The 10th annual Northwest Suburban Lincoln Day Dinner, an event which provides a who’s who of area Republican leaders, takes place next week in Palatine.
Three speakers are set to address the major area GOP fundraiser: U.S. Sen. Ron Johnson (R-WI), Gov. Bruce Rauner and Tim Schneider, Illinois GOP chairman and 15th District Cook County commissioner.
The event’s master of ceremonies is Dan Proft, a conservative radio host and Liberty Principles Political Action Committee founder. […]
It is scheduled to begin with a private “Trump Wine & Wisconsin Cheese” gathering at 5:30 p.m. for those willing to pay a little extra for the exclusive reception, followed by a general reception at 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. chicken dinner. [Schaumburg Township Republican Committeeman Ryan Higgins] said Trump Wine would be served at the event.
Higgins told the Journal that Rauner is expected to unofficially kick off his run for reelection at the event.
…Adding… From a top Team Rauner dude…
Saw your post - sorry Higgins but no campaign kickoff at that event
Many in the crowd nodded as Rauner went through his talking points, but there was not much applause. Some of Rauner’s staff members clapped at key points in his speech, but the audience generally didn’t take up the applause as they sat or stood quietly.
– Governor Rauner today discussed the administration’s efforts to cut the red tape in state government and make Illinois more competitive with surrounding states at the Illinois Competiveness Council Forum.
“Excessive red tape has been a barrier blocking small business and entrepreneurs from wanting to grow and expand in Illinois,” said Governor Rauner. “That’s why we created the Illinois Competiveness Council nearly six months go to see where we can streamline and improve the restrictions in government.”
Governor Rauner signed an executive order last year to form the Illinois Competiveness Council and undertake a comprehensive review of the Illinois Administrative Code. The governor has directed the agencies working with the Illinois Competitiveness Council to reduce regulations by 20 percent. The Council led by U-Jung Choe will work with agencies from those areas to reduce regulatory burdens and cut the red tape.
“We are deeply committed to this mission. We will listen to all suggestions, make immediate changes when possible, and do all we can to advance Illinois’ economic climate,” said U-Jung Choe, chairwoman of the Illinois Competiveness Council.
The Council solicited assistance from the Mercatus Center at George Mason University to analyze the Illinois Administrative Code to best understand where red tape existed, where to cut it, and how to improve Illinois’ business climate. Illinois’ current administrative code is significantly larger than a majority of states, according to the analysis by the Mercatus Center. Illinois has more than 259,000 restrictions that make up more than 15 million words.
Additionally, the Mercatus Center found that most regulatory restrictions were in five areas: public health, environmental protection, social services, professional occupations and transportation.
The Mercatus Center was founded and is funded by the Koch Family Foundations. According to financial records, the Koch family has contributed more than thirty million dollars to George Mason University, much of which has gone to the Mercatus Center, a nonprofit organization. […]
The Mercatus Center is an “associate” member of the State Policy Network, a web of right-wing “think tanks” in every state across the country.
And they say, well, we need more regulations to force companies to pay people more.
No. It’s not gonna happen. Companies will just leave. That’s what they’re doing, they’re voting with their feet.
And they say, we don’t want to compete with Texas, they don’t have regulations there, their workers, you know, they need more protections down, they don’t have enough protections in Texas.
Well, you know what? Texas workers, factory workers make way more than factory workers in Illinois. Why? It ain’t because regulations are forcing their pay up, it’s because it’s a booming, healthy competitive economy with companies competing to hire workers. That’s why. And that’s the answer to long-term prosperity for the people of Illinois. And that’s the key to a better future for our children and our grandchildren, which is the reason I decided to be governor.
Setting aside the obvious minimum wage argument for now, click here for the BLS definition of production workers. Now, click here for the BLS Illinois page and you’ll see the median wage for production workers is $15.95 per hour. Click here and you’ll see that same median wage in Texas is $15.62 per hour.
Illinois has a higher cost of living in general than Texas, so those TX workers are putting more in their pockets. But do they make “way more” in Texas?
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Following is the response of SEIU Healthcare Illinois Communications Director James Muhammad to news that Gov. Bruce Rauner today voiced opposition to raising the Illinois wage floor, even as momentum grows to raise it to $15, via House Bill 198:
“When he opposes raising the wage for Illinois workers, Bruce Rauner continues to describe his belief that labor should be cheap and that workers are not central to the health of our economy. He paid for his many mansions via the profits from cheap labor and yet he wants to deny any economic security to the working families of Illinois? This is wrong and hypocritical.
“The Rauner budget impasse has slowed growth in Illinois and the quickest way to put money back into the economy is to give a raise to the 2.3 million Illinois workers, more than 40 percent of the workforce, who make less than $15 per hour and who would benefit from passage of House Bill 198.
