Meh
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Eric Zorn admits that an extended special session probably won’t work, agrees that special sessions haven’t worked in the past to break logjams, but he wants one anyway…
A special session would “just cost more money,” said Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner, dismissing the idea when talking to reporters in Effingham on Friday. “Let’s not have a special session. Let’s just negotiate in good faith.”
Nice idea, but how’s it been working out?
The legislative leaders and the governor haven’t sat down together since May 29, according to the office of Senate President John Cullerton. And since more than 90 percent of state spending is proceeding without a budget agreement, public pressure has not yet forced serious negotiations, capitulations or compromises.
Granted that special sessions are expensive — $50,000 a day for expenses is the estimate offered by Republican leaders — and don’t have a great track record when it comes to budget negotiations (former Gov. Rod Blagojevich merely underscored his political impotence with numerous feckless demands for special sessions).
But, as noted, they’re a bargain compared with the $16.4 million a day this posturing and inaction is costing us. And they just might work. […]
If a special session wouldn’t break the logjam it would at least dramatize and lend urgency to a story that, by dint of its depressing sameness day in and day out, has fallen out of the headlines.
This is just one more “lock ‘em all in a room” demands that we tend to see during times like these.
Not to mention that coverage of an extended special session would also likely fall out of the headlines.
* For example…
Illinois Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner has said he has five big things he wants for the state of Illinois. On Aug. 25, the Illinois House of Representatives, which is lead by Democrats, brought one of the items up for a vote.
“This will provide tax relief to the people of Illinois,” explained Rep. John Bradley (D-Marion), who called the bill.
Representatives were about to vote on Rauner’s plan to freeze property taxes, something that would transform a main source of revenue for every town, city and school district in the entire state. One might think the fact that a Democrat was sponsoring one of Rauner’s ideas amidst all the infighting was a huge deal—but no.
The discussion—or lack thereof—lasted all of two minutes. The package was voted down, in flames. And the media—Illinois Public Radio included—ignored it.
Because, this had happened before. Many, many times.
Rep. Bradley called the exact same proposal July 21…and, on June 9, June 23, July 1, July 9, July 15, Aug. 5, Aug. 12 and, as noted earlier, on Aug. 25.
23 Comments  
|
Hope is not a plan
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Democratic US Senate candidate Andrea Zopp delivered a stirring speech at the the Illinois State Fair about the declining middle class, the wage disparity between “the have and have-nots.” She also said that she has a “track record of getting results.”
Greg Hinz looks at some of Zopp’s stock transactions when she was general counsel and corporate secretary at Sears…
According to U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission disclosures, Zopp’s first move came on Nov. 23, 2004—just a week after the merger [between Sears and Kmart] was announced—when she executed options to buy and immediately sold 10,000 [Sears] shares, making a $170,000 profit. A few weeks later, on Jan. 31, 2005, she did a similar deal involving 47,000 shares, making roughly a $176,000 profit.
My friends in the investment business would say that’s just taking advantage of your chances. But the problem is that Sears in 2003, when Zopp arrived at the company, laid off 40,000 workers. And tens of thousands of more layoffs came later in the wake of the merger, which like many mergers is all about making companies lean and mean so they can thrive—and make investors money.
Zopp, whose campaign website contains no mention of her corporate record and whose official biography has just one sentence about it, says her job was to be a lawyer, not to run operations, and that the stock options she received were “part of my compensation.”
She also points out—correctly—that Kmart had been in bankruptcy not long before the deal, saying that the merger “saved tens of thousands of other jobs. . . .Sears was seriously challenged at the time. We were doing a lot of things to try to turn it around.” […]
“I hope” the stock transactions and layoffs don’t become a campaign issue in the Democratic primary, she says. “I worked in the corporate world for 10 years as a senior executive. I was compensated for that.”
Zopp makes a good point about the merger, but she’s dreaming if she thinks this sort of stuff won’t be used against her in a Democratic primary campaign. It might not stick during a general, but that’s an entirely different animal than a primary.
18 Comments
|
Forewarned is forearmed
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From an e-mail exchange today…
SUBSCRIBER: Why do you keep deleting my McCarter comments? Was it the Crazy Caucus or the “win friends and influence people” comment?
ME: I’m trying hard to tone things down. They’re getting out of hand, so even a little vitriol could be met with deletions.
