* This ever-more-common excuse about how an incredibly offensive comment was only a few seconds out of a longer speech is just bizarre to me…
The president of the Chicago Teachers Union says she isn’t stepping down over an “inappropriate” joke she made about Education Secretary Arne Duncan.
Karen Lewis said Wednesday that while her remarks were insensitive, they were just 120 seconds of her 35-minute speech at a social justice event in Seattle last month.
Lewis said at the event she could tell Duncan “went to a private school, because if he had gone to a public school, he would have had that lisp fixed.”
So, we’re only supposed to be upset if she spent all 35 minutes saying stupid things?
For crying out loud, get a clue and just apologize if you’re sorry and move along. If you’re not sorry, then there is no need for these lame excuses.
Sheesh.
* So, um, I thought the GOP was the states’ rights party these days? Apparently not…
U.S. Rep. Tim Johnson says he’s not done trying to alter federal law to allow Illinoisans to carry concealed firearms.
The Urbana Republican’s bid to attach an amendment bringing Illinois in line with the rest of the nation failed to reach the House floor this week, but a Johnson aide said the congressman is planning to re-introduce the measure in December.
Johnson and four other Illinois Republicans want to allow Illinoisans to be able carry loaded firearms in public if they have a concealed carry permit from another state. […]
Johnson was joined in pushing for the change by U.S. Reps. Bobby Schilling of Colona, Aaron Schock of Peoria, Adam Kinzinger of Manteno and Randy Hultgren of Winfield.
In a statement, Johnson said he believes the federal government should step in and supersede Illinois law.
* The Pro-Life Action League appears to be completely unclear on the concept. This is from a press release about a rape victim who disagrees with Jennie Goodman, who is receiving an award from Gov. Pat Quinn at a Personal PAC event. Goodman cut a TV ad for Personal PAC last year blasting Bill Brady for wanting to outlaw abortions, even in cases of rape and incest..
Mary Higgins is one of many other victims of rape and hopes that her press conference will put a face on the other innocent victims of rape. When Mary was sexually assaulted at age 18, she was faced with the choice that Jennie Goodman never had to make: what to do when she discovered that she had become pregnant with her rapist’s child.
As difficult as her situation was, Mary refused to punish her unborn child for its father’s crime. Mary chose life for her unborn daughter, and placed her for adoption. She says, “It was the best choice I ever made.” [Emphasis added.]
I mean absolutely no disrespect to Ms. Higgins. She obviously endured a terribly traumatic time, and I’m very glad that her choice turned out so well. But pro-choice folks would actually agree with her about her choice to not have an abortion. The operative word here is “choice,” and the Pro-Life Action League is not at all about “choice.”
We can disagree on what we believe on this subject, and I will always respect your position. But the Pro-Life Action League should stop using the word “choice” when want it wants to do is legally prohibit almost all women from ever having an abortion.
Voters in Maine overwhelmingly approved a “people’s veto” of a Republican-backed law that tightened voting regulations. The vote on Nov. 8 restores Maine’s decades-old policy of allowing same-day registration at polling places.
The state’s Republican-led legislature passed a law earlier this year requiring new voters to register at least two business days prior to an election. Supporters of the law said it would prevent voter fraud. Opponents argued fraud is not an issue in Maine and said the law would make it more difficult to vote. […]
In Maine, the people’s veto was included on the state-wide referendum election ballot after receiving more than 70,000 petition signatures. Roughly 60 percent of voters approved the veto, favoring same-day registration.
Last week, Ohio voters resoundingly rejected a ballot measure known as Issue 2 by a 61 percent to 39 percent margin. A “yes” vote would have affirmed Ohio’s version of Wisconsin’s collective bargaining law, which would have made it more difficult for public sector workers to organize and bargain with the state government. By rejecting Issue 2, Ohio voters repealed the law championed by Gov. John Kasich, and did so by a wide margin.
* The Question: Would you favor a “voter veto” of recently enacted Illinois state laws? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
Gov. Pat Quinn took four months to remove his director of child welfare after being told state inspectors believed the man had turned a blind eye while a friend ripped off state government, and Quinn kept quiet about problems at the agency even after conducting his own review.
Quinn aides said the governor acted as quickly as possible to determine the truth and then make changes without causing major disruptions at the Department of Children and Family Services. They say state ethics laws barred him from revealing that inspectors were investigating then-Director Erwin McEwen, information that didn’t become public until three weeks ago. […]
Two Illinois House committees plan a joint hearing, said Rep. Greg Harris, a Chicago Democrat and chairman of the House Human Services Committee. […]
Rep. Jack Franks, chairman of the State Government Administration Committee, said he was troubled that Quinn did not remove McEwen far more quickly, particularly when the report said McEwen was no longer cooperating with investigators as required by law.
* Gov. Quinn received a report on serious ethics problems at DCFS way back on May 25th. The governor ordered a further review, which was completed August 1st. But McEwen was allowed to stay on the job until September, when he was then allowed to quietly resign.
The governor has refused to say why he let McEwen keep his job all those months and why he allowed McEwen to resign and not be fired. It wasn’t until mid October that the public was informed about what had happened…
According to the Illinois Inspector General, McEwen was siphoning millions in state grant money to one of his close friends.
The investigation looked at McEwens tight connections with George E. Smith, who ran several mental health and social service businesses in Chicago.
According to a lengthy report prepared by the state executive inspector general, Smith received a grant bonanza between 2008 and 2011, more than $18 million from several government agencies, primarily DCFS.
The investigation found that Smith forged a 100 signatures to cover up misspending, had excessive expenses including $100,000 in Chicago sports tickets and kept do-nothing ghost payrollers on the books to steal state funds. That was accomplished because McEwen allowed his friend to get away with it, according to state investigators.
McEwen refused to cooperate with the inspector general, but Quinn didn’t step in then, either.
* House committees only have subpoena powers if the House Speaker grants them. So far, that hasn’t happened. As a result, the administration could easily stonewall these two committees. But that would be a very bad idea.
Don’t say you haven’t been warned.