“As Gov. Rauner dismantles education, healthcare, social services and all the tools that helped grow the Illinois middle class from the bottom up in the first place, we hope he abandons his trickle-down opposition to raising the wage floor for the women and men who work hard while others, like him, reap the profits of the sweat of their brow.”
* Related…
* Democrats push for minimum wage increase: Rep. Litesa Wallace, D-Rockford, said the state has to “pick up where employers leave off” through government programs and subsidies. “I am really tired of working poor people being the bogeyman in the way that we talk about this,” Wallace said. “Let’s change the narrative, because you’re receiving welfare too.”
* Editorial: Find a way, lawmakers, to give Illinois residents a pay raise: Illinois residents who make the minimum wage are overdue for a raise. The same is true for Americans across the nation. Workers are more productive than ever, but you wouldn’t know it based on their wages. In the last four decades, their pay has lagged far behind their contributions in the work force. The disparity helped make “income inequality” a catchphrase of the decade.
* Bernie reported the other day on a “mystery website” called RealGOPIllinois.com, which bills itself as “the official news site for real Republicans.” But it’s not an official Republican Party website and nobody knows who’s really behind it…
The site is professional-looking, with items presented as news stories and a solicitation for tips. […]
Its creators aren’t making it easy to find out, either. A computer expert at my newspaper tells me there’s no easy way to track the origin of the site because its domain was registered anonymously. An address listed at the bottom of the group’s email is in Champaign, but turned out to be a UPS store. An employee there said they do rent mailboxes.
The group name doesn’t turn up in the Illinois State Board of Elections, but it appears to have started a Facebook page recently. […]
“We are just a group of everyday citizens who are upset with the Democrat Party and how they’ve ruined this state,” the response stated. “We are also upset with the Illinois GOP and Gov. (BRUCE) RAUNER. We all voted for Bruce Rauner in 2014 even though some of us were very unsure about him because of his history. Two years in, we’re disappointed in Gov. Rauner and the Illinois GOP. … With the debt mounting, taxpayers will probably be on the hook for even more and the politicians won’t care. … Gov. Rauner spends millions making sure his own people win GOP primaries and destroying other Republican candidates just because he can. Isn’t that what (House Speaker MICHAEL) MADIGAN does?”
The response also called the website a “free speech zone” and said “Republicans are afraid to criticize (Rauner) because of the money he can spend attacking people. Illinois won’t survive Mike Madigan or Bruce Rauner if we don’t stand up and speak out (about) what both political parties and their henchmen are doing now.”
The folks behind the site have posted a new video ham-handedly attempting to directly link Gov. Rauner to Bill Cellini. Needs better music.
The alleged getaway driver in the fatal shooting of Cook County Associate Judge Raymond Myles said the killer surveilled the judge’s house for a few weeks before the deadly incident, Cook County prosecutors said Thursday.
Joshua Smith said in a videotaped statement to authorities that Myles was being watched for at least two or three weeks, an Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said.
The motive for the shootings was robbery, and 66-year-old Myles was targeted — but the shooting had nothing to do with his position as a judge, police had said on Wednesday.
Smith’s accomplice, who shot Myles and his girlfriend at 4:50 a.m. Monday in the 9400 block of South Forest, took the woman’s gym bag, expecting to find cash inside, Lisuzzo said. But there was no cash inside, and the killer threw the bag away. […]
Smith drove himself to the Area South Detectives division later that day “to speak with detectives” and has been in custody ever since, Chief of Detectives Melissa Staples said at a news conference Wednesday evening.
Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said at the hearing Thursday that Smith and an unnamed accomplice attempted to rob the woman, who left the judge’s home for the gym shortly before 5 a.m., the same time every day. The accomplice allegedly watched the woman for 2-3 weeks to learn her habits.
He stole her gym bag, but became enraged when no cash was inside, prosecutors said.
Myles saw the two arguing and came outside, where he was killed, police have said. The woman was also shot.
Smith drove the getaway car, an orange Pontiac Sunfire registered to his ex-girlfriend, Lisuzzo said. He allegedly told the girlfriend and her daughter to lie and say the car had been stolen.
An early riser, Myles was up before dawn Monday, getting ready to go to the gym with his girlfriend before reporting to his courtroom. But as the 52-year-old woman left the two-story brick residence shortly before 5 a.m., she was confronted near the garage by a gunman who shot her in the leg, according to police. Hearing the commotion, Myles, 66, ran outside and exchanged words with the assailant before he was shot and killed.
A neighbor and friend of the judge told the Tribune he was awakened by the shouts of the woman and the crack of about six gunshots. “She was screaming, ‘Don’t kill him, don’t kill him!’ ” the neighbor said.
An autopsy found Myles had been shot multiple times, the Cook County medical examiner’s office said Tuesday. […]
Sheriff Tom Dart’s office investigates about 10 death threats against Cook County judges a year but had no record of any threats against Myles in recent years.
