’s one elected person out of the negotiation room and say we’re going to go to this arbitrator,” Murphy said.
“Do not override this veto,” he warned before the Senate voted.
It’s late. Kid 3 broke her collarbone and this is my wife’s first day going back to work as a teacher. There are likely typos but I wanted to get this information to you. I’m ok with you posting as-is if you warn people that it may not be grammatically perfect. I believe this to be very important information that needs to be discussed.
* So, let’s focus on his considerable substance below, not his style. Here it is…
As you may know, I am on the Higher Education Appropriations committee. I believe Eastern Illinois University is important to the state’s future and wanted to provide additional important information for you and your readers. I am of the belief that the state’s “brain drain” is actually its biggest crisis, trumping the pension situation and the FY’16 budget. Solving our significant issues within Higher Education is a big part of stopping the “brain drain.” We need Eastern Illinois.
A big concern of mine has long been the high in-state cost of our public universities. I compared the tuition of U of I and our directional schools to their public conference peers. I used information from US News and World report to be consistent. Our tuitions are 30%-60% more expensive. I can tell from personal experience that the high in-state cost of tuition is driving our youth out-of-state. My daughter received a better deal to go to school at Truman State University in Missouri. My son will likely take his talents out-of-state as well. Both were ranked near the top of their class and will likely pay a lot of taxes — to another state. Studies show that once a student leaves for school, he is much more likely to leave for good. This state cannot afford to lose tomorrow’s high income earners. If you talk to people with children going off to college, you’ll find many of them leaving the state. Many schools offer out-of-state tuition waivers to good or even decent students. They are stealing our talent!
We currently have a net-out migration of over 16,000 students per year! That is like losing 2 Eastern Illinois’ annually. That’s every year. It’s a multiple of that when you consider that kids go to school for many years. Just stemming that tide, would fill Eastern, Western, and Southern quickly. Also, between 2009 and 2014 we have lost 70,689 students going from 397,018 to 326,329. Look, the easiest way to solve our pension crisis is through growth. We are going in the wrong direction fast. I cannot over-emphasize how this demographic shift creates future fiscal challenges for the state. Access the back-up data by clicking here.
Before taking office, I had assumed that the high cost of tuition is due to a lack of state funding. To my great surprise, it is not. According to the State Higher Education Executive Officer’s 2014 Report we actually rank 3rd in Full-Time Equivalent funding. We spend $12,293 while the national average is $6,552. Supporting data is attached. And the entire SHEEO report can be found by clicking here.
Critics will say that the only reason our FTE funding is so high is because we are catching up on our pension payments. But I have also attached a chart that we were given by the board of higher education that shows that after stripping out all pension costs we still rank 9th in the funding of higher education. I know we are making up pension payments, but pulling out all retirement costs is an over-correction. All universities have some retirement costs even if it is merely the matching social security payment. So reality is somewhere between 3rd and 9th in funding. No matter where that is it is well above the national average.
Armed with this data, I asked representatives of various universities in committee, “Why is it so expensive to educate someone in Illinois?” I repeatedly received the same answer. “The cost of doing business is high in Illinois.” Let’s get specific. The University of Illinois actually cited in our data packet the higher cost of Worker’s compensation and liability insurance. Their liability insurance has gone up 1000% in the last 20 years. That’s a wee bit over inflation. Data attached. They also often cited our state’s regulatory climate. When the cost of doing business is high for businesses, it is often high for taxpayers as well.
Another issue raised almost universally was our procurement code. We would hear about having to wait months for approval on items costing administrative time and often price increases. We hear about how the bid process doesn’t work for purchasing specialty items. In fact, U of I has told me that trying to match the state code with federal grant requirements has caused the University to “house” some grants at Purdue. Our federal grants are moving out of state! And last week I heard a new one. Illinois State University spoke at the Lt. Governor’s consolidation committee I am on about a “soy-bean based ink preference.” I’m not sure if this is something for the farmers or for renewable energy. I currently have the LRU looking into how much that requirement is costing the state. Now I’m for renewable energy. And I love farmers. I even own a car that can run on used vegetable oil. But we can’t save the world if we can’t save the state. We have to do things more cost-effectively. Requirements like this have to go. Click here for a link to me trying to get procurement relief for universities.
While procurement and regulatory relief would help, it likely isn’t enough. I believe that the universities need much more autonomy in the way they operate. With all the stories that I have heard, it seems like the state micro-manages them through all sorts of mandates and red tape. But in exchange for autonomy, the state should be measuring a small set of large metrics. We should more concerned about the cost of tuition, amount of in-state students, graduation rates, and in-state job placements than what type of ink a university buys.
Which brings me back to Eastern Illinois University. With a little freedom, Eastern is set to thrive. I have many friends who had children attend recently. I traveled from Champaign to Charleston often during my college years. It is a great campus in a wonderful town. I’ve only heard positive experiences from students. It is very conveniently located close enough to our population center, while far away enough from Mom and Dad. It’s right off I-57. I also would like to mention that according to the May 2013 Auditor General report, Eastern Illinois University has the lowest administrative cost per student. See page vii of this link. Eastern Illinois should be an integral part of Illinois’ renaissance. I expect it to be.
Governor Bruce Rauner has issued the following statement on the Senate’s decision to override his veto of SB 1229:
“Every Senator who voted to overturn our veto chose special interests over the taxpayers. They made it abundantly clear that they’d rather raise taxes than stand up to the politically powerful. It is now up to House members to take the responsible, pro-taxpayer position and uphold our veto.”