* Other stuff…
* Social Security numbers revealed on Illinois college savings program mailing: Officials with the state treasurer’s office say they’re taking steps to make sure no problems result from an error on a mailing to 36,000 people who participate in Illinois’ Bright Directions college savings program. The Bright Directions account holders received a quarterly newsletter with their Social Security numbers printed on the outside.
* Illinois’ promise to pay not a guarantee: “As of this week, the state has 162,934 unpaid vouchers totaling $3.525 billion, dating back to July 8, 2011,” Hahn said.
* How Quinn reshaped tollway board: A check of political campaign records shows no direct contributions to Quinn from any of the appointees or close family members.
* Quinn ‘optimistic‘ on budget deal for facilities
A Eureka High School teacher has been suspended until Nov. 28 for showing three segments of “The Daily Show” in his government and law class and warning students against an Internet search that yields results deemed to be pornographic.
School Superintendent Randy Crump suspended first-year teacher Rhett Felix on Tuesday morning following a two-hour executive session of the Eureka-based District 140 school board Monday night. During the public portion of the meeting, parents complained about bleeped obscenities and some sexual content of the segments and about a perception that Felix appears to have a liberal political bias.
“Mr. Felix has been suspended,” Crump said. “When he returns, he will be reassigned to another teaching assignment. That’s all I can share at this time.”
Felix, who lives in Bloomington, could not be reached for comment Tuesday. His salary of $40,189 will continue through his suspension.
Mr. Stone was my 9th Grade math teacher at Hanover High School. As I think I’ve told you before, Mr. Stone canceled class one day so he could play a videotape of a Bob Dylan TV special, “Hard Rain.” That video did more to change my life than any other high school math class I ever took. But if we’d been in Eureka, Mr. Stone would’ve probably been vilified as a flaming liberal and suspended.
* Look, 21st overall ain’t great, but it gives the lie to the “We’re all gonna die!” rhetoric from those who claim Illinois is the worst state ever. And 2nd in new plant openings is a plus, even though our high population means our per million rate is also around the middle of the pack. Tax competitiveness is still not horrible, even after the January tax hike.
* And we’ll never be able to compete with states like Texas because, for the most part, as survey responses clearly show, Illinois doesn’t roll this way…
* “a pro-business, entrepreneurial, right-to-work state”
* “no state income tax, ease of pulling permits, available work force”
* “the government makes it easy to do business”
* “Texas is progressive, fewer regulations”
* “willingness to work with business”
* “the tax climate, regulatory environment, incentive programs and work-force development efforts”
* “the state fights OSHA, EPA and other negative, useless regulations; no state income tax”
* “work-force availability, existing facilities and good economics for labor and facilities”
* “cooperation and flexibility of state and local officials; proactive in growing the economy.”
We can make it much eaiser to do business here, no question. But busting unions, killing off the income tax and fighting OSHA and EPA ain’t gonna happen. If that’s the climate you really want, then China or Mexico would probably be your best bets anyway.
…Adding… Via a commenter, note that 11 of the 20 states that are ahead of us in overall points have worse tax climate rankings.
…Adding More… The Tribune editorial board, which is so sure of itself on so many other issues, goes all wobbly and equivocates on meeting CME Group’s demands…
We honor CME’s long history in Chicago, where it pioneered the financial futures that became its mainstay, and created the stock-options industry led by CBOE Holdings. We honor Sears, which also has deep ties to this region. We appreciate all our headquarters companies, and we hope they realize their prospects are good in Illinois, despite the frustrating political dysfunction all around them. Their petitions for economic development incentives should be evaluated individually. The state needs to drive a hard bargain on behalf of taxpayers.
But let’s face it: Illinois is in trouble. Unemployment is at 10 percent, significantly higher than the state’s neighbors. It needs to entice and to retain employers in order to grow its tax base and put its citizens to work. For lack of more taxpayers, the state isn’t paying its bills. It isn’t addressing its spiraling pension costs. But it creates a fundamental sense of unfairness if it tries to bankroll incentive packages for every employer who whispers about moving. Trying to satisfy Duffy and his peers and avoid that sense of unfairness, the General Assembly proposed a grab-bag of special deals, tax cuts and revenue enhancers.
Incentive packages for individual companies have to rise and fall based on their benefit to the state, and they shouldn’t be shoveled through as part of some tax-cut Christmas tree that winds up costing the state hundreds of millions of dollars.
Nobody says being broke is easy. Illinois is finding out just how hard it is.
It’s weird that they can’t just come out and say what they mean.
* Other stuff…
* Chicago Latinos pay more in taxes than they get from government, study finds: Chicago-area Latinos pay substantially more in local taxes than they collect in education and other government services, according to a study being released on Wednesday by the University of Notre Dame. The report by the university’s Institute for Latino Studies says Hispanics pay $4.3 billion in direct sales, property and other taxes, and contribute another $724 million to stores and other businesses they patronize.
* Greg Hinz reports that Ty Fahner of the Civic Committee will try to work with organized labor on the pension reform issue next spring…
Ty Fahner, president of the Civic Committee of the Commercial Club, said the group will continue to lobby hard for pension reform and continue spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on TV ads demanding change.
But, in a phone interview, Mr. Fahner said the group will wait for a vote next spring — not sooner — and that it will spend the time trying to convince labor groups that reform works for everyone.
* Fahner also says he won’t be spending cash on the upcoming election cycle…
“We’re not going to play the (election) game,” he continued, “Playing the game has got us into (being) the worst financed state in America. . . .We’re not going to play the game of electing the most people, regardless of the cost.”
That’s quite a declaration, and Mr. Fahner said some may consider him “naive.” Even some business leaders tell me privately that they wish the committee would ratchet up pressure on lawmakers, much like school reform groups did in the last election cycle.
The “school reform groups” didn’t put pressure on lawmakers last fall. Stand for Children Illinois found lawmakers who supported its cause and then gave them tons of cash. The groups that pressured legislators were the teachers’ unions, which boycotted funding Speaker Madigan’s campaign funds and wound up on the short end of the stick the following spring.
* Despite what Fahner says, you might pardon some legislators for feeling like they’ve already been targeted by Fahner’s group. For instance…
Confident that the City Council will approve his proposed 2012 budget by a wide margin Wednesday, Rahm Emanuel said he’s already turning his attention to the biggest financial problem facing local taxpayers: the soaring cost of public employee retirement benefits. Even if Chicaqo doubled property taxes, it would still face a pension cost shortfall.
