New Quinn ad sparks Dem criticism
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As noted below, Gov. Pat Quinn’s new TV ad in part touts his veto of General Assembly salaries…
And when legislators refused to fix the pension crisis,
Pat Quinn stopped their paychecks cold, and refused his own, until the job was done.
That’s the test of leadership.
* Well, there’s been some blowback…
[House Speaker Michael Madigan’s] spokesman Steve Brown questioned why Quinn would use the paycheck issue in an ad.
“I don’t think its a good example because it didn’t work,” Brown said. “It was not a well-thought-out strategy. And then it was proved to be illegal.”
The ad also raised the eyebrows of state Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, who has complained before that Quinn often uses the Legislature as a whipping post.
“It’s always easy to make someone else the bad guy,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs said voters should be prepared to see similar claims coming from the Rauner camp as the election moves into its final 100 days.
“I just think its part and parcel of what politics has become,” Jacobs said. “It’s become more show than go.”
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Beware October
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* As we already know, the Legislative Audit Commission will be resuming its investigation of Gov. Pat Quinn’s anti-violence initiative in early October. And now, a couple of weeks later, the IDOT lawsuit hearings resume…
A legal battle between an anti-patronage lawyer and Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration will return to federal court less than two weeks before voters will decide if they want to re-elect the Chicago Democrat.
Anti-patronage attorney Michael Shakman has — as part of a lawsuit — requested an investigation of hiring in Quinn’s Department of Transportation and a monitor to ensure the administration complies with bans on political hiring for nonpolitical jobs. Quinn’s attorneys argue the judge should reject the request because it would be detrimental to state officials’ duties of hiring workers.
During a brief hearing on Tuesday, Magistrate Judge Sidney I. Schenkier gave attorneys time to file motions and told them to return to court Oct. 22.
Is Quinn’s much-vaunted luck finally running out?
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Question of the day
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The SJ-R looks at Illinois Executive Inspector General Ricardo Meza’s investigation of State Fair Director Amy Bliefnick for accepting free beer tickets…
“There is no evidence that she schemed to obtain the tickets,” the report said. “Rather, the unsolicited gift of beer tickets from the vendor to the fair director appears to be a long-standing, albeit unlawful, practice.”
The report said that the 2013 contract with CVA expressly says that free tickets are not to be given to anyone.
For statute-of-limitation purposes, Bliefnick was only charged with violating the gift ban during the 2013 fair when she accepted at least 120 beer tickets valued at $540. Each ticket is worth $4.50.
The report said Bliefnick distributed the tickets to senior Department of Agriculture officials, her staff, fair volunteers and fair patrons.
The report said the Department of Agriculture suspended Bliefnick for two days without pay based on allegations in the report. The suspension cost her about $754, it said.
“As noted in the report, as State Fair manager I accepted the tickets for distribution only to promote the fair,” Bliefnick said in a statement. “This practice will no longer continue at the fair. I learned a valuable lesson and look forward to a great State Fair this year.”
The full report is here.
* The Question: Your thoughts on this particular investigation and punishment of Bliefnick?
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Quinn signs millionaire’s tax referendum
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From a press release…
Governor Pat Quinn today signed legislation that will give Illinois residents the opportunity to voice their opinion on whether millionaires should pay a little more to help ensure all students have access to a high-quality education. The legislation establishes a statewide advisory referendum on the November 4 ballot to ask voters if they favor a surcharge paid by the state’s wealthiest individuals to provide much-needed funding for public education in classrooms across Illinois. Today’s action is part of Governor Quinn’s commitment to delivering stronger education in Illinois.
“Our democracy is strongest when more voters make their voices heard about important matters of public policy,” Governor Quinn said. “Illinois voters will now be able to have their say when it comes to whether the state’s most fortunate should pay a little more to put more resources in our classrooms. An investment in education is the best investment we can make for our economic future.”
House Bill 3816, sponsored by Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan (D-Chicago) and State Senator Michael Noland (D-Elgin), creates a Nov. 4, 2014 advisory referendum to ask voters whether the Illinois Constitution should be amended to require that each school district receive additional revenue, based on their number of students, from an additional three percent tax on income greater than one million dollars. These resources would be directed towards classroom education. The legislation is effective immediately.
The Illinois Department of Revenue estimates that a three percent tax on income greater than $1 million would generate approximately $1 billion annually for elementary and secondary education. The Governor signed the legislation today at Irving Elementary School in Berwyn.
“This legislation will provide an important benchmark. Illinois is long overdue for tax fairness and a much needed boost for our school children,” Speaker Madigan said.
Governor Quinn is committed to properly funding education in Illinois in order to give every child the opportunity for success. The Governor’s 5-year budget blueprint includes an historic $6 billion increase in classroom spending over the next five years, doubling the investment in college scholarships for students in need and increasing access to higher education through dual enrollment and early college programs. Over the next five years, the Governor’s plan would bring classroom funding to the highest levels in Illinois history.
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Today’s map
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* HaystaqDNA plotted tea party favorability by county nationwide. Click the pic for an interactive version…
* Methodology…
First,12,636 voters in eight states (Alabama, California, Iowa, Michigan, Mississippi, New Jersey, New Mexico, and South Dakota) were surveyed. Then those results were combined with 724 other data points like census demographics and turnout history. The surveys were conducted through IVR phone calls earlier this year. The model was built on two-thirds of the survey results. The remaining third was used as a hold-out sample. The model’s predictions were validated by comparing the actual responses against the hold-out sample.
A second validation survey was also conducted on July 8th among 5,829 voters in Alaska, Alabama, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Washington D.C., Delaware, Florida, Iowa, Idaho, Illinois, Kansas, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Mississippi, North Carolina, New Mexico, Nevada, Ohio, Oklahoma, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. Overall favorability in that survey was unchanged from the findings of the original survey.
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Thanks, but I’ll pass
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A few years back, I wrote that I was really getting tired of the iPhone. It wasn’t the phone itself that bugged me, it was Apple’s paternalism when it came to their apps that honked me off.
I much preferred Google’s approach with its Android system. You wanna develop an Android app? Go for it. Google won’t stop you. It’s a more open, “Internet” approach, as opposed to Apple’s nearly closed system.
* So, when Amazon announced recently that it had developed a new “Fire” phone based on the Android platform, I was really excited. Some of the bells and whistles, like 3-D imagery, tilt to scroll and easy Amazon purchases looked pretty cool to me. Amazon’s Kindle Fire has received some pretty solid reviews, so I figured the new phone would build on that.
Finally, I thought, a phone that could compete with the iPhone and even best it. I was all set to jump ship.
And since I occasionally write about tech here and have a tech feed on the page, I reached out to AT&T (the sole mobile provider for Amazon’s Fire) and asked if they had a review program. They did, and I received the phone yesterday - several days after the big guys were given their own review phones.
* I like the way the phone feels in my hand. It’s slim and has a bigger screen than my iPhone. The display looks cool, and it doesn’t take long to figure out the mechanical differences between the two phones. The Fire can also display all your apps on a single page, which saves lots of time scrolling through to find the app you want to use.
I use several apps in the course of my days and weeks. And that’s the real problem with Fire. Amazon has walled off their phone from existing apps. Android apps won’t work on it. Google’s YouTube app is locked out, as is the Google maps app. And none of the apps I use the most are currently available, and I’m not sure if they ever will be.
Yes, Apple tightly controls who can make apps for its system, and I don’t like living in that world. But the iPhone is in such wide use that there are quite a lot of apps available. Amazon? Not so much.
* So, I’ll be sending my test phone back to the company. My iPhone screen is badly cracked and my AT&T contract is up, so I gotta find a new phone soon. It won’t be the Fire.
Any suggestions?
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Roberts appointment questioned
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The BGA looks at the ties between the new Legislative Inspector General Bill Roberts, a former US Attorney, his law firm and political leaders…
* Political committees controlled by Madigan paid Hinshaw & Culbertson more than $40,000 between 2002 and 2008, according to the Illinois State Board of Elections. Roberts represented Madigan during an investigation by federal authorities in Springfield into the possible misuse of state resources that ended in early 2005 with no charges filed.
* Hinshaw has contributed to the campaign funds of Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago; Senate Majority Leader James Clayborne, D-East St. Louis; Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno, R-Lemont; and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs. Roberts personally donated $500 last year to the campaign fund of state Sen. Kirk Dillard, R-Hinsdale, a member of the Legislative Ethics Commission that approved Roberts’ appointment on May 30. Other members of that committee include Clayborne, who until recently worked for the law firm run by Roberts in its downstate Belleville office.
