Squashing the Green Bug

by Cal Skinner

My son has morphed from a 7-year old, “Dad, take the bug outside” type of guy to an 11-year old “I'll help you get rid of the ants, Mom” type of kid.

That probably led to the title of this article.

You see, the Illinois power parties are in the process of limiting electoral competition again.

It wasn't bad enough that write-ins have to register with the county clerk 60 days before the election. (That's before anyone but an insider even knows there is a possibility of winning a write-in for an office for which there is no candidate on the ballot.)

Now, Republicans and Democrats are so insecure that they want to further limit the Green Party from slating candidates.

And the Illinois Green Party, the only third party in Illinois with official party slating status, has noticed this incumbent protection bill.

Here's part of the email I received before the Senate Elections Committee voted 8-1 to shoot the bill out onto the Senate floor for certain passage:

“House Bill 723...would protect Illinois' incumbents by effectively ending the practice of slating, which will almost certainly decrease the number of competitive elections in Illinois.

"'Legislators in Illinois have an aversion to having someone run against them,' said Dan Kairis, of Elgin, who himself was slated in 2008 to run for State Representative, 55th district.

“'Rather than accept competitive elections as a necessary function of a democratic system, here we have legislators who want to avoid facing any competition in the future.'

“Kairis and other Illinois Green Party members will be attending the hearing to voice opposition to the bill. The ILGP is urging its members and anyone else interested in bringing democratic reforms to Illinois to call their state senators and tell them to vote NO on HB 723.

“To slate a candidate under current law, leaders of an established party meet and choose a candidate, based on a weighted vote.

“Slating can occur after the primary election if no candidate was nominated in the primary, or if the nominated candidate drops out or passes away.

“Currently, the three 'established' parties in Illinois who can slate candidates are the Greens, Democrats and Republicans.”

“If HB 723 passes, the process to fill vacancies in nomination would be become much more difficult, complicated and resource intensive.

“Candidates would not only have to seek the approval of party leaders, but they would also have to collect a massive amount of signatures in a short time frame.

“The additional requirements would also create more paperwork, which leaves candidates even more vulnerable to filing challenges that could keep them off the ballot.

“In fact, HB 723 would make running as an independent or creating a new party a much simpler an alternative for a candidate than running on an established party ticket.

“Despite the availability of the current slating option, in the November 2008 general election, 59 of 118 Illinois House seats and 20 of 40 Illinois Senate seats went unopposed in the general election.

"Even though half of all legislative seats go uncontested anyway, HB 723 will ensure there are many more uncontested races," said Steve Alesch, co-chair of the DuPage County Green Party, which slated a number of candidates in 2008, including an opponent to Rep. Mike Fortner (R-95th), the bill's chief sponsor in the House.

"This will have a chilling effect on democracy."

"With the scandals of Govs. Ryan and Blagojevich not far behind us, the citizens of Illinois are demanding reforms that would reduce the unchecked power of our elected officials," said Tom Abram, of Urbana, member of the Illinois Green Party coordinating committee.

"This bill is the exact opposite of reform, and it would only further erode the public's trust and confidence in our electoral system."

“The bill passed the House earlier in April with a 112-4 vote. “

Sponsored by first term western DuPage County State Representative Mike Fortner (95th District), House Bill 723 is an attempt to prevent a Green Party candidate from challenging him again in 2010.

Is that a classic conflict of interest and admission of vulnerability or what?

Fortner, who beat Green Party candidate Gerard Schmitt 32,257 to 10,024 last year, obviously doesn't want to bother with a fall election. Hard to take a fall vacation when one has an opponent.

And the DuPage County Republican Party doesn't want the possibility of a Green Party candidate running for

• county board, as occurred in McHenry County when Frank Wedig ran in the Woodstock-Huntley-Lake in the Hills district last year (getting 8% of the vote, while the lowest winner received 28%) or


• township office, as happened this year when door knocking Wedig ran only 158 votes behind the lowest Republican for Dorr Township Trustee.
  

The proposed maintain-the-power-party franchise language is below:

a vacancy in nomination shall be 8 filled only by a person designated by the appropriate committee of the political party

1. whose name is submitted by that committee to the State Board of Elections within 60 days after the day of the general primary and


2. who files nominating petitions with the number of signatures, and at the time, required for an independent candidate for that office under Article 10.

The circulation period for those petitions begins on the day the State Board of Elections receives from the committee the notice of the person's name.

The State Board of Elections shall hear and pass upon all objections to nomination petitions filed by candidates under this paragraph.

Of course, the bill passed the State Senate Committee. By an 8-1 vote. Only Republican Senate Elections Committee Spokesman Dale Righter of Matoon voted against the competition limiting bill.

In the Illinois House, only Mike Boland (D-Moline), Beth Coulson (R-Glenview), Paul Froehlich (D-Schaumburg), Keith Sommer (R-Morton) opposed the bill. Oak Park Democrat Deborah Graham voted “Present,” which has the same effect as voting “No,” because bills need a majority to pass.

= = = = =
The green bug above is used in advertising by Certified Master Arborist Wayne White. He specializes in saving ash trees from the Emerald Ash Borer, which is a plot by the Democratic Party, don't you know?

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 30, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,658 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 30, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Swine flu in Illinois

by Jamey Dunn

Illinois Department of Public Health officials on Wednesday reported nine probable cases of swine flu in the state and are expecting more. Federal and state officials are making efforts to prepare for the possibility of the virus spreading in Illinois and the rest of the nation.

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last reported 91 confirmed cases in 10 states and one death in Texas. The outbreak of swine flu in multiple areas across the country prompted the federal government to declare a public health emergency. The declaration is an administrative move to kick state and local government’s individual treatment and prevention plans into motion.

Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said that the situation is serious but the state is prepared. “While this is indeed sobering, it is important to keep in mind— we are not helpless. The planning, preparation and training that the public health system has been doing since 2001 has us ready to deal with this threat.”

Gov. Pat Quinn made a move similar to the federal declaration with a gubernatorial proclamation that allows him to access state resources to address any needs that may arise. U.S. Health and Homeland Security officials released stockpiled medical supplies and anti-viral drugs, Tamiflu and Relenza, to the states, and the Illinois Department of Public Health expects the state to receive a shipment this week.

The Illinois State Board of Education has posted information and recommendations regarding swine flu and school closings on its Web site.

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Tell Me Why Yorkville Isn't in This Program to Stop Teen Car Deaths

Operation Click was started in Crystal Lake eight years ago. Sadly, Operation Click outgrew the Crystal Lake Holiday Inn.

Happily, 40,000 high school Illinois students from Harvard to Champaign were involved this year.

The program involves offering incentives to high school students to fasten their seat belts and not drink and drive.

Over 95% seat belt compliance is common. Harvard and Hebron reached and maintained 100% for the whole year...in their first year.

I so enjoyed the Crystal Lake award ceremony two years ago when Cary-Grove High School's Kate McNamee won.

The photograph above was taken by Graham Hill, sports photographer for the Chicago Slaughter, the arena football team that plays at the Sears Centre in Hoffman Estates.

It's taken of a winner at an Operation Click awards ceremony – Johnsburg High School's Jeremy Cable.

He won a won a Chevrolet HHR donated by Gary Lang Auto Group.

Other car contributors are

Crystal Lake Pontiac/GMC (Crystal Lake Chapter)

Libertyville Chevrolet (Wauconda Chapter)

Marquardt Pontiac/Buick/GMC in Barrington (Barrington Chapter).

Worden-Martin Pontiac/Buick/GMC in Champaign is donating two cars (Champaign Chapter in memory of Caleb M. Roche and the Champaign County Chapter).

Black Diamond Plumbing and Electrical (Woodstock Chapter).

My thanks to Crystal Lake Police Officer Sean McGrath for providing the photo and the information. McGrath is seen above on a YouTube presentation of the program produced by Dobbe Marketing and Afterglow Creative Services.

More articles on Operation Click coming up on McHenry County Blog.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 29, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,617 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 29, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Panel votes to close two health centers

By Hilary Russell

In an 11th-hour move, Gov. Pat Quinn sent a letter requesting an extension in the decision to close the William A. Howe Developmental Center in Tinley Park, a Chicago suburb. The letter was sent to members of the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, requesting a minimum 30-day extension to complete his own assessment of the facility.




Howe, which houses developmentally disabled adults, has had its share of problems in the past three years. It was decertified almost two years ago by the federal government for failing to meet minimum standards of care, forcing the state to pick up the check for the center’s operating costs.

Prior to today’s vote, committee members expressed dismay concerning the governor’s actions.

“This is a difficult decision for all the members of this commission. I just think it’s irresponsible of the governor at this late stage to come in with a letter and ask us to delay this decision,” said Sen. Bill Brady, a Bloomington Republican. “My opinion is, the worst thing we can do is be indecisive. We should make a decision for the commission and move forward for all those affected, and I just can’t fathom why we would grant an extension at this late date, even for the governor.”

In an effort to explain the governor’s actions, Michelle Saddler, Quinn's director of policy, and Sean Vinck, chief legislative counsel, spoke on his behalf. “The principle that’s guided us is a fundamental one. First, do no harm,” said Vinck. “We’re very concerned about taking any other action because we fear unintended consequences, so we take it with great seriousness. … We decided that the best course to pursue was to engage an outside consultant who can objectively and meaningfully evaluate the circumstances and give a recommendation based on wisdom, good philosophy and good practice, and that’s the position we’d like to take.”

With 12 members present, the vote was deadlocked 6 to 6, but with a quorum of seven votes needed to deny the governor’s request, the motion died and Howe is now recommended for closure. However, the State Facilities Closure Act makes a closure by the commission only advisory to the governor.

Similarly, the committee members also voted to close Tinley Mental Health Center. Both facilities occupy the same parcel of land. Members voted 9 to 3 in favor of closure.

Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Northbrook Democrat, voted yes on both measures. “I think (Quinn has) been trying to find someone for a while to take a different look at Howe, … but the timing of (the request) was a little stunning,” she said. Nekritz said closing either facility won’t happen overnight. “In order to adequately meet the needs of the residents, it’s going to take months to do that because they’re going to have find appropriate placements, placements that the families are comfortable with. And that’s going to take awhile for the department to work through, but they’ve been planning for this, so I think that they should feel they can do this in fairly short order, in a matter of months.”

Rep. Richard Myers, a Colchester Republican, also voted to close Howe. He said that visiting with the Illinois Department of Human Services, which supported the closing, gave him reason to consider his position. “Looking at the facts about the operations there, and the question surrounding the deaths and the fact that we haven’t been able to be certified by the federal government to receive Medicaid reimbursement,” he said. “All of those facts combined suggested to me that it is time to close that facility.” But if the governor accepts the commission’s recommendation, Myers expects there to be a public outcry. “In the past few days, our office has received numerous calls from families who wanted it to stay open because they felt their care there was such that they were able to continue to stay together,” he said. “And I can understand that. Others, of course, feel there’s a real lack of care.”

Advocates who wanted the center closed cite at least 30 deaths that have occurred on the grounds in the past 2 ½ years, one as recent as last month.
See background here.

Tom Green, spokesman for the Illinois Department of Human Services, said he is pleased with the decision made today by the commission.

Sheila Romano, executive director of the Illinois Council on Developmental Disabilities, said in a statement: “Howe’s closure is a very difficult, emotional issue for all parties who are advocating for what they believe is best. We urge the people of Illinois or elected officials and policy-makers to reflect on whether there is a place for a failed institution that has lost all federal funding due to repeated allegations of substandard care and neglect.”

Advocates who want the center to stay open tell a much different story.
Belinda Baker, director of the Mechanical and Transportation Department at Howe Developmental Center, said she thinks members made a terrible mistake. “First they need to review all of the facts and look at the data that we’ve provided that shows we give quality care to all of the patients and residents of Howe,” she said. As for any alleged incidents of mistreatment and the number of deaths reported in the past three years, Baker said, those can happen anywhere.

“You’re going to have deaths at any facility based on the age and the health issues that some of our residents have,” she said. “The majority of those are attributed to natural causes. They were not because of any abuse or neglect.”

Betty Turturillo, president of the Howe Family and Friends Association, said the group is “is outraged that the members of COGFA think they know better than us what is best for our loved ones.” Turturillo added that the closing of a facility like Howe doesn’t just affect the patients. “The real ‘choices’ that have been offered to Howe families if our center closes are no choice at all. We would have to choose between moving to another state center much farther away or settle for fewer services in the community, often in more isolated settings, that could endanger our loved ones.”

The commission’s recommendations are filed May 9, 2009, at which time Quinn will either accept the vote or proceed with an independent inquiry into Howe before issuing a decision.

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A fundamental difference between Democrats and Republicans

Yesterday, the Senate Republicans voted to keep government barriers in place from citizens and taxpayers from voting while the Democrats in the Illinois Senate Elections Committee voted to reduce some of those government restrictions from citizens voting in elections.

The place was Room 400 of the Illinois Capitol (the same room where President Barack Obama used to chair the Health and Human Services Committee five years ago). The occasion was the meeting of the Senate Elections Committee yesterday. And the topic of discussion was House Bill 267, a proposal advanced by Senator Meeks to cut in half the 14-day period before each election when the government no longer permits citizens to register to vote at their current address.



The four Republican Senators (Dale Righter, Randy Hultgren, David Luechtefeld and Dan Rutherford) were united in opposition to the very concept that the legislature might limit the amount of time that the government denies citizens the ability to register to vote. That would lead on a very dangerous path, they said, to same-day voter registration. Besides, the idea of a herd of voters just showing up to vote that are presumably uneducated in not good government, they said.