*** UPDATE *** They were targeting the girlfriend. Tribune…
Assistant State’s Attorney Guy Lisuzzo said Smith told police that he and the other man planned to rob the judge’s girlfriend and that the other man had conducted surveillance on her movements for two to three weeks.
* OK, let’s revisit that WDWS interview of Gov. Rauner. The governor was asked whether the Senate’s grand bargain was off the table and we’re back to square one…
I hope not. You know, I know the deal has struggled. It’s had problems.
Sigh.
He says this in a passive mode as if he’s watching from afar with zero involvement.
But you know these things take time. They go up and down, and they make some progress and then they take a step back. This is the nature of the legislative process. It’s the nature of change in our system. Our system is so broken and the politicians who broke it are still in power and they don’t want to change. But we’ve got to change.
The good news is the Senate, Democrats and Republicans, they’re negotiating over the right things that can really move the needle to grow our economy…
And then he went off on a long soliloquy about his usual TA talking points.
* A few minutes later, the interviewer asked him what the turning point will be, what will turn this around to get a budget in the next few weeks…
Well, I believe if the Senate stays strong and keeps their negotiations going, they’re on the right issues, if they get the changes to a place where they actually move the needle, not just a headline, but they’re actually moving the needle - and they’re close, they are very close.
If we can help them get across the goal line, I think that would break the logjam and put a lot of pressure on Speaker Madigan’s Democrats in the House who so far do not want to negotiate any changes whatsoever, just want to force a big tax hike with no reforms at all.
And if the Senate will come through, and we’ll try to help them do it, that’ll put pressure, break the logjam and I think we’ll get there.
OK, all well and good. I wish he’d put a whole lot more effort into that in January and February, before he knocked the Senate’s grand bargain off the tracks.
* I asked Senate President John Cullerton’s spokesman to listen to the governor’s remarks and then provide some comment…
You may recall, Governor Rauner pulled the plug on budget meetings with lawmakers. There wasn’t any progress until the Senate stepped up and started its own negotiations.
That’s very true, but it has been tossed down the memory hole. Rauner announced in December that he wouldn’t call any more leaders meetings. Radogno and Cullerton started meeting soon after to start crafting their own plan.
* Back to John Patterson’s react…
The Senate President continues to work with Republican Leader Radogno in the hope that we can get Republicans back to the table. The Republican Senators helped put the deal together and we need more than one vote from that side in order to pass it.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news service…
During a more-than three hour House Revenue and Finance Committee hearing Wednesday in Chicago, the data center industry asked for breaks on sales taxes and job creation. Industry leaders said it would make Illinois more competitive with neighboring states that do offer the incentives.
House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, wasn’t a fan of the idea.
“I feel very uncomfortable that we are in a situation where if we want to compete, we may have to offer special deals to this group but not to that group, and at the end of the day I think we’re looking at something I think is hard for me to define as other than a little bit of corporate welfare and a little bit of corporate blackmail,” Currie said.
State Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, also questioned why one industry should get special preference over another.
But Phil Horstmann from data center company Ascent said without incentives, he doesn’t expect the industry to grow in Illinois.
“The simple fact is that it’s not economically viable to come here anymore,” Horstmann said.
Lance Alvarez, who helps select data center sites for Microsoft, said the company does “a tax analysis for all states and Illinois ranks in the bottom 3rd. Currently, Indiana, Ohio, Michigan, Iowa, Missouri and Minnesota offer incentives to attract data centers.”
He said Illinois doesn’t provide a level playing field to attract multi-billion-dollar data center investments.
Either way, we need a whole lot more research on this. If there’s demand, you’d think somebody would build. But if a subsidy is needed, how much would it cost taxpayers?
Some people say, well, term limits, that has nothing to do with the budget.
Boy, oh boy. Term limits, huge impact on the budget.
If we get folks in office who are there for the right reasons, not for a career to make money, but just as public servants, we’ll have more likely to have balanced budgets, we’ll have a democracy with less corruption, and businesses and job creators and investors and working families will have more confidence in the state and will expand our tax base.
Term limits can help balance our budgets for the long term in a very strong way.
What I care about is making Illinois strong and healthy for the next generation, with balanced budgets, good-paying jobs, high quality of life, rising family incomes and the best schools in America. And that’s what I’m fighting to do every day.
The Democrats, the Democratic Party has been in control of Illinois for years and years before I came into office. And they’ve taken us down the drain. And having more Democrat control in the governorship next year, boy oh boy, disaster for the people of Illinois.
The Democrats have had the ability to fix the problems in the past, they’ve controlled everything, they’ve done nothing. And all they’ve done is create the problems that we’re fighting to change right now.
So, I don’t spend any time worrying about who’s going to run. They’re all part of the system of supporting the policies and the politicians that created this mess.
We have to stand strong. I’m fighting for working families. I’m fighting for teachers in Illinois. I’m fighting for small business owners, I’m fighting for taxpayers. The people who’ve been ignored and abused and not taken care of in Illinois is who I’m standing up and working for.