The mayor said he’s told “every leader in Springfield” that he’s willing to take the lead on the issue, “if it’s helpful.” Emanuel even offered to become the first Chicago mayor since Richard J. Daley to address the General Assembly. (Moments after his dramatic appearance, the House approved the bill Daley wanted. But it died later in the Senate.)
Public employee labor unions have blocked proposed legislation to reduce the cost of future benefits for current government workers. Unions argue that it’s unfair to reduce even future benefits that public employes have not earned yet. There’ve been several versions of the proposal. Supporters claim they would help taxpayers not only in Chicago, but also Cook County and the State of Illinois. State pension funds have gobbled up virtually every penny raised by last January’s “temporary” increase in the state income tax.
“In six to seven years, some of these pensions won’t have enough in to pay it. And the taxpayers are on the hook. And I’m not raising property taxes 130 percent, which is what’s required,” Emanuel said. “As I’ve said to every leader, I’m willing to spend my political capital. I’ll get in front of this. I’ll go to your caucuses. I’ll go to the General Assembly. I’ll speak on it. So, if people are looking for political cover, I the mayor will provide that, if it’s helpful.”
* But Steve Schnorf’s comment on a pension post yesterday gives us some hearty food for thought…
Rich, it’s worth reminding people that it is not the cost of the pensions that is breaking the bank. If that’s all we were paying, our payments would go down about 50% this year.
It’s the cost of the debt service on the uncontributed money from past years that is causing the strain. That payment is what is being ramped up, not the normal cost of the pensions, which is a very manageable number. Ever hear the Civic Committee tell you that?
No, I haven’t, Steve.
Schnorf is right about the real problem with the pension payments.
Pension payments are governed by something called “the ramp”. The ramp refers to a 1995 law that was passed that laid out a payment plan to get to 90% fully funded pension system in 50 years. The pension systems had been and continue to be woefully underfuned. This plan was designed to correct that. However because of the politics of the time “the ramp” did not call for steady increases in annual pension payments, it continued to call for very low (inadequate) payments in the 1990s and then a very aggressive increase (that’s why they call it the ramp) during our current time period. All the investment losses in 2008 made the situation even worse.
When the Trib and the deities at the Civic Committee whine annually about how each budget fails to fully fund the pension obligation what they mean in each instance is that the annual contribution falls short of what was called for in the 1995 legislation (the ramp). To them the ramp is sacred.
EXCEPT NOW THEY’RE WHINING THAT LAWMAKERS ARE PAYING THE LARGE AMOUNTS THEY ARE SUPPOSED TO UNDER THE SACRED LAW.
Give me a break.
Frankly, I’m starting to think that Illinois ought to stop worshipping at the the ramp’s sacred altar. If we lower the target to 70 percent funded by 2045, those annual payments would be a whole lot more manageable. The ramp isn’t holy writ. It’s a state law that can be changed like any other state law.
* I really find it hard to believe that the cost of this trip is an issue…
Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn was in New York on Tuesday to ring the opening bell at a stock exchange and get some face time on a national cable-TV morning chatfest.
The cost to taxpayers? An estimated $1,200 on airfare and hotel for the governor and a press aide, according to the administration.
A Quinn spokeswoman defended the overnight trip, saying it was well worth the expense because it allowed the governor to promote Illinois businesses on an international stage. The administration noted that the governor was joined by executives from dozens of Illinois high-tech companies and was there to lead a discussion with business owners about job creation.
$1,200 is a story? Really? If the governor did a New York fundraiser yesterday, then I’d be upset, but c’mon, man…
…Quinn and others are also pushing to reinstate a research and development tax credit, which would benefit many of the tech companies Quinn appeared with. It’s an idea backed by TechAmerica, a technology advocacy group that organized Tuesday’s event in New York. The group praised Quinn’s work helping manufacturing, information technology, biotech and other companies.
Peoria’s own Fortune 100 company, Caterpillar Inc., recently announced a $200 million investment to modernize its nearby East Peoria facility. But no new jobs were created. Why? Over the past 18 months, Caterpillar has hired about 11,000 people at facilities across America, yet Illinois hires remain flat. Why?
Caterpillar Inc. says it will spent $640 million to upgrade plants in East Peoria and Decatur, creating 300 new jobs.
A company spokesman tells the (Peoria) Journal Star that Caterpillar will make more tractors in East Peoria and more trucks in Decatur. The announcement comes two months after Caterpillar said it would spend $200 million to modernize part of its East Peoria plant.
* Mayor Ardis also used the op-ed to lay out his “solutions” for Illinois’ woes…
Do I have solutions? Glad you asked.
•Gov. Quinn has to develop a strategy. Don’t just talk about creating jobs, do it. Prepare quarterly assessments for our citizens so we know what’s going on.
•Institute a long-term tax reduction plan without creating an even bigger hole in the budget. Be more business-friendly!
•Create an executive-level task force of private business people. Think President Ronald Reagan’s Grace Commission or President Bill Clinton’s National Performance Review. Illinois has to do what private business does: Maximize efficiency through technology, shared service initiatives, outsourcing and so on. Give this group significant exposure and a platform to show the business community that you’re serious.
•Challenge our state legislators. Use your bully pulpit to squelch the rhetoric and put a real jobs plan in place.
“Gov. Quinn has to develop a strategy.” Well, yeah, but what should be the strategy? This suggestion is even worse than the usual empty campaign rhetoric.
Create a commission? Illinois has plenty of those.
And “Challenge our state legislators” to do what, exactly?
This isn’t a plan. It’s not even a list of viable talking points. I hope he’s not considering a bid for higher office, because if he is he’d better start studying.
Now, that’s not to say that the criticisms of Pat Quinn aren’t legit. They are. The man has no plans. Everything seems to be ad hoc, address today’s emergency, etc. But saying “Get a plan!” is not the same as actually having a plan, or a clue.
*** UPDATE *** Speaking of silly ideas, Congressman Joe Walsh just released a letter claiming that if Illinois got rid of its tax increase, Sears wouldn’t move away.
