IFT endorses Quinn
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Not unexpected…
By a vote of its Executive Board today, the Illinois Federation of Teachers (IFT) unanimously endorsed Governor Pat Quinn (D) for reelection.
Elected leaders of the 100,000-member organization said that Quinn is the only candidate who will fight for the high quality public schools and services our children deserve.
“Strong schools start with a strong investment, and Governor Quinn is the only candidate with a commitment to ensure that all students have the resources to succeed from their first day of school through college graduation,” said Dan Montgomery, President of the IFT and a high school English teacher. “Governor Quinn respects and understands working families, and supports our fundamental right to speak with a collective voice on behalf of our communities.”
The IFT Executive Board also expressed outrage over Bruce Rauner’s efforts to demonize teachers and public employees and dismantle the unions who fight for our rights and the communities we serve.
“Given the fairy tales he tells in his commercials, we are committed to making sure voters know how out-of-touch the real Rauner is. He may be a billionaire, but his ideas about what’s best for education and Illinois families are completely bankrupt,” Montgomery added.
Rauner’s financial “plan” would blow a hole in the state budget billions of dollars wide and force layoffs, larger class sizes, and devastating cuts to public education. He has advocated for lowering the minimum wage, destroying unions, and stated that the public employees who work in our classrooms and communities are overpaid by nearly 25%.
39 Comments  
|
Right and wrong
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The right way to approach a medical marijuana debate…
U.S. Rep. Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) today announced that he is co-sponsoring bipartisan legislation to ensure that children and individuals with epilepsy and other debilitating seizure disorders have access to Cannabidiol (CBD) Oil and therapeutic hemp.
“If one of my children suffered from seizures, I couldn’t imagine being told by a doctor that we’ve run out of options or being forced to split up my family to send a child to a state where CBD is available and legal,” said Davis. “While the state of Illinois has taken steps to legalize the use of supplements like CBD for medicinal purposes, not all states have followed suit. This bill is a narrow, commonsense approach to give individuals and families in all states the access to this potentially life-changing supplement to help treat and deal with seizure disorders.”
Currently, more than 300,000 children in American suffer from some form of epilepsy. Many of these children experience more than 100 violent seizures a day— any one of which could be fatal without proper care. There is evidence that CBD oil has been shown to reduce the amount and duration of seizures in children suffering from epilepsy and other seizure disorders.
H.R. 5226, the Charlotte’s Web Medical Hemp Act of 2014, would enable individuals to access this potentially life-saving supplement without having to split up families geographically in order to receive treatment.
* The Sun-Times shows us the near hysterical wrong way…
Chicago medical marijuana dispensaries are likely coming to busy shopping areas, despite the city’s initial attempt to hide them away at the edges of the city.
That means a medical marijuana dispensary could potentially open next door to a tony restaurant on Randolph Street or in River North near touristy fast food joints, according to new zoning regulations approved Tuesday by a the Chicago City Council’s Committee on Zoning, Landmarks and Building Standards.
Essentially most business and commercial strips are fair game.
Sheesh.
26 Comments
|
* From a July 29th press release…
The Illinois Department of Insurance (DOI) today issued guidance clarifying that under the Affordable Care Act (ACA) and Illinois state law health insurers may not discriminate based on gender identity and related medical conditions. The guidance reminds insurers that exclusions and denials of coverage on the basis of gender identity are against the law.
“This is an important step to ending discrimination in Illinois,” DOI Director Andrew Boron said. “Transgender individuals are entitled to the same access to health care as everyone else. Health insurance policies that discriminate against a group of people, or based on any medical condition, will not be tolerated in Illinois.”
With the issuing of this guidance to insurers through an agency Bulletin, Illinois joins a handful of other states which have taken steps to bar discrimination in healthcare against transgender individuals.
“I applaud DOI for working to make certain that all Illinois citizens are given equal access to necessary healthcare services and that people are treated fairly and without discrimination,” State Representative Greg Harris (D-Chicago) said.
“I commend DOI Director Andrew Boron and Governor Pat Quinn Pat for this action which demonstrates that the state of Illinois is strongly committed to fighting discrimination in healthcare against any member of our population,” Illinois Human Rights Department Director Rocco Claps said. “Access to healthcare is a fundamental human right, and no one should face discrimination in their healthcare needs because of their gender identity.”