Got that? The government officials are going to judge which of the taxpayers and citizens -- who decide whether they get to keep their job -- are worthy enough to vote.

The Democrats -- James Meeks, Terry Link, Ira Silverstein, Lou Viverito and Maggie Crotty -- were united behind the bill and the belief that there should be as few restrictions as possible put up by the government between the people and the ballot. The bill passed on a party-line vote, and it will likely pass the Senate on a party-line vote.

I should have been happy, since I drafted the bill and testified in favor of it. But I was left with a very sour feeling. Why would the Republican legislators oppose the bill -- when the election administrators who run the elections were good enough to suggest an amendment last month that removed their opposition to the bill? So even though the bill is not an administrative burden on the people who actually conduct elections in Illinois, the Republican Senators still opposed the bill on principle!

I think this is a hint as to why the Republican Party is dying. On the same day that Pennsylvania (a big, northern industrial state like Illinois with big cities and small towns) lost its last Republican Senator and went into all-blue status with Arlen Specter's switch and the day before a popular Democratic President celebrates 100 days in office and the most ambitious progressive federal agenda in 30 and maybe 70 years, this vote in the Illinois Senate Elections Committee showed me that Republicans have a hostility towards regular people getting more power. They have a fundamental streak of elitism. And it's deadly for them.

There are exceptions. Beth Coulson and Sid Mathias, two suburban Cook County Republicans, voted for the bill in the House. But every other Republican voted no and every single Democrat voted yes. I think there might be a Republican Senator or two that votes yes.

But at base, the principle that the government should stop citizens from registering to vote -- not because it might be administratively difficult or because there might be fraud, because the election administrators who run elections agreed not to oppose the bill, but just because on principle it is better for democracy and for government if fewer people vote -- that's one of the principles of the Republican Party.

And as long as the Republican Party believes that we're better off when fewer people vote, we Democrats are going to be running governments for a good long time.

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If the flame is extinguished- UPDATED

By Jamey Dunn
Quinn is sticking to his back-up plan of tackling ethics issues at the ballot box if the legislature does not approve substantial reforms by the end of this session. However, the state Constitution limits the issues voters can petition to get on the ballot.





“If things don’t go exactly according to plan, there is a process in Illinois that exists that allows people to go to the ballot box,” Quinn said outside his Statehouse office this morning. “And I haven’t been a stranger to that over the years, and we certainly will examine that, if necessary. But, I hope it isn’t.”

Despite Quinn’s generally optimistic and cooperative tone, Quinn essentially said if the legislature fails to make major changes in the way state government operates, he would look to the voters to do it for them.

He’s tried to do that in the past. However, the proposals were blocked from the ballot by the Illinois Supreme Court in 1976, when it ruled the initiatives did not fall under the limited scope set by the Constitution. The state charter limits voters from changing anything other than the section that deals with the legislature. And any proposed changes have to pertain to “structural and procedural subjects.”

The governor said he would like to broaden the way voters can amend the Constitution by allowing them to also consider initiatives related to ethics, which he said would “give the voters ongoing power to enact ethics wherever needed.”

Quinn backs other changes that were not recommended in the report, including recall of elected officials and extending public financing beyond judicial races to the other branches of government. He said that he hopes to get a recall amendment on the ballot in 2010. UPDATED: Lawmakers are considering several recall amendments. Some would grant voters the power to recall executive officers only, and some would apply to the legislative and judicial branches, as well.

Commissioners said they could not reach a unanimous decision on whether to recommend a recall amendment, so the report lists “recall” as needing further consideration.

Quinn said that because many of the proposed ethics reforms have been discussed for years, the General Assembly should be able to make decisions on them by the end of session. “The people of Illinois are impatient, and they feel it shouldn’t take long at all to enact good government and clean government.”

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Pass of the torch

By Bethany Jaeger
Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission issued its final recommendations for reforming Illinois government, passing the torch to the state legislators to act before their scheduled May 31 adjournment. While some reform measures appear slated for widespread agreement and enactment, other provisions are more controversial and expected to take a lot more time to negotiate.



Quinn said today that if the legislature fails to act, he might resort to grassroots citizen action to place major reforms on the 2010 ballot. But the state Constitution may limit his power to change anything beyond legislative procedures. (See our next blog, “If the flame is extinguished.”)

Commission chairman Patrick Collins, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said for legislators or opponents who say the commission’s recommendations equal “pie-in-the-sky” ideas, every proposal has been tried in other states or jurisdictions. “It is no excuse to say that these can’t be done because they have been done,” he said.

Commissioner David Hoffman, inspector general for the City of Chicago, said anything short of comprehensive and bold reforms would foster more of the same. “In general, our standard is that reform should not be piecemeal, it should not be tinkering, it should not be minor.”

While commissioners are open to discussing changes with legislators, Hoffman said the commission’s final report is the measuring stick for meaningful change. (See highlights of the commission’s recommendations here.)

A few of the recommendations are new concepts for this legislature to consider, meaning lawmakers will have to build to a new comfort level before acting, said David Morrison, deputy director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform in Chicago. That comfort level might not come until proposals are spelled out in new legislation. “It’s not enough to describe the cake. You have to give the recipe, too,” he said.

Even for the controversial proposals, Morrison said he’s encouraged by the commission’s thorough report (the appendices alone take up 152 pages), which resulted from active engagement from people throughout the state. The commission’s effort also couples with the legislature’s special joint government reform committee. “There’s real intentional, deliberate action that may come out of this,” Morrison said.

Commissioner Brad McMillan, executive director of the Institute for Principled Leadership in Public Service at Bradley University in Peoria, spoke directly to the cynics during a Statehouse news conference this morning: “We have a new governor. We have new leadership in Springfield. We have a rare moment in time where the public believes that public corruption and ethics reform is the No. 1 issue in this state. We are hoping that this convergence will mean real, meaningful reform gets passed this legislative session.”

Law enforcement
Something new for legislators to consider is the commission’s concern that state law hamstrings state-level investigators. In turn, Illinois tends to rely on federal prosecutors to go after such public corruption cases as former Gov. George Ryan, political insider Tony Rezko and, now, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, among many others. According to the report, prosecutors in most other states have powers and resources similar to those of federal investigators. Not Illinois. The commission said this state is only one of four that prevents states investigators from recording conversations with consent of one of the parties.

Also, the Illinois attorney general can convene a statewide grand jury to investigate some crimes but not cases of public corruption. That contrasts with Pennsylvania and most other states, according to the report.

Morrison said the idea of strengthening the powers of state prosecutors was one of the “most inspiring” recommendations. “We plainly cannot rely on federal law enforcement to police Illinois politics,” he said. “We need something that’s going to move faster than that.” It took prosecutors more than seven years to prosecute and convict Ryan.

Legislative reaction
Legislators are expected to debate some of the proposals soon, but Rep. Lou Lang of Skokie said the commission’s recommendations are “not necessarily the Holy Grail.”

“Just because the Collins commission says jump, it’s not our responsibility to say, ‘How high?’” he said.

Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said areas ripe for change include those where Illinois lags behind other states. She said some issues, including beefing up the Freedom of Information Act or cleaning up state contracting practices, could move quickly. Others, including campaign contribution limits, could take longer. “Some of the things we’ve already kind of vetted, and now we need to act,” she said. “Others we need to vet for the first time.”

Limiting the length of time state legislative leaders can serve in the top positions, for instance, hasn’t been debated. And it’s unlikely to find traction any time soon.

Limiting the amount individuals and political committees can donate to politicians has been debated, but it’s far from a consensus. Democratic Sen. Susan Garrett of Lake Forest said however controversial, she expects campaign contribution limits to get to the Senate floor for debate. “Absolutely, yes. I can’t imagine there not being a vote. I think every independent commission that is testifying across the state and hearing from different elected officials, the trend is, yes, Illinois needs to have caps on contributions.”

The amount of the cap is at least one sticking point. “We may be voting for two or three different caps,” Garrett added.

On the other hand, procurement, or the way the state contracts with service providers, is one area where widespread agreement could expedite reforms. But legislators are unlikely to go as far as recommended by the Illinois Reform Commission, which suggests pulling out all chief procurement officers and putting them into a new, independent state agency. Procurement officers expressed concerns last week about whether new rules would slow down an already cumbersome process.

Rep. Renee Kosel, a New Lenox Republican, said: “I think it is essential that we do all of it. Otherwise, you’re just going to leave ways to go around it.”

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 28, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,572 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 28, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Swine flu update

By Jamey Dunn

While Illinois has no confirmed cases of swine flu yet, health officials said today the virus eventually will reach the state and that they are prepared for it.




Dr. Damon Arnold, director of the Illinois Department of Public Health, said in a Statehouse press conference, “We fully expect to see confirmed cases within Illinois state at some point and time.” The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last reported 40 confirmed cases in the nation. Seven people who got tested in Illinois this past weekend were cleared. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, no pigs in the United States have tested positive for the virus.

Illinois already has an emergency plan for serious communicable diseases. Arnold said the department created a virus pandemic plan a few years ago when bird flu became a threat. “People are actually in place already and know what their jobs are,” he said. Arnold added that his agency is constantly monitoring the situation.

The symptoms of swine flu resemble the common flu but typically are more intense. They can include fever, chills, sore throat, body aches, headache, fatigue and lower back pain. Nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are less common symptoms.

Andrew Velasquez III, director of the Illinois Emergency Management Agency, said anyone who has debilitating symptoms, including difficulty breathing and severe vomiting, should go to a family physician or hospital for testing. He also said that people whose symptoms start to improve and then take a turn for the worse should seek medical attention. The elderly, children younger than 18, and individuals with respiratory illnesses or weakened immune systems are especially at risk.

Arnold said that there are two types of standard seasonal flu viruses going around, so people who get sick should not immediately assume it is swine flu. He said that if people have mild flu symptoms, they should treat them the way they would normally treat flu at home and only go to the doctor if that doesn’t work.

Velasquez added that anyone who feels sick after recently traveling to an area with confirmed cases of swine flu should seek medical attention. The incubation period for the flu averages three to five days. If travelers do not get sick after seven days, they shouldn’t worry about being infected.

Both Arnold and Velasquez said that their agencies are taking the threat seriously and coordinating their efforts with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as well as state agencies and local health departments.

Arnold said that because no cases of swine flu had yet been diagnosed in Illinois, agencies should take the time to asses their plans and ensure they are ready when and if the swine flu comes to Illinois. He also called on citizens to avoid panic. “We always take our own pulse first. You know, take a deep breath. This is something that we will get through. We have an incredible team of people, who are working on this every day —every minute of every day. We feel very well prepared.”

Updated information about swine flu and tips to stay healthy can be found at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the Illinois Department of Public Health and the Illinois Emergency Management Agency.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 27, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,540 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 27, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Bringing the Kids to Springfield for Gifed Ed Day

It's time for OneMan's annual pilgrimage to Springfield talk about gifted education funding with OneDaughter and now OneSon in tow (they are both gifted, suffice to say they take after their mom).

Remember last year the former Governor now Reality Show Star(tm) used my daughter to avoid the media. So who knows what kind of fun we can have...

So besides for pulling a legislator off of the floor and the standard tourist stuff (we have family in Chatham, we have done the tourist stuff) I am again looking for suggestions, post below or send me a e-mail

OneManBlog@yahoo.com

Thanks

OneMan

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A Very Civil Editorial

While I have my share of criticisms about much of the recent output of the Chicago Tribune Editorial Board (which I'll discuss at a later date), I want to give credit where credit is due. They put out a cogent and thoughtful editorial in support of HB2234, Rep. Harris' bill which would legalize civil unions in Illinois.

In so doing, they recognize the fact that much, but certainly not all, of the tensions over this bill are rooted more in semantics then they are in substance:

Unnoticed in the uproar is that most Americans favor extending the benefits and obligations of marriage to same-sex couples -- just as long as it goes by a different name. Call it marriage, and most people bridle. Call it a civil union, and some 55 percent of citizens are in favor.

While Rep. Harris and other advocates of the bill have put in countless hours trying to explain to our colleagues what the bill is, and isn't, about, there are obviously many of them who are nevertheless opposed to the proposal, often times citing moral or religious reasons. It's to this mindset that the Tribune does, IMHO, a great job of setting the record straight.

If it's enacted, gay couples will gain the right to do things that heterosexuals take for granted: make emergency medical decisions and funeral arrangements for a partner, visit each other in the hospital and share a nursing home room. More important, perhaps, it will protect kids by placing same-sex couples that split up under the same rules that govern divorce, while assuring access to survivor benefits when a de facto parent dies.

By this compromise, the state would promote long-term commitments and the well-being of children. But it would avoid the intense emotions that surge around anything altering the traditional definition of marriage, which for many people has deep religious meaning. Harris' bill stipulates that no religious entity may be forced to bless such unions.

Nothing in HB2234 requires anybody to approve of homosexual couples if they choose not to. Rightfully, nothing in the bill imposes any requirements or restrictions upon any religious institutions or entities. Rather, in a modern-day version of the civil rights struggles of the 60's, the bill simply extends equal legal rights to a class of people that some people would prefer didn't have those rights. The bill should be passed. Now.

To read or post comments, visit Open House

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 26, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,509 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 26, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 25, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,486 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 25, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com Thanks

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 24, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,446 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 24, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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State historic sites reopen

by Jamey Dunn

After facing uncertain futures and becoming pawns in a game of political revenge, the state’s closed historic sites reopened today.