…Adding… From organized labor…
Illinois Senate super-majority overrides Rauner veto of fair arbitration bill
Union leaders: Bill ensures reasonable compromise and keeps Illinois working
By a vote of 38-15, a super-majority of state senators from every part of Illinois voted today to override Governor Bruce Rauner’s veto of the fair arbitration bill, Senate Bill 1229.
Applauding the action was the Illinois AFL-CIO and many unions that represent state workers and other public employees, including the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) Council 31, the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT), the Illinois Nurses Association (INA), the Laborers International Union of North America-Midwest Region, the Police Benevolent & Protective Association (PB&PA), SEIU Healthcare Illinois and the Illinois Education Association (IEA).
The legislation offers to state employees (such as child protection workers, nurses and caregivers) the option of the same fair arbitration process provided to state and local police, fire and prison security personnel in Illinois for more than 30 years.
The bill would help avert the potential conflict, hardship and disruption of a statewide strike or lockout by offering arbitration as an alternative means of resolving contract disputes between state employees’ unions and the Rauner Administration if ongoing negotiations fail to produce agreements.
To enact the bill, three-fifths of the state Senate and House of Representatives must vote to override the Governor’s veto. With the Senate’s action today, the House now has 15 days to follow suit.
As a candidate, Governor Rauner repeatedly vowed to “take a strike and shut down state government for a few weeks” in order to force workers to accept his extreme demands. More recently, the governor has made legislation that strips the rights of workers to bargain collectively a precondition of his willingness to enact a state budget or address other unrelated policy matters. And in a possible signal that the governor’s office is preparing to provoke a work stoppage, the Rauner Administration has reportedly solicited retirees to serve as strike breakers and considered mobilizing the National Guard.
“The Senate has done right by the citizens of Illinois today,” Illinois AFL-CIO president Michael Carrigan said. “Simply put, this legislation will make sure the state keeps working if negotiations fail.”
“State employees keep us safe, protect kids, care for veterans and provide countless other important services,” AFSCME Council 31 executive director Roberta Lynch said. “Public service workers want to be treated fairly, they don’t want to be forced out on strike, and today’s vote is a strong step in the right direction.”
“On behalf of the thousands of state employees represented by the IFT, I want to thank State Senators for standing up to protect the vital public services we all rely on,” said IFT President Dan Montgomery. “While it doesn’t provide the Governor with the political showdown he so obsessively desires, this legislation does help ensure state services will continue without interruption—a real priority to Illinois taxpayers.”
“After this resounding defeat, it is time for Bruce Rauner to follow the advice of Gov. Jim Edgar and shelve his anti-worker obsession so that a budget is passed and vulnerable Illinoisans are protected,” SEIU Healthcare Illinois president Keith Kelleher said. “We applaud the senators who stood up to his bully tactics and join the growing chorus who see the Rauner agenda for what it is—protection for billionaire interests and pain for everyone else.”
“Registered Nurses and the patients they care for deserve the fair and reasonable process provided by SB 1229,” INA executive director Alice Johnson said. “We thank the senators who, in voting for SB 1229, stood up for nurses and patients, and against an extremist agenda that seeks to force nurses to work while exhausted, putting lives at risk.
“Today’s vote shows again how far out of step Governor Rauner is with Illinois’ middle class,” said Sean Stott, Director of Governmental Affairs of the Laborers’ Midwest Region. “Rauner claims to want good-paying jobs in this state but is moving heaven and earth to cut workers’ pay and benefits. We thank the supermajority of senators who stood up to him today.”
“The governor’s statements contradict the facts. He has had months to negotiate but has failed to make any meaningful progress,” PB&PA Illinois director Sean Smoot said. “He says he will not lock workers out, but he has already sent layoff notices to employees. A layoff is quite simply a targeted lockout.”
“We believe it’s important that state services continue to be delivered to the people of Illinois by hardworking state employees,” IEA president Cinda Klickna said. “By voting to override the veto, the House will send the message that it’s time for the governor to stop pushing a personal agenda against unions and, instead, focus on solving Illinois’ real problems, starting with the state budget.”
One Republican, Sen. Sam McCann, voted to override.
The rally wasn’t without its foibles. Lt. Gov. Evelyn Sanguinetti, combating attacks by Democrats that the GOP has a “war on women,” twice hailed the late Judy Baar Topinka, a Republican, as the state’s first female comptroller. It actually was Democrat Dawn Clark Netsch, who 20 years earlier became the first woman elected to a statewide constitutional office in Illinois.
Leslie Munger, who Rauner appointed to the comptroller job following Topinka’s death late last year, said she was “proud to be here as the governor’s wingman, so to speak, on the budget issues.” Munger is seeking to retain the post in a special statewide election next year.
With a backdrop of supporters holding up letters reading “Our Home,” Rauner said, “You mess with my home Speaker Madigan, you picked the wrong guy.”
“Speaker Madigan, you know what, he’s got ice water in his veins. He’s standing his ground,” Rauner told reporters before taking the stage at the Director’s Lawn.
Rauner said Madigan “doesn’t care about central Illinois. He doesn’t care about agriculture. He’s about the Chicago machine. That just shows the kind of political manipulation that’s going on here.”
