The just-filed RGA report for the second quarter features a $1.5 million donation from Chicago financial mogul Ken Griffin, who already had donated $3 million to Mr. Rauner’s campaign this year.
On Tuesday, lawmakers who make up the obscure but powerful Joint Committee on Administrative Rules had no objections to the rules that will be used to implement the Illinois Medical Cannabis Pilot Program.
That means the medical marijuana program in Illinois can officially be put to use, and the process to begin registering patients, dispensers and growers can begin.
State regulators must choose which businesses will get licenses to grow and sell pot, and must set up a laboratory and procedures to test the drug for safety. And then there’s the matter of figuring out how to start growing a crop that has been illegal for decades.
Bryan Willmer, an owner of Grand Prairie Farms in Frankfort who hopes to open a dispensary and cultivation centers in Will, Kankakee and Champaign counties, said entrepreneurs are hoping state officials will specify how to get seeds.
“I guess they should fall from the sky,” he joked.
State officials said Tuesday they will try to clarify that issue. In addition, the Illinois Department of Agriculture is converting one of its labs into a testing center, where pot can be checked for potency, mold and pesticides so consumers know what they are getting, said Bob Morgan, coordinator of the state program.
But first — hopefully within 30 days, he said — regulators will draw up criteria that will be used to score business applications to decide who will be awarded licenses to grow and sell medical marijuana. The state intends to approve up to 21 cultivation centers and 60 retail stores spread around Illinois, based on issues like security, patient education and expertise in growing crops, Morgan said.
Jurors convicted the Democrat on multiple corruption counts, including that he tried to swap an appointment to President Barack Obama’s old Senate seat for campaign money or a job.
Wednesday’s two-page filing with the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals refers to an April Supreme Court decision striking down laws that restrict aggregate limits on campaign contributions.
Defense lawyers say that ruling also indicated the solicitation of contributions was corruption only when a politician gave a clear promise to take some official action in exchange for the donation. They say Blagojevich never made such promises.
* The Sun-Times noticed that when Republican Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka appeared with Gov. Pat Quinn at a bill signing ceremony, she whispered something about her son to the governor. Her mic was hot, though, and it picked up part of their conversation…
Topinka: “…get my son to SIU? He loves to teach.”
Quinn: “Oh really?”
Topinka: “Yeah. He’s got the qualifications too.”
Quinn: “I know him, too.”
Topinka: “SIU. SIU. SIU.”
Topinka then slaps Quinn on the shoulder with a broad smile.
The governor’s spokesperson said Quinn “couldn’t make out what she was talking about.” It was “loud” the spokesperson said. Um, no, it wasn’t loud. Listen to the video.
Topinka’s office said the comptroller is looking to have her son “closer to home.”
“The comptroller recalls mentioning that her son just completed 20 years of service in the military, that he has multiple degrees, including his J.D., and is interested in returning to Illinois, preferably Southern Illinois,” said spokesman Brad Hahn. “It was no different than a million other conversations she’s had about her son in the last few months. Like any mom and grandma, she would like to have her family closer to home.”
I called Hahn myself. I asked him over and over whether Topinka had asked the governor to help her son get a job at SIU. He gave the same response about how Topinka “recalls mentioning” blah, bah, blah.
Finally, I asked him if Topinka also recalled asking the governor about helping her son get a job. “Not specifically,” I was told.
Yeah. OK.
* Look, I’ve known JBT for decades. She loves her son. She’s incredibly proud of him. She talks about him all the time. And she’d do just about anything to have him closer to her.
*** UPDATE *** Topinka’s Brad Hahn just called back. Here are three direct quotes…
She talked about wanting to get her son back to Illinois.
She was not asking for a job.
She did not ask him for a job.
I’ve known Brad forever. He’s always been straight with me, so it’s weird that he was so evasive before. All he had to do was tell the Sun-Times and myself what he said in our second conversation and it’s end of story.
While most of Rauner’s biggest contributions come from individuals, nine of Quinn’s 10 biggest donations come from organizations such as unions and political action committees.
According to the Chicago Sun-Times, Rauner raised more money during the second quarter period, but Quinn did spend as much, and so had more money available as of June 30.
To create an apples-to-apples comparison, these rankings are for donations made to both candidates after March 5, 2013, when Rauner first began collecting donations for his Republican primary race. Quinn has campaign donations on record dating back more than 20 years, but those are from earlier races.
The state’s campaign donation limits don’t apply in the governor’s race because Rauner in November crossed the $250,000 mark for self-funding. State law limits campaign donations to $5,300 from individuals; $10,500 from corporations, unions or associations, and $52,600 from a candidate political committee or political action committee. But those limits don’t apply if one of the candidates in a race provides $250,000 of his or her own money.
There’s a reason why your primetime “Law & Order: SVU” binges are being interrupted with an increasing number of negative political commercials.
As it happens, politicians’ campaigns and the special interests that back them are intentionally programming their gloomiest, most attack-y ads during gritty procedural crime dramas that air in primetime, according to new research from The Cook Political Report’s Elizabeth Wilner.
Almost 77 percent of political spots that aired during police, mystery and suspense series were negative in tone, followed by 71 percent of entertainment magazine programs.
Political media buyers know that “if you are watching between the hours of 7 and 11, you already are tuning in for some sort of violence or character assassination,” Wilner told USA Today in an interview, adding: “You are primed … for drama anyway.”
- Early morning (5am-8:59am) is by far the most popular “daypart”—i.e., time of day—for airing political ads overall, accounting for 24% of all spot occurrences covered in the study. A gap of 8,000 spots separates early morning (34,576) from the next most preferred daypart, daytime (9am-3:59pm; 26,608).
- Local news remains by far the preferred programming genre for airing political ads overall, claiming 43% of all spots included in the study and seeing nearly three times as many spots as the next most preferred genre, talk shows (61,039 to 21,054).
- Crime shows, followed by entertainment magazine shows, see the highest shares of negative ads out of all spots aired within those genres (76.5% and 70.7%, respectively).
The study was conducted of general election advertising in key Senate, House and governor races rated as “toss-up” by the Cook Political Report as of July 14.
Per Harley’s dataviz, 70.5% of all spot occurrences—or individual airings of TV ads—during primetime programming (8pm-10:59pm) were either totally negative or contrast, followed by prime access (7-7:59pm) at 68.1%. By comparison, 65.1% of all spot occurrences during early morning programming and 63.4% of spots airing during late fringe (11:30pm-4:59am) were negative or contrast.
* Local news shows have always been a desired political advertising vehicle and some DC TV outlets accommodated campaigns in 2012. From the Washington Post…
Faced with an unprecedented flood of commercials for candidates and causes, Washington’s TV stations have had to get creative to fit them all in. Some are trimming their regular programming to squeeze in a few more ads, and some are adding more news at other hours.
WTTG (Channel 5), the District’s Fox affiliate, for example, began bumping daily reruns of “The Simpsons” on Monday to add an extra half-hour to its 6 p.m. newscast. The expanded “News Edge” program will focus on political news — the kind of programming political advertisers demand most.
WJLA (Channel 7), the area’s ABC affiliate, has temporarily added two weekend newscasts to its schedule for the same reason. On Saturday, the station preempted network programming and aired a two-hour movie in prime time in order to create more local ad slots. The station has occasionally shaved time from some of its weekday programming to accommodate an extra political ad or two, said Bill Lord, WJLA’s general manager.
*** UPDATE *** I’m told that the buy is about a million dollars over three weeks. It’s tough to get a handle on the number of ratings points though since an independent expenditure like this doesn’t get a candidate discount. Either way, it’s a fairly strong buy, so it’s on.
* Script…
Should billionaires like Bruce Rauner get to play by a different set of rules?
In 2012, Rauner made 53 million dollars, but paid a lower tax rate than many of us.
And Rauner used a loophole to pay zero, nothing into Social Security and Medicare for two straight years.
Now Rauner says he’s open to taxing our Social Security and retirement income…making it harder for Illinois families to get by.
Bruce Rauner pays less but wants us to pay more?
[ *** End Of Update *** ]
* Rauner has already responded via a fundraising e-mail…
Today Pat Quinn and Mike Madigan’s special interest allies launched a new round of negative ads against us.
I’m not surprised the machine is fighting back. Are you?
These folks will say anything to protect Pat Quinn and his broken promises. They want you to forget Quinn’s promises to create jobs (we lead the Midwest in job losses), avoid raising taxes on the middle class (Quinn now supports a permanent 67% tax hike on all Illinoisans), invest in our schools (Quinn cut education spending $500 million), pass term limits (opposes our term limits proposal), and clean up state government after Blago (Quinn’s administration is now under federal investigation).
Will you help me fight back TODAY with an urgent contribution of $1,000, $500, $250, $100, $50, or $25?
Pat Quinn announced yesterday he has $12 million sitting in his campaign account - fueled by the Democrat Governors Association and his special interest allies.
Now today, the same group that spent millions unsuccessfully trying to defeat us in the primary is up with a new attack ad.
Make no mistake: Quinn-Madigan are playing for keeps. They will pull out all the stops because they know we will end the machine that has run Illinois into the ground.
Can you contribute now? Any amount helps, $100, $50, $25, $10, even $5. Every penny will be used to counterattack this latest offensive.
Illinois is run by lobbyists, for special interests, and the career politicians in charge let it happen. We can end all that – can you help take on the machine today with a contribution?
Thank you for all you’re doing. I’ll keep fighting to shake up the system – please fight with me.
Michael Jacoby, executive director of the Illinois Association of School Business Officials, is critical of narrowly drawn bills. “I don’t think it’s good public policy to run bills to support one person’s issue,” he said.
* As I told you Monday, there are serious questions about pretty much all of that Tribune story. Jacoby was the only Illinois “critic” quoted in the story, and I’d heard through the grapevine that he may have been quoted out of context, so I reached out to him.
Cross earlier pushed legislation to help a donor, Karl Karantonis, of Naperville, who wanted a license to be a chief school business official. ISBE said Karantonis didn’t qualify because he had a master’s of public administration rather than the required master’s in business administration, finance or accounting.