We have got to change our direction. More Democrat control will fail us. They’ve already had control and they’ve broken our system. They’re the cause of the break, the broken system we’re dealing with. They just want to tape it over with tax hikes and more spending and more deficits. We need changes and that’s what we’re fighting to do.
Some suburban state lawmakers on both sides of the aisle say they share the fear that the budget impasse in Springfield won’t be resolved before the 2018 election for Governor. But, they are also using the “C” word: Compromise.
Naperville Republican State Representative Grant Wehrli feels lawmakers aren’t doing their jobs by allowing the budget standoff to continue, but he hopes both sides see the light. WBBM’s Political Editor Craig Dellimore reports.
“Well we all have a responsibility in this, but we also have divided government and that’s going to take compromise and that’s going to require all of us sitting down at a table and understanding that we all have a job to do,” Wehrli said. “And not point fingers at each other.”
I love me some Wehrli and I totally agree with his comments to Craig, but, man, is that ever some industrial strength chutzpah.
* The legislator is well-known for being one of the most active trolls on Twitter. A tiny sampling…
@HouseDemsIL careen from crisis to crisis for decades and call it governance. Illinois cannot afford more Madigan budget mischief. #twill
Quinn tried to solve the problem by persuading the Legislature to pass a 67 percent income tax hike (from 3 percent to 5 percent) in January 2011. The billions of dollars generated eased the state’s cash crunch and was used to make skyrocketing pension contributions. But the state still owed billions in unpaid bills, an obligation that tax increase was meant to eliminate.
At the end of calendar year 2014, just before that tax hike expired, the comptroller’s office had $4.36 billion in vouchers on hand. The office estimated there was another $2 billion which hadn’t yet been processed by the Quinn administration, but the comptroller was paying the state’s bills in under 30 days back then. In other words, we had a “normal” backlog - the sort you’d have in your own checking account as you were waiting to pay your bills before their deadlines.
The tax hike legislation created a special revenue stream in case the state sold bonds to pay off its pile of over-due bills, but the GA couldn’t muster the three-fifths majorities to borrow the money (mainly because Republicans refused to cooperate), so it had to pay those bills off bit by bit, and it was clearly succeeding.
Today’s backlog is $12.8 billion. Vendors are waiting up to six months to be paid.
What happened? The tax hike partially expired and no “real” budget has been passed since then to pare back spending and/or increase revenues.
The refusal to accept these basic facts never ceases to amaze me.
It’s not every day that Broadway comes to state government.
But Wednesday, a group of Broadway in Chicago performers brought the old razzle dazzle to a House committee hearing on state tax credits that are set to expire soon.
The Bilandic Building performance was part of a pitch from the theater industry asking lawmakers to extend the life of the theater tax credit. It’s set to expire June 1. Backers say it helps lure more shows to Chicago, create jobs and boost the city’s reputation.
Performers serenaded a legislative panel with a variation on the song “On Broadway,” changing the lyrics to highlight hotel and restaurant business that the live shows attract.
“We want to thank you for all you’ve done on Randolph and Monroe Street,” they sang. “You make the neon lights so bright in Chicago.”
Some of the performers had been sitting in the hearing room and then rose one by one to join in the song. I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like it.
Yesterday’s hearing was subject matter only, by the way. There were no votes on the credits.
With high turnout and low morale, rank-and-file Chicago Police officers decided Wednesday to change union presidents heading into contentious contract negotiations.
With 9,811 votes cast, Police Officer Kevin Graham captured 56.2 percent of the vote to incumbent Dean Angelo’s 43.8 percent. […]
Graham could not be reached for comment. His election virtually guarantees that contract talks with the city will be even more contentious than normal.
Hours before the results were announced, Angelo was anticipating defeat because of the level of discontent.
“Everyone’s frustrated. Very, very, very frustrated on this job. Morale is at the lowest I’ve ever seen. . . . Sometimes when you get frustrated, you want to make a change just for change sake. If that’s the case, there’ll be a different person representing the FOP,” Angelo said.
Graham, a staunch critic of outside intervention in the department and efforts to strengthen officer discipline, will take the helm of the department’s most influential police union at a moment of uncertainty and consequence.
The FOP — which represents the wide majority of the department’s approximately 12,000 officers — is heading into a contract negotiation later this year.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel has announced and enacted a series of reforms to a police department plagued by misconduct, but FOP contracts have historically helped shield rank-and-file cops from disciplinary investigations, protections reform advocates would like to see scaled back. […]
Graham, a 22-year veteran patrol officer assigned to the Town Hall police district on the North Side, sought to position himself as an opponent of outside intervention in the department and criticized Angelo for failing to more aggressively resist the Justice investigation. Graham has slammed the media for allegedly lying about police misconduct claims and tied the city’s violence to attempts to “put the handcuffs on the police.”