A spokesman for House Speaker Michael Madigan says Gov. Bruce Rauner, not the Chicago Democrat, is “Mr. Cut” and responsible for slashing social services because there’s no agreement on a yearlong state spending plan.
Rauner told reporters at the state fair that Madigan “has ice water in his veins,” inured to reductions in programs such as subsidized day care for working parents. Hundreds of protesters opposing the changes attempted to shout down GOP speakers.
Madigan spokesman Steve Brown said the reduced spending is Rauner’s doing.
Brown says, “The only cuts that were done were by the governor, so if the guy wants to look about for who’s responsible for cuts, he should just stare right in the mirror, and that mug he sees coming back at him is ‘Mr. Cut.’”
The governor also said that if Senate President Cullerton overrides his veto of the AFSCME no strike bill, then that proves he is essentially Madigan’s puppet (paraphrasing).
*** UPDATE *** Cullerton’s spokesperson responds to the governor saying the Senate President will show he’s under Madigan’s thumb if he overrides the AFSCME bill veto today…
The Governor is attempting to reduce the Senate President’s leadership to fit into today’s political talking points. He is undermining the “willing to compromise” image that he has tried to project regarding his relationship with the Senate President. Cullerton and his caucus will make a decision about the no strike and no lockout bill later today.
Wednesday, Aug 19, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Exelon has been dropping not so subtle hints lately that it’s about to close its Quad Cities plant unless it gets a bailout. They’re complaining the plant is losing money. They’re complaining the energy market is getting worse.
But here’s what they’re not telling you:
• Exelon Profitability Grows: In the last six months alone, Exelon, the company that claims it needs a bailout has reported more than $1.3 BILLION in PROFITS.
•PJM Capacity Auction Revenues Substantial: The PJM grid operator that includes the ComEd service territory is conducting three auctions for “capacity”. These auctions will pay winning power companies hundreds of millions of dollars in additional revenue starting in June 2016.
•Carbon Regulations Likely To Boost Revenues: The US EPA finalized its rule restricting carbon emissions which will likely close some Illinois coal plants, resulting in higher prices for electricity and more revenue for Exelon.
EVEN IF EXELON ANNOUNCES IT’S CLOSING QUAD CITIES, IT’S NOT THAT SIMPLE
•No Closure Possible Before June 2017: because Exelon has already sold its Quad Cities power through that period.
• PJM Reliability Study Before Closure: If Exelon notifies PJM it is planning to close a plant, PJM will launch a study to determine if that plant is needed for grid reliability.
•Must-run Contract to Ensure Reliability: If PJM determines Quad Cities is needed for reliability, Exelon will receive a “must-run” contract which will keep the plant open and pay Exelon its costs plus a guaranteed profit for a number of years.
Just Say “NO” to the Exelon Bailout
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visit www.noexelonbailout.com.
Eastern Illinois University President David Glassman says the school is laying off 67 employees and says more people will lose jobs as the school wrestles with declining enrollment and financial uncertainties.
Glassman said in a news release Tuesday that another 51 open positions will not be filled.
Glassman said unspecified additional cuts will happen “very shortly.”
The jobs are civil service or administrative and professional positions rather than faculty.
And this may not be the end to job cuts at EIU, where enrollment has dropped from 11,630 students in 2010 to 8,913 in 2014. Glassman said more employees with administrative and professional or academic support positions will be notified “very shortly” of job eliminations or reductions.
Oof.
On the bright side, since no faculty members are being laid off, the student/teacher ratio will improve.
If he stays in, he could be competitive. The guy is personally wealthy and has lots of rich friends from his NFL days. But he’s not the greatest organizer. He was lucky not to get kicked off the ballot last time around, so we’ll see what sort of staff he hires.
* Biss never did have a shot at the nod, and he knew it…
Comptroller candidate Daniel Biss says Gov. Rauner pushing "radical anti-family, anti-union policies. "
The late Judy Baar Topinka always said she was a big fan of the state fair and now, her name is part of the fairgrounds. Governor Rauner, dedicated the sign that marks Judy Baar Topinka Lane that replaces Corn Dog Lane.
Springfield alderman Cory Jobe, who worked for the late comptroller, says Topinka would have loved the sign.
“She’d be pretty humble about it. You know, Judy was just an everyday, real Illinoisan. I think that’s what made her unique. Her straight-talk approach to issues made her stand out. Everybody thought she was just one of us,” said Jobe.
* She was a huge state fair fan. And I think she would’ve gotten a chuckle knowing that “Corn Dog Lane” is now named after her. One reason is the street is lined with porta-potties…
Wherever Judy is, she has to be laughing.
The blue curtain separating the ceremonies from the rest of “Judy Baar Topinka Lane” kept onlookers from seeing a line of porta-potties along what used to be “Corn Dog Lane.”
Topinka, a former state lawmaker, three-term treasurer, and Republican gubernatorial nominee in 2006, had just been elected to a second term as comptroller when she passed away in December.
“The fair was Judy’s Las Vegas,” said the master of ceremonies.
In addition to that, Sen. Karen McConnaughay sponsored legislation aimed at improving the state’s computer system and government websites, increasing transparency for people wanting to better understand the government, making it easier to see its inner-workings. It’s a staple of leading that was important to the late Judy Baar Topinka.
“What I believe to be a very important piece of legislation. Yes, it honors Judy, but it also represents what she thought was the most important part of being a public servant - that we work for the people,” said Sen. McConnaughay.