But a bill filed in February 2011 inserted language so that someone with a master’s degree in public administration could qualify. Former state Rep. Ron Stephens, a lawmaker on Cross’ leadership team, said he filed the measure after Cross talked to him about Karantonis.
As we’ve already discussed, Karantonis was hardly a major donor. And the bill was actually a darned good idea.
* It turns out that IASBO’s Jacoby agrees with me, and he says he told that to the Tribune. Here’s what he texted me yesterday…
After the quote I also said, but if the issue has legitimate impact on a larger group of people, then it is justified.
In fact, we supported the addition of an MPA degree to the CSBO endorsement because it would open the door to other highly qualified candidates.
Oy.
Look, I’ve made more than my share of mistakes. But in all my years, I have never once hacked somebody’s quote like that to make it fit into my own personal perspective. I wouldn’t be in business very long if word got around that I couldn’t be trusted. Campaigns, on the other hand, do that all the time. But reporters are supposed to call out people who pull this sort of crud, not engage in it themselves.
There were so many easily documented problems with Sunday’s story to begin with. But now, we have a quoted source claiming that evidence was essentially fabricated.
“Civilians” were dragged through the mud by the largest newspaper in the state for simply pointing out some very real problems with current state laws. And now it turns out that the only quoted “critic” says he isn’t actually a critic.
Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration has released thousands of emails to a panel of lawmakers investigating his troubled anti-violence program.
Senate Republican spokeswoman Patty Schuh says members of the Legislative Audit Commission received an estimated 2,000 emails linked to the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative on Friday and are currently reviewing their contents.
Schuh says the emails came at the request of the bipartisan commission. They’re expected to be discussed during hearings about the $54.5 million program scheduled Wednesday and Thursday in Chicago.
The commission is also expected to discuss a federal request to suspend interviews of those connected to the program for 90 days.
It’s unclear if any of the seven aides who have been subpoenaed will actually testify today, or if they do, whether they will take the fifth. They include Barbara Shaw, former head of the anti-violence program; Jack Lavin, Quinn’s former chief of staff; Toni Irving, former deputy chief of staff; Malcom Weems, former head of the Department of Central Management Services; Billy Ocasio, a former senior advisor; Warren Ribley, former head of the Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity; and Andrew Ross, Quinn’s former chief operating officer.
* Our good friends at BlueRoomStream.com will be broadcasting the hearing live. Click here to watch. I’ll also put together a ScribbleLive feed around the 10 o’clock start time.
* 4:26 pm: US Attorney James Lewis sent a letter to the co-chairmen of the Legislative Audit Commission today asking again that the Commission delay testimony of subpoenaed Quinn administration officials. Read it here.
As you may recall, Republicans and the Chicago Tribune have wondered aloud why the legislative liaison branch of the US Department of Justice asked for the delay of hearings on the anti-violence program instead of the US Attorney for the Central District of Illinois, who is actually handling the case. The letter makes it clear that the US Attorney himself asked the DoJ to make the initial request…
The Assistant Attorney General made that request to the Commission on behalf of the Department of Justice and our office because we are conducting an ongoing criminal investigation as to conduct associated with NRI. We asked [the Office of Legislative Affairs] to make that request because we are genuinely concerned that interviews and testimony about the matter during this 90-day time period would pose several substantial risks to our ongoing investigation.
More…
We recognize and appreciate the importance of the Commission’s work. For that reason, we have asked only for the deference that we believe is necessary to avoid interference with our investigation. As you know, we have not asked the Commission to defer its collection or disclosure of documents or records as to NRI.
Thank you for your attention to this important matter.
* 4:54 pm - The Republicans on the Commission are preparing a joint response. Stay tuned.
* 5:17 pm - The GOP response…
Late this afternoon, the Legislative Audit Commission received a request from James A. Lewis, United States Attorney, Central District of Illinois, to defer conducting interviews or receiving testimony from individuals in connection with the State of Illinois’ Neighborhood Recovery Initiative for 90 days.
The request came because the office is “conducting an ongoing criminal investigation,” according to Lewis.
The bipartisan, bicameral Legislative Audit Commission will consider the U.S. Attorney and Department of Justice request at the public hearing scheduled for 10am Wednesday and 9am Thursday, if necessary, at the Michael J. Bilandic Building, Room 600, Chicago.
The Legislative Audit Commission will convene as planned. All witnesses – including those subpoenaed — are expected to attend as scheduled.
Sen. Jason Barickman, Co-Chair
Rep. David Reis
Sen. Bill Brady
Rep. Ron Sandack
Sen. Jim Oberweis
Rep. Rich Brauer
* From Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle…
“I have decided to rule out a run for Mayor of Chicago in 2015 because I made a commitment to reform Cook County’s criminal justice system, transform our healthcare system, and ensure the viability of our pension system. We are making progress, but we still have work to do. I’m proud that we have balanced the budget every year while cutting the sales tax, holding the line on property taxes, and cutting a billion dollars of fat out of our budget. I am equally proud that our economic development initiatives have helped position our region to create new jobs in the near future. I promised to clean up Cook county government and we are changing the culture of how we do business. In many instances we have vastly improved the delivery of services to county residents, but we have a lot of unfinished business that I intend to address wholeheartedly. I am passionate about making Cook County a more fair and efficient place to live and work. I appreciate all of those who have expressed confidence in me by urging me to run for Mayor, and I hope you will continue to support me going forward.”.
One of her campaign aides has been stirring this pot for months, even to the point of leaking this false info today…
Preckwinkle is to release a statement revealing she is heartbroken over the decision today.
But she’s been saying publicly over and over for just as long that she isn’t running. So it’s really no surprise, despite that Sun-Times poll showing her beating Rahm Emanuel like a rented mule.
Karen Lewis’ potential bid for Chicago Mayor has moved beyond just a thought — it’s an “organic,” growing movement, the fiery Chicago Teachers Union president said.
Lewis revealed on Monday she already has an unofficial exploratory committee in the works, a chairperson has been named and her camp is working to have a representative in each of the city’s 77 neighborhoods.
Since an Early & Often poll released Sunday put Lewis at a 9-percentage-point advantage over Mayor Rahm Emanuel, Lewis’ phone has been ringing non-stop, she said.
“They’ve been coming from all over the country,” Lewis said in an interview Monday. “Facebook is blowing up. Twitter is blowing up.”
I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of an “unofficial exploratory committee” before.
If she does run, I may have to move back to Chicago just for the theatrical aspect. For a profanity-laced take on it, click here.
*** UPDATE *** Mayor Emanuel…
“Toni Preckwinkle has been a strong partner in tackling many of the challenges facing Chicago neighborhoods, and an outspoken voice for criminal justice and pension reform. The unprecedented cooperation between the City and County has produced more than $65 million in taxpayer savings, a reformed workforce board that’s finding jobs for more Chicagoans, and expanded partnership to expand minority and women-owned businesses. I agree that we have more work to do together on these and other issues so that we can find ways to improve Chicago and Cook County for everybody.”
Hypothesis 1: All other things being equal, states with higher levels of public officials’ corruption are likely to have larger total expenditures.
Hypothesis 2: All other things being equal, states with higher levels of public officials’ corruption are likely to spend more on items that may provide a larger rent to corrupt officials, such as capital, construction, and highways
Hypothesis 3: All other things being equal, states with higher levels of public officials’ corruption are likely to spend more on items that may provide larger benefits to corrupt officials. This predicts that debt financing and expenditures on total wages and salaries will become larger in a more corrupt state.
Hypothesis 4: All other things being equal, states with higher levels of public officials’ corruption are likely to spend less on items that provide fewer opportunities for corrupt officials to collect bribes, such as education, welfare, health, and hospitals.
I’d quibble with some of that, particularly that last part. Rod Blagojevich tried to shake down a children’s hospital for a huge campaign contribution, for example.
* But it played out pretty well for the researchers in the end. As the Times of Indiana reports…
Spending comparisons between highly corrupt Illinois and Indiana, which placed in the middle tier of corrupt states, seem to bear out the researchers’ conclusions.
In 2013, Illinois spent $932.47 per person more than Indiana, according to the National Association of State Budget Officers. At the same time, Indiana spent more than twice as much from its general fund on education than Illinois.
Illinois lawmakers this year approved a $1.1 billion “mini” capital spending program for road and bridge construction throughout the state. It follows a $31 billion construction spending plan approved in 2009.
Meanwhile, Hoosier legislators have resisted borrowing money to fund state construction programs and this year paid cash for new university buildings and some road projects.
Chicago needs entrepreneurs. But too often, the city slows them down or chases them out of town.
The “City that Works” doesn’t work for startups. A simple process is necessary so that startups in Chicago can get off the ground and start working, hiring and paying taxes. One good place to start is to make Chicago a 24-hour city.
This idea arrived in America after Phoenix city councilmen observed the startup licensing process in Hong Kong. A Hong Kong entrepreneur can walk into a government office in the morning and walk out with a business permit in the same day.
So the Phoenix City Council set the goal of getting businesses through permitting in one day. Phoenix privatized the process to speed it up, allowed businesses to “self-certify” and is now allowing online permitting so that businesses can get licensed in less than 24 hours.
Chicago, more than anywhere else in the country, needs this type of regulatory innovation
* Let’s just think about one thing: Awnings. If you want to put up an awning in front of your store, you have to fill out a five-page application, submit it to your alderman for approval, then submit it to the city inspector, and then send it to the city council…
Each application for use of the public way requires approval by the City Council. Once the application is approved by the alderman of the ward in which the proposed public way use id located and submitted to BACP, it is prepared for City Council passage. The application is then referred to the Committee on Transportation and Public Way. Once approved by the Committee, the application is referred back to the City Council for passage by the Council. Where the aldermanic approval signature is not received by BACP within 60 days after applicant submission, and there is no applicant-sponsored ordinance as described in paragraph 3 above, then, provided the application is complete and accurate and the applicant is not in violation of any pertinent provision of the Municipal Code and has submitted the necessary Building Permit application(s) to install the sign, canopy, awning, banner or marquee and has been approved by all related inspecting departments, the application shall upon the 61st day be deemed approved by BACP and processed for submission to the City Council as a Mayoral introduction.