* State agencies have hired Hinshaw and paid the firm more than $1.8 million over the past five years, state records show. That includes $2,339 from the Cullerton-led Senate Democrats in the 2012 budget year and $1,950 from the Madigan-led House Democrats in 2014.
* The Sun-Times editorial board, while noting Roberts’ respected career, thinks this is a lousy choice…
Roberts’ selection reflects a brazen lack of concern for the appearance of good government and the effectiveness of ethics laws. Certainly, the Legislature doesn’t appear to believe the job of the inspector general is very important. If Roberts were to investigate himself, he no doubt would find the appearances of conflict of interest are compelling. It is not a close call.
An IG at any level is supposed to be independent and pursue only the facts. There should be no restraints of a political nature. An IG also relies on the people who are interviewed in the course of gathering facts to believe they are dealing with an unquestionably impartial investigation. Roberts’ ties to legislators cast a shadow over that.
Roberts said he wouldn’t have taken the job if he thought there were conflicts. We’re not sure the average Illinois citizen will see it that way.
The General Assembly is expected next year to select a permanent person to fill the IG job until 2018. Rather than put Roberts in that job, the Legislature should cast a wider net for someone who has not only his investigatory skills, but also a firm record of independence.
Your thoughts?
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Poll: Rauner has 14-point lead
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
Gov. Pat Quinn is facing an increasingly uphill battle against Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner, a new We Ask America poll shows.
Rauner is now sitting on a 14-point lead in the poll that was conducted July 28, which is up from his 10-point lead he had in a June poll. Rauner’s boost can be attributed to his economic plan, which includes a state income tax reduction. A poll showed while people don’t believe Illinois can afford this plan, a majority say it makes them more likely to vote for him. […]
Overall, if the election were held today, Rauner would pull in 47 percent of the vote, compared to Quinn’s 33 percent. Of those polled, 20 percent said they’re still undecided.
* Reboot…
The poll contained three questions asked in sequence to gauge respondents’ reactions to the tax plans forwarded by Quinn and Rauner. Respondents first were asked for whom they would vote if the election were today. They then heard specifics of the tax plans in a second question: “Pat Quinn wants to make permanent the 5 percent personal income tax rate. Bruce Rauner wants to take four years to reduce the income tax rate to 3 percent. Rauner would also expand the sales tax to cover 32 services; not just goods. We’d like to know which plan you think is more likely to balance the budget?”
After answering that question, respondents were asked, “Knowing this information about each candidate’s approach to taxes and budgeting, for whom would you vote if the election were held today?”
Support for Quinn fell slightly — from 33 to 31 points — after respondents heard about Quinn’s plan to keep the current 5 percent personal income tax rate rather than allowing it to fall as scheduled to 3.75 percent at year’s end. Though Rauner’s plan contains its own version of a tax increase even as it proposes to lower the income tax over four years, his poll numbers increased slightly after respondents learned of his plan.
Respondents said they believed Rauner’s tax plan was more likely to balance the state budget than Quinn’s by an 11-point margin.
That last line is telling for its preposterousness. People really want to believe in magic fairy dust. Rauner apparently knows that.
Also, Rauner is still leading in suburban Cook. That’s truly ominous news for Quinn.
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Today’s rant
Tuesday, Jul 29, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Tri-County Tea Party leader Rick Newton, whose group spans DuPage, Cook and Lake counties…
Over four months after the Republican primary election, we continue to hear conversations among conservatives about the uncertainty/lack of comfort with Bruce Rauner as a candidate for Governor. In my opinion, however, I sincerely believe that it’s time for anyone in Illinois whose political beliefs lie anywhere right of center (and even a little to the left!) to come to grips with reality. Not only is the primary over, but more importantly, this state is in the throes of a veritable economic death spiral.
Yet, we have people who would normally vote Republican who continue to quibble over degrees of conservatism while our state is bleeding jobs, money, and people! Do we truly believe that re-electing Pat Quinn to work in tandem with the Michael Madigan and John Cullerton will create even a modicum of meaningful, positive improvement for this state? Not only should our answer to that question be a well-deserved “Hell no!”, but it shouldn’t require deep thought.
Yes, from a conservative’s viewpoint, the Illinois GOP has ample room for improvement – but its ability and willingness to become more aligned with its own party values is not going to happen overnight. That’s going to take strong grassroots efforts to make that happen and that’s where we in the TP movement exert the most influence.
The good news is that Bruce Rauner has a viable chance to be elected Governor of Illinois. But because he’s opposing an incumbent, because Illinois politics is a cesspool of corruption and selfishness, and because the state’s Republican Party is too often its own worst enemy, we cannot afford to succumb to the distractions that would divert our focus.
It’s time for the whining to stop and for all of us to ask voters to put on their big boy/big girl underpants and recognize what’s at stake. Bruce Rauner can win this election, but it can’t happen without conservatives all rowing in the same direction and with optimal energy.
Discuss.
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* I’m told the governor’s campaign is launching his first TV ad today. I’m also told it’s a positive spot. Stay tuned.
*** UPDATE *** The one-minute spot is called “Comeback.” It references his veto of legislator paychecks, among other things. Rate it…
…Adding… Script…
It’s in times of challenge,
when leaders are tested.
To do what’s right, no matter how hard.
Pat Quinn’s never backed down from a challenge…
even when it meant taking on the powerful.
As a young man Pat Quinn took on the giant utilities.
He stopped them from gouging families on their electric bills.
It’s who he is.
Pat Quinn sees problems, takes action, and gets the job done.
With an economy in meltdown, and a crisis of corruption,
Pat Quinn took over as governor…
and went to work.
He cut five billion dollars in spending. Created jobs.
And when legislators refused to fix the pension crisis,
Pat Quinn stopped their paychecks cold, and refused his own, until the job was done.
That’s the test of leadership.
Now, Illinois is making a comeback.
With so much more work to be done,
Pat Quinn’s the leader we need on our side.
Pat Quinn. Governor.
Because courage counts.
And character matters.
*** UPDATE *** Greg Hinz…
The Rauner campaign had a response within an hour — or as the campaign put it, “Pat Quinn’s reality check.”
Among other things, it notes that Mr. Quinn once handled patronage duties for then-Gov. Dan Walker, that the state’s bond rating has plummeted during the Quinn years, and reminds viewers that the state’s economic recovery has indeed been tepid at best, lagging the rebound in almost every other state.
The Rauner rejoinder also underlines that the Quinn administration is being scrutinized for alleged patronage abuses and says spending for education has dropped while the income tax has increased.
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Another angle on the IHSA lawsuit
Monday, Jul 28, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Phil Kadner writes about a little-known angle of the Better Government Association’s suit against the not-for-profit Illinois High School Association…
(T)he IHSA generates money for its schools, and the school boards, athletic directors and coaches are prepared to protect it from public scrutiny.
That’s how Consolidated High School District 230, based in Orland Park, got dragged as a defendant into the BGA lawsuit.
There’s a law that states a public agency that does business with another agency, even if it is private, must turn over any documents in its possession about that private business.
Andrew High School in Tinley Park is in District 230, and its principal, Andrew Nolting, is an IHSA board member.
So the BGA filed a freedom of information request with District 230, asking for the IHSA documents that it couldn’t get from the IHSA. District 230 denied the request, claiming that the documents sought “do not pertain to the transaction of the district’s public business.”
Let’s forget the legal mumbo jumbo for a minute and the responsibility of public bodies to be transparent.
Why would organizations that use schoolchildren to make money refuse to provide information about how they spend that money?
There would be no need for a lawsuit if people of good will simply did what was in the public’s interest.
I can see how the IHSA can say it’s protected from FOIA, but a high school district?
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Was Rauner consultant behind anti-Schock ads?
Monday, Jul 28, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Open Secrets has a story (I’m quoted) which shows some links between Nick Ayers, the former executive director of the Republican Governors Association and Bruce Rauner’s media consultant, and the now infamous out of nowhere advertising attacks on Congressman Aaron Schock while he was mulling a GOP gubernatorial bid. Read the whole thing…
Rauner’s campaign denied any responsibility for the [anti-Schock] ads. He went on to win the nomination with the help of Nick Ayers’ media buying firm, Target Enterprises, which was paid a whopping $12.9 million — making it the campaign’s biggest contractor by far. Another $133,000 went to C5 Creative Consulting, which lists Ayers as its owner.
Along the way, Jobs & Progress [the group behind the anti-Schock ads] vanished as mysteriously as it had appeared. […]
Named by TIME as an up-and-comer in Republican ranks, with a successful RGA tenure and big-name presidential campaign (even if it flopped) under his belt, Ayers was someone that a candidate like Bruce Rauner would have good reason to hire. […]
On numerous occasions — once before he worked for either Rauner or Perdue, once while working for Rauner and many times this past spring while working for Perdue — companies that Ayers led were paid by various arms of the same Ohio groups that attacked Schock and Kingston. […]
First, before and at the same time as he worked for Bruce Rauner’s campaign, Nick Ayers worked for Government Integrity Fund, which has the same board president as Jobs & Progress Fund — Columbus lobbyist Tom Norris. Jobs & Progress is the group that attacked Schock, discouraging him from making a run against Rauner.