How absurdly naive.
Sears would have its hat out if Illinois had zero corporate taxation. Actually, the company probably doesn’t pay much in the way of corporate income taxes anyhow because executives have demanded an EDGE tax credit. That means the company gets to keep half the income tax withheld from its employees’ paychecks and all of the tax withheld from new hires. Companies with little to no state income tax burden usually ask for this credit.
Also, you know, there’s the budget ramifications of voiding the income tax, but Walsh doesn’t care about that.
Lawmakers inked a deal that may save Illinois taxpayers $240 million and businesses $1.6 billion in federal taxes and fines over the course of the next decade.
The Legislature last week approved allowing the Illinois Department of Employment Security to sell bonds to pay off about $2.4 billion borrowed from the Federal Unemployment Account to keep unemployed Illinoisans’ benefits flowing during the Great Recession.
“It’s probably one of the biggest bills that passed (during the fall veto session),” said state Rep. Frank Mautino, D-Spring Valley, one of the lead architects of the deal negotiated over the summer and into the fall.
It’s slow, but some progress is being made here.
* Meanwhile, the Tribune editorial board takes on the state’s pension problems from a liberal perspective…
This year, Illinois must spend $5.8 billion — that’s 17.4 percent of the state’s operating budget, or more than $1 of every $6 — to meet its rising pension obligations, according to calculations by the Civic Federation of Chicago. That amount is most of what Gov. Pat Quinn, House Speaker Michael Madigan, Senate President John Cullerton and their fellow Democrats are collecting from the big income tax increase they enacted in January.
Worse, the Civic Federation estimates that the pension burden rises to $6.3 billion next year, to $7.7 billion in five years, to $8.2 billion in 10 years …
So if you’d like to see more state aid funneled to your child’s school, forget it. The public pension system is devouring ever more of that money.
If you’d like to see the state spend more to care for developmentally disabled citizens in your family or your community, forget it. The public pensions get the money.
If you’d like deadbeat Illinois to pay its billions of dollars in overdue bills, including money that might keep social service agencies and suppliers and universities from having to fire workers, forget it. The public pensions get the money.
If you’d like more health care for the most disadvantaged families in our midst, forget it. The public pensions get the money.
Nevermind that the Tribune has argued for deep budget cuts in many of these very same programs and completely opposes the only sane plan to pay off those overdue bills.
But they do have a point. Pension payments are eating up the rest of the state budget. No question about it.
* Related and a roundup…
* Unions, politics, the law - Those elements pose roadblock to pension reform
Tuesday, Nov 15, 2011 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act will transform the way power is delivered to Illinois customers. We will judge success based on the value we deliver to our customers — greater reliability, enhanced service, and more tools for customers to manage their electricity use.
• Modernization will mean…a smart meter for every customer that opens up a universe of opportunity to save money with new pricing plans and tools to better manage energy use.
• Modernization will mean…improved overall system reliability, with fewer and shorter outages.
• Modernization will mean…a peak time rebate program that allows customers to save money when they reduce electric use during critical peak periods, such as summer afternoons when electricity prices are highest.
• Modernization will mean…improved customer service with call center representatives able to view actual usage data and answer questions about power status and billing in real time.
• Modernization will mean…virtual elimination of estimated bills.
The Energy Infrastructure Modernization Act is a 10-year, $2.6 billion investment in a smarter electric grid. More important is what it will do for customers.
Greater reliability. Enhanced service. New energy management tools.
* Yet another mixup at Rick Perry headquarters? Maybe…
When I asked the Perry campaign last week who the Illinois chairman was, I got this reply from Catherine Frazier, the deputy press secretary.
“Illinois House Republican Leader Tom Cross is our State Chairman, let me know if you need anything else, thanks!”
When I called Cross on Friday, I got a different story.
Are you the Perry Illinois chairman?
“No,” Cross said. “I don’t know where you got that.”
The campaign, I replied.
“I’m not in any official capacity or role in his campaign,” Cross said.
Cross did attend a fund-raiser last month for Perry in the Chicago suburbs hosted by Jack Roeser.
Don’t read that much into that, Cross said. “I’m not pledged to anybody.” […]
“I completely misspoke,'’ [Catherine Frazier] told me. She said it was a “mistake” to tell me Cross was the Illinois Perry chairman.
But Doug Ibendahl published an Oct. 10th e-mail from Leader Cross’ political guy to a Perry supporter…
We are definitely looking for Perry delegates. If you or others are interested, let me know asap. I am in and out of meetings tomorrow, so I will try to call, if not let’s connect on Wednesday.
Explanation? Perry tanked, Cross departed. There’s no sense in allying oneself with a campaign that has zero traction in Illinois.
Presidential candidate Mitt Romney is getting a lot of love from Republicans in Illinois’ congressional delegation. Three of them are now backing the former Massachusetts governor.
The latest endorsement comes from U.S. Rep. Bob Dold, a freshman lawmaker from Chicago’s North Shore suburbs. Romney is a relatively safe pick for Dold, who tries to project a moderate, bipartisan image.
In an interview Monday, Dold acknowledged the endorsement comes with risks: including offending his own supporters who back a competing presidential candidate. But he’s decided to pull the trigger.
* Meanwhile, Greg Hinz has the results of a study by the Center for Responsive Politics on congressional net worth…
The wealthiest, according to the report, is west suburban Rep. Judy Biggert, R-Hinsdale, who is worth $2.15 million to $9.13 million, ranking her 88th of the 531 members of Congress rated.
Trailing are Representatives Robert Dold of Winnetka ($696,000 to $3.94 million); Dan Lipinski of Chicago ($1.04 million to $3.05 million); Luis Gutierrez of Chicago ($1.05 million to $2.50 million); and Tim Johnson of Sidney ($942,000 to $2.33 million). Messrs. Dold and Johnson are Republicans, the other two Democrats.
Next is Democratic Sen. Dick Durbin, worth $1 million to $1.2 million; Rep. Peter Roskam, R-Wheaton ($491,00 to $1.59 million); Rep. Bobby Schilling , R-Moline ($487,000 to $1,49 million); Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Rockford ($466,000 to $1.19 million); and Rep. John Shimkus, R-Collinsville ($40,000 to $1.13 million). […[
Working up from the other direction, Rep. Bobby Rush, D-Chicago, reported a zero net worth; Rep. Joe Walsh, R-North Barrington, a value of $3,000 to $46,000; and Rep. Randy Hultgren, R-Wheaton is worth a reported $15,000 to $50,000.