The city council’s Black Caucus reaction should be something to behold.
Illinois is a few months away from a new fiscal year, yet we have failed to pass a full calendar-year budget for nearly two years. Not only are we working to fix two years of inaction, we’re working to fix several decades of failed choices and broken promises.
It’s going to take a lot of hard work, soul searching and truth telling from everyone involved. That includes Republicans and Democrats in elected office and those running to hold elected office. Voters shouldn’t give anyone a free pass.
* And then she goes on to criticize the Democratic gubernatorial candidates…
Their standard messaging goes something like this: We can’t afford any cuts. We need to increase spending. Let’s just tax the millionaires and billionaires, make them pay their fair share and call it a day. We can talk about reforms later.
* She details some of her complaints and ends with this…
We need more than just sound bites from Democratic candidates for governor. We need an honest evaluation of our problems and concrete solutions to those problems.
The crisis we face today didn’t happen overnight. It’s the result of decades of poor decision-making and partisan games. We know both sides got us here. But we also know both sides must get us out.
So, Democratic candidates for governor, stop the partisan rhetoric, step up and put forth real ideas. The people you wish to serve deserve an honest and thoughtful solution to the problems facing Illinois.
I’d say the same for the governor, too, but that’s just me.
They’re in the arena now, so it’s more than fair to ask what their specific plans are.
New York will be the first state to make tuition at public colleges and universities free for middle-class students under a state budget approved by lawmakers Sunday.
The plan crafted by Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo will apply to any New York student whose family has an annual income of $125,000 or less. To qualify the student would have to meet certain class load and grade point average restrictions, and room and board would not be covered.
“College is today what high school was 50 years ago,” Cuomo said on a radio interview Sunday on AM 970 in New York City. “If you’re a young person who wants success and a career, a college education is necessary.
The initiative is included in a $153 billion state budget proposal that passed the state Senate late Sunday after being endorsed by the Assembly a day earlier. The budget was due by April 1, but difficult negotiations delayed passage.
The state now will have a cap of two and a half years on temporary [workers’ compensation] benefits, which a worker can receive prior to the start of a 10-year cap on benefits for “permanent partial disabilities” — such as a chronic back condition — that affect a worker’s earning potential. […]
Another worker-centered reform lowers the degree to which a person’s injury lowers his or her earning potential — 75 percent, down from 80 percent — in order to apply for “extreme hardship” toward the end of the 10-year period and receive disability payments in perpetuity. […]
The state’s business community and its Republican allies in the state Senate stressed the need for additional reforms for years — particularly in the wake of last year’s passage of a minimum-wage increase and paid family leave — in hopes of relieving businesses of ever-increasing insurance premiums.
It became an issue that a number of GOP senators, including Majority Leader John Flanagan and Deputy Majority Leader John DeFrancisco, frequently asserted as a priority of theirs in budget negotiations. The movement for reform managed to generate enough support among Assembly Democrats to stay in the final budget agreement.
Organized labor praised the legislation backed by the GOP. More on those reforms here.
After years of efforts, ride-sharing advocates are celebrating in New York this week. The latest state budget deal paves the way for companies like Uber and Lyft to operate upstate.
A new provision in Gov. Cuomo’s budget will make it easier for union members to deduct their dues payments from state taxes.
The clause in the Empire State’s $153 billion budget — which was approved Sunday night — will put an estimated $35 million into the pockets of union workers in the public and private sectors as well as in the building trades.
To help offset the state’s $3.5 billion deficit and fund income tax cuts for people making under $300,000, the budget extends for two years an 8.82 percent tax rate on individuals making more than $1 million a year.
The 2017-18 State Budget fully funds another installment of property tax rebate checks, providing millions of homeowners with $453 million in direct, much-needed tax relief through a check in the mail. When combined with the STAR and Enhanced STAR programs, these checks will bring total property tax relief in this year’s budget to $3.6 billion.
After the Senate advocated for funding that was absent from the Executive Budget proposal, the final budget provides a $146 million multi-year boost in wages to compensate direct care and other clinical professionals for the important work they do in caring for our most vulnerable adults. The funding helps appropriately adjust salaries at not-for-profits that employ workers who provide services for individuals with disabilities, as well as staff at not-for-profits under the purview of the Office of Alcohol and Substance Abuse Services and the Office of Mental Health.
The enacted budget includes a record level of school aid funding of approximately $26 billion. This is an approximately $1.1 billion increase over last year, equating to 4.4 percent, and continues the growth of education funding at twice the rate of the rest of the budget.
* A few days ago (click here), I asked all the Democratic gubernatorial candidates where they stood on legalizing marijuana and regulating it like alcohol. The only person who didn’t respond was JB Pritzker, who hadn’t yet announced. Today, his communications director sent me this statement…
JB favors legalization in Illinois and wants it to be done in a way that ensures common sense regulation and a plan to maximize revenue to the state.