The 11 historic sites were closed last year, along with several state parks, by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich in a move that many said was politically motivated. Gov. Pat Quinn would not say that Blagojevich closed the sites out of retribution for lawmakers, but he did say that his predecessor’s decision was not a “rational” one.

The money to reopen the sights was included in the mini-capital plan that passed early this month. Jan Grimes, director of the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, said that even in difficult financial times for the state, it’s important to preserve history. “It’s times like this when we face historic challenges that we most want to look back on how others managed change before us, how others endured and even thrived,” she said.

Quinn signed an executive order to merge the Historic Preservation Agency with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources in what he described as an effort to streamline government and save money. The agencies will officially combine July 1.

Quinn said the state’s historic sites draw tourism and help to bring money to local economies. “When people go to visit another city or another place, they want to see unique things that are special that make a difference. And the Dana-Thomas House is one of those, and the other historic sites are, too,” he said.

The sites that reopened are:

• Apple River Fort in Elizabeth
• Bishop Hill
• Hauberg Indian Museum at Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island
• Cahokia Courthouse in Cahokia
• Dana-Thomas House in Springfield
• Fort de Chartres in Prairie du Rocher
• Fort Kaskaskia in Ellis Grove
• Pierre Menard Home in Ellis Grove
• Jubilee College in Brimfield
• Lincoln Log Cabin in Lerna
• Carl Sandburg’s birthplace in Galesburg (This site will not actually open its doors until April 25 because it is only open to the general public on Saturdays and Sundays.)

Although the money needed to keep the historic sites open was not specifically included in Quinn’s budget proposal, he said that the sites will remain open through the next fiscal year.

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Blagojevich Editorial Cartoons

by Cal Skinner

Maybe now that Judge James Zagel has ruled that former Governor Rod Blagojevich may not go to Costa Rica to participate in an NBC-TV reality show, maybe the desert island ridicule of him will shift to other aspects of the farce we are watching.

But, before the ruling Chicago Sun-Times editorial cartoonist Jack Higgins came up with a “What might have been.”

He has Zagel giving Blagojevich a choice of sitting in a room with U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald “with only the aid of a court-appointed attorney” or “spending a week on a desert island with two hungry cannibals.”

“Heh-heh. That's an easy one!” the coiffured one replies.

The bottom part of the three-paneled cartoon shows the sun setting over the ocean with a one palm three island being circled by sharks.

Two men are fighting over a long bone.

“HEY –
LEGGO
MY
BLAGO!”

one says to the other.

Have you seen these other cartoon depictions:

• dancing behind bars
• on the island
• on the bus
• the chicken
• under the Burris cloud
• half of a two-headed chicken
• with a barrel of money
• the clown
• bandaged

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 23, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,410 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 23, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Walking the Walk – Gov. Pat Quinn Leads by Example

by Cal Skinner

Governor Pat Quinn has released his income tax forms to at least the Chicago Sun-Times.

Springfield Bureau Chief Dave McKinney reports that Quinn earned $120,226 last year.

More interesting to me was that he contributed to $12,379 to charitable organizations.

Over 10%.

10.26%, to be more exact.

You will remember the Biblical suggestion that believers tithe 10% of their income to church. In fact, tithe meant a tenth in Old English.

Why is this worth a story?

Check out what now-President Barack Obama gave to charity before and after he gained the national spotlight.

Compare what Obama, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley and retired President George W. Bush contributed to the percentage donated by Quinn.

All are less than what Methodist Church founder John Wesley recommended:

Gain all you can.

Save all you can.

Give all you can.

Wesley died with very little, having given away what he got as it came to him.

Any other politicians who want to share their percentage of charitable giving, drop me a line at McHenry County Blog.

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Quinn lights the way

By Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn commemorated Earth Day by signing an executive order to make state agencies more “green,” while several measures addressing environmental issues are under consideration in the legislature.


Quinn signed the executive order after announcing that several light bulbs in the Executive Mansion will be replaced with more efficient LED bulbs, and rain barrels will be placed around the building to catch water for gardening. The LED bulbs, which were donated by a company called The LED Way based in Skokie, are expected to save more than $4,500 a year.

The executive order sets goals for agencies to cut waste and energy consumption:

1. Cut solid waste production 40 percent by 2015.
2. Reduce paper consumption 20 percent by 2012.
3. Decrease electricity and natural gas usage 25 percent by 2025.
4. Lessen petroleum consumption 20 percent by 2012.

And after 2025, 60 percent of the new vehicles purchased by the state would have to be hybrid gas and electric vehicles, and 15 percent would have to solely run on electricity.

Quinn said that the order is geared at “making sure that our state government and our universities and our community colleges and our local governments really are focused on sustainability and a green way of thinking and a green way of acting.”

According to Sarah Wochos, a policy advocate for the Environmental Law and Policy Center in Chicago, the order puts Illinois on par with environmental goals set in many Midwestern states.

Meanwhile, several measures in the House and Senate address environmental concerns:

A bill that advanced to the Senate sponsored by Rep. Karen May, a Highland Park Democrat, would require state-owned buildings to be cleaned with only environmentally friendly products.

Another measure that passed the House would potentially make environmentally friendly products or services more competitive in the bidding process for state contracts. Agencies could consider a “green” product or service that costs up to 10 percent more than a regular product or service under this proposal by Rep. Michael Tryon, a Republican from Crystal Lake.

Perhaps the most controversial bill would create a so-called cap-and-trade program for Illinois. Companies that vent large amounts of carbon emissions would have to buy carbon credits from the state to offset their pollution. A certain amount of credits would be auctioned off to create revenue for the state.

A cap-and-trade program for carbon is being considered in the U.S. House, as well (summary here).

In Illinois, Sen. Heather Steans, a Chicago Democrat, is sponsoring the Senate version of a state cap-and-trade program. She said that she doesn’t think it’s time for the state to pass its own program. However, she said she hopes the bill will help to pressure Congress to take action on a nationwide program.

House sponsor Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Democrat from Northbrook, agrees. But she said that if legislators approach a statewide cap-and-trade policy as a potential revenue source, it might be realistic to consider it during the current budget crisis.

Wochos said that a state as large as Illinois has a responsibility to address its impact on the environment, and it is time for lawmakers to start making some tough choices. “I can understand legislators and politicians being risk-averse, but we are at a critical crossroads,” she said. “Now is time to get real.”

Much of the legislation under consideration does not have any real teeth. Most bills include suggestions and not mandates, and Nekritz said it can be difficult, especially in a financial crisis, to get additional funding to make projects green. She is pragmatic about the possible timing for passing any strict environmental legislation. She said that the state can expect to see some major changes, such as a policy that regulates carbon emissions, “when we have the votes.”

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 22, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,370 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 22, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit http://www.gopillinois.com/. Thanks

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Alternative transportation

By Jamey Dunn
A transportation and business group is proposing what it says is a more specific plan than Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal for major construction plans for roads, bridges and transit.

Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Cicero Democrat and chairman of the Senate Transportation Committee, came out in support of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition’s proposed capital plan today. The coalition claims the plan calls for more state money than Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal for a capital plan, but almost $10 billion less than the coalition says the state should be investing in its infrastructure.



According to a 2006 study commissioned by the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, the unfunded need for Illinois transportation projects exceeds $23 billion. That number has not been adjusted for inflation. Linda Wheeler, a transportation consultant for the Transportation for Illinois Coalition, said the findings mirror the Illinois Department of Transportation’s estimates of the unmet needs.

In an attempt to be more realistic about the state’s budget restraints, the coalition has since pared that number down to a $13.5 billion “minimally adequate” plan. Michael Kleinik, Transportation for Illinois Coalition co-chair, said, “There is little money for expansion in this proposal, but it does bring us closer to where we need to be.”

Wheeler said that Quinn’s proposed budget is not specific enough about how much state money would go toward transportation and that it uses some creative accounting techniques. She said that some of the money that is listed as highway funding actually would go toward debt service on bonds.

Sandoval said he wants to fund the alternative plan with a motor-fuel tax increase, which he said has support in the Senate. However, he said he supports a higher increase than a version proposed in the House, which seeks an 8 cents per gallon increase. Sandoval said that he thinks there is little to no support for Quinn’s proposal to spend part of the money from an income tax increase to fund a capital plan.

While Sandoval had the backing of business groups, labor unions, transit officials and transportation experts, he was the only legislator making a pitch for the coalition’s proposal.

Sandoval urged swift action to hammer out a plan that could find enough votes to pass. “We are at a crossroads literally and figuratively here in Illinois, and if we don’t get it right today, I don’t know if we ever will.”

Many of the speakers who addressed the Senate committee this morning raised concerns that too much squabbling in Illinois over a capital plan could hurt the state’s image in Washington, D.C. and possibly damage its ability to seek increased federal funding in the future.

“It’s not lost on me, and I think it’s not lost on anyone in Washington who follows what’s going on in the states, that Illinois has struggled to come to terms with what it needs to do in the long term,” said Janet Kavinoky of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. “But, the longer you debate and discuss and struggle with who’s going to invest in what, and who’s going to get credit for what, … it appears chaotic.”

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Health care scare

By Hilary Russell
State employees who want to decide which doctor they see or what hospital they are admitted to may have to re-think their health care options.

According to the legislative Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability, state employees collectively would be on the hook for $200 million more for their health insurance plans. The commission met with medical providers today to determine whether existing contracts should be renewed for next fiscal year, which starts July 1.





Gov. Pat Quinn’s administration is seeking a health insurance policy that would charge state employees more in monthly premiums if they chose more flexible plans, as opposed to a managed care policy. For example, employees enrolled in the most flexible plans currently pay about $90 a month. Under the administration’s proposal, that premium would increase to nearly $310.

Retirees also would pay more, under Quinn’s proposed operating budget. If approved by the General Assembly, retirees who are not enrolled in Medicare would see the biggest increase. They currently pay about $13 a month for state health benefits. That would increase to about $583 a month.

“That’s a big change,” said Rep. Frank Mautino, a Spring Valley Democrat. “It’s a change from $13 a month, which is unrealistic, to $7,000 a year. People have worked under that and retired under the premise that the state would pay the predominant share of their insurance. Now the governor’s budget assumes that they will pick up about one third of the cost, and that will come as a big surprise.”

The increase in premiums is, in part, an effort to encourage employees to sign up for less expensive managed care plans. The flexible plans allow patients to see any doctor they prefer, while managed care plans limit patients to see doctors on a pre-approved list.

Rep. Elaine Nekritz, a Northbrook Democrat, said that with the increase comes the question of how to pay for it. “What one doesn’t pick up, the other has to. It’s not going to be easy to tell employees that their premiums just increased 5,000 percent. On the other hand, can we come up with another $200 million? Where does it come from? I don’t know. Ultimately, those are the questions we have to work through in the next six weeks.”

Collectively, the projection for Illinois’ State Employees’ Group Health Insurance Liability tops out at $2.1 billion for the next fiscal year, compared with $1.9 billion last year, according to the Commission on Government Forecasting and Accountability.

Hospital board chair steps down
By Jamey Dunn
Dr. Quentin Young withdrew himself today from consideration as the new chair of the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board because of a possible conflict of interest.

Last Friday, Gov. Pat Quinn named Young, a health care advocate who previously served as Quinn’s physician, to head the board.

According to a statement from Quinn, Young withdrew his name when he realized that his former practice owns part of a property that rents space to a health care provider. Young still has a stake in the practice, and Illinois law bars the head of the hospital planning board from having financial ties to any institution licensed under the state’s hospital licensing act.

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Forty days and 40 nights

That cliché of the day indicates the number of days state legislators have to negotiate major spending and revenue proposals before they’re scheduled to adjourn their spring session May 31. With ethics reforms, health care negotiations and construction projects in the mix today, alone, lawmakers have a ton of work to do in the next five and a half weeks.




Government reforms
By Bethany Jaeger
Today marked the first time that Gov. Pat Quinn’s Illinois Reform Commission directly interacted with the joint legislative committee on government reform, both of which are working separately on some of the very same topics.

Today, however, the commission was asked to narrow its testimony to state procurement and contracting practices. The focus conveniently skipped over one of the commission’s most controversial proposals: limiting campaign contributions. So-called contribution limits topped the commission’s first set of recommendations late last month.

It’s hard to avoid the link between campaign contributions and state procurement decisions, said Commissioner David Hoffman, inspector general for the City of Chicago, particularly when repeated investigations reveal that public funds flow through contracts to the same companies that shovel large amounts of money into candidates' political campaigns. “You’ve got to get to both sides of the equation, the pay side and the play side,” he said.

But the commission abided by the committee’s request and focused on ideas for state procurement reforms. The commission’s recommendations are intended to improve transparency and insulate the process from political influence, preventing such alleged scandals as requiring state contractors to go through political fundraiser Bill Cellini. Commissioner Patrick Collins, a former assistant U.S. attorney, said Cellini was not a state employee, but prosecutors allege that he exercised significant influence over which firms received state business.

“We are entering a critical period in the next 40 days,” Collins said. “The state will learn much about itself. This is a gut-check time. … The nation is watching.”

The Illinois Reform Commission suggests creating a new department to house all state procurement officers, making them independent from the state agencies and from the governor’s office. A new procurement monitor also would oversee and review contracts.

The state already has a Procurement Policy Board to oversee contracts; yet, Hoffman said because members are appointed by the governor and the legislative leaders, they’re powerless to resist political pressure. Hoffman said the goal is not to change the procurement rules but to change whom the procurement officials report to.