Other Illinoisans are in between those two groups, with Republican Sen. Mark Kirk, for instance, reporting a net worth of $33,00 to $145,000.
* And a gentleman’s agreement between Congressman Don Manzullo and his primary rival Congressman Adam Kinzinger appears to be in some danger of falling apart…
“We fully believe we will win the [redistricting] lawsuit,” [Manzullo campaign manager Richard Carter] said. “It’s a very delicate situation with the lawsuit, so there’s an agreement we will not campaign in each other’s districts, pending results of the lawsuit.”
Kinzinger spokesman Eric Rayman said there is no such agreement.
“The Congressman hasn’t been in Winnebago and other counties outside (the current 11th District), but there wasn’t an agreement they wouldn’t campaign in each other’s territory. The Congressman has been pretty much staying in this area.” […]
[Kinzinger] admitted today he and Manzullo had “kind of a handshake agreement” to not circulate petitions in each other’s district, pending outcome of the lawsuit.
“So for the most part, we’re sticking to the current district,” he said. “We’re hoping the lawsuit wins. Ultimately, I’m running for re-election. But the agreement (pertained) more to petitions, and we’re honoring that.”
* SW Illinois’ Post-Costello Plan: Plummer has money (and will probably get Republican National Committee cash), but his bio is arguably a little thin for a U.S. Congressman. It includes mentions of internships, like one for the Heritage Foundation, and notes that as an undergrad at the University of Illinois at Champaign, Plummer headed student opposition to a speech by Bill Ayers… Both St. Clair and Madison County Republicans are poised to support Plummer. “I feel very strongly that Plummer will get the nomination,” says Deb Detmers, chairman of the Madison County Republican Party. “He’s very energetic and intelligent and ran very strongly in the district in the primary and general election [for lieutenant governor].”
* Congressional Candidates Rush to Claim Front Runner Status - As Tree enters race, Schneider and Sheyman both say they are favorite for Democratic nomination to challenge Dold.
* 17th Congressional District Democratic Forum Held in Rockford
* Press Release: Gun Owners of America ‘Proud’ To Endorse Congressman Walsh
* Condoleezza Rice double booked: Rep. Schock and U of Chicago
* Latino Caucus wants 4 more wards from City Council remap - Numbers back them, but black and white counterparts would lose representation accordingly
* Massachusetts is debating whether to reinstate happy hours after a 27-year ban. The argument in favor of the proposal is that it will create much-needed jobs in the hospitality industry…
The Senate last month included the amendment in its version of a bill allowing casinos in Massachusetts. Specifically, it gave bars and restaurants the same rights that casinos would have under a new “gaming beverage license,” citing as theoretical examples “the right to give free alcoholic beverages to customers as part of promotions” and “drink specials that vary by night.”
State Senator Robert L. Hedlund, a restaurant owner who sponsored the amendment, said the idea was to put bars and restaurants on equal footing with the casinos that will be allowed to open in Massachusetts under legislation that is being completed in a conference committee. “We have the most restrictive laws in the country on drink promotion except for Utah, a Mormon state,” Mr. Hedlund said.
In 1984, Mr. Dukakis signed the happy hour ban as part of a broader effort to crack down on drunken driving. In a recent interview, Mr. Dukakis described the amendment as “outrageous.”
“Unquestionably, people will lose their lives if this happens,” he said. […]
But Mr. Hedlund said that tough drunken-driving laws save lives, not happy hour bans. And Jan Withers, the national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, said that while her group worried about anything that “encourages excessive amounts of alcohol,” it would not lobby against the amendment.
Illinois banned happy hours long ago.
* The Question: Should Illinois repeal its happy hour ban? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please. Thanks.
* It’s not quite safe for work, so don’t watch if your office has strict rules, but here’s the now infamous video of Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis going off on Arne Duncan, Harvard, the Tribune editorial cartoonist and other stuff…
Lewis apologized for her rant in a call to Secretary Duncan. The edited video was distributed by an organization called the Education Action Group. From its website…
Breaking the power of Big Labor in America’s schools would allow parents, administrators and teachers to be free to make decisions in the best interest of students. Onerous labor contracts and work rules, designed to defend adults’ rights, hinder innovation and improvement.
*** UPDATE *** Lewis complained about a Chicago Tribune editorial cartoon in her rant, claiming that the cartoonist darkened her face and made her look obese. Here’s the cartoon in question…
Frankly, I don’t think that’s out of line. Your thoughts?
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Occupy Springfield held a demonstration at the Statehouse the other day without a permit and posted a video…
From the video’s caption…
Occupy Springfield, IL. visits the Illinois State Capitol Building. We had a “press conference” in the rotunda, without a permit because a permit had been given to Comcast for ALL THREE DAYS OF THE VETO SESSION! Not only was this action successful in and of itself, but it cought the attention of Illinois Lawmakers who have now asked Occupy Springfield, IL. to speak before a Senate Committee on the 15th of November regarding SB[397]. It is not a total victory unless that bill does not get passed into law, but an 8 minute action leading to a face to face meeting is inspiring, to say the least!
* And Gov. Pat Quinn was on MSNBC’s Morning Joe today to talk about the Illinois economy. He also shared some Rick Perry stories…
* Last Thursday, Catholic Social Services of Illinois split with its diocese over the state’s requirement that it include couples joined in civil unions in its foster care and adoption services…
The Catholic Diocese of Belleville and Catholic Social Services of Southern Illinois said Thursday that they would part ways in the wake of a new state law that granted same-sex couples the right to seek civil unions and disrupted the work of Catholic agencies working in foster care and adoption. […]
A statement from the Belleville Diocese said Catholic Social Services of Illinois “chose to disassociate from the Diocese,” because it was “unable to remain faithful to the moral teaching of the Catholic Church” while adhering to the new law. The statement said the agency, which directs foster parents over more than 600 children, would “no longer be connected to or sponsored by the Diocese.”