Norris did not return a call seeking an interview. Rauner’s campaign spokesman, Mike Schrimpf (who formerly worked for Ayers at the RGA) said he did not know of any connection with Jobs & Progress Fund, and said the campaign did not track who else paid its top consultants.
It’s a bit convoluted, and there is no hard proof, but Russ Choma at OS has done a pretty good job of connecting some very big dots.
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False equivalence taken too far
Monday, Jul 28, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The AP’s Chicago bureau claims that both gubernatorial candidates “are playing a little fast and loose” with budget numbers. But so is the AP…
Under Rauner’s plan, the rate would drop to 3.75 percent in January then be scaled back over four years to 3 percent.
Except Rauner has also said he’s open to raising the rate after January’s scheduled drop. No mention of that in the piece.
…Adding… This commenter accurately points to yet another big problem with the AP story…
“Under Rauner’s plan, the rate would drop to 3.75 percent in January”
“rolling back the rates as scheduled on Jan. 1, which Rauner supports”
That is–at present–the plan for Quinn, too. Quinn signed the sunsetting increase into law and signed a budget that includes that drop.
Exactly. Rolling the rate back to 3.75 percent come January 1st isn’t “Rauner’s plan,” it’s current state law.
The AP’s Chicago bureau does a horrible job with state government. They need to let Springfield’s top-notch bureau carry the load.
* And this appears to have been added to make the story look more “even-handed”…
Quinn overstates the revenue drop under Rauner’s plan — at least to start.
A report from the non-partisan Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability says rolling back the rates as scheduled on Jan. 1, which Rauner supports, would reduce revenues by almost $5 billion for the budget year that begins in July 2015 — not $8.5 billion. Rauner says his sales tax plan would generate another roughly $600 million, bringing the total revenue loss to about $4.4 billion. This year’s entire general fund budget is $35.7 billion.
The larger drop in revenue would come later, when the rates would be lowered to pre-2011 levels.
The number the Quinn campaign is using is accurate because they’ve never said it was the immediate impact.
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The weekend in Facebook
Monday, Jul 28, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Rep. Greg Harris…
Really inappropriate dreams starring my friends Guy Zakrzewski, James Hallberg Piechocinski, a random bag lady, Little Jim’s and a copy of the state budget.
What, no bacon or Sharknado references?
* Will Caskey…
Toddler’s new favorite toy is a small plastic hammer. So he was hanging out with me and tried to hammer the window. I said no, off limits.
Then he hit himself on the head with it and got upset. I comforted him and said that’s why we don’t hit ourselves.
He looked at me defiantly and hit himself in the head again.
Insert political metaphor here.
I’m sure we can come up with something.
* Anders Lindall…
You know you’re dragging when … you try to plug your phone charger into your granola bar.
* John Fritchey…
How did I get this far in the day without knowing that it’s National Tequila Day?
* Rep. Rob Martwick’s band “Little Egypt” performed at Jeff Fest over the weekend…
What did you post?
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Question of the day
Monday, Jul 28, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Gov. Pat Quinn has agreed to live off the equivalent of the minimum wage, but he hasn’t yet said what that would entail…
At Sunday’s event, U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky had just told the crowd that she has lived for a week on a minimum-wage income. She then turned to ask Quinn if also he’d also take what she called “the live-the-wage challenge.” He answered, “Yes.”
It wasn’t immediately clear what that would entail for Quinn, including what amount of money he’d live off of and for how long.
But Schakowsky said she lived on $77 for the week, or $11 a day. That is the amount of expendable money supposedly left over after subtracting typical housing expenses.
She conceded some critics saw what she did as a gimmick.
“I say to them: Try it,” she said. “There’s no way that you can stop into a Starbucks, that’s for sure, or pass a vending machine and decide you want a snack. Everything needs to be planned out for the week.”
* The Question: A political stunt or a worthwhile endeavor? It undoubtedly includes a bit of both, but it’ll be up to you to decide which way it leans. Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
surveys
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Republicans look to the future
Monday, Jul 28, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Bernie talked to Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider…
Schneider said he hopes the party can pick up three or four House seats to end the Democrats’ veto-proof majority there. He said the climb is steeper in the Senate, where Democrats hold a 40-19 majority.
“Rome wasn’t built in a day,” Schneider said.
“What I truly believe is once the voters, and the people of Illinois, understand what a Republican-led administration can do,” he said, “we’ll see the transition of the House and the Senate to Republican leadership.”
* Bruce Rauner was even more optimistic…
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner predicted a GOP majority in Illinois eight years from now during a campaign stop in Springfield Saturday afternoon. […]
“We’re going to rebuild our Republican party from the grassroots up in every county. We’re going to take seat after seat in the General Assembly, and eight years from today we’re going to be celebrating. We’re going to be the majority party,” Rauner told the crowd.
He later defended the statement as “very realistic.”
“Limited government, low taxes, individual liberty and personal responsibility. Many Democrats believe in that, independent voters believe in it and if we build the Republican party on that, that’s a unifying message,” he said.
A Republican governor during the next remap process would, indeed, be a huge development.
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* From the Executive Inspector General…
First Deputy Inspector General Kristy Shores today discussed the results of the investigation by the Office of Executive Inspector General for the Agencies of the Illinois Governor (OEIG) into the solicitation and acceptance of gifts from State vendors at the DuQuoin and Illinois State Fairs. In a ruling issued on July 24, 2014 and made available today, the Executive Ethics Commission (EEC) found that DuQuoin Fair Manager John Rednour, Jr. improperly solicited a gift valued between $4,000 and $8,000 and that Illinois State Fair Manager Amy Bliefnick improperly accepted gifts from a fair vendor, both in violation of the State Officials and Employees Ethics Act.
“The Ethics Act sets clear standards for what State employees may solicit and what they may not solicit or accept,” said Deputy Inspector General and Chief of the Springfield Division Laura Bautista, whose division led the investigation. “It is illegal to solicit or accept gifts of a certain value from a vendor, and our investigation revealed that both State employees violated the law in this regard.”
After conducting its investigation, the OEIG referred the matter to the Office of Illinois Attorney General (OAG) for prosecution. Assistant Attorney General Francis Neil MacDonald represented the OEIG before the EEC and subsequently filed a motion for summary judgment in this matter. In proceedings before the EEC, John Rednour, Jr. acknowledged that he had asked a State vendor for gifts worth between $4,000 and $8,000 in 2012 and Illinois State Fair Manager Amy Bliefnick acknowledged receiving gifts from a State vendor in varying amounts worth more than $100 each year.
The EEC levied a $5,000 fine against John Rednour, Jr., which in this instance is the maximum fine available. In its decision, the EEC also noted that Mr. Rednour agreed to not seek or accept State employment for five years from the date of the EEC’s final decision. The EEC also levied a $1,000 fine against Amy Bliefnick.
Obviously, the Rednour problem is far more serious. Rednour, one of the heirs to a wealthy, connected southern Illinois Democratic family, resigned in January to take over his late father’s bank.
*** UPDATE *** This turns out to be a bit silly. I highly doubt they drank all that beer themselves. They most likely gave the tix away…
Illinois State Fair manager Amy Bliefnick has been fined $1,000 by the Executive Ethics Commission after she admitted to the commission that she accepted $540 in free beer tickets from a beer vendor during the 2013 fair.
The commission also fined former DuQuoin State Fair manager John Rednour, Jr., $5,000 after he admitted he solicited up to $8,000 in free beer tickets from beer vendor at that fair.
That’s fairly standard practice in the private sector. But, whatever.
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* Greg Hinz…
One insider tells me that a combination of the state and national parties and the Rauner campaign is prepared to spend as much as $2 million just on an absentee ballot operation—perhaps seven or eight times as much as in 2010, when Republican state Sen. Bill Brady of Bloomington lost to Gov. Pat Quinn.
Another source reports that the party has opened 20 field offices just in the collar counties. In comparison, Mr. Brady had three offices in the entire state. […]
Mr. Rauner is “showing leadership, because he’s willing to spend resources” on more than his own campaign, says Democratic strategist and campaign operative Greg Goldner. “He’s creating an infrastructure that hasn’t existed for a very long time on the Republican side.” […]
Mr. Rauner’s campaign—typically as closed-mouthed as someone who’s just had three teeth pulled—won’t say a lot about this. But it is known that the candidate put an emphasis on grass-roots organizing from the beginning. His field operation is being run by deputy campaign manager Mike Zolnierowicz, who handled similar chores for Mark Kirk in his successful 2010 run for the U.S. Senate.
