Illinois governor, Chicago mayor feud leads to dead fish - Yahoo News

 

October 30, 2015 5:21 PM

• CHICAGO (Reuters) - A war of words between Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel over which government is in the worst financial shape took a bizarre turn on Friday with the purchase of fish.

"I bought a gift for a special person," the Republican governor told reporters at a Chicago market. "I bought some fish...to send some dead fish to the mayor. I think he will deeply appreciate that as only he can."

Early in his political career, Emanuel once sent a message to a pollster via a dead fish. In Mafia lore, a sent dead fish signifies someone is sleeping with the fishes and no longer alive.

While Rauner acknowledged his fish plan was all in fun, he continued to criticize the mayor for pushing through a city budget this week with a record property tax hike, calling the move "a massive mistake" because it was not coupled with cost-saving reforms.

Emanuel on Wednesday blasted Rauner for opposing measures he needs from the state for the new budget, including a bill to shield lower-valued residential properties from the tax hike.

"It's a very strange economic strategy to try to hurt your economic engine to try to grow the economy," the mayor told reporters. "Name me a governor in the other 49 states that is attacking the economic engine of their state. Is Washington state going after Seattle?"

Rauner's pro-business reform agenda for the state has been met with opposition from Democrats who control the legislature and the two sides have yet to agree on a budget nearly five months into fiscal 2016.

Both Illinois and Chicago have severe financial problems stemming largely from unfunded pensions for their workers. Emanuel and Rauner have been close friends and even political allies, with Emanuel appointing Rauner as chairman of the city's tourism agency soon after he became mayor in 2011.

There was no immediate comment from Emanuel's office concerning the coming gift of fish.

(Reporting By Karen Pierog; Editing by Andrew Hay)

Illinois governor, Chicago mayor feud leads to dead fish - Yahoo News

School Board Recall Vote in Colorado Tests Conservative Policies - The New York Times

 

LITTLETON, Colo. — In this suburban election, lawn signs are being stolen and minivans vandalized. One candidate says she received an email telling her to get cancer and die. Money from the billionaire Koch brothers is funding one side’s commercials and fliers, and upset parents, teachers and labor unions are pouring in cash for the other.

 

The question facing voters is whether to oust a polarizing school board that has championed charter schools, performance-based teacher pay and other education measures supported by conservatives.

But the vote here in Jefferson County, just west of Denver, has become a money-soaked proxy war between union supporters and conservative groups like the Koch-backed Americans for Prosperity, testing whether parents in an election-year battleground believe a rightward turn in their schools has gone too far.

Supporters of the recall have raised more than $250,000, about $15,000 of that from the local teachers’ union. Conservative and libertarian groups have spent about $500,000 on television ads, and Michael Fields, the state director of Americans for Prosperity, estimated his group would spend “in the low six figures” on mailers and ads that put a positive gloss on the conservative board’s actions.

“It’s the future of what education looks like,” Mr. Fields said as he and a handful of staff members and parents drove through suburban neighborhoods, knocking on doors of likely supporters to make sure they had cast their mail ballots.

Americans for Prosperity, which was founded by the conservative industrialists Charles G. and David H. Koch and is based in Arlington County, Va., does not have a formal position on the Nov. 3 recall vote here. But its commercials and messages praise the new conservative board for approving new charter schools, giving charters equal per-student funding as public schools and pushing a pay program to give raises to “highly effective” teachers.

The group is advocating similar measures in other states. In Kentucky, a web ad created by Americans for Prosperity and timed to this fall’s race for governor features African-American parents who praise charter schools as a bridge to “opportunity for all.” In Mississippi, the group has contributed $120,000 to an organization fighting a ballot measure that would require the state to allocate more money to public schools, at a judge’s discretion.

Voters here are almost evenly divided among Democrats, Republicans and independents. In November 2013, voters broke with union-supported candidates to elect a slate of school board hopefuls running as conservative reformers.

But as those members passed new measures giving money to charters and hired a new superintendent, a backlash grew. Critics accused the board of secrecy and of trying to turn the 86,500-student district into a petri dish for conservative educational ideas. Board meetings turned into shouting matches. Upset parents spliced the live-streamed meeting video — an innovation of the new board — into outrage highlight reels.

 

“I can take it,” said Julie Williams, one of the three conservatives, who said she had received harassing emails. “For my kids, it’s been pretty hard. I come from a strong family. We believe in standing on principle, even with malicious attacks on me personally.”

