High heels at the Statehouse can be hazardous, not to mention what walking in those heels on marble floors all day can do to your back, ankles, legs, whatever.
But it’s not just high heels. A buddy of mine was telling me yesterday how the marble just kills his feet. He’s tried all sorts of different shoes and nothing works.
* The Question: Your own advice for surviving the more mundane aspects of Statehouse life?
One of the three Illinois nuclear plants that Exelon is threatening to close because they’re losing money will receive a windfall worth tens of millions beginning in June, courtesy of ratepayers downstate.
Energy prices are set to spike starting this summer for many Illinoisans outside of Commonwealth Edison’s territory in northern Illinois. The cost that consumers pay to generators to ensure that power plants are available to deliver electricity on the highest-demand days of the year will increase nearly ninefold in the year beginning June 1.
Those “capacity” charges—set according to an auction run by the independent grid operator that manages wholesale markets in downstate Illinois and all or parts of 14 other states—are embedded in the overall energy prices customers pay and are in addition to the cost of the juice itself. […]
The main beneficiaries include Chicago-based Exelon, which operates six nuclear plants in Illinois, including the Clinton plant downstate that will get the cash infusion. Also benefiting is Houston-based Dynegy, the second largest power generator in Illinois after Exelon and operator of a fleet of coal-fired plants downstate.
Another generator, Exelon Corp., acknowledged that its 1,100 MW Clinton nuclear plant cleared the auction at $150, which analysts estimated could yield $40 million to $50 million in additional revenue for the 2015-2016 year.
Chicago-based Exelon has said for more than a year that three of its nuclear plants, including Clinton and two plants in PJM, are losing money because of competitive pressures from natural gas-fired generation and wind. The company is pushing legislation in Springfield that would create a low-carbon resource standard in Illinois that it says would level the playing field for its nuclear fleet and other non-carbon fuels like wind and solar energy (EnergyWire, Feb. 25).
In a research note, analysts at UBS Securities say the auction results “certainly help Clinton but could reduce the urgency for legislative reform in Illinois.”
An Exelon spokesman wouldn’t disclose how much additional revenue it might realize from the MISO auction, but said only that it wouldn’t be enough to materially improve the plant’s financial profile.
It wouldn’t be enough? Really? Exelon’s bill as currently written would net its nuclear fleet $300 million a year. The Citizens Utility Board estimates the Exelon bill - as written - would net the Clinton nuke plant somewhere between $27 million and $30 million a year. That’s significantly less than the plant made this week with that surprise auction result. And there’s no way that Exelon can pass its bill as written because it essentially locks out alternative energy suppliers. Add those suppliers to the mix and Clinton would receive a whole lot less money via passable state legislation.
Plus, by participating in that auction, didn’t Exelon just commit to providing power from that Clinton plant for the next year? Why yes, it did, according to the Citizens Utility Board. And yet it’s gotta have its bill passed right now?
The capacity auction is administered by the Midcontinent Independent System Operator, or MISO, which runs the grid in parts of 15 states in the central United States. The auction determines what energy providers pay to power plant owners over the coming year to make sure they’re available to deliver power when demand is highest. Results were announced this week.
The huge jump came while prices for capacity in many other MISO states fell. In Missouri, for instance, prices fell from $16.75 to $3.48 a megawatt day. In fact, $3.48 was the highest capacity price in all the other states within MISO’s footprint, making Illinois’ $150 per megawatt day a glaring outlier.
That’s more than an outlier, it’s insane. I mean, for crying out loud Illinois is a net electricity exporter. What the heck was going on there?
It’s hard to know how many Ameren Illinois customers buy power under agreements that expose them to swings in the electricity market. About 500,000 customers buy power through Homefield Energy, the retail unit of Dynegy Inc. Dynegy operates nine downstate Illinois coal plants, including those formerly owned by Ameren. It committed 1,864 megawatts in the auction.
Spokesman Micah Hirschfield said all Dynegy’s Homefield retail customers are on fixed contracts.
However, some cities have contracts that expire soon.
Ameren Illinois, in a statement, said it was “extremely concerned and upset” about the capacity auction results and that it would work “to resolve this inequity to our customers.”
CUB created three cost-benefit models for the Illinois Clean Jobs bill, based on electricity rates, past performance of efficiency programs and prudent assumptions about yearly increases in energy usage, key market costs and inflation. The consumer watchdog’s analysis compared those models with a “business as usual” scenario—if efficiency standards stayed at current levels. Estimated customer savings through the legislation ranged from about $1.1 billion to $2.2 billion. The “base case” model, based on mid-range assumptions, projected the following statewide benefits by 2030, if the bill were fully implemented:
* Total cumulative residential savings: $1.61 billion
* Average electric-bill reduction: 7.86 percent annually
* Average residential savings: $98.38 a year
The Illinois Clean Jobs bill stands out as the most consumer-friendly among the major energy proposals in the General Assembly’s spring session. Most notably, Exelon Corp., ComEd’s parent company, is pushing for special legislation that could cost ComEd and Ameren customers an estimated $300 million a year—to boost revenue at its fleet of nuclear power plants.
* After that crazy MISO auction, which appears to have provided far more to Clinton than Exelon was asking from the state, and after CUB’s endorsement of the Harmon bill, maybe legislators ought to just hold off a bit and wait for the upcoming PJM auctions (the other grid in Illinois) for the rest of Exelon’s nuclear fleet before rushing in with yet another corporate bailout that raises rates for consumers.
Those nuclear plants are supremely important to the state’s economy. But is the federal government just gonna allow all that electricity to be taken off the grid right away? It seems doubtful, particularly after this week’s MISO auction. There’s time to think and do it right.
And in the meantime, the attorney general needs to follow up on her pledge she made elsewhere this week to look into what just happened with that bizarre MISO auction.
Data WBEZ obtained from the the state show startling increases in Chicago. From 2009 to 2013, 37 percent more patients were discharged from emergency rooms for psychiatric treatment. The biggest jump came in 2012, the same year the city closed half of its mental health clinics. […]
[Sheri Richardt, the manager of Crisis and Behavioral Health at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center] saw the same patients rotate in again and again. So she pulled one patient’s files and found that woman had visited the Illinois Masonic Emergency Room 750 times over the course of about 10 years.
Richardt said the patient was picked up by an ambulance or police officer almost daily. Sometimes the emergency department would discharge her, only to have her appear back a few hours later.
“The cost of that for us was two and a half million dollars. Medicaid dollars,” said Richardt. “And that’s only at our hospital. This an individual who went between multiple hospitals and so we don’t have the true cost.”
And it’s not just emergency rooms. Perhaps the largest mental illness residential center in the state is Cook County Jail.
Friday, Apr 17, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As not-for-profit financial cooperatives, credit unions exist to help people, not make a profit. With a goal to serve all members well - including those of modest means - every member counts. The movement’s “People Helping People” philosophy causes credit unions and their employees to volunteer in community charitable activities and worthwhile causes.
For example, Rock Valley Credit Union in Rockford rises to the occasion when it becomes aware of new needs in the community and will also involve their members in area outreach. The credit union’s devotion and extraordinary effort to the community in the past year has included donating backpacks to the HOPE Domestic Violence Shelter, hosting food drives to support a local food pantry that lost nearly its entire supply of food for the previous holiday season, and creating the “Gifts of Love” project to fulfill gift requests for the Walter Lawson Children’s Home, a local residence for severely handicapped children.
Rock Valley chooses to give back to the community because that is what credit unions are all about. And their members love that they are part of something different. People before profits – the one principle that remains constant for credit unions – and highly valued by their members throughout Illinois.
This year’s first big confrontation between the GOP establishment and the party’s restless grassroots will be held this summer in an Illinois special-election primary. The smart money is betting on the establishment’s choice, but dissatisfaction with attempts to force-feed that choice on voters, together with the performance of the new GOP Congress in fighting President Obama, could give an insurgent a real shot. […]
LaHood is about as establishment a choice as one could imagine. He is the son of Representative Ray LaHood, the very moderate Republican who represented about half of the current district in Congress until 2009. He then left office to become President Obama’s Transportation Secretary, where he promoted pork-barrel spending and dubious high-speed-rail projects. His son’s supporters say his politics are distinct from those of his father, but clearly the LaHood name will be a mixed blessing in a primary. On the one hand, it brings strong name identification for Darin LaHood. But on the other, it leaves many of the district’s conservatives looking for a fresh, non–status quo alternative.
Mike Flynn plans to be that alternative. A 47-year-old political activist, he played a major role in exposing the scandals that brought down the leftist group ACORN and went on to edit the Big Government website founded by the late Andrew Breitbart. The site has been a go-to source of stories exposing the politically correct obsessions of liberals and the non-confrontational habits of Republican leaders.
C’mon, man.
* Except for the stuff about wanting to kick out the US House Speaker, Darin LaHood is every bit as “tea party” as Flynn. I did a quick Google search of “Darin LaHood” and “tea party” and here are just a few of the results…
* Peoria Patriots: Darin was great! He talked to us like he is one of us. He was eager to answer any and all of our questions. Illinois could sure use more like him. I hope he will be able to bring change to this corrupt state, but he will need our help in educating the voters to the issues so they can vote wisely and elect more like Darin.
* Area tea party calls out detractors: “Friends, I think it is time for us to return to being a godly nation. We should not be ashamed of ‘One Nation Under God,’” [Rick Welty, president of Galesburg District 205 Board of Education] said. “This nation was founded on Judeo-Christian principals and we have been pushed away from those and I think it is time we return to them.” Welty introduced State Sen. Darin LaHood. “Our state is in a real mess. We just put the largest tax increase in our history,” LaHood said. “We have $8 billion in debt. Companies like Caterpillar are thinking about leaving the state, and four of last eight governors are convicted felons. That’s our state. It is not heading in the right direction.
* Tea Party members rally in Galesburg: Ill. State Senator Darin LaHood, one of the event speakers, proposed some ways to fix the government, with encouraging cheers from the audience.
* And, maybe I’m wrong, but I think it’ll be tough finding anything in Sen. LaHood’s voting record to make him out to be a hated moderate. The only thing they really have is LaHood’s dad. They have to turn the younger LaHood into a “legacy” candidate and an “insider”…
“People don’t think politics should be a family business, handing over seats like an inheritance,” [Flynn] told me. “Darin LaHood lost a state’s attorney race, was appointed to a safe state senate seat, and has been just waiting to run for Congress. Conservatives can do better and send someone who has already proven they want to challenge Washington’s ways.”
First, Flynn has to get on the ballot. Then, he has to raise a bunch of cash. The jury is still out on both counts.
Speaker Madigan Forms Panel to Review Governor’s Budget Decisions
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – To help legislators craft the state’s next budget that begins July 1, House Speaker Michael J. Madigan on Friday announced the creation of a special House budget oversight panel to closely examine recent budget decisions made by Gov. Bruce Rauner.
“Governor Rauner has talked about cutting non-essential state spending for a number of months. In light of recent budget actions, and as we prepare to craft the next state budget, it’s important to have an in-depth discussion about what the governor believes is non-essential,” Madigan said. “While I believe that a budget solution should include a balance of spending cuts and additional revenue, as a state it’s also our duty to protect our most vulnerable citizens, including children with autism, persons with developmental disabilities and lower-income women in need of breast cancer screenings.”
Madigan said the budget review panel will be led by House Majority Leader Barbara Flynn Currie, D-Chicago, and Assistant Majority Leader John Bradley, D-Marion, and include the chairmen of the five House appropriations committees. Madigan has invited House Republicans to name members to the panel.
“The Legislature has a monumental task ahead in crafting a responsible and realistic budget, and it’s imperative we have a clear understanding of the governor’s methods and his math,” Currie said. “For instance, in his budget proposal for the next fiscal year, the governor is claiming more than $2 billion in pension savings from a bill that has not even been debated, let alone passed into law, and $700 million in health care savings that has been neither debated nor approved. We can’t draft a budget with magic money that does not exist.”
“As we work through the budget plan for the next fiscal year, House Democrats are committed to protecting middle-class families and our most vulnerable citizens, protecting funding for schools, and creating jobs and rebuilding our roads, bridges and mass transit through a new infrastructure program,” Madigan said. “The budget we support will reflect those values and I’m optimistic the governor will show us how his plan accomplishes that.”