“I think we’re making a historically significant investment,” allows Chip Englander, Mr. Rauner’s campaign manager. “We’re making a big push, an unprecedented push, and it’s paying dividends.”
* Meanwhile…
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie came to Chicago Friday and gave Republican Bruce Rauner $2.5 million.
With that the Republican Governors Association more than doubled its financial support of Rauner’s campaign for governor.
Christie, the association’s chairman and a potential presidential candidate, appeared with Rauner at Portillo’s in River North.
“This is amongst the most important governor’s races in the country,” Christie told reporters.
Discuss.
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Yet another stumble
Monday, Jul 28, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* My weekly syndicated newspaper column…
Back in January, state Sen. Michael Frerichs formally kicked off his campaign for Illinois state treasurer and posted a video online touting the fact the he’d ended “free, lifetime health care for state legislators.”
Actually, Frerichs had voted against that bill in the General Assembly. Frerichs’ campaign had to pull the video and replace it with a new one, even though he’d been planning his formal launch for at least a year.
In April, Frerichs appeared to flip-flop on his long-standing position that the comptroller’s and treasurer’s offices should be merged.
“People have said to me,” Frerichs told a WBBM Radio interviewer, “‘Wouldn’t it just be a lot more efficient if we just had one financial officer?’ And I’ve said yes, we could become very efficient, efficient like the city of Dixon, Illinois, who just had one chief financial officer and she was able, from this small little town, over several years to take something like $52 million away from them.”
Frerichs was quickly forced to restate his support for the office merger.
A few weeks ago, Frerichs was endorsed by the Illinois Education Association. At the kickoff tour, a Springfield reporter asked an IEA official why her organization backed Frerichs over Republican state Rep. Tom Cross. The official quickly deferred to her union’s spokesman, who was mostly silent for 25 very long and uncomfortable seconds while he tried to come up with an answer. He eventually cited the union’s “long association” with Frerichs and Frerichs’ support for more state revenues.
Since at least February, Frerichs has been pushing an idea to make the treasurer’s investment fund more Illinois centric.
“The current Republican Treasurer has placed a premium on investments outside of Illinois and the US, over the benefits that can be gained from investing in our people, our infrastructure, and our businesses,” he wrote on a Daily Herald questionnaire published on February 14th. Over and over since then, Frerichs has criticized incumbent Treasurer Dan Rutherford for investing Illinois dollars “overseas.”
But Frerichs either didn’t check the details of Treasurer Rutherford’s investment portfolio or didn’t think anyone else would because the one and only “overseas” investment in Rutherford’s portfolio is in bonds issued by the Israeli government.
Oops.
Support for Israel has long been an important statewide political issue in Illinois, dating back to at least US Sen. Charles Percy’s first win and then his 1984 loss to Paul Simon because Percy had allegedly become less supportive of the nation. Mark Kirk made a congressional career out of his unquestioning support for Israel and that stance helped him defeat Alexi Giannoulias for US Senate in 2010. There are other examples, but you get the idea.
So, last week, Tom Cross’ campaign blasted Frerichs for his investment proposal.
“One country that would be singled out under Frerichs’ plan is Israel,” a Cross press release noted. “The office of Treasurer currently has $25 million invested in foreign bonds, all with Israel.”
Treasurer Rutherford later confirmed that Israeli government bonds are the only overseas investment his office makes. So, if, indeed, Frerichs wants to divest the state treasurer’s portfolio of “overseas” investments, those Israel Bonds are the one and only instruments he could sell off.
Frerichs quickly sent out a statement noting that he’d co-sponsored a bill to encourage more purchases of the Israeli bonds, and attached a quote from several Jewish state legislators claiming that he was “among the most outspoken and vocal advocates for the State of Israel in the Illinois General Assembly.” The Frerichs campaign later issued a statement which said in part: “He would continue investing in Israel bonds as Treasurer. To say anything else is flat out wrong.”
But Cross’ hit was politically legitimate. He didn’t go overboard and frantically accuse Frerichs of being anti-Israel or anti-Semitic, he merely pointed out a simple fact: Frerichs has repeatedly demanded overseas divestiture and in the real world that can only mean one thing, Israel Bonds.
I wouldn’t expect that this easily preventable problem will go away any time soon.
Frerichs has earned a reputation for being a hardworking state legislator. He’s easy to talk to, but educated and ambitious. He raised a ton of money early on. The Downstater worked overtime to keep all potential Chicago-area candidates out of the Democratic primary. Most Democratic primary voters are in Cook County, so that was a real coup for the Champaign County legislator.
But he’s obviously not living up to expectations. He needs to up his game.
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Question of the day
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* How would you rate your own state legislators (House and Senate)? Let’s rate them A through F. Explain.
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Emanuel blames state for phony school budget
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Mayor Rahm Emanuel explains why he signed off on a school budget that uses 14 months of revenue for twelve months of spending…
He argued that he had no choice when Illinois ranks 50th among 50 states in school funding and Chicago Public Schools has a pension crisis that still has not been solved.
“Chicago taxpayers pay for the pensions of suburban and Downstate teachers and their own teachers. We should be part of that system so Chicago taxpayers are not bearing the burden of pension costs twice,” the mayor said.
“So, the solution to this is working with Springfield to get the resources we need….The state has to be part of the solution on the fiscal side.”
Hmm. Barring more state cash (and there isn’t any), could they fold the city’s school pension fund into TRS?
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AFSCME: Cullerton plan “looks like extortion”
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AFSCME has responded to Senate President John Cullerton’s new pension reform idea, which is outlined here. From Council 31…
The latest pension-cutting concept outlined by Senate President John Cullerton looks like extortion—both unconstitutional and blatantly unfair to teachers, police, nurses, caregivers and other public employees.
For years, our union and the We Are One Illinois coalition of which we are a part have stood virtually alone in urging fair and constitutional solutions to the underfunding of Illinois pensions. We demonstrated our commitment last year by working constructively with Senator Cullerton to develop a compromise pension measure.
We also strongly opposed pension-cutting schemes that are clearly unconstitutional, but politicians charged ahead, triggering costly litigation. We will continue to defend the integrity of the Illinois Constitution.
Recently, a near-unanimous bipartisan majority of the state Supreme Court sent a strong signal that the retirement benefits of public employees are inviolable. To suggest that politicians could prevent workers from bargaining for fair wages only if they surrender a protected right is the same kind of thinking that has delayed real solutions to the pension funding problem. It’s long past time for gimmicks.
Public employees earn their modest pensions by teaching kids, caring for the most vulnerable and keeping us safe. They have always paid their share. That’s why it’s so outrageous that the politicians who caused the pension debt—and their corporate allies whose tax loopholes divert billions from the public good—are still seeking ways to force public servants alone to pay the cost.
Discuss.
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BGA sues IHSA over FOIA
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Sun-Times…
The not-for-profit group that oversees high school sports in Illinois should be subject to state open-records law because it “performs a governmental function” and generates income “from events involving predominantly public schools,” a lawsuit filed Wednesday by the Better Government Association contends.
The government watchdog group’s case, filed in Cook County Circuit Court, aims to force the Illinois High School Association to disclose details about its sponsorship deals, vendors, pension expenses and other aspects of its $11-million-a-year budget.
IHSA officials have said they aren’t required to comply with the Illinois Freedom of Information Act because the association doesn’t get money directly from taxpayers and membership is voluntary. […]
The BGA lawsuit, however, notes that IHSA lawyers argued in 2005 that the sports governing body “was organized for the purpose of conducting public business” and is a “state actor.” The IHSA attorneys — who made those statements in an appellate court filing in response to a defamation case the association ultimately won — also described Hickman as a “public employee.”
The IHSA’s own words “make clear IHSA is a public body under FOIA,” according to the BGA complaint, filed by the Loevy & Loevy law firm.
The BGA also provides content for the Sun-Times, so this is an interesting development, partially because the lawsuit might end up helping the Sun-Times’ bottom line by exposing real problems with the organization and possibly forcing a shakeup or more. I’ll get to that in a minute, though.
* The IHSA responded to the lawsuit late yesterday…
The Illinois High School Association (IHSA) released documentation from the Illinois Office of the Attorney General on July 24, 2014 confirming that the Association is not subject to the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA).
The documentation was provided after a lawsuit was filed in Cook County Circuit Court on July 23, 2014 that seeks to force the IHSA to submit to FOIA requests.