The Certificate of Insurance is evidencing no less than $1,000,000.00, combined single limit, with said insurance covering all liability, both public liability and property damage that may result from the granting of said privilege. Please ensure that the insurance liability is no less than $1,000,000.00.
The city estimates that it can take up to three months to navigate this process.
So far, the state has handed out 62,258 permits, denying some 1,620 for not following the rules or failing to meet some requirement. The Tribune’s Kim Geiger and Dahleen Glanton reported that local authorities have opposed some 2,400 applications (more than half of the objections coming from Cook County Sheriff Tom Dart), and 809 individuals have been rejected. Overall, Illinois has not been stingy with licenses.
But some of those who were turned down say they don’t know why — and can’t find out. One is Michael Thomas, of Chicago, a former Air Force reservist who was honorably discharged. “I have never been arrested or convicted for any offense, either misdemeanor or felony, in the state of Illinois or any other state,” he said in a letter to the Illinois State Police. But neither the state police nor the board will tell him why he was refused.
So the National Rifle Association is suing the state on behalf of 194 rejected applicants. It argues that the opaque process denies them due process, because they are not informed of the basis for the decision or given the chance to challenge it.
We don’t often say this, but the NRA has a point. We supported giving the state some discretion in handing out permits to carry loaded guns in public. Local law enforcement officers often know of risks (such as gang associations) posed by particular people who have not been convicted of crimes. Common sense argues for erring on the side of keeping firearms away from anyone who poses a discernible danger.
But the law also allows the agency to object to an application even after those requirements have been met. The Concealed Carry Licensing Review Board, made up of people with federal, state and local law enforcement backgrounds, reviews the agency’s objections in private, and the state police says the board doesn’t have to explain its reasons unless ordered to do so by a court.
* So, the coppers have come up with some new rules…
Under the new rules, persons denied a concealed carry license will learn the reason, and be told what law enforcement agency made that determination. They then have to hurry to find evidence that proves they’re not a danger to themselves or others or a threat to public safety — they get ten days to make their case to the board.
It’s not clear, though, if the new rules will satisfy gun rights’ groups demands for due process, or what it will mean for the ongoing litigation.
The new rules are here. They’re inadequate. Giving applicants just ten days to respond and keeping all hearings closed to the public just aren’t good ideas.
As Governor Quinn heads into the final fundraising quarter of his campaign for re-election, he’ll do so with more than $12 million on hand. Quinn for Illinois today released their latest fundraising numbers, raising more than $3.7 million in the second quarter alone.
The Governor’s campaign had 1,357 donors in the second quarter, with 68% of them contributing $100 or less. Additional contributions since July 1 when the fundraising quarter ended have brought the total to more than $12 million on hand.
The U.S. Senate’s former top cop is moving from guarding the U.S. Capitol to protecting pot.
Terry Gainer, who retired from the U.S. Senate in May as one of its longest serving sergeant at arms, has been hired as a security consultant for a Chicago-based start-up seeking to launch medical marijuana growing facilities in Illinois.
Green Thumb Industries, founded by Chicagoan Ben Kovler, is among a number of companies trying to position themselves as possible growers or distributors in the state’s budding medical pot business.
“GTI is wholly committed to ensuring our facilities are safe. Chief Gainer brings almost half a century of experience in law enforcement at the municipal, state and federal levels to our team,” Kovler said in a statement obtained by the Springfield bureau of Lee Enterprises.
* The governor’s office has sent me this press release three times since yesterday…
Governor Quinn Announces State’s Backlog of Bills Falls to $3.9 Billion
Lowest Point Since Governor Quinn Took Office; Strict Spending Brings Backlog Down from High of $9.9 Billion in 2010
CHICAGO - Governor Quinn today announced that the state’s backlog of bills has fallen from a high of $9.9 billion in 2010 down to $3.9 billion as of June 30, the lowest point since the Governor took office. Five years ago, Illinois was home to the worst pension crisis in America and the state’s backlog of bills was on its way to more than $9 billion. Since taking office, Governor Quinn has made tough decisions, enacted major structural reforms and cut state spending by more than $5.7 billion.
“Making the tough decisions has moved Illinois forward,” Governor Quinn said. “Today Illinois is in a stronger financial position than we were five years ago and we have more work to do to continue moving our finances in the right direction.”
The backlog of bills is now closer to the typical private industry 30-day billing standard – about $2.2 billion in Illinois’ case – and is a direct result of the Governor’s willingness to make the tough decisions including overhauling the Medicaid program, reforming worker’s compensation and unemployment insurance systems and implementing major efficiencies such as closing and consolidating more than 50 state facilities.
I agree that this is good news, but the state is still $1.7 billion away from its 30-day billing goal.
But that income tax increase? It’s set to expire in January, halfway through this new fiscal year.
Democrats involved with crafting the budget have said they expect that’ll bump up the bill backlog again.
Illinois’ Comptroller, Republican Judy Baar Topinka, was unavailable for comment. But she recently said Illinois’ finances are “still a mess” and that she supports keeping the tax rate higher, and phasing it out over time.
You’d think Republican Bruce Rauner would have this one down by now. After all, he already has had to face questions about outrageous neglect, abuse and deaths at nursing homes he owned. But there he was Monday, dodging accountability for actions related to a deadly chain of events at long-term care homes that he owned for people with disabilities.
When presented with the opportunity to be accountable for how he ran this business, he chose to blame his hand-picked managers. And when given the opportunity to be responsive to personal tragedies that occurred in his company, his conclusion was cold and calculating. Rauner said that this was simply a “bad investment.”
Oh, he may have tried to say the right things, claiming that “His heart went out” to the families of residents who were left to drown; children who died after being attacked by other residents; and mentally disabled people who were sexually assaulted by his employees. But once again, he takes no responsibility and he didn’t have anything to do with it, “They” did. The problem is, that “they” were his handpicked management team.
Watch the video from the Chicago Tribune, with complete transcript:
“It’s a failure, it’s tragic, it’s very upsetting and I feel horrible about it, The reality is the management team at that particular company that we invested in failed to serve the residents in a quality way. They failed the residents, they failed the staff, they failed the investors in the company.”
“All I could say is I wish we were perfect, I wish we always picked the right management team that always did the right thing and accomplished the right results…That management team failed. It was a bad investment for us.”
“We’re not perfect. What we are proud of is our track record. We’ve generally backed great management teams, we’ve invested in companies that did the right thing, got great results.”
Here’s the bottom line - when answering questions about a horrific streak of abuses that led to deaths, Rauner worries out loud about the poor investors rather the quality of care for the vulnerable. Rauner’s business model and profit-driven values may allow for this type of financial calculation at the expense of others, but Illinois shouldn’t.
“Mr. Rauner is in the business of creating profit by squeezing companies by cutting expenses so he can sell those companies at a higher cost,” Vallas said. “Now that might be okay if you’re talking about shopping malls or maybe construction companies…but is it okay when you’re talking about nursing homes?”
“This is the latest on a series of revelations about problems that he’s had with businesses and businesses that he’s invested in,” Vallas said of Rauner. “Either you’re a successful man who takes responsibilities or you’re a successful profiteer who ignores responsibilities.”
* The Tribune takes a look at Healthcare Consortium of Illinois, which is based in Thornton Township, a major Democratic area…
Healthcare Consortium, in documents it sent state auditors, accused three of eight other nonprofits of misspending some of that [$1.2 million in state cash], and state auditors in turn questioned $125,000 that Healthcare Consortium itself spent to administer the program.
None of that counts several questionable expenses found by the Tribune. Those range from payments linked to a Dolton cop who records indicate accepted grant money to mentor kids at the time he was assigned to patrol the town, to a nonprofit’s executives buying scores of self-help management books, including one identifying “perfect phrases” for saying a program was successful.
* The Rauner campaign and the state GOP are highlighting one aspect of the story, however. From a state party press release…
Former NRI Grant Adviser: “It was to drive, to get the vote out”
Bishop Lance Davis, Former Advisory Board Member to NRI Grant Distributor, Tells Chicago Tribune: “I believe, after the timing of it all, that absolutely, that it was to drive, to get the vote out.” (Chicago Tribune, 7/15/14)
Davis: “I don’t know what [NRI] was designed to do, myself. I thought it was to get kids, to change their mindset and their behavior, and to get them off of the street, and to set them onto something other than jail or nefarious activities, but I had no idea it was something that was more, you know — I won’t say sinister — but it’s certainly political.” (Chicago Tribune, 7/15/14)
“We want to make sure that we a send a message to our elected officials that as a collective community and a collaborative, we will not allow you to speak in our churches, you will not be invited to our church when you’re running for office because we as a community are incensed,” said Bishop Lance Davis, senior pastor at a church in Dolton, who’s part of the group.
Quinn signed the gay marriage bill, so he’s obviously not welcome in Davis’ church.
Despite the fact that the vast majority of black voters are Democrats and support President Obama, there’s a growing anti-establishment, anti-Democrat and anti-Obama trend that’s percolating in the black community.
Black urban communities, such as Chicago, are plagued with high unemployment, failing public schools, and crime. Since liberal policies have failed to help the black community, some blacks are questioning the political establishment and are seeking fresh alternatives to reverse the downward social and economic spiral.
Recognizing the growing dissatisfaction with politics as usual Empower.org, a FreedomWorks outreach program dedicated to help black Americans achieve their personal potential through education, financial literacy, and developing marketable skills, planned an event in Chicago.
On Father’s Day weekend, FreedomWorks and the community of The New Zion Covenant Church on the South Side of Chicago hosted the first Empower.org town hall for a candid discussion about the problems plaguing the community and new ways to empower the local citizens towards real progress.
At the event, I had the pleasure of moderating the panel of black leaders: FreedomWorks Senior Fellow and former NAACP chapter president, Rev. CL Bryant; Senior Pastor at New Zion Covenant Church, Bishop Lance Davis; Congressional Candidate in IL-02, Dr. Eric Wallace; Director of African American Male Resource Center at Chicago State University, Kwesi Ronald E. Harris, and Professor David Johnson.
This week, members of the Illinois Education Association, the state’s largest education employee union with over 130,000 members across Illinois will join Sen. Mike Frerichs (D-Champaign) at four stops throughout Illinois and announce their endorsement of Frerichs for state Treasurer. […]
IEA President Cinda Klickna said, “As state senator, Mike Frerichs has been a strong and consistent proponent for eliminating the significant and unfair disparities in state funding for school districts. We are excited about his candidacy and look forward to working with him as Treasurer.”