During remarks at the House’s inauguration in January, Madigan cited the state’s finances as the most important issue facing Illinois. Madigan said addressing the deficit and passing a spending plan will require bipartisan cooperation with Rauner and legislative Republicans – cooperation Madigan hopes will begin in earnest with the budget review committee.
“As I have pledged since he was elected, I plan to work with Governor Rauner professionally and cooperatively,” Madigan said. “That’s why I worked with the governor to address the current fiscal year’s budget. Now that decisions continue being made that impact a number of residents and families throughout the state, it’s important that the governor fully disclose how he reached those decisions.”
The budget review panel will hold its first meeting at 8:30 a.m. Tuesday, April 21 in Room 114 of the Capitol.
That mention of autism is no accident. Madigan thought he had a deal.
*** UPDATE *** From the governor’s office…
“One month ago, child care in Illinois had run out of money, court reporters were being sent home and prison guards were on the verge of missing payroll. Thanks to bipartisan legislation approved by the General Assembly in conjunction with continued fiscal management steps taken by the administration, millions of people around Illinois continue to be served by core state services. Governor Rauner remains committed to fixing Illinois’ fiscal crisis through the Turnaround Agenda and restructuring state government. He looks forward to working with the legislature to find a bipartisan solution that puts Illinois on the road to becoming the most competitive state in the country.”
Layoffs have begun for the Springfield branch of The Autism Program after Gov. Bruce Rauner cut its funding.
The governor announced the freeze of $26 million in state grants in a letter to social service agencies April 3. The move is part of an attempt to plug a $1.6 billion budget hole for the current fiscal year.
Russell Bonanno, the state director of the TAP Network, said Thursday that five professionals have already been let go by the program. Another two are facing cuts in both hours and salary, he said.
The Springfield branch has already eliminated nonclinical services, such as training and consultation for parents. The organization also is reviewing clinical services to decide if any need to be ended.
Bonanno said without money right now, it’s unlikely TAP will be able to reinstate its services in the near future.
Imagine your everyday with no limits. Daring to face each challenge with excitement and vigor. Refusing to be your own stumbling block. Never ending your day with “done.” Always pushing the finish line forward.
What then would our world be like? Sounds like it would be a super human kind of world wouldn’t it?
I think about this often. Not only for the challenges I’ve chosen to face in my life. But more so when I consider the challenges my son and others with disabilities have to face every day to achieve the same level of “normal” we take for granted. It’s easy to overlook the strength of will and effort he and others have had to exert. Especially when their efforts have been successful.
Most know this..but for those who don’t, my son has autism. It’s mild. He is high functioning. And his diagnoses has evolved over the years. But he has been in therapies since he was three. His vocabulary was significantly limited. He didn’t “mimic.” He didn’t make eye contact. He had melt downs. He couldn’t tolerate loud noises, tastes, textures, even a hug at times. But he could create intricate patterns, recognize shapes, line up objects etc.
We started out with at home speech therapy, occupational therapy and a family/social therapists to help me and him interact in a way that wouldn’t result in a melt down. He stayed with various therapists as he progressed and his needs changed. He was in small-early childhood classes with other kids with disabilities. He rode “the short bus” to school. I cringe when I hear the use of that term in a derogatory way. I loved that short bus. It meant my son was going to see people who could help him in ways I could not. It meant I could hope for a better future for him.
After a while he was able to be integrated with other kids without disabilities. He has had an IEP, Individual Educational Plan, all through the school years. I’ve had to fight almost every year to keep it and to enforce it. Budget cuts are always threatening the programs that help. He is a number. A figure in a budget. And his disabilities are not as understood as others that are more physically apparent. And also because these therapies and interventions have worked! He IS a success story! Most people who have met him can’t perceive anything different about him than any other kid. He has an IQ in the “very superior” range. But he has had to work very hard to reach his potential and to get to this point in his social skills where he can be accepted by peers and even society as “normal.” It does not come naturally to him.
So everyday he faces challenges. He had to be taught that words are not always literal. He had to be taught socially acceptable behavior. He had to be taught to interpret facial and body language. He had to be taught that people lie. All these things and more he has had to learn through repetition and therapies. And he continues to draw upon those therapies to be able to function in a world that is foreign for him.
As he gets older there are new challenges he must face. We all do. But it’s different for him and others with these disabilities. They aren’t cured. It’s still there. They have just learned to cope. They’ve learned to act against what their natural inclination is.
Literally, they are facing each day tearing down their limits. Daring to face each challenge. Refusing to be their own stumbling block. Never ending their day with “done” because their disability will never go away. Their finish line will always be pushed forward. Kind of like a super human don’t you think?
I’m lucky. My son is 16 and is already a super human He has been through all those programs that made it possible for him to overcome. And his disability is relatively mild in comparison to what others have to work through. Yet right now the programs that have made all this possible are being cut.
It’s not just a number. It’s not just a figure. It’s hope. The programs that are being cut are what make it possible for these kids to thrive. These kids are already facing huge challenges. They are already working each day to overcome obstacles that most of us never have to face. And the programs that help them do this, that give them the tools they need to function in our world, are being taken away.
We hear about the cuts to programs but we don’t really understand what it means. For people with disabilities, and specifically autism, it means imagining everyday always pushing the finish line forward but with even more stumbling blocks in the way, more challenges to hinder, limits without hope to overcome and a future that won’t be realized.
Another big union turnout (350-500 people) and another local government postpones consideration of Rauner’s turnaround agenda, this time in Livingston Co. Rauner got 66% of the vote in Livingston in November.
A pic…
* From the governor’s office…
Hi, Rich –
I have attached the Westville resolution as promised.
And you can add Winthrop Harbor and Fayette County to the list of communities that have passed the resolution.
Thanks,
ck
Westville passed an unedited Rauner resolution.
Winthrop Harbor, pop. 6,742.
Fayette County, pop. 22,140.
*** UPDATE *** No “Hi Rich” this afternoon?…
Village of Thomson passed the resolution. It’s attached.
Edsal Manufacturing, a Chicago-based firm that makes a wide-range of shelving products, is opening a facility in Gary where it will hire 300 people.
Edsal decided to open a new operation in the Indiana town because it is close to the company’s operations in Chicago, according to CEO Bruce Saltzberg.
He also cited the Hoosier state’s right-to-work law, which makes it more difficult for unions to organize and keep members, as well as a state minimum wage that stands at $7.25 per hour, the federal minimum.
Amends the Flag Display Act. Requires the Governor to issue an official notice to fly the United States national flag, the State flag of Illinois, and the appropriate military flag upon the death of a resident of this State killed during on duty training for active military duty.
I think the pumpkin bill is the most publicity he’s ever received.
* I gave a speech in Peoria last August. Jessica Newbold with Giordano Consulting Services spoke before me, and then-Congressman Aaron Schock spoke after me. I stuck around to listen to Schock’s speech and then chatted with him later. I was, as usual, impressed with his knowledge on a wide range of issues and with his political insights.
Anyway, with some trepidation because, man, I’ve lost a bunch of weight since this pic was taken, here you go…
Thursday, Apr 16, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
EXELON ENERGY NEWS
Highlights
1. Exelon Just Received Up To $58 Million in 2015 For Clinton Nuclear Plant
2. Clinton To Stay Open Through At Least May 2016
3. Byron and Quad Cities To Stay Open Through May 2017
MISO Grid Auction Results: Up To $58 million for Clinton
A Good Day for Clinton:†On April 14th, the MISO Grid announced that auction prices in Illinois skyrocketed. The result? Clinton will earn as much as $58 million from ratepayers in ìcapacity revenueî starting June 1, 2015. The previous year, Clinton earned up to $6 million ñ an increase of $52 million.
Clinton Stays Open Another Year:†Because Clinton cleared the auction, Exelon is obligated to keep Clinton open through at least May 31, 2016.
PJM Grid Auction Delayed: Hundreds of Millions Still Expected
Auction Process Delayed to Summer:†The PJM Grid auction results were expected to be announced May 22. Due to a Federal Energy Regulatory Commission administrative process, the auction has been delayed by a few weeks. Auction results are expected in late July or early August.
Expected Results Unchanged:†Fortunately for Exelon, market analysts expect the results for Exelon to remain essentially the same. Exelon is expected to receive hundreds of millions in additional ratepayer dollars each year starting in 2016.
Byron and Quad Cities Stay Open Until At Least May 2017:†Because Exelon previously successfully bid these plants into the PJM Grid auction, Exelon is obligated to keep them open through at least May 31, 2017.
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visit www.noexelonbailout.com.
Thursday, Apr 16, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
In 2011, at the strong request of business and insurance companies the Workers’ Compensation “Reform” package was signed into law, aimed at lowering costs for employers in Illinois. These changes have had a negative effect on workers in Illinois and their ability to receive fair and reasonable compensation when they are injured on the job and have not resulted in savings for employers in Illinois.
According to a study done by the Oregon Department of Consumer and Business Services, Illinois had a 24 percent reduction in workers’ compensation rates between 2012 and 2014 – the steepest drop in the nation. This reduction should have resulted in a $1 billion savings in insurance premiums for Illinois employers. Tellingly, insurance companies have refused to reduce their premiums in response to their own industry’s recommendations.
Cries from business interests for more so-called “reforms” will likely take away more rights from injured workers and increase the insurance industry’s profits. Any further changes in laws should instead look to promote insurance premium transparency and oversight – not further sacrifices by the injured worker.
For more information about workers’ compensation in Illinois, click here.
This is a situation where a rising tide will float all boats. Illinois needs to repair some holes in its boat without trying to rip holes in Indiana’s economy.
There are many examples of cross-state collaboration in fields like higher education and the environment. Let’s add economic development to that list.
Let’s also tone down the rhetoric, including the “Illinoyed” campaign in Indiana and Rauner’s “rip the economic guts out of Indiana” speech, and find ways to work together.
We’re neighbors, after all, and should act more neighborly.
* The Question: Is it time for a truce with Indiana? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
The campaign racked up $313,920 in legal fees during the first quarter, money still owed to the Jones Day law firm in Washington. […]
During the first quarter, his campaign incurred bills for “fundraising lodging,” including $4,000 paid to the White Elephant hotel in Nantucket, Mass., $2,137 to the Langham hotel in Chicago and $716 to the Hershey Lodge in Hershey, Pa.
The report says the campaign paid $3,114 for Tiffany bowls for the donors, but even more, $3,408, to Garrett Popcorn in Chicago for volunteer gifts.
Other spending included $2,698 to photographer Jonathon Link, who traveled widely with Schock, and $3,705 in salary to staffer Shea Ledford, who reportedly accompanied Schock on a trip to London during the Royal Ascot in 2011.
Another of the congressman’s accounts, the Schock Victory Committee, listed hotel stays at the New York Palace and Beverly Wilshire in Los Angeles, and more than $12,000 in additional American Express expenses. He also transferred more than $81,000 to his own Pac, the Generation-Y fund. The reports for that committee have not yet been filed.
In the first quarter, Schock raised nearly $130,000. Chicago billionaire Sam Zell gave Schock $2,500 on Feb. 12. Both William Stone and Albert Lord donated to Schock. Stone owns a Maryland golf course that Schock held a fundraiser on in the fall of 2014. Lord founded that private course. Schock never reported the cost of that fundraiser on campaign filings.
* Other stuff…
* Election expert: Lawsuit against Aaron Schock could face obstacles
[Gov. Bruce Rauner] told a group of Downstate school superintendents that “I personally am concerned when I see the numbers, that Chicago can’t, Chicago Public Schools can’t meet their obligations. Even raising taxes they can’t meet their obligations.”
“The taxpayers of Illinois are not going to bail out the city of Chicago, that ain’t happenin’,” Rauner said, returning to a note he has hit in recent months. “But there are things we can do to help them restructure and get their government and their schools turned around, and I’d like to help them.”