 

School Board Recall Vote in Colorado Tests Conservative Policies - The New York Times

Letters to the BCJ Editor: 1. Questioning of SA’s gang policy leads to recommending Smith for States Attorney 2. Return to Belvidere’s traditional Veterans’ Day 3. Views on wind turbines 4. Boone County Board’s Integrity

 

 

Veterans Day

 

Wind Turbines

 

County Board’s Integrity

 

These articles are available on line at:  http://www.boonecountyjournal.com/news/2015/Boone-County-News-10-30-15.pdf#page=1

'Somewhat tenuous': Boone County Board sets vote on $23.7M budget - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

By Adam Poulisse
Staff writer

Posted Oct. 29, 2015 at 10:49 PM

BELVIDERE — The Boone County Board will vote Nov. 18 on a proposed $23.7 million 2016 budget, a 2.2 percent decrease from this year's $25.9 million budget.

The general fund — which covers salaries, public safety and other expenses — is projected to be $16.2 million, compared with $14.9 million this year and $15.3 million in 2014. The overall budget for almost 50 funds includes highway, bridge and animal services.

"We project (general fund) revenues to be $16.2 (million) and the spending to be about the same," Boone County Administrator Ken Terrinoni said at a special budget meeting Thursday.

To balance the budget, the board reduced various line items, tapped into reserves and implemented a new fee to pay for a Court Appointed Special Advocate.

On Oct. 21, the board voted 9-3 to use public safety sales tax revenue to balance the budget, a measure that produced heated debate among residents and some board members. The measure OK'd using $900,000, but the board reduced that to $800,000.

"A lot of factors pulled together to balance the budget," Terrinoni said.

Other major funds include the $4.8 million bridge fund. Repairing the bridge on Pleasant Street near the Green Giant plant will cost about $3 million, board Chairman Bob Walberg said.

"The state of Boone County is somewhat tenuous," he said. "We've made assumptions that our state revenues will come through and be paid when there is a budget. If there's cut in the state, some of those may not come in, so we're very concerned. Our revenue and expenses are balanced right now, but that (could) throw us out of balance. We would try to accommodate that with reduced spending where we could."

Terrinoni said the county is "very financially stressed. Our traditional financial revenues that really power a local government are not doing well," adding that the recession in 2009 "cut our legs off."

Even the projected $1.5 million in sales tax revenue is not a positive sign, Terrinoni said, because it has been flat for years.

"To be a million-and-a-half and not recovering (economically) ... it's highly stressed at this time. Our traditional financial revenues that really power a local government are not doing well."

Adam Poulisse: 815-987-1344; apoulisse@rrstar.com; @adampoulisse

'Somewhat tenuous': Boone County Board sets vote on $23.7M budget - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Statement from Belvidere School District 100 regarding Veterans’ Day:... - Belvidere Daily Republican

 

Belvidere Daily Republican

Yesterday at 8:02am · Edited ·

Statement from Belvidere School District 100:

Students in the Belvidere School District will be in session this Veterans Day, a day typically reserved as a federal holiday.

Belvidere High School and Belvidere North High School marching bands will participate in the community celebrations as they have in the past, and over 8,000 students will pay tribute to veterans through classroom activities, assemblies, and learning about the significance of the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. Teachers as well as guest military personnel will play a part in the educational process, with some of the veterans being employees of the District.

Belvidere Schools has a long established process for drafting, recommending, and approving school calendars. Options are provided to district employees for input and a final calendar, based on the responses, is created. The 2015-16 calendar was presented jointly to the Board of Education for consideration and adoption by administration and the Belvidere Education Association and approved.

We respect the calendar process, and we also respect the sacrifices made by the men and women in the military. Holding school on Veterans Day is not meant as a sign of disrespect; rather, it is an opportunity to educate our students on the significance of November 11 on the day specifically reserved for this remembrance.” Cheryl Gieseke, Interim Superintendent

Above is from:  (14) Statement from Belvidere School District 100:... - Belvidere Daily Republican

Lisa Paulsen-Rodgers shared her album.

19 hrs ·

Belvidere Daily Republican

“Boone County Veterans Remembered” was the inaugural exhibit of the Grand Gallery that ran from from Friday, May 23 through July 3, 2014 at the Boone County Historical Museum. I took these photos while the exhibit was on display for the BDR. With all the support being shown for of our Vets due to the Veterans Day Parade being cancelled, I thought I would post these again. Approximately 700+ people visited the museum in those 8 weeks. Approximately 262 attended on the closing day with the purpose of thanking a Veteran. Not many dry eyes through those 8 weeks. To all our men and women here in Boone County you are appreciated and you will not be forgotten for your service or sacrifices! From the depths of my heart, thank you for service and God Bless you and God Bless America!!