* The Ilinois GOP responds…
“Tax Hike Mike” Frerichs is touring the state this week to tout a recent endorsement. But like Gov. Quinn, his failures and broken promises on education don’t stand up to scrutiny.
Three questions for “Tax Hike Mike”:
Frerichs says school funding in Illinois is “horribly unfair” and where you were born determines the quality of education (WGN-AM, 7/13/14). So why did Frerichs (D-Champaign) vote for $35 million in pork spending for a new school in Speaker Mike Madigan’s district, while taxpayers in downstate school districts face property tax hikes to build their schools?
During Frerichs’ tenure in the senate, education funding has been cut, teachers have been laid off, and class sizes have gotten bigger. That’s despite a massive 67 percent income tax hike – supported by Frerichs and signed by Gov. Quinn, and a 23% increase in state revenue over Frerichs’ tenure. Why did Sen. Frerichs prioritize tax hikes over education funding?
Frerichs is the Chairman of the Senate Higher Education Committee and claims to have “worked to reduce the costs and barriers of attending college in Illinois.” But tuition at the University of Illinois has risen 40 percent during Frerichs’ tenure, and Illinois ranks 46th in public higher education affordability. As Chairman of the Higher Education Committee, can Senator Frerichs explain why tuition has increased while state support has decreased?
“Both Frerichs and Gov. Quinn promised to make education a priority, but both broke that promise with funding cuts and a failure to support teachers, students, and families alike,” said Tim Schneider, Chairman of the Illinois Republican Party. “We’ve tried the Quinn/Frerichs plan, and we’ve seen the results for Illinois. It’s time for a new direction.”
Democratic state treasurer candidate Mike Frerichs says he thinks lawmakers should “go back to the drawing board” and start over on changes to public employee pension benefits following a recent Illinois Supreme Court ruling.
Frerichs, a state senator from Champaign, said the court’s 6-1 ruling this month saying state-subsidized health care benefits were guaranteed under the pension protection clause of the Illinois Constitution made it highly likely that justices would find unconstitutional a law approved by lawmakers and signed by Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn in December.
“I think in their opinion on health care, they made it fairly clear what their opinion on the state constitution is and how they’re going to rule on it,” Frerichs said Sunday about the public employee pension law on the “Sunday Spin” radio program on WGN 720-AM.
“We’ll wait and see what the Supreme Court rules, but I think it’s good to have a backup in place and to start working (on a backup plan) because I think it’s pretty clear we’re going to have to do that,” Frerichs said. “I think it’s probably time to go back to the drawing board.”
Considering that I depend on you being the most reliable and dependable source for anything political in Illinois, I seldom have reason to criticize your blog ( often I find the comments as interesting and telling as the article itself ), however, I must comment on an omission.
Southern Illinois has lost two giants in the past days - Al “The Pal” Dixon and Ken “Pass the Pork” Gray. I’m 65 years old and knew both men, albeit not as well as the late Paul Simon ( he and my parents grew up together ). I believe I remember seeing mention of Dixon’s death and some tributes, but have seen nothing yet about Ken Gray. Love him or hate him he was a unique, genuine, flamboyant and passionate individual who did much for his constituents and his district. I’m certain that many will have pointed and interesting comments about his years in congress and his contribution to my part of the State.
Rauner’s camp reported receiving $853,450 in donations of $1,000 or more from July 3 to July 9 from 126 contributors, the reports showed, with the largest a $250,000 check from the Illinois Manufacturers Association. Rauner also got $100,000 from Tom Siebel, chairman and CEO of C3 Energy, based in Redwood City, Calif., the reports showed. […]
The newly filed campaign reports also showed Rauner’s campaign donated $750,000 to the Illinois Republican Party. It’s the largest ever donation the party received from a single candidate, though it has received larger donations from political action committees.
Rauner has raised a total of $25.2 million since kicking off his campaign last year.
llinois Rep. Rodney Davis raised more than $550,000 in the second quarter, according to numbers provided first to CQ Roll Call.
The freshman Republican’s three-month haul brought his cash on hand total to $1.3 million as of June 30. […]
[Democratic opponent Ann Callis] has yet to release her second-quarter numbers, which cover fundraising from April 1 to June 30 and are due to the Federal Election Commission by July 15. As of March 31, Callis had $514,000 in the bank.
Over 10 years ago, I debated with left-leaning friends about the ethics of purchasing products from Oberweis Dairy, a company owned by a family whose political opinions some of us considered unacceptable. At that time, an Oberweis was running for Senate.
I’ve always liked Oberweis products and my feeling remains that if the food is good, I’m going to shop there.
I’m not saying that I’d drink at the Herman Goering Brewery and Bath House, but generally considered, if you start taking into account all kinds of disagreeable personal issues related to store owners, then you might not shop anywhere ever again. Still, there are limits.
Hobby Lobby is now in the news as a result of the SCOTUS ruling that allows them to avoid covering certain kinds of contraceptives for their employees. This ruling raises important questions about the limits of an employer’s power over employee lives, reproductive rights, separation of church-state, and other big issues. I do believe, along with dissenting Justice Ginsburg, that the court is “stepping into a minefield” with this ruling. I mean, where does it end? Will I patronize Hobby Lobby? Well, I never have and I don’t even know where their nearest store is located, so I guess I’ll confront that issue in the unlikely event I ever have to buy something at that store.
He then goes on to write that he would likely boycott Walgreen’s (a former client of his) if the company moves to Switzerland to avoid US taxation.
* The Question: Other than for personal service-based reasons, have you ever boycotted a corporation? Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
“We shouldn’t get hung up too much on any one tax rate … or any one year’s budget,” Rauner said.
He said his goal was to reduce income tax to 3 percent, and that more plan outlines would be released soon.
* Meanwhile, freshman Congressman Bill Enyart talked to the Post-Dispatch…
His proudest moment? When he was the single “no” vote on a measure that would allow chaplains to go on military bases during the government shutdown last fall, but without pay.
Enyart thought it a symbolic vote to avoid images of chaplains being turned away from military bases or being arrested trying to enter them during the shutdown. Democratic leaders pleaded with him to change his vote. He felt the chaplains should have been paid, their offices opened and heated, even if the federal government was shut down. “If you are going to pass a piece of legislation, then let’s pass a piece of legislation that means something,” he said.
“My phones blew up,” Enyart said, with callers telling him, “you are voting against chaplains, you are against God.”
“I know better than anybody else in this Congress what chaplains do,” he thought at the time, having commanded 37 in the Illinois Guard. “And by God, you people are not helping them. That vote, more than anything else, expressed my frustration.”
From the NRCC…
Over the weekend, the St. Louis Post-Dispatch ran an article where Congressman Bill Enyart discussed his proudest moment since being elected in 2012. What was it? Being the only NO vote on a measure that would have allowed military chaplains to do their jobs during the government shutdown last year.
Yes, you read that right. The freshman Congressman is defying all logic and highlighting one of the worst and most embarrassing votes he has taken in the last year and a half. While every other member voting that day supported the measure, Enyart was the only politician to vote NO.
So folks as wide ranging from Jan Schakowsky to Michele Bachmann all realized this was a good piece of legislation, but Bill Enyart was the only one to vote NO showing what a partisan politician he has become in Washington.
Illinois Treasurer Dan Rutherford’s office has offered an expansive college internship program during his tenure, giving more than 100 students tens of thousands of dollars in summer pay — and a plum for their resumes.
But the path to those jobs is often layered in clout, according to a Chicago Sun-Times review of the office’s program.
Documents obtained by the Sun-Times show the treasurer’s office maintained a list of applicants, alongside a notation indicating their referral.
Who made those referrals? Some of the biggest power players in the state, including elected officials, lobbyists, onetime political workers, donors.
But the way that paid internships under Rutherford ramped up quickly raises questions about whether clout played a role in their hiring. In 2011, the office hired 48 interns, in 2012 it hired 51, in 2013 it was 58, and this year the number dropped to 21.
A spokeswoman with the office of the governor said the office has five unpaid interns this summer – who work for college credit. The Illinois Secretary of State’s office does not have an internship program, paid or unpaid. The Comptroller’s office has 14 paid internships this summer.
If you read the whole thing it’s pretty clear Rutherford used the internship program to curry favor with other politicians and enhance his 2014 prospects. Normally, this wouldn’t be a huge problem, but with other allegations of campaign/government mixtures, this could cause him some real trouble.
A chain of long-term care homes owned by one of Republican Bruce Rauner’s former companies has faced lawsuits and critical state inspections stemming from the death and mistreatment of residents.
At a time when the wealthy political newcomer says he would run Illinois like a business if he wins the race for governor, a review of court records and inspection reports shows American Habilitation Services was put under the legal and regulatory microscope in a handful of states in connection with fatalities and unfit living conditions.
Among the problems outlined in court cases, state records and multiple media reports are the deaths of developmentally disabled residents in bathtubs, “deplorable” living conditions, sexual assaults and a failure by employees to stop residents from harming themselves.
The problems at the company are similar to those outlined in a series of reports that emerged during the March primary election about a Rauner-connected chain of nursing homes.
Rauner spokesman Mike Schrimpf said the millionaire businessman from Winnetka was not involved in the day-to-day management of the company.
* The Democratic Governors Association breaks down the deets…
1. Death of an 11-year old.
At the Thomas Care Center in Houston, 11-year-old Xavier Alexander Hegwood died after an older resident “viciously attacked’ him in a playroom. The Texas attorney general Greg Abbott, now a Republican candidate for governor, later filed a lawsuit to seize control of the facility from AHS.
2. “Individual 48″
Also in 2005 in Texas, a woman identified only as “Individual 48″ died after she was found unconscious and on the floor. She later died. Because of improper transfers, she had not been properly diagnosed with congestive heart failure, Abbott alleged.
3. Arizona Drowning
In 2004, the family of a developmentally disabled woman who drowned at an AHS facility was awarded a $45.5 million judgment after she was left alone in 2001 in a bathtub and drowned.