Before showing off the legislation, Gov. Rauner said that Judy Baar Topinka was, “A champion of this legislation and Karen McConnaughay carried it.”
Standing behind the auction pen as championship rabbits, chickens and goats came and went, Rauner made his move when Scotty, a Land of Lincoln grand champion steer, went up on the block. The governor, however, had a celebrity proxy do his bidding — Scotty McCreery, the Season 10 winner of “American Idol” and the steer’s namesake. The country singer was opening for Rascal Flatts, the evening’s grandstand concert headliner.
As the rapid-fire bidding slowed down, the auctioneer turned to Taylor Donelson, a McLean County girl who raised Scotty, and suggested she should ask the deep-pocketed governor if he could please bid $61,000. The teen turned to Rauner and made the request. The crowd roared, and Rauner threw up his arms in mock protest before giving a thumbs up. The bid set a new record.
The steer will be slaughtered, as is state fair custom, and the governor plans to give the meat to the University of Illinois. Auction proceeds are split among the young exhibitors and the Future Farmers of America and the 4-H youth organization.
* This officeholder really needs a primary so she can be held accountable…
Cook County Democratic leaders are leaning against backing State’s Attorney Anita Alvarez as she seeks a third term against three potential challengers next March.
During Tuesday’s endorsement session, a panel recommended an “open primary.” A final decision will come Wednesday, but it’s rare for the party to reject a committee recommendation.
County Board President Toni Preckwinkle is backing her onetime chief of staff, Kim Foxx, a former assistant state’s attorney who helped Preckwinkle lead an effort to lower the jail population and reform the juvenile justice system.
Other committeemen backed Donna More, a lawyer who was a county and federal prosecutor and Illinois Gaming Board attorney. Cook County Commissioner John Fritchey, a former assistant attorney general and state representative, said he’s running but did not ask for an endorsement.
With the loyalties of ward and township committeemen divided, Preckwinkle suggested the open-primary recommendation.
Alvarez acknowledged “there might be criticism from some members” of the committee, but she said, “I have been the most innovative state’s attorney in the history of the state’s attorney’s office.”
* And you just knew this would happen…
Anita Alvarez invokes diversity in asking Ck Cty Dems for endorsement. "I'm the only Latina on this ticket."
The surprise of the day was an unexpected push to slate [Todd] Stroger to fill the remaining two years on the term of Patrick Daley Thompson, who left his seat on the Water Reclamation District board to become 11th Ward alderman.
“Most of you knew my father, and I’d like to follow in his footsteps,” Stroger told committeemen, invoking his late father, John, his predecessor as county board president.
Influential Thornton Township Committeeman Frank Zuccarelli and Ald. Walter Burnett (27th) voiced support for Stroger.
On Wednesday, a group of Republican office holders had scheduled a “Day at the Races” as part of Governor’s Day activities at the fair.
The event, hosted by Comptroller Leslie Munger, U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk and several other Republicans, is set for the grandstand where harness horse racing takes place.
But there’s a problem. Due to budget constraints, there is no horse racing on Wednesday.
State Rep. Tim Butler, a Springfield Republican who is co-hosting the event, said the plan was to carry on a tradition launched by the late Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka.
When this year’s gala was put together, organizers were unaware racing would be canceled because of the stalemate that has left Illinois without a budget for nearly eight weeks.
“We’re calling it, “A Day at the Races Without the Races,’” Butler said.
One prominent Republican who’s skipping the fair festivities is first-term U.S. Sen. Mark Kirk, who is viewed as one of the top targets for Democrats nationally next year as the party looks to win back President Barack Obama’s former seat. A campaign spokesman said late Tuesday that Kirk has Iran briefings in Chicago on Wednesday.
Or not. All of the state’s political reporters attend the State Fair and Kirk surely knows that. Maybe he’s avoiding us.
(H)ere’s our look at the 2016 Senate landscape, ranked in terms of which seats look most likely to change hands next year:
1. Illinois (Sen. Mark Kirk (R) running for reelection) (Previous rank: 2)
Kirk needs to run close to a perfect race to win reelection in deep-blue Illinois. So far, he’s doing anything but. The first-term Republican has suffered a seemingly uninterrupted series of gaffes this year, causing even close allies to (temporarily) wonder if he should abandon his campaign. His likely opponent, Democratic Rep. Tammy Duckworth, has her own issues to worry about, including a potentially damaging civil lawsuit and a primary opponent. But for now, she looks like a clear-cut general-election favorite.
On Governor’s Day three years ago, Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn was booed off the stage at the fair director’s lawn and chased around the fairgrounds by public union members angry over his push to cut their pension benefits. The rancor prompted Democrats to avoid the fairgrounds the last two years.
It’s unclear what public employee unions may have planned Wednesday for Rauner’s day. But the Republican governor’s push to weaken collective bargaining rights for teachers and other government workers has become the most significant political issue in Illinois, with legislative candidate signature gathering for the 2016 elections set to begin next month.
The Dems didn’t really “avoid the fairgrounds,” but they did start requiring free tickets for entry, which kept out the boo birds.
Rauner has taken a page out of that Democratic playbook. No ticket, no entry today.
The woman, who for several decades oversaw Illinois day care, was asked by legislators last week to assess the impact [of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s new rules on child care program cuts].
“Devastating!” said Linda Saterfield.
“Will some of the people rejected for day care have to quit their jobs to take care of their own children?” asked State Rep. Lou Lang.