What an amazing tribute to all who served and died from Boone County

Lisa Paulsen-Rodgers

Lisa Paulsen-Rodgers

45 mins · Edited ·

An FYI that I'm posting this statement on behalf of a Belvidere Resident and BHS Alumni. She is not typically vocal and wants her feelings put out there, but is timid and fearful of the response she might get. In otherwords, backlash!! She contacted me (and yes I know her personally) and asked since I am a local reporter to post this on her behalf. I am honoring her anonymity and request. Greg Kelm, Bryce Trevino and Ryan Liz she wanted to make sure you saw this post. She is very passionate about this issue and currently has a family member serving!

"Belvidere Dist. #100, furious does not describe how this situation makes me feel! For starters... have we as a community missed some really important information regarding a change to this FEDERAL holiday? I don't think so! It appears that Dist. #100 Administration and Teachers feel they stand above! Guess what! The DISRESPECT you are showing to our Community Veterans as well as our Communities active service men and women does not get any bigger!! Who do you people think you are to make this kind of decision??

Having said the above I can only hope that our community would agree and feel the same, especially those in the Community who have current active duty family members or those who are the active service men and women, and those who have lost family members during their time of service.

I have included in this a quote made by Dist. #100 INTERIM CO-SUPERINTENDENT to WIFR...

In a written statement, District 100 Interim Co-Superintendent Cheryl Gieseke says, "We respect the sacrifices made by the men and women in military. Holding school on Veterans Day is not meant as a sign of disrespect; rather, it's an opportunity to educate our students on the significance of November 11th on the day specifically reserved for this remembrance."

What exactly is the plan for the day to EDUCATE our students??? I feel the district owes this community and military families a detail of the day of activities from start to finish! Does this day still include all normal class curriculum such as Math, Science, English etc...? If so, why? Interim Co-Superintendent Gieseke says they are using this as an "OPPORTUNITY to EDUCATE our STUDENTS on the SIGNIFICANCE of NOVEMBER 11th on the DAY SPECIFICALLY RESERVED for this remembrance" so tell me what does that really mean???

My CHALLENGE for Dist. #100 is......

Take your regular curriculum out of the picture this November 11th and EDUCATE our students on the SIGNIFICANCE of this VETERANS DAY with out any required curriculum!!! You have 11 days to plan your day of teaching only the SIGNIFICANCE OF NOVEMBER 11th/VETERANS DAY Interim Co-Superintendent Gieseke!!!!

Who gave you people the RIGHT to decide how a Community should reflect on such a day that means more than words can say to so many people! Those who have lost family members who served in the Military and those who have family that are currently active in our Military giving you the freedoms you live everyday because of our Military Service Men and Women!!!! and you say its not a sign of DISRESPECT!!! District #100 you should take this opportunity to EDUCATE yourselves of the true meaning of the word DISRESPECT!

This seems as though it may be a day to make up a snow day to come in advance! what do you say Dist. #100? Maybe you should give up a School Improvement Day to make up that snow day before it happens!" said anonymous source.

Above are from FACEBOOK

 

The parade cancelation from WIFR Channel 23 plus District 100’s program for Veterans’ Day were previously posted at:  http://boonecountywatchdog.blogspot.com/2015/10/belvidere-veteran-day-parade-canceled.html

Chicago Public Schools enlists parents for unprecedented blitz on Springfield | abc7chicago.com

 

(WLS) --

After nearly four months without a state budget in Illinois, a new front has opened in the war on Springfield.
Chicago Public Schools officials are mobilizing parents to press state leaders for a solution to the standoff between the governor and democrats.
It is an unorthodox frontal assault on Springfield by CPS officials - with the blessing of Mayor Rahm Emanuel. CPS is drafting parents to lobby for a solution to the state budget crisis, arming parents with bullet points that include a 22 percent cut in teachers if the standoff doesn't end.
The ABC7 I-team got an exclusive look at the planned blitz on state leaders by a coalition of school leaders, principals and parents that has angered the Chicago Teachers Union.
"This is an extraordinary fiscal crisis. There's been nothing like it ever in the history of the Chicago Public Schools," said CPS CEO Forrest Claypool.
As Illinois' budget hole deepens, Chicago schools are sucked into the abyss.