Under both federal and state law, if a health insurer covers certain services when medically necessary, such as a breast mastectomy or hormone therapy, it cannot deny those services for a transgendered person solely on the basis of that person’s transgender status or gender dysphoria. Currently, some insurers have broad exclusions for gender identity treatment and services. The guidelines issued today prohibit insurers from excluding services that target transgender persons or persons with gender dysphoria. Today’s announcement calls for an end to this disparate treatment of transgendered individuals.
DOI will be reviewing individual and small group policies offered under the ACA for 2015 to ensure compliance with anti-discrimination laws.
* AP…
“This guidance helps ensure parity in health care coverage, making certain that services such as mental health care, cancer screenings and hormone therapy are routinely covered for transgender people when the insurer provides those services to non-transgender policy holders,” John Peller, interim president and CEO of the Aids Foundation of Chicago, said in a statement.
However, some question the move. The Illinois Family Institute’s Executive Director David Smith said the guidelines put some religious business owners in a position that forces them to compromise their faiths.
“To succumb and be made to submit to a rule that violates their freedom of conscience,” Smith said.
* Windy City Times…
Transgender people often face discrimination when seeking insurance coverage of medically-necessary treatments prescribed by their physicians, even though such treatments are routinely covered for others. For example, hormone therapy and regular blood tests to guard against any negative medical consequences are routinely covered for many people, such as post-menopausal women, but are currently denied to many transgender people. Likewise, breast reconstruction surgery is routinely covered for women after surgery for breast cancer, but is routinely denied for transgender people, even if ordered by a physician.
There are many other medical procedures and treatments that are covered routinely each day — from surgery to mammograms to Pap smears — for non-transgender people that are often denied to transgender people, even though they are prescribed by a physician as medically-necessary treatment.
The Department of Insurance bulletin says such denials are discriminatory and not permitted under existing law. In recent months, insurance authorities in Oregon, California, Colorado, Vermont, Massachusetts, Washington and the District of Columbia all have made similar statements, making clear that health insurers in those states cannot discriminate on the basis of gender identity. The American Medical Association, the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians and other national medical organizations all have called for an end to insurance discrimination based on gender identity. […]
The bulletin from the Department of Insurance cites three laws that prohibit discrimination against transgender people: the Affordable Care Act, the Illinois Human Rights Act and the Illinois Mental Health Parity Act. The bulletin explains that a plan may not be certified in Illinois ( a prerequisite to a plan being marketed and sold in the state ) if the plan discriminates against transgender people.
16 Comments
|
Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* US Sen. Mark Kirk…
After Senator Mark Kirk spoke to the pro-Israel rally, he told FOX 32 News that President Obama is wrong to push for an immediate cease-fire in Gaza, where more than a thousand have reportedly now lost their lives. Kirk compared Israel’s war with Hamas, the Palestinian faction that rules Gaza, to World War II.
“Hamas is like Nazis. The more Nazis you got, the more Hamas you get, the more death you get,” Kirk said. “It was worth thousands of lives to wipe out the Nazis. And then the world was much better once they were wiped out. The only way to secure peace in the Middle East is to wipe out those who would bring terror to the Middle East.”
90 Comments
|
Rauner group files appeal in term limits case
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Not much info out of the AP’s Chicago bureau…
A group pushing for lawmaker term limits has filed a court appeal to get their question on November’s ballot.
The Committee for Legislative Reform and Term Limits filed a motion Tuesday with Illinois’ First District Appellate Court asking it to reverse a June Cook County Circuit Court ruling.
The circuit court said the measure didn’t meet constitutional requirements and ruled it invalid.
Committee spokesman Mark Campbell believes the appellate court can rule in the group’s favor.
Click here to see the full appeal.
* One of the main arguments advanced by Bruce Rauner’s group is that the IL Supreme Court upheld Pat Quinn’s 1980 “Cutback Amendment,” which did three things: Abolished cumulative voting, reduced the size of the House and instituted single-member districts. Rauner’s group argues that its multitude of issues (veto powers, term limits and reducing the size of the Senate while increasing the size of the House) should be viewed as similar to Quinn’s push.