Legislators and some state officials aren’t fully on board with the commission’s idea to consolidate procurement officers into a new department because needs are so different when hiring companies for road construction, power supply or higher education material.

Auditor General Bill Holland added that consolidation efforts under Blagojevich resulted in members of the governor’s inner circle playing key roles in selecting the companies that received state contracts. In one instance, a state contract was granted to an agency that did not yet exist. (See Holland’s 2005 audit for background.)

The commission plans to release its second set of recommendations next week, marking 100 days since the panel started holding public hearings throughout the state.

Senate President John Cullerton said the committee will consider all of the commission’s recommendations, but he also intends to speak with Quinn to find out what he wants to pursue. House Speaker Michael Madigan indicated the legislative committee and the governor’s commission would work closely together to draft legislation.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 21, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,329 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 21, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Mental health providers fear cuts

By Bethany Jaeger
While human service providers have long fought for more state funding, mental health and substance abuse providers who offer services at the community level say they need as much as $93 million to prevent thousands of people from losing access to critical services next year.



Frank Anselmo, chief executive officer of the Springfield-based Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois, said Gov. Pat Quinn’s budget proposes $26 million less than last year for mental health services and $12 million less for substance abuse services. The cuts have a cumulative effect, Anselmo added, because the state reimbursement rate for Medicaid providers doesn’t cover half of the cost of providing the services to needy clients.

The association surveyed providers throughout the state to ask what would happen if the legislature approved the cuts this spring. Providers reported that more than 16,000 Illinois residents could lose access to treatment in their communities by July 2010. And the nearly 30,000 people who do have access to treatment could receive reduced services.

Diane Knaebe, president of Heritage Behavioral Health Center in Decatur, said at a Statehouse news conference this morning that the agency could serve 400 fewer clients in Macon County next fiscal year and decrease services by at least 10 percent for existing clients if more funding didn’t come through.

Lora Thomas, executive director of the Illinois chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness, said saving money by not funding mental health services often causes untreated conditions to eventually demand costlier care in emergency rooms, prisons and nursing homes.

The Community Behavioral Healthcare Association of Illinois’ goal is to access existing state funds, increased federal reimbursement funding and new state revenues to help pay for mental health services, substance abuse services, backlogged Medicaid bills and health care for Illinois veterans. According to the association, about $35 million sat dormant in dedicated state funds during the last few years of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration and continues to be unused. The Illinois Department of Human Services had not responded to questions by the time of this post.

At least 10 senators of both political parties have signed on to a resolution, SJR 31, urging Quinn’s administration to tap into the unused state funds, as well as increased federal Medicaid reimbursements available through the federal stimulus package, to support mental health and substance abuse services. But the resolution is not binding.

If new revenue came into Illinois through a state income tax increase, community providers want part of it dedicated to human services. Anselmo said the group also supports the concept of increasing the sales tax on alcohol by 1 cent or 2 cents per alcoholic drink.

Watch for more on funding of mental health and other human services soon.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 20, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,286 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 20, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Why Townships Don't Just Reduce the Amount They Tax?

After the Grafton Township meeting (if you have never been to one, take a look--lots of pictures, plus an explanation of what happened), Township Assessor Bill Ottley came over and asked why I cared about the proposed Town Hall.

After all, I don't live in Grafton Township. (We live right on the Algonquin-Grafton Township line. Appropriately, it is called “Meridian Street.”)

He told me the township board did not need a referendum to borrow the month.

Frankly, that would not surprise me.

My Algonquin Township added onto its Route 14 building without referendum approval.

Somehow I missed that in all the state representative business of the time.

I told Ottley that non-referendum borrowing to buy Lakewood's golf course (Red Tail) had cost me $500 a year for the better part of the 1990's and that's why I was such a strong supporter of the Tax Cap and holding referendums when local governments borrow large sums of money.

He explained to me that the cost would amount to about $7 a year per household.

I was willing to grant him whatever figure he came up with.

He is a finance guy, after all.

He said it wouldn't raise taxes.

There I interjected that, while financing a new township building and garage might not raise tax bills from where they are not, if the new building were not constructed, township taxes could be reduced by $7 (or whatever the figure is) a year.

That's when I got the answer to the question in this article's headline.

Ottley told me if the township ever asked for less than it was getting, it could never get it back.

I pointed out that it could, if a referendum could be passed.

He suggested that—passage of a township tax hike referendum—was unlikely to occur.

He is probably correct.

Much of the opposition to the $3.5 million (plus over $1.5 million in interest) Grafton Township office complex and garage is based on opposition to township government's very existence.

Few would argue with a straight face that township supervisors should be paid what they earn.

I was reminded to write this story by Brian Slupski's Northwest Herald story on the failure of the Dorr Township electors to approve the purchase of land for a new town hall at its annual town meeting.

Here's a clue that fits into Ottley's revelation:

“(Dorr Township) had set aside about $2 million for the project in the township fund and about $750,000 in the highway district’s road fund.”

That brought about an

“Ah ha!”

moment.

I don't know the size of the Woodstock-based township's town fund, but, if someone looked, he or she might conclude that a $2 million surplus is hard to justify.

But just as with Grafton Township, if Dorr Township asked for less money than the maximum it is allowed to collect under the Tax Cap law, it would then end up with a lower base for the next year's request.

That would result in less money every year thereafter.

Downsizing government is pretty much against all the laws of political nature, of course.

= = = = =
Grafton Township Assessor Bill Ottley is seen addressing the April 14, 2009, Annual Town Meeting. The Town Meeting photo shows the current township trustees voting to continue with the new town hall building project.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 19, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,259 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 19, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 18, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,217 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 18, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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New leadership for a board with history of corruption

by Jamey Dunn
Gov. Pat Quinn announced today his pick to run the state health planning board that has been recently plagued by scandal.


At a Chicago news conference, Quinn named Dr. Quentin Young, his one-time personal physician and an advocate for health care reform, to chair the Illinois Health Facilities Planning Board. Young has served as chairman of the Department of Medicine at Cook County Hospital and president of the American Public Health Association. He is currently the national coordinator for the universal health care advocacy group, Physicians for a National Health Program.

The board approves major construction projects and equipment purchases for health care facilities in Illinois. They could include such improvements as “who gets to have an MRI machine and who gets to build a new wing,” according to Chris Mooney, political studies professor with the Institute of Government and Public Affairs at the University of Illinois at Springfield.

The choices the board makes have a substantial financial impact on many in the health care industry. Because of that, Mooney described the board as “a place that has attraction to those who are interested in making money.”

That apparently was the attraction that drew former board member Stuart Levine, and former Gov. Rod Blagojevich fundraiser, Tony Rezko to seek control of the board. The two used their influence over the body, which also considers proposals for new hospitals in Illinois, to pressure interested parties for kickbacks. Levine, a former board member, has pleaded guilty to corruption charges, and Rezko, a friend and adviser of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich, has been convicted on corruption regarding their dealings with the board.

Mooney said that past corruption on the board does not mean that there will continue to be problems under new leadership.

“Obviously some pigs went to that trough,” He said. “But that doesn’t mean that would always be the case.”

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 17, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,163 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 17, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 16, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,098 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 16, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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The TEA Party in Cary

When my son and I got to Cary we discovered people who had been at the Crystal Lake demonstration, 550 strong according to Libertarian Party Chair Dave Brady of Wonder Lake.

This was the third McHenry County TEA Party I visited April 15th. The second was on Route 62 in Algonquin.

We parked at Kelli's Cuckoo's Nest across from the Metra station. She offered free pizza to protesters. (All photos can be enlarged by clicking on them.)

When I recognized some protest signs and asked what had happened in Crystal Lake, I was told that the Crystal Lake Police closed down the demonstration at one.

Apparently, Crystal Lake requires a permit and an insurance policy if more than 50 people are going to demonstrate and organizer Jim Thompson said his demonstration would be from noon to one.

So, a number of people just drove down the road to Cary.

There Cary Coffee Shop proprietor John Bobrytzke didn't contact city government.

His location, across Main Street from the train station, didn't attract many demonstrators. That was because people figured out that more motorists could see their signs from Route 14.

But Bobrytzke is the reason the demonstrators were there.

He stepped out in front and the rest of us followed him to bring the message to homebound commuters in Cary.

And, it's a superb location for a protest, because not only motorists, but those taking the train could see their signs.

I'm sure the Metra engineers were not blowing their horns because of the signs, but, then again, I don't ever remember hearing a train horn blast in Cary before.

Again, big trucks blowing their air horns brought a thrill to my body. Above you see a Crystal Lake-based W. Smith Cartage gasoline truck “blowing”around the corner past the old village hall.

Sometimes when the trucks and cars were not blowing their horns enough for one sign carrier, she pulled out a tiny air horn to make some noise.

Not that it was silent for long stretches.

This man was the chief horn honking cheer leader. He was so persistent.

And, when the folks on the street couldn't get a honk, there were people like this lady with open windows giving the sign holders a “thumbs up.”

How far did people come?

This man, a sign shop owner from West Frankfort, IL, came up to Palatine to help out a buddy and they both came up to Cary for the demonstration.

I found an anti-U.S. Senator Dick Durbin sign in Cary.

Every once in a while another horn-blaring semi would breeze through town. Here's one from Custom Companies.

As in Crystal Lake, a police presence was evident. In Cary, they weren't in cars. They were standing in full view of the demonstrators. Pretty easy duty.

“Term Limits” were the answer to one man.

Another man had the simple message of

NO
MORE
TAXES

A bit longer, but quite understandable message was

ENOUGH IS
ENOUGH
DAMN IT

Her friend's says

CONGRE$$
YOU'RE
FIRED!!!

One of the woman who drove down from the Crystal Lake event was pro-life leader Irene Napier. Her sign said,

To Steal From One
Person Is Theft
To Steal From Many
Is Taxation

Next to her on the Southeast corner of the intersection I saw the above.

There was one of the few non-homemade signs nearby.

A family of four was on the north side of the street. Two flag wavers and two sign carriers.

They could see this scene across the street if they looked. I like the sign held by the little girl saying,

I'm a kid.
Don't Spend
My Money
Before I Earn
It!

A longer view of that side of the street showed this.

It was crowded in front of the little park with a pond next to the old Cary Village Hall.

There were two misplaced Obama supporters standing on the traffic island next to the railroad crossing. They were electricians whom I suppose were not working on tax payment day.

Posted first at McHenry County Blog.

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Crashing the (Tea) Party

I admit it. I could say the devil made me do it, but I just couldn't help myself. I had to go down (up) to the 222 Riverside building so I passed Federal Plaza on Adams just as organizers were passing out signs. So I thought I'd blend in.

Except the fact that I had on my Obama fleece, which I didn't exactly realize.

Still, no one seemed to mind. I walked around Federal Plaza -- it wasn't exactly crowded, and estimates of a couple hundred sounds about right -- talking to people and asking why they came and where they were from. More than a few admitted that they worked at the Merc. Only one person admitted that they made their sign. "Where's my bailout?" it said. I wondered if that was (sorta) off message.

As people started to speak, I drifted towards the back but was asked twice to move back in by the wranglers. "We want to make it look good for the cameras," one of them told me. When I turned around, he pointed at my Obama logo and asked, "What are you doing here?" After I realized why he asked, I chuckled. "It's not a public event?" I replied.

Most attendees were pretty open about their anger. The term, socialism, was thrown around pretty liberally. Yet no one got nasty (me being in my Obama jacket) or accusatory. I asked several people if they had a copy of their talking points, but no one admitted having a copy. People did admit that they got an email about the event.

As I got bored, I walked up to the Riverside Building. It being lunch time, there were more people in the building's courtyard than there were at the rally. Probably the biggest contrast with this event and the last one I was at in Federal Plaza (an antiwar event) was the absence of Chicago police. I guess the Mayor isn't threatened by a bunch of right-wing protesters...

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"TEA Party" held and historic sites to reopen

by Hilary Russell and Jamey Dunn
Photographs by Hilary Russell

Anti-tax protesters gathered in front of the Illinois Capitol today, shouting the message that they are Taxed Enough Already (TEA) on the last day people can file their income taxes without an extension. Meanwhile, Gov. Pat Quinn launched a new Web site intended to help taxpayers and government employees report corruption.




Today’s protest was one of several TEA parties held around the nation to demonstrate opposition to government spending and rising taxes under President Barack Obama’s administration.

In Illinois, taxpayers face a potential 50 percent income tax increase (from 3 percent to 4.5 percent for individuals and 4.8 percent to 7.2 percent for corporations). The legislature also is considering hiking sales taxes on cigarettes, some flavored coffee drinks and motor fuel as a way to help generate more revenue and plug a budget deficit projected to reach as much as $12.4 billion.

Protesters booed, waved American flags and raised signs that read,“Big government is the problem, not the solution,” “Read my lipstick, no more payments,” and “Vote to raise our taxes, and we will vote you out of office.”

Rep. Lou Lang, deputy House majority leader from Skokie, said he understands why people are angry at the prospect of increased taxes nationally and locally.

“For most of us here, no one wants to raise taxes, or raise fees and costs on people,” said Lang, who was in the Capitol today even though the General Assembly is on spring break. “But as we try to get through the spring session and we have to try and come to grips with a $12 billion hole in our budget and how we are going to deal with that, we may have to bite the bullet and raise some taxes. None of us would like to do that; we’d like to avoid it.”


Quinn, at a news conference in Chicago, said he supports citizens taking to the streets to make their opinions known, but he’s still waiting to hear alternatives to an income tax increase.