The agency, which incorporated in 1947 as Catholic Charities of the Diocese of Belleville and will now be called Christian Social Services of Illinois, said in its statement that it was separating from the Belleville Diocese so it could adhere to the new law. The agency has offices in Belleville, Carbondale, Mount Carmel, Mount Vernon and Olney. Its 630 foster care cases account for much of its $13 million budget.
In a statement, the agency’s executive director Gary Huelsmann said that the separation “is best for the children by providing for their continuity of care and allowing for the retention of the caring, dedicated and professional staff employed by the agency.”
That’s pretty big news, but it was mostly overlooked outside the Metro East. It’s even more important when you realize how conservative the area is…
Christian Social Services of Illinois has offices in five communities in Southern Illinois: Belleville, Carbondale, Mt. Carmel, Mt. Vernon and Olney, and there currently are 187 employees serving approximately 2,000 clients each year.
“As Christian Social Services begins, its leadership requests prayers and support from the entire Southern Illinois community in responding to the many needs of the individuals and families located in some of the most economically depressed regions of the State of Illinois. Christian Social Services hopes that people of all backgrounds and faiths will assist it in providing services to the most vulnerable in our society” said Huelsmann.
* Bishop Edward Braxton of the Diocese of Belleville talked about the separation…
Once the state required all foster care and adoption agencies to allow same-sex couples and those in civil unions to adopt and serve as foster parents, Bishop Braxton stressed that “every diocese in Illinois that provided these services looked for solutions and sought to challenge this law.”
“But while the Dioceses of Joliet and Springfield did not depend so heavily on state funds, Belleville is poor,” he explained. “We have a large geographic area with a relatively small population. There are a high number of prisons in the diocese as well and many foster children.”
Bishop Braxton expressed anguish as he described the search for options. He noted that the agency staff is primarily Catholic and did not want to separate from the diocese, but they feared that the state would be unable to manage the sudden increase in foster-care cases: “The state programs are not as strong as our program.” He acknowledged that the staff was also concerned about holding on to their jobs.
When the agency staff determined that the only way to maintain the services was to spin off the program, they sought his approval. “But I told them that while I understood their problem, I could not approve or have anything to do with this new entity. They wanted to call it ‘Christian,’ but I told them that they would have no long-term control over what that agency might become, once it was cut off from the diocese.” (See diocese’s statement on the diocese’s website.)
Bishop Braxton has concluded that it’s time for U.S. Church leaders to reassess their dependence on government funds: “While many Catholics still advocate for government-funded vouchers to cover tuition at parochial schools, I am wondering if this even remains an option, when government funds comes with strings attached.”
* And yesterday, the rest of the state’s bishops decided to throw in the towel as well and stop dealing with those “government strings”…
Thomas More Society announces that it will file a motion to dismiss the lawsuit brought by Illinois’ Catholic Charities against the State of Illinois, as the actions of the State have prevented the Charities from being able to obtain relief from the Illinois court system. Because the State of Illinois has put an expedited process in place to transition to other agencies the foster children under the Charities’ care, any relief ordered by the Appellate Court would come too late to save the Charities’ foster care ministry. Both the Circuit and Appellate Courts denied the Charities’ emergency motions to prevent the transition.
* Bishop Thomas John Paprocki of Springfield tried to look at the bright side…
“The silver lining of this decision is that our Catholic charities going forward will be able to focus on being more Catholic and more charitable, while less dependent on government financing and less encumbered by intrusive state policies.”
* Dennis Byrne, however, chose to look at the down side…
This is a bow to the worst kind of political correctness, the kind that required a highly regarded child service agency to close its doors. A big thank you goes to the administration of Gov. Pat Quinn, a Catholic who has shown more loyalty to a special-interest group than to the state’s neediest children.
Illinois taxpayers spent more than $1.1 million for the defense and prosecution of Christopher Coleman, the former bodyguard who was sentenced to three life terms for strangling his wife and two young sons in 2009.
The money will be some of the last spent from the state’s controversial Capital Litigation Fund. The fund, established in 1999, will be terminated at the end of the year because Illinois has abolished the death penalty.
The fund was created with the intent of ensuring fair trials for capital murder defendants. But it also has helped many counties, particularly those with small budgets, afford expensive capital cases by shifting the financial burden to state government. […]
[State Rep. Bill Mitchell, R-Forsyth] has said he proposed the [new] first-degree murder fund because Logan County, a small county of 30,305 about 35 minutes north of Springfield, is struggling to pay for a murder trial. In that case, two brothers are accused of killing a husband and wife and three of their children in September 2009.
* The idea of the fund was to make sure defendants facing the death penalty got a fair trial, but there were some abuses…
The 2004 retrial in Mount Vernon, Ill., of Cecil Sutherland, twice convicted in the murder of a child, cost state taxpayers about $2 million in what is considered the state’s most expensive case.
The 2008 St. Clair County trial of Jason Smith cost more than $1 million. Billing records showed that private investigators and expert witnesses charged steep fees to drive, make copies and send emails. One private investigator was allowed to bill 49 hours for one day, while a ballistics expert was allowed to charge $300 an hour to drive to Belleville from Indiana.
Historically, big turnover in the House and Senate happens once a decade with the redrawing of legislative boundaries, a process that often puts incumbents in the minority party in a landscape with which they are not familiar or that may be unfriendly politically.
But this go-around, there is a sizable contingent of Democrats, who were in charge of the mapmaking, who have decided to call it quits. Some are seeking higher political office or lucrative job offers. Others have family commitments or simply have grown weary of the stress of an enduring state budget crisis that shows no signs of relenting.
Democratic Reps. Karen May and Lisa Dugan and Republican Reps. Jerry Mitchell, Dave Winters and Franco Coladipietro were not listed by the paper, but they’re also retiring.
Democratic Rep. Karen Yarbrough and Republican Sen. Chris Lauzen are running for county office.
Appointed Democratic Reps. Kimberly du Buclet and Dena Carli aren’t running, and neither is appointed Republican Sen. Tom Johnson. Reps. Ron Stephens, Tom Holbrook, Will Burns, Harry Osterman, Susana Mendoza and Dan Reitz have already resigned. Sens. Rickey Hendon, Brad Burzynski, Lou Viverito and Dale Risinger have resigned as well.