The Supremes have ruled previously (on another Pat Quinn initiative) that term limits involved neither a structural change of the Legislature as an institution, nor a procedural legislative issue - the only two things that can be changed via citizens referendum. The Rauner folks get around that ruling thusly…
(T)he amendment here does not merely limit legislative terms in isolation. Rather it changes the entire structure of legislative terms… incorporating term limits as an integrated element of this larger structural change. […]
All the [Pat Quinn term limits case] did was to rule that one particular term limits proposal, in isolation, affected invidual legislators and not the structure of the institution as a whole. That cannot be said of the present proposal, in which term limits are simply one part of the package of structural reforms.
Discuss.
9 Comments
|
Inversion politics
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a July 28th press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today issued the following statement in favor of legislation supported by President Barack Obama to close the corporate tax inversion loophole:
“Big corporations should not be allowed to exploit the tax code to avoid paying their fair share. Members of the House and Senate supporting closure of this loophole are right – corporations should not be allowed to shirk their own responsibilities while passing on the burden to everyday taxpayers.
“These corporations benefit from America’s world-class infrastructure, education system, skilled workforce and competitive economy – not to mention U.S. customers. Yet they’re looking to renounce their citizenship and shortchange America and the everyday people who helped them grow and thrive.
“I urge Congress to take swift action on the President’s proposal to end this abuse and close this unpatriotic loophole. It’s the right thing to do.”
* NBC5 has Bruce Rauner’s react…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner blames the state’s business climate for Walgreens’ flirtation with Switzerland.
“America needs to compete, Illinois needs to compete. The right answer is not to create walls, to block companies and people,” Rauner said. “That’s terrible. We should be about freedom, choice and competition.”
Video is here. Quinn went on to call companies like Walgreens “corporate deserters.”
* Democratic Governors Association spokesman Rikeesha Phelon…
“Does Bruce Rauner believe that corporations who profit from conditions created in the United States - including transportation infrastructure, competitive economy and our skilled workforce - should be under no obligation to secure these conditions like the rest of us? Does Bruce Rauner believe that corporations and the super-rich have any responsibility to the country in which they live, or can they all take their money and hide it elsewhere?”
* From yesterday…
Sen. Dick Durbin today decried U.S. firms that renounce their corporate citizenship to avoid taxes and said he was introducing a measure to put them at a disadvantage for federal contracts.
“When it comes to a competition between companies, if we have, on one hand, an American company paying its fair share of American taxes, competing with an inverted corporation that has decided to go overseas, we believe, advantage America,” the Illinois Democrat said.
He said the measure would send a message to companies seeking to invert: “Think twice.” The measure is called the No Federal Contracts for Corporate Deserters Act..
Oberweis response…
“Dick Durbin and his job-killing policies have produced the worst economic recovery in U.S. history and this is just more of the same. It is a poor excuse for tax reform and not a serious attempt to fix our country’s anemic economy.”
65 Comments
|
$300,000 a week in July
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* CBS Chicago’s Jay Levine…
Illinois Governor Pat Quinn has joined challenger Bruce Rauner on TV, with an unusually early series of campaign commercials.
Ironically, the new Quinn ads started airing the same day a new poll commissioned and carried by GOP linked organizations shows Rauner with a double digit lead.
CBS 2 Jay Levine reports as predicted several months ago, this could go down as the most expensive Illinois race ever. With broadcast sources telling us both candidates are now spending more than $300,000 a week on TV and it’s not even Labor Day, which traditionally is the start of the heavy spending home stretch.
19 Comments
|
About those new polls
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday dismissed a recent poll giving his Republican opponent Bruce Rauner a 14-point lead as “phony-baloney” and suggested it’s a bit early to write his political obituary. […]
“A lot of these polls are supported by my opponents supporters, so you gotta be careful there.” […]
Madeleine Doubek, chief operating officer of Reboot Illinois, said she stands behind the poll and its methodology.
“I am completely comfortable with the results. The firm doing polling for us is reputable,” Doubek said.
She said the race is in its early stages and cautioned that the poll only represents a snapshot in time.
We got a lot of comments yesterday (many of them deleted) flat-out claiming that We Ask America is intentionally altering results because the company is owned by the Illinois Manufacturers Association, which has endorsed Bruce Rauner.
That’s ridiculous. I’ve worked with that firm a long time. No way are they doing that. The Quinnbots are hereby on notice to stop it right now or face permanent banishment.