4. Employee Assault
Abbott sued the Rauner homes in 2003 after a female resident of a home in Austin was sexually assaulted by an employee. Abbott wrote, “Not enough was done by administrators of Indian Wells House to investigate the allegations or to protect their clients,…Now a 32-year-old woman has to live with the company’s failure to fulfill minimum standards set forth in Texas law. Nothing will fully restore this woman’s sense of security, but my office will hold these kinds of facilities accountable.”
5. Marco Group Home
The Florida Department of Children and Families in 2004 found that an AHS home failed to report a sexual assault and had overbilled the state. The facility also had “a lack of food,” according to the Lee Newspapers.
Pat Quinn is skipping a major African-American economic empowerment forum at Chicago State University that Bruce Rauner is attending. Instead, he is sending Paul Vallas to attack Rauner on issues on which the governor has fallen short.
Paul Vallas knows Pat Quinn has a major problem when it comes to turning a blind eye to abuse and sexual assault at state-run facilities like group homes, developmental centers and youth prisons. Many unanswered questions remain – perhaps Paul Vallas can clear up the following questions today:
Why Did Pat Quinn Turn A Blind Eye To The Abuse Of A Mentally-Disabled Man, Ultimately Leading To His Death?
Why Did Pat Quinn Turn A Blind Eye To Pervasive Sexual Assault In Illinois Youth Prisons?
Why Didn’t Pat Quinn Fire A Single Employee At The State-Run Howe Developmental Center Despite Revelations Of Widespread Neglect And Abuse?
Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn and U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly (D-IL,2) urged state lawmakers to take action on gun violence during a Sunday visit to the site of a recent fatal shooting in Chicago’s Morgan Park neighborhood. Gun violence over the fourth of July holiday weekend in Chicago left 16 people dead and more than 60 others injured.
Quinn and Kelly called on state legislators to pass the Illinois Public Safety Act, which seeks to ban the sale or delivery of assault weapons and high capacity ammunition magazines in Illinois and require background checks for the transfer of guns, according to a release from the governor’s office.
“The recent epidemic of violence in Chicago is unacceptable and we must join together to fight back,” Quinn said in a statement. “Public safety is government’s foremost mission and Illinois should not wait any longer to act. There are too many victims of a war being waged on our streets, a war fueled in part by the availability of deadly, military-style assault weapons that have no purpose other than killing.
“We must work together to protect the lives of those we love and stop what’s happening in our communities. I urge the Illinois General Assembly to take a stand and pass this legislation that will save lives and protect communities.”
Quinn has been politically hammered (perhaps fatally) by his bungling (and perhaps worse) of his own 2010 anti-violence initiative. He needs to somehow retake the high ground on this issue. That press conference was the beginning.
Republican candidate for governor Bruce Rauner was at the Run to End Homelessness Sunday.
This was the fourth year of the 5K run. A Safe Haven Foundation held the event in Douglas Park.
Rauner has been involved in the Safe Haven Foundation since its inception and chatted with participants before the run.
“It’s a very important cause,” he said. “I was honored to be one of the early angel investors in helping get A Safe Haven founded. And it’s a great organization. They do wonderful work helping end homelessness, and provide support service, transition service, especially our veterans.”
Rauner’s campaign needs to keep that in mind when attacking Quinn on the topic. A Safe Haven is a great group (I’ve covered their work in the past here, here and here and some pals of mine and I sent them a few hundred bucks several years ago after turning a silly drinking game into a quickie fundraiser).
Rauner helped found this top notch group and its director appeared in a Rauner TV ad. These days, any connection at all to Quinn’s anti-violence program is somehow deemed corrupt. But that’s just not the reality. We should all keep that in mind.
* Four officers injured in Montrose Beach melee: “One of my friend’s cousins got hit on the head,” said Mejias, who lives in the Clearing neighborhood on the Southwest Side. “Everybody’s like all riled up, so you see these gangbangers, they’re different kinds of gang, so they’re fighting on the other side.
* Rauner invested in troubled fund linked to Daley’s son: Rauner was among the early investors, pledging $200,000 for an ownership stake in Cardinal Growth of less than 2 percent. According to Schrimpf: “Some acquaintances of Bruce’s knew Bob Bobb, a former U.S. attorney, and encouraged Bruce to invest. A number of Chicago-area business folks invested in Cardinal, and Bruce had heard about it from a few of them.
* Quinn also had ties to seized firm: Bobb, a former federal prosecutor, and five other Cardinal officials contributed a total of $2,800 to Quinn’s federal campaign fund in April 2009, when Bobb hosted a fund-raiser for Quinn… McInerney gave $700 to Quinn’s campaign fund in 2004.
* Absolutely nowhere in the Sunday Tribune’s “Clout for teachers” story did the paper find an unqualfied person who got clouted into a teaching license. Instead, they found 100 instances over five years where legislators made inquiries about people who’d been stuck in the bureaucracy or used legislation to try and repair the bureaucrats’ decisions. But legislators are made out to be the bad guys here. It’s a completely ridiculous premise considering that there are about a quarter million certified teachers in this state and all the Tribune could come up with was a handful of calls and letters and two pretty darned good bills.
“I have constituents who walk in the door and call daily with frustrations about the bureaucracy in Springfield,” [said state Rep. Chad Hays]
And when people call, responsive legislators check into what’s going on. Sometimes it’s just a goofy constituent who is totally in the wrong. Other times, constituents are having real problems dealing with the bureaucrats.
* But instead of recognizing this, a certain breed of reporters loves to twist stories by heaping praise on what is really just bureaucratic red tape…
an area many consider sacrosanct
Bureaucracies are run and staffed by human beings. Sometimes, even often-times, those people make mistakes, partly because they work in under-funded and under-staffed programs.
The natural inclination by some citizens who have to deal with those mistakes is to call somebody with power. And those “somebodies” are usually state legislators or US congresscritters.
My uncle, for instance, was having some serious problems with transferring over to Medicare. They apparently wouldn’t listen to reason or facts. So my mom, his sister, called his congressman and had him straighten things out (my only involvement was telling my mom the congressman’s name - just in case somebody wants to stupidly claim I “clouted” my uncle into a program he was clearly qualified for).
Making an issue out of someone who has had trouble dealing with unelected bureaucrats and then turns to an elected legislator for help and/or guidance is just out and out elitist.
* Also, that “sacrosanct” phrase is used high up in the Trib’s story. Deep down in the piece is this…
The Tribune contacted a half dozen states where most officials agreed it’s not unusual for lawmakers to ask questions about the process.
Apparently, it’s not so sacrosanct.
* And then there are the evil-sounding words like “donor”…
[Rep. Tom Cross] pushed legislation to help a donor, Karl Karantonis, of Naperville, who wanted a license to be a chief school business official. ISBE said Karantonis didn’t qualify because he had a master’s of public administration rather than the required master’s in business administration, finance or accounting.
But a bill filed in February 2011 inserted language so that someone with a master’s degree in public administration could qualify. Former state Rep. Ron Stephens, a lawmaker on Cross’ leadership team, said he filed the measure after Cross talked to him about Karantonis.
It looks to me like a constituent’s issue turned into a really good idea. Finance degrees are A-OK to be a school business official but a master’s in public freaking administration isn’t? What the heck is that about? Of course the law should’ve been changed.
Sometimes, good legislation is written because a constituent finds a real problem with the way things are being run. This is a clear and obvious example, which is why it passed unanimously in the Senate and almost unanimously in the House.
* Let’s get back to the notorious “donor” word. Notice how Karantonis is described as “a donor,” but the level of his involvement is not revealed.
Remember how I’ve been telling you lately that when reporters don’t attach numbers to their stories it’s safe to assume they’re exaggerating for affect?
Well, In the six years before Cross took that action, Karantonis and his wife had contributed $250 in 2010 and a whopping $25 in 2005, which was on top of another mind-boggling $150 contribution that year. The two had contributed a few hundred bucks before that.
Somebody, please, call the feds!!!
Again, we’re dealing with a totally elitist attitude here. If you are a “donor,” then you’re automatically tainted. Do not ever dare to offer up a valid legislative idea or you’ll be dragged through the public mud by a bunch of anti-democratic snobs who think the public should just butt the heck out of the oh-so-superior bureaucrats’ domains.
* The Trib story also goes into great detail about another bill that Cross passed to assist a guy who who had been “a math teacher, dean of students and coach at a private Aurora Christian school but wanted to make a career change.”
Nowhere in the story, however, do the reporters mention the real reason for the intervention.
Steve Hanson was enrolled at a university which for whatever reason didn’t realize that ISBE had changed the rules. It turns out there were four schools - Aurora University, Dominican University, St. Xavier University and Lewis University - which didn’t alter course requirements. So Cross’ bill (which passed unanimously in both chambers) allowed students in all those schools to be grandfathered in under the previous ISBE rules.
Hanson is now an assistant principal at Coal City High School. He’s a success story - a man who wouldn’t allow the bureaucrats to keep him from his dream. Good for him.
ISBE said it takes about 120 business days to process licenses due to the volume of work, new laws, a revamped licensing system and the nature of reviewing transcripts.
That’s classic bureaucracy”in-action” for ya. In fact, it’s probably the biggest scandal in the entire Tribune story. No wonder people are making calls to their legislators. Sheesh.
And when Speaker Madigan’s office asked to skip someone ahead a bit, the ISBE complied…
On Sept. 2, Madigan staffer Amy Ballinger-Cole appealed to ISBE governmental relations staffer Nicole Wills: “Please help! Let me know if there is anything I can do.”
In an email to Ballinger-Cole, Wills noted applications are processed in the order they are received. “It would be unfair to do otherwise,” Wills wrote.
Still, within hours, the certificate was issued.
Wanna guess why?
Because ISBE’s delays are stupidly long and they most certainly know this. If they had decided to be bureaucratically rigid on top of inept, then they would have attracted unwanted attention from a very powerful dude.
But if ISBE was smarter, they would’ve kept the brick on the teacher hopeful and waited for Madigan to react (as is his standard MO). When he did, they could tell him that they can’t help his friend’s kid because he’s not appropriating nearly enough money to process those requests in a timely manner. This being Illinois and Madigan being Madigan, the friend’s kid gets the license and nothing gets fixed.