“That’s a possibility,” she responded.
On Tuesday, it was made known that Saterfield was ousted from her job after delivering that testimony.
When FOX 32 tried to contact Saterfield, a spokeswoman for the Rauner Administration called. She said Saterfield was reassigned to another post in the Department of Human Services “for internal personnel reasons.”
* I obtained a memo that she sent out to colleagues yesterday…
Dear Child Care Advisory Council Members-
Today I have been notified that effective immediately the Department is taking a new direction with leadership for Child Care and I am being replaced as the Associate Director of the Office of Early Childhood. I have been offered the position of Associate Director of Adult Supports and Basic Services. I will be relocating my office to 823 E. Monroe by next week but as of today I will no longer represent Child Care.
It has been my pleasure and honor to serve as the State Child Care Administrator since 1998 and I am proud of what we have accomplished together. We have enjoyed a wonderfully successful partnership and through our work have been recognized as a national leader in child care. We truly have much to be proud of in Illinois.
I will miss working with all of you. You have been wonderful volunteers and advocates for child care program over the years. With reauthorization underway it seems to be an appropriate time to bring in new leadership to take this program to the next level. I know you will provide the new Associate Director your commitment and I am certain you will continue to advocate on behalf of the families and children of this state. Thank you so much.
Sincerely,
Linda Saterfield
* And then this went out…
Yesterday we, as an Early Childhood Community, received the worst possible news, IDHS irrationally transferred Linda Saterfield out of child care after over 35 years of service. The viability of the entire child care system is now in question. In these incredibly difficult and tumultuous times we need Linda’s leadership and knowledge more than ever.
Within the next 2-3 hours please email the Governor’s Secretary of Education Beth.Purvis@illinois.gov urging her to take whatever action is necessary to walk back this terrible decision. Please feel free to share this email as quickly as possible with as many stakeholders as possible.
* From an Illinois Republican Party press release…
Governor’s Day Event on the Director’s Lawn
When: Wednesday, August 19th at 12:00PM CT (Press Set-up at 11:45AM CT)
Where: Director’s Lawn of the Illinois State Fair
Who: Republicans from all over Illinois will be in attendance to celebrate Governor Bruce Rauner. In addition to Governor Rauner, other Illinois Republican leaders will give remarks, including Lt. Governor Evelyn Sanguinetti, Comptroller Leslie Munger, Congressman John Shimkus, Congressman Randy Hultgren, Congressman Rodney Davis, State Senator Darin LaHood, Senate Republican Leader Christine Radogno, and House Republican Leader Jim Durkin.
Well, it is Governor’s Day. But that’s an odd choice of words.
I know the Governor’s office is intensifying pressure on you to sustain his veto of SB 1229, the fair arbitration bill. Unfortunately, his crusade against this bill is based on hyperbole and misinformation. I wanted to respond specifically to some of the key misrepresentations in the governor’s memo sent to you today.
Arbitration is not a dangerous and alien idea. In fact, it is already in state law. As you know, this legislation merely extends to state workers the same fair arbitration process that Illinois law has provided for more than 30 years to municipal police and fire personnel and to state prison employees and state troopers.
Arbitration could avoid a strike if negotiations fail. Nothing in the legislation compels the parties to go to arbitration. In fact, either side could choose arbitration if negotiations fail to produce a settlement. As such, the bill does not short-circuit the negotiating process, but offers an additional path to a settlement free of the hardship, conflict and disruption that a lockout or strike could cause.
AFSCME has said repeatedly, and I reiterate, that it is our preference to reach a settlement at the bargaining table. We’ve been working diligently to achieve that goal and intend to continue to do so.
Our union has a four-decade track record with six different governors (and countless mayors, county executives and other elected leaders) of doing just that—bargaining in good faith to reach an agreement. The Rauner Administration does not have any such track record. The governor can point only to one settlement reached for one small unit of state workers on his watch.
On the other hand, we have his bellicose statements made more than once on the campaign trail that he’ll “take a strike and shut down state government” in order to impose his demands on state workers.
State employees remain deeply troubled by the threats he made then and the related actions he takes now: Reports of the administration recruiting strikebreakers among retirees or the National Guard; false characterizations of the compensation now earned by state workers and the proposals our union has made in negotiations; legislative poison-pill demands that would wipe out workers’ rights as a precondition of enacting other unrelated policies.
Arbitration is fair. The governor is wrong to insult the reputation of the experienced professionals who serve as independent arbitrators. Arbitrators are mutually chosen by both the employer and the union and they are guided by the law to consider factors including the state’s financial condition in crafting a fair settlement. There is no evidence to suggest that they rely on only a few states in forming their opinions, and even a cursory review of the arbitration decisions listed on the state labor board’s website makes clear that they rule at least as often—if not more often—in favor of the employer as the union.
False claims. It’s regrettable that the governor’s memo resorts to repeating disproven claims about state employee compensation. Illinois state employees do not earn salaries far in excess of other states, and a University of Illinois study found that state and local government workers earn 13.5% less than comparable private sector workers.
The governor’s misstatements about the pay of child protection workers, correctional officers, nurses, emergency responders, caregivers and all the other men and women who do the real work of state government are particularly offensive given the six-figure salaries and political clout hires reported among the governor’s own top staff. His administration’s push to replace a pay scale based on a worker’s job and experience with one based on who the boss likes best would open the door wide to similar cronyism throughout state government.