“We’ve heard a lot of chirping, but nobody has a specific concrete plan that gets the job done, without having to raise revenue in order to pay down the 11 and a half billion dollar deficit,” he said.

Meanwhile, he launched a government Web site aimed at getting people to report fraud that involves taxpayer dollars.

The site is supposed to make it easier for people to take advantage of a 1991 Illinois whistleblower protection law that encourages citizens to expose corruption and theft by offering a financial incentive. The law applies to all levels of government. According to Quinn, the law has already led to exposing Medicaid fraud and crooked highway contractors.

Quinn said that citizens have an obligation to help police their government. “We as taxpayers have, I think, a duty to keep our eyes open. We want anyone who would even think of committing fraud against the taxpayers to think twice about it,” he said.

Historic sites to open soon
Quinn also announced in his press conference today that some of the state historic sites could reopen as early as next week.

Dave Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency, said that notices to return to work have been sent to all 33 agency employees who were laid off late last year. He said that the agency has asked them to come back April 22 and that at least some historic sites should reopen by the end of next week.

Blanchette said that all 11 sites that were closed by former Gov. Rod Blagojevich last year will be reopened, but the timing depends on how soon employees are available to come back to work. The governor and the agency will be making a formal announcement sometime next week.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 15, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,052 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 15, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Blagojevich pleads not guilty

By Hilary Russell

The last time he entered the building, he wore a running suit. This time, former Gov. Rod Blagojevich wore a suit and tie and maintained his innocence against the 16 criminal counts he was charged with in an April 2 indictment.


“His public persona is very consistent, and whether that’s based in confidence or delusion, I have no idea,” said Kent Redfield, a political science professor at the University of Illinois at Springfield. “But certainly he doesn’t act like someone who clearly is in jeopardy of spending a large chunk of the rest of his life in jail if he were to be convicted of all of the charges against him.”

U.S. District Judge James Zagel presided over the arraignment at the Dirksen U.S. Courthouse in downtown Chicago.

Blagojevich pleaded not guilty to all counts and was represented by defense attorney Sheldon Sorosky. According to the Associated Press, Sorosky requested the prosecutor’s permission to use money from one of Blagojevich’s campaign funds, Friends of Blagojevich, to help pay for additional attorneys to represent Blagojevich. Sorosky reportedly stated his concern that it will take more than one attorney to give his client fair representation.

But if Blagojevich were convicted, the Associated Press reported that prosecutors said they would ask the judge to forfeit the campaign money, which would mean that any attorney representing Blagojevich could be forced to return payments received from the campaign fund.

Redfield said that if money became an issue, that could spell trouble for Blagojevich. “The [former] governor faces a real possibility that he is not gonna have the strongest counsel as he would want because this is a very complex trial. There is a ton of discovery involving all those tapes and the defendants. It’s a very complex case, and it’s not clear where he would get the resources to hire a top-notch legal team to defend himself.”

Blagojevich lost his first legal team just prior to the Senate trial in which he was impeached and thrown out of office. Edward Genson, Sam Adam and Adam's son by the same name, cited different reasons for recusing themselves from the case.

Robert Blagojevich, the former governor’s older brother, also appeared at the arraignment today and was represented by Michael Ettinger. Robert Blagojevich was hired by his brother to act as campaign manager after prosecutors began investigating Christopher Kelly, who initially headed the former governor’s campaign fund.

In a statement released by the former governor’s public relations agency, Blagojevich said: “Now we can begin the process of getting the truth out, and I can clear my name and vindicate myself. I have not let down my family or the people of Illinois. I am innocent of every single allegation."

During an appearance with President Barack Obama’s Education Secretary Arne Duncan in Chicago, Gov. Pat Quinn said the only way to clean up state government is by making major changes.

“We have to take the indictment and dissect and identify every part of state government that was put in jeopardy,” Quinn said (download audio file here). “These are allegations, of course, but I think there’s still fire bells going off in the night to alert the people of Illinois and to the governor of Illinois that reform is indispensable.”

Kelly, a former Blagojevich aide, and John Harris, Blagojevich’s former chief of staff, and Springfield businessman William Cellini are scheduled to be arraigned Thursday. Alonzo “Lon” Monk, Blagojevich’s former campaign manager and chief of staff, is scheduled to be in court next week. Harris and Monk are reportedly cooperating with investigators.

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Tax talk of how to protect low-income workers

By Jamey Dunn

As the deadline for filing income taxes nears, Illinois groups urge protection of low-income workers if the General Assembly approves a state income tax increase for next year.


The advocacy groups of Voices for Illinois Children, the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law, Protestants for the Common Good, the Center for Economic Progress and the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability joined in the state Capitol today to call for an increase in the state’s earned income tax credit.

While an increase in the credit has been proposed many times in the Illinois General Assembly, advocates are looking for a sympathetic ear in the current administration. Jerry Stermer, Gov. Pat Quinn’s chief of staff, was founder and president of Voices for Illinois Children before moving on to his current position.

The group want lawmakers to raise the amount of the state earned income tax credit so that the maximum per household would increase from $240 to about $1,000. The credit reduces the amount of income tax owed but can also result in a refund, according to the Internal Revenue Service. This year, a family of two parents and two children would have to earn less than $42,000 to qualify for the credit. According to Mary Ruth from the Center for Economic Progress, the average credit the state gives out is between $80 and $100.

Sean Noble, spokesman for Voices for Illinois Children, said that the tax credit would target lower-income families more effectively than Quinn’s proposed increase in the personal tax exemption, which he wants to raise from $2,000 to $6,000.

Noble added that an increase in the earned income tax credit might find more legislative support because it would cost less. He estimated that the earned income tax credit proposal would cost an additional $350 million a year. Quinn’s personal exemption increase would cost between $1 billion and $2 billion.

The advocates could compromise, Nobel said, if Illinois were to increase the earned income tax credit and the personal exemption.

Gaylord Gieseke, former vice president of Voices for Illinois Children, is serving as interim president until a replacement for Stermer is found. The organization is conducting a nationwide search.

Check back tomorrow for coverage of the “Tax Day Tea Party,” a protest of government spending and tax increases. It’s scheduled to take place at the Capitol at noon.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 14, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 44,002 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 14, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Stop Illinois HB 422--Don't let California politicians tell Illinoisans what to drive

California was a costly place to live back in Woody Guthrie's day, but because of its high taxes and burdensome regulations, it takes a lot more of the "do re mi" Woody sang about to live there now.

Let's focus on those regulations. California has toughest vehicle emissions standards in the nation. Golden State elected officials put these rules in place--which among other things limits the types of vehicles that can be purchased there.



Southern Californians in particular endure very long commute times, and that part of the state is semi-arid. Illinois has a moist temperate climate. It rains more here, and rain helps clean the air.

What does Illinois have to do with this? Well, Illinois House Bill 422 will stick the Land of Lincoln with the California Low Emission Vehicle Program.

If California changes their emissions standards, HB 422 stipulates that Illinois must follow.

You got that? California politicians will dictate to Illinois the fuel standards of our cars and trucks. This could mean that certain vehicles, especially trucks and farm implements, won't be available to Illinoisans.

Limited choice invariably means higher prices. Not just for soccer moms, but also for businesses large and small (Oh, there's a recession going on), and farmers.

Oh, I'm not opposed to clean air. Today's new cars are over 90 percent cleaner than their 1970 counterparts. Two years ago, Congress enacted Energy Independence and Security Act of 2007. That legislation requires a minimum 40 percent increase in fuel economy standards by 2020. Which will mean at least a 30 percent reduction in carbon dioxide emissions.

HB 422 is parked in the Illinois House Rules Committee. Hopefully it will run out of gas there and get towed to Sacramento.

By the way, Illinois must have the laziest state legislators in the nation. Why do our men and women in Springfield have to use cut-and-paste when writing laws?

Click here to customize a letter opposing HB 422 that you can send to your Illinois state representative.

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Welcome to the Party

Here is the latest reason why I have been a Mike Lawrence fan for a quite some time. While the Chicago Tribune continues to fawn over the recommendations of Governor Quinn's Illinois Reform Commission, Mike actually takes the time to analyze the bigger picture to try to get at why we have had the ethical lapses in Illinois government that we have.

The Tribune, which in my opinion has been inexplicably selective about when to call out for reforms and when to turn a blind eye, has decided that the work product of the Commission should be taken as gospel and passed as is, notwithstanding that the Commission didn't even attempt to put their ideas into draft legislation, settling instead for broad concepts that sound great at a press conference.

Don't get me wrong, I strongly support most, if not all, of the Commission's ideas. But as somebody that has put more years into working on ethics legislation as has the entire commission combined (many of those years in conjunction with Governor Quinn), I will tell you that the devil is assuredly in the details.

And while I most certainly look forward to seeing ideas that have been little more than idle chatter finally get their day in the sun and their vote on the floor, what the Tribune fails to recognize is that legislation alone, no matter how strong, will never clean up government by itself. To do that will take a bilateral combination of honest elected officials and an electorate willing to put the time in to separate the wheat from the chaff at the polling place.

And it is that precise point that Mike Lawrence hits on the head in his latest column:

But structural change cannot fully address the creeping corruption that can exploit character fault lines. No individual is perfect, nor is any administration. Honorable politicians are particularly vulnerable to the arrogance of incorruptibility.

The right kind of elected official will recognize the potential for corrosion. He or she will recruit, respect and heed aides and other associates who speak truth and integrity to power. We have had — and still have — such public officials, aides and associates. But we need more.

We also need citizens who value honest government more than a plowed street — citizens who resist the cynicism that permits them to tag all politicians as corrupt and avoid the homework that helps distinguish between the fakers and the true public servants.

Maybe the time that I have put in over the last decade working on these issues has sensitized me to Johnny-come-lately proselytizers who think that they have suddenly discovered the cure for what ails us. The answers have always been there, what has been missing has been people willing to find them.

To read or post comments, visit Open House

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 13, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,982 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 13, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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What does urban success look like?

Aaron Renn from The Urbanophile writes at New Geography on Chicago's population loss. For instance on Chicago losing population to Indianapolis:

One key to this lies in affordability. For years Indianapolis has been ranked as the least expensive major housing market in America. Blessed with few natural barriers and pro-private sector governments, housing supply in these cities has grown along with population. Yet at the same time the negative impacts of sprawl have been mitigated by their modest – compared say to Dallas, Phoenix or Houston – growth rates and relatively small size. This leaves them attractive, affordable, and offering a very high quality of life to people without elite professional incomes.

On why Chicago is losing population:

Indeed what we can see is that there are different forms of urban success. In an ever more diverse America, people define the good life differently. Too much urban policy is focused on one size fits all solutions that assume cities should look and function something like Chicago. But America’s cities are very diverse and require tailored policies to suit the local landscape, and the unique local geography, demography, history, culture, and values that our cities bring to the table. Great cities, like great wines, have to express their terroir.

So who are those condos being built for?

If you told someone 15 years ago you lived in the South Loop, they would have said, “Huh?” If you had told them you lived by the old Chicago Stadium, they would have thought you had lost your mind. These and other neighborhoods that were once derelict or dangerous, as well as some that were low key ethnic enclaves, have been transformed into bustling yuppie playgrounds for the new “creative class”.


But there has been a downside to this for Chicago as well. The influx of the educated elite into the city has significantly raised housing prices in large parts of the city, rendering it unaffordable to others. Supporting the amenities demanded by the city’s new residents costs money, so taxes have gone up, doubling the squeeze on the city’s traditional residents, forcing many of them out.
...
Chicago is an incredible urban success story, but only for some. International immigrants and the creative class are flocking, but everyone else is leaving.

Go read the whole thing.

Article via YoChicago & Newsalert!

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 12, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,954 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 12, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 11, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,925 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 11, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Stroger on Secession Vote

Three suburban towns want to secede from Cook County and Todd Stroger County Board President seeks to dispell notions that are cited as reasons they want to leave Cook County. Of course he said in this segment on FOX 32 that he wouldn't oppose them if they'd leave although they would miss out on certain services provided by Cook County.

You know, I've seen clips or heard audio of Stroger on the stump and the attempts were less than impressive, but I'll have to admit that I'd rather see him in action or sitting down in interviews like he does here. It's better that than being out of your element giving a stump speech. Of course he might have to give some as he says he's running for re-election. He really should invest in an oratory coach or something.

WOW! The anchors here were incredulous when he evens said that he doesn't know how much money he has raised. Although at least he covered himself by saying that he's raising money all the time.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 10, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,887 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 10, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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How My Blog Beat the Mayor

I knew things were amiss when I walked into a meeting of bloggers and was called "the most influential blogger in Illinois" (really? Rich Miller? Josh Kalven? just sayin'). But I really didn't expect my blog to be credited (or blamed, depending on your point of view) for defeating Flossmoor's incumbent mayor on Tuesday.

Flossmoor is a sleepy bedroom community in the South Suburbs of Cook County. It is probably best known for its architectural charm and golf courses. I note with extreme irony to my friends that, as a resident of Flossmoor, I now live a mile from five golf courses. In Florida where I grew up -- which has its share of golf courses -- I lived at least ten miles from the closest golf course, and the next closest one would have been double that. Plus, I don't golf.

Roger Molski was appointed "mayor" of Flossmoor (technically, Flossmoor has a village government, which means that we elect a village president, some of whom prefer to be called mayor -- like Mayor Daley) in 1994. In 2005, Molski was re-elected by winning 58% of the vote:

Molski	%	Mitros	%	Gummerson	%	Turnout
1,391	58.35%	460	19.30%	533	22.36%	0.238090482

I started Political Tracks -- a View from the Southside in August of 2007, inspired by the Proviso Probe by Carl Nyberg. I never intended to copy what Carl was doing in his blog, but I was interested in adding some content about politics in the South Suburbs.