SUBSCRIBER: I hear ya, but c’mon – that was pithy!
SUBSCRIBER: Seriously though, you may want to do a post about it to put everyone on notice. The Dunkin stuff definitely sent many of us the other direction.
Yes, “the Dunkin stuff” did get everybody fired up. I let much of it go for a couple of reasons: 1) He deserved it; and 2) The worst stuff was posted after I stopped monitoring comments that afternoon.
Anyway, let’s all calm down a bit.
Thanks.
15 Comments
|
McCarter announces
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Press release…
Kyle McCarter announces campaign for Congress Securing Freedom, Liberty and Opportunity for the Future
Lebanon, IL – Saying it’s time for new leadership to restore, renew and recapture the bright promise of America, State Senator Kyle McCarter of Lebanon announced Wednesday his intention to run for the U.S. House of Representatives, representing the 15th District of Illinois.
“This is a very conservative district that believes we should protect life; that believes in the Second Amendment, and believes in limited government and free market principles of economic opportunity for all,” said McCarter. “Ronald Reagan described the heart of American conservatism as, ‘The common sense and common decency of ordinary men and women, working out their own lives in their own way.’ That’s also the heart of the 15th District.”
McCarter, who has served in the Illinois Senate since 2009, said the promise of America has been undermined in recent years by policies and practices that fight against and undermine traditional values. He said it’s time to turn around Washington.
“What we have witnessed in recent years is not how our country was designed to work,” said McCarter. “The burdens of government have grown ̧ in spite of the opposition by a majority of Americans. The federal government has imposed thousands of new rules and regulations, and billions of dollars in new taxes. It has overstepped its bounds and has done so without our consent. Of all the places in Illinois, the place that should have the loudest, strongest voice in Washington is the 15th District, but I don’t see that happening. Respectively, 20 years is enough. It’s time that someone like myself step up and really defend the people of this district.”
McCarter likened the challenging of a long-time incumbent in the race to David versus Goliath, but he said a tough campaign is worth the struggle because the end result will be good for families and communities, and good for businesses and the economy.
“If the last 8 years have showed us anything, it’s showed us we need new blood in Washington,” said McCarter. “We need to ‘Turnaround Washington.’ We need people who think differently, who haven’t given up on the traditional American principles and qualities that made our nation great. We need leaders with energy who are not in Washington to make a career of the Capital, but who are working to improve the lives of citizens today, and to secure a bright, promising and hopeful future for generations to come.”
McCarter said Freedom and Liberty for today and tomorrow includes vigilance and perseverance.
“Unlike what has been happening in recent years, I refuse to compromise on Freedom and Liberty, said McCarter. “We need to return to the traditional American principles that are the bedrock foundation upon which our nation was built.”
McCarter said the nation’s founding documents give the people unique power and authority because the Freedom and Liberty the documents detail are recognized as coming from the “Creator.” McCarter said rights come from God; they are not given to us by the government, which means the people are in charge of their destiny, not a group of individuals in Washington D.C.
“If you feel you have been ignored by Washington; if you feel no one has been fighting for you or will give voice to your concerns and hopes for the future, then walk with me and run with me to win this race,” said McCarter.
Illinois’ 15th Congressional District is comprised of all or parts of 33 counties: Bond, Champaign, Clark, Clay, Clinton, Coles, Crawford, Cumberland, Douglas, Edgar, Edwards, Effingham, Fayette, Ford, Gallatin, Hamilton, Hardin, Jasper, Johnson, Lawrence, Madison, Marion, Massac, Moultrie, Pope, Richland, Saline, Shelby, Vermillion, Wabash, Washington, Wayne and White.
43 Comments
|
Claypool’s alleged weakness: Ignorance
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Forrest Claypool received wide plaudits from editorial boards and pundits when he was appointed to run the Chicago Public Schools, but Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis, who has recovered from cancer and is running for another term, points out Claypool’s greatest weakness to the Sun-Times…
Asked how Claypool is faring as CEO, Lewis said, “I think he’s a technocrat. And I think he’s making huge errors. I think he’s alienating a lot of people.” […]
Lewis said she has talked to Claypool and his chief education officer, Janice Jackson, but “much less” than she did with the former CEO, Barbara Byrd-Bennett, who was about Lewis’ age and had spent years in the classroom.