* But the governor’s campaign is clearly not happy with the new WAA poll and sent this along yesterday…
Applying 2010 Exit Poll Party ID to today’s crosstabs gives
Rauner 42.83
Quinn 38.73
Undec 18.44
* And there are some other polls out there. For instance, a CBS/New York Times YouGov online poll found this…
Rauner 46
Quinn 43
Other 2
Won’t vote 6
Not sure 1
* As can be expected, the move to an online poll has produced some sharp criticisms, but also some praise. Washington Post pollster Scott Clement…
Amy Walter, national editor of the Cook Political Report…
* Another poll taken by Mike Mckeon’s outfit found this…
Rauner 40
Quinn 34
Undecided 26
But that poll also found Attorney General Lisa Madigan leading her totally unknown GOP rival by just nine points 46-37.
And the YouGov poll had Sen. Dick Durbin leading Jim Oberweis by just 48-41.
* Meanwhile, in the mayor’s race…
The survey of 600 likely Chicago voters was conducted July 24-27 by San Francisco-based pollster David Binder Research, a firm known its work for President Barack Obama and numerous West Coast politicians, including mayors of Los Angeles and San Francisco.
In a head-to-head matchup, the poll found that 45 percent of those questioned are committed to or leaning toward Mr. Emanuel, compared with 33 percent for Ms. Lewis. That’s a near reversal of a We Ask America poll taken for the Chicago Sun-Times this month that showed the mayor losing to Ms. Lewis by 9 points.
Just 27 percent of those sampled said they were “certain” to vote for Mr. Emanuel. And 22 percent are undecided.
50 Comments
|
Today’s number: 59 percent
Wednesday, Jul 30, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Former Champaign County Clerk Mark Shelden matched up the state employee list with the voter file…
I was able to match up 78% of the 76,000 state employees (including part time employees) with a voter record. […]
This analysis is just for the state employees. It does not include annuitants of any public pension and does not include any teacher or state university employees. […]
In 2010, of the identified state employees, 9,189 voted in the Republican Primary. In 2014, that number increased to 14,590, a 59% jump. By contrast, in the 2010 Democratic Primary, 11,073 state employees voted. That number dropped by 36% to just 7,151 this past March.
* His conclusion…
It’s apparent that there was a high degree of motivation among state employees to participate in the Republican Primary. At the same time, Dillard’s loss by 25,000 votes could have been made up by moving even more state employees to the polls. If the participation rates of university and teaching staff as well as annuitants mirror this analysis, it will mean that Dillard had the means of winning without the ability to execute.
49 Comments
|
New Quinn ad sparks Dem criticism
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As noted below, Gov. Pat Quinn’s new TV ad in part touts his veto of General Assembly salaries…
And when legislators refused to fix the pension crisis,
Pat Quinn stopped their paychecks cold, and refused his own, until the job was done.
That’s the test of leadership.
* Well, there’s been some blowback…
[House Speaker Michael Madigan’s] spokesman Steve Brown questioned why Quinn would use the paycheck issue in an ad.
“I don’t think its a good example because it didn’t work,” Brown said. “It was not a well-thought-out strategy. And then it was proved to be illegal.”
The ad also raised the eyebrows of state Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, who has complained before that Quinn often uses the Legislature as a whipping post.
“It’s always easy to make someone else the bad guy,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said voters should be prepared to see similar claims coming from the Rauner camp as the election moves into its final 100 days.
“I just think its part and parcel of what politics has become,” Jacobs said. “It’s become more show than go.”
49 Comments
|
Beware October
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As we already know, the Legislative Audit Commission will be resuming its investigation of Gov. Pat Quinn’s anti-violence initiative in early October. And now, a couple of weeks later, the IDOT lawsuit hearings resume…
A legal battle between an anti-patronage lawyer and Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration will return to federal court less than two weeks before voters will decide if they want to re-elect the Chicago Democrat.
Anti-patronage attorney Michael Shakman has — as part of a lawsuit — requested an investigation of hiring in Quinn’s Department of Transportation and a monitor to ensure the administration complies with bans on political hiring for nonpolitical jobs. Quinn’s attorneys argue the judge should reject the request because it would be detrimental to state officials’ duties of hiring workers.
During a brief hearing on Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier gave attorneys time to file motions and told them to return to court Oct. 22.
Is Quinn’s much-vaunted luck finally running out?