I've written 61 posts since then, quite a bit about the BP proposal to dump more waste in Lake Michigan and about local elections, both near and far from Flossmoor. I did my best to cover the race in Robin Kelly's former seat in the Illinois General Assembly and about the mobilization of volunteers for the Obama campaign in the South Suburbs. I didn't write about Roger Molski until after I learned he was running for re-election. I was shocked, and I asked a very simple question: Shouldn't the Mayor Live Here?

It had been apparent to me that Molski had been commuting to his work as an Insurance Agent and Flossmoor mayor from his residence in Chicago. We happen to own places in the same condominium complex. My biggest clue was when he was no longer walking his dog every afternoon (and often, evenings). I asked him flat out whether his dog had died. But I had also started to observe him returning to Flossmoor early mornings (~5am) out my kitchen window. When he pulled clothes out of his car so early in the morning, it seemed obvious that Flossmoor was no longer his primary residence.

So when we got an overnight snow storm, I took advantage of the opportunity to make it clear that Roger Molski wasn't around at night. The pictures spoke for themselves.

A month later, a much lighter snow storm passed through Flossmoor, so I took pictures again of the mayor's empty parking spots. Once again, the pictures spoke for themselves. What I didn't realize, because I wasn't tracking these things, was that Flossmoor residents were paying attention, too. The pictures struck a chord, because they dovetailed nicely with the questions they already had about Molski's presence -- and judgment -- in Flossmoor.

I am told that the Molski was informed about the blog as people started talking about it. Apparently, he posted this:

Mayor Molski lives in Flossmoor. Just because his car was not in the spot one nite means nothing. STOP STALKING Roger!

Of course, if it was only one night, no one would have noticed. But what was interesting was that this concern -- the question, really: Shouldn't the Mayor Live Here? -- was growing in the village.

Because Molski had reacted to my second post, I made sure that my readers knew that the Molskis had returned from their vacation to Florida. I also wanted residents to know what to expect, since they had done this same kind of show in 2005. Then I summarized my concerns in a neat package:

The question of whether our mayor should live here really is a question about how invested the mayor should be in the community that he leads. Overnight power outages have no effect on the mayor because he doesn't sleep here. He can't look out his windows and see a community that is blacked-out. One suspects his condo in Chicago has its own backup generator, so he may very well be immune to local power outages there, as well. Must be nice.

The mayor's lack of investment in Flossmoor shows in the kinds of things he is doing to our community, as well. He brought blight to Flossmoor, helping an over-extended developer raze five active businesses on the tax rolls here and leaving a half-block long hole on Flossmoor's main street. What is he doing about it? When I asked, not a thing.

Instead, we come to find that the mayor is helping to bring in a store that will sell liquor and tobacco across the street from Homewood-Flossmoor High School. Once again, Molski was instrumental in having our community standards waved in order to get one of his pet projects passed.

Would Roger Molski really have worked so hard to wave our community zoning requirements if he actually lived in Flossmoor? Probably not. If Molski was fully invested in our community, he would have been more likely to understand why residents would want to retain the look and feel of Flossmoor, why it is important to encourage businesses to adapt to our community standards, why selling liquor across the street from one of our community's main assets (its high school) isn't a good idea. No, our absentee mayor has discovered Chicago values and seeks to import them here, to Flossmoor. He's not fully invested in our community, and it shows.

So the question is, should the mayor live here? If you care about Flossmoor's community values, about its inherent charm and small town flavor, then the answer must be yes. If you want to turn Flossmoor into Chicago, then obviously the mayor is a great promoter for undermining Flossmoor's charm and standards. He's done it before and you can expect for him to do it again. Home is where the heart is, and it's clear that Roger Molski's heart is no longer in Flossmoor.

I hadn't even met his opponent yet. I didn't really know anything about him, but I mentioned that I wanted to meet Paul Braun to Flossmoor Trustee Diane Williams. She passed that message along to Braun, and on February 22nd, I received my first email from him. He attended a "Team Obama" meeting on March 3rd, and then we met privately on the 6th. At that point, I offered to organize former Obama volunteers in Flossmoor to canvass for him. I told him that he'd have to print up more lit for us to pass in our canvass. But on the 13th, Braun responded to me in an email basically saying that he did not want to "jeopardize anything by a second wave of paper not placed by me personally." His campaign was based on a single knock with a single piece of literature aimed not at Flossmoor voters but at every household in the village. No mail. No validators. No phone calls. Paul Braun was running his campaign by himself based on a positive message of Change.

On March 17th, I posted a response to a Molski postcard to voters claiming "Record Commercial Development." Mostly, I sought to undermine Molksi's claim that the "development" he brought to Flossmoor in 2005 failed because of the market's collapse. The market was actually booming then. It failed because the developer had too many risky projects going on from the beginning, not because of the economic downturn in the past year. I laid out the timeline for the blight Molski brought to the heart of our commercial district that contradicted Molski's claims. One commenter shared my concern:

I am also a lifelong resident of Flossmoor. It is definitely time for change. It is hardbreaking to see Flossmoor losing the prestige and curb appeal it had in the past.

My final post on the race was a transcript of the debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters. This was really the only thing that came out of my meeting with Paul Braun. He had felt that the prior race was lost at the 2005 debate, but I wondered how many people really knew about it. So I went to video the debate at the end of March, and while I wasn't allowed to record it, I did my best to take notes. Braun acquitted himself quite well -- to be expected from a candidate who believed this would be the turning point of the race -- while Roger Molski was rather cavalier in his whole approach. Molski's biggest mistake was asking people to decide who to vote for based upon his record. After four years of leaving a big black hole in the heart of downtown Flossmoor, it was probably the wrong thing to ask. But I did the best I could to record their answers to the night's questions from the audience and let readers know.

So did my blog beat an incumbent mayor? I'm inclined to say no, although Braun has thanked me several times for his win, and quite a few readers have come out of the woodwork since the results have come in. The win is surprising in that incumbents rarely lose election. But it was obvious that I struck a nerve. Even more obvious since Molski's daughter sought to "put my mind at rest."

What I can take credit for was opening up the discussion about the things that Molski had done in the past four years, in creating a safe space for people to express their concerns about what was happening in Flossmoor. During the debate, people asked about the failed development Molski brought to the village and about his plan for allowing liquor to be sold across the street from H-F High School. Whereas in the past, Molski had sought to bully people who questioned his judgment or his decisions, these things were occuring out in the open -- and without the degree of hostility seen in past efforts to unseat him.

I can also take credit for serving as a huge distraction for Molski at the height of the campaign. Instead of knocking on doors like he'd done in the past, Molski relied on two mailings and a concerted effort to get his signs everywhere he could. Molski even called my father-in-law and asked him to put up one of his signs in his yard! I gave people something to talk about when they encountered Roger Molski -- and he didn't like it. You could see that from this comment:

Thank you for your coverage of the mayoral race in Flossmoor. It motivated me to get out and vote on Tuesday, and I'm pleased with the outcome. I hope Mr. Braun lives up to the confidence shown him in Tuesday's election. I agree it was time for a change. The ugly vacant lot on Flossmoor Road has been a thorn in my side since it became apparent nothing was happening there.

But I don't think I can really take credit for Paul Braun's defeat of an incumbent mayor. Braun did that himself. The lessons for bloggers, though, are obvious:

* Blogs can -- and do -- replace mainstream media who are no longer covering local issues and local elections
* Blogs can serve as a counterweight to those politicians who have tried to tightly control information
* Blogs can help people to realize that other people share their concerns -- that they are not alone in questioning their local authority
* Blogs can force opponents to "tip their hand." One should never underestimate the "intelligence" potential of blogging, in getting one's opponents to telegraph their punches or messaging in an untimely manner (for them, the opponent).
* Blogs can -- and do -- mobilize supporters by providing information about action

In 2002, I was involved in the Chambliss/Cleland Senate race. Chambliss' ad has taken on mythical proportions for negative campaigning, but what it really did was to galvenize Democrats' attention on the air war and made them neglect the streets. Cleland's supporters started talking amongst themselves with outrage and started to neglect their efforts to mobilize other supporters. It was the supreme distraction that paralyzed Cleland's supporters from action that turned voters towards them. In smaller races, blogs can have this same effect: to create the illusion that elections can be won in the ether instead of won at people's doors. As a message delivery system, blogs have the same indirect effect that other mass broadcast media has. It's another tool in our communications with the electorate.

Did my blog defeat an incumbent? No. But it didn't hurt. And people who know me understand that I will do it again. Defeat an incumbent, using unconventional means. I don't have to be the only one...

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 9, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,846 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 9, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Tax Hikers Have Hard Time

by Cal Skinner
"Ax your tax" seems to have been the sentiment of most tax hike referendum voters in McHenry County this election.

Voters in this recession were not kind to tax district officials' requests for referendums to raise taxes on April 7th.

The Nunda Township Open Space referendum went down to defeat. See

59% Say “No” to Nunda Township Open Space Referendum

While incomplete results of the $178 million bond referendum placed on the ballot by Elgin Community College was ahead last night when I wrote this story

Elgin Community College Bond Referendum Narrowly Passing

the missing precincts in Cook County must have been pretty negative. Elgin's Courier-News is reporting a victory margin of just 29 votes. You have to see what the Elgin paper did for the referendum's passage on Sunday. Click on the link.

This is an excellent example of how limiting campaign contributions of non-newspaper owners will have a negative effect.

How could a private individual get as much impact opposing a referendum as the Elgin Courier did in its front page support of it.

McHenry County voters in the ECC district, coterminous with District 300, voted against it 1,162 to 798.

Cary Grade School District's $17 million Working Cash Fund bond issue went down the tubes by a vote of 1,754 to 922. Almost two-thirds voted “No.”

The Marengo-Union Grade School District 165 tax rate hike tanked 62% to 38%.

The only referendum which the McHenry County Clerk's web site shows passing is that of the Spring Grove Fire Protection District. It has a 10 vote lead. The tally, without including absentee and early votes, is 769-759.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 8, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,818 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 8, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Flossmoor Finally Gets a Real Mayor

Imagine that! Flossmoor's mayor will once again live in the Village of Flossmoor. Happy Days are Here!

Paul Braun promised that Change was coming to Flossmoor, and -- tonight -- he made good on his promise:

Paul S. Braun 1,080 55.36%
Roger G. Molski 871 44.64%

Braun won doing it his way, taking the high road, laying out a solid vision for Flossmoor's future and knocking on the door of every house in the village. When I mentioned to Braun that not all those households would have voters in them, he waved off my concern. They were stakeholders in the village living there, he told me, and they deserved the same attention.


What a profoundly refreshing attitude. I've been told by numerous residents that Molski has tried to bully residents for years, so Braun's inclusive and inviting attitude may take a little getting used to.

Congratulations, Mayor Braun! The village eagerly awaits the fresh start that you represent in Flossmoor government.

Note to the Trustees: I don't know what happens now that Paul Braun has been elected mayor, but if you get to appoint his replacement as Village Trustee, I'd urge you to appoint Pam Lessner. Those of us who attended the League of Women Voters forum know that we had four good candidates running for Trustee. She deserves to be appointed -- and I suspect she won't go away if she's not. We'll be paying attention...

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Franks, Beaubien: "RETREAT!"

The pressure from the Northwest Herald newspaper ad, the protesting on a very cold Saturday in front of State Rep. Jack Franks' Route 47 office, the YouTube video of lament and anger, the letters from Cardinal Francis George and Bishop Doran and countless individual contacts between constituents and the two McHenry County legislators must have gotten to them.

On the day the expand-abortion-rights-bill-as -as-Personal-PAC-could-image was temporarily aborted, both Franks and State Rep. Mark Beaubien withdrew their names as co-sponsors of House Bill 2354. (Click to enlarge.) That's what I first read on Illinois Review.

They both understand that intensity counts in politics.

Beaubien may be able to beat an underfunded pro-life challenger, but not having a primary opponent is a lot less stressful and cheaper than having one.

And, if you can see and hear intensity in this YouTube video, you are tone deaf. Be alert and you may even see someone who would be willing to run for state representative motivated by this issue.

I still think Franks is posturing to run for statewide office, but he might be trying to minimize the cost to his local base of support--just in case he doesn't decide to run for attorney general, just in case Lisa Madigan decides for run for re-election, rather than for governor against Pat Quinn.

Posted first on McHenry County Blog.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 7, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,787 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 7, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Today's special election is a waste; fill vacancies in one election, not two

Today’s special general election between Mike Quigley, Rosanna Pulido and Matt Reichel is a waste of time, money and resources. Taxpayers will shell out almost two million dollars to hold an election in the 5th Congressional district with only three names on the ballot. And the result of the election – the Democratic nominee is going to win – has been a foregone conclusion for a month.

The seat has been vacant since January. Meanwhile, during the debate on the federal stimulus and budget, the 600,000 people of the 5th congressional district have been without a voice in the House. That’s not good, because we have literally lost our seat at the congressional table while federal policy is made. Our election laws should fill a vacancy as quickly as possible to minimize the loss of our political clout.



In this case, the people spoke clearly last month in the primary election: they want a Democrat to represent them in the House.