“I don’t have that much to talk to him about ’cause he doesn’t know anything about education,” she said.
I wish they’d followed up on his alleged errors and how he’s alienating people, but the point about not knowing anything about education is something that nobody really talked about when he got the top CPS job.
56 Comments
|
The Credit Union Difference
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Comments Off
|
Geneseo threatens to cut off state utilities
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Because of the impasse, local governments aren’t getting their state motor fuel tax money, their video gaming cut, their salary, infrastructure and social service reimbursements, etc. So I’m actually a little surprised we haven’t seen more stories like this one…
Geneseo officials want to treat the state of Illinois similar to any other deadbeat customer and cut off water, sewer and electric service.
The city is waiting for $837.29 in water, sewer and electric payments for service to the state highway maintenance yard as well as $327.49 for street lights at the intersection of Interstate Route 80 and Illinois Route 82. “We have put them on notice by e-mail to Rep. (Donald) Moffitt. We let him know we’re considering treating them like everybody else,” said city administrator Lisa Kotter.
Her e-mail was sent Sept. 23. “We’re giving them an opportunity to respond,” said Ms. Kotter.
The kerfuffle over utility bills is but one minor aspect of the problems rolling over Henry County and the rest of the state as Gov. Bruce Rauner and legislators prove unable to pass a budget and appropriate money.
39 Comments
|
Our rapidly fraying social infrastructure
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Finke…
Chante Morrison of Galesburg was a working single mother of two daughters when she applied for the state’s subsidized day care program in July.
Morrison, who said she earned about $10 an hour, then learned that the state had changed eligibility criteria for the program and that she earned too much money to qualify.
“I was denied child-care assistance I so desperately needed,” Morrison said at a hearing at the Capitol Tuesday morning. “Soon after that, I lost my job because I couldn’t find affordable day care.”
Morrison was one of more than two dozen people who testified Tuesday against changes in the state’s subsidized day care program imposed by Gov. Bruce Rauner’s administration. The changes, which require recipients to earn far less than before to qualify, will make the program inaccessible to 90 percent of those now eligible, opponents contend. For example, a single parent with one child used to qualify with up to $2,400 a month in income. Now the limit is about $660. Co-payments have also increased. […]
Sessy Nyman of Illinois Action for Children said the impact of the changes have become evident. Applications are down 50 percent from a year ago, and caseloads are down by 9 percent after a month. According to a survey conducted by the organization, 21 percent of parents had to turn down a job or quit a job because they could not get the subsidized day care.
* Erickson…
Since the rule went into effect, day care owners say they have had to turn away dozens of families seeking day care for their children.
Dawn Meyer, owner of 17 Rogy’s Learning Centers in central Illinois and the Chicago area, said she allowed 163 children who previously used the subsidy to stay enrolled even though her company is no longer receiving money for the subsidy from the state.
“We wanted to keep these families working,” Meyer said.
But, she said she is no longer accepting families who would have qualified under the old guidelines, and she has laid off 31 teachers because of the drop in the number of children being served,
Ugh.
96 Comments
|
Rate Uber’s new radio ad
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Politico…
Uber is trying to make its case for expanding in Chicago through new radio ads that trumpet its availability in underserved parts of the city.
The ad, provided to POLITICO Illinois, doesn’t focus on Uber’s biggest battle right now – getting a City Council OK to pick up at city airports.
The ad instead urges residents living in rougher neighborhoods to lean on their aldermen to give the rideshare company broader reach in the city. The company says its Uber X takes an average of five minutes to reach the west and south sides. […]
The ad is already airing on stations like WGCI and WVON, which have greater percentages of minority listeners. […]
The Chicago ad says, “Think about this. When’s the last time you saw a taxi cab in your neighborhood? And have you ever had an empty cab pass you by? And how does that make you feel? People assume that there isn’t much we can do about it. But we can. We don’t have to put up with that any more. With your phone, you can download an app that puts you in charge … Next time you see your alderman, tell them you support Uber’s efforts to bring reliable rides everywhere in this city to everyone.”
* Rate it…
29 Comments
|
|
Support CapitolFax.com
Visit our advertisers...
 
...............
...............
...............
...............
|
   
|
Hosted by MCS |
SUBSCRIBE to Capitol Fax |
Advertise Here |
Mobile Version |
Contact Rich Miller
|