* Let’s get back to what I said earlier about how some constituents are goofballs and are in the wrong…
Sen. Mike Jacobs, D-East Moline, intervened in 2009 on behalf of Ian Scott, who had been disciplined by Iowa licensing officials and charged with falsifying academic credentials, records show. Even before the Iowa case, Scott got a job in the East Moline area as a substitute teacher, though he didn’t have the proper credentials at the time, according to records.
By 2009, when Jacobs’ office began calling on his behalf, Scott had acquired a substitute license and was pursuing a full-time license. But ISBE didn’t approve that license and began the process to discipline Scott.
Notice, again, that the Tribune doesn’t say how often Jacobs’ office called. Either way, the ISBE stood firm and the guy wasn’t given a license. I’ve asked the Board of Education for the precise number of calls Jacobs’ office made. I’ll let you know what they say.
*** UPDATE *** Here is the original e-mail from Ian Scott to Sen. Jacobs’ district office…
Dawn-
I just got off of the phone with Linda Tomlinson (Assistant Superintendent of Education for the State of Illinois) and Linda Jamali (Certification Advisor) from the ISBE. As of today, I still have a valid substitute license issued to me from the State of Illinois. No action has been taken against this license. However, now that I have tried to apply for a teacher’s certificate, there is a block on my account and the situation has to go to the legal department. I don’t know why and they could not give me a valid explanation. They said, “the sub license should not have been issued in October without looking over the information” and “it might have been missed.” They also informed me of the status of my application. They said that it is in the hands of Jessica Riddick (xxx-xxx-xxxx) within the legal department. As of last week, she is still waiting on documents from the State of Iowa. Through some research I have discovered that Jessica Riddick, in some capacity, has something to do with fingerprinting. If this is the information that they are waiting on they will not find it. I have never been fingerprinted for criminal purposes. I did attempt to contact Ms. Riddick, but was told that I could not speak with her due to my status as an applicant. I believe she is the person we should contact, or have the liaison contact, in order to find more pertinent information as to the status of my certification.
I have 14 days to secure my certification or I miss out on providing significant assistance to my family and the children for which I am teaching.
Talk about misleading. The guy never mentioned he was disciplined in Iowa for falsifying academic credentials.
And he was a major pest. According to internal ISBE e-mails, Sen. Jacobs’ district office manager contacted the ISBE about the matter after herself receiving “a lot of calls” regarding the delay.
A month later, Jacobs’ office manager sent an e-mail revealing that Ian Scott had been repeatedly calling Sen. Jacobs on his mobile phone while he was on vacation and was “also having a couple of others” call Jacobs. “Wondering if you have an update,” she wrote.
The ISBE staffer’s response two days later…
Hi, Dawn.
Sorry, I was out sick. I just saw this email. Mr. Scott’s application is still under review.
I’m so sorry - I wish I could get this to stop for you and the Senator, but unfortunately I don’t have anymore information than that to give you.
A few weeks later, the Senator’s staffer called again to get an update. The ISBE staffer sent an e-mail to other staff members…
Any updates, or the standard, we are still in processor reviewing and we have no timeline.
The response from a higher-up…
No update. File remains under review. Thanks, Nicole.
At last month’s grand opening of a shopping center anchored by a Pete’s Fresh Market grocery, Mayor Rahm Emanuel hailed the supermarket as an oasis in what had been a “food desert” on the West Side.
Besides food, Pete’s also sells liquor — even though the new store is next door to a church, the Greater Bethlehem Healing Temple, and state law bans liquor sales within 100 feet of churches or schools.
So how can Pete’s be selling beer, wine and spirits?
With a little help from influential friends including Ald. Edward M. Burke (14th), who’s gotten tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from the grocer in the past two years. […]
“This facility will be within 75 feet of our church,” Greater Bethlehem Bishop Chester Hudson wrote in a June 5 letter to Quinn. “We have received calls from local politicians and lobbyists on their behalf. Our response has been the same: NO.”
* The real problem here is the state’s outdated “blue laws.”
Look, nobody wants a seedy liquor store next door to anything. But a brand new supermarket? C’mon, man.
Go take a look at Google’s “Street View” of the church’s address. The block is mostly empty lots.
* The “scandal” in this story is that a legitimate business had to fork over campaign contributions, hire a Statehouse lobbyist and pass a bill just to open a much-needed grocery store over the objections of a church.
Oy.
The bill was originally introduced in 2013 by Senate President John Cullerton as an empty shell. These shells are used all the time because the state laws are so onerous. Sen. Iris Martinez took sponsorship in March of this year. Her original amendment exempted two Chicago church properties from the state’s blue law.
Rep. Dan Burke filed an amendment in the House which expanded the number of churches exempted from two to four and added other provisions…
Adds provisions that authorize the sale of alcoholic liquor within 100 feet of a specific school, a specific club that leases space to a school, and 4 specific churches located in the City of Chicago. Changes a specific exception to provisions concerning the sale of alcoholic liquor within 100 feet of a church, school, or hospital by providing that the shortest distance between the premises and the church or school is at least 66 feet (rather than 35 feet) apart and no greater than 81 feet (rather than 45 feet) apart. Further amends the Liquor Control Act of 1934 by providing that, subject to certain conditions, alcoholic liquors may be delivered to and sold at retail in any building owned by the Six Mile Regional Library District.
The library district, by the way, is in Granite City - far from Chicago.
The state law needs to be changed. Supermarkets shouldn’t have to go through this long and painful process just to open their doors.
On June 23, the Libertarian Party of Illinois filed 43,921 petition signatures to gain ballot access for their full slate of statewide candidates for the 2014 general election. On June 30, Lake Forest resident Lou Atsaves and Highland Park resident Gary Gale filed an objection to 23,791 of those signatures. Kelly McCloskey, Chief Hearing Officer for the Illinois State Board of Elections, held an initial hearing regarding the objection on July 7.
The Objectors did not appear at the hearing; they were represented by John Fogarty, general counsel for the Illinois Republican Party. This raises an important question: who are these Objectors and who is financing the undertaking to deny the people of Illinois an additional choice in the voting booth this November?
The Signature Review Process
A key outcome of the hearing was an order for the State Board of Elections to begin the signature review process. The review is scheduled for July 14 -18 at the State Board of Elections office in Springfield. During each day of the review, a dozen taxpayer-funded State Board of Elections personnel will sit in front of computers to compare the 23,791 signatures and addresses in question to the database of registered voters. Libertarian volunteers will be on hand each day to assist in reclaiming signatures for their candidates. If past experience is any guide, the Objectors will have representatives present as well. Will they be personal friends of Lou Atsaves and Gary Gale?
“The deck is stacked against every new party and independent candidate in Illinois,” said Lex Green, Political Division Director of the Libertarian Party of Illinois. “The process is designed to eliminate political competition and real choices for Illinois voters.” Mr. Green went on to note the enormous waste of time, taxpayer money, and legal resources to combat what the Libertarian Party refers to as “ballot blocking” by the two major political parties in Illinois.
For statewide races in Illinois, Democrats and Republicans only need 5,000 valid signatures to obtain ballot slots, while all other parties and independent candidates are forced—by Illinois election law—to collect 25,000 valid signatures and then are subject to challenges like this one.
Ben Koyl, the attorney representing the Party and its candidates stated “The Libertarian Party of Illinois calls on all voters—regardless of party affiliation—to contact their legislative representatives and demand the civil right to equal ballot access laws in Illinois.”
A new Capitol Fax/We Ask America poll found Republican Bruce Rauner leading Democratic Gov. Pat Quinn 51-39. That’s pretty much the same margin the pollster found for another client a month ago.
The poll of 940 likely voters was taken July 8th and has a margin of error of ±3.2 percent. 30 percent of the calls were made to mobile phones.
Gov. Quinn has repeatedly blasted Rauner for using complicated loopholes to avoid some taxes. I wanted to test the issue.
“Republican Bruce Rauner’s tax returns for 2010 and 2011 show that despite making around $55 million, he was not required to pay Social Security or Medicare taxes,” respondents were told.
60 percent said that made them less likely to vote for Rauner. 20 percent said it made no difference either way and another 20 percent said it made them more likely to vote for the candidate.
A dangerously high 66 percent of women said the tax issue made them less likely to vote for the candidate, compared to a 49 percent plurality of men. 27 percent of men said the news actually made them more likely to vote for Rauner, compared to 23 percent who said it made no difference.
That’s probably because Rauner is doing much better with men than women, despite running a zillion TV ads prominently featuring women. While he leads Quinn 60-33 among men, his female lead is just 3 points, 46-43. Quinn will surely put lots of focus there.
The poll shows Rauner is doing as well in Chicago as Republican US Sen. Mark Kirk did in his 2010 statewide victory, getting 20.5 percent to Kirk’s 19.5 percent. Quinn absolutely has to keep Rauner away from that 20 percent number or he’s toast. And the best way to do that is through negative TV ads.
The tax issue works very well in the city, with 73 percent saying they’d be less likely to vote for Rauner. However, 27 percent said it either didn’t matter (14 percent) or made them more likely to vote for Rauner (13 percent).
The poll also shows Quinn cratering in suburban Cook, with Rauner leading that traditionally Democratic stronghold 50-41. Quinn won the region by 13 points four years ago, and Republican Mark Kirk lost it by 9 points.
The tax issue made 59 percent of suburban Cook voters less likely to cast a ballot for Rauner.
Gov. Quinn is getting pounded in Downstate, losing the region 64-25, but the tax issue works fairly well against Rauner, with 59 percent of Downstaters saying it made them less likely to vote for the Republican. The issue works less well in the wealthier collar counties, however. Rauner leads Quinn 58-36 in the collars and voters were about evenly split on the tax issue, with 51 percent saying it made them less likely to vote for him, and 49 percent saying it either made no difference (23 percent) or made them more likely to vote for him (29 percent).
Quinn has also demanded that Rauner release his 2013 tax returns, which Rauner has not yet filed. Rauner responded last week by saying he would release the returns in due time and then pivoted to say: “Pat Quinn needs to release all documents and e-mails pertaining to the Neighborhood Recovery Initiative.”