Look at the numbers from the March 3rd primary: Mike Quigley, Democrat, earned 12,118 votes. Rosanna Pulido, Republican, earned 1,006 while Matt Reichel Green, earned 166. That’s 91% for Quigley, 8% for Pulido and 1% for Reichel. That’s a landslide. So why are we going through the motion of another election today between these three people when Quigley has already earned 91% of the vote last month? Why can’t we give the people what they already voted for?

Illinois should fill a congressional vacancy in one election, not two, particularly when the results are so clear. There are several ways to do it. We could replicate Chicago’s municipal elections where there is a runoff only if no candidate earns a majority of the vote. We could count a vote in the primary election as a straight ticket vote in the general election for whoever the nominee will be. Or we could use Irish-style instant runoff voting where voters rank all the candidates.

But whatever the method, we should absolutely not continue to waste two million dollars and minimize our own clout by waiting a month to finally elect a Representative in a second election when we could get the job done in one day.

Cross-posted at Progressive Advocacy

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 6, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,757 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 6, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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State Pensions May be Merged in Illinois

Newsreleasewire.com:

Illinois Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias has proposed combining the investments of the five State-funded pension systems into one single system in an effort to cut administrative costs and fight potential fraud and abuse.

Under the proposed system, the single fund would be managed by a new Illinois Public Employees’ Retirement System (ILPERS). The treasurer estimates this change would save taxpayers up to $82 million annually and has the potential to reduce unfunded liability by $16 billion by 2045. The State’s current liability for underfunded pensions stands at a record $54 billion, which Giannoulias said ranks as a major reason to merge the five pension systems.

The plan also introduces ethics and transparency requirements to help ensure appropriate performance by board members overseeing the proposed retirement system. Those requirements would prohibit board members, their spouses, and ILPERS employees from benefiting financially from the investment system and would ban vendors with contracts exceeding $50,000 from making political contributions.

“Currently, State pension assets are invested on three separate boards, creating multiple opportunities for corruption,” said Sara Wojcicki, spokesperson for the treasurer’s office.

Giannoulias’s proposed change also would make it easier for government watchdogs to help ensure pension assets are managed and invested properly because they would monitor the actions of just one board instead of five.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 5, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,729 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 5, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Support of Concealed Carry

Gimbu Kali in this video discusses the possibility of concealed carry in Illinois. It's a good discussion even with the typical cliche in support of concealed carry. That is gun control makes it easier for the criminal element to have guns and victimized those who aren't armed.

What do you think? Should citizens of Illinois be allowed to carry a gun for their own self-defense?

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 4, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,697 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 4, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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Appetizers to a bigger meal

By Bethany Jaeger
Rubber will hit the road, federal stimulus funds will begin to flow and some state operations will get a boost through the rest of the fiscal year. Gov. Pat Quinn signed multiple bills into law that will authorize the spending of about $9 billion. Surrounded by Democratic and Republican leaders, Quinn also enacted pension reforms that are designed to restructure the five public employee pension systems in response to corruption allegations exposed during the federal probe of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich.



The spending plan includes about $3 billion for a mini-capital plan, the first program to escape the halls of gridlock since before Blagojevich took office in 2003.

“It’s been 10 years since we had a capital bill,” said Senate President John Cullerton. “We’ve been in session for only 10 weeks, and we’ve already passed this major bill.”

Yet, the $3 billion plan is being framed as just a start to a larger program, which could include a $25 billion plan potentially financed by tax and fee increases. The funding proposals will face significant challenges in acquiring the number of votes needed to pass by the scheduled adjournment of May 31.

House Speaker Michael Madigan said today’s action set a precedent. “Before we did the spending, we reformed the pension systems. I think that’s how we should do this from now until the end of the session.”

All agreed that the capital bill and the pension revamp are only first steps to more construction plans and government reforms.

During a bill signing ceremony outside of his Statehouse office, Quinn touted the bipartisan cooperation. “The reform, the investment in jobs, the investment in reopening our [sites] and making sure our appropriations are proper.”

Not all 11 state historic sites that were closed by Blagojevich last year will automatically reopen by June 30, according to Dave Blanchette, spokesman for the Illinois Historic Preservation Agency. He said the supplemental spending plan earmarks $800,000 to make payroll and hire seasonal workers to accommodate increased tourism at the 18 sites that are currently open. But he said the agency could not promise the money would stretch far enough to reopen all 11 sites.

“We want to make sure we can make the money go as far as possible, but we also want to get the historic sites with the highest visibility reopened as soon as possible,” he said. High-visibility sites include the Dana-Thomas House in Springfield, the Lincoln Log Cabin near Charleston and the Hauberg Indian Museum at Black Hawk State Historic Site in Rock Island, he said.

The decision about which sites will reopen will be made by the directors of the Historic Preservation Agency and the Department of Natural Resources, which Quinn recently ordered to consolidate by July 1.

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Now there are only 4 states with unregulated campaign finance

Cross posted from ICPR's blog, The Race is On:

New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson yesterday signed into law a bill creating campaign contribution limits. They get reform. Now there are 46 states that regulate campaign contributions, and just 4 that are wide open.

And what did Illinois get yesterday? More proof that we need reform.

If you're fed up with business as usual, if the indictment of Rod Blagojevich reads like a rehash of old news, if you're mad as hell and not going to take it anymore, then here's what you can do right now to make reform happen:

* Call 1-800-719-3020. This hotline, offered by CHANGE Illinois, will patch you through to your legislator's office, where you can voice your demand for reform of Illinois' political culture.

* Make plans to attend the rally at the James R. Thompson Center this Thursday, April 9 at 10 am.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 3, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,669 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 3, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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"Trifecta" heads to the governor

The House on Thursday night nearly unanimously approved the $9 billion plan for federal stimulus funds, transportation projects and supplemental spending for state operations. The Senate approved the package earlier in the day. The spending plans now head to Gov. Pat Quinn’s desk, satisfying the governor’s request for the General Assembly to approve a small version of a capital plan for roads and bridges before lawmakers left on a two-week spring break.



House Republicans early in the day weren’t on board because it wasn’t clear how the money would be spent, said House Minority Leader Tom Cross. However, working with Quinn’s office throughout the day, he said his caucus finally got a list. “The governor was very helpful, both himself personally and his staff, in trying to make this happen,” he said.

“Today’s actions are a great example of what we can accomplish when we come together with a common purpose,” Quinn said in a statement.

Senate President John Cullerton, however, foreshadowed the difficulty in securing the three-fifths majority needed to do a larger capital program based on tax and fee increases later.

Cigarette tax advances
By Jamey Dunn
A timely example of that difficulty in advancing any tax increase occurred early in the evening. After missing the mark by one vote the first time, a $1 sales tax increase on each pack of cigarettes advanced through the Senate Thursday when a second vote was taken.

Senate Bill 44, which would phase the tax increase in over two years, had 29 in favor, 28 opposed and one voting present. It took a last-minute, closed-door meeting between Cullerton and House Speaker Michael Madigan before the vote was retaken, resulting in the 30 votes needed to pass. Twenty-six members still voted against it.

Cullerton said that the bill has support from Madigan and Gov. Pat Quinn, but he added that the close vote indicates a difficult road ahead for future tax increases. “This was the first bill that required people to actually vote for a tax,” he said. “And you can see it’s not easy for people to do that. Unfortunately, we’re probably going to have to do a lot more.”

The bill heads to the House, which will reconvene Friday morning. The Senate finished its business and headed home for spring break.

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Prosecutors target “Blagojevich Enterprise” - UPDATED

By Bethany Jaeger, with Hilary Russell and Jamey Dunn contributing
Today’s 75-page federal indictment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich and five members of his inner circle details an extensive and long-term scheme that allegedly began in 2002, before Blagojevich took his oath of office in January 2003.


U.S. Attorney Patrick Fitzgerald’s office is now going after what’s described as the “Blagojevich Enterprise,” which includes the office of the governor and Blagojevich’s campaign fund, Friends of Blagojevich. The entity, the feds allege, primarily existed to “exercise and preserve power over Illinois government for the financial and political benefit of Blagojevich,” as well as his family members and friends.

Read the U.S. attorney's press release here. A fact sheet is here. More context and online sources of how we got here at Illinois Issues magazine.

Blagojevich and his associates allegedly conducted a pattern of dishonest behavior designed to enrich themselves, which would violate the federal Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO, according to Andrew Leipold, a law professor with the University of Illinois’ Institute of Government and Public Affairs.

Blagojevich is charged with 16 counts of federal corruption, including racketeering conspiracy, wire fraud, extortion conspiracy and attempted extortion. They each carry a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine. He also allegedly lied to the FBI, a crime carrying a maximum five-year prison sentence and another $250,000 fine. In addition to the allegations already documented in the criminal affidavit filed with his arrest Dec. 9, 2008, today’s indictment includes new details and allegations.

Who
The indictment reads less like alphabet soup because federal prosecutors in the Northern District of Illinois have identified and, in some cases, convicted individuals as part of the ongoing probe called Operation Board Games. Joining Blagojevich in the indictment include five others:

• His brother, Rob Blagojevich of Nashville, Tenn., who chaired his campaign fund since August 2008.
• John Harris of Chicago, Blagojevich’s chief of staff from late 2005 until last December, when he was arrested with Blagojevich.
• Alonzo “Lon” Monk of Park Ridge, a lobbyist and longtime Blagojevich insider and campaign manager, as well as Blagojevich’s first chief of staff upon becoming governor in 2003.
• Christopher Kelly of Burr Ridge, a Blagojevich fundraiser and previous chair of Blagojevich’s campaign fund.
• William “Bill” Cellini of Springfield, director of the Illinois Asphalt Pavement Association, who raised money for Blagojevich and allegedly influenced officials of the Teachers’ Retirement System. He also was associated with Commonwealth Realty Advisors, a real estate management firm that invested hundreds of millions of dollars on behalf of TRS. He was indicted in October 2008 for “allegedly conspiring with others to obtain campaign funds for Blagojevich by shaking down an investment firm seeking a $220 million allocation from TRS.” This replaces that indictment.

What
Before Blagojevich even became governor, he, along with Monk, Kelly and Tony Rezko, allegedly started scheming to use the governor’s office for financial gain that would be split among them once Blagojevich left office. Blagojevich allegedly let Kelly and Rezko exercise significant influence over state government operations, and they, in turn, allegedly generated millions of dollars for Blagojevich’s campaign fund and “provided financial benefits directly to Blagojevich and his family.” For instance, one part of the scheme allegedly included Rezko's real estate business paying Patti Blagojevich, the then-governor's wife, $12,000 a month, as well as another $40,000 in commission, "even though she had done little or no work," according to the indictment.

The indictment also alleges that Blagojevich had control of his campaign fund at all times, even as the chairmen of the fund changed.

UPDATED: Some more highlights of the details:

• Before Blagojevich became governor, he, along with Monk, Kelly and Rezko, allegedly started scheming to use the governor’s office for financial gain that would be split among them once Blagojevich left office.
• Blagojevich, Monk, Kelly and Rezko allegedly agreed to use Blagojevich’s and Monk’s offices to divide financial gain among themselves, including the kickback from the Pension Obligation Bond refinancing in 2003.
• The feds say Blagojevich lied to FBI agents on March16, 2005, when he said he kept state government and politics separate and didn't want to know who contributed money to his campaign.
• From 2004 to 2006, Rezko allegedly gave Monk between $70,000 and $90,000.
• Last year, Blagojevich allegedly directed Harris to find him a paid position at various state boards, and when that didn’t work, he directed Harris to connect his wife with financial institutions. When that failed, Blagojvich directed that those institutions to no longer get state business, according to the indictment.
  

The federal prosecutors are seeking the forfeiture of all funds and assets held at four banks in the name of Friends of Blagojevich, although the campaign fund is not a defendant. Fitzgerald's office also seeks $188,370 from Blagojevich as proceeds of the alleged scheme and racketeering activity. The indictment lists Blagojevich’s apartment and Chicago home as “substitute assets.”

Now what?
The indictment comes after more than a month of public hearings conducted by two panels, one appointed by Gov. Pat Quinn and one convened as a special joint legislative committee between the House and the Senate. Within two hours of the indictment being filed office tonight, one of the byproducts of the legislative committee passed both chambers.

The General Assembly approved SB 364, crafted with the leadership of House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton. It’s aimed at reforming the state’s public employee pension system and requiring all trustees to abide by state ethics laws. All trustees of the Teachers’ Retirement System, specifically, would be replaced. And the governor would be able to appoint more trustees to that board.

The Teachers’ Retirement System, which serves more than 355,500 teachers outside of Chicago, was one of the first state government operations revealed by the feds to be corrupted by Blagojevich’s inner circle, according to Fitzgerald’s office. System officials immediately released a statement of opposition, saying the governor’s ability to appoint more members has potential to increase, not decrease, the opportunity for political influence.

The board’s statement said the rationale behind the measure “erroneously accused the elected members of the board of failing to prevent a corruption scheme in 2004 hatched by a former gubernatorial appointee,” meaning Stuart Levine. “The elected trustees of the TRS Board are angry and deeply troubled by the implication that they were somehow complicit in the illegal behavior carried out by Stuart Levine,” said Bob Lyons, a board trustee twice-elected by annuitants of the Teachers’ Retirement System following Levine’s resignation, according to the statement.

Lyons also said that terminating Jon Bauman, executive director of the system, on July 1 would unfairly punish a man who hasn’t been accused of committing a crime.

Cullerton said the reforms are designed to prevent “what Stuart Levine got away with for so long” by requiring consultants to register, requiring all board members to follow the same ethics standards applied to legislators and executive branch employees to prevent conflicts of interest and so-called pay-to-play politics.