* One of those options Rauner wants to give CPS is the ability to declare bankruptcy…
“The idea that you would go to bankruptcy and yet you would leave in place a tax code that has dual taxation on Chicago citizens is wrong,” [Mayor Rahm Emanuel] said when asked about Rauner’s talk about CPS going bankrupt. “Nothing is worse economics and a worse strategy than leaving in place dual taxation on Chicago residents that are the only residents in the state that have to pay twice, and only get the benefit of one teacher.”
Thursday, Apr 16, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
Recently, ads on Capitol Fax have distorted the facts about the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (SB 1585). Let’s set the record straight.
Myth:“Exelon is profitable, so they don’t need more money to keep these plants open.”
Fact: Much like a retail business with multiple stores, every location has to make money on its own. No retail chain could survive for long using profitable stores to keep unprofitable ones open. Exelon would not operate Plant A at a loss simply because Plant B is earning a profit.
The fact is, three of Illinois’ six nuclear plants are at risk of closing, and the consequences of these closures are catastrophic:
• $1.8 billion every year in lost economic activity
• Nearly 8,000 jobs
• Up to $500 million annually in higher energy costs statewide, according to a PJM analysis
• $1.1 billion per year due to increases in carbon and other pollutants
• Hundreds of millions of dollars to construct new transmission lines
Only one legislative solution, the Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS), properly values all low-carbon sources of energy, including the state’s nuclear facilities.
According to a State of Illinois report, the cost to Illinois of allowing nuclear plants to prematurely retire are as much as 12 times greater than the maximum cost of the Illinois LCPS.
MEMBERS OF THE ILLINOIS SENATE ENERGY AND PUBLIC UTILITIES COMMITTEE:
VOTE YES ON THE LOW CARBON PORTFOLIO STANDARD (SB 1585)
Gov. Bruce Rauner has suggested creating so-called “right-to-work zones” across Illinois, but Mayor Rahm Emanuel and several aldermen have said that won’t happen in Chicago on their watch.
“I want to be very clear. As long as I’m mayor, Chicago will not be a right-to-work city,” Emanuel said Wednesday, after introducing a City Council resolution calling for public hearings to declare opposition to the governor’s plan, which would allow municipalities to limit the power of labor unions by giving the workers the option of not joining unions or paying dues even in jobs that have been unionized. The zones also would limit prevailing wage and worker’s compensation laws.
“This has been an issue the governor has been advocating. I firmly disagree with it on a series of fronts, economically and otherwise,” Emanuel said. “I do not believe that, as it relates to right to work it would be pulling — our goal is to build up the middle class, not to pull a rug from underneath them.”
The mayor said right-to-work zones could potentially dismantle labor unions that have protected workers’ rights, and helped support middle class families.
And Emanuel scoffed at the suggestion that if he agreed to work zones, the governor might restore proposed cuts to funding for the Chicago Transit Authority. “That the only way to continue to invest in the CTA, which has been an incredible economic and job creator in the city of Chicago, is if I accept lower wages for everybody else? That’s a Faustian bargain, and I would never accept that,” he said.
* On a related front, I e-mailed the Chicagoland Chamber yesterday…
Quick question: Does the Chicagoland Chamber support the governor’s local right to work zone idea?
Its response…
“The Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce continues to hear from our diverse membership and the broader business community about Governor Rauner’s right-to-work zone proposals. Our focus remains on making Illinois more competitive by working with the Governor and state legislators on putting our fiscal house in order.
“We are focused on workers’ compensation reform, pension reform, and strong structural fiscal reforms related to the budget as the most immediate and long term way to improve Illinois’ financial situation and provide certainty to businesses that wish to invest and expand in Illinois.”
Chicago Federation of Labor President Jorge Ramirez, speaking at a City Club of Chicago luncheon Wednesday, said Gov. Rauner’s desire to create “right-to-work” zones, where certain local wage and workplace rules would be suspended, would mean lower wages and a less-safe workplace.
“Right to work means you lose your voice in the workplace and as a result you create an easily exploitable work force,” Ramirez said, citing a study that showed right-to-work states made 6 percent less in wages on average, with minorities making even less.
“Not only are you making less money in a right-to-work state, you are more likely to suffer an injury or fatality in your place of work,” Ramirez said. “Rauner is saying he’s empowering workers through these zones. Well what is he really empowering? Lower wages? A less safe workplace? You see much can be done to truly empower workers. Getting rid of protections unions provide does not need to be the bedrock of this type of empowerment.”
Ramirez told the luncheon crowd, which included Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle, that Rauner is not only attacking workers, but “taking direct aim at the marginalized and most vulnerable segments of our society,” by cutting funding to vital social services.
* But it’s probably only a matter of time before Adams County (pop. 40,798) passes the resolution…
A crowd of union members opposed to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s “Turnaround Agenda” were given a brief reprieve Wednesday night as the Adams County Board tabled a resolution supporting the plan.
County Board Chairman Les Post asked the board to table the resolution to avoid potential legal conflicts involving the Open Meetings Act.
“We had communication with the Illinois Attorney General’s Office today that there may be an issue with our time frame with our public speakers to sign up for meetings, and we didn’t have time to clear it up (Wednesday),” Post said. “Rather than do something possibly illegal, we felt best to table it until we had a chance to look at it.” […]
Post said the board will take action next month.
“Obviously, there are some things that people may not like, but the situation Illinois is in, we may have to do some things we don’t like,” he said.
Although state finances are stretched thin, the Illinois House approved a plan Wednesday to pay out more than $60 million owed to thousands of unionized state workers. […]
The dispute over the money dates to 2011, when former Gov. Pat Quinn reneged on wage increases for state workers approved under former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.
At the time, Quinn said state lawmakers failed to provide the money for the raises, while House Speaker Michael Madigan said the governor should find money in the existing budget to pay the wage hikes.
The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees union won a court order saying the money needs to be paid.
The vote was 88-23-2. All “No” votes were Republicans. Rep. Mike Smiddy (an AFSCME member) and freshman GOP Rep. Terri Bryant both voted “Present.” There’s no guarantee that Gov. Rauner will actually dole out the money if the bill also passes the Senate.
Chicago Public Schools would get $33.3 million to soften the blow of recent state budget cuts under a plan approved Wednesday by the State Board of Education.
The money is part of a $97 million pot set aside to help struggling schools after lawmakers and Gov. Bruce Rauner agreed to cut education and other state services by 2.25 percent as the state faces a $1.6 billion funding shortfall in the current spending year.
For CPS, officials said that means what was to be a cut of $35 million will instead amount to a reduction of $1.7 million. The district is one of 32 that education officials identified as having less than 30 days cash on hand, though nearly 600 of the state’s 800 school districts will receive some money to offset the cuts.
However, officials acknowledged the cuts are still painful because they come late in the school year and districts had little time to plan for them. Robert Wolfe, the board’s chief financial officer, said it could take as long as three months for districts to receive the payments.
Lawyers representing state retirees in a case involving their health insurance premiums will receive a little more than $1.5 million in fees and costs for their work.
The amount, determined by Sangamon County Associate Judge Steven Nardulli, is less than half of the $3.1 million in compensation (including a multiplier) the lawyers sought during a court hearing two weeks ago.
Money to pay the fees will come out of the roughly $63 million in health insurance premiums collected from retirees. The money was deducted from their pension checks.
In his ruling, Nardulli said the attorney fees amount to about 2.37 percent of the premium money paid. In other words, when refunds are made, for every $100 in premium refunds due to an employee, $2.37 will be deducted to pay legal fees.
Federal authorities are investigating Chicago Public Schools CEO Barbara Byrd-Bennett and a $20.5 million contract the district awarded on a no-bid basis to a training academy that formerly employed her, sources said.
The CPS inspector general’s office began an investigation into the contract with north suburban-based SUPES Academy and Byrd-Bennett’s relationship to the company in 2013, a source said. The U.S. attorney’s office then started its own probe, and a grand jury has been reviewing evidence for at least a year, the source said.
CPS officials have discussed the possibility of appointing an interim CEO depending on the outcome of the investigation, a source said. Byrd-Bennett, who was appointed by Mayor Rahm Emanuel in October 2012, attended a regularly scheduled meeting at CPS headquarters Wednesday and remains in her post.
The CPS inspector general has been investigating Byrd-Bennett and the controversial SUPES contract since 2013. Inspector General Nick Schuler declined to comment Wednesday on whether the investigation is ongoing or on the inquiries from the federal government. […]
When Mayor Rahm Emanuel was asked by reporters at City Hall about whether he had confidence in Byrd-Bennett, he said he “couldn’t answer that question,” according to the Chicago Tribune.
In the district’s largest no-bid contract in recent memory, SUPES received the contract from CPS to provide ongoing training on Saturdays for principals and network chiefs through 2016 at a cost of $20.5 million. According to the contract, the company was supposed to use experts who’d specialize the training according to the type of school the principal led — including schools set to receive children affected by the massive 2013 school closings.
It didn’t take long for the no-bid deal — approved unanimously in June 2013 by the mayor’s school board — to ignite criticism, especially as the district stared down a $1 billion budget deficit that year.
By October, principals were complaining about the quality of professional development they were receiving from SUPES, according to a newsletter produced by the Chicago Principals and Administrators Association.
The Principals Association “is sorry to report our members, in large numbers, are expressing dissatisfaction with the caliber of the `SUPES’ Academy,” the Association’s October 2013 newsletter said.
In a sign of intensifying scrutiny of the College of DuPage, federal prosecutors have opened a wide-ranging criminal investigation at the embattled community college, issuing two subpoenas this week that seek documents tied to spending and other matters, according to records obtained late Wednesday.
The subpoenas, which were served to college administrators Monday, cover three main areas: administrator expenses, contracts with the college’s fundraising foundation and credits awarded to police recruits at a law enforcement academy on the Glen Ellyn campus. […]
The federal subpoenas request many of the records sought by DuPage prosecutors. Federal investigators have asked for employment records, expense reports and conflict-of-interest statements for Breuder, all senior managers and trustees.
The federal investigation also seeks records relating to the Suburban Law Enforcement Academy. The Tribune recently reported that the college increased the number of credits given to recruits in the training program without increasing the amount of instruction — a change that boosted enrollment figures and led one top official at the police academy to question “the integrity of this process” before he resigned late last year. The revelation upset the school’s faculty union, which said the change should not have been made without consulting the campus’s curriculum committee.
* Considering the news about federal probes into both the Chicago Public Schools and College of DuPage (which we’ll discuss in a few minutes), this request by a birthday buddy last night seems appropriate…
Today, the Illinois Tobacco Quitline ended its operations following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s executive order that suspended $26 million in social services and public health grants, including the $3.1 million allocated to the Quitline. In response, Heather Eagleton, Illinois government relations director for the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network, released the following statement:
“Today, Illinois became the only state in the country without a tobacco quitline. As an organization dedicated to tobacco prevention and cessation, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network is alarmed and deeply concerned about Governor Rauner’s decision to eliminate all funding for this life-saving resource. We believe this decision is short-sighted and will ultimately cost, rather than save the state money.
“The Illinois Tobacco Quitline answered more than 90,000 calls in just the last year, leading 43 percent of its callers to successfully stop smoking. Most cessation tools have around a 20 percent success rate.
“What’s more, the Quitline is funded not through taxpayer dollars, but rather through money from the Tobacco Master Settlement, which gave Illinois $265 million this fiscal year to support programs like the Quitline. Taxpayers do, however, pay nearly $1 billion a year in tobacco-related Medicaid costs – costs that could dramatically increase with the elimination of the Quitline’s free and valuable cessation service.
“Ending Quitline operations means cutting a valuable lifeline that smokers have to a healthier future. It means eliminating a tool hospitals and physicians use every day to get their patients on the right track, and it means putting at risk thousands of lives that could otherwise be spared the health effects of smoking.
“ACS CAN strongly urges Governor Rauner to reconsider his decision and commit to restoring the Quitline and helping tobacco users and kick their addiction.”
What’s also weird about this cut is that the governor has proposed funding the Quitline next fiscal year. So, either they’ll just kill it off altogether, or they’ll have to rehire all those state employees who lost their jobs today.
