Welcome to Peoria, you evil commie bastard

From the Journal Star:

Against a backdrop of unrest in Tibet and protests accompanying the worldwide tour of the Beijing Olympic torch - two issues that have placed China in an unflattering global spotlight this week - the Chinese Ambassador to the United States, Zhou Wenzhong, is visiting Peoria Friday.

But unless you are an employee of Caterpillar Inc., a member of the Rotary Club of Peoria or an invited guest of a member, you might not notice.

[snip]

Unless you count his lunch speech to Rotarians at 11:45 a.m. at the Hotel Pere Marquette as a public appearance, there are no others planned. Club members will not be allowed to ask questions of the speaker as they commonly do at their weekly meetings.

The speech was arranged by a Rotarian who is also a Caterpillar executive, Roberts said. He was scheduled to speak as part of a cultural exchange with Caterpillar and is not expected to address - in any way - the Olympic torch, Tibet, or any other recent negative story that has appeared in the American press.

Actually, I don't want to crash today's Rotary Club meeting to ask Mr. Wenzhong to rationalize his nation's brutal occupation of Tibet. As China's mouthpiece here in the United States, I'm sure he has his spiel down pat. I have no interest in hearing it.

Instead, I would like to ask the Caterpillar executives who will be in attendance how it feels to enjoy the political, religious and economic freedoms that all Americans enjoy knowing that the size of your bonus depends on doing business with a political entity that is every bit as evil and murderous as the Nazi Germany and Soviet Russia.

I mean, do you guys have to drink a lot or take a lot of drugs to numb your brain enough so that you don't dwell on the knowledge that your business partners force parents to abort their children in order to limit themselves to just one? Or, even worse, do you go through life perfectly happy to get your money by partnering with these people? When you go to church on Sunday, do you pray for forgiveness for putting money in the pockets of a government that kills Christians, Buddhists and members of other faiths?

I know I wouldn't be able to live with myself, but hey, that's just me. So what the hell, enjoy your lunch.

Cross posted to Peoria Pundit.

Read more...

Chicago claim: Just 24 homeless living downtown

A recently concluded City of Chicago census of homeless people living downtown states that there are only 24 homeless people living in the section of the city locally known as "The Loop." Rich at Capitol Fax included this story in his "Morning Shorts."

Take it from me, that number is a little low.

The next number is too high. From the Chicago Sun-Times:

Homeless advocates maintain the actual nightly homeless population is 21,078 because of an "invisible" group that includes people "doubled-up" with relatives and friends.

If you are living somewhere--other than a shelter or in an alley--then you are not homeless. Financially secure? Definitely not. But again, not homeless.

Chicago has an excellent chance of landing the 2016 Summer Olympics, Mayor Richard Daley is clearly trying to spruce up the city's image before the International Olympic Committee selects its host city.

Chicago is just not "The Loop." Every Sunday morning I drive through the northern end of Lincoln Park. I've never counted the sleeping bodies I see camped out there, but 24 seems like a reasonable number. If I got out of my car, I'm sure I'd find more.

To comment on this post, or to read about my recent trip to Kansas, click here.

Read more...

Madigan and taxes; Rep. Monique Davis and HB232; and the Olympics

Sat AM odds and ends:

Daily Herald on our lawmakers' appetites,

Current state taxes can no longer satisfy lawmakers’ spending appetites, all but ensuring a tax increase is coming this spring, House Speaker Michael Madigan recently told a suburban audience.

“Before we finish the budget in May or June, Illinois is going to need a tax increase,” said Madigan, a Chicago Democrat, during an appearance this week at the College of Lake County’s Lakeshore Campus in Waukegan. “You’ve heard it many, many times: We need more and better education. That takes money.”

Collin Hitt on one lawmaker's efforts to make sure technology not part of better education,

Amidst efforts by the Chicago Teachers Union to shut down the Chicago Virtual Charter school,State Rep. Monique Davis (D - Chicago) has introduced legislation designed to stop public schools from funding a form of distance learning called"virtual schooling."

Illinois traditionally has been supportive of greater student access to learning technologies. The state board of education has funded and maintained the Illinois Virtual High School for ten years. Lt. Gov. Pat Quinn recently has begun promoting his I-Connect Initiative to provide every seventh grader with a laptop computer.

Introduced in January, Davis' legislation to prohibit virtual schools (HB232) working its way through committee would ban the Illinois State Board of Education and local school boards from, "establishing, maintaining, or in any way supporting any virtual schools or virtual classes for elementary or secondary students in [Illinois]."

The legislation has subsequently allowed for "virtual classes" in public school, yet still denies charter schools funding for virtual learning of any kind, even with privately-raised funds.

And the Gov wants to use some of the money Illinois doesn't have to underwrite Chicago's bid for the Olympics,

Like their counterparts in California, Illinois taxpayers could be on the hook to help bankroll Chicago’s bid to host the 2016 Olympics.

On Saturday, the U.S. Olympic Committee will decide whether Chicago or Los Angeles will represent the United States in the international competition to host the summer games.

If Chicago gets the nod, Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he will commit $150 million in state funds as a safety net in the event the games lose money.

Great, just great....

Read more...