On top of a $1 billion long-term CPS deficit, there is a $500 million hole in the current budget that has to be plugged by Feb. 1, 2016.
"Chicago has been cut by hundreds of millions of dollars by Springfield. Those policies are wrong. They're potentially illegal, they're immoral... if Springfield doesn't act, we cannot keep those cuts out of our classroom," Claypool said.
According to a version of a letter being sent to parents, there will be an imminent cut in teachers if there is no Springfield budget by November; a cut of 5,000 teachers by the start of the second semester.
So CPS asks parents to "call upon" Gov. Bruce Rauner, House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton, and flood Springfield with emails, letters and phone calls.
"This is a Hail Mary pass to parents to shift blame," said Jesse Sharkey, Chicago Teachers Union.
The union's response to this CPS initiative: school officials are trying to "goad parents into lobbying; trying to shame Springfield" in acting. They say the effort would be "laughable, if not so offensive" and is "disrespectful to concerned parents."
"The CTU has sat on the sidelines and declined to join us in Springfield even though their members have the most at stake," Claypool said.
"In every way teachers have skin in the game. I mean, we've never had anything but skin in the game! Who goes to work every day in these schools? Who has to struggle under difficult conditions? Who tries to make school work every day when we're not given the tools that we need to make it work?" Sharkey said.
A spokesperson for Gov. Rauner says since last Friday, about 15 percent of the emails and letters they have received have been about state funding to Chicago schools.
"Constituents call, email and send letters to the Governor's Office on a daily basis, and since last Friday about 15 percent of those have been about state funding to CPS. Education is extremely important to the governor, which is why he signed legislation to increase education funding to record levels this year while presenting the only comprehensive plan to save CPS more than $400 million, while helping districts across the state. We urge the Mayor and members of the General Assembly to work with the Governor to help pass the reforms the district needs," said Rauner spokesperson Catherine Kelly in a statement.
Speaker Madigan's spokesperson says there has been a steady flow of public calls about the budget situation, but no uptick this week.
The ABC7 I-Team did not hear back from Senate President Cullerton.

Chicago Public Schools enlists parents for unprecedented blitz on Springfield | abc7chicago.com

The Koch brothers' foundation network explained | Center for Public Integrity

 

In all, six separate private foundations are tied to one or both Koch brothers

 

A still from a video by the Charles Koch Foundation entitled "Economic Freedom in 60 Seconds."

Billionaire brothers Charles Koch and David Koch have poured hundreds of millions of dollars into various philanthropic efforts during recent years, including higher education. In all, six separate private foundations are tied to one or both Koch brothers:

Charles Koch Foundation

Reported net assets through Dec. 31, 2013: $415.2 million

Description: The primary private foundation through which Charles Koch funds higher education programs, most of which are focused on the study of free-market economics. During 2013, Charles Koch personally fueled his namesake foundation with more than $168.3 million. The Charles Koch Foundation spent more than $23 million during 2013, with most of the money going directly to colleges and universities or programs housed on college campuses.

Other major contributions during 2013 went to free market-oriented think tanks, research groups and educational organizations. Among them are the American Enterprise Institute ($910,000); Liberty Source, known now as Strata ($653,000); the Bill of Rights Institute ($350,000) and the Heritage Foundation ($300,000).

It funds journalism, too. One beneficiary is the nonprofit Reason Foundation, which operates Reason magazine and received $60,000. The Daily Caller News Foundation, the nonprofit sister entity of the Daily Caller that describes itself as producing “original investigative reporting from a team of professional reporters that operates for the public benefit,” received $50,000. The American Spectator Foundation, which publishes The American Spectator magazine, got $10,000.

The Charles Koch Foundation also reported in 2013 to the Internal Revenue Service that it pre-approved college grants for 2014. The largest of these went to The Catholic University of America ($860,000), Clemson University ($498,000), Baylor University ($444,000), Florida Southern College ($400,000), Southern Methodist University ($333,000), Florida State University ($310,594) and Ohio State University and its nonprofit foundation ($300,000).

Media reports also note that the Charles Koch Foundation made huge financial commitments in 2014 to the United Negro College Fund and University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business. The foundation is slated to file its next federal tax return in November.

 

Fred C. & Mary R. Koch Foundation

Reported net assets through Dec. 31, 2013: $30.5 million

Description: Both Charles and David Koch are directors of this foundation that primarily funds scholarships and provides funding to select colleges and educational organizations. During 2013, the Fred C. & Mary R. Koch Foundation spent about $1.71 million, and Koch Industries Inc. was its largest single contributor, giving $410,000.

The foundation’s largest single contribution — $544,500 — went to Youth Entrepreneurs Kansas, the Wichita, Kan.-based office of Youth Entrepreneurs, a nonprofit group that “teaches business and entrepreneurial education in 41 high schools across Kansas and Missouri.”

It likewise funded dozens of scholarships — typically worth $2,000 — to students. “New scholarships are “limited to dependents of full-time employees of Koch Industries Inc. and its subsidiaries,” the foundation’s tax return states.

Other major recipients include the Bill of Rights Institute, an Arlington, Va.-based nonprofit that “develops instructional materials and educational programs that engage students and teachers with America’s founding documents and principles.” Colleges receiving direct funding include several Kansas institutions: Friends University ($34,000), Kansas State University ($30,500), Newman University ($24,000), Wichita State University ($15,000) and Benedictine College ($7,500).

It also sent $137,000 to the Koch Cultural Trust, