Rauner rescinds DON score change
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This was yet another hugely controversial move that the governor undid today…
Expect updates.
…Adding… They’re giving credit to Rep. Dunkin…
* From SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Keith Kelleher…
“As with child care, home healthcare for vulnerable people in Illinois will remain under the sword of Bruce Rauner until and unless his power to do harm is offset. Therefore, we urge that legislators vote for House Bill 2482 when they convene Tuesday and protect seniors and people with disabilities from ever being used as political pawns. This is not a time for celebration: We should never have gotten to this point in the first place.”
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* Crain’s…
In a sign of how the state’s energy policy dynamics have changed, a senior executive at the clout-heavy company now says Exelon is open to an alternative to a bailout—creating a state or regional market to put a price on power plant carbon emissions. That wouldn’t benefit Exelon’s nukes as directly or immediately as a subsidy but assuredly would boost the company’s finances over time.
The company continues to say that it wants Springfield to increase electricity rates statewide or it may have to close plants. But Exelon repeatedly has postponed acting after lawmakers failed to meet its deadlines for new legislation. And a brighter financial outlook for plants previously pegged as money-losers is making for a difficult sale.
Five of Chicago-based Exelon’s six Illinois nukes now are projected at least to break even within the next few years. Until recently, the company had said red ink at three of the plants—Quad Cities, Clinton and Byron—would persist, forcing Exelon to close the facilities unless it got almost $300 million in help from ratepayers through a state-mandated surcharge on their electric bills.
OK, that’s good news. No bailout is preferable. Charging for carbon plant emissions won’t be an easy thing to do in a coal-producing state like Illinois, however.
* But check this out…
Exelon is deferring all but the most immediate capital projects at Quad Cities and slicing other costs at all of its power plants as part of an upcoming cost-cutting initiative, Dominguez says.
Since I live about 50 miles from a nuclear power plant (Clinton), I would rather that they not skimp too much.
Just sayin…
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Question of the day
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Springfield…
* And Mundelein, where the new medical marijuana dispensary opened today…
* The Question: Caption?
(And I apologize in advance if you’re a Trump supporter or a medical marijuana patient. No offense meant. Just having a little fun.)
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* As subscribers know, talks on this topic appeared horribly snagged last week. No longer…
Governor Bruce Rauner announced today that his administration has reached an agreement with business groups and labor organizations to reform and improve Illinois’ unemployment insurance system.
“We have a lot of work left to turn around Illinois, but today’s agreement is a step towards making us more competitive so we can increase investment in the state and grow jobs,” Governor Rauner said. “I want to thank the legislators involved in crafting this agreement and urge the legislature to swiftly pass legislation and send it to my desk.”
“For more than 30 years, governors and legislative leaders have brought business and labor together to negotiate changes to Unemployment Insurance for the benefit all in the state of Illinois,” Illinois AFL-CIO Secretary-Treasurer Tim Drea said. “Because it is so vital to the economy and safety net for working families, Unemployment Insurance negotiations are always difficult, but all parties were committed to the process and an equitable agreement was achieved.”
“On behalf of the employer community, we would like to thank our counterparts in labor, the Rauner Administration and the representatives of the four legislative caucuses who all played valuable roles in reaching this agreement,” said Rob Karr, President & CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. “While the discussions were rigorous, they were always fair and ultimately productive.”
Under the agreed framework an individual would be ineligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits following separation with an employer if a worker:
• Damaged an employer’s property through grossly negligent conduct;
• Consumed alcohol, illegal or non-prescribed drugs during work hours in violation of an employer’s policies;
• Provided false information in an employment application;
• Endangered the safety of himself/herself or co-workers through grossly negligent conduct;
• Knowingly and repeatedly violated reasonable written attendance policies of an employer;
• Refused to obey an employer’s reasonable and lawful instructions unless the refusal is due to the lack of ability skills or training of the worker or if the instruction would result in an unsafe act; or
• Did not maintain required licenses, registrations and certifications required by law for the specific job.
Under current law, a worker could still be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits if any one of the above items occurred in the workplace. For the first time ever, these common-sense reforms will be implemented, creating a more fair and stable unemployment insurance system.
Additionally, the framework allows recently separated workers who are eligible for Social Security to receive a full unemployment insurance benefit. Under current law, 50 percent of the amount an older worker receives for Social Security is subtracted from the potential unemployment insurance benefit. Illinois and Minnesota are the only two states in the nation to allow this practice. This reform will return $25 million to Illinois seniors.
Governor Rauner had made strengthening misconduct and abuse provisions central components of his unemployment insurance reform proposal.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
After many hours of negotiations, the Illinois Chamber of Commerce is supporting an agreement between business leaders and organized labor on unemployment insurance changes that has been reached. “For the business community, the two key issues in the agreement are a benefit change for seniors and a change to ‘misconduct’ for employers,” said Todd Maisch, president and CEO of the Illinois Chamber.
Both changes are important philosophical revisions for both business and labor, but neither are big ticket items from a dollar perspective.
The benefit change will eliminate the offset of Social Security for determining benefits based on an individual’s income. “With this change, some seniors may now become eligible for unemployment insurance benefits where they would have previously been disqualified because of Social Security income,” explained Maisch. Others will receive higher benefits because their Social Security income would have reduced their benefit amount. Illinois is the last state in the nation to offset unemployment insurance benefits with social security.
“The proposed revisions to “misconduct” include eight typically egregious circumstances for which employers may protest a benefit claim,” said Maisch. With this compromise, employers will not have to prove that the reason for the discharge was “willful and deliberate” and caused harm to the employer or was repeated after warning or instruction from the employer.
The bigger dollar issues for the unemployment system are the elimination of changes to the law that were set to take effect on Jan. 1, 2016. If there had not been any agreement to change the law, employer unemployment insurance taxes would have increased an annual $470 million, and benefits to unemployed workers would have been reduced by approximately $300 million per year.
Finally, there will be a moratorium on any UI legislation through Jan. 1, 2018. This compromise plan needs state lawmaker approval and the governor’s signature.
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It’s probably worse now
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Hardly a surprise…
More than half of Sangamon County employers report the state budget deadlock — now in its fifth month– has begun to hurt sales and profitability, according to a fall survey released Monday by University of Illinois Springfield.
The Economic Outlook Survey also shows a 22 percent drop in expectations for the overall, local economy from the spring survey. More than 260 companies and not-for-profits were surveyed from Sept. 28 to Oct. 15.
* From the report…
Respondents were asked about the type of effect (large negative, small negative, neutral, small positive, or large positive) the state budget impasse is having on seven different aspects of their organization or firm: gross revenue/sales, profitability, on - hand cash, potential hiring, capital investment, total number of employees, and overall firm status. As seen in table 7, more than half of respondents report that the current state budget impasse is having a negative effect on their organization’s gross revenue/sales (53.8 percent) and profitability (51.0 percent). In addition, 46.1 percent of all employers in Sangamon County report that the state budget impasse is having a negative effect on the overall status of their firm.
When asked, “is there any other way that the budget impasse has impacted your firm,” respondents mainly speak about consumer confidence and uncertainty, the lack of funds they are receiving from the state government, and the stress it is putting on both employers and employees. Responses differ slightly between employers from different economic sectors.
For example, a private sector respondent stated th at : “Consumer confidence in t he economy is the largest problem for my firm. If the governor is able to accomplish [it] , then it might be better for Illinois’ in the long term. People are afraid that they are going to lose their job therefore they are not spending any money.”
Another respondent from the non-profit sector reported, “It has reduced our ability to serve children. It has increased the community’s need for support but decreased our ability to meet that need.”
Finally, a public sector respondent stated, the “impasse has stopped state employees from traveling to the capitol.”
The accompanying table…
Keep in mind that some of those interviews took place over a month ago, and things have gotten significantly worse since then.
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In a word: No
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kerry Lester…
Miss Pat Quinn yet? That’s the sign in the window of Greater Palatine Area Democrats as Illinois enters its fifth month without a budget.
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*** UPDATED x1 *** Why there’s no link
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Finke…
A crowdfunding effort has been launched to raise the money needed to keep the 50-year tradition of stringing Christmas lights on the dome alive this year.
It was launched Thursday by Kristina Rasmussen, executive vice president of the conservative Illinois Policy Institute.
“I put it up (Thursday) morning,” Rasmussen said. “It’s pretty simple. I’m a Springfield resident, and I really like Christmas. I like holiday cheer. I like Christmas lights. I like Christmas ornaments. I thought it would be nice for the community, if this is something they value, to help step up and privately fundraise for this.”
Secretary of State Jesse White’s office said this week that it would not be stringing the lights on the dome as a money-saving move. The office said it will save $7,300.
On the GoFundMe website, Rasmussen wrote: “Illinois is broke and state officials are wisely cutting back on non-essential spending. Let’s come together as a community to privately fund this annual tradition.”
* SJ-R editorial…
Homebound senior citizens are getting fewer nutritious meals delivered to their homes. Public health departments are cutting back on services. Doctors are being asked to treat state workers and their families without any expectation of getting paid anytime soon. Shelters for women fleeing domestic abuse are closing or cutting back. The list of effects of Illinois’ budget impasse goes on and on.
But talk about not decorating the Capitol dome for Christmas, and the public attention perks up […]
Friday’s newspaper had another story about a different fundraising effort. This one was about Megan Garcia, a Cantrall sixth-grader. Columnist Dave Bakke told the tale of how Megan, who’s 11, heard of a local family facing the crisis of having a 2-year-old diagnosed with a brain tumor, and decided to help. First, she asked for donations to the family in lieu of birthday presents. Then she organized a school fundraiser. At the end, she raised more than $3,000 to help the Ingram family. […]
If you’re fortunate enough to be able to help others in need — no matter how small the amount — this will be the year to contribute.
And that generosity toward the most vulnerable among us will light up the holidays far more than strands of bulbs hanging from a dome ever could.
Agreed and that’s why I didn’t link to Kristina’s GoFundMe page last week. I think it’s nice that she’s doing it, and I don’t oppose it at all, but I’m channeling my energy elsewhere this year.
By the way, I checked with the SoS office and they said they’ve told Rasmussen to forward the money directly to CWLP because they don’t have any appropriations authority.
*** UPDATE *** Press release…
Secretary of State Jesse White announced today that the Christmas lights at the Capitol dome in Springfield will be able to shine throughout the holiday season due to a $7,300 electricity payment provided by the Basic Crafts Council of Mid-Central Illinois.
“I commend the Basic Crafts Council of Mid-Central Illinois for their generosity and holiday spirit,” said White. “Their payment of $7,300 to the local power company, City Water Light and Power, allows the state to continue the more than 50-year tradition of adorning the Capitol Dome with colorful and festive Christmas lights. I also want to thank the Operating Engineers’ Local 965, Laborers Local 477 and Carpenters Local 270, who make up the Crafts Council.”
The Basic Crafts Council of Mid-Central Illinois submitted the check to the City of Springfield’s City Water Light and Power to defray the utility costs associated with powering the Christmas lights atop the Capitol dome during the holiday season.
The Secretary of State’s office had made the decision on Tuesday, November 3 to forgo putting up the Christmas lights on the Capitol Dome because the lights are nonessential and because the office is cutting costs in order to save money during the budget impasse. The office is committed to providing customer service and essential services to the public for as long as possible.
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* Subscribers know the back story on this press release…
Governor’s office spokesman Lance Trover released the following statement regarding Senate Bill 570:
“As a result of bipartisan discussions with legislators concerning the future of the Child Care Assistance Program, the Rauner administration today plans to amend the emergency rule it filed at the beginning of the fiscal year. Under the amended rule, income eligibility will rise to 162% of the federal poverty level while current co-pays will remain intact. Other eligibility and restrictions will also be lifted pending further review and legislative consultation. Additionally, the governor’s office will establish a bipartisan, bicameral task force aimed at ensuring the long-term stability of the program.
“The governor’s office thanks the serious, good-faith negotiations by members of the legislature who made today’s announcement a reality. This bipartisan agreement will allow us to avoid the unintended consequences and costs that SB 570 would have brought. By working together, we will be able to bring financial stability to an important program valued by members of both parties.”
*** UPDATE 1 *** Press release…
State Senator Toi Hutchinson (D – Chicago Heights) released the following statement before her tour of the YWCA Kankakee Child Care Center to bring attention to the lack of child care funding:
“Every month that goes by without a budget hurts working families and children in ways that are immeasurable. Investing in child care is the responsible thing to do no matter which way you look at it, no matter which political party you belong to. I have been fighting for months to get more children into classrooms as soon as possible and give providers the stability they desperately need to make it through this crisis.
If Senate Bill 570 comes back to the Senate for a vote, I have agreed to hold it only as long as a the temporary rule is actually passed in the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules on Nov. 17, giving thousands of providers and kids immediate relief. It’s past time for us to work together in every way we can every time we can. Our children deserve nothing less.”
*** UPDATE 2 *** SEIU Healthcare Illinois President Keith Kelleher…
“Now, at the 11th hour and ONLY AFTER bipartisan public outcry across Illinois over the pain and suffering caused by cuts that have kicked 70,000 kids off child care, Bruce Rauner comes to the table. His arbitrary actions, which should never have happened in the first place, show just why, deal or no deal, we still need Senate Bill 570 to pass tomorrow, to remove the ability for a governor, Democrat or Republican, to use unchecked executive power to destroy by rule those programs created by statute.
Since the governor apparently now realizes the needless pain caused by his actions, we call on him to expedite the rules returning children to the program instead of figuring out ways to use them as political pawns.”
*** UPDATE 3 *** From sponsoring Rep. Jehan Gordon…
Thousands of vulnerable children, parents and childcare centers have been affected by the devastating emergency rule that was enacted on July 1st. They all desperately need stability and certainly in these tumultuous times. It is my full intent to run SB 570 tomorrow afternoon in the House of Representatives. This legislation brings long term stability back to the Child Care Assistance Program. My primary focus and concern is that of children, families and childcare centers that need access to this vital work program now. We must pass SB 570 to statutorily make certain that our children are never put in this kind of limbo ever again.
*** UPDATE 4 *** Press release…
We applaud Governor Rauner’s decision today to suspend damaging emergency rule changes made to the Illinois Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) on July 1, 2015. We also applaud our legislative champions in both chambers of the Illinois General Assembly who refused to let children and families be anything but the highest priority in our state. Of course, we would also like to acknowledge the thousands of families and advocates statewide who continue to make sure the Governor and the General Assembly know just how important this issue is.
Key changes announced by the Governor today include:
• Increasing eligibility to 162 percent of Federal Poverty Level from 50 percent of the Federal Poverty Level.
• Suspending child support requirements instituted on July 1, 2015.
• Suspending restrictive background checks for relative caregivers.
While this agreement is a good start, we recognize that there is significant work to be done in order to end the chaos that has been created in lieu of a state budget. We look forward to working with the Governor and the General Assembly on a state budget solution that includes sufficient revenue to fully fund all programs that low-income, hard-working families rely on.
Fight Crime: Invest In Kids Illinois
Illinois Action for Children
Latino Policy Forum
Ounce of Prevention Fund
ReadyNation Illinois
Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law
Voices for Illinois Children
*** UPDATE 5 *** From our pal Emily Miller…
Dear Rich,
The voices of children, families, and providers regarding the devastating impact of the Governor Rauner’s July 1st decision to cut child care in Illinois have been heard. Today, the governor and lawmakers announced a deal to immediately restore access to affordable child care to all families at or below 162% of the federal poverty level and to eliminate additional barriers put in place earlier this year.
The deal made by lawmakers and the governor means that, effective immediately, a single mom of two children entering the work force can access child care assistance in Illinois if she makes less than 162% of the federal poverty level, or $2,713 per month (roughly $15.50 per hour 40 hours per week.)
In addition, Governor Rauner has agreed that once a budget passes, eligibility for the child care program will return to the pre-cut level of 185% of the federal poverty level. That means a single mom of two who earns up to 185% of the federal poverty level, or $3,098 per month, will once again have access to child care assistance.
After 5 months of devastating cuts to child care, families and advocates are understandably wary of deals that might compromise Illinois’ commitment to ensuring families can remain self-sufficient by working.
That’s why, in addition to the changes announced today, Voices for Illinois Children believes it’s still important for lawmakers to take stand by voting yes on Senate Bill 570—a move that gives lawmakers and their constituents a means to ensure all parties to this deal remain accountable. A bipartisan ‘yes’ vote on SB570, and its passage in the House, will provide the much-needed and lasting proof that access to quality, affordable child care is a priority in this state.
If the governor and lawmakers continue to operate in good faith, as they have throughout the negotiation, the deal will move forward as planned. If they do not, the bill will be in a position to be placed on the Governor’s desk to eliminate the cuts for good.
Overall, the ability of governor and lawmakers to work alongside each other is encouraging in the context of the larger budget fight. Voices hopes this negotiation can serve as the framework for making further progress on the many issues impacting Illinois’ children and families.
We look forward to working with the governor and lawmakers to pass a budget with the revenue needed to fully fund vital programs for children and families.
Thanks for your hard work, and we’ll be in touch soon.
Emily Miller
Policy & Advocacy Director
Voices for Illinois Children
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Today’s quotables
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Peoria Journal Star…
Gov. Bruce Rauner made two stops last week during his visit to the Peoria area, including to visit a series of classes at Charter Oak Primary School.
Aside from kids demonstrating an impressive familiarity with government affairs — who among us knew as much about elective term lengths or the separation of powers in the fourth grade? — the youths asked Rauner some good questions.
One question in particular stuck out from the last group of them, a question on organization in government.
Rauner stressed the values of teamwork and of being able to work together with others. That includes working to “get a great team of people together and try to get things done.”
Given the state’s current budget drama, perhaps the working-together-with-others part of that plan needs some work?
* Chicago Tribune…
Speaking to a Chicago gathering of business students last month, Gov. Bruce Rauner related how a professional mentor long ago had instilled in him the importance of embracing the golden rule.
“Treat other people the way you’d like to be treated,” Rauner said. “Sounds simple. Sounds corny. Hard to do consistently, and it’s the key to success. It’s the key. Respecting other people.” […]
Each side insists it has the moral high ground in the dispute, which now has left Illinois without a spending plan almost halfway through the budget year. All of which may underscore another bit of career advice Rauner gave to those business students in October.
“Persistence, persistence, persistence,” he said.
* Keith Kelleher, president, SEIU Healthcare Illinois & Indiana…
In private conversations, many Republicans have told us how pained they have been to be put in this position of voting against the most vulnerable people in their communities and against programs that actually benefit the economy, save taxpayer dollars and help people who often are their friends and neighbors and, in some cases, their flesh and blood.
Some of them have actually broken down in tears describing the threats and intimidation they’ve faced from Bruce Rauner and his allies, who themselves have made very clear they are willing to do or say anything they believe will help achieve their union-busting, non-budgetary goals.
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Today’s number: $700 million
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
Among the numerous financial headaches caused by Illinois’ budget mess is $700 million in construction projects that Gov. Bruce Rauner halted in the summer, and officials have no estimate of how much more they’ll need to dole out for stopping and, presumably, restarting them once there’s a spending agreement.
About a dozen construction sites will need to be protected from winter at a cost of about $2 million, officials said.
Rauner halted projects at universities, state parks, prisons and even Lincoln’s Tomb in the spring, eyeing a rapidly approaching start to the budget year and no agreed-upon fiscal plan. An Associated Press analysis of records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act shows when work stopped July 1, it affected 419 contracts affiliated with 218 job sites. Of those, 95 were under construction, said Lyndsey Walters, spokeswoman for the agency administering the work, the Capital Development Board. […]
“This has not been pleasant,” said Ric Krause, president of Chicago-area PATH Construction, whose company had to stop work on eight projects worth $26 million — less than half of which, according to records, has been paid. With that much work in the hopper, PATH has a number of staff members who are experts on the specific projects but now have no work to do.
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Our sorry state
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I doubt many Illinoisans know the words to our state song. Click here for the best version I’ve ever heard.
But the commenter known as “Fiercely Independent” came up with some alternate lyrics…
With the budget process slowing, Illinois, Illinois
And the unpaid bills a-growing, Illinois, Illinois
Where the Governor’s “one of us”
As he throws us ‘neath the bus
And the unions he must bust, Illinois, Illinois,
And the unions Bruce must bust, Illinois
* Meanwhile, somebody who goes by the online handle “warh201″ has a new rap song about the impasse. Click here.
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Money talks
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tribune…
Democratic Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago collected more than $765,000 for three campaign funds, much of it from labor unions that are allied with Democrats during the state budget impasse against Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner.
The pattern of giving shows how campaign contribution limits in Illinois can be worked around. The construction and general laborers’ political fund gave at total of $136,700 — the maximum $53,900 to Cullerton’s state central committeeman fund and Cullerton’s Senate fund and $28,900 to the Senate Democratic fund. An operating engineers’ fund gave $158,700 — the maximum $53,900 to Cullerton’s state central committeeman and Senate Democratic funds, plus $50,900 to his Senate account. All told, that’s nearly 40 percent of the haul Cullerton reported receiving Friday.
* Tribune…
State Rep. John Bradley of Marion reported nearly $100,000 in campaign contributions, including the maximum $53,900 the Laborers’ D.C.-based fund has been given to numerous potential Republican targets next year as well as political funds controlled by Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.
But, yeah, they’re gonna fold any day now and fully buy in to the Turnaround Agenda.
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High hopes
Monday, Nov 9, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Republican House candidate Jacob Bramel officially kicked off his legislative campaign over the weekend…
He called House Speaker Mike Madigan “a tyrant and a dictator” who has oppressed the people of the state for more than 40 years. […]
“As your state representative, I will take us out of the dark ages of liberalism and fast forward us into a conservative revolution because the government should not tell you how to run your business, what job you can have, what school you can go to, how to raise your family, or punish you for being successful.
“I want a government so small that you can barely see it.” […]
Without giving exact detail, Bramel promised to “repeal outdated legislation — legislation that hinders our everyday lives in favor of our own self-determination.” He also said pension reform would be high on list to fix while fulfilling promises already made.
Bramel faces HGOP-backed Jerry Long, who describes himself as a “constitutional conservative,” in the primary and then will most probably run against Democratic LaSalle County Circuit Clerk Andrew Skoog in the general. The district is represented by retiring Rep. Frank Mautino.
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* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
The concept of a public meeting on November 18th by the four legislative leaders and the governor sounds nice, but will it actually move the ball forward and break the months-long governmental impasse?
As you probably know, a group of good government types recently called on the state’s leaders to sit down and talk about solving the state’s budget issues. The four tops and the governor haven’t met as a group since late May.
House Speaker Michael Madigan quickly accepted and then suggested that the meeting be held in public. The move has quite a few people scratching their heads because nobody expects anything will be solved while the public is looking on.
So, why bother?
A big reason is that the Democrats want the public to see what they’ve been seeing with their own eyes for months. The governor walks in, they say, exchanges pleasantries, then repeats the same basic talking points that he’s been making since April.
Top Democratic sources say that Rauner cannot talk in detail about much of his Turnaround Agenda. They’ve asked relatively uncomplicated questions about tort reform, for example, and claim they’ve been met with empty stares.
“They can prep [Rauner] on the budget for the next month and it won’t do any good,” fretted a top Republican shortly after Madigan suggested a public meeting.
It’s not that the governor isn’t bright. He is a very smart man. It’s just that he has never been a detail guy. And a big part of the problem with these negotiations is that many of the topics are nothing but details. Even the far more experienced Madigan might be able to delve down only a couple of levels into the workers’ comp issue, but he doesn’t have the expertise to go much deeper than that, Democrats admit.
What they need to do is set up some expert committees and let them deal with the details. But the experts can’t do that until the tops give them some sort of direction, and everybody is just floundering right now.
Anyway, back to the upcoming meeting.
Gov. Rauner did his level best the other day to once again tamp down expectations ahead of the meeting. “I don’t think it’s going to matter much,” the governor said, noting correctly that people don’t like to compromise in front of cameras.
Rauner and his legislative allies have been insisting that the governor be allowed to set the agenda, which has some of the good government reformers who initially proposed the sit-down worried that Gov. Rauner would attempt to highjack the meeting and insist on talking only about his “Turnaround Agenda,” which he wants resolved before he will negotiate the budget. The agenda includes some harshly anti-union proposals on collective bargaining, as well as some unacceptable (to Democrats and unions) changes in the workers’ compensation program and things like term limits and redistricting reform.
But the governor also said something last week which went almost completely unnoticed. The governor told reporters that he was planning a “comprehensive agenda” for the meeting.
“We will include structural reform in the agenda,” Rauner said (predictably, since that’s code for his Turnaround stuff), and then said, “We will include revenue and taxes on the agenda, we’ll include spending levels on the agenda.”
The idea may be to put the Democrats on the spot and finally make them talk about what taxes they want to raise.
House Speaker Michael Madigan reiterated his support for new revenues recently in Chicago. “The number one problem facing the government of the State of Illinois is the state budget deficit,” he said for the millionth time, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. “Which means that we have to get together to talk, negotiate, do some cuts and do some new revenue. There should be a balanced approach.”
Madigan, however, has never specifically said what “new revenue” he would actually back, and neither has his fellow Democrat Senate President John Cullerton. The governor’s people have been quietly pointing out this glaring omission for the past several days.
The governor told top Democrats during a private meeting months ago that he would be willing to raise the income tax to 4.75 percent, which is a percentage point higher than its current level, if he got what he wanted on the Turnaround Agenda. The Democrats have not yet accepted that proposal and have apparently been waiting for the governor to make his offer public.
I doubt anything gets done, but it might be fun to watch.
* Related…
* Erickson: Rauner, lawmakers should meet during session
* Finke: At least they’re not arguing about the table
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* The little town of Marshall (population 3,933), is shutting off services to some state facilities…
At 1 p.m. — unless the state intervenes — the toilets will stop flushing at the Cumberland Road Rest Area along Interstate 70.
The lights will go out at the Illinois Department of Transportation’s highway garage in Marshall. And IDOT’s local office building will lose electricity, water, sewer and gas services.
* The town is owed almost $500,000, which is a lot of money to such a small community. But the mayor is also quite upset about the impact of the impasse…
For Marshall, the ramifications go beyond the outstanding utility bills. [Mayor Camie Sanders] said talks between the city and a company interested in relocating to the community fell through, because the corporation won’t invest in Illinois until the impasse is resolved.
Ugh.
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Concurrence, with reservations
Friday, Nov 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I agree with much of this Tribune editorial…
The solution to CPS’ crisis is the same as the solution to the state’s budget crisis: a deal among Madigan, Cullerton, Mayor Rahm Emanuel and the man who would sign it into law: Gov. Bruce Rauner. What should be on the table? Deeper central-office spending cuts at CPS. The closing of half-empty schools. Teachers should agree to pay their share of pension contributions, so CPS no longer has to pay its share and most of the teachers’ share.
Rauner has offered to help. If the state is to somehow come up with more money for CPS, or extend the terrible practice of delaying pension contributions, Chicago Democrats have to start making concessions on his political and economic reform agenda. He’s determined to reduce the structural costs of government and boost the economic climate in this state. Rauner is ready to deal.
But he’s not ready to cave. On Monday, Rauner reminded Democrats that “misguided state policies” caused CPS’ plight. These are policies they championed, policies for which they voted.
Does that sound like a governor about to crack because Democrats in Chicago and Springfield refuse to cut a deal with him? We don’t think so either.
Democrats have to deal with Rauner. They have to — eek! — compromise with him if they hope state taxpayers will rescue CPS.
You want something? Give something. If you don’t like what the governor is offering, make another suggestion.
The Democrats do need to start making some politically doable counter proposals rather than just allowing the governor to constantly negotiate against himself. It’s the only way we’re ever going to find out if Gov. Rauner really does want to make a deal, as the Tribune believes, or whether, as many Democrats believe, he’s only interested in busting unions.
* On the other hand, the Democrats are right to be wary of what could happen to them if they start negotiating before the candidate filing period concludes at the end of this month. They could wind up with primary opponents and a union base that’s so angry at them for caving that they wouldn’t be able to adequately defend themselves.
I also highly doubt that very many legislators of either party would be willing to agree to a tax hike before that filing period ends - and make no mistake, a tax hike is almost assuredly at the end of this ugly highway.
We’re gonna be stuck in the muck for a while longer, campers.
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* Expect numerous updates to this press release…
Governor Bruce Rauner issued an amendatory veto today of House Bill 2482.
Similar to Senate Bill 570, the proposed legislation concerning the Child Care Assistance Program, HB 2482 would have unintended consequences that would negatively impact the state’s long-term ability to serve individuals in need.
“These bills may be well-intentioned, but they are ultimately harmful to the programs they are trying to help,” Rauner spokesman Lance Trover said. “The governor understands and shares the frustration of members who want to fund these programs, but the appropriate way to do so is in the context of a truly balanced budget. As drafted, both pieces of legislation would create serious problems that jeopardize the future of the Child Care Assistance Program as well as services for the elderly.”
House Bill 2482 would lock into statute that an individual who qualifies for assistance is entitled to institutional care. Additionally, the approach contemplated by this legislation puts the state’s compliance with Medicaid waiver regulations and ability to maximize federal match funds at serious risk.
As noted in the governor’s veto message House Bill 2482 “takes a step in the wrong direction… For too long, Illinois has over-prescribed institutional care to lower-need individuals when less expensive and more appropriate care options are available. In order to provide the best particular care for each individual, to ensure that our support services remain affordable, and to maximize the number of individuals served, we must rebalance the services being provided with greater precision. Prescribing institutional care for individuals who do not need it is wrong for the individual and wrong for taxpayers. Moreover, over-prescribing institutional care is inconsistent with the direction being taken across the country.”
Bill No.: HB 2482
An Act Concerning Public Aid
Action: Amendatory Veto
Note: Veto Message Below
Veto Message
To the Honorable Members of
The Illinois Senate,
99th General Assembly:
Today I return House Bill 2482 with specific recommendations for change.
The State of Illinois provides important support services to elderly and disabled individuals through the Community Care Program, the Home Services Program, and State-funded nursing care. At a time when the State is struggling to afford its past promises, we have an obligation to make the economic and government reforms needed to continue providing these services to the neediest among us.
Unfortunately, while well-intentioned, House Bill 2482 takes a step in the wrong direction. The bill would lock into statute that an individual with a particular threshold score on the Determination of Need (DON) assessment tool would be eligible for both institutional and home and community-based long term care services. Instead, an individual with the threshold score should be entitled to institutional or home and community-based care. Retaining flexibility to determine whether an individual is eligible for institutional or home and community-based care – as opposed to both – will ensure that the State is compliant with Medicaid waiver regulations and protocols and maximize federal matching funds.
For too long, Illinois has over-prescribed institutional care to lower-need individuals when less expensive and more appropriate care options are available. In order to provide the best particular care for each individual, to ensure that our support services remain affordable, and to maximize the number of individuals served, we must rebalance the services being provided with greater precision. Prescribing institutional care for individuals who do not need it is wrong for the individual and wrong for taxpayers. Moreover, over-prescribing institutional care is inconsistent with the direction being taken across the country.
Therefore, pursuant to Article IV, Section 9(e) of the Illinois Constitution of 1970, I hereby return House Bill 2482, entitled “AN ACT concerning public aid”, with the following specific recommendations for change:
On page 10, line 17, by replacing “institutional and” with “institutional or”; and
On page 21, line 5, by replacing “institutional and” with “institutional or”; and
On page 50, line 21, by replacing “institutional and” with “institutional or”; and
On page 55, line 17, by replacing “institutional and” with “institutional or”.
With these changes, House Bill 2482 will have my approval. I respectfully request your concurrence.
Sincerely,
Bruce Rauner
GOVERNOR
…Adding… The bill received 74 votes in the House, including Republicans Batinick, Bryant, Hammond, Jesiel, McAuliffe and Unes.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rep. Batinick just said that in his opinion, an amendatory veto is better than a total veto, but he won’t make a decision until he talks with supporters about how far-reaching Rauner’s change of “and” to “or” will be.
*** UPDATE 2 *** Chief House sponsor Rep. Greg Harris via text…
The Rules Committee will first have to determine if the Amendatory Veto is compliant with constitutional requirements. I will carefully review the language to see if the changes protect the needs of all of our seniors and persons with disabilities in community based, supportive living, nursing homes and other care settings. It is critically important that fragile and vulnerable people are not put at risk.
*** UPDATE 3 *** From Denise Gaines, legislative director, SEIU Healthcare Illinois…
“Bruce Rauner’s own history of abuse and neglect when it comes to nursing homes under his control should strike fear in the hearts of anyone affected by these changes, which ultimately limit choice for Illinois seniors and preserve Rauner’s own power to arbitrarily kick people off the program.
“Once again, Rauner is taking vulnerable Illinoisans hostage in pursuit of his extreme, non-budgetary political agenda. Today, it’s nursing home residents. This amendatory veto is unacceptable and we call on legislators to override it when they convene on Nov. 10th.”
*** UPDATE 4 *** Sen. Daniel Biss via text…
HB2482, which passed with strong support in both chambers, is provided needed protections to seniors and people with disabilities. While we are still reviewing Governor Rauner’s language, I will be watching closely to ensure that we protect the ability of those who most need long term care to choose the most appropriate services.
…Adding More… So, here is what the original bill said…
Individuals with a score of 29 or higher based on the determination of need (DON) assessment tool shall be eligible to receive institutional and home and community-based long term care services until such time that the State receives federal approval and implements an updated assessment tool.
So, under this AV, people would be eligible to receive institutional or home and community-based long term care services.
The trouble is, lots of seniors bounce around between those services. They’re receiving home care, they fall and break their hip, they go to the hospital and are released to a nursing home, then they eventually head back home.
How can you make this a purely “or” situation? Do they have to reapply? Do they just get one and not the other?
I have a call into the governor’s office to explain this. I’ll let you know what they’re saying.
*** UPDATE 5 *** So, according to the governor’s office, the example I used above wouldn’t be covered by their AV. This is for permanent care, not temporary bouncing around, I’m told. They also claim to have the support of several advocates for home and community-based care, which might explain the muted response so far from Democrats.
*** UPDATE 6 *** From the Health Care Council of Illinois (nursing home lobby)…
Governor Rauner’s Amendatory Veto of House Bill 2482 eliminates medical care for Illinois’ most vulnerable citizens. Rauner’s view of the future of long term care for people who cannot dress themselves or manage their own medication is to keep them isolated in an apartment with assistance of a part-time housekeeper.
Rauner’s amendatory veto strips away 24-hour skilled medical care and replaces it with a few hours a week of housekeeping chores. This move is strictly about money and politics, and not about the care needs of elderly people. With one pen stroke, elderly people and their families lost the right to choose the best health care setting based on their individual health care needs and family circumstances.
The Health Care Council of Illinois calls on members of the General Assembly to override this Amendatory Veto and uphold dignified medical care for our most vulnerable citizens.
Pat Comstock
Executive Director
Health Care Council of Illinois
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Our childish, cartoon world
Friday, Nov 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* David Rutter…
(T)he original “GI Joe” was manufactured, a Faux Joe character designed to sell comic books and toys.
He was never real.
And neither was Joe Gliniewicz.
Too much about our society isn’t real. Our public discourse is too often based on way too little information and way too much ideology, all intensified by our too-quick reactions in an age when everybody has access to their own online megaphones.
Many of us in this Statehouse business got a close look at how this works when Barack Obama ran for President. He was quickly turned into a cartoon character that few of us recognized. Hero or villain, that just wasn’t the person we knew.
Cartoon versions of reality abound. Just read any newspaper comment section for two minutes (or more than a few newspaper opinion pages), or browse your Facebook feed. It’s not only disappointing, but downright dangerous that so many people choose to live in their own black and white fantasy worlds and forcefully believe that everyone else should, too.
* Greg Tejeda…
Now I’m not about to tag “crooked cop” all over Gliniewicz’s name. Personally, I think anybody who is obsessed with doing so is missing the point. They’re definitely wasting their time.
Although I do find some contempt for those people who got all bent out of shape by those who initially challenged the image of a “heroic cop” for Gliniewicz. Those were the people so eager to constantly deify police officers that they can’t accept the reality I came to a long time ago when it came to my dealings as a reporter-type person with law enforcement officials.
They’re human beings! Just like everybody else.
We are, indeed, all just human beings. We’re all a little different and strange in our own dark little corners. Even so, most of us try to do good things. For all his many faults, Gliniewicz was locally beloved for his good works before he killed himself because of his bad works.
Human beings are not gods. We shouldn’t declare our “faith” in them. We should recognize that, once we’ve grown into adulthood, everybody will occasionally disappoint, some much more than others. It’s simply the reality of being an adult and part of the oftentimes puzzling beauty of living on this planet.
/rant
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All over the place
Friday, Nov 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP at 8:09 am on October 30th…
A spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner says Illinois environmental officials are working to abide by new federal power plant limits that are being challenged by more than two dozen other states.
Rauner responded cautiously after the early August unveiling of President Barack Obama’s much-anticipated Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from domestic power plants.
Spokeswoman Catherine Kelly tells The Associated Press the Illinois EPA “is still reviewing the rule and determining potential compliance pathways.”
* Greg Hinz on October 30th…
After months of holding fire, Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Rep. Tammy Duckworth is ripping GOP incumbent Mark Kirk on what has been one of his traditional strengths in this left-leaning state: the environment.
In a statement, Duckworth spokesman Matt McGrath accused the incumbent of “gestures (that) do not get emptier than this” and charged Kirk with trying to kill a needed clean-power plan.
But Team Kirk suggested Duckworth is trying to curry favor with green groups that are helping finance her campaign and described the senator as an “aggressive” advocate of cleaning up the Great Lakes.
At issue is Kirk’s decision earlier in the week to formally oppose the limits on power plants proposed by President Barack Obama. The president says the limits are needed to curb greenhouse gases and carbon pollution, but conservatives say there would be a big economic cost, with Kirk citing the potential impact on Illinois’ coal industry.
* AP at 1:07 pm on October 30th…
A spokeswoman for Gov. Bruce Rauner says Illinois officials are still reviewing their options regarding federal power plant limits being challenged by more than two dozen other states.
Rauner responded cautiously after the August unveiling of President Barack Obama’s much-anticipated Clean Power Plan to reduce greenhouse gas emissions from domestic power plants.
Spokeswoman Catherine Kelly says the Illinois EPA “is still reviewing the rule and determining potential compliance pathways.”
The governor’s office says the AP made a mistake with its original report and the second story is the accurate one. An AP employee didn’t respond to an e-mail asking for clarification, but the quote remained the same, so I’m betting it was an error. Either way, the governor can take action without legislative authority here and he is one of just a tiny number of governors who won’t say where they stand.
* Hinz on November 4th…
Attorney General Lisa Madigan today joined attorneys general from 17 other states in seeking to intervene in a case pending before a U.S. Court of Appeals that could block proposed anti-carbon pollution rules issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.
The rules have been bitterly attacked as an over-reach by much of the power industry, with attorneys general from other states moving to overturn them in court.
* The usually staunchly pro-coal Southern Illinoisan on October 31st…
Thumbs up to the Rauner administration for its willingness to comply with new Environmental Protection Agency clean air standards.
More than two dozen states are suing the federal agency, looking to upend the limits on greenhouse gas emissions. Illinois, however, is researching ways to comply, according to Rauner’s staff.
Climate change is real. And policies such as the EPA’s are an appropriate response.
* Kurt Erickson today…
Lawmakers who represent Illinois coal country are bristling at Attorney General Lisa Madigan’s decision to support the Obama administration’s new clean energy rules.
With the rules expected to impact coal production and coal-burning power plants, members of the Illinois House and Senate say jobs in their downstate districts could be lost if the administration beats back a challenge from states that oppose the regulations.
“It does strike a chord with me. I don’t appreciate that,” state Rep. Brandon Phelps, D-Harrisburg, said Thursday. “I want Lisa Madigan to be attorney general for the whole state. We are one big state. We cannot live without these coal jobs.”
Illinois ranks fourth in the nation in coal production, with nearly 5,000 miners earning an average salary of about $85,000 per year. The number of miners has been reduced by more than half over the past 20 years because of increased regulation and mechanization.
Phelps represents Saline County, one of the top coal producing counties in Illinois.
* Meanwhile, in a seemingly unrelated development…
Dynegy says it’s closing its Wood River [coal-fired] Power Station in southern Illinois because of economic reasons.
The company said in a news release Wednesday it’s closing the 465-megawatt facility in Alton because of its “uneconomic operation” in a “poorly designed wholesale capacity market” in central and southern Illinois. That system, the company said, doesn’t allow generators to recover costs.
The facility has to compete in capacity auctions, Dynegy said, with plants in other states with regulated markets and higher guaranteed compensation.
“Mixing these two regulatory regimes together in the same capacity auction puts all generating units in central and southern Illinois at financial risk regardless of fuel type, shifting jobs and the economic benefits of hosting generating plants from central and southern Illinois to neighboring states,” Dynegy said.
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Paper makes exception to its impasse support
Friday, Nov 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The Southern Illinoisan’s editorial board appears to be having an identity crisis.
This is from an October 30th editorial blasting former Gov. Jim Edgar for publicly advising Gov. Bruce Rauner to focus on a “doable” solution to the impasse…
But Illinois can’t continue running up massive debts and spending billions more than it brings in. Taxpayers need relief. Union power must be brought under control. Widespread inefficiency throughout state government must be streamlined.
Reimagining what’s “doable” will cause strife throughout Illinois in the short term. Any paradigm shift causes a tremor or two.
Edgar’s shot at his fellow Republican shows, yet again, just how pervasive the dogma that brought Illinois to its knees is within the old guard.
Rauner has no choice but ignore what Edgar considers “doable.” He’s instead operating with “what must be done.”
* Fast-forward to today and they’re no longer all-in on the impasse. They want local Republican state Rep. Terri Bryant to vote for the child care funding bill, regardless of the impact on the state’s fiscal position…
We’ve supported much of Rauner’s controversial “Turn Around Agenda.” Worker’s Compensation Insurance is too costly to businesses in Illinois. A freeze on property taxes would force constantly expanding local governments to right-size. But Rauner’s CCAP cuts, essentially locking out 90 percent of would-be participants, would drive single mothers out of the workforce. It would expand the welfare rolls. It would, ultimately, cost Illinois more than it saves. […]
(W)hen asked Thursday whether she’ll support the bill already approved by the Senate, Bryant tap-danced around an answer.
“If the state doesn’t have the money, how genuine is it to cast a vote to fund it?” Bryant queried, leaving us with the sense that she’s leaning against the Democratic legislation. […]
Growing pains are required. Illinois cannot continue to trod on as it has for decades, amassing debt and pumping cash into a failing pension system. We get it, governor.
But gutting CCAP is a master class in counterproductivity. Terri Bryant should do all she can to assure Illinois’s women get a fair shake.
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* From the Daily Chronicle…
There are approximately 490 nonprofit organizations in DeKalb County, according to information Dawn Littlefield, executive director of Kishwaukee United Way, presented. Not only do some of them provide social services or other aid to thousands of residents, collectively, they employ about 7,000 people.
But Littlefield said many agencies are in financial distress. Her parent agency, United Way, reports that more than 60 percent of the county’s nonprofit organizations, which do such things as provide services to working families and battered women, aid seniors in independent living, and serve as resources for low-income individuals and families, have enough cash to last no more than three months. Another 20 percent have less than a month’s cash on hand. Program, service and staff cuts have been made at nearly half of the service agencies and at least 1 in 8 have closed programs altogether.
“I can’t stand here and say to you tonight that Safe Passage is going to be able to go on after January or February,” said Mary Ellen Schaid, executive director of the domestic and sexual abuse advocacy organization.
* From the Telegraph…
Francis Gonzales, an Alton senior, said he relies on SSP’s Meals on Wheels programs to deliver hot meals to his home. Since the budget impasse, SSP has had to cut drivers from the program and drop the meal deliveries from five days a week to only two. The organization currently serves 630 seniors in 22 townships and has a waiting list of 110 people.
…Adding… McDonough County Voice…
Delays in Medicaid payments due to the state budget impasse are negatively impacting access to mental health services, said Kenny Boyd, president and CEO of the McDonough District Hospital. Boyd said North Central Behavioral Health services in Macomb has had to cut back to “bare bones” due to Medicaid payment delays, so MDH is experiencing a large influx of new patients. The hospital has had 100 new clients apply for its Behavioral Health Services this month, and cannot take new ones for at least another month. He said the behavioral health unit is struggling to even handle its emergency services.
Boyd said MDH has worked with Macomb Police Chief Curt Barker and Sheriff Rick Van Brooker for the past six to eight months to try to manage an increasing number of people with mental health issues getting jailed. Boyd said the Medicaid payment problems have caused patients who need services to “ping-pong” between the mental health system, jail and the community.
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The McCarter plot thickens
Friday, Nov 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Uh-oh…
In the months leading up to his announcement that he’s seeking a congressional seat, state Sen. Kyle McCarter spent more than $33,000 from his state campaign fund on a political consultant.
He used that state account to pay the consultant even though he wouldn’t be facing re-election as a state senator until 2016.
That same consultant — Elizabeth Van Holt, owner of Isaiah Consulting in Downers Grove — showed up with McCarter when he announced his congressional candidacy on Oct. 7 in Highland.
Here’s the rub: Money from a state campaign fund isn’t supposed to be used for a federal campaign. […]
“This is an attempt by those opposing me to make something of nothing,” said McCarter, a Republican from Lebanon. “If there was anything wrong, I wouldn’t have done it. This was an eight-month contract that I had with Isaiah, and it pertained to my position in the state.”
He’s challenging an incumbent (John Shimkus) in a primary, so things are gonna get brutal. And he doesn’t have a whole lot of friends in Illinois politics, so it’s not like allies will be streaming to his side.
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Illinois’ “most unusual” ancestry
Friday, Nov 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I know quite a lot of Assyrians, so this popped out at me…
Based on Census data, 24/7 Wall St. reviewed the percentage of state residents who identify as one of 158 different ethnicities — the most common answers to the ancestry question. Survey respondents were not given a list of options. The largest percentage relative to the comparable national proportion is a state’s most unusual ancestry.
A state’s most unusual ethnic group is not necessarily the state’s largest demographic. In fact, the most unique heritage group in only three states made up more than 10% of that state’s population. In every other case, members of the most unusually concentrated demography accounted for less than 1% of state residents. However, that demographic accounts for an even — and often much smaller — share of the U.S. population. […]
Illinois
Most unique ancestry: Assyrian
> Percentage of state residents identifying as Assyrian: 0.1%
> Share of U.S. Assyrian population living in state: 27.8%
Although just 0.1% of Illinois residents identify as Assyrian, it is 10 times the 0.01% of Americans who do, making Assyrian the most unique heritage in the state. America is home to just 38,626 Assyrians, and 27.8% of them live in Illinois. Assyrian immigrants came to the United States in two large waves — the first concurrent with start of World War I and the second with turmoil in the Middle East during the 1970s. Assyrian refugees relocated mostly to Chicago, Detroit, and Northern California, where some Assyrian American settlers and sojourners had established communities before WWI. Today, Chicago is home to the largest Assyrian population in the country, and the second largest in the world after Iraq. Illinois is also home to high relative concentrations of residents with Luxemburger, Palestinian, and Jordanian ancestry.
I had no idea we had a lot of Luxemburgers here.
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Today’s number: $2.05 billion
Friday, Nov 6, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* COGFA…
As Illinois continues operations without an enacted budget, the State Employee Group Insurance Program (SEGIP) has built up significant claims to be paid out.
As of the end of October, approximately $2.05 billion in claims are being held by the state from various insurers, organizations, and companies.
Of this total, the largest portion is approximately $1.08 billion of Managed Care claims. The second largest line, Prescription, OAP, and Mental Health claims, totals $598 million. The third largest portion of the overall claims hold comes from CIGNA, which has $291 million in claims currently held by the state. Concurrently, the estimated time for claims to be held is 360 days for Managed Care, 293 days for CIGNA, and 271-357 days for Prescriptions/OAPs/Mental Health.
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* Liz Goodwin…
I had been talking to Alexander Nix, the CEO of the data analytics firm Cambridge Analytica, for only a few minutes before he noticed my leopard-print shoes, and complimented them.
“I’ll put it in your personality file,” Nix joked.
“Does this mean you can already predict my personality?” I asked warily.
“Oh, yes,” Nix said, brushing imaginary dust off his slacks. “We’ve modeled every personality of every voter in the United States.”
If one were to try to imagine the person who claims to know every single American personality, one would probably not think of Nix, an Eton-educated Englishman in a tweed coat who speaks in fluid, grammatically correct paragraphs of his company’s microtargeting strategy. But presidential candidates from Sen. Ted Cruz to Ben Carson are turning to Nix’s massive database and algorithm so they can reach voters likely to support them with specific messages tailored not to their age, race or gender — but to their fundamental natures.
Go read the rest.
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Crime and punishment
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* I’ve become a big fan of AlderTrack this year for publishing stories that the other media is ignoring, like this fascinating piece…
Public testimony turned into a die-in and shouting match at Tuesday’s Cook County Board of Commissioners hearing on the proposed FY2016 budget, with an unusual heated exchange between Commissioners Robert Steele (2) and Deborah Sims(10), and a young woman advocating for $2 million in funding for restorative justice programs across the county. Roughly 20 activists, many in orange tees from Community Renewal Society, participated. The group also staged a vigil at a public hearing in Skokie.
Commissioners Steele and Sims’ exchanges with one protester, Victoria Crider, lasted more than 30 minutes.
“If you can come up with $7 million to lock people up, you can come up with $2 million to keep them away,” Crider, of FLY (Fearless Leading by the Youth) said, telling commissioners of color they should support a $2 million earmark for restorative justice programs. Steele, who hours before had committed to raising more funds for the program, told protesters, “Don’t depend on Cook County to bail everybody out. Ask foundations and corporations to invest in this.” He told protesters they should partner with commissioners, but was interrupted by Crider. The two, united on the issue a few hours earlier, spoke over each other about funding for the Cook County Jail.
Crider argued with Comm. Sims as well, insisting the County stop funding the jail, “those prisons aren’t stopping shootings from happening… And the police officers that you’ve got on the street, those are the ones that you need to see in prison,” she said, to applause from supporters.
After trying to explain why the County’s jails were necessary to lock up criminals like the shooter who killed a 9 year old boy the day before, Sims eventually lost her patience with Crider, who spoke over her repeatedly. She suggested Crider picked a poor target to argue with about gang violence, putting up her hand mid-sentence, “I live in Roseland, the Wild 100s, so you can’t talk to me.”
Finance Chairman Daley said Crider’s time at the podium was over, and Comm. Schneider spoke up, saying he supported Chicago police. A shouting match started up again, with one protester saying Chicago policemen had raped women in her community, and Crider continuing to argue with commissioners as she and other protesters left the Board room. Daley had the last word. “What are you going to tell the parents of that little baby? Don’t lock that individual up? Give me a break… Next speaker.”
The strong pockets of radicalism in Chicago never cease to fascinate me. Click here to subscribe to AlderTrack. It’s worth it.
* Meanwhile, this story appears to have disappeared from the Sun-Times website, but 2nd City Cop posted it…
Chicago Police officials are concerned the killing of 9-year-old Tyshawn Lee could set off a spree of violence targeting gang members’ innocent relatives — who have been considered off limits in the past, a law enforcement source said Wednesday.
The development came as Chicago police said a person of interest in the killing had turned himself in to police for questioning with his attorney this afternoon. Police declined to comment further.
After Tyshawn’s shooting, Police Supt. Garry McCarthy hopes Chicago’s gang conflicts don’t “go to a different level,” the source said.
Officers monitoring social media have flagged discussions of gang members speaking of possible retaliation against other gang members’ families.
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[The following is a paid advertisement.]
EXELON CEO CHRIS CRANE – “A PHENOMENAL YEAR FOR US”
Today, Exelon announced third quarter 2015 profits of $629 MILLION. Yes, you read that right. Exelon has made more than $2.0 BILLION in the first nine months of this year. And yet despite their good fortune, Exelon still demands a corporate bailout even as our state budget crisis goes from bad to horrendous. They have promised to return to the ILGA with a full court bailout push in 2016!
IN THE THIRD QUARTER, EXELON MADE NEARLY SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS A DAY or $284,873 AN HOUR
On this morning’s earnings call, Exelon CEO Chris Crane described 2015 and said, “This is a phenomenal year for us.”
OTHER EXELON NEWS: ALL ILLINOIS PLANTS TO REMAIN OPEN
- Yesterday, Exelon announced that Clinton would remain open through at least 2017.
- Exelon previously announced that because Quad Cities and Byron cleared the PJM auctions, Quad will remain open through at least 2017 and Byron will remain open through at least 2018.
Struggling Illinois ratepayers have had enough.
Just say no to the Exelon Bailout.
www.noexelonbailout.com
s.
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses.
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Plant Closures Show the Need for Action in Illinois
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In the past month, two nuclear plants have announced their premature closure - the FitzPatrick plant outside Syracuse, NY and the Pilgrim plant outside Boston, MA - due to economic challenges stemming from a failure to properly value the plants for their reliable, carbon emissions –free energy.
These closures will be devastating to the economies of the communities in which they operate and efforts to reduce carbon emissions resulting in:
• Over 1,200 lost jobs;
• $600 million in lost economic activity; and
• Loss of a leading source of carbon emissions-free energy.
This comes on the heels of similar closures announced in Wisconsin and Vermont in recent years that have produced similar losses to those states.
According to a State of Illinois report, the premature closure of at-risk plants in Illinois would yield even more severe consequences here at home including:
• Nearly 8,000 lost jobs;
• $1.8 billion annually in lost economic activity;
• Up to $500 million in higher energy costs statewide; and
• Up to 38.7 million metric tons in increased carbon emissions at a cost of up to $1.1 billion per year.
Illinois cannot afford to let this happen.
We need policy reforms like the Low Carbon Portfolio Standard that properly recognize and value the significant amount of carbon-free electricity that comes from Illinois’ nuclear fleet to level the playing field for all forms of clean energy and best position our state to meet EPA’s new carbon reduction rules.
Learn more about the benefits of nuclear energy at www.NuclearPowersIllinois.com
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Question of the day
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a Feb. 25, 2015 Tribune story…
Gov. Bruce Rauner on Wednesday convened what was billed as the first meeting of his Cabinet, telling agency leaders that they’ll be asked to do more with less, but that he’s willing to “take the arrows” along the way.
“I wish this year was going to be all happy, and you know, happy feet. This is not going to be a happy feet year,” Rauner told the group of about 50 officials gathered in a Capitol meeting room. “This is going to be pretty rough, but we’re going to get through it. And I tell you, in 24 months we’re going to be on a very different trajectory as a state.”
That means we only have to wait 478 more days until prosperity begins sprouting all over the place!
* The Question: What will Feb. 25, 2017 look like? Snark is heavily encouraged, of course.
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Look past the heat and at the numbers
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* SEIU Healthcare’s child care analyst Beth Berendsen issued a statement to reporters yesterday about the governor’s push against the child care assistance program funding bill. I didn’t post it because, frankly, I’m trying to tone things down a bit and the rhetoric was pretty darned incendiary.
However, the numbers in the release are important, so do your best to look past the foaming at the mouth and instead skim through to the highlighted numbers…
The Bruce Rauner administration’s cynical political screed released today regarding Senate Bill 570, which reverses his arbitrary rules changes to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP), exposes a shocking truth: That his unprecedented eligibility requirements, which have made Illinois dead last in the nation in providing safe and affordable child care to working parents, truly are destroying the program.
The Rauner justification, released in advance of an expected vote Nov. 10 on SB570 and most certainly meant to influence wavering members of his caucus, states that more than 90,000 children currently are receiving CCAP subsidies. This number represents a reduction of 80,000 in the average number of children served in the previous eight years. The 90,000 figure also represents a decrease BY HALF of the children that were served in FY2015. This is devastating.
What Rauner did today is reveal a program deterioration so rapid that it is a drop of 70,000 children being served in just three months— down from the 160,000 figure provided by the former state CCAP administrator, Linda Saterfield, in her August 11th testimony to the Joint Committee on Administrative Rules, a statement that led to her dismissal for openly admitting that the impact of Rauner’s cuts would be “devastating.” She was right.
Recent research has shown that more than 1 in 5 children in Illinois are living in poverty, meaning more than 600,000 children. In Illinois, a recent report from the nonpartisan Economic Policy Institute showed that a full-time minimum-wage earner would have to spend 74% of their annual earnings on child care for an infant without assistance. And yet, under the rules justified in what Rauner released today, full-time minimum wage earners no longer qualify for CCAP. How can this be justified?
Work supports, including the Child Care Assistance Program, are vital to helping low-income parents continue to work and access high-quality child care which improve child outcomes and stability, goals to which Rauner has professed. But the number that Rauner now boasts about—90,000 children currently being served— represents a heartbreaking loss of opportunity for 90,000 others without his level of personal fortune. It also reminds us that he is interested exclusively in political power and has no concept or care in investing in real solutions to help the struggling families of Illinois.
Whether wittingly or not, what Rauner released today actually provides complete and compelling *justification* for passage of Senate Bill 570.
Rhetoric like that won’t help with Republican lawmakers, but if the House Democrats have all 71 members in town next week, it will probably help with that caucus.
Even so… whew.
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Charters say they’re doing pretty well
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Other than the fear of competition by existing schools and the lack of automatic union enrollment, I don’t really get the virulent opposition to charter schools. Are there problems with some charters? Heck, yes. But, to me, there ought to be alternatives to the industrial model school system for people who can’t afford private schools. Charters aren’t for everybody, but that’s precisely the point.
Reboot…
Today, there are 145 charter schools in Illinois and 90 percent of them are in Chicago. A recent policy brief from the Illinois Network of Charter Schools, “Achieving the Dream: Chicago Charter High Schools Improve Academic and Life Outcomes for Students,” compared the academic performance of Chicago’s 48 charter high schools to the rest of the city’s non-selective district high schools.
Charts…
Discuss.
…Adding… The IFT asks that you click here.
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Yeah, this’ll work
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Kerry Lester…
Rob Sherman, the Buffalo Grove-based atheist and activist, tells me he plans to call Illinois House Republican Leader Jim Durkin and demand that GOP state Rep. Jeannie Ives of Wheaton be removed from the House Elementary and Secondary Education Appropriations Committee for having taxpayer-funded kids activity books printed amid the state budget impasse and then sending some to her children’s Catholic school.
The Illinois Constitution forbids using public funds “in aid of any church or sectarian purpose,” but Sherman says his main concern is the books went to a school her children attend.
Ives calls Sherman’s complaint “complete and utter silliness” and says the books cost a total of $130 and have been distributed to children throughout the district. The ones given to the Catholic school, she says, were left over from a kids boot camp she sponsors each summer at Cantigny Park in Wheaton. She also noted she annually returns thousands in office funds to the state.
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The true believers want this war
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Crain’s Chicago Business attracts several commenters who know how to write well, and I sometimes find them helpful because they say things that elected officials and others just won’t. For instance, this was posted to a column of mine by a frequent Crain’s commenter who goes by the name of Glenn Farkas…
Sally, I’m not missing the point at all. Rich’s article is a ruse. The state has been run like an organized crime syndicate for decades, so advising Rauner that if he would just stop leaning on the mobsters they might just come around and be altar boys. We elected him to shake up/break up Springfield, and it will probably get worse before it gets better. The single biggest factor in this state’s downfall is directly correlated to the Democratic politicians and their collusion with unions. The unions will never give up their golden goose w/o a fight and the Democrats can’t offend their primary donor base and election workforce. We have no other choice, and if you think the economy is bad now, keep heading down the road we’re on with none of Rauner’s reforms and the state will be in receivership within 5 years.
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Dedication to People – The Credit Union Difference
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Exactly what is the ‘Credit Union Difference’? Just ask Mae Powley, Manager of Pontiac-Dwight Prison Employees Credit Union.
“We really enjoy getting to know our members personally. We consider them part of our extended family. Members are friends, not just account numbers.”
From those who consider their credit union as a trusted place to help meet daily budgetary needs to those who are on the other side of the counter helping fellow members build strong financial futures, credit unions are all about “People Helping People”. So when Mae talks about the credit union as an extended family, she lives it. That’s because she is a member herself along with 1,100 other current and retired Illinois Department of Corrections employees and their family members – and has served alongside them as manager for the past 42 years.
Credit unions are able to better serve their communities because of their not-for-profit cooperative structure and leadership of a volunteer board elected by and from the local membership. Illinois credit unions: putting the “people” behind their fundamental philosophy.
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Unclear on the concept
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the Illinois Policy Institute…
[Innovation Illinois’ Elizabeth Austin] also incorrectly described Illinois as having a “regressive flat income tax rate.” This is a contradiction in terms — a tax rate cannot be both regressive and flat. Since Illinois’ income tax rate is flat, everyone pays the same rate on all taxable income.
They can’t really be that clueless, can they?
Investopedia…
A regressive tax is generally a tax that is applied uniformly. This means that it hits lower-income individuals harder.
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Today’s number: $175 million
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bloomberg…
When Illinois returns to the municipal market after its unprecedented 18-month borrowing drought, it may find its budget impasse will cost taxpayers millions of dollars in the coming decades.
On a $1 billion offering of 25-year tax-exempt bonds, it would cost about $175 million more now than if an equal amount was issued with spreads at 2014 levels, based on data compiled by Bloomberg that assumes the yield equals the interest rate paid. Now in its fifth month without a spending plan, signs are mounting that debt sales for cash-strapped Illinois are only going to get more expensive.
* But, really, this quote shows how this whole thing is a bit rigged…
Long-term, the budget situation is fixable, according to Ty Schoback, a senior analyst in Minneapolis at Columbia Threadneedle Investments LLC, which holds some Illinois debt among its $30 billion of municipal holdings.
“As long as there’s adequate compensation in price, in addition to us having a view that they will ultimately come to a fix and get past this political gridlock, we certainly would consider additional purchases,” said Schoback. “You need to be compensated for the headline risk and the political uncertainty and these BBB+ downgrades.”
“Headline risk”? C’mon. What is that about?
Illinois has some of the strongest bond payback legal requirements in the country. Right now, child care, higher education and other programs are being slashed at least partly so the state can afford to make its bond payments on time.
The only people who truly believe Illinois is about to default on its bonds are newspaper website commenters.
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How can we miss you if you won’t go away?
Thursday, Nov 5, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* If Hillary Clinton wins the White House, and history follows its usual pattern here,her first midterm will be pretty awful for Illinois Democrats. Knowing that, top tier Dems may take a pass on challenging the super-wealthy Republican Bruce Rauner. Maybe I’m wrong, though, and some do emerge because maybe Rauner is super unpopular by then (although the national political mood tends to influence state races more than the state mood). I could be mistaken. But whatever happens, I think that a Hillary win is Pat Quinn’s best hope to win the nomination again. The general election is quite another matter…
The former longtime gadfly-turned-governor is working behind the scenes to get support for what amounts to an “I told you so” re-election campaign, several Democratic sources say, making calls and setting up lunches and coffees to make his pitch. Quinn has also been more visible of late, including on Wednesday when he joined a group of stagehands protesting in Chicago. Sources say that Quinn asked for speaking roles at this year’s Illinois State Fair in Springfield and the county chairmen’s breakfast.
