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Today’s quotable

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SB826 - I hear Rep. Butler's words - "We don't need this because Sangamon Co. administers Township funds very efficiently". Slave masters- “It’s ok slaves are 3/5 of a person; our plantations are running very efficiently.” Plantation mentality doesn't work for any of us in 2021!

— Doris Turner (@VoteforDoris) June 2, 2021

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:27 am

Comments

She has no business serving in the ILGA. It’s Butler’s fault he was able to kill a bill in the super minority?

Comment by Broom Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:31 am
Yikes.

“with many Democrats voting present on the bill.”

I don’t blame them…after reading this article, this is an issue I wouldn’t want to be anywhere near.

Comment by NIU Grad Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:35 am
If I had feelings I would be embarrassed for her. Her and Sue should do us all a favor and not run again.

Comment by Lunger Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:39 am
Democrats mad…

Comment by Birdseed Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:40 am
When trying to go viral and become a social media star fails.

I feel bad for Springfield and Sangamon County. Any legislation to help improve the capital city will be undercut by politics and toxic relationship between these legislators.

Comment by Almost the Weekend Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:42 am
Rookie issues here? …welcome to the GA upon joining the upper chamber in Feb.

Comment by Pizza Man Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:46 am
I’ve read the article twice and am still confused by the sponsors desire to go against the voter’s wish.

Doris Turner’s words are a sad reflection of today’s discourse.

Let’s ratchet the language up to DefCon 3 and expect the other side to respect our reasoned intellect. /s/

Comment by Downstate Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:50 am
As the state with more units of local government than any state in the nation, I’m quite confident saying that this state needs less township government, not more. And to invoke slavery and plantations over this? Really? Wow.

Comment by Southern Skeptic Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:53 am
Fred

3/5 compromise was a concession to the south to get them on board. The north was fighting for slaves to not be counted at all from the perspective of not letting the south have their cake and eat it, too. The south wanted every slave to count as a whole person so it would increase their voice in the house of representatives. It was a fight over political power.

In the end the south got a louder voice in congress, and once the slaves were freed and counted as full individuals the south got an even louder voice and they followed up by silencing black citizens with Jim Crow laws.

Indeed, it would be nice if people knew their history. Recommended reading: “Let the People Pick the President” by Jesse Wegman.

Comment by Formerly known as Mike Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 11:58 am
What an embarrassing waste of the ILGA’s time.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:02 pm
“Remember it was not the Slave holding South but the Free State North that wanted their fellow human beings to be counted only as 3/5 of a person in order to have more representation in the Northern States. I wish people knew more about history before making statements about history”

My God. I thought this wasn’t facebook? Because this is one of the dumber and more ahistorical things I’ve ever read anywhere.
Got it right with the last sentence though.

Comment by Larry Bowa Jr. Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:03 pm
The GOP will do or say anything in their quest to justify all types of voter disenfranchisement. That was the point I think she was trying to make, although the slavery parallel comes off as a heavy-handed reach.

Comment by The Real Downstate Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:03 pm
I present to you TacticianTim. This whole thing just reeks of a patronage scheme to establish more of the same old-school machine stuff in Springfield. Good government is good politics, don’t subvert the will of the voters and cry wolf when it ends bad for you Senator

Comment by ILLannoyed Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:04 pm
@ Fred

That is an absolutely twisted revisionist take better suited for Yahoo comments! Please tell me what “War of Northern Aggression” history book you are pulling this out of because it is patently wrong.

Comment by Chicago Blue Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:09 pm
Really sad this is a go to counter on any piece of legislation the left doesn’t like. It delegitimizes actual racism in the world.

Comment by Lord of the Fries Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:11 pm
Capital Township is the most racially diverse township in Sangamon County. Why shouldn’t they be allowed to elect their all of their township officials?

Comment by Shield Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:13 pm
What about the other twenty-five Townships?

Comment by Al Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:15 pm
==The GOP will do or say anything in their quest to justify all types of voter disenfranchisement. That was the point I think she was trying to make==

Oh wait. I thought it was her fellow Dems who were all voting “present” on her bill. There is no justification or excuse. None. For that horrible Turner tweet.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:18 pm
My understanding is that her tweet was referring to what Republican members said during debate, not the present votes.

Comment by The Real Downstate Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:33 pm
My apologies, I repeatedly referred to Springfield Township instead of Capital Township.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:35 pm
Capital township resides entirely within the boundaries of the City. The County has been attempting a hostile takeover for years. Tantrum Tim touts the efficiency of county government? Anyone who knows Sangamon County government knows how laughable that is.

If you’re screaming for an elected school board in Chicago but voting against an elected Capital Township hierarchy, you’re part of the problem.

Comment by Politics ain't pretty Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:35 pm
@ The Real Downstate

How is it disenfranchising voters in Capital Township to allow those same voters to chance to have a binding referendum that would codify what they overwhelmingly supported in 2018?