35 Comments
|
Question of the day
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The SJ-R looks at Illinois Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza’s investigation of State Fair Director Amy Bliefnick for accepting free beer tickets…
“There is no evidence that she schemed to obtain the tickets,” the report said. “Rather, the unsolicited gift of beer tickets from the vendor to the fair director appears to be a long-standing, albeit unlawful, practice.”
The report said that the 2013 contract with CVA expressly says that free tickets are not to be given to anyone.
For statute-of-limitation purposes, Bliefnick was only charged with violating the gift ban during the 2013 fair when she accepted at least 120 beer tickets valued at $540. Each ticket is worth $4.50.
The report said Bliefnick distributed the tickets to senior Department of Agriculture officials, her staff, fair volunteers and fair patrons.
The report said the Department of Agriculture suspended Bliefnick for two days without pay based on allegations in the report. The suspension cost her about $754, it said.
“As noted in the report, as State Fair manager I accepted the tickets for distribution only to promote the fair,” Bliefnick said in a statement. “This practice will no longer continue at the fair. I learned a valuable lesson and look forward to a great State Fair this year.”
The full report is here.
* The Question: Your thoughts on this particular investigation and punishment of Bliefnick?
53 Comments
|
Quinn signs millionaire’s tax referendum
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation that will give Illinois residents the opportunity to voice their opinion on whether millionaires should pay a little more to help ensure all students have access to a high-quality education. The legislation establishes a statewide advisory referendum on the November 4 ballot to ask voters if they favor a surcharge paid by the state’s wealthiest individuals to provide much-needed funding for public education in classrooms across Illinois. Today’s action is part of Governor Quinn’s commitment to delivering stronger education in Illinois.
“Our democracy is strongest when more voters make their voices heard about important matters of public policy,” Governor Quinn said. “Illinois voters will now be able to have their say when it comes to whether the state’s most fortunate should pay a little more to put more resources in our classrooms. An investment in education is the best investment we can make for our economic future.”
House Bill 3816, sponsored by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and State Senator Michael Noland (D-Elgin), creates a Nov. 4, 2014 advisory referendum to ask voters whether the Illinois Constitution should be amended to require that each school district receive additional revenue, based on their number of students, from an additional three percent tax on income greater than one million dollars. These resources would be directed towards classroom education. The legislation is effective immediately.
The Illinois Department of Revenue estimates that a three percent tax on income greater than $1 million would generate approximately $1 billion annually for elementary and secondary education. The Governor signed the legislation today at Irving Elementary School in Berwyn.
“This legislation will provide an important benchmark. Illinois is long overdue for tax fairness and a much needed boost for our school children,” Speaker Madigan said.
Governor Quinn is committed to properly funding education in Illinois in order to give every child the opportunity for success. The Governor’s 5-year budget blueprint includes an historic $6 billion increase in classroom spending over the next five years, doubling the investment in college scholarships for students in need and increasing access to higher education through dual enrollment and early college programs. Over the next five years, the Governor’s plan would bring classroom funding to the highest levels in Illinois history.
45 Comments
|
Today’s map
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* HaystaqDNA plotted tea party favorability by county nationwide. Click the pic for an interactive version…
* Methodology…
First,12,636 voters in eight states (Alabama, California, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota) were surveyed. Then those results were combined with 724 other data points like census demographics and turnout history. The surveys were conducted through IVR phone calls earlier this year. The model was built on two-thirds of the survey results. The remaining third was used as a hold-out sample. The model’s predictions were validated by comparing the actual responses against the hold-out sample.
A second validation survey was also conducted on July 8th among 5,829 voters in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Overall favorability in that survey was unchanged from the findings of the original survey.
15 Comments
|
Thanks, but I’ll pass
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A few years back, I wrote that I was really getting tired of the iPhone. It wasn’t the phone itself that bugged me, it was Apple’s paternalism when it came to their apps that honked me off.
I much preferred Google’s approach with its Android system. You wanna develop an Android app? Go for it. Google won’t stop you. It’s a more open, “Internet” approach, as opposed to Apple’s nearly closed system.
* So, when Amazon announced recently that it had developed a new “Fire” phone based on the Android platform, I was really excited. Some of the bells and whistles, like 3-D imagery, tilt to scroll and easy Amazon purchases looked pretty cool to me. Amazon’s Kindle Fire has received some pretty solid reviews, so I figured the new phone would build on that.