The documentation is a letter from the AG’s office written in 2010 which says IHSA is exempt from state FOIA requirements.
* I’ve been lately sorta watching this developing story from afar. I think excellent arguments can be made that the IHSA should be opened up to FOIA. The institution can stop public school kids from playing sports. It has all sorts of rules and regulations, and leaving it is impossible since the IHSA must approve any games between an IHSA team and a non-IHSA team.
But there is another angle, and one of our better commenters summed it up pretty well back in April…
There’s something in the background that NONE of the parties want to get pushed out front.
IT’S MONEY.
The media folks (in particular broadcasters) are seeing local (high school) sports being the last available ‘cash cow’ where they are not having to fork out serious cash for broadcast rights to other parties, like, but not limited to, IHSA.
They (media/broadcasters) want to make sure those payments for broadcasting rights won’t be happening anytime soon.
Part of the reason this whole issue is coming up is that some different high school athletic conferences are looking for new revenue sources, in light of potential future cutbacks in local/high school sports funding.
You have broadcasting groups who are talking about setting up complete multi-position filming of high school games, and then offering copies of game film for license to college athletics - in effect, acting as ‘advance scouting’ for college athletics.
I just wonder if any of this is going to come out in these so-called ‘hearings’.
That’s real money.
* But it isn’t just traditional broadcasters. Wrapports not only owns the Sun-Times, it also owns High School Cube, which broadcasts live high school sporting events. So far, it’s a free service funded by advertisers. From a 2013 article…
The numbers are staggering. Is this how Ray Kroc, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg got started? Chicago-based HighSchoolCube.com is to high school sports what McDonald’s is to hamburgers, Apple to the personal computer, Microsoft to computer software and Facebook to social networking.
Founded in January 2011 by two Texas entrepreneurs who wanted to own their own company and were passionate about high school space, HighSchoolCube.com provides a streaming platform for high schools to broadcast their live events — sports, band, concerts, plays, graduation. […]
In December 2011, it attracted 80,000 visits to its website. Last month, the number sky-rocketed to 400,000.
And it’s been going up ever since.
Wrapports also has a site called High School Cube News which features stories about high school sports (including the BGA lawsuit story above).
* To be clear, news is news and the IHSA story is most definitely news. I’m not accusing any reporters of any bias by any means. I have yet to see a single “bad” story at the paper about this particular subject.
It’s just that releasing the IHSA’s tight grip on high school sports could conceivably benefit the corporation which owns a newspaper that has been all over this particular story. It’s an angle that really hasn’t been explored.
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* FLOTUS…
“Gov. Quinn has been a great friend and a fantastic partner in our work on military families, she said. “And I’m looking forward to doing more work with you in the years to come, because I’m going to be voting for this man. And we’re going to do everything in our power to make sure he gets over the finish line. He is the guy for this state. ”
Discuss.
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The consequences of budget cuts
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* April 14, 2011…
The Illinois Medicaid agency recently cut costs by moving numerous medications, including several anti-psychotics, to a non-preferred list. Some mental health advocates are saying the agency’s action will come at a high price for people with chronic conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.
The Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the state Medicaid agency, maintains a list of preferred and non-preferred prescription drugs for patients, with mostly generics left on the preferred list. Effective April 1, the agency re-categorized a number of medications, including several name brand atypical anti-psychotics, as non-preferred. That means doctors who want to prescribe them to patients on Medicaid will have to obtain prior authorization from the department first.
This may result in people with chronic mental disorders not getting the specific medication they need, said Mark Heyrman, a professor at the University of Chicago law school and the facilitator for the Mental Health Summit, a coalition of mental health advocates and providers. As a result of going untreated, they might end up hospitalized or in jail, he said.
“This is a real risk for people with mental illnesses,” he said.
* August 15, 2012…
In the past two years, Illinois has done just about everything it could to reduce the amount it spends on prescription drugs for mental health. It has placed restrictions on the availability of 17 medications used to treat depression, psychosis and attention-deficit disorder. Doctors now have to explain to Medicaid why the drugs are necessary before a patient can get access to them. Then in July, as part of an effort to cut overall Medicaid spending by $1.6 billion, the state capped the number of prescriptions for Medicaid recipients to four a month, even if they previously were taking a broader cocktail of behavioral medications.
In financial terms, there is no question that it has worked. Last year, the state’s Medicaid mental health drug spending budget was reduced by $112 million. The new cap on prescription drugs is expected to save another $180 million.
Up until 2011, behavioral health drug spending made up about a quarter of Illinois’ Medicaid prescription drug costs. The state spent about $392 million that year on drugs for treating mental health patients. In fiscal 2012, the state spent $280 million on mental health drugs.
But what are the implications for quality of care? Some physicians argue that they are disastrous. “It’s a mess,” says Dr. Daniel Yohanna, a psychiatrist at the University of Chicago Medical Center. “People who were stable on some drugs have been unable to get them. It has created a significant problem.”
* July 22, 2014…
A team of researchers published data Tuesday in the American Journal of Managed Care showing that prior authorization policies in Medicaid programs have significantly higher rates of severe mental illness in their prison populations.
Schizophrenics living in states with prior authorization requirements in Medicaid were 22 percent more likely to be jailed for a non-violent crime than those in states without those restrictions.
“What’s novel in this paper is documenting a link between Medicaid policy and prison populations that’s never previously been looked at,” says Darius Lakdawalla, a professor at University of Southern California and study co-author says. […]
Another paper Lakdawalla has worked on, published this spring, found that states with prior authorization policies tended to see their spending on hospital spending go up faster. The idea here is that patients who didn’t receive anti-psychotic medication may have ended up having to take more trips to the hospital in order to control their symptoms.”In that respect, Lakdawalla says, “It doesn’t seem like you’re getting a lot of bang for the buck in reducing health care costs. There is collateral damage.”
The researchers don’t claim to prove that prior authorization policies cause higher rates of incarceration among the mentally ill. But what Lakdawalla does see in this study is a space for further exploration, of whether these Medicaid policies are having the unintended consequence of driving up incarceration rates of the mentally ill.
“From a policy perspective, this suggests there may be a link between underfunded mental health systems, criminal activity and cost-shifting onto the prison system,” he says. “It’s probably not all about prior authorization, but could be the larger mental health spending picture.”
…Adding… From Rep. Greg Harris…
Your post on the consequences of budget cuts relating to anti-psychotic meds for Medicaid patients and crime/incarceration and mental illness is one of the major reasons that we removed anti-psychotic drugs from the prior authorization list in SB741 that became effective July 1.
I am still working with providers and DHFS on other issues related to what drugs go on the preferred drug list of the formulary such as Concerta and Abilify, and even a quirk in policy that was brought to my attention by Lurie Childrens hospital yesterday that when Medicaid patients turn 19 there is a problem with continuation of ADHD medications.
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* From Illinois Public Radio…
As Gov. Pat Quinn battles a lawsuit accusing his administration of political hiring, the state watchdog charged with investigating ethics violations is asking to get involved.
Confidentiality restrictions prevent the Inspector General from saying what he is or isn’t looking into.
But a letter to the Attorney General tiptoes to the very edge of admitting that there’s some sort of investigation relating to hiring Illinois’ Department of Transportation. In the letter, Inspector General Ricardo Meza says the court has been informed of an inspector general investigation that “may be related to, or overlap with” allegations related to an ongoing court case.
Meza writes in the letter that his office may assist the court with “useful information and perspectives” as it decides on a lawsuit brought by Michael Shakman.
* From Meza’s letter…
Although confidentiality provisions in the Ethics Act prevent the OEIG from directly commenting on or confirming the existence of an ongoing investigation, or on a completed but not yet released OEIG Final Summary report, the OEIG understands that the Court has been informed about the status of an OEIG investigation that may be related to, or overlap with, allegations that have been made in this matter.
The OEIG therefore believes that appearance as amicus curiae may assist the Court with useful information and perspectives that may aid the Court in determining whether any relief should be granted and, if so, what form any such relief should take.
* Sun-Times…
A Madigan spokesman said the attorney general’s office has confirmed with Meza that it will represent him.
A Quinn spokesman indicated the governor’s office would respond to the letter later Thursday afternoon .
Shakman, meanwhile, said he does not view Meza’s request as being “inconsistent with what we’re doing.”
“I read the letter saying the inspector general has statutory duties that include some of the same subject matter we’re dealing with at the federal courthouse and through our request for a federal monotiror so he’d like to have a chance to appear before the court and address what should be done,” Shakman told Early & Often, the Chicago Sun-Times’ online political portal. “That’s fine. Maybe we’ll agree with him. Maybe we won’t.”
There’s no update with the Quinn response. Imagine that.