The governor’s claim that the union’s initial economic proposal would cost the state $1.6 billion borders on the ludicrous. The administration has failed to produce any accounting of this number, despite our union’s requests for the calculations to back it up. The governor’s memo likewise distorts many other of our proposals: AFSCME has not made a single proposal to “increase pension benefits”; we have proposed almost no changes to the state health plan; and our proposals regarding overtime are intended to reduce it, not increase it, but the administration has rejected them.
Act in the public interest, override the veto. One has to ask why the administration is resorting to such desperate tactics to defeat a perfectly reasonable piece of legislation. Why the over-the-top rhetoric, habitual falsehoods and political pressure tactics? The only plausible explanation is that the bill would provide stability where the governor wants conflict. The bill would prevent a strike when the governor has vowed to force one. And if negotiations fail to produce an agreement, the bill could allow independent arbitrators to craft a fair settlement instead of giving the governor free rein to impose his extreme demands.
In the end, each legislator must vote their conscience and their constituents. We hope you will look at all the facts and, in the name of ensuring stability of public services and fairness for public service workers, override the veto to enact SB 1229.
To: Members of the General Assembly
From: Bruce Rauner, Governor
Re: SB 1229
Date: August 18, 2015
Beginning tomorrow, you may be asked to consider overriding my veto of Senate Bill 1229. I strongly urge you not to vote to override. This bill is one of the worst pieces of legislation in Illinois history. It is a direct affront to Illinois taxpayers and to my ability to negotiate on their behalf. To put it simply, a vote to override my veto of SB 1229 is a vote to pave the way for a massive tax hike.
Our Administration has demonstrated a willingness to negotiate a fair contract with any reasonable partner. I have stated publicly and I also pledge in writing to you that we will not lock-out state employees. There is no reason our authority to negotiate on behalf of taxpayers regarding the state’s largest employment contract should be suddenly stripped away.
This is the first time AFSCME has ever demanded interest arbitration for all of its members rather than good faith collective bargaining, and the bill expires in four years. Hopefully this legislation is not related to the fact that I am the first Governor in Illinois history to be totally independent of AFSCME since it was first recognized under Governor Walker in the 1970’s.
Unfortunately, our political system in Illinois has inherent biases stacked against taxpayers. This legislation specifies that only a small group of predominantly pro-labor arbitrators may be selected to serve as the tie-breaking panel chair absent agreement. Last year, of the four interest arbitrations held using this roster of arbitrators where local units of government sought to freeze salaries for even a portion of the contract term, taxpayers lost every time.
Our system has also been set up so arbitrators use salary comps from very high-cost states (NY, NJ, PA) rather than emphasizing the five states that border us. This has resulted in Illinois government employees receiving compensation, when benefits are included, that is 22% higher than for the same jobs done by private citizens, and in many cases 30% or more higher than for the same work done by government employees in our surrounding states.
Illinois government employees are terrific. They deserve good salaries and attractive benefits. But their compensation should reflect merit more than seniority, similar to the system most taxpayers have in the private sector. We can and will pay higher salaries in the future, but pay should be based on productivity, not just the passage of time.
The system has to be fair for everyone, including our taxpayers. SB 1229 is especially harmful now because AFSCME’s current proposal would cost our taxpayers an additional $1.6 billion in salary, overtime, and pension costs and would eliminate $500 million per year in healthcare savings that is part of the health savings in both Democratic and Republican budgets.
AFSCME has proposed an expensive structure that would increase many salaries by 29% over 4 years, force the state to pay for premium health insurance benefits, extend those benefits to part-time and intermittent workers, increase overtime pay and dramatically increase pension benefits. We have told AFSCME at the bargaining table, and I cannot emphasize to you strongly enough, we cannot afford AFSCME’s extreme financial demands at this precarious time for our state.
That is why this legislation is so dangerous. Under SB 1229, labor arbitrators, unlike arbitrators in other disputes, are only given the option of picking between the state’s proposals and the union’s proposals, which is why the union has refused to make any concessions. The amount of spending the arbitrator would decide in this case is over $7 billion, or 20% of the state budget. Financial decisions of that magnitude should be decided at the bargaining table or by elected officials, not unelected labor arbitrators.
Again, to be clear, a vote to override my veto of SB 1229 is a vote to pave the way for a massive tax hike.
Finally, I have stated publicly and I also pledge in writing to you that we will not lock-out state employees. That pledge is also reflected in a binding legal agreement with AFSCME, known as a tolling agreement, which ensures that there can be no strike or lock-out as long as the parties are both bargaining in good faith at the bargaining table. Like the Teamsters, if AFSCME would commit to around the clock, non-stop, good-faith negotiations, I am confident we could reach a fair deal for taxpayers and their members.
The structure of our AFSCME contract is critical to the future of Illinois. We can and will negotiate a balance between the interests of government employees and those of taxpayers.
Every dollar we save inside state government is a dollar we can invest in our schools and social services. I ask you to join me in representing taxpayers, school children and our most vulnerable residents by upholding the veto of SB 1229.
During a swing through the Statehouse newsroom Tuesday, the first-term Republican chief executive said he is not getting involved in picking one of the 17 candidates seeking the GOP nomination.
“I am very clearly, specifically staying out of that,” Rauner told reporters before heading out to the Illinois State Fair.
Rauner did say he’s familiar with a big chunk of the field, including former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, Louisiana Gov. Bobby Jindal and Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker.