Quinn argues he should have a chance to go before voters again and tell them he was right all along in advocating to make his controversial “temporary” income tax hike permanent. The risky election-year tax proposal sucked up much oxygen in the last months of Quinn’s unsuccessful campaign against Rauner, a political rookie. Rauner, a wealthy private equity investor, asked lawmakers not to extend the tax before he took office. They obliged. […]
But Quinn’s dreams may be dead on arrival. As the operative who described Quinn’s pitch put it, “I haven’t heard anyone who’s taking it seriously. I think everyone is in agreement, our fundamental problem with our last election was our candidate.”
Another major Democratic insider pointed to the numbers, noting that in 2014, “650,000 people voted for the minimum wage referendum who didn’t vote for Pat Quinn. That tells you something.”
When Speaker Madigan said that Bruce Rauner didn’t really win last year, Pat Quinn lost, that was probably as much of a message to the former governor as it was to the current one. Or, at least, it should’ve been.
It’s no secret, by the way, that Quinn has been plotting this race almost since his 2014 defeat. He’s been popping up at events lately, including just this week at a union protest.
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Good news, bad news and… What the heck?
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Good news for the city…
Kraft Heinz announced Wednesday that it will move Oscar Mayer and the company’s U.S. meats business from Madison, Wis., to Chicago — a move that will add 250 jobs to Chicago’s Aon Center.
* Bad news for Downstate manufacturing…
Kraft will eliminate an undisclosed number of jobs at its Champaign plant as it moves its cheese production operation to other facilities.
“We are planning to move cheese production from our Champaign, Illinois, facility to other factories within our network,” Michael Mullen, senior vice president of corporate and government affairs for Kraft Heinz, said in a statement. “The move will take approximately 24 months to complete and will make Champaign a center-of-excellence in dry and sauce production. As a result of this decision we do expect there to be job losses in Champaign.”
* And then there’s this…
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McCarter hit for campaign spending
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The FEC can get really cranky about stuff like this…
State Sen. Kyle McCarter spent more than $33,000 on a campaign consultant in the four months before he announced his bid for Congress against Republican U.S. Rep. John Shimkus.
While that kind of spending isn’t unusual in the lead-up to a run for political office, the Republican from Lebanon tapped his state campaign account for the consulting work — a move that experts say likely would be prohibited under federal campaign laws if the work went toward his race for Congress. […]
“It’s not related to Congress,” McCarter said of the spending. […]
A review of records filed with the Illinois State Board of Elections shows that between June 1 and Sept. 29, McCarter wrote three checks worth a total of $33,675 to Downers Grove-based Isaiah Consulting.
By contrast, McCarter previously used Isaiah for three campaign mailing jobs worth a total of $1,232.
It’s not a lot of money at all, but, again, the FEC can be evil meanies.
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* Natasha…
The Rauner administration is vehemently pushing against SB570, which lawmakers are to take up in overtime session next week. The bill would limit the power administration’s have over managing a state program in time of financial crisis. Advocacy groups have blasted Rauner for changing rules to the Child Care Assistance Program (CCAP) leading one group to erect billboards warning of Rauner’s “dangerous cuts.”
– In a memo obtained by POLITICO Illinois, the administration describes “high costs and unintended consequences” of the bill. “If enacted on January 1, 2016, the bill would add $220 million in program costs for the duration of Fiscal Year 2016 and have an annualized cost in excess of $800 million,” the memo says. READ THE MEMO: http://politi.co/1GLp6vr
* From the governor’s office…
Hi, Rich –
Hope you’re well.
I wanted to pass along the attached memo and the following statement to you. The statement is attributable to me.
“Unfortunately, rather than passing a budget, the Majority wants to politicize this issue. But with a huge price tag for taxpayers and a number of unintended consequences outlined in the memo, the bill presents a real problem for centrist Democrats, especially those who portray themselves as fiscal conservatives. The bill doesn’t just roll back a single emergency rule — it mandates nearly a billion dollars of annual spending regardless of available resources and threatens the viability of the program over the long run. Additionally, even if they pass this - there’s still no money to pay for CCAP so it won’t fix the underlying issue. Bad for taxpayers, bad for child care. It is a plainly political bill that would create as many problems as it pretends to solve.”
Thanks,
ck
Again, the DHS memo is here.
* However, back in August, DHS said it couldn’t determine the bill’s fiscal impact…
Fiscal Note (Dept. of Human Services)
Though the fiscal impact is indeterminable at this time, the amendment would provide the Department with little or no flexibility to manage the Child Care Program and live within established appropriations.
* Groups including Mrs. Rauner’s Ounce of Prevention sent their own letter today. The full response letter to legislators is here. Excerpt…
- 80,000 Illinois families are able to enter and remain in the work force
- 69,000 skilled early childhood education workers are employed in early learning facilities
- 46,450 employers in Illinois rely on CCAP to ensure their employees have a safe place to leave their children and are able to come to work every day
- CCAP generated $2.6 billion in revenue in 2014. For every 100 jobs created in child care, 56 are created in other industries. For every $100 spent on child care, $213 is spent in the economy
* However, nowhere in that letter was anything addressing the new DHS cost claims. So, I circled back to our pal Emily Miller at Voices for Illinois Children. Her response…
Hi Rich,
By now you have received a memo from a group of organizations encouraging lawmakers and the governor to support SB570, a bill that reverses dangerous cuts to child care implemented unilaterally by the Rauner Administration on July 1, 2015.
Notably absent from that memo is direct repudiation of numbers the administration put forward in its own memo issued this morning. That was intentional. The administration’s memo does not include information regarding how they arrived at their numbers - it simply states numbers as though they are factual.
For example, advocates cannot dissect claims of program costs when we are unsure what baseline is being used—are we comparing program costs from before the Governor’s devastating cuts, or after the cuts, when the administration turned away 15,000 children in the first month of the changes?
And what is the baseline for the annualized costs? The pre-cut levels? The post-cut levels? These are questions advocates do not know the answers to, and since we are unwilling to make numbers up, we are unable to refute the Governor’s claims as a result.
What we do know is that while the legislation would require restoring funding for the operation of the child care program, the cost of NOT funding the program is far greater than $220 million, or even $800 million (numbers used in the administration’s memo) due to the devastating impact that the Rauner Administration’s actions are having on working families. That is why advocates have for years called on Illinois lawmakers to identify revenue to sustain the program at the level necessary to meet the identified need.
No serious policymaker can honestly say investing in quality child care for working parents doesn’t save the state money in the short-and long-term. That’s why the coalition joined together to assess the real value of the CCAP program in Illinois. And that’s why we unanimously support the passage of SB570.
Thanks.
Emily Miller
Director, Policy and Advocacy
Voices for Illinois Children
* Related…
* Survey: Rauner’s Child Care Cuts Hitting Families, Providers Hard: Nearly 2,500 families from 100 child care centers in Illinois have lost access to state subsidized daycare because of the Rauner administration’s cuts to the program, according to a new survey of child care providers in the state.
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Oh, please
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The DePaulia…
It wasn’t business as usual Monday morning as hundreds showed up to march through Chicago’s Financial District for this week’s #MoralMonday protest, where demonstrators gathered to fight Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposed budget. […]
“People are taking to the streets and shutting down the Board of Trade today because we can’t cut any more services,” Buck said. “We are in crisis and that is why we are here today.”
Dude, you didn’t shut down the Board of Trade. You blocked a doorway for a few minutes.
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Today’s quotable
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From the commenter known as “Rod Sez I’m Pork”…
Hi Rich,
I am no longer a nonprofit executive director and I took a hiatus from Capitol Fax for my own sanity. I started reading it whenever I need an emetic.
I contacted our luminaries on behalf of my daughter who is a CPS sophomore. I politely urged them to put politics aside and provide the needed financial support for CPS. I know it probably isn’t going to happen, but I have a kid in AP US History, so I have to feign some sort of belief in our political system. I was amused by Governor Rauner’s “reply.”
Dear David,
I appreciate you taking the time to reach out to my office about public education funding in Illinois. My staff is reviewing your message. Please know I value your opinion and thank you for sharing it with me. Hearing from people in Illinois gives me a better idea of what is impacting local communities across the state. Knowing those opinions helps me make decisions for you in Springfield.
Please feel free to contact me in the future. My office phone numbers are (217) 782-0244 and (312) 814-2121.
Sincerely,
Governor Bruce Rauner
I truly appreciate the Governor making decisions for me. It allows me more time to perfect my guppy fish at feeding time impression.
Anyhow, I thought you would appreciate the sentiment.
Happy birthday Oscar, whenever it is.
Emphasis added.
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* HR 839…
Short Description: DEFEND PORK & BACON
Synopsis As Introduced
Calls upon the leaders of the State of Illinois to recognize and continue to defend the importance of bacon and other pork products, along with the pork producers, to the economy, job growth, and the consumer preference of the people of Illinois.
* Erickson…
Against the backdrop of a recent report linking processed meat to cancer, six Republicans introduced a resolution last week showing their support of bacon and other pork products.
Asked Tuesday if the proposal stems from the World Health Organization report warning about the health effects of eating certain meat products, state Rep. Steve Andersson of Geneva said, “You betcha. It was in direct response to that.”
Members of the newly rendered bacon lobby include Andersson, Avery Bourne of Raymond, Grant Wehrli of Naperville, Mark Batinick of Plainfield, Reggie Phillips of Charleston and Keith Wheeler of Oswego.
All are freshmen members of the House.
* My BBQ guru is Craig “Meathead” Goldwyn. Meathead is keenly interested in the science of cooking, so, as I always do with anything meat-related, I checked his site on the topic…
The report is problematic and extensive mainstream and social media coverage has been sensational, unquestioning, and often flat out wrong.
Let’s start with the fact that of the 22 scientists from 10 countries on the panel, 15 voted for the conclusions that were published and 7 disagreed or abstained. Usually these panels seek consensus and one prominent food safety scientist I discussed the results with was surprised at how far they were from consensus. Why the significant dissent and why publish such far reaching conclusions designed to change lifestyles and damage livlihoods with a vote of only 68%? And why publish only a summary? Where is the full report? […]
Many media reports equated the meats with cigarettes because they are both Group 1. As an NPR listener and donor I was shocked to read this headline on their website “Bacon, sausage and other processed meats are now ranked alongside cigarettes and asbestos as known carcinogens.” After several days they changed it. […]
So why didn’t they say so in the document so uneducated reporters would know better than to equate cigarettes with bacon? And why not explain the risk? I want to know what the odds are that I’ll get cancer if I eat two slices of bacon with my eggs every morning. The WHO panel says that eating 50 grams of processed meat (less than 2 slices of cooked American style bacon) per day increases your odds of colorectal cancer 18%. And they leave it at that. What the heck does that mean?
The Center For Disease Control (CDC) says that over a lifetime your risk of colorectal cancer, the focus of the WHO research, is under 5%. Two slices of bacon will up the odds to less than 6% not 23% (5% + 18%) as some math challenged reporters have told us.