* From the Illinois Republican Party…
In case you haven’t been following the story, here’s a brief summary:
The Better Government Association found one of the biggest agencies under Gov. Pat Quinn’s control – the Illinois Department of Transportation, or IDOT – has been skirting federal hiring guidelines.
IDOT jobs under Pat Quinn have gone to political insiders over qualified workers.
Michael Shakman is suing for access to documents and a federal hiring monitor to prevent more Quinn patronage.
Pat Quinn refuses to turn over thousands of hiring documents and won’t allow a federal hiring monitor.
Bruce Rauner has called on Quinn to withdraw his motion in federal court and allow a federal hiring monitor at IDOT.
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“Instant responders”
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Phil Bradley…
Instant Responders
Driving up to Chicago we were the car behind the semi which slammed into a line of stopped cars, killing four people, including a young girl, and injured others. Had we been in front of him rather than behind, i am sure we would be dead.
This leaves images that are hard to shake. Thankfully, first responders arrived in droves, ambulances, seven fire engines, a dozen police cars and two Med-evac heliocopters.
But before all that, another image that, happily, stays as well.
After the crash there was a moment of total stillness and silence.
And then it happened. Suddenly there were guys running to the wreckage. The doors on truck cabs opened and guys jumped down and ran to the wreck. Guys got out of their cars and ran toward the diaster. Guys even stopped on the other side of the highway, climbed the divider fence and ran.
They all ran toward a tangle of cars that might explode and burn, and that was certain to be an horrific thing to see close up.
But all those wonderful guys just ran to it, to see if they could help, because it was the right, human thing to do.
When Sylvia’s Jeep flipped on 55 years ago, the same thing happened. Truckers rushed up and freed them from the vehicle long before anyone else arrived at the scene.
They are everywhere. Guys who take care of their neighbors because it is right. Guys whose first impulse is help because they see a need. The Instant Responders. God Bless them!
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* After snidely whacking the “conservative savants” on his own newspaper’s editorial board, the Tribune’s always thoughtful John McCarron turns to Senate President John Cullerton for answers about how to deal with pension reform going forward…
His idea is to present them with a stark choice as their contracts come due for renewal: Workers could agree to a scaling back of the COLA they’ve been promised in retirement or forgo any pay raises while they’re still working.
“The state constitution,” said Cullerton, “does not guarantee pay raises.”
Cullerton predicts most workers nearing retirement will opt to keep their 3 percent COLA. But enough younger and middle-age workers will choose continued pay raises that will achieve more substantial long-term savings. Current retiree benefits wouldn’t be touched, and since 2011, new “Tier 2″ hires already have had their promised benefits reduced.
That’s actually brilliant. He’s done it again. Whether the state could get the union to agree to such a change without a strike is another story, but it’s probably worth a shot.
* And whether you agree with Cullerton or not, he’s offering up more insight and thought than we’ll ever possibly get from those afore-mentioned “savants,” one of whom throws up her hands in the Tribune today about the future of pension reform and Illinois…
Anyone want to go halvsies on a moving van? Last one out of Illinois, hit the lights.
Whatever.
* From a March, 2014 report by the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability…
As I’ve been telling subscribers, we’re at the top of the Jim Edgar “ramp.” There is another significant bump up next year because the three biggest systems adjusted their ROI percentages after COGFA released its report, but then that’s pretty much it.
And, as is obvious by the chart, most of the pension reform law’s savings occur decades from now.
But the “savants” at the Trib (or anywhere else) will never tell you that. They’d rather just scare you into believing the worst without any actual facts. It’s utterly and despicably shameful. Not to mention that nobody will ever give up a sweet gig at the Mother Ship and move to Hoosierland or the equivalent because pension reform is in peril. The Trib loves its victimhood.
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Here comes teh crazy - for real
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* From Gov. Pat Quinn…
“Like so many Americans, I am deeply concerned about the welfare of the unaccompanied children who cross our nation’s southern border – especially those escaping violence, abuse, abandonment and human trafficking.
“Last week in Washington D.C., I met with U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Burwell and let her know that the state of Illinois is prepared to help in whatever way necessary to preserve the well-being of these children. My administration will continue to discuss this important subject with other federal, state and local elected officials.
“I commend the Obama Administration for working with governors across our country toward a solution, and I join the President in calling on Congress to act.
“In times of trouble, we cannot forget that kindness to strangers and trusting in our faith will always help lead us to do the right thing.
“Leaders of conscience must cooperate to protect the vulnerable. Now and always, we have a responsibility to ensure all children are treated with respect, compassion and dignity.”
Bruce Rauner hasn’t yet issued a response. I’ll let you know what he says when I know.
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Today’s quotable
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Wordslinger…
Here’s what I’ve come to believe: politicians claim so much credit for the good times, some people believe it. So when the bad times come, people blame them for that.
The poster boy is Daley. He was given an enormous amount of credit, locally and nationally, for economic growth that he had nothing to do with.
Meanwhile, he neglected or screwed up some of his core responsibilities, including fiscal stewardship.
Illinois was booming during most of Blago’s one-and-a-half terms. Does anyone believe that he had anything to do with it? The guy who sat around at home all day in his jogging suits, watching cartoons and dreaming up crooked scores?
North Dakota ain’t booming because of the governor there, whoever it is. Texas ain’t booming because of Rick Perry’s policies. If it was, MIssissippi would be booming, too.
It’s important to hold politicians to their core responsibilities of human services — something we neglect to do when we pretend they’re Big Daddies who can make everyone rich.
Don’t believe the hype of governors, or mayors, when they say they are creating jobs. Consumers create jobs, risk-takers create jobs, and the job of politicians is to do their limited-jobs and get out of the way.
Exactamundo.
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Adventures in state-funded stupidity
Friday, Jul 25, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* We’ve gotten so caught up in attempting to find “criminal” behavior in the governor’s botched anti-violence initiative that we’ve tended to ignore how ridiculous some aspects of the program actually were. From the BND…
One component of the program involved training residents of the communities, both parents and youths, to serve as “mentors” to their peers. The individuals were paid to provide mentoring to their peers, but the audit found that time-keeping records in many cases were non-existent or poorly maintained.
The advice given by the mentors also has been questioned. In one instance, a mentor gave advice to a mother about how to deal with a child who violated curfew.
“I told her to tell him that night is the prime time that youth get harassed and killed by the police,” the mentor wrote in his report.
The same mentor gave similar advice to another mother: “We talked about speaking with child about danger of being out on streets late, such as shootings, police brutality, influence of bad things from other peers,” the mentor wrote in his report.
Oy.
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Question of the day
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* AP…
More than half the states to hold primary elections so far have seen record-low turnouts, according to a nonpartisan survey of voter rolls released Monday. That perhaps is a sign of widespread apathy within both political parties ahead of November’s midterm elections.
Of the almost 123 million voters who were eligible to cast ballots in primaries, only 18 million have done so, and states with same-day voter registration actually saw their turnout rates drop, according to the Center for the Study of the American Electorate. Despite heavy campaign spending that is poised to make history, 15 of the 25 states that have held statewide primary elections each reported a record low percentage of voters who cast ballots. […]
Nonetheless, Democrats saw a 29 percent decline from 2010’s primaries, the 11th consecutive midterm elections to see a drop in participation.
Republicans posted a 15 percent decline in participation from 2010. But their rate was closer to historical norms after tea party enthusiasm in 2010 led to a turnout spike.
The two parties’ combined participation rate this year is less than half of the most recent high of 32 percent, posted in 1966.
* The Question: Should we abandon traditional partisan primaries and move to an “open” system where the top two vote-getters, regardless of party, advance to November? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
panel management
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Today’s numbers are grim, but slightly hopeful
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* According to the Bureau of Labor statistics, in June of 2004, total Illinois employment was 5,932,487. Ten years later, in June of 2014, total Illinois employment was 6,068,068.
That’s a net increase of less than 2.3 percent.
In ten years.
Oy.
* In November of 2006, the last time the state’s unemployment rate reached a low of 4.4 percent, total Illinois employment was 6,306,527, or almost 4 percent higher than where we were in June of this year.
* According to the BLS, the state’s labor force in November of 2006 stood at 6,599,004. The state’s labor force then reached its peak in January of 2008 at 6,725,940. It’s now at 6,529,781 - an astonishing drop of almost 200,000 people.
* One BLS graph shows we are starting to bounce back a bit. Employment…
* But look at the labor force trend…
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One way or the other, the bill has to be paid
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Pat Gauen on the bickering between Pat Quinn and Bruce Rauner over the state’s finances…
(I)t’s important to remember that the mess was delivered not by today’s sons but by their political fathers. The problems follow decades of others’ leadership that operated the state on credit while courting votes from happy constituents who suffered neither service decreases nor tax increases.