“I have six pretty good personal friends running in the Republican primary,” Rauner said. “I’m pretty close to virtually all of the governors.”
* If he manages to get on the ballot and can raise a little cash, the Democrats’ chances will drop precipitously in the 13th…
David Gill, who has sought to represent Central Illinois in the nation’s capitol four previous times beginning a decade ago, announced Tuesday he will be making an independent bid in 2016 for the 13th Congressional District post. […]
If he collects enough signatures to qualify for the November 2016 ballot — he’ll need an estimated 15,000 registered voters — Gill is likely to face off against incumbent U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis, a second-term Republican from Taylorville. […]
Gill last ran for the seat in 2012 and lost by 1,002 votes to Davis.
He stepped aside in 2014 when the Democratic Party coalesced behind former Madison County Chief Judge Ann Callis.
It’s not that Davis was expected to lose, but having Gill on the ballot will make it that much tougher to recruit and push a quality Democratic candidate there. He’s a gift for Davis.
Envy isn’t a rational response to the upcoming 10-year anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
But with Aug. 29 fast approaching and New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu making media rounds, including at the Tribune Editorial Board, I find myself wishing for a storm in Chicago — an unpredictable, haughty, devastating swirl of fury. A dramatic levee break. Geysers bursting through manhole covers. A sleeping city, forced onto the rooftops. […]
So if you think somehow new leadership is going to right the ship, you might want to get your head checked. There is no sense of urgency about the city’s or the schools’ perpetual abyss. Not under Emanuel. Not with a new City Council. Not with a new board at CPS.
That’s why I find myself praying for a real storm.
OK, was anybody who pays attention at all surprised? I mean, she sits on the Tribune editorial board, which is too often the most irrational, hyperbolic body in the state of Illinois.
All of the borrowing kicks the can down the road, costs taxpayers hundreds of millions more in interest payments and jeopardizes other worthy programs, under the guise of what? Protecting middle-class taxpayers from a big hit? No, they’re lining us up for a firing squad.
That highlighted sentence gets to the very heart of the matter here. She actually equated higher taxes (in a city with some of the lowest property taxes in the state) with a governmental firing squad. No wonder she openly wished for a biblical-level disaster. She’s just fighting the good fight, speaking truth to power, storming the ramparts of the evil-doers…
Chicago needs urgent, revolutionary change.
That was from her non-apology follow-up, wherein she essentially blamed readers for misinterpreting the essence of her pure heart.
And it shows again the real problem here. What Chicago most desperately needs are clear, sober minds and fiscal sanity. The city must finally, rationally face up to its obligations and stop stomping its collective feet and screaming about how unfair everything is. Raise some taxes, cut some spending, work with the governor and the GA on a reasonable compromise in exchange for more state money. Find some real solutions and stop wailing like mad, drunken ivory tower pseudo-revolutionaries.
In other words, grow the heck up already.
* The best news out of this is that maybe, finally people will once and for all stop treating that editorial board seriously. As nice as they may be in person, when some of those board members get to work they don’t want their readers to think, they want them to seethe with vicious rage at a manufactured cartoon world of black and white. That makes them the worst sort of propagandists. And they were getting away with it until one of their own members stepped over the line and brought down some serious national heat.
On Friday, Rauner’s office sent a letter to state Rep. John Bradley asking that he reschedule Monday’s hearing of the House Revenue and Finance Committee so that it could be held in the capital city.
“With the Senate in session next week, the governor expects key budget, legislative and legal personnel to be working in the Capitol,” the letter noted.
The request was rejected and the committee meeting was held at one of the state’s Chicago office buildings.
Bradley, a Marion Democrat, said it was disrespectful of the administration not to show up. “I think it’s a very, very bad calculation. Its not good practice,” he said. […]
At the same time Bradley’s hearing was underway, Rauner outlined his latest push for a statewide property tax freeze at a nearby state office building.
“State government is fundamentally in Springfield,” Rauner told reporters. “Let’s hold these hearings in Springfield where our administration actually works.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner is combining several of his proposals into one bill, but that doesn’t seem to sway Democrats opposed to parts of his agenda.
Rauner’s consolidated legislation includes some old items (a property tax freeze, allowing local governments to limit collective bargaining and opt out of prevailing wage laws) and some new additions (allowing schools to use outside contractors for certain services, increased funding for impoverished school districts).
“I believe this is the single most important piece of legislation which we can pass this year,” Rauner said.
One bill is how Rauner would prefer it remain, as he called on House Speaker Michael Madigan not to try to separate the proposals.
“I’m asking the Speaker not to break the bill apart into little pieces, not to call sham votes on individual pieces. Debate the bill in its entirety and vote on the bill in its entirety,” Rauner said.
Bills, except bills for appropriations and for the codification, revision or rearrangement of laws, shall be confined to one subject. Appropriation bills shall be limited to the subject of appropriations.
We’ll talk more about the substance of the governor’s proposals later, but if you click here for the governor’s bill summary, you’ll see he appears to have illegally mixed in an appropriation and has combined several quite different subject matters together.
They want “one bill, one vote” so they can get the Democrats on record as being opposed to some of the bill’s more popular items, like a property tax freeze and (for Chicagoans) more money for CPS, or perhaps peel some Democrats away from their leaders.
But if they passed a law like this it would probably be shot down pretty quickly in the courts.