Finally, I thought, a phone that could compete with the iPhone and even best it. I was all set to jump ship.
And since I occasionally write about tech here and have a tech feed on the page, I reached out to AT&T (the sole mobile provider for Amazon’s Fire) and asked if they had a review program. They did, and I received the phone yesterday - several days after the big guys were given their own review phones.
* I like the way the phone feels in my hand. It’s slim and has a bigger screen than my iPhone. The display looks cool, and it doesn’t take long to figure out the mechanical differences between the two phones. The Fire can also display all your apps on a single page, which saves lots of time scrolling through to find the app you want to use.
I use several apps in the course of my days and weeks. And that’s the real problem with Fire. Amazon has walled off their phone from existing apps. Android apps won’t work on it. Google’s YouTube app is locked out, as is the Google maps app. And none of the apps I use the most are currently available, and I’m not sure if they ever will be.
Yes, Apple tightly controls who can make apps for its system, and I don’t like living in that world. But the iPhone is in such wide use that there are quite a lot of apps available. Amazon? Not so much.
* So, I’ll be sending my test phone back to the company. My iPhone screen is badly cracked and my AT&T contract is up, so I gotta find a new phone soon. It won’t be the Fire.
Any suggestions?
60 Comments
|
Roberts appointment questioned
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The BGA looks at the ties between the new Legislative Inspector General Bill Roberts, a former US Attorney, his law firm and political leaders…
* Political committees controlled by Madigan paid Hinshaw & Culbertson more than $40,000 between 2002 and 2008, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Roberts represented Madigan during an investigation by federal authorities in Springfield into the possible misuse of state resources that ended in early 2005 with no charges filed.
* Hinshaw has contributed to the campaign funds of Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago; Senate Majority Leader James Clayborne, D-East St. Louis; Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont; and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs. Roberts personally donated $500 last year to the campaign fund of state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, a member of the Legislative Ethics Commission that approved Roberts’ appointment on May 30. Other members of that committee include Clayborne, who until recently worked for the law firm run by Roberts in its downstate Belleville office.
* State agencies have hired Hinshaw and paid the firm more than $1.8 million over the past five years, state records show. That includes $2,339 from the Cullerton-led Senate Democrats in the 2012 budget year and $1,950 from the Madigan-led House Democrats in 2014.
* The Sun-Times editorial board, while noting Roberts’ respected career, thinks this is a lousy choice…
Roberts’ selection reflects a brazen lack of concern for the appearance of good government and the effectiveness of ethics laws. Certainly, the Legislature doesn’t appear to believe the job of the inspector general is very important. If Roberts were to investigate himself, he no doubt would find the appearances of conflict of interest are compelling. It is not a close call.
An IG at any level is supposed to be independent and pursue only the facts. There should be no restraints of a political nature. An IG also relies on the people who are interviewed in the course of gathering facts to believe they are dealing with an unquestionably impartial investigation. Roberts’ ties to legislators cast a shadow over that.
Roberts said he wouldn’t have taken the job if he thought there were conflicts. We’re not sure the average Illinois citizen will see it that way.
The General Assembly is expected next year to select a permanent person to fill the IG job until 2018. Rather than put Roberts in that job, the Legislature should cast a wider net for someone who has not only his investigatory skills, but also a firm record of independence.
Your thoughts?
24 Comments
|
Poll: Rauner has 14-point lead
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Gov. Pat Quinn is facing an increasingly uphill battle against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, a new We Ask America poll shows.
Rauner is now sitting on a 14-point lead in the poll that was conducted July 28, which is up from his 10-point lead he had in a June poll. Rauner’s boost can be attributed to his economic plan, which includes a state income tax reduction. A poll showed while people don’t believe Illinois can afford this plan, a majority say it makes them more likely to vote for him. […]
Overall, if the election were held today, Rauner would pull in 47 percent of the vote, compared to Quinn’s 33 percent. Of those polled, 20 percent said they’re still undecided.
* Reboot…
The poll contained three questions asked in sequence to gauge respondents’ reactions to the tax plans forwarded by Quinn and Rauner. Respondents first were asked for whom they would vote if the election were today. They then heard specifics of the tax plans in a second question: “Pat Quinn wants to make permanent the 5 percent personal income tax rate. Bruce Rauner wants to take four years to reduce the income tax rate to 3 percent. Rauner would also expand the sales tax to cover 32 services; not just goods. We’d like to know which plan you think is more likely to balance the budget?”