Cullerton also offered his personal reaction to the former governor’s indictment. “I think it’s a sad situation because he is the father of a couple of kids. He lives down the street from me, and it’s always sad when stuff like this happens. But, at the same time, I can’t imagine what this place would be like if he were still the governor trying to solve the problems that we have with the incredible deficits that we have.”

Legislators of both parties added that the indictment should serve as yet another wakeup call to enact meaningful reforms to strengthen rules for campaign finance, state procurement, public access to information and even the structure of government. Ultimately, however, reforms can only make it harder for people who are bent on mischief, Leipold said. “Surely oversight can help, sunshine can help, reporting can help, but nothing’s going to stop things like this completely.”

Many just want to move on from the embarrassment. “There’s plenty of blame to go around,” said Rep. Bill Black, a Danville Republican. “I don’t care about what has happened. Let's get involved and care about how we clean this up. I want my grandkids to be proud of me.”

At the least, federal prosecutors continue to send a message that “business as usual” won’t be tolerated. Sen. Matt Murphy, a Palatine Republican, said: “And the prosecutor is serious. People who want to play that game better learn real quick it’s a losing proposition.”

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ICPR AND REFORM LEADERS REACT TO BLAGOJEVICH INDICTMENT

Cross posted from ICPR's blog, The Race is On:

Cynthia Canary, Director of the Illinois Campaign for Political Reform, issued the following statement:

“Rod Blagojevich was elected and then reelected governor based on the promise that he would reform and renew state government, but his government was more like an overloaded, malfunctioning sewage system. Now, it’s up to the elected leaders in Springfield to respond to the demands of the citizens of Illinois and clean up this mess. They should start by addressing the free flow of big campaign contributions from special interests. Limited campaign contributions and strong oversight of the campaign finance system would give the people of Illinois reason to believe their elected leaders are serious about changing the culture of corruption.”


Kent Redfield, Director of the Sunshine Project at the University of Illinois, issued the following statement:

“The political system in Illinois is broken and has been for decades. Removing Rod Blagojevich from office by impeachment and putting him on trial in a federal courtroom may teach him a lesson, but it will not reform Illinois. Major changes are required in the way Illinois polices lobbying and openness of government. But the first and most important change needed is to enact reasonable limits on the size of campaign contributions and strong enforcement of campaign finance laws.”

The CHANGE Illinois coalition released this statement:

Leaders of the CHANGE Illinois! coalition on Thursday said the federal criminal indictment of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich has done additional damage to the state’s reputation and urged state legislators to act quickly to enact limits on campaign contributions.

“Rod Blagojevich is just the latest in a very long list of officeholders who have disgusted and disappointed the voters of Illinois,” said Peter Bensinger, a co-chair of CHANGE Illinois! and a former Administrator of the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency. “This should be a wake-up call to state legislators in Springfield. Open your eyes to the need for real reform and vote to limit how much anyone can contribute to political campaigns.”

CHANGE Illinois! is a coalition of civic, business, professional, non-profit and philanthropic organizations aligned to bring government integrity to Illinois, and the coalition is calling for replacing the state’s unregulated campaign finance system with one modeled after the contribution limit system in place for federal elections and in almost all other states.

“How many more public officials have to go to prison before the people we send to Springfield get serious about campaign finance reform?” asked Deborah Harrington, a co-chair of CHANGE Illinois! and President of the Woods Fund of Chicago. “Illinoisans deserve fair and honest government, and voters must demand change in the way all elections are funded.”

CHANGE Illinois! has opened a toll-free hotline (1-800-719-3020) allowing voters to call their legislators and register their support for campaign contribution limits.

CHANGE Illinois! will hold a rally for reform outside the James R. Thompson Center, 100 W. Randolph St., Chicago, at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 9.

“The charges detailed in the Blagojevich indictment are repugnant, and the international headlines are going to cause corporations around the world to think twice about doing business here,” Bensinger said. “We need to restore the public’s faith in government and demonstrate to investors that reform will replace pay-to-play as the dominant force in Illinois politics.”

For additional information about CHANGE Illinois! and a list of member organizations, go to www.ChangeIL.org.

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"Trifecta" spending plan on its way — UPDATED

By Bethany Jaeger
UPDATE: The Illinois Senate unanimously approved the $9 billion package to release federal stimulus funds, state bonds for road and transit repairs and supplemental spending for state operations. Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno applauded the "true bipartisan cooperation" it took to get there. The package now heads to the House, which can either accept or reject it. It won't be able to change it.

ORIGINAL POST: The Illinois Senate this morning advanced a spending plan worth slightly more than $9 billion that is designed to jump start the flow of state and federal dollars for construction plans, state operations and federal stimulus programs.


Democrats and Republicans in a morning Senate committee applauded the plan as a “good first step” toward a bigger capital plan for road and school construction projects, but that’s tied to a string of potential and controversial funding sources, including tax and fee increases.

Before hopping on board, Republicans sought a provision to ensure that the money would flow based on an existing five-year transportation plan, not based on political preferences. Senate Minority Leader Christine Radogno said during a morning committee that given the distrust between the legislative and executive branches during the last few years of former Gov. Rod Blagojevich’s administration, Republicans wanted assurances. This really kind of puts a public face on the private conversations that have been going on,” she said, adding that the plan was a “very good, positive step forward” for Illinois.

Senate President John Cullerton said: “We let the engineers decide, not the politicians. It has nothing to do with Blagojevich or past scores to settle. We’re just trying to do it on the square.”

For instance, $150 million would be doled out based on a traditional formula, where Chicago-area districts get 45 percent of the funding and downstate districts get 55 percent of that funding. Another sum of $450 million would be distributed based on an existing five-year plan for construction projects, which Illinois Department of Transportation engineers rank by another formula.

Labor groups represented by the AFL-CIO and some operating engineers support the plan; however, one Springfield-based chapter of the operating engineers union opposes it because the state-funded capital plan would only designate $8 million to the central Illinois district that includes Sangamon County. But Cullerton pointed out that the central Illinois district would get $54 million of federal stimulus funds.

Federal stimulus funds will distribute money for everything from weatherization to education. However, the plan advanced by the Senate today would take some money out of the portion that would have gone to public education and use it for state operating expenses. Then the state would use incoming federal stimulus funds to eventually backfill the amount for education. According to Sen. Donne Trotter, chief budget negotiator for the Senate Democrats, education, in the end, would come out about even. That is, after all, the intent of the federal stimulus, he said.

“The stimulus package was never intended for us to grow anything. It was to ensure that we didn’t have to cut anything, and that’s what we’re utilizing those dollars for.”

The full package now heads to the full Senate, where a vote is expected this afternoon. If approved, it would head to the House later today or tomorrow.

Here are some more highlights of the “trifecta,” dubbed by Trotter:

Federal stimulus funds = $6.7 billion

• $1.7 billion to pay down the state’s Medicaid bills, including an enhanced federal reimbursement rate of about 61 percent for 27 months.
• $500 million for high-speed rail.
• $300 million for a Chicago-area project to reduce freight and vehicular traffic congestion.
• $285 for Amtrak improvements.
• $40 million for transit.

Other funds are earmarked for low-income housing, developmental disability and mental health services, programs for women and children, youth services, criminal justice and domestic violence grants, weatherization jobs and training, environmental protection, water treatment and education.

Read more in Illinois Issues this month.


$3 billion state bonding program for transportation projects

• $2 billion bonded from the dedicated Road Fund to repair roads and bridges.
• $1 billion bonded from the state’s general fund for transit maintenance projects.
• $150 million for emergency pothole repair on state and local roads.
• $40 million for Chicago-area transportation agencies to release funds that previously were suspended under a previous capital program.

Supplemental spending for FY09 operating budget = $109 million

• $363 million to reopen closed historic sites through June 30.
• $25 million for services for women and children, capturing more federal matching funds.
• $20 million for flood relief.
• $10 million for line-of-duty awards.
• $6.7 million for court reporters.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 2, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,624 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 2, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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GOP ideas to trim budget

By Hilary Russell
Republican lawmakers still believe there’s more than one way to skin a deficit, and it’s not by raising taxes.



Read more about the Deficit Reduction Committee here. The GOP committee members, including Sens. Matt Murphy and Carole Pankau, released a report today that offered ways to save money, saving the most cutting and consolidating various programs within Medicaid. (Full report here; summary here.)

“There’s a public expectation out there that we get serious about tightening government’s belt — like they’re having to do it at home — and to do it without raising their taxes,” Murphy said in a Statehouse news conference. “And we’re here to say we heard the public in that regard.”

According to the report, the most significant Medicaid cut could come from applying for a federal waiver for Medicaid-eligible programs to capture as much as $435 million more in federal matching funds. Another suggestion is the creation of a private-public partnership, which would transfer decisions regarding benefit eligibility to private partners. That, in turn, would help to decrease the opportunity for fraudulent claims. And, while all of the savings weren’t specified, the report suggests that a new way to manage pharmaceutical benefits and higher co-pays could save $110 million in one year and $730 million over five years.

Murphy said the Republican committee members found areas in the state’s finances that could be reduced or eliminated, saving a total of more than $3 billion annually and more than $20 billion throughout the next five years.

“This is a meaningful deficit reduction without raising taxes, and it’s a serious answer to those who are asking for alternatives to the governor’s record-setting tax hike,” Murphy added.

Last week ended the series of four bipartisan Deficit Reduction Committee meetings in which members heard from various budget experts about ways to fix the state’s deficit. Despite hours of testimony, members were no closer to solving the state’s financial crisis than when they started.

Without assigning a dollar amount to the savings, the report also listed trimming pension benefits for new state employees, requiring more managed care health benefits for existing and new employees and allowing more charter schools to open as additional cost-cutting measures.

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Mini-capital plan coming Thursday

By Bethany Jaeger
State lawmakers are expected to vote tomorrow on a “mini-capital plan,” which would drive $2 billion into crumbling roads and bridges and $1 billion into mass transit as part of a five-year transportation program, relying on bonding and transfers from existing state funds. The plan is being framed as a precursor to a more robust capital plan that would rely on new revenues through driving-related fees and, potentially, tax increases. But some fear enacting a mini-capital plan now could slow the momentum for a larger plan later.




Illinois Department of Transportation Secretary Gary Hannig, former deputy leader for House Speaker Michael Madigan, said this afternoon in the Statehouse that the mini-capital plan would go toward maintaining and fixing existing roads and bridges, not paving new ones.

“Right now, the conditions of our roads as rated by the engineers is about 76 percent, which most people would say is not good,” he said. “Within the next five years, we want to take the conditions of the roads … and bring them up to 90 percent.”

Spending money on existing roads, however, would not tap into federal highway funds that have been waiting a long time for a state match. Hannig added that the proposal would include an emergency plan to fill potholes on some state and local roads.

While Sen. Martin Sandoval, a Chicago Democrat who chairs the Transportation Committee in his chamber, said he would vote to support the mini-capital plan, he said it would be a minimal investment that drastically undercuts the funding needed for mass transit.

There’s been a longstanding agreement that for every $1 spent on mass transit, the state would spend $2 on roads and bridges. Sandoval wants to change that so the state would spend an equal amount on each. He cited a five-year plan to dedicate about $5.5 billion for roads and bridges and another $5.5 billion for transit.

“Now is the time to do it right,” Sandoval said in a Statehouse news conference this afternoon. “Doing it in a half-step method today is the wrong way to go.”

To generate some more money that could shore up funds for mass transit, he supports the idea to increase the state’s motor fuel tax by at least 8 cents a gallon. That’s currently proposed in HB 1. Yet, Sandoval said that a motor fuel tax increase, alone, wouldn’t be enough. It would have to be coupled with Quinn’s proposed increases in driving-related fees, as well as federal funds.

Brian Imus, state director of the Illinois Public Interest Research Group, added that the Illinois Department of Transportation could use some of the $1.4 billion of federal stimulus funds for mass transit, but the department has not planned to do so. (We wrote about mass transit advocates last week.)

Transportation Department spokeswoman Marisa Kollias said the agency decided to put all federal “highway investment” funds into highways rather than into transit. “There are needs in both programs, and we chose to use the limited funds to address road and bridges,” she said in an e-mail.

Sandoval’s push for more mass transit money will come up again the week the legislature returns from its two-week spring break. He said he plans to schedule a public hearing in Springfield to discuss a $13.5 billion capital plan called for by labor and business officials of the Transportation for Illinois Coalition. That $13.5 billion, however, also doesn’t include a specific funding source. The coalition offers general ideas here. The coalition did send letters today to the governor and to lawmakers to say its members supported the mini-capital plan.

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GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips - April 1, 2009

Articles of interest to Illinois Republicans recently posted by ABC7, NBC5, CBS2, Chicago Tribune, Chicago Sun-Times, Crain's Chicago Business, Daily Herald, Suburban Chicago News, Suburban Life, Pioneer Local, Southtown Star, Rockford Register Star, Bloomington Pantagraph, Peoria Journal Star, Springfield State Journal Register, Belleville News Democrat, Southern Illinoisan, Illinois Review, Public Affairs, Champion News, Illinois Family Institute, Americans For Truth, Chicago Daily Observer, Tom Roeser, Capitalfax, etc. Since January 1, 2005, GOPUSA ILLINOIS has brought 43,576 such articles and information on many upcoming events to its subscribers' attention each morning, free of charge, and without any advertising. To view the April 1, 2009 GOPUSA ILLINOIS Daily Clips, please visit www.gopillinois.com. Thanks

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