In an effort to increase accountability among law enforcement officers, State Senator Mattie Hunter (D-Chicago) introduced legislation today that requires sobriety testing following all officer-involved shootings.
The initiative aims to improve credibility in police department investigations. It would require officers to submit drug and alcohol test results no later than one hour after a shooting.
Police-involved shootings have gained much attention over the years as the number of victims has increased drastically. In 2014 alone, more than 1,000 people were killed by police officers.
“Whether these attacks were targeted or unfortunate accidents, this policy will hold law enforcement accountable for the frequent tragedies of deadly force,” Hunter said.
“Officers must be held to the same standard as other professionals who are responsible for the lives human beings. This should be a standard operating procedure for every police department.”
Illinois Republicans are disturbed by the video of airline personnel violently removing a passenger from an overbooked flight. Regardless of the circumstances or the person’s race, creed, or religion, no one should encounter violence in the face of a disagreement. We hope that both United Airlines and the City of Chicago investigate the situation and ensure that appropriate procedures are in place to prevent similar problems in the future. The conduct in this case is simply unacceptable.”
- Joint Statement from Tim Schneider (Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party), Yan (Grace) Cui (Chairman of the Chinese American GOP Coalition), Dr. Byoung Suh (Chairman of the Illinois Korean American Republican Organization)
* Black eye for United, Chicago after apologies over bloodying doc: “Anyone who saw that video had the same reaction: this was completely unacceptable at every level,” Emanuel said. “I appreciate that Ginger took swift action at the Department of Aviation, and her team is already hard at work on a thorough investigation – in partnership with the airline – to ensure nothing like this ever happens again.”
Rauner also talked about his “Turnaround Agenda”, which is his multi-layered approach to improving the state’s economic growth. He said when it comes to core issues on this agenda, he is open to compromise with Democrats if it means progress.
“There is nothing in what I’m recommending that has to be there,” Rauner said. “If they refuse to do term limits, OK. Take it out. If they refuse to do a property tax freeze, OK. Take it out. But let’s be clear. We have to have a package together that allows companies to have confidence to come.”
If that’s the case then he should’ve let the Senate pass its grand bargain last month. But, c’mon, we all know it’s not the case. He’s just talking nice things to the cameras because he knows the people behind the cameras won’t ever put one and one together.
* Jake Novak, CNBC.com senior columnist, thinks JB Pritzker’s candidacy is a “a preview of 2020.” He also thinks Pritzker is a sure loser. Everybody is entitled to his or her opinion, and Pritzker may not win if he’s nominated. But they don’t get to make up their own facts, like this one…
In Illinois, especially in vote-rich Chicago, Pritzker enjoys almost Trump-like name recognition.
A recent straw poll of Illinois Democrats put Pritzker in fifth place among a list of 9 possible candidates. Depending on how much he spends in the coming months could change that, but he has a big hill to climb. And to make matters worse, he won’t be the only Democrat trying to use his money and name-recognition to garner more Democratic support. One of Pritzker’s opponents is none other than millionaire Kennedy family scion Chris Kennedy.
Meanwhile, the guy leading the pack is State Senator Daniel Biss, whose campaign literature begins and ends with reminders that he is not a millionaire. Biss is way ahead in the early Democratic Party polls.
Democratic Party polls? Does he mean that one straw poll? Is he serious?
At least he didn’t reference that totally made up DGA poll from the other day. So, there’s that.
Beyond money and class issues, Pritzker is also a weaker candidate because he’s truly a product and member of the political class. Pritzker and his family have been major Democratic Party donors for decades. His sister Penny rode her financial support for then-candidate Barack Obama to the Commerce Secretary spot in his cabinet. At some point, big donors like to get off the sidelines and get on the political stage themselves. And when they do, it can be hard to stop them.
President Trump’s unique appeal was predicated on the fact that despite his wealth, he was seen as the consummate political outsider. Pritzker is far from that with his years of political fundraising and schmoozing with elected officials.
Trump played in the political game for years, so I don’t think that’s accurate, either.
If he does manage to succeed, other more nationally viable billionaire liberals like Bloomberg or former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz will then become more likely to challenge Trump on the national stage. If he loses, the progressive wing of the party gains a significant victory.
Among those confirming that they either intend to run or are seriously considering doing so in Roskam’s west suburban 6th District are Amanda Howland, a lawyer and psychologist who got 42 percent of the vote against him in 2016; Barrington Hills Planning Commission member Kelly Mazeski, a former state senate hopeful and ex-financial consultant; and Carole Cheney, who now works as district chief of staff for neighboring Congressman Bill Foster, D-Geneva.
Howland says she’s definitely in the contest and points to the name recognition she built up in her prior race.