After answering that question, respondents were asked, “Knowing this information about each candidate’s approach to taxes and budgeting, for whom would you vote if the election were held today?”
Support for Quinn fell slightly — from 33 to 31 points — after respondents heard about Quinn’s plan to keep the current 5 percent personal income tax rate rather than allowing it to fall as scheduled to 3.75 percent at year’s end. Though Rauner’s plan contains its own version of a tax increase even as it proposes to lower the income tax over four years, his poll numbers increased slightly after respondents learned of his plan.
Respondents said they believed Rauner’s tax plan was more likely to balance the state budget than Quinn’s by an 11-point margin.
That last line is telling for its preposterousness. People really want to believe in magic fairy dust. Rauner apparently knows that.
Also, Rauner is still leading in suburban Cook. That’s truly ominous news for Quinn.
95 Comments
|
Today’s rant
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tri-County Tea Party leader Rick Newton, whose group spans DuPage, Cook and Lake counties…
Over four months after the Republican primary election, we continue to hear conversations among conservatives about the uncertainty/lack of comfort with Bruce Rauner as a candidate for Governor. In my opinion, however, I sincerely believe that it’s time for anyone in Illinois whose political beliefs lie anywhere right of center (and even a little to the left!) to come to grips with reality. Not only is the primary over, but more importantly, this state is in the throes of a veritable economic death spiral.
Yet, we have people who would normally vote Republican who continue to quibble over degrees of conservatism while our state is bleeding jobs, money, and people! Do we truly believe that re-electing Pat Quinn to work in tandem with the Michael Madigan and John Cullerton will create even a modicum of meaningful, positive improvement for this state? Not only should our answer to that question be a well-deserved “Hell no!”, but it shouldn’t require deep thought.
Yes, from a conservative’s viewpoint, the Illinois GOP has ample room for improvement – but its ability and willingness to become more aligned with its own party values is not going to happen overnight. That’s going to take strong grassroots efforts to make that happen and that’s where we in the TP movement exert the most influence.
The good news is that Bruce Rauner has a viable chance to be elected Governor of Illinois. But because he’s opposing an incumbent, because Illinois politics is a cesspool of corruption and selfishness, and because the state’s Republican Party is too often its own worst enemy, we cannot afford to succumb to the distractions that would divert our focus.
It’s time for the whining to stop and for all of us to ask voters to put on their big boy/big girl underpants and recognize what’s at stake. Bruce Rauner can win this election, but it can’t happen without conservatives all rowing in the same direction and with optimal energy.
Discuss.
40 Comments
|
* I’m told the governor’s campaign is launching his first TV ad today. I’m also told it’s a positive spot. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE *** The one-minute spot is called “Comeback.” It references his veto of legislator paychecks, among other things. Rate it…
…Adding… Script…
It’s in times of challenge,
when leaders are tested.
To do what’s right, no matter how hard.
Pat Quinn’s never backed down from a challenge…
even when it meant taking on the powerful.
As a young man Pat Quinn took on the giant utilities.
He stopped them from gouging families on their electric bills.
It’s who he is.
Pat Quinn sees problems, takes action, and gets the job done.
With an economy in meltdown, and a crisis of corruption,
Pat Quinn took over as governor…
and went to work.
He cut five billion dollars in spending. Created jobs.
And when legislators refused to fix the pension crisis,
Pat Quinn stopped their paychecks cold, and refused his own, until the job was done.
That’s the test of leadership.
Now, Illinois is making a comeback.
With so much more work to be done,
Pat Quinn’s the leader we need on our side.
Pat Quinn. Governor.
Because courage counts.
And character matters.
*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz…
The Rauner campaign had a response within an hour — or as the campaign put it, “Pat Quinn’s reality check.”
Among other things, it notes that Mr. Quinn once handled patronage duties for then-Gov. Dan Walker, that the state’s bond rating has plummeted during the Quinn years, and reminds viewers that the state’s economic recovery has indeed been tepid at best, lagging the rebound in almost every other state.
The Rauner rejoinder also underlines that the Quinn administration is being scrutinized for alleged patronage abuses and says spending for education has dropped while the income tax has increased.
38 Comments
|
|
Comments Off
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax
Advertise Here
Mobile Version
Contact Rich Miller
|