There are also some House members running for the Senate, so they’ll be giving up their seats, and GOP Sen. Ron Sandack is running for the House. Also, four GOP Senators have been paired off into districts by the new map, so two of them will be leaving.
In a body whose members too often are inclined to keep their heads down and take orders, all three had clear, decisive agendas for change and didn’t mind breaking some china in the process.
Mr. Schoenberg, for instance, pushed stem cell research and specialized in financial matters as co-chairman of the Legislature’s fiscal unit.
Ms. Garrett drove the folks at Metra crazy with her constant gripes about how that agency operates. Time has proven her complaints to be pretty well-founded.
Mr. Meeks’ issue was education finance reform, and he was a real terror, challenging former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, busing loads of inner-city school kids up to the North Shore and the like.
* Crain’s ran an interesting story over the weekend about how House Speaker Madigan’s refusal to allow McPier to refinance bonds cost the authority half a billion dollars.
But in response to questions from Crain’s, a spokesman for Mr. Madigan now says the speaker blocked refinancing to prevent the Blagojevich administration from cashing in on contracts for bond work, such as underwriting and legal services. He provided Crain’s an unsigned memorandum of understanding, dated August 2007, in which McPier agreed to allow the state to review and approve all fees and “structuring decisions” related to bond refinancing.
Asked about the financial impact of delayed refinancing, the spokesman says the “consequences were outweighed by (opposition to) becoming part of the Blagojevich fundraising machine.”
The war against Blagojevich was also a war against Blagojevich’s guy at McPier, Juan Ochoa…
“It was no secret that Madigan had a beef with Ochoa and wanted him gone,” says state Rep. Angelo “Skip” Saviano, an Elmwood Park Republican who sponsored refinancing bills in 2005, 2007 and 2009. “As long as Ochoa was there, Madigan wasn’t going to give McCormick Place anything.”
Madigan was taking out revenge when one of his guys was fired…
The guy was Jack Johnson, who had worked as a legislative analyst on Mr. Madigan’s staff in the mid-1980s before signing on as McPier’s chief of external relations in 1989. In September 2007, Mr. Ochoa, just eight months on the job, fired him.
Or, Madigan was fronting for some clients…
By holding up refinancing, the speaker also denied McCormick Place the money to build a new hotel. That bought time for clout-heavy developers Gerald Fogelson and Cleveland-based Forest City Enterprises Inc. to push a controversial land swap and hotel deal with McCormick Place on property just north of the convention center. Both were then clients of Mr. Madigan’s law firm, Madigan & Getzendanner, but the speaker denies any connection. […]
The internal documents show McPier officials enthusiastically supporting the project, with the notable exception of Messrs. Ochoa and [McPier Chairman John Gates].
* And here’s how it ended up…
As the recession raged in early 2010, the collapse of the real estate market scuttled the deal. That May, after Mr. Ochoa resigned, the General Assembly finally passed legislation that lowered McCormick Place’s debt payments, allocated funds to expand the existing Hyatt Regency McCormick Place and imposed wage restrictions and new work rules on union labor. The House sponsor was Speaker Michael Madigan.
The legislation reduced this year’s debt service by $96 million, but the damage had already been done at the Metropolitan Pier and Exposition Authority, known as McPier, the agency that runs McCormick Place. Denied refinancing for six years, McPier paid out as much as $300 million more in bond interest than it should have and was forced to tap state sales tax revenue to meet its obligations.
Mr. Madigan’s inaction also set off a chain of events that put Chicago’s $8-billion trade show industry — and the estimated 66,000 jobs it supports — at risk. Without revenues from the debt savings and a second hotel, McPier had to mark up its prices in the middle of the recession, driving away two trade shows. With McCormick Place in crisis in late 2009, other shows threatened to leave Chicago unless state lawmakers imposed restrictions on McPier unions.
* Melissa Rakestraw, who was one of the people loudly berated by Congressman Joe Walsh a week ago at a constituent event, sent me an e-mail over the weekend…
You recently posted about Joe Walsh’s screaming tirade. Unfortunately this tirade occurred in my face. I am extremely displeased to see you publish Walsh’s press release about my “feelings” on the encounter as if he speaks for me. From Walsh’s release:
“The woman I had the heated exchange with was great and she appreciated how open and unusual these events are. I apologized to her for getting a bit to passionate and she smiled and didn’t mind at all.”
I am that woman and I did in fact mind. You can clearly see in the video that when he gets in my face and is yelling I say, “stop screaming at me, I’m not screaming at you.” I thought that was a clear indication and communication that I did mind. Of course anyone that would behave the way Mr. Walsh does, wouldn’t be concerned with my true feelings on the matter. Mr. Walsh had no respect whatsoever for my boundaries and my direct request to stop screaming at me. There was a reason that I had placed the bar stool between myself and Mr. Walsh before he even went on the tirade, I did not want him in my space.
I have no recollection whatsoever of Mr. Walsh apologizing to me. I know for a fact he never said, “I’m sorry.”
Several times throughout the day I smiled at him, usually because I thought that what he was saying was laughable. I’m really disappointed that because I conducted myself with dignity in the face of ignorance that I’m being seen as someone who tolerates being berated by a nonsensical fool. I had no intention of lowering myself to his level and responding with obnoxious behavior. At the end of the discussion he did approach me and thanked me for being there. I’m sure he appreciated having someone there to disagree with him so he could grandstand and put on a show for the camera. I just can’t believe that any journalist would take any statement of Walsh’s as if it had credibility.
She sounds ever so pleasant, no? And asking a duly elected congressman why he blew up at his constituents for a blog post about how the tea party is losing support in Illinois violates ethical canons? News to me.
Schultz asked her if she was intimidated by the congressman, to which she replied, “No. Actually, I wasn’t. You know, the only thing that scares me about Joe Walsh is his anti-worker ideologies, and his total disregard for facts.”
Ms. Rakestraw went on to explain, once again, the reason you can’t simply replace the USPS with private carriers like UPS, zinging Walsh’s constitution-loving bona fides in the process.