The recession finally delivered the bill, like a waitress bringing a sizable check to a table of people who ate and drank more than they realized.
They can argue, blaming each other for who ordered what. But when the bickering is done, somebody has to figure out how to pay.
Yep.
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Tax issues are bipartisan because they work
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Some Republicans have complained (with some justification) that Bruce Rauner is being excoriated for legally avoiding paying payroll taxes over two years. But this rather draggy, not well produced YouTube ad by Republican Darlene Senger’s campaign uses basically the same issue against her Democratic opponent…
Bill Foster voted to raise our taxes, even though in 2011 he didn’t pay any taxes at all.
The video…
Obviously, Foster did pay some taxes, like sales taxes. But it’s a good political issue to use against somebody and that’s why people do it.
Also, note to the Senger campaign: If you want people to watch your YouTube ads, make them shorter, make them more watchable, give them some snap, for crying out loud. YouTube ads shouldn’t just be a mass dumping ground.
* Meanwhile, Republicans have also complained about Pat Quinn’s demands that Bruce Rauner release his 2013 taxes - which he hasn’t yet filed - and provide much more details about his previous tax returns. As much as the GOP hates to admit it, that attack works as well. Illinois Review…
Former Congressman Bob Dold is polling ahead of freshman incumbent U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider in the north suburban 10th CD, and the Congressional Leadership Fund is taking advantage of Illinois voters’ disgust with corrupt politicians to raise even more questions about re-electing Schneider.
The Congressman refuses to be transparent, the group says, by refusing to open his tax returns for public perusal.
“Illinois voters have seen too many corrupt politicians with a lot to hide, and Illinois 10 residents deserve the truth from Brad Schneider. Brad Schneider may claim he will release just his 2013 return, but hitting the delay button while still hiding his 2011-2012 tax returns tells voters he’s not serious about accountability” spokeswoman for CLF Emily Davis said Thursday.
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Adventures in tracking
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* A series of texts from someone on the Pat Quinn campaign…
FYI we just found Rauner’s tracker in the bathroom.
Again
In church where the gov is having event
Lol
…Adding… The Rauner campaign says the Quinnsters are “lying” and point to this Tweet as evidence that their tracker couldn’t even get inside today…
* There won’t be many tracker opportunities for Gov. Quinn’s folks at tomorrow’s Chris Christie events…
Republican Governors Association Chairman Chris Christie will travel to Chicago, IL this Friday to attend events for the RGA, GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner, and Florida Gov. Rick Scott.
Friday, July 25
3:00PM: RGA Chairman Chris Christie attends an RGA finance event in Chicago, IL.
Press: CLOSED
4:15PM: RGA Chairman Chris Christie and GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner attend a retail stop in Chicago, IL.
Press: OPEN; Availability to follow
For Press interested in attending, contact Lyndsey Walters at xxxx@xxxxx.com
5:00PM: RGA Chairman Chris Christie attends a fundraiser for GOP gubernatorial nominee Bruce Rauner in Chicago, IL.
Press: CLOSED
6:30PM: RGA Chairman Chris Christie attends a fundraiser for Florida Gov. Rick Scott in Chicago, IL.
Press: CLOSED
* Unless, of course, the Quinnsters try to emulate the Michigan Republicans. The Michigan GOP is using trackers who wear eyeglasses that contain a hidden camera in their frames. I kid you not and the GOP freely admits it…
For the third time this year, Democratic gubernatorial candidate Mark Schauer is accusing Republicans of attempting to spy on his campaign.
But this time, the suspected political subterfuge involves a high-tech hidden camera and a video memory disk that fell into the hands of Democrats.
And Republicans are defending their campaign snooping.
Schauer’s campaign and Oakland County Democrats recently came into possession of a tiny disk containing raw video footage of a young woman and man who secretly recorded a Schauer campaign fundraiser June 22 at a private home in Bloomfield Hills.
* The Michigan Democrats posted some of the video they found on YouTube…
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* The Executive Mansion isn’t the only state property falling into disrepair. Greg Hinz…
The carpeting is beyond ratty, literally held together by duct tape on almost every floor.
The ceiling leaks and the metal panels are rusted. The walls need repainting, and many are discolored. The covered walkway around the building is filthy, and the planters finally got a few plants just last week, though the dead growth from last season’s roses is still there.
Even the landmark Dubuffet sculpture looks discolored, old and tired.
If you wanted to pick a metaphor for the sad shape of Illinois and its government, you couldn’t do better — really, I should say worse — than to stop by the James R. Thompson Center in the North Loop, the seat of state government in Illinois’ largest city. Though the marble floors sparkle and signs of recent work exist here and there, overall it’s a truly sad sight. […]
“It looks like a scrap heap,” [former Gov. Jim Thompson said]. “It’s terrible, just terrible.” […]
“They still have the same [carpet] we put in when the building opened in 1985,” Mr. Thompson said. “And we did cheap carpeting then to stay within the budget. But it wasn’t supposed to last 30 years.”
“What kind of message does it send,” he continues, when visitors walk into a dump? “What impression do you want people to have of state government?”
Discuss.
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Rauner takes page from Oberweis playbook
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Back in 2006, GOP gubernatorial candidate Jim Oberweis faked some newspaper headlines in a couple of TV ads…
Republican governor candidate Jim Oberweis is launching two TV ads that use made-up newspaper headlines to attack front-runner Judy Baar Topinka’s integrity.
The words are displayed as if they appeared on the front pages of the Tribune, the Chicago Sun-Times, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and the State Journal-Register of Springfield.
But Oberweis campaign manager Joe Wiegand said, “those aren’t headlines.” Instead, he said, the “text is excerpted” from stories that appeared in those publications. A review of the stories did not find the exact words as they were presented in the ads, which are to begin airing Wednesday.
“We are not printing a newspaper,” Wiegand said Tuesday. “We are doing a television advertisement.”
Charles Wheeler, a journalism professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield, called the ads deceitful.
* Bruce Rauner is doing pretty much the same thing with his latest TV ad…
Bruce Rauner debuted his latest attack ad against Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn on Wednesday — a TV spot called “Headlines” that relies in part on independent news stories but features headlines the Republican’s campaign made up and doctored to make them sound more critical. […]
But in two other cases, the Rauner ad makes up headlines that did not appear with the source cited, and in at least three other cases, headlines were shortened to buttress the campaign’s attack on Quinn. Rauner campaign spokesman Mike Schrimpf defended the technique, saying in an e-mail that “due to time and space constraints, the phrases had to be condensed.”
In one case, the ad displays the words “Quinn education cuts lead to teacher layoffs and larger class sizes,” which the Rauner campaign attributes to an April 11 Associated Press report that appeared on the Washington Times web site.
But the actual headline was “Quinn, Rauner spar on education in 1st 2014 event” from a story about a joint appearance by the two candidates before the Illinois Education Association.
The quoted “headline” by the Rauner camp’s ad also does not appear as a phrase in the AP’s news article. Instead, the “headline” paraphrases a Rauner attack on Quinn from the event, not an independent statement of fact from the AP.
* From today’s Quinn presser…
* The ad in question…
Discuss.
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Today’s must-read
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Springfield’s top lobbyist, Gov. Pat Quinn, House Speaker Michael Madigan, David Axelrod’s son and many others were all apparently bamboozled by a guy who took advantage of a lucrative federal program to raise millions from overseas investors for a complete turkey of a project. Fortune Magazine…
On Nov. 15, 2012, about 100 people gathered in a parking lot near O’Hare Airport in Chicago for a ceremonial occasion: the demolition of a fleabag motel to make way for what was intended to be a world-changing construction project. Next door to a Hooters restaurant, just off the Kennedy Expressway, was to rise a commercial and environmental wonder—the “World’s First Zero Carbon Platinum LEED-certified and 100% Allergen Free convention center and hotel complex.” Lest anyone doubt its global eco-import, the project’s developer was branding it as a “Kyoto Protocol Centre.” At a projected cost of $913 million, it was to include three connected towers—14, 17, and 19 stories tall—containing five upscale hotels with 995 suites and rooms, four levels of convention space, a green roof with a spa and yoga studio, a miniature golf course, and a 1,720-car “automatic robotic” parking garage. All this would be financed with the help of a government immigration program known as EB-5, which allows wealthy foreigners to obtain U.S. citizenship by sinking $500,000 apiece into a venture that creates American jobs. Spellbound by the sales pitch—which included “guarantees” that the project would deliver visas and juicy returns—nearly 300 eager Chinese investors had anted up a total of $147 million.
Go read the whole thing. Fascinating stuff.