As it turns out, the federal investigation into Quinn’s now infamous anti-violence program is just as bad for Quinn as Rauner’s tax situation is for the challenger.
“It was recently reported that a program implemented by Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn is under federal investigation for misuse of government funds,” respondents were told.
60 percent said that made them less likely to vote for Quinn, with 19 percent saying it made no difference and 21 percent saying it made them more likely to vote for him.
Considering Rauner’s big lead among men, the impact of the federal probe works “better” with men than women, with 64 percent of men saying it makes them less likely to vote for Quinn versus 57 percent of women.
The attack works best among Downstaters, with a very dangerously high 74 percent saying the investigation makes them less likely to vote for the governor. Any issue polling above 70 percent can be expected to “move” voters on election day.
The revelation worked least well in Chicago, where Quinn’s support is strongest. Just 33 percent said it made them less likely to vote for Quinn, while 30 percent said it made no difference and 39 percent said it actually made them more likely to vote for the guy.
So, the two most recent and prominent campaign issues basically cancel each other out, which is good news for Rauner because he’s sitting on such a big lead.
Republican Bruce Rauner will not say whether he believes it’s fair that as a wealthy businessman, he was able to avoid paying Social Security and Medicare taxes in 2010 and 2011.
The candidate for Illinois governor was asked Friday about a Chicago Tribune report last week. It showed business income-loss tax rules allowed Rauner to pay no Social Security or Medicare taxes in those years despite income of $55 million.
Rauner told reporters in Springfield that “we’ve paid full taxes as appropriate.” Asked whether the exemption is fair to all wage-earners, he said: “We can talk about how we should reform our tax code.” He says that discussion is forthcoming.
All discussions are “forthcoming” with him. It’s his own version of Speaker Madigan’s “It’s under review.” Then again, Madigan usually makes a decision after reviewing stuff.
Whatever the case, changing the state’s tax code would have zero to do with whether he had to pay those two federal taxes. Good question, better dodge.
Republican gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner said Friday he’s not ready to make changes to his pension reform plan in the wake of last week’s decision by the Illinois Supreme Court on retiree health insurance premiums.
Speaking after addressing an American Legion convention in Springfield, Rauner said the state’s high court has yet to weigh in on the broader issue of pension reforms approved by the General Assembly last year.
“We should see what the court decides ultimately when they do and we can address things then,” Rauner said. “I believe the right long-term answer is to protect the pensions and not change historical pensions, but for future work to have a different structure that is more of a defined contribution plan.” […]
Asked if he might alter his plan to that only newly hired workers would be put into a 401(k), Rauner said, “We’ll be outlining our detailed plans in the future.”
On July 3, the Illinois Supreme Court found that state constitutional protections for pensions apply to retiree health care subsidies that were cut by the State of Illinois (A3 negative). The decision reversed a lower court’s March 2013 decision and remanded the case to the lower court for further proceedings. The court’s decision is credit negative for Illinois and local governments such as the City of Chicago (Baa1 negative).
The majority of the justices expressed views that run counter to the rationale used in recent pension reform legislation for certain city and state plans. We therefore perceive increased risk that the Illinois Supreme Court will rule the pension reform legislation unconstitutional, which would jeopardize $32.7 billion of pension liability reduction.
The ruling shows that most of the justices have an expansive view of how the pension clause (Article 13, Section 51) should apply to pensioners. The majority opinion states that, “Where there is any question as to legislative intent and the clarity of the language of a pension statute, it must be liberally construed in favor of the rights of the pensioner.” This and other sections of the ruling signal how the court could side with pensioners when it eventually addresses the constitutionality of recent state pension reforms, which have already been challenged, as well as Chicago’s pension reforms, which we expect will be challenged.
The court still may be persuaded by arguments outside the scope of the current ruling, such as the idea that extreme pension funding pressure prevents the state or a local government from providing for public health and safety, a responsibility higher than adhering to pension promises. The ultimate outcome on the state’s pension reforms will remain uncertain until the court rules on their legality directly. In December 2013, the state passed sweeping legislation to address the severe underfunding of its pension systems. The legislation reduced cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs) for employees and retirees in four of the five state pension systems. The legislation also increased state contribution requirements and reduced employee contribution rates. The state’s actuaries estimated that these and other changes reduced accrued liabilities as reported by the three largest pension systems by approximately $21 billion as of June 30, reducing Moody’s adjusted net pension liabilities (ANPLs) for the three largest systems — the Teachers’ Retirement System (TRS), State Employees’ Retirement System (SERS) and State Universities Retirement System (SURS) — by a combined $32.7 billion, or 17%.
In May, a lower court judge barred the state from implementing its reforms until lawsuits challenging the changes were resolved. The matter will almost certainly be appealed to the state Supreme Court, no matter the outcome in the lower court.
New “All-Gender” signs will be replacing the “Family” signs outside of single stall restrooms at ISU.
Michael Shane McCreery, director and ethics officer in the Office of Equal Opportunity, Ethics and Access, said the idea for the new signs came from Sandy Colbs, the director of the Student Counseling Services.
Colbs posted a picture of the new restroom sign on Facebook and McCreery thought it was a great idea.
McCreery said he did some research and found that other universities were making the same transition.
For example, Illinois Wesleyan University made similar changes about a year ago. […]
Only single stall restrooms will be impacted: one in the Bone Student Center, one in Student Counseling Services and a couple throughout the dormitories.
McCreery said he does not anticipate more than 10 restrooms being affected.
* It all seems rather innocuous. I mean, transgendered folks could use them before, families can still use them, heck, you or I could use them. But Fox News freaked out…
* They were so creeped out by this that they eventually followed up. Fox guy Steve Doocy did a live shot outside the studios with people he claimed were “Fox friends”…
The updated signage will include a symbol of a half-man and half-woman, which has Doocy and company pretty confused and unsettled. The hand-picked crew of “Fox fans”? Not so much.
When Doocy asked a boy if he “would have any idea” what the symbol meant, the youngster suggested it might indicate a “family restroom.”
An older man next to the boy agreed.
“I could see that,” he said.
At that point, confident that he had planted the seeds for some righteous indignation, Doocy explained the moral deterioration at Illinois State University.
“See, they were designated as ‘family restrooms’ in the past and now, apparently, they’re going to be known as ‘all-gender’ restrooms,” Doocy explained.
“Does that make sense?” he asked a woman.
It did make sense.
“Restrooms for both genders,” she said cheerily.
Doocy was persistent.
“That’s right. Bathrooms for both genders, or transgenders,” he said, turning to a man in a Pittsburgh Pirates T-shirt. Surely, he shares Doocy’s mixture of confusion and anxiety!
“Transgender, that’s right,” the man replied dully.
Even for those as angelic as newborns, few messages are as intimidating as, The U.S. Department of Justice would like information from you. Imagine the widespread angst, then, as federal prosecutors intensify their look at, and around, Gov. Pat Quinn’s defunct Neighborhood Recovery Initiative. That’s the botched anti-violence program on which Quinn, just before the 2010 general election, committed $54.5 million in public money.
Last Friday the Tribune reported that a federal grand jury has subpoenaed emails of key players in NRI, as it was known, including its former head and two former ranking members of Quinn’s administration. And on Wednesday we learned that the Department of Justice has requested a 90-day delay before Illinois lawmakers question seven former Quinn aides who have been subpoenaed to testify next week.
But Republican lawmakers said Thursday that they expect next week’s two-day hearing of the bipartisan and bicameral Legislative Audit Commission to proceed — and they expect the seven witnesses to obey the subpoenas.
What’s odd about the Justice request for state lawmakers to stand down is that it didn’t come from prosecutors, as has been customary in other investigations. Instead it came by phone to Illinois House and Senate lawyers from Justice’s Office of Legislative Affairs in Washington, D.C. That’s a liaison and lobbying office, not an office that typically has interjected itself into criminal cases here. What’s more, Justice is merely requesting a 90-day delay in legislative questioning, not pursuing legal action to demand that.
On Thursday a Justice official in Washington did get around to sending a letter to leaders of the Legislative Audit Commission. The letter requests that the lawmakers “refrain from conducting interviews or receiving testimony from any individuals” in connection with the anti-violence program: “… As we explained during the call, there is an ongoing related federal criminal investigation, and we believe such interviews and testimony during this (90-day) time period would pose substantial risks to our investigation.”
Various federal prosecutors, past and present, cautioned us Thursday not to draw conclusions about where the feds are focused: maybe on recipients of money, maybe on how the program functioned, maybe on something else. For a variety of reasons, including the absence of any crime, federal investigations sometimes lead to … nothing at all.
It looks like they were leading up to something - that maybe the Justice Department request was somehow tainted - then got talked down by “federal prosecutors, past and present.” I only mention that because of this tweet from an editorial board member yesterday…
This story of #DOJ intervening into audit commission hearing/Quinn NRI program gets weirder by the minute.
The paper didn’t take a stand on whether the hearings should actually proceed.
Anyway, I had four posts on this issue yesterday and I didn’t really see anything in today’s coverage to warrant another one today, so let’s do this instead…
* The Question: Should the Legislative Audit Commission defer to the US Department of Justice and postpone any questioning of those under subpoena for 90 days?
Bonus Question: Should the Commission postpone all such testimony until after the election?
Take the poll and then explain your answer in comments, please.
* From the Quinn campaign’s “Your Weekly Rauner Roundup”…
Posh Parking
But, at least Billionaire Bruce doesn’t have to go hunting for parking at one of his downtown luxury residences.
Today the Chicago Sun-Times is reporting that he forked out $100,000 for an “extra” parking spot at one of his umpteen cribs. That’s a bit more expensive than Mitt Romney’s $55,000 car elevator.
What’s more, the ridiculous parking space was purchased as an extra to the penthouse he purchased to claim Chicago residency and use clout to get special treatment at an exclusive public school.
$100,000 for parking? All in a half-day’s work for Billionaire Bruce.
Look, I fully understand why they’re trying to paint Rauner as a rich guy who can’t understand everyday people. And, who knows, maybe this parking spot will actually resonate. Lots of people didn’t pay that much for their house, let alone a parking spot.
But with this little gem, we’ve gone way beyond the legitimate issues with Rauner’s taxes and business practices and ventured into a pure “OMG!!! He’s soooooo rich!!!!” rant.