“The Post Office, first of all, was established by the Constitution,” she said, adding “I know Joe claims to be a big fan of the Constitution. and because of our charter, we are obligated to serve all the citizens of the United States. and Fedex and UPS don’t do this. 25% of their deliveries are finished by the postal service.”
Not to be nitpicky, but since Rakestraw apparently considers herself an expert on the US Constitution, she might actually want to read it…
The Congress shall have power… To establish Post Offices and post Roads
The Constitution empowered Congress to establish Post Offices. Post Offices are not protected by the Constitution from closure. What Congress can establish, it can also disestablish. Also, the Postal Service predates the Constitution. Ben Franklin was appointed the nation’s first Postmaster General in 1775.
* Meanwhile, Walsh held another event on Saturday and tried to take it all in stride…
Forgoing a formal introduction, Republican Congressman Joe Walsh, 8th District, brought the room to order by addressing the proverbial 800-pound gorilla in it.
“Alright, please pay attention; I don’t want to lose my temper,” quipped Walsh, whose recent heated exchange with a constituent has gone viral on the web.
Walsh’s remarks drew laughs from the capacity crowd that had gathered Saturday in a small banquet room in the Village Inn in Huntley for a coffee-and-pie, meet-and-greet with the freshman legislator. Among those in attendance was Frank Briguglio, who, at age 80, was attending his first-ever political gathering.
“I came here because of the way (Walsh) talks,” the Huntley resident said. “He says it like it is.”
* Related…
* Joe Walsh Saves Christmas: As with most of Walsh’s statements, this one is short on facts and long on hyperbole. The Christmas Tree Promotion Board was not conceived by the Obama Administration, it was conceived by growers, who requested the tax to reverse the declining sales of pines and spruces. The Department of Agriculture approved the tax this week, comparing it the dairy industry’s “Got Milk” campaign. But when it appeared in the Federal Register, so many conservatives complained so vociferously that the administration decided to “delay implementation and revisit this action,” in the words of a spokesman.
“I love this governor!” exclaimed a jubilant utility lobbyist a few weeks ago.
Why would a utility lobbyist express his undying love for our self-proclaimed consumer activist governor?
Simple.
The lobbyist was convinced that Gov. Pat Quinn’s over-the-top media antics had helped pass the so-called “smart grid” trailer bill by a huge margin and provided the extra oomph needed to override Quinn’s veto of the original bill.
That lobbyist was not alone. Several legislators, staff members and other longtime observers said basically the same thing. When the governor decided not to negotiate the bill’s details and slammed legislators who received utility campaign contributions as somehow criminal or at the very least sleazy, he created a nasty legislative backlash that helped the utilities hold their coalition together.
Yet Quinn appeared to revel in his alleged victories. He got his clock cleaned, but he fought the good fight, and that’s apparently what really mattered.
“I read somewhere that I enraged the General Assembly,” the governor said afterward about the ComEd bill imbroglio, including his unfounded and untrue allegations of “monkey business” during the House roll call. “Well, so what?”
But then, several days after the first week of the veto session ended, Quinn abruptly changed his tune. Gone was his public anger, replaced with a far more professional attitude. He stopped ripping the General Assembly and stopped holding media events.
As a consequence, the governor did much better during the second week of the veto session. He came very close to a deal on solving some serious budget problems, got a bill passed to his liking that addressed his veto of regional school superintendents’ salaries and a gambling bill he opposed petered out in the House.
If he’s learning, that would be a good thing.
No governor has ever had great relations with the General Assembly. Then-Senate Minority Leader Pate Philip would go days, even weeks, without returning fellow Republican Jim Thompson’s calls. Thompson got so fed up at one point that he stomped over to Philip’s office, banged on the door and pushed past Philip’s chief of staff when told he couldn’t come in. The difference between then and now is nobody held a press conference.
Gov. Jim Edgar left office with public approval ratings in the 70s, but he was not beloved by state legislators. After every Edgar budget speech, reporters would rush to Philip and wait for him to declare that Edgar’s proposals were dead on arrival (the wait rarely lasted longer than a few seconds). But Edgar never aired his grievances with Philip during a press conference.
As a former House Speaker, George Ryan had an amazingly effective relationship with the Legislature. Even so, he had problems that at times were severe enough to make him want to tear his hair out by the roots. But Ryan never fumed about his frustrations in public.
Fighting with the General Assembly is part and parcel of being governor. And veto sessions are, by their very design, overtly hostile to the governor. The governor is set up to lose.
Rod Blagojevich never really understood that. He thought that everyone, including Madigan, should bow down to him, and we all know where that led. It was starting to look as if Quinn had the same counterproductive personality trait as Blagojevich.
Quinn’s change in tactics for the second veto session was perhaps just in time to prevent the gambling expansion bill’s sponsors from rounding up more votes. His earlier antics and public tantrums were a major tactical component of the bill’s backers. When he calmed down, it was tougher to persuade members to go against Quinn’s wishes. The bill failed miserably, and Quinn’s hand was strengthened.
Quinn needs to stay calm, work hard behind the scenes, take names and, if necessary, plot a more subtle revenge. Whining to the media has never accomplished anything under the Dome.
Gov. Pat Quinn passed on a chance to rub it in Saturday after legislators failed to adopt a revamped gambling expansion during the fall session.
The Democratic governor said lawmakers and Mayor Rahm Emanuel should work off the framework he has laid out to try to reach a compromise on a gambling package that can pass the General Assembly and enjoy public support.
When we last saw Gov. Pat Quinn, he was lobbing grenades at the General Assembly, doing a pretty decent impression of his former running mate, Rod Blagojevich, minus the hair.
But sometime around when October turned into November, he went from the Angry Quinn to the Silent Quinn.
As lawmakers returned to action last Tuesday, Quinn’s press staff issued its obligatory public schedule for the governor. For the next three days, each one said the governor would be holding no public events.
Although we’re told he was in the Capitol building, Quinn never once stepped out of his second floor office to talk with the media about what was happening above him in the House and Senate chambers.
The abrupt change in public attitude happened the same day the Capitol Fax quoted that above-mentioned utility lobbyist expressing his love for the governor. I’m not taking credit, but it sure was a happy coincidence.