The absurd facade of this long-running state government impasse might best be summed up with two brief statements.
1) Gov. Bruce Rauner to Democrats: “Just support my plans to eviscerate organized labor and I’ll give you the rare privilege of voting to raise everybody’s income taxes.”
2) Democrats to Rauner: “Just accept our piddly little workers’ compensation reforms and we’ll let you put all Republican legislators on an income tax hike bill, which you can then, of course, gleefully sign into law.”
Those two statements bring to mind a long-ago description of the absurdist theatrical “Waiting for Godot.” It was, the reviewer wrote, a play in which “nothing happens, twice.”
Ain’t that the truth.
Neither of those two things ever will happen.
I also have heard some portray this standoff as something like a religious war, where each side is so wedded to their own core beliefs, particularly when it comes to labor unions (Rauner against, Democrats for), that all rapprochement is impossible.
But, really, as absurd and hardline as the summer has most certainly appeared, I am increasingly becoming convinced that this overtime session cannot accurately be described as either of those things.
Rauner talks a good game, but as we’ve seen, he often backs off. He repeatedly threatened to shut down the government during last year’s campaign but instead has done everything possible to avoid a shutdown after vetoing most of the budget in June.
The governor has railed against unions but negotiated a state contract with the Teamsters that even includes collecting “fair share” fees that he believes are unconstitutional. He has made innumerable cuts that were quickly restored, whether through executive fiat, legislation he supports or court cases he backs.
House Speaker Michael Madigan likewise talks a very good game about “protecting the middle class,” but he hasn’t always been such a white knight for his core constituencies, either. He flipped on his much-favored trial lawyers and rammed through medical malpractice lawsuit reforms last decade.
The speaker made a deal that undercut trade unions at McCormick Place when asked to by Chicago’s mayor. He muscled through a Tier 2 pension plan for state workers and teachers that resulted in their boycott of him in the 2010 campaign. That led to the 2011 legislative education reforms (also pushed by the mayor and people like Rauner), aimed mostly at teachers and their unions, and legislation to cut back the number of state workers represented by AFSCME, along with pension reform Part 2.
To me, the key here is Mayor Rahm Emanuel. If he really is privately asking for some legislative limits on teachers’ union collective bargaining powers, as the governor has been telling reporters and anyone else who will listen, then you can expect the speaker and the Senate president eventually will go along.
Why would they? Because that’s what Democratic leaders from Chicago usually do when their mayor needs them. Not every time, but it’s a pretty safe bet.
And since Emanuel has not, as of this writing, actually denied the governor’s claim about what he really wants, I’m guessing the governor probably is telling the truth. Or at least a close enough version of reality to finally smoke out the mayor and have him prod his two leaders to move on a resolution that can be applied statewide.
As you know, the governor refuses to even talk about a budget until he gets some of his “turnaround agenda” passed, and keeping the teachers’ unions in check could go a long way toward that goal.
Until then, I think the Democratic leadership is content to continue their slow walk to oblivion and watch the governor’s poll numbers move inexorably down toward their own low positions, while galvanizing organized labor behind the Democratic Party like never before.
And as long as Rauner can keep most of government functioning, I don’t think he is prepared to make any major deals, either.
So the Democrats and the mayor and the governor could all choose to wait until the stuff really hits the fan this month and into next month, when the state government’s rapidly deteriorating condition could very well excuse an ugly deal in the minds of their respective constituencies.
Or they could just stick their necks out, act like statesmen and hammer out a compromise before the pain really begins.
Long story short: Despite several attempts at quitting, I’ve smoked cigarettes most of my adult life. I wasn’t feeling right about six weeks ago. So, I had a heart stress test, which found a problem. I had bypass surgery last Wednesday and it went so well that I was sent home on Sunday morning. I’ve also been medically cleared to briefly attend Governor’s Day and Democrat Day this week. My schedule will be somewhat reduced for a few weeks, but I really do feel pretty darned good, so don’t worry. All’s well that ends well and I will NEVER smoke again. Promise.
* Jerry Garcia may have saved my life.
For as long as I can remember, whenever my shoulders ached I knew I was coming down with something. They started hurting several days before the Grateful Dead shows in Chicago. And then when I was walking up a ramp to Soldier Field, my shoulders felt like they were on fire and I was short of breath and felt dizzy.
Later that Sunday evening during a random conversation, somebody mentioned that Jerry was 53 when he died.
I’m 53.
I went in to see my doctor and requested a stress test.
* I only told a few people what was going on. Even Barton didn’t know because I didn’t want to put him in an awkward position and I wanted him to focus on the task at hand, not on me.
My mom is staying with me this first week, so I’m in very good hands. My daughter was surprised yesterday that I was walking around my house like nothing had happened. I’m not in much pain and my lungs are rapidly improving. I’m pushing myself to get better, but not so much that I become exhausted. I want to improve a little every day, not regress. There will be some coverage gaps over the next few weeks, but I love my job and it keeps me sane, so I will keep writing.
* When I went in to meet my surgeon he told me he does a ton of bypasses every week, even sometimes on weekends. I asked him if that stressed him out. Nah, he said. Surgery isn’t stressful, it’s a calling. He told me his only stress comes from things that happen outside the operating room. From that point on I knew I was in excellent hands. Piece of cake.
The last thing I remember saying to my anesthesiologist before going under was, “Let’s get this show on the road, doc. I have a life to live.”