Rep. Scherer was completely wrong on the floor when she said the entire county voted on the referendum in 2018 on merging with the county. Only Capital Township voters voted on that. The bill put forth by Senator Turner would go against the will of the voters expressed at the polls in 2018. Not a single precinct in the township voted against the referendum. This should be something that unites the two parties but instead we are seeing politics as usual.

Comment by NotAnonymous Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:38 pm
This seems like important background for people to be aware of:

Sangamon County voted 51.1% for Trump in 2020. The local GOP officials in Sangamon County also have been incredibly supportive of Trump and some of the false statements he has made after the election.

Letting countywide elections administrate Capital Township really does prevent the township voters from having their own representation. I think the people who voted present have made a mistake, and I think residents of Capital Township should file suit.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 12:54 pm
Why isn’t there a proposal to eliminate all of the other township officials in Sangamon County?

Comment by Numbers Guy Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:11 pm
And a piece of cloth covering your mouth and nose to prevent the spread of a deadly disease is exactly like the Holocaust. Dumb comment. Delete your account.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:24 pm
This was bad legislation, the tweet was disgraceful and historically inaccurate.

The 3/5ths compromise allowed the south to partially the slave population for representation in Congress when they did not treat them as citizens and obviously far, far worse than that. They were treated as property.

You can have your cake and eat it, you cannot eat your cake and have it.

Comment by JS Mill Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:32 pm
At a time when we’re trying to streamline townships and the 6,000-plus units of local government in IL (second only to PA), this move to add more township positions is just counterproductive. Democrats should lead on reform.

Comment by west wing Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:43 pm
@ Fred

Now you’re playing the victim? When does your Fox News evening show start? Mutiple people have already pointed out that your statement attempting to pass blame of slavery to Northern states is 100% false. You request that people study history falls on deaf ears when you lead with an unequivocally false statement.

Comment by Chicago Blue Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:48 pm
The Sangamon County GOP didn’t care about township consolidation until a black woman was elected trustee in 2017. Then they started caring about it, but only for Capital Township and not for the many other, whiter townships throughout the county. To suggest that this *isn’t* about race is naive.

Comment by The Real Downstate Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:48 pm
Of course voters want consolidation. I understand and respect the results of the advisory ballot measure from 2018. But if you had the same measure on the ballot and instead of asking about consolidating into the county you asked about consolidating into the City of Springfield, you’d have the same result. The argument for consolidating into the coterminous city are, I think, far stronger than those for combining with the county. This is clearly just a GOP power grab by the old white guys who are afraid of losing control now that Dems can get elected to the township board.

Comment by The Real Downstate Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 1:52 pm
“To suggest that this *isn’t* about race is naive.”

Even if it is about race, her statement was over-the-top dramatic. It negatively impacts her argument.

Comment by Ducky LaMoore Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 2:38 pm
I don’t disagree @ Ducky

Comment by The Real Downstate Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 3:29 pm
=== It negatively impacts her argument. ===

I don’t think it does. Structural/institutionalized racism doesn’t become okay or acceptable because someone who is against those things tweets something that causes some pearl clutching.

I also wonder about the appropriateness of complaining about this tweet while the law which appears to have racial impacts still stands because it seems a lot like the folks that keep wanting to tell people of color that they’re protesting wrong.

Comment by Candy Dogood Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 5:20 pm
The Real Downstate is correct. The referendum was complete BS because it did not ask Capital Township voters if they wanted to consolidate into the co-terminus city of Springfield. It is like asking what do you like better, strawberry or vanilla, even though 90% prefer chocolate!
Merging the township into the county is as undemocrataic as the current system because you’d have the countywide elected county board determining how to spend taxes paid only by 1 of the 26 townships in the county! You go girl…Sen. Turner!

Comment by truthtopower Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 5:25 pm
==The argument for consolidating into the coterminous city are, I think, far stronger than those for combining with the county.==

That has been Mayor Langfelder’s position on Capitol Township rather than either of the Turner or Butler bills. He tried prior to the 2018 election to get the city-township merger on the ballot but was unsuccessful.

If the vote was countywide, it would have been interesting to see the results on that merger question in Woodside and Springfield townships, especially in doughnut hole unannexed areas surrounded by Springfield. If some voters would have actually thought merging Capitol Tonwship with the city would have meant the city swallowing up the donut holes (Laketown and others, and maybe even donut hole munis like Grandview, Leland Grove, Jerome, Southern View).

Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 6:28 pm
Selling a piece of legislation within the GA requires a very different skillset and different language than when she is “protesting” as an activist or as a candidate.

Comment by Responsa Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 6:59 pm
And if the city and Capital Township merged, would all 4 Capital Township trustees be added to the Springfield City Council? Meaning a 14-member council? That would only be fair.

Comment by EssentialStateEmployeeFromChatham Thursday, Jun 3, 21 @ 7:43 pm