Mazesk is is “exploring” running but is interested enough that she’s met both with the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (the party’s House elections unit) and Emily’s List, a prominent women’s funding group. Cheney says she “likely” to get in the race because, “The people in the 6th Congressional District are entitled to a representative who respects and listens to them regardless of political party.” […]
I wasn’t able to reach her, but [Maura Sullivan] comes right out of central casting: a former U.S. Marine and Iraq war veteran who graduated from Northwestern Univesity, got an MBA from Harvard University, and until recently was a senior public affairs official at the Pentagon.
But Sullivan also reportedly lives in Evanston, something that likely would become an issue if she moved to run.
Yeah, I’m kinda thinking that an Evanston Democrat may not go over too well out there in DuPage Land, but one never knows, I suppose.
* Meanwhile, from a press release…
Today Concerned Veterans for America (CVA) is releasing web ads targeted at Senator Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), urging her to support the VA Accountability First Act of 2017. Duckworth voted for similar legislation, the VA Accountability Act, in 2015.
“How many more veterans will die waiting for care at the Department of Veterans Affairs?” the ad narrator asks. “How many more will be neglected by the people hired to serve them? How many more will suffer before the Senate acts?” The ad then prompts viewers to call Senator Duckworth directly in support of the bill.
The ad is part of a larger series of sixteen other VA accountability ads that CVA is launching this week. Other ad targets include Senators Bill Nelson (D-FL), Joe Manchin (D-WV), and Claire McCaskill (D-MO).
These ads come as part of a six-figure investment CVA is making into helping the VA Accountability First Act of 2017 pass in the Senate this year. The group is making thousands of phone calls to constituents of Senate targets and is promoting a digital tool which connects CVA activists directly with their Senators’ offices via email and social media.
* It would be fascinating to see what sort of support this bill would get if they’d just put it up on the big board. But they’re the ones doing the counting, not me, so subject matter only hearings is all we’ll likely get this year…
Feedback from community groups, advocacy organizations, public safety officers, medical professionals and the public will be pivotal in shaping efforts to legalize recreational marijuana in Illinois. At a press conference today, State Senator Heather Steans (D-Chicago) and State Representative Kelly Cassidy (D-Chicago) announced plans to hold the first subject matter hearing on the topic at 12 p.m. Wednesday, April 19, in the Bilandic building.
“Rep. Cassidy and I are committed to gathering feedback about how legalizing recreational marijuana would affect the state from a large variety of interest groups,” Steans said. “We have received overwhelming support for this legislation but do not plan to move forward hastily. We want to ensure that there is ample time for organizations and individuals to present testimony and for us to adjust the legislation based on information presented in hearings.”
Barbara Brohl, the executive director of Colorado’s Department of Revenue will testify on how legalizing recreational marijuana has affected Colorado during the first hearing on this subject. Karmen Hanson, the program director of the Health Program at the National Conference of State Legislatures, will also testify on what other states have done around legalizing marijuana.
“Senator Steans and I strongly believe that it’s time that Illinois had a new drug policy,” Cassidy said. “Legalizing recreational marijuana will bring in hundreds of millions of dollars to the state. We’re discussing all sorts of proposals to end the budget impasse, and we thought this should be part of the conversation as well.”
The Marijuana Policy Project, an advocacy organization devoted to ending marijuana prohibition, has estimated that legalizing recreational marijuana would generate between $350 million and $700 million in new revenue for the state of Illinois. Under the Steans-Cassidy proposals, the revenue would go to support the State Board of Education; treatment and education programs about marijuana, alcohol and tobacco; and the state’s General Revenue Fund.
Currently, six groups and organizations have come out in support of the legislation due to the fiscal impact it would have on the state and their belief that Illinois needs a new drug policy.
“It is time for Illinois to regulate marijuana similarly to alcohol,” said Chris Lindsey, a spokesperson for the Coalition for a Safer Illinois, a newly formed alliance of doctors, law enforcement, clergy and other organizations committed to updating marijuana legislation in Illinois. “Our current policy causes more harm to the individual and society than cannabis consumption, and a majority of Illinois voters are ready for a better approach. We believe these bills are exactly what Illinois needs.”
* Brian Gaughan, a former cop and a current crusader against the drug war was at today’s press conference. Gaughan lives in Chicago and had this to say to reporters…
It’s time that we put law enforcement working solving crimes instead of going after people who have a plant. There’s enough violent crime that’s actually fueled by illicit cannabis purchases. That money now goes to street gangs and drug cartels and fighting for territory is one of the main reasons we see such a high level of street crime in Chicago.
Walgreen’s and Costco managers won’t shoot at each other over weed territory or sell that product to kids.