*** UPDATE *** Governor’s office response…
Smoking is a serious health issue facing Illinoisans, but the fact remains that Pat Quinn enacted a phony budget with a $1.6 billion hole. The bipartisan legislation passed by the General Assembly was not a complete solution, and reviewing grants and agency spending is part of a comprehensive approach to close the deficit without raising taxes and without borrowing.
A couple of state lawmakers who are leaders on pension restructuring are cautioning against doing anything further without considering the consequences. “The road to pension hell is paved with rash actions. It’s paved with hast actions. It’s paved with actions that aren’t thought out carefully,” State Sen. Daniel Biss (D-Evanston) said at a news conference today (Tuesday) at ther state Capitol.
Rauner, who took office in January, wants to freeze benefits accrued by state workers starting July 1. After that date, the workers would be moved into a less generous, tier 2 pension plan in place for new workers hired since Jan. 1, 2011, or would have the option to buy out their pensions and move into a retirement plan similar to the popular 401(k) plan in the private sector. […]
“Illinois’ current pension system is unaffordable and choking the state’s budget, and the governor’s plan enacts true pension reform for the financial future of Illinois,” Rauner’s office said in a statement, adding there was enough time to review and pass the proposal.
If they plan to run it through actuaries as every previous pension plan has done, then that takes time.
* From the Illinois Policy Institute’s news network…
In short, they say Rauner needs to get his specifics into a bill and before legislators. They say a realistic proposal will need:
Detailed analysis by professional actuaries retained by the state’s major pension systems.
A ruling from the Internal Revenue Service on whether it complies with federal law.
Discussion and consideration by legislators and give and take with the governor’s office.
All of that takes time, the lawmakers said, and there are about seven weeks left in the scheduled legislative session.
“This is a very, very complicated and difficult arena to move through and if we are to do something quickly … this is something that should have been started two months ago,” Nekritz said.
Nekritz said analyzing pension-plan change requires as long as three weeks for investment agencies such as the Teachers Retirement System to determine monetary impact. Rauner, a first-time office holder, needs to understand that “there’s a long lead time to actually getting the data and the information you need.”
Yep. And every time you tweak the thing, it takes that much more time all over again.
Central to questions about Tier 2 is a federal tax provision sometimes referred to as the Safe Harbor rule. In short, it requires public pension plans to offer retirement benefits at least as good as the minimum workers would get if they were covered by Social Security.
Failing that, federal law requires public workers to join Social Security and pay a 6.2 percent tax to the national retirement system. Their employers would also have to kick in another 6.2 percent, costing taxpayers more money. Most public employees and employers in Illinois currently do not pay Social Security taxes.
Teacher retirement system experts say Tier 2 benefits currently meet the Safe Harbor test but will begin to fall out of compliance by 2027. The reason, they say, is that Tier 2 includes both a limit on benefits and inflation adjustments much tighter than those adopted by Social Security — leaving retirement benefits for some workers at risk of falling below what they could qualify for under the federal system.
A fix for the problem would be to increase cost-of-living adjustments for Tier 2 workers to keep them in line with what Social Security offers. That, however, would cut into the cost savings counted on by Rauner and state leaders who approved the 2010 law.
Larry Langer, a principle at Buck Consultants which conducted the actuarial analysis for TRS, predicted only higher-paid employees would initially bump up against the Safe Harbor threshold. If Tier 2 were confined to newer hires — who tend to earn less — Langer predicted the ranks of affected workers would be modest for many years beyond 2027.
That dynamic would change, however, if tens of thousands of additional workers are put into the Tier 2 retirement system as Rauner proposes, Langer said. “These are people who are higher paid just because of where they are at in their career and higher pay is a potential driver of non-compliance,” Langer explained.
Not to mention the dubious constitutionality of moving current workers from one system to another and thereby diminishing their benefits.
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
2015
“Exelon has long believed that there is no need to promote subsidies for proven technologies at any cost, nor for electricity consumers or taxpayers to pay more than required for a clean electricity supply.” EXELON WEBSITE
2014
“We’re saying we don’t want to be subsidized and no one should be subsidized in the competitive markets, so there are a few that may not make it.” Chris Crane, Exelon CEO, May 13, 2014 - E&E News
2013
“ComEd has long believed that competitive markets will work in the best interests of our customers. So we are concerned about the negative impact on our customers from a requirement that would force utilities to buy subsidized generation at above-market prices” Crain’s, February 28,
2011
So the key questions, Mr. Rowe says, boil down to how open markets are from region to region and, among utilities, “who’s pro-market and who really the mercantilists are.” then EXELON Chairman John Rowe, Wall Street Journal, October 22, 2011.
Stop the Exelon hypocrisy. Just say no to the Exelon bailout.
BEST Coalition is a 501C4 nonprofit group of dozens of business, consumer and government groups, as well as large and small businesses. Visit www.noexelonbailout.com.
* Last night, somebody forwarded me this e-mail entitled “Quinn for Illinois Get-Together”…
Hello Team Quinn!
With 2015 well on its way, Governor Quinn is hosting a get-together for loyal friends and supporters like you.
The party will be on Thursday, April 30, from 5:30 pm to 8:00 pm — at Connie’s! Food and non-alcoholic beverages will be served, and a cash bar will also be available.
Please click HERE to RSVP by April 27, 2015.
Connie’s address is 2373 S. Archer Ave., Chicago, Illinois 60616.
Best Wishes,
Billy Morgan
P.S. Feel free to email me with any questions. Thanks!
* The person who forwarded it wondered if Quinn was having some thoughts about running for office, so I checked with a former Quinn spokesperson. She texted back…
You think this is a campaign brainstorm? No. lol. It’s a belated pizza / thank you party for Quinnsters - pretty straight forward
I’ve since received the e-mail several times, so I thought I’d post it.
* From unsuccessful 2014 Democratic gubernatorial candidate Tio Hardiman…
Dear Members of the Media,
After speaking with several supporters and securing over 125,500 votes in the March 2014 Democratic Primary. Tio Hardiman has decided to run for Congress against Congressman Bobby Rush in the 1st Congressional District. Tio Hardiman’s platform will include:
· More benefits and tax breaks for seniors
· Reducing violence
· Ending police brutality and excessive force
· More programs for the youth
· Jobs and economic development
· Open primaries
· Combating illegal gun trafficking
Tio Hardiman initially announced a run for United States Senate against Mark Kirk but decided against another statewide race after consulting with his political advisors and supporters. […]
Thank you,
Tio Hardiman, MA
* The Question: Your pick for Tio Hardiman’s campaign slogan(s)?
During the weeks after Lincoln’s death, as his funeral train made a circuitous journey from Washington, D.C., back to his hometown of Springfield, Illinois, perhaps a million Americans filed past the open coffin to glimpse their fallen leader’s face. Millions more—as much as one-third of the North’s population—watched the procession pass.
* Goodheart retraced the entire funeral train journey. It’s a great read…
From Freeland to New Freedom, the old train tracks rise gently out of Maryland toward the Pennsylvania hills. One of these auspiciously named hamlets sits just south of the Mason-Dixon Line separating the two states, the other just north. Until Maryland enacted emancipation just five months before Lincoln’s death, this line was like an electrified fence standing between four million people and liberty.
Today the old right-of-way on which Lincoln’s train passed, closed to rail traffic in the 1980s, has become a hiking trail. Rusted rails emerge here and there from its grassy margins, then sink again into the sod. A wooden post, a bench, and a couple of picnic tables are all that mark the Mason-Dixon Line itself. I sit down on the bench, with the left half of me in the South and the right half in the North, marveling at the border’s utter invisibility. I watch a pale green inchworm as it traverses my shirtfront from Pennsylvania into Maryland, then doubles back and crosses the Mason-Dixon Line again. […]
In 1860s America the railroad was more than just a new technology—it was a kind of national cult. A few months before the end of the Civil War, the abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison waxed mystical about the revolution that trains had brought, fostering not just economic prosperity but also human connection on a vast scale: “So may the modes of communication and the ties of life continue to multiply, until all nations shall feel a common sympathy and worship of a common shrine!”
Little remains of the Civil War–era railroad network traveled by the funeral train between Columbus, Ohio, and Chicago, Illinois. But as I get accustomed to the landscape, I find I can sense the railroad like a vanished limb: a downtown street that’s wider than it needs to be, a vacant lot beside a grain elevator, a long straight groove through the middle of a farmer’s soybean field. I’ll pull over, find a telltale scatter of old gravel and broken glass, and tell myself, Lincoln passed here too.
Sometimes at these places I find signs warning of buried fiber-optic lines. Data companies often use the old railroad rights-of-way to run their cables—just as, in the late 1850s, telegraph companies ran their wires here. The multiplication that Garrison prophesied continues apace.
The tomb, I find, is a disappointment. Twice reconstructed since 1865—most recently, in the 1930s, in incongruous Art Deco style—its current incarnation has all the historic character of an office lobby. (The coffin was moved no fewer than 14 times in the decades after its original burial, as if no one could figure out quite what to do with it.) Lengthy inscriptions on the wall, relics of their time, recount nearly every biographical detail except the Emancipation Proclamation. The body, a guide tells the crowd of tourists, lies under ten feet of concrete. It’s strange to think that there is a place where Lincoln still physically exists in the world, let alone that it’s a place like this.
Caretakers of Abraham Lincoln’s tomb are on the defensive over an unflattering critique in National Geographic magazine and looming budget cuts that could threaten management of the historic site, even as they commemorate the 150th anniversary of the U.S. Civil War president’s assassination.
For the state that calls itself the “Land of Lincoln,” the timing of a ceremony Wednesday in Springfield to mark his death is awkward because Illinois faces a financial crisis and Gov. Bruce Rauner has proposed eliminating the state Historic Preservation Agency that manages sites including the tomb as it currently exists. He would roll the agency into another department.
What’s more, the popular tourist site was pilloried in this month’s issue of National Geographic magazine as having “all the historical character of an office lobby.”
OK, first of all, even if IHPA is abolished, the state will continue to take care of Lincoln’s tomb. There have been budget cuts and hours have been reduced, but another agency can still handle the job.
Secondly, the article’s author went on what can probably be best described as a transcendent journey. He likely would’ve been disappointed at the end of that trip no matter what the tomb looked like.
I’ve been there many times. It’s a great space. Everyone I’ve taken to the tomb has been awed by the experience. I’ve never heard one complaint. And the AP even checked with a random tomb visitor…
William Sparks, a visitor to the outside of the tomb Tuesday who took an Amtrak train from Green Bay, Wisconsin, said he had a copy of the National Geographic story with him at his Springfield hotel, but disagreed with its conclusion.
“It’s absolutely gorgeous,” he said of the site, even though he didn’t get to see the interior of the tomb. “I don’t get (the author’s take) at all. This is very impressive.”
* If you thought the Tribune editorial board was stacked with Raunerite boot-lickers, get a load of Steve Forbes…
Roaring into this massive morass as Illinois’ new chief executive is a former venture capitalist turned radical reformer, Bruce Rauner. That a Republican could win the governorship in Barack Obama’s deep blue state is testament to the state’s distress. Democrats may still hold supermajorities in both houses of the legislature, but, with the force of a Paul Bunyan, Rauner is acting as if the opposite were true. He is vigorously and unapologetically pushing forward with changes on every front. […]
The governor appeared at the Forbes Reinventing America Summit in March. No one came away from that interview doubting his resolve or sincerity. When I asked him about criticism that he’s taking on too much, especially in fighting unions that have immense influence with Democratic state legislators, he responded: “Structural reforms and fighting the unions are inseparable. If all we do is get a balanced budget and modernize our tax code without changing the structure, the next governor after me–and believe me, we’re gonna get some other Blagojeviches [Rod Blagojevich is a former governor serving a 14-year sentence in federal prison for corruption] because Illinois is good at bringin’ those kinda people–our budget will be blown out again. It’ll be back in massive deficit again.”
The financial outlook for beleaguered Chicago? He replied that it will go bankrupt. The unions won’t allow needed changes.
Can Rauner cut down the opposition as Paul Bunyan chopped down trees? He may well get a lot of what he wants. As a fig leaf for legislators to approve hefty parts of his package, the governor could, for instance, allow a small increase in the state’s 3.75% income tax to, say, 4%. (It’s already down from 5%.)