A museum consultant who has been reviewing Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum operations since last September has concluded that a lack of planning is hampering the institution.
Karen Witter, former associate director of the Illinois State Museum and now an independent museum consultant, made those and other findings detailed in a 44-page report sent to museum and Illinois Historic Preservation Agency officials late last month. […]
She said that loss of staff, vacancies in key positions and the overall state budget situation have created additional pressure on the remaining staff, a deficiency cited by library advisory board chairman J. Steven Beckett in his call for divorcing the library and museum from IHPA. […]
She said the library and museum’s lack of a strategic plan causes multiple problems for the organization.
“There is no unifying set of priorities across the various entities involved with the ALPLM,” she wrote. “There is no strategic direction to address staff shortages and financial resources. There is no clear set of priorities to guide staff activities and allocation of time in accordance with the highest strategic priorities.”
* But that’s barely scratching the surface. Illinois Times…
Witter questioned the expertise of staff and found that vacancies in key positions, particularly the lack of a director of education and a director of exhibits, are hindering the institution. ALPLM also lacks a state historian to oversee the research and collections department. IHPA director Amy Martin has said that the hiring process is underway and that filling those positions is a priority.
“There are many talented staff members with diverse and relevant experience, but fewer people with the museum experience and expertise which are essential for an institution of the scope and caliber of the ALPLM,” Witter wrote. “There is not a culture of supporting ongoing professional development to provide staff members training in museum best practices and other relevant issues.”
The foundation, which sells memberships that come with free admission to the institution, must pay a fee to IHPA each time a member visits the museum. Witter found tension due to a perception that foundation memberships are costing the ALPLM revenue it might otherwise realize from paid admissions.
“The membership program is perceived to be ‘the Foundation’s’ program that benefits the Foundation rather than ‘our’ program, which benefits the overall ALPLM institution,” Witter wrote. “There are missed opportunities for engaging members. It appears the Foundation plans member events, and the ALPLM plans public programs/events independently of each other. … The requirement for the Foundation to pay a fee to the state each time a member visits the museum is highly unusual. It appears to create a disincentive for the Foundation to encourage members to become repeat visitors, which is contrary to practices in other museums where members are encouraged to visit frequently.”
The payment arrangement fuels a “yours vs. mine” situation, Witter wrote, and would probably be “perceived negatively” by outside reviewers tasked with evaluating ALPLM for accreditation.
Un-freaking-real.
* Back in 2010 evaluators from the American Association of Museums found many of the same problems as Witter. But…
“There is little evidence that ALPLM has followed up on the valuable recommendations and resources referenced in the report,” Witter wrote in a summary of shortfalls.
These warring factions appear to be frozen in place, and it ain’t a good place, either.
“The three boards (IHPA, foundation board and library advisory board) operate relatively independently from each other and aren’t aligned around a common vision and shared strategic priorities,” Witter wrote. “(T)here is not a shared understanding of the roles and responsibilities of each entity.”
Oy.
* I took a friend to the museum a few months ago. We’re in the midst of the Civil War’s sesquicentennial, but you’d never know it if you were at the museum. The missed opportunities with that alone make me wanna tear my hair out. The NY Times has an excellent day by day blog about the Civil War. With the amount of material at the library, the museum could’ve highlighted the war month by month with artifacts, documents, photographs, etc. already in its collection. But, no. They took a pass.
It’s mind-boggling to me why those people can’t get their acts together over there. Stop fighting over the state’s crown jewel before you ruin it, folks.
Americas PAC has just released a new radio ad running across Illinois highlighting the wage gap between men and women working on Dick Durbin’s Senate staff.
Americas PAC Chairman Tom Donelson said, “Dick Durbin likes to talk about the Republican war on women, but how can he talk of a war on women when he doesn’t even pay his female staffers the same as the men?”
Analysis of Senate Staff payroll by the Washington Free Beacon found that in 2012 Durbin “paid men $13,063 more, a difference of 23 percent.” [Link http://freebeacon.com/politics/senate-dems-betray-lilly/]
“The average female on his staff was paid about 77 cents for every dollar earned by his male staffers,” Donelson said.
In 2014, after two years of supposedly championing equal pay for women, a follow-up report by the Free Beacon found that “The average female salary is $11,505 lower than the average male salary in Durbin’s office.” [Link http://freebeacon.com/politics/men-average-11505-higher-salary-than-women-in-dick-durbins-senate-office/]
President Obama’s White House has a wage gap problem as well. [Link http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/male-female-pay-gap-remains-entrenched-at-white-house/2014/07/01/dbc6c088-0155-11e4-8fd0-3a663dfa68ac_story.html]
“The hypocrisy is stunning,” said Donelson. “I am eager to hear Durbin’s explanation of why his female staffers are paid less than male staffers.”
Since 1963 the Equal Pay Act has made it illegal to pay men and women with the same experience differently for equal work. The new legislation pushed by Democrats, known as the Paycheck Fairness Act, does not change the premise of that long-standing law, but just makes it easier for trial lawyers earn money from class action lawsuits. [Link https://www.uschamber.com/letter/key-vote-letter-s-3220-paycheck-fairness-act]
“Dick Durbin’s crony capitalism and hypocrisy are on full display,” Donelson said. “He wants to pass legislation that his own office could be sued for violating, except the legislation conveniently exempts the government.”
The key provisions of the proposed act would not apply to the Federal Government.
“This isn’t about equal pay. This is about paying off trial lawyers,” Donelson said. “Simply put, Dick Durbin and the Democrats are hypocritically pretending to be champions of equal pay so they can line the pockets of trial lawyers who donate to their campaigns.”
Americas PAC, through its issue advocacy and Federal Independent Expenditure Only committees, has placed 47,000 radio ads so far this this election cycle
A group that championed the same-sex marriage issue in Illinois is calling on gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner to return a new round of contributions he received from the DeVos family, known nationally for being major funders to groups opposing gay and lesbian rights. […]
This week, nine different members of the DeVos family donated to Rauner’s run for governor in Illinois for a total of $13,000. Among Rauner’s donors is Douglas Devos, president of Amway. Gay rights groups across the country have been at odds with Amway, including calling for boycotts, following Devos’ big money donation — $500,000 — to the National Organization for Marriage, a group that opposes same-sex marriage and has worked in Illinois and other states to defeat its legalization. Dick Devos also contributed $6,000 in two donations. […]
“What we see Rauner trying to do, unlike Bill Brady and unlike some of the other former candidates from the Republican party who were proud of their conservative beliefs — Rauner is trying to have it both ways,” said [Bernard Cherkasov, CEO of Equality Illinois]. “When he is in Chicago, he is trying to impersonate a moderate. But when he’s speaking to what he believes to be private, closed circles to his party, he says something else.” […]
“If he wants to run as a moderate candidate, then he should distance himself from their money and their contributions,” said Cherkasov.
Bruce Rauner’s campaign began airing a new television advertisement today outlining some of Pat Quinn’s most egregious broken promises as governor.
“Again and again, Pat Quinn broke his word and failed the people of Illinois,” Bruce Rauner said. “After promising to make job creation a top priority, Illinois finds itself tied for the worst unemployment rate in the Midwest. After promising not to cut education spending, he gutted it by more than $500 million. After promising to protect working families from higher taxes, he passed a massive 67 percent tax hike on every Illinoisan – and now he’s trying to make that tax hike permanent.”
“Illinois voters can’t trust Pat Quinn. It’s time for a new direction,” Bruce concluded.
* Rauner’s post-primary TV spots have all been positive until now. Rate it…
* Script…
VOICE: When you hear Pat Quinn’s false attacks remember his broken promises.
PAT QUINN: Our job recovery bill will create more than four-hundred thousand jobs.
VOICE: Under Quinn Illinois leads the Midwest in job losses.
PAT QUIN: Another area we are not cutting is education.
VOICE: Quinn cut 500 million causing teacher layoffs and crowded classrooms.
PAT QUINN: Under our plan a family of four will not pay higher taxes.
VOICE: Quinn raised taxes by 67 percent on every Illinoisan. Pat Quinn a broken record of broken promises.
…Adding… The governor’s campaign claims this is a “very thin” buy of 300 points in Chicago.
*** UPDATE *** Quinn campaign response in full…
Billionaire Bruce Rauner leveraged some of the money he grabbed jumping through tax loopholes for the super-rich to go negative in July and begin the job of distorting Gov. Pat Quinn’s record. Here are the facts that reject Rauner’s false claims and a statement from the Quinn Campaign:
Bruce’s Claim: Gov. Quinn cut $500 million from education.
Fact: That’s false. Quinn has increased education investments, including payments into the Teachers’ Retirement System, and has made the tough calls to protect education from radical cuts that Rauner’s position on revenue would mandate. Education makes up half of the state’s discretionary budget.
Fact: Illinois is tied for the 9th-lowest state income tax rate among the 43 states that have an income tax. Rauner conveniently ignores the fact that by increasing revenue, we’ve been able to protect education from drastic cuts that he wants to enact, while also paying down the bills by nearly $6 billion.
Bruce’s Claim: Illinois leads the Midwest in job loss.
Fact: This is false on multiple levels. According to the Philadelphia Reserve, Illinois is ranked #1 in the Midwest for projected growth over the next six months.
There are more people working in Illinois today than at any time since February 2009—the first month of the Governor’s administration. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Illinois’ unemployment is at its lowest point since November 2008 and is lower than when Gov. Quinn took office. Today Illinois’ unemployment rate is at 7.5%, a 5 ½ year low. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics)
Illinois has added 242,700 private-sector jobs since the recovery began in 2010. (U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics).
Below is the statement of Quinn for Illinois spokesman Izabela Miltko:
“In the absence of any substantive plans to confront challenges facing Illinois, billionaire Bruce Rauner got an early start distorting Governor Quinn’s record of fighting for working families and getting the job done.
“It’s worth noting that Rauner is paying for these false attacks, and many more to come, with cash he grabbed by jumping through elite tax loopholes that cause the middle class to pay more.
“The next time you see one of Bruce Rauner’s negative TV ads attacking Governor Quinn, remember how he payed for it - at your expense.”