23 Comments
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Fanning the flames
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* The AP rewrites the Sun-Times story from yesterday…
Emails turned over to a legislative panel have raised questions about the role of politics in Gov. Pat Quinn’s defunct anti-violence program that’s under federal investigation, according to a published report Wednesday.
Exchanges between former Quinn aides appear to show a suburban Chicago mayoral race factored into determining which service providers got money through the 2010 Neighborhood Recovery Initiative, the Chicago Sun-Times reported.
Quinn started the approximately $55 million program to help curb neighborhood violence. Earlier this year, state auditors detailed problems with mismanagement and misspending, and top Republicans claimed it was a political slush fund to help Quinn ahead of a close November 2010 election.
Notice how the AP labels the program as “the 2010 Neighborhood Recovery Initiative.”
But hold on a second. The e-mail exchange actually happened in 2011 - which is, of course, after the 2010 election. You have to read further down in the AP story to see a mention of 2011.
* BND…
Just days before the 2010 gubernatorial election, two of Gov. Pat Quinn’s top lieutenants were talking about expanding a controversial anti-crime grant program to East St. Louis. […]
Emails obtained by the News-Democrat show that the former head of the Illinois Violence Prevention Authority, Barbara Shaw, wrote to the head of another state agency about expanding the program to downstate, including East St. Louis.
The email was sent Oct. 25, 2010 — just eight days before the election — to Michelle Saddler, the head of the Illinois Department of Human Services.
“Hi, Michelle. Any further thoughts about taking NRI to Rockford, Decatur and East St. Louis?” Shaw stated in the email. “If we want to do that, it would be great to announce it this week.”
Saddler, as secretary of the Department of Human Services, served on the Violence Prevention Authority’s board.
The expansion never happened. And, as it turned out, those Downstate communities, including ESL, were part of a different anti-violence program. Director Saddler’s response e-mail, if any, and e-mail exchanges leading up to the one Shaw sent weren’t included in the story.
…Adding… The reporter on the ESL story says he couldn’t find any response by Saddler.
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* The Cook County Board approved a non-binding referendum on gun control yesterday…
Democratic board members unanimously supported the gun control measure, which asks if the state should “require universal background checks for firearm transfers and prohibit the sale and transfer of assault weapons, assault weapon attachments and high capacity ammunition magazines?”
Gov. Pat Quinn also has called for a similar law, though legislation has failed to move forward in Springfield. The board’s approval of the ballot question comes as Quinn’s campaign has tried to hit Republican rival Bruce Rauner on the issue. Recently, Quinn’s campaign released a new online video juxtaposing TV news reports on Chicago gun violence with footage of Rauner stating he believes gun owners should be free to use assault weapons for “target practice … on their property as they choose fit.”
Board President Toni Preckwinkle said the ballot measure was a continuation of the board’s attempt to reduce gun violence – not part of a coordinated effort.
* But soon after, Quinn’s government office sent out this release…
“This November, voters in Cook County will have an opportunity to raise their voices at the ballot box on two important issues to keep our streets safer.
“The violence epidemic in Chicago has taken far too many lives.
“While many factors contribute to the wars on our streets, there’s no question that there is a crying need for common-sense gun laws that make our communities safer.
“No child in any community should have to fear for their lives when they step outside.
“Military-style assault weapons have no place on our streets. These weapons – which have the capacity to shoot a large volume of ammunition – have no purpose other than killing. By taking these weapons off our streets, we can help lessen the risk for tragic mass shootings that have destroyed innocent lives across our country.
“Additionally, universal background checks for gun sales will help ensure that guns don’t get in the wrong hands.
“I applaud the Cook County Board for adding these important referendums. With proper gun control regulations and investment in mental health care we can help save lives and improve safety within our communities.”
* And early this morning, Quinn’s campaign office sent out a media advisory…
CHICAGO – Governor Pat Quinn will support the recently approved Cook County referendum questions regarding gun safety and a ban on military-style assault weapons.
WHEN: 10:30 a.m.
WHERE: People’s Church of the Harvest
3570 W. Fifth Avenue
Chicago, 60624
* And Republican board members kept a low profile…
Republicans on the board, including state GOP chairman Com. Tim Schneider, did not oppose the gun control measure. Instead, they requested to be marked as “present” during the vote.
*** UPDATE 1 *** Rauner campaign response…
Pat Quinn’s anti-crime policies have been disastrous for Illinois. He has let numerous violent criminals out of jail early, only to see them commit more crimes. He has turned an anti-violence program into a political slush fund that is now under local and federal investigation. His only answer is a non-binding election year referendum. Pat Quinn is just not serious about dealing with crime in our communities. It’s tragic.
*** UPDATE 2 *** From the Quinn campaign…
Governor Pat Quinn today announced his support for Cook County’s referendum question asking voters this fall whether the state should ban the sale and transfer of military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines. Governor Quinn also denounced Bruce Rauner’s cowardly silence on the issue of gun violence and his support for military-style assault weapons. Rauner has said that people should be able to use military-style assault weapons “as they choose fit.”
Governor Quinn is pushing legislation to ban semi-automatic, military-style assault weapons and high-capacity ammunition magazines.
“There is no place in Illinois for military-style assault weapons,” Governor Quinn said. “These weapons are specifically designed to rapidly fire at human targets and kill, only proliferating the violence epidemic that is plaguing our communities. Bruce Rauner’s strong support for military-style assault weapons is not only out-of-touch, but extremely dangerous to our children, our communities and our policemen who put their life on the line every day to keep us safe.”
Earlier this week, the Quinn for Illinois campaign released a Web video highlighting Rauner’s continued support for the proliferation of semi-automatic, military-style assault weapons in Illinois. The video shows Rauner’s response at a Republican gubernatorial debate earlier this year, where he voiced strong support for assault weapon ownership, and merely shrugged when an incredulous host asked, “When it would make sense to use an assault weapon?”
Watch the video and Rauner’s comments here: http://youtu.be/LwpqXHTHW7U .
Last year, the Governor met with parents who lost children in the Newtown, Conn., tragedy and worked with them to advocate for legislation to ban the sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines in Illinois. The Governor is currently pushing Senate Bill 3659 - the Illinois Public Safety Act - to make Illinois communities safer by banning the delivery or sale of high-capacity ammunition magazines and military-style assault weapons, and requiring background checks for the transfer of guns.
73 Comments
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Teh crazy spreads
Thursday, Jul 24, 2014 - Posted by Rich Miller
* Illinois Review…
The Ottawa Times and the Kankakee Daily Journal report that the Ku Klux Klan (yes there is still at least one of them around) has been leaving leaflets in communities in Northern Illinois.
The leaflets have so far been found in the Illinois towns of Streator, New Lenox, Tinley Park and Seneca. It appears only one person is involved in the leaflet campaign.
* But it’s not just northern Illinois. The Klan hit Effingham the weekend before last…
A distribution of Ku Klux Klan recruitment material in Effingham during the weekend resulted in 20 anxious calls to Effingham Police Department.
“The first call to us came at about 9 p.m. on Saturday. It concerned Klan material being left on private property. There were about 20 calls overall about this incident. It was something out of the ordinary for our community and people wanted to make contact with the police department,” said Effingham Police Chief Mike Schutzbach Monday morning.
The group is attempting to take advantage of the rage over the current border problems…
The one-page flier promoted the Klan and sought recruits through what one Klan spokesman called a national “Night Ride.” Dozens or possibly hundreds of them were left on Effingham residential driveways and sidewalks across the city during the weekend.
The material was contained in plastic baggies and weighted down by small gravel rocks. There were no direct threats contained in the material, but a recorded message on the “Loyal White Knights of the Ku Klux Klan” hotline advocated “shoot-to-kill” policies along the United States border with Mexico and stated, “If it ain’t white, it ain’t right!”
* From the Ottawa Times…
Robert Jones, a high-ranking official with the Loyal White Knights, told The Daily Journal he believes border patrols should shoot all immigrants attempting to cross illegally. A message on the leaflet’s telephone number says the same.
“It’s supposed to be, protect the border at all costs,” Jones said. “I think it should be a shoot-to-kill policy if it doesn’t stop. They’re not even supposed to be here and they’re destroying America.”
But…
The number of Klan chapters has declined nationally from 221 in 2010 to 163 at the most current tally taken in 2013. While the Loyal White Knights group has grown, their members largely have come from groups which have ceased to exist, Potok said. National membership is between 4,000 and 6,000 members.
“It’s good to let local police know if you get a leaflet,” Potok said. “It’s not a crime, but it helps to keep an eye on where they’re operating.”
My maternal grandfather was from southern Illinois. He used to derisively joke that it was easy to tell who the hooded Klansmen were because everybody recognized their horses.
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