So, Illinois’ Paul Bunyan is gonna entice Democrats to agree to local “right to work” zones, elimination of prevailing wage, massive workers’ comp reforms, radical pension reforms, property tax freezes and municipal bankruptcy in exchange for… a quarter point increase in the state income tax?
A week and a half after The Autism Program in Rockford found out it would no longer be receiving state funding, 13 News has learned that it will be closing this Friday.
TAP is one of more than 25 grant-funded organizations that got letters earlier this month from the Department of Human Services and Department of Public Health notifying them they would have to stop spending any further grant money.
A number of local organizations were impacted, including the Teen Reach Program and the Epilepsy Foundation.
A top aide for Gov. Bruce Rauner said grant freezes could continue for the rest of the current fiscal year as the administration tries to balance the budget.
Tim Nuding, Rauner’s budget director, said at a Tuesday hearing of the Senate Appropriations Committee that grant suspensions like the $26 million announced last week for the Department of Human Services would likely continue until the new fiscal year begins in July. The recent freeze has adversely affected several programs, including funding for The Autism Program. […]
Several Democrats said they felt the Rauner administration misled them. Sen. Dan Kotowski of Park Ridge said he gave his vote for the budget fix thinking autism care would be funded.
“You know I felt pretty good that we were moving forward,” he said. “Then for all these agencies to get a letter on April 3 — Good Friday and Passover — was a real kick in the gut.”
Nuding and Bassi said they were completely forthcoming in their discussions with lawmakers.
The budget chief said reviews of the state’s major agencies already have been completed. He said funding limits set by lawmakers in the deal would determine where places in the state budget would run out of money and face more grant
He also rejected suggestions he didn’t make lawmakers aware of the possibility of potential changes to the funding for grants and said that the budget deal legislation was always meant to be part of the fix on top of an ongoing examination of state expenses following Rauner’s executive order in January to freeze nonessential spending.
Democrats attempted to pick apart the methods and thinking used by officials in the budget office, the Department of Public Health and Department of Human Services. Nonprofit organizations across the state received letters on Good Friday notifying them of an immediate and indefinite suspension of funding for the current fiscal year.
Sen. Dan Kotowski said he believed lawmakers were assured that certain programs and services would not be touched by cuts as part of the budget deal.
If lawmakers knew the $26 million in grant suspensions would have been a part of budget deal, “I would not have voted for the bill,” Kotowksi said.
While Tuesday’s political sniping was focused on the current year’s budget, the hearing offered a glimpse into the tough negotiations ahead for the next fiscal year’s spending plan. Republican Rauner has proposed a blueprint that would cut spending on universities, Medicaid, Amtrak and a host of other programs.
Republicans contend Democrats caused the problem when they approved a budget last spring that was based on the temporary income tax increase not expiring Jan. 1. Once that happened, however, it left Rauner, who took over for Democrat Pat Quinn on Jan. 12, with no choice but to look for ways to balance spending.
“I’m struggling to understand what the point of this meeting is,” said state Sen. Matt Murphy, R-Palatine “This experience right now is like watching an arsonist criticize the fireman for the manner in which he put out the arsonist’s fire. This is ludicrous.”
* Meanwhile…
Sen Pres John Cullerton says Gov Rauner didn't go back on his word by freezing $26 mil in grants, "but that doesn't make them good ideas"
* Roe’s guest was Patti Vasquez, who describes herself as a “Comic, WGN Radio Show Host, Special Needs Mom.” She led a group of similarly situated moms to Springfield this week…
Gov. #IL#Rauner#GOMB didn't have "time" 2 collect data 2 determine whether #Autism programs were essential so they decided they were not.
Last week’s storm was the first crisis for Governor Bruce Rauner’s administration. Today he talked about what he saw when he toured the area on Friday.
“Rochelle was devastated and the Town of Fairdale was…it was horrible what happened. We went there to offer our emotional support, our financial support, and to thank those first responders, our firefighters, our police officers and our Red Cross volunteers,” Rauner said.
Because of Illinois’ inability to get federal aid for Washington, Illinois after the November 2013 tornado, Rauner believes there’s little hope Fairdale and Rochelle will receive any aid from Washington. His plan is to rebuild those towns with private donations.
The Governor and his wife Diana have already anted up $100,000.
“My wife and I are trying to lead a major fundraising effort with the Red Cross. The Red Cross is doing extraordinary work to provide meals, provide shelter and provide transportation to those families and we’re doing everything we can to bring private resources to help,” the Governor said.
Rauner invited members of the media to Springfield for one-on-one interviews. He wanted to talk about, among other things, the enormous challenge facing Chicago’s budget and what happens if the city’s pension liabilities become too much to bear. […]
CBS 2’s Rob Johnson pressed Rauner on whether bankruptcy is a viable option, if public pension costs cannot be tamed through legislation. Rauner’s proposals include making the option legal for Illinois communities.
“Many other states have allowed local governments to decide whether they need to declare bankruptcy,” Rauner tells Johnson. “Bankruptcy law exists for a reason. It’s allowed in business so that businesses can get back on their feet and prosper again by restructuring their debts.” […]
Mayor Rahm Emanuel’s office issued a statement that said balancing the state budget on the backs of the local governments is itself a “bankrupt” idea. Rauner has proposed sweeping cuts in state assistance that have angered local officials.
* And he drove that point home again yesterday when talking about the Chicago Public Schools…
“The state has a crisis, the city has a crisis. I’m concerned that [CPS] is going to have to go bankrupt,” he said during a moderated discussion at a Chicago Public Education Fund luncheon. “Bankruptcy code exists to help the organization get out of financial trouble. There’s a reason for the bankruptcy code.”
Then he told the sympathetic audience – which minutes later gave him a standing ovation – that unions are partly to blame for why municipalities and school districts in Illinois can’t file for bankruptcy in order to renegotiate debt.
“Insiders in our system currently have made bankruptcy in government units illegal because some people never want to restructure contracts – contracts brought into place through insider deals,” said Rauner, who also advocated for right-to-work zones.
“The municipal bankruptcy bill is not currently moving in Springfield,” [Mayoral spokeswoman Libby Langsdorf ] said. “The governor’s suggestion is not part of our plan. Instead of proposing to solve the state’s fiscal crisis on the back of local governments, he should be working to ensure that Chicago, the biggest economic driver in the state, gets back on sound footing.” […]
Chicago Board of Education member Carlos Azcoitia said the district meanwhile is “taking measures to be able to prevent [bankruptcy] and be able to get our house in order,” adding that the district and Rauner agree that pensions should be reformed. “But I don’t see bankruptcy as any solution, and it’s not going to happen,” Azcoitia said.
Afterward by telephone, Chicago Teachers Union President Karen Lewis denounced Rauner’s bankruptcy suggestion, saying “to throw the entire system into chaos, financial chaos is irresponsible.”
Calling the governor “basically a robber baron,” engaged in “union busting,” Lewis wondered “how much respect does Bruce Rauner have for people who walk away from their debts, for regular, ordinary people who walk away from their debts?”
“I’m sure he has special names for them: deadbeats.”
* The AP reports that we have some new special election dates to replace Aaron Schock…
A federal judge in Chicago signed a consent decree Tuesday scheduling a July 7 primary and a Sept. 10 general election. […]
Candidates may begin filing nominating papers for the office Wednesday.
GOP state Sen. Darin LaHood, the son of former Congressman and Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, is considered the front-runner in the heavily Republican district.
* Meanwhile, innocent people often receive subpoenas to talk about what they know about not so innocent people. So, let’s hope this is the case here. AP…
Congress said Tuesday it has been told at least four staffers who worked for former Illinois Rep. Aaron Schock have been subpoenaed to testify before a federal grand jury as part of an ongoing probe into the congressman’s expenses.
The Justice Department issued its subpoenas in recent weeks to current and former Schock staffers as it examines expense accounts, his re-election campaign spending and his relationships with political donors. A Springfield, Illinois, grand jury began hearing testimony about the matter earlier this month.
The House clerk reported Tuesday the subpoenas were issued to Schock chief of staff Mark Roman, Peoria district office manager Bryan Rudolph, district chief of staff Dayne LaHood and executive assistant Sarah Rogers.
A former donor to disgraced ex-Representative Aaron Schock will file a class action lawsuit against him Wednesday morning, in hopes of preventing the Illinois Republican from using campaign funds for his legal defense.
Howard Foster, a Chicago lawyer and former donor to the congressman, will be the lead—and so far, only—plaintiff in the case against Schock, two sources familiar with the matter tell The Daily Beast. He has retained Steve Berman, a Seattle lawyer famous for launching high-profile class action lawsuits against the likes of Exxon Mobil and Enron, to file the case Wednesday in Chicago Federal Court. […]
“We thought he was honest and had a bright future. We would not have supported him had we known he regularly violated House rules,” Foster wrote in a blog post last month. (Neither Foster nor Berman would speak on the record about the pending case.) Previewing the argument he will likely be making in the legal brief, Foster then wrote, “In light of the situation, he should not convert his campaign funds to any other purpose, such as his legal defense. For that he should have to pay out of his own pocket. Donors should get their money back on some sort of percentage basis, such as in a bankruptcy proceeding.” […]
According to Federal Election Commission records, Foster only made a single $500 donation to Schock’s congressional campaign fund. He and Berman hope to convince a federal judge to certify the case as a class action suit, which would then result in a letter being sent to every single one of Schock’s many donors across the country, informing them that they have the opportunity to become parties to the lawsuit.
Such a legal campaign—typically used against companies that make defective products—is unprecedented in the annals of American politics. As such, the plaintiffs will have to overcome a high legal burden and need to prove that Schock deliberately made false assertions to donors and raised their money for purposes other than the furtherance of his political career.
A source familiar with Schock’s operation told The Daily Beast that as to “the substantive claim that he defrauded donors for the purpose of living high, nobody can be able to prove that.” Calling the case “frivolous,” the source explained that Schock resigned over his misuse of public money, not campaign funds, the latter of which candidates have wide legal latitude in spending. “It’s classic trial lawyer bullshit and it’ll go nowhere.”
Duckworth’s Double Dipping Past Haunts Her On Tax Day
WASHINGTON – With today being tax day, the NRSC is reminding voters that for four years Tammy Duckworth improperly claimed a homestead exemption on her properties in Cook and DeKalb Counties.
“With millions of people filing their taxes today, it’s worth noting that Tammy Duckworth was fined for improperly claiming tax exemptions,” said NRSC spokeswoman Andrea Bozek. “It’s ironic that in Congress Tammy Duckworth has no problem pushing higher taxes on Illinois families but when it comes to paying her own, she cheats the system.”
BACKGROUND …
From 2007-2010, Duckworth Improperly Claimed The Homestead Exemption On Properties She Owned In Cook And DeKalb Counties. “A suburban congressional candidate improperly claimed two homeowner exemptions at once over a period of several years, a Daily Herald investigation has found… County records show Duckworth claimed homestead exemptions in both DeKalb and Cook counties from 2007 to 2010.” (Kerry Lester, “Duckworth Claimed Two Homeowner Exemptions,” Daily Herald, 8/23/12)
Duckworth Unaware She Has A “Tax Problem.” “A spokeswoman says Duckworth was unaware that she’d been claiming the exemptions simultaneously.” (“Duckworth Double Dipped On Tax Exemption,” NBC, 8/23/2012)
Duckworth Paid Back The $1,928 In Taxes She Saved And Another $612 In Late Fees. “John Sullivan, an attorney who specializes in property tax appeals, said Duckworth contacted him weeks ago about the issue, and he computed how much she owed to DeKalb County. The four years of claiming the benefit in DeKalb County saved Duckworth $1,928, Brunschon said. Duckworth has sent a check to DeKalb County to cover what she would have paid without the exemption, plus an added $612 in late fees, Sullivan said. As of Tuesday afternoon, Brunschon had not yet received the check.” (Kerry Lester, “Duckworth Claimed Two Homeowner Exemptions,” Daily Herald, 8/23/12)
Duckworth Filed The First Homestead Exemption On The DeKalb Property After Purchasing The Property In 1997. “The DeKalb exemption was filed first, after Duckworth and her husband Bryan Bowlsbey purchased the property in 1997. In DeKalb County, Chief County Assessment Officer Robin Brunschon said, exemptions are automatically renewed each year unless residents notify the assessor’s office that they have changed their primary address.” (Kerry Lester, “Duckworth Claimed Two Homeowner Exemptions,” Daily Herald, 8/23/12)
Kinda weak. For starters, it’s not property tax day, it’s income tax day. And tons of people have found themselves in the same situation as Duckworth. Plus, it’s pretty old news.