Heck, according to CDC data, the incidence of colorectal cancer is significantly higher in Pennsylvania than in Maryland. Should we conclude Maryland is bad for your health and evacuate everyone? […]
The panel based its conclusion by studying existing studies, a practice called meta-analysis. Many media reports claimed they looked at 800 studies, but that’s not exactly true. They started with 800 and eliminated all but 15 red meat studies and 18 processed meat studies.
Conclusion? Noted legislative bacon fan and liberal Democrat Rep. Greg Harris ought to join the bacon caucus and co-sponsor this resolution.
*** UPDATE *** From Rep. Steve Andersson…
Rich,
After your comments on the blog today about the Bacon caucus, Rep. Greg Harris called me in the spirit of bipartisanship and asked to be added to the Resolution. Done and done!
Steve
Hooray!
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Somebody needs to call a plumber
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* This story in the Sun-Times about how Kim Foxx hasn’t yet disclosed an in-kind contribution of a poll done on her behalf by Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle months before Foxx opened up a campaign account is a bit on the technical violation side.
But this is most interesting…
Foxx was aware of the January poll when it was conducted but “did not authorize” it, Klonsky said.
Emails obtained by the Sun-Times show Foxx was involved in drafting the poll questions.
Um, wow. Is somebody on the inside leaking campaign e-mails?
This’ll get interesting.
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Rahm in the middle
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The governor has been trying like crazy to drive a wedge between the mayor and Madigan and hopes the CPS crisis will turn up the heat on Emanuel to make the break and side with the governor in favor of his pro-business reforms. In fact, Rauner has predicted that the state budget stalemate will end in January, when a simple majority is needed for passage and Chicago will be desperate for money to avert the need for thousands of teacher layoffs.
But Emanuel’s lavish praise for Madigan at Tuesday’s groundbreaking underscored the speaker’s point: Rauner’s divide-and-conquer strategy is a bust.
“He has not and I don’t think he will” drive a wedge between himself and Emanuel, Madigan said.
“The mayor and I share too many common interests. We’re both Chicagoans. We’re both dedicated to the interests of the city of Chicago, to the Chicago school system. And we’re very dedicated to the principles of the Democratic Party.”
There are those who believe [language at that link, so be advised] that the mayor and the governor are besties who have completely staged their fight.
No doubt there’s significant stage-managing here, as subscribers know.
But Rahm’s in this precarious position because Madigan ain’t making anything up. This fight is all too real to MJM, and he apparently believes that Emanuel is with him.
* Anyway, I just remembered that Oscar’s third birthday is November 18th, the same day that the leaders are meeting together for the first time since late May. If they won’t fix things for Illinois’ sake, or Chicago’s sake or their own sake, maybe they could do it for the puppy?…
…Adding… I misremembered. Oscar’s birthday is the 22nd, not the 18th. I’m a bad dad. And this impasse ain’t never gonna end.
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The “ultimate betrayal”
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Ugh…
Lake County officials who eulogized Fox Lake Police Lt. Charles Joseph Gliniewicz as a hero in the days after he died from a fatal gunshot wound, said Wednesday evidence now shows he staged his death as an apparent homicide to cover years of financial exploitation of the police Explorers post he oversaw.
George Filenko, commander of the Lake County Major Crimes Task Force, called Gliniewicz’s actions the “ultimate betrayal” that included intentionally leaving a staged trail of police equipment at the crime scene in an attempt to mislead police to believe his death was a homicide.
Filenko made the comments during an exclusive Daily Herald interview before a news conference to announce the investigation’s findings that Gliniewicz took a large sum of money from Fox Lake Explorer Post 300. Thousands of dollars was used by Gliniewicz for personal purchases, including travel expenses, mortgage payments, gym memberships, adult websites, facilitating personal loans and unaccounted cash withdrawals, Filenko said.
“There are no winners here,” Filenko said. “Gliniewicz committed the ultimate betrayal to the citizens he served and the entire law enforcement community. The facts of his actions prove he behaved for years in a manner completely contrary to the image he portrayed.
Filenko said Gliniewicz was using the Explorer fund “as his personal bank account.” He added that $250,000 flowed through the account over seven years, and investigators estimated Gliniewicz took about “five figures.”
* More…
Police also say that the investigation into what happened was not over. The investigation “strongly indicates criminal activity on the part of at least two other individuals,” Filenko said, but he added that officials would not comment further on that.
The only hero of this story might be the county coroner, who tried to do his job while the police screamed about how he was hurting their investigation by releasing information.
This case just smelled funny from the beginning.
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Tone it down, please
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Natasha…
[House Speaker Michael Madigan’s press secretary Steve Brown] was asked about former Hawaii Gov. Linda Lingle, who now serves in the governor’s administration as chief operating officer. Rauner has named Lingle among his “superstars” who would help fix the state’s financial mess. Lingle’s hire caught headlines both because of the high-profile nature of having a former governor on board — and her salary. At some $200,000 a year, Lingle is earning more as a Rauner aide than she was as governor of Hawaii.
– Brown suggested — and we’ve heard whispers of this in the past — that Lingle’s hiring had something to do with ties to a close Rauner adviser and strategist Nick Ayers and “dark money” that flowed from groups tied to him and attacked Lingle opponents. Background on that here: http://bit.ly/1RSlisr. Ayers is a Georgia-based political operative and past head of the Republican Governors Association.
– Ayers’ Target Enterprises, which handles campaign ads, was one of the biggest payees during Rauner’s record-breaking, $65 million campaign for governor.
– An audience member asked Brown what evidence he’s seen of her work in the Legislature: Brown said so far she organized a parade for the state fair.
– The Governor’s office slices into “pitiful” Brown: “It’s perplexing why high ranking House Democrats continue to unjustifiably attack top females in the Rauner administration,” spokesman Lance Trover said in a statement to POLITICO Illinois. “It is especially pitiful coming from someone who doubles as a lobbyist while serving as the Speaker’s spokesman. No wonder he’s pathetically protecting the old boys club.”
Brown was out of line. She doesn’t do legislative work, so he wouldn’t really know what her duties are.
Even so, this administration’s staff has singled out several Democrats for attack many times in the past. Just because Lingle is a woman doesn’t make her exempt. This is 2015, not 1955.
Then again, the Democrats have complained about those administration attacks on them, so turnabout should be avoided.
What I’m trying to say here is that everybody ought to just take a chill pill or something and try to show at least a modicum of respect for the other side.
…Adding… Text from a friend…
I was there. Brown made it very clear that she doesn’t work in the legislature, “So I wouldn’t be in the same meetings she is in and know what she does.” That part of the quote didn’t make it.
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Seems about a hundred years ago
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Back in January, the AP asked the state’s business leaders what they’d like to see out of the incoming Rauner administration…
Company leaders are typically among the fiercest proponents of tax cuts. But while many say they’d like to see changes such as the elimination of the state’s franchise tax, they also say the state has few options to generate much-needed money. “You can’t continually cut state government,” [Dennis Larson, executive vice president of the Central Illinois Builders] said. […]
But whatever happens, it needs to happen soon, Illinois Manufacturers’ Association President Gregory Baise said.
“Manufacturers want certainty. They want a tax structure that they know is going to be in place and they can plan,” Baise said. “We may not like the answers the governor is going to come up with. We understand that.” […]
First, “bring our revenues in line with expenditures,” Illinois Chamber of Commerce President Todd Maisch said. “But No. 2, show really every citizen of Illinois that the political process can work.”
Credit to Baise for staying on message since then. Maisch has since dropped his demand that the governor fix the budget first and show us how to make the process work and has instead gone all-in on the impasse.
But by these standards, Illinois is not #winning.
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Can’t anybody play this game?
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* State construction money isn’t being distributed and there’s still lots of untapped bonding authority out there…
Illinois, once a top issuer of municipal bonds, has been absent from the debt market for a year and a half despite having more than $4.8 billion of untapped bond authorization left from a $31 billion, partially bond-funded “Illinois Jobs Now!” program the state enacted in 2009.
Money on hand from state bond sales shrank to $552 million at the end of fiscal 2015 from $2.68 billion at the end of fiscal 2014, according to Moody’s. […]
Metra, the Chicago area’s commuter train operator, said about $400 million of projects, including improvements to 16 stations, two rail yards and a major bridge replacement program, are on hold due to the lack of state bond money.
Our state could use those jobs. And those are easily measurable jobs, not some ideological pie in the sky hoped-for return on anti-union “reforms.”
* Also, this…
A package of fees and taxes meant to pay off the “Jobs Now” bonds has fallen short of its revenue target. This is largely due to underperformance of a video gambling tax as some communities, most notably Chicago, blocked the gaming machines.
The package is expected to generate $830 million this fiscal year, short of legislative projections from 2009 that it would raise $943 million to nearly $1.2 billion annually, according to the Chicago-based Civic Federation.
Chicago wants a casino, so it hasn’t approved video gaming. In the process, it has passed up millions of dollars in revenue, which it can’t afford to leave on the table.
Man, this state is messed up.
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Today’s number: $7,300
Wednesday, Nov 4, 2015 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Monique…
The dome of the Illinois State Capitol won’t be adorned with the usual festive string lights this holiday season, a victim not of the Grinch but the ongoing budget impasse between Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner and Democratic legislative leaders.
Secretary of State Jesse White, whose office maintains the historic building, announced Tuesday that the dome will go dark this year because while a “nice tradition” the Christmas lights are “nonessential” as he tries to save money as the state enters its fifth month without a full budget.
The office has yet to make a decision about decorations inside the Capitol, where a giant Christmas tree and menorah are usually displayed in the rotunda.
White spokesman Dave Druker estimated the lights cost roughly $7,300 to put up each year — a pittance relative to the nearly $3 million the office says it owes Springfield’s municipal utility company.
* Finke…
Each year since the 1960s, workers from the secretary of state’s office have hung 260-foot strands of lights from the Capitol dome to the building’s roof. It normally takes a crew of 12 from 2 1/2 to three hours to install the lights. The strands use 25-watt bulbs that were commonly used for Christmas lights in the 1950s and ’60s. Two years ago, White’s office said more modern, LED bulbs might be used at some point, but there was no timetable for it.
White’s office has said it is an ongoing battle to deal with the effects of the state not having a budget in place. The office already announced it would not mail notices to people when it’s time to renew their license plate stickers, a move that will save $450,000 a month in postage costs. The savings will allow the office to stretch out money remaining in its postage account “for a few months longer” and enable the office to continue mailing the renewal stickers themselves along with titles and license plates.
The office also has been dealing with vendors who no longer want to do business with the state because they are not being paid for the work they do. The office even warned that power could be turned off at the Capitol because the state cannot pay its utility bills. However, Springfield’s City Water, Light and Power said a power shut-off is not imminent.
Thoughts?
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