What would have been worse: for Gov. Bruce Rauner to just admit he is campaigning for two days while there is no state budget — or for him to do everything that looks, smells and feels like campaigning, but call it something different? […]
Some of the headlines:
– “Rauner insists campaign-funded statewide tour not about re-election bid,” by Chicago Tribune’s Kim Geiger and Monique Garcia: “When Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner tours a business, talks with employees and stresses the importance of his economic agenda and frustration at Democratic opposition, taxpayers typically cover the cost as part of his official duties running the state. As the governor embarked on a two-day statewide tour Tuesday, his campaign fund was footing the bill. Despite that, the governor insisted Tuesday that the proceedings weren’t political. Reporters, Rauner said, shouldn’t cover his tour ‘in any way other than communication to the people of Illinois.’” Story here
– “Rauner: State trip isn’t campaigning,” by AP’s Sara Burnett: “Rauner, who put $50 million into his campaign fund in December, said Tuesday he wanted media to cover the events as ‘communication with the people of Illinois.’ He also refused to say he’s seeking another term, adding ‘That will be discussed later on.’ Rauner and his political team acknowledged, however, that the tour was being paid for out of his campaign fund, Citizens for Rauner. But they described it as a ‘political event’ like others he’s held throughout his term and not a ‘campaign event.’” Story here
– “Rauner launches campaign-funded tour he says isn’t campaign tour,” by Sun-Times’ Tina Sfondeles: “Gov. Bruce Rauner on Tuesday kicked off a campaign-funded two-day tour of the state — all the while denying that he’s kicking off his re-election or that the 10 stops are campaign-related.” Story here […]
* Subscribers know more about what went on, but check out these ledes, starting with Public Radio in the Quad Cities…
Hoping to bring pressure on the General Assembly to solve the budget crisis, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has started a two-day tour across the state.
Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner took his plan to solve Illinois’ financial woes to the people Tuesday, including a stop in Rock Island on Tuesday where he held fast to demands for his reform agenda.
“We’ve had a political system that’s been working for the insiders and not for the people,” he told a group at Performance Food Group in Rock Island. “… The answers to our challenges are real simple: We need to grow our economy.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner repeatedly emphasized his persistence in the more than two-year-long fight over the state budget during a visit to a Peoria business Tuesday.
Rauner is encouraged, however, that Senate Democrats are starting to negotiate some of his proposed structural reforms, including a property tax freeze and term limits among other items.
* As I told subscribers this morning, Rauner couldn’t buy coverage like this from ABC 7 if he tried…
Many people will [say] that the State of Illinois is in worse financial shape now than it was two years ago when Republican Governor Bruce Rauner took office. However, as Newschannel 20’s Esther Kwon reports, Governor Rauner says Democrats have been an obstacle to success.
Rauner said his administration has done “a phenomenal job” on the things he can control, and said the Democratic majority has blocked him from fixing the state’s issues.
Today, the JB for Governor campaign released the first in a series of “JB and Me” online videos highlighting JB’s commitment to his community and the future of Illinois.
The video features Neal Sales-Griffin’s work to help people learn how to write computer code. With the help of 1871, a non-profit small business hub that JB founded to help small tech companies get started, Neal was able to build a company that has taught 1,600 people how to code, design, and build web applications.
“I’ve seen firsthand JB’s impact on hundreds, even thousands of other people and businesses,” said Neal Sales-Griffin. “JB sees a challenge — something that others might see as insurmountable — and he’s ready to take it on. I know I’m just one guy, but I hope that my story will help shed a little light on who this man is, and what motivates him. JB Pritzker helped change my life, and I can’t wait to watch him change Illinois.”
* Overall, the Illinois Statehouse has a 4.5-star TripAdvisor rating. Some of the individual reviews are pretty biting, though…
“The building is nice, the legislators not”
The Illinois State Capitol building is an attractive imposing building. Unfortunately, the legislators do not live up to their positions. Go for a visit to see where governing is supposed to take place.
“Our state reps don’t use the building so i figured we’d tour it”
Beautiful building and a lot of history behind it. We were able to go to just about every room in the capitol since all of our state reps were missing, like usual. Definitely visit the basement to see the foundation.
* Most folks have been focused on what the impasse has done to public universities. But private colleges are being hit hard as well because state MAP grants haven’t been appropriated…
Many, including Illinois State University and Lincoln College, fronted the money to students this academic year so they could enroll, hoping the state eventually will come through, as it did last year.
But even the so-called “lifeline” bill approved by the House last week would only cover half of the spring semester grants — if the Senate and governor go along with it.
“We’ve tried to be responsible,” said Lincoln College President David Gerlach. “In good faith, we rolled the dice again” and credited students for the state grants.
For Lincoln College, where about 47 percent of the students receive MAP grants, that amounts to about $1.1 million a semester, according to Gerlach. […]
ISAC Executive Director Eric Zarnikow testified that MAP recipients graduate at about the same rate as other students in the same college while facing greater financial obstacles than their peers.
Private liberal arts schools have been hit hard this decade. Many have closed. And more Illinois colleges could be in very big trouble soon without some MAP grant funding. When half your students rely on a state grant and you’re fronting that money to them without knowing if the cash will ever be distributed, that’s a recipe for disaster.