But, whatevs. It does show how much the NRSC wants to thwack Duckworth early and often.
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s turnaround agenda suffered a setback Monday night when Crete Mayor Michael Einhorn decided not to call for a vote supporting the governor’s effort after an outpouring of union opposition at a village board meeting.
“I didn’t call for a vote because it would have failed,” Einhorn told me. “I’m not ruling out another vote in the future, but it’s unlikely. I agreed to sit down with the union people and talk about our problems and see if there’s some way we can agree on a way to solve them.”
Einhorn is the only Southland mayor I’m aware of who responded so far to the governor’s plea to mayors throughout the state to endorse his turnaround agenda for Illinois by having their town’s aldermen or trustees pass local resolutions endorsing his plan. Among its components are right-to-work zones, lower wages for government workers and contractors, workers’ compensation reform and tort reform. […]
Only a few municipalities throughout Illinois have passed Rauner’s turnaround resolution, despite what several mayors told me was unprecedented lobbying by the governor and his staff.
* The Illinois Federation of Teachers is attempting to track the municipal votes on its website…
The following municipalities/counties will consider the Rauner “right-to-work” (RTW) resolution this week, April 13-17.
Adams County
Wednesday, April 15, 7 p.m.
Council Chambers, Quincy
Livingston County Board (Pontiac)
Thursday, April 16 at 6 p.m.
112 W. Madison St., Pontiac […]
These areas have already considered the Rauner proposal, with the following outcomes (2013 population figure listed in parentheses):
East Dundee (Kane) - (3,198) - passed
Oswego (Kendall) - (32,174) - tabled
Iroquois County (29,982) - held in committee
Pingree Grove (Kane) - (4,532) - unanimously defeated
Mount Zion (Macon) - (5,914) - tabled
Woodstock (McHenry) - (25,146) - defeated 4-3, tabled
Litchfield (Montgomery) - (6,816) - passed 5-3
Shelby County (22,119) - not called
Moultrie County (14,876) - on hold until May
Clinton (De Witt) - (7,150) - passed
Cambridge (Henry) - (2,131) - passed
Makanda (Jackson) - (552) - passed
Charleston (Coles) - (21,961) - passed
Milledgeville (Carroll) - (997) - passed
Shannon (Carroll) - (731) - passed
Heyworth (McLean) - (2,915) - passed
Martinsville (Clark) - (1,155) - passed
Mundelein (Lake)- (31,395) - tabled
Crete (Will) - (8,230) - tabled
Winnebago County (290,666) - defeated [resolution actually passed, but without labor items]
Lexington (McLean) - (2,080) - tabled
McHenry County - (307,409) - passed
Libertyville (Lake) - (20,431) - defeated
Aurora Township (Kane) - (199,962) - defeated
The Libertyville and Aurora Township votes were reportedly held last night. I couldn’t find any news coverage online, but that’s big news if it went down in Libertyville. [UPDATE: The governor’s office claims there was no vote in Libertyville. See below.]
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s controversial plan to improve Illinois’ poor financial outlook by attacking labor unions has failed to gain initial support in Mundelein.
Rather than voting to support what the new Republican governor has dubbed his turnaround agenda, trustees on Monday opted to delay a decision for at least two weeks. Additionally, officials said they may rework the resolution that was presented Monday. […]
Eventually, the board voted 4-1 to remove the resolution from the agenda. Trustee Holly Kim cast the lone “no” vote, while Trustee Ray Semple was absent.
In an interview Tuesday, Mayor Steve Lentz sounded uneasy with Rauner’s plan.
“I agree with the bottom line resolution to support reforms that give us more local control and reduce the costs to local government,” Lentz said. “Some of the clauses, however, are very polarizing.”
The Charleston City Council passed a resolution April 7 that incorporated some proposals by Gov. Bruce Rauner regarding the creation of “empowerment zones.” […]
The Journal Gazette & Times-Courier reported that the language of the resolution was discussed via email among Mayor Larry Rennels and the other council members.
The resolution was part of the consent agenda, with members of the public not being able to voice their opinion. The resolution was also not placed on file for public inspection.
The language of the resolution also does not spell out why exactly the city needs this to be enacted. What are written are words from the governor’s office.
In order to accomplish any of his agenda, Rauner is going to have to go beyond his Republican base for support, and so far he’s failing in dramatic fashion.
On the other hand, in addition to uniting unions in opposition to his agenda, his proposed budget cuts have brought almost every social service agency into the debate — all arguing for funds to help the mentally ill, developmentally disabled, elderly and single parents. […]
I believe the governor remains popular with the people of this state who generally want to see taxes cut, state spending reduced and political reforms to restore integrity in Springfield.
But his ability to lead toward a solution seems lacking. Maybe the problems are just too big. Maybe he hasn’t had enough time. Maybe he’s still learning. I hope that’s the case.
Because this state and many of its municipalities need a leader who can unite opposing forces, not drive a wedge between them that widens the gulf.
*** UPDATE 1 *** From the governor’s office…
Hi, Rich –
Add Fairfield to the list that have passed the resolution. I’ll send you the pdf when I have it.
ck
Population 5,421 .
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the governor’s office…
FYI, Libertyville did NOT defeat the resolution last night, it was discussed and never came to a vote.
Wednesday, Apr 15, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
As not-for-profit financial cooperatives, credit unions exist to help people, not make a profit. With a goal to serve all members well - including those of modest means - every member counts. The movement’s “People Helping People” philosophy causes credit unions and their employees to volunteer in community charitable activities and worthwhile causes.
For example, Rock Valley Credit Union in Rockford rises to the occasion when it becomes aware of new needs in the community and will also involve their members in area outreach. The credit union’s devotion and extraordinary effort to the community in the past year has included donating backpacks to the HOPE Domestic Violence Shelter, hosting food drives to support a local food pantry that lost nearly its entire supply of food for the previous holiday season, and creating the “Gifts of Love” project to fulfill gift requests for the Walter Lawson Children’s Home, a local residence for severely handicapped children.
Rock Valley chooses to give back to the community because that is what credit unions are all about. And their members love that they are part of something different. People before profits – the one principle that remains constant for credit unions – and highly valued by their members throughout Illinois.
* The Boat Drink Caucus is playing a welcome back to Springfield gig tonight at the Butternut Hut. It’s their first date since the governor’s inauguration party. They’ll kick off at about 9 o’clock. Be there, people…
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The cable industry is asking lawmakers to place a NEW 5% tax on satellite TV service. The satellite tax is not about fairness, equity or parity – it’s a tax increase on the 1.3 million Illinois families and businesses who subscribe to satellite TV.
Satellite Tax Will Hurt Illinois Families and Small Businesses
• Satellite TV subscribers will see their monthly bills go up 5%.
• This tax will impact every bar, restaurant and hotel that subscribes to satellite TV service, which will translate into higher prices, decreased revenues, and fewer jobs.
• Rural Illinois has no choice: In many parts of Illinois, cable refuses to provide TV service to rural communities. Satellite TV is their only option.
Satellite Tax Is Not About Parity or Fairness
• Cable’s claim that this discriminatory tax is justified because satellite TV doesn’t pay local franchise fees could not be further from the truth. Cable pays those fees to local towns and cities in exchange for the right to bury cables in the public rights of way—a right that cable companies value in the tens of billions of dollars in their SEC filings.
• Satellite companies don’t pay franchise fees for one simple reason: We use satellites—unlike cable, we don’t need to dig up streets and sidewalks to deliver our TV service.
• Making satellite subscribers pay franchise fees—or, in this case, an equivalent amount in taxes—would be like taxing the air. It’s no different than making airline passengers pay a fee for laying railroad tracks. They don’t use; they shouldn’t have to pay for it.
A proposal in the Illinois House that would require all state vehicles to be manufactured in North America sounds patriotic, but some groups say it would hurt Illinois businesses.
The Department of Transportation and the Illinois’ Manufacturers Association are among those who oppose House Bill 3438. Randy Nehrt of the Illinois Chamber of Commerce says this could actually hurt Illinois businesses, especially those that supply parts to car manufacturers in Mexico.
“The bill actually has the real potential to harm Illinois businesses,” he said. “It also strains relationships with Illinois’ trading partner in Mexico.”
The proposal says Illinois would only be allowed to purchase or lease North American-made vehicles, but doesn’t include Mexico.
The idea behind the bill is nothing new — it has been brought up in various forms in the Illinois Legislature several times in the past. This time, it has been approved by the House Labor Committee and lawmakers will consider the proposal after returning next week from spring recess.
The immediate problem is that many of these fleet vehicles are chosen based on important specific criteria and performance. For example, the Caprice is a long-standing favorite of law enforcement agencies and is the only full-size police cruiser on the market. But it is substantially built in Australia by General Motors’ subsidiary Holden. It’s a similar situation with the workhorse Silverado, which would be off the market under the legislation.
The bill is supported by labor, including the AFL-CIO, but opposed by the Illinois Manufacturers Association and the Illinois Chamber of Commerce. […]
Smiddy points to a General Motors police car made in Australia. Wouldn’t requiring North American final assembly give GM an incentive to build that police car in the U.S., Smiddy asks, noting Ford builds its own police car offering in Chicago.
Smiddy said he knows there’s no guarantee assembly jobs would necessarily land at UAW-represented plants in North America or newly opened ones in the U.S, but he thinks the state should add incentive for automakers to assemble in the U.S.
When domestic or foreign-owned makers open plants in the U.S. he said, American communities benefit.
“We’re trying to help out the American economy, not the Australian economy or Mexican economy,” Smiddy said.
* The Question: Should the state of Illinois be required to only purchase or lease North American-made vehicles? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
President Lincoln and wife visited Ford’s Theatre this evening for the purpose of witnessing the performance of ‘The American Cousin.’ It was announced in the papers that Gen. Grant would also be present, but that gentleman took the late train of cars for New Jersey.
The theatre was densely crowded, and everybody seemed delighted with the scene before them. During the third act and while there was a temporary pause for one of the actors to enter, a sharp report of a pistol was heard, which merely attracted attention, but suggested nothing serious until a man rushed to the front of the President’s box, waving a long dagger in his right hand, exclaiming, ‘Sic semper tyrannis,’ and immediately leaped from the box, which was in the second tier, to the stage beneath, and ran across to the opposite side, made his escape amid the bewilderment of the audience from the rear of the theatre, and mounted a horse and fled.
The groans of Mrs. Lincoln first disclosed the fact that the President had been shot, when all present rose to their feet rushing towards the stage, many exclaiming, ‘Hang him, hang him!’ The excitement was of the wildest possible description…
There was a rush towards the President’s box, when cries were heard — ‘Stand back and give him air!’ ‘Has anyone stimulants?’ On a hasty examination it was found that the President had been shot through the head above and back of the temporal bone, and that some of his brain was oozing out. He was removed to a private house opposite the theatre, and the Surgeon General of the Army and other surgeons were sent for to attend to his condition.
On an examination of the private box, blood was discovered on the back of the cushioned rocking chair on which the President had been sitting; also on the partition and on the floor. A common single-barrelled pocket pistol was found on the carpet.
A military guard was placed in front of the private residence to which the President had been conveyed. An immense crowd was in front of it, all deeply anxious to learn the condition of the President.
The 73-year-old reserve sheriff’s deputy who fatally shot an unarmed man during an undercover operation earlier this month in Oklahoma was a close friend of the sheriff’s and a major donor to his agency and campaign.
Even before prosecutors announced Monday that Tulsa County Reserve Deputy Roberts Bates, a white insurance executive, was charged with second-degree manslaughter in the death of Eric Harris, who was black, those details raised questions about whether Bates had been paying to play cop.
Tulsa County Sheriff’s Maj. Shannon Clark told the Tulsa World newspaper that there are “lots of wealthy people” among the agency’s 130 reserve deputies.
“Many of them make donations of items,” he told the newspaper. “That’s not unusual at all.”
While the sheriff’s office did not have an itemized list of Bates’ contributions, the insurance executive had donated multiple vehicles, firearms and stun guns to the agency, according to The Tulsa World report.
While it’s difficult to nail down just how prevalent it is for big money donors to serve as reserve officers with local law enforcement agencies, there is some anecdotal evidence. […]
Howard Buffett, the son and heir apparent of Berkshire Hathaway CEO Warren Buffett, is a volunteer sheriff’s deputy in no less than three counties: two in central Illinois and another in Arizona.
Howard Buffett’s cellphone rang one recent afternoon to the tune of a Rolling Stones hit. “Start me up,” he answered. The sheriff of Macon County, Ill., was on the line.
Hours later, the eldest son of investor Warren Buffett was patrolling the streets here in his hometown in a bulletproof vest with a Glock 22 .40-caliber pistol strapped to his hip, fulfilling his duties as an auxiliary deputy sheriff. Already this year, he has logged more than 225 hours as an unpaid volunteer deputy in two counties in central Illinois and one in Arizona.
“People say, ‘Oh, Howard Buffett, the billionaire’s son.’ But he’s just one of us,” says Macon County sheriff Tom Schneider, a friend. “He’s got a youthful enthusiasm…He’s the first one digging the ditch.” […]
“I’m mellowing, but still kind of wild,” he says. “Why else are we going out with the sheriff for the afternoon, putting on a bulletproof vest and a gun? People ask, ‘Why are you doing that?’ But for me, it’s a whole new learning experience.”
Umm. OK.
The Cook ‘County Sheriff’s office used to have all sorts of political hacks and others on its auxiliary force before the Sheriff cracked down. I didn’t realize it was so widespread.
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
The following is excerpted from a Chicago Sun-Times op-ed by Sean McGarvey, president of the North America’s Building Trades Unions:
“There are many times when a state legislature must act to preserve existing industry, maintain solid-middle class jobs, and avoid negative long-term economic consequences. Illinois is at such a decision point about the future of its best-in-the-nation nuclear energy fleet, which directly and indirectly employs 28,000 people.”
“…half of Illinois’ nuclear plants are in danger of closing prematurely. That would mean losing premier employers that pay real middle-class wages, treat their work forces well, pay taxes on time… “
“The recently introduced Illinois Low Carbon Portfolio Standard (LCPS) … would help to preserve these plants, as well as one of Illinois’ leading industries that drives middle-class jobs and economic growth for the state.”
“The LCPS is market-based and will keep family-sustaining wages here in Illinois.”
“At the community level, the presence of a nuclear plant in a town means generation not just of electricity, but of jobs, business in the local restaurants, support for the police force, the fire department, the little league baseball teams – the list goes on.”
“If Illinois’ nuclear power fleet is shuttered, it will not just affect economics, or plant employees, or communities around the plants, or even shareholders of a company – it affects Illinois’ future opportunities for generations to come.”
“It is hugely important that Illinois’ legislators and voters alike understand the deep and broad-ranging value of nuclear energy, as well as the long-term economic ramifications of nuclear plant closures while considering the LCPS.”
With warm weather fast approaching, pool season is on the horizon. However, Chenoa sees a major source of summer income in doubt, with its pool liner in a state of disrepair and the time window to fix it closing. The Chenoa City Council talked at length Monday night about how best to go about fixing the pool.
Parks, Public Health, and Safety Commission Gary Dreher intimated his distress with the pool situation, noting how numerous calls out to third parties were rebuffed or otherwise unanswered. […]
A manager of the pool, Stephanie Smithson, expressed doubt that another patching job would tide the pool over this year as it had in years past. Dreher subsequently pushed blame on to Gov. Bruce Rauner’s budget cuts.
“This whole thing with the governor not wanting to give communities money for projects such as this, for getting any money through a grant, has really thrown a monkey wrench into things — not only here in Chenoa, but all through out the state,” Dreher said.
* According to the comptroller’s website, Chenoa, population 1,788, was sitting on $558,172 in general cash reserves at the end of last fiscal year, up almost $28K from the prior year. It had another $317,040 in “special revenue” reserves, up about $3500 from the previous year.
Also, last fiscal year Chenoa received $173,942 from state income tax revenue sharing, $186,009 from its share of the state sales tax, another $31,176 from the state’s personal property replacement tax and $40,396 from its share of the state video gaming tax. It also has a TIF district.
Tuesday, Apr 14, 2015 - Posted by Advertising Department
[The following is a paid advertisement.]
My name is Keven Owens. I am a former Marine who never even had a splinter while serving our country. I worked for a central Illinois- based moving company for over 3 years before I was injured on the job.
I was moving a full sized refrigerator out of a house when the front wheels rolled off the front porch. I ran around to stop the refrigerator from falling, but I could not stop it. The refrigerator fell on my head then landed on top of me.
Afterwards, I had a splitting headache and my neck was throbbing too. The company sent me to their doctor who diagnosed me with a sprained neck and told me to take it easy for awhile.
After about 4 months with no relief from my pain, I decided to get a second opinion. The second doctor ordered an MRI of my neck and it revealed that I had fractured my neck. I had surgery to put 2 titanium plates in my neck. Today, I still suffer from neck pain.
Unfortunately, the company fought my workers’ compensation claim. It took 6 long years for my case to be resolved. While this dragged out, I had bills to pay and two children to support. Financially, it was a very difficult time.
I played by the rules, served my country and worked hard every day. It wasn’t until I was injured on the job that I discovered that the deck was stacked against me. A fair workers’ compensation system is necessary in Illinois to help those hurt on the job, like myself.
The state has $12 billion to $15 billion to invest at any moment, and since 2005, the law has allowed 1 percent of that to be invested in Illinois-based high-tech companies. In 2011, the limit became 3 percent, but the actual amount has never exceeded 1 percent.
State Treasurer Mike Frerichs says now he’s going to try. “We’ve reached out to the Illinois Venture Capital Association, we’ve reached out to people who serve on advisory boards, and they’re very interested in working with us and we are working on RFP (request for proposals) right now to make sure we’re making those investments here in Illinois that not only get us a good rate of return, but also help grow our tech and biomed sector in this state,” he said.
He says venture capital investors from the coasts often urge startup companies here to move, whereas the state of Illinois would urge them to stay.
The amount of state funds currently invested in the Technology Development Account is $53 million.
That current amount is less than a half a percent. We’d be looking at $450 million if he went to 3 percent of $15 billion.
Current state law prohibits people with felony records from working in a school, or volunteering, or even driving a truck that makes deliveries to a school. But a measure pending before the Illinois House of Representatives could change that.
* This is an interesting bill for a couple of reasons. First…
Floyd Stafford could benefit from Cassidy’s legislation.
“I got a felony for a non-violent drug offense,” he says. “So basically, I purchased some drugs, and you know, I got arrested for that.”
In 2006, he got caught buying cocaine, less than a gram, and served four months in jail. Stafford says the drug treatment he received while incarcerated changed his life. Since his release, he says he has stayed clean and sober; he is currently enrolled in graduate school at the University of Chicago, where he’s set to finish in June with a master’s degree in social work.
“If you’re looking at my resume, I’d put that up — and I say this in all humility — I would line that up with any other prospective applicant, and I think I would come out favorably,” Stafford says.
That seems perfectly reasonable.
* But there’s another reason. The lead sponsor is Rep. Kelly Cassidy, one of the most liberal members of the Illinois General Assembly. The bill, however, is also backed by the Illinois Policy Institute…
“To have someone with that background, who’s maybe made a mistake and turned their life around, holds a lot of credibility with students who may be on the wrong track,” [Illinois Policy Institute criminal justice policy analyst Bryant Jackson-Green] says, “so it would be helpful, especially in a social worker position.” […]
“The sort of bills we support are things that encourage redemption, second chances. I mean, yes, someone might have made a mistake when they were 18, 19 and gotten in trouble,” Jackson-Green says. “But that doesn’t mean they should be barred for the rest of their life from having an employment opportunity with the school.”
* Ah, but that’s not all. Check out this press release…
Breen Sponsors ACLU Bill to Restrict Government Tracking of Citizens
Bill Would Restrict Use of Automatic License Plate Readers By Government
This morning, Rep. Peter Breen (R-Lombard) presented the “Freedom from Automatic License Plate Reader Surveillance Act” to the House Judiciary-Civil Committee, which advanced the measure to the House floor by a unanimous vote of 11-0. The measure is an initiative of the ACLU of Illinois and was vigorously opposed by law enforcement agencies. The Act would limit government use of automatic license plate readers, require that license plate data not be retained for more than 30 days, and prohibit the practice of government agencies selling license plate data to private companies.
“Right now, government agencies have deployed license plate readers across Illinois to track the movements of private citizens,” said Breen. “Illinoisans may not realize that, right now, their movements may be tracked without their permission and with no limitation on that tracking. These devices raise grave privacy issues, and I’m glad to work with the ACLU of Illinois to keep the government from infringing the rights of our residents.“
License plate readers are able to read thousands of license plates per hour, tracking the location and owner of all cars that pass by a particular plate reader. These plate readers can be used to identify cars connected to criminal activity or missing persons. However, government agencies can also easily aggregate data from plate readers deployed across a geographic area to keep track of the location and movement of private citizens. While many other states have enacted regulations on license plate readers, the collection and use of plate reader data are totally unregulated in Illinois today.
Breen’s bill would limit the government to six types of uses for automatic readers: electronic toll collection; traffic enforcement; parking enforcement; access to secured areas; criminal investigations; and for identifying vehicles connected to violations of law or missing persons.
The bill would also allow the government to retain data for more than 30 days in limited specified circumstances, relating to active criminal investigations or legal cases. The bill additionally would require law enforcement agencies to develop and post online their automatic license plate reader use policies, along with developing audit procedures and proper training on the use of readers.
The bill has broad bipartisan support, including chief cosponsors, Reps. Ann Williams (D-Chicago), Elaine Nekritz (D-Northbrook), Keith Wheeler (R-Oswego), and Ron Sandack (R-Downers Grove).
But a recent report illustrates, one again, that Illinois does not have a revenue problem.
The report by the Pew Charitable Trusts looked at the revenue situation for every state, compared to the period before the Great Recession. Illinois was second in the nation to North Dakota in having the highest increase in state revenue growth since the recession hit.
North Dakota’s growth has been fueled by an oil boom that has brought billions of dollars to that state. Illinois’ growth was fueled by a 2011 income tax increase that hampered job growth.
Despite the massive increase in state revenues, Illinois’ budget situation didn’t significantly improve. More money in the state coffers has not resulted in a significant reduction of the state’s day-to-day debt.
It has not resulted in fiscal strength. In fact, the General Assembly had to approve several fund transfers to allow the state to make it through the current fiscal year.
In simple terms, the additional taxes paid by Illinois residents were not used to improve the state’s financial situation.
Where to begin.
Most of the 2011 TEMPORARY INCOME TAX HIKE revenues went to make pension payments that the state had skipped or skimped on for years.
The day-to-day debt was significantly reduced until THE TEMPORARY INCOME TAX HIKE MOSTLY EXPIRED, and now it’s on the upswing.
The fund transfers were necessary this fiscal year because THE TEMPORARY INCOME TAX HIKE MOSTLY EXPIRED.
The state’s fiscal condition was definitely improving, the required pension payments were being made, Medicaid was reformed, other significant budget cuts were made and then THE TEMPORARY INCOME TAX HIKE MOSTLY EXPIRED.
Of course, the 2011 tax increase has expired and that is the cause of the current budget issues. But many other states, including those surrounding Illinois, are flourishing with decreases or much smaller increases in revenue since the Great Recession.
Illinoisans received the largest income tax cut in state history when THE TEMPORARY INCOME TAX HIKE MOSTLY EXPIRED. We are the only state in the country to have recently reduced income taxes by so much. And yet, pension obligations are still on the rise, as are costs for Medicaid, education, public safety, etc. So, we most certainly do have a revenue problem here because our revenues are obviously not meeting basic spending necessities.
This is not an absolution of the Democrats’ horrible FY 15 budget. That thing was as irresponsible as it gets. The Democrats most definitely should’ve done a much better job of preparing for the possible expiration.
But the reason Gov. Rauner and the legislative leaders used fund transfers to patch most of the 15 hole instead of making massive cuts is because THE TEMPORARY INCOME TAX HIKE MOSTLY EXPIRED and the state needed to find a temporary, one-time revenue fix until the FY 16 budget could be addressed.
“The good news is it would save us over two billion dollars per year right from the beginning. So a current worker would get two pension payments when they retire. They would get the benefit they’ve accrued through tier one, and they also get a benefit they’ve accrued into the future through tier two and that’s fair and affordable and I have explained that to many government employees and teachers and they get that, they can support that,” said Governor Rauner.
Public employee pensions are the biggest single cost item threatening to break the State of Illinois and its taxpayers. But the State Supreme Court has indicated it may rule against a 2013 pension reform bill designed to save a lot of money. If that happens, Gov. Rauner said a statewide referendum would be needed to deal with the issue.
“A constitutional referendum, so we’ll change the language so we’re not in court for years. We’ll make it clear in the constitution what we can and can’t change. And I’m recommending to do something different than in the past. I want to protect existing pensions,” Rauner said.
Two Illinois lawmakers instrumental in crafting pension overhaul legislation in 2013 are calling for an analysis of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal to reform the state’s underfunded pension system.
Democrats Rep. Elaine Nekritz and Sen. Daniel Biss say they plan to file a resolution asking to put the Republican governor’s plan under “rigorous scrutiny.”
Rauner has suggested moving workers to a less-generous pension plan than lawmakers approved in 2010 for new hires. Workers hired before 2011 could choose to move to a 401(k)-style plan. He says the plan could save more than $2 million a year, but the lawmakers say the plan presents “real questions.”
* From a press release…
Two leading pension experts in the Illinois Legislature are calling for an analysis of Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal to move employees into a less-generous pension plan to fully determine its impact on the state and those receiving pensions.
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz and state Sen. Daniel Biss announced they are sponsoring a new resolution asking to put the governor’s pension plan under more rigorous scrutiny. Gov. Rauner has called for ending the current Tier 1 pension plan and moving all employees into Tier 2 to attempt to reduce the state’s massive unfunded pension liability.
Lawmakers created Tier 2 for all new state hires in 2011 to help save an estimated $64 billion in pension obligations. But the austere plan could fall out of compliance with a federal government mandate to provide a benefit that is at least comparable to Social Security.
In the resolution, Nekritz and Biss warn Tier 2’s deficiencies could create “severe unforeseen consequences for taxpayers in the state of Illinois.” They warn it would be irresponsible both to pursue Rauner’s plan without a federal decision that Tier 2 complies with federal law, and for the state of Illinois to “enact such a drastic proposal without studying the financial impact it would have on taxpayers and working families.”
The legislators urge the Teachers Retirement System and State Universities Retirement System to ask for a federal ruling on Tier 2 compliance and provide a detailed analysis of how Rauner’s Tier 2 shift plan would affect employees now in Tier 1 before legislators consider his plan.
“Every time we have considered pension reform proposals in Springfield, we have relied on detailed analysis from the retirement systems on how the changes would affect their retirees to guide our decisions,” said Nekritz, D-Northbrook. “The governor’s plan should be no different. With the very real questions out there about Tier 2’s viability, we must take these steps to prevent decisions that could make our pension problem much worse.”
“We need to make decisions on pension reform based on core principles of mathematics, law, and basic fairness,” said Biss, D-Evanston. “It is unjust to these employees and dangerous for the state to do anything less. We will work with our colleagues to take the proper thoughtful and careful approach to the governor’s Tier 2 plan and ensure we are moving down the right path.”
From unions to business reforms, Gov. Bruce Rauner is re-affirming his promise to do what needs to be done to shake up Springfield and fix the state’s budget mess. […]
“It’s all about taking power away from the special interests in Springfield and empowering local voters,” Rauner says. “Voters should decide what gets collectively bargained inside their governments.”
The governor also has not budged on his demand for pro-business reforms before signing any bill to raise the Illinois minimum wage or taxes to help resolve the state’s budget deficit. […]
Rauner, after 91 days in office, claims to have good relations with Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton:
“We’ve become friends,” says Rauner. “I like them very much.”
“Our recommended Turnaround Agenda is already in bill form. It’s ready to go,” Rauner said. […]
However, Springfield’s most powerful legislator said the governor won’t give him the specific details either.
“Those bills haven’t been filed. So, you don’t know — I’m not being nasty. But nobody knows what he’s talking about until we see the bills as filed,” said Mike Madigan.
FOX 32: He says he’s already drafted the language.
“But they haven’t been given to us and they haven’t been filed,” Madigan added,
A spokesperson for House Speaker Madigan says, “I wouldn’t characterize the speaker as being on board with this plan. … I’ve seen no specifics, no legislation. When there are actual details, we will see what happens.”
The Illinois Catholic Health Association has issued a statement about the $1.5 billion cuts to Medicaid, mental health and other social programs that Governor Rauner proposed. Its 44 Catholic hospitals, 22 nursing facilities, and 26 other Catholic-sponsored services like hospice, assisted living, and senior housing, help out more than 9 million Illinoisans each year. The group points out that its hospitals provided in-patient care to more than 2 million Medicare and 1.3 million Medicaid beneficiaries in 2014.
Here is the rest of the Association’s statement:
“Just estimating for our Catholic hospitals alone, the aggregate Medicaid cuts would total over $200 million. To sustain this shortfall, over 3,000 jobs would be put at risk and the economic activity associated with these lost jobs would be a negative $480 million.
Because our faith and commitment are strong and constant, the state of Catholic health care and Catholic social service ministries in Illinois is strong and will remain strong. However, without the assistance and support of the state of Illinois, many of our neediest citizens, mostly children and the elderly, will bear the brunt of these draconian budget cuts.
Therefore, the ICHA Board of Directors strongly believes that Governor Rauner and the Illinois General Assembly have the economic, budgetary and moral obligation to pass a budget that provides for strong, equitable health care and social services for its citizens who are most vulnerable and in need.”
Gov. Bruce Rauner’s plan to slash Medicaid spending could trigger a loss of more than 3,000 jobs at the state’s 44 Catholic-run hospitals and significant cuts to programs serving the poor and elderly, according to a joint statement issued by the hospitals Monday. […]
Patrick Cacchione, executive director of the Illinois Catholic Health Association, said the group issued its statement Monday in order to remind members of the legislature to consider the problems that Rauner’s budget may cause. […]
“This affects real lives. It’s not just an academic exercise on balancing a budget,” Cacchione said.
The ICHA says to sustain the shortfall, 3,000 jobs would be risk and the economic impact of that would be a loss of $480 million.
The group says the neediest citizens will bear the brunt of these cuts.
According to a spokesperson, Gov. Rauner is not interested in extending the program beyond the end of 2017.
More than 40 percent of the state’s hospitals are operating in the red and still dealing with cuts from the state’s passage of a Medicaid reform bill in 2012, said Maryjane Wurth, president and CEO of the Illinois Hospital Association. […]
State Sen. Kwame Raoul, D-Chicago, said La Rabida Children’s Hospital in his district would likely have to close if negotiations over Rauner’s 2016 budget don’t improve hospital funding.
“That’s literally the circumstances, not a false alarm,” Raoul said. ”They’ve got a population who otherwise wouldn’t be served.”
Dr. John Jay Shannon, CEO of the Cook County Health and Hospitals System, said county hospitals would be indirectly affected by the budget.
“We’re going to see it through things like the jail and through things like the [emergency department], where we’ll start to see more people coming to us because they no longer are able to get those services that were in their community,” Shannon said.
“I want to make sure we have elected people constantly looking at helping the African-American community,” Kirk said. “With this state and all of its resources, we could sponsor a whole new class of potential innovators like George Washington Carver and eventually have a class of African-American billionaires. That would really adjust income differentials and make the diversity and outcome of the state much better so that the black community is not the one we drive faster through.” [emphasis added.]
The notion that people hit the gas when driving through black neighborhoods is a common racial stereotype about urbanization and criminal behavior among African-Americans. The fact that an elected senator from a state with a sizable black population would make such a comment was deemed unfortunate by at least one African-American leader in Illinois.
“I think what he was trying to say is, he was trying to relate that to crime. But boy, it was a poor choice of phraseology,” said George Mitchell, president of the NAACP’s Illinois State Conference. […]
Mitchell did offer a more charitable interpretation of Kirk’s comment — that people drive faster through black communities because they don’t want to see poverty (as opposed to being frightened of crime). But even that interpretation rests on dicey theories about race and wealth. As Mitchell went on to note, Chicago has a number of upper-middle class black neighborhoods, for example. He took umbrage, moreover, with the idea that simply putting a few rich people in poorer neighborhoods would solve poverty in those communities.
The quote “won” the daily somewhat tongue in cheek “America’s Worst Humans” award on the national Eschaton blog.
* We have to decide what we’re going to talk about here. Was it yet another impolitic remark by a politician known for making such statements? Was his argument at all sound, or did he say something false?
Let’s go with the latter argument first, starting with the racial element.
* When I was a kid, my mom would always make us roll up the windows and lock the doors when we drove through the black part of Kankakee. And she was about as liberal as they came back then. I can certainly see Kirk’s angle, as much as I absolutely hate to admit it.
And I was once even kicked out of a black neighborhood by the Chicago police.
Three or four summers ago, I took my brother to Lee’s Unleaded, my favorite South Side blues bar at 74th and South Chicago Ave. One of the waitresses invited us to an after-party. It was a beautiful night, so we put the top down on my convertible and headed over. We got to the address (which was near several recent shooting incidents during that long, hot summer) and saw dozens and dozens of people gleefully partying in an abandoned lot and in a building which also looked abandoned.
We were immediately pulled over by two Chicago cops. They took both of our driver’s licenses and asked what in the holy heck we were doing there. We said we were going to the party. “Oh, no you’re not,” one of the officers said. They ran our licenses, gave them back to us and ordered us out of the neighborhood.
My brother, who lives in California, was a bit taken aback by the command, but I explained that if something bad did happen to us then those cops would be held responsible. Or they thought we were drug dealers. Either way, I told my brother, when a Chicago cop says “Leave,” it’s usually a good idea to vamoose, so we split.
When I told the story to an African-American friend of mine (who first introduced me to that bar), he said I was insane to go to that party in that neighborhood.
* And before anyone freaks out here and I get lumped in with Kirk as American’s Worst Human or something, I’m most definitely not saying that all or even most black neighborhoods are bad, or that all white neighborhoods are good, or that all white people hit the gas when they drive through a black middle class area, or even a poor area, whether that be black, white, Latino, whatever.
I’m just saying that it does happen and all the liberal uproar in the world ain’t gonna change that. It’s nothing at all to be proud of, or to trumpet or to argue favorably on its behalf. But, it does sometimes happen, maybe even more than sometimes.
* Whether Kirk should’ve held his tongue is really what this is about. And the “we drive faster through” stuff is troubling to me. “We” most definitely denotes an “other.”
“We” ought to be a whole lot more positive and inclusive, especially if “we” are a United States Senator. Talking about race in this country is never easy, and it’s made a whole lot more difficult by statements like Kirk’s.
* Also, too, George Mitchell is absolutely right that creating a couple of black billionaires isn’t going to solve the very real problems in Chicago’s poor neighborhoods. It’s just another goofy pie in the sky 0.1 percenter trickle-down argument and is amazingly out of touch with reality. I ain’t against billionaires, I’m just against setting all governmental policy - jobs, crime, drugs, education - around catering to the super-wealthy. What Kirk proposed isn’t a policy agenda, it’s a Randian fantasy.
I cringe when I hear the use of that term in a derogatory way. I loved that short bus. It meant my son was going to see people who could help him in ways I could not. It meant I could hope for a better future for him. 
Kind of like a super human don’t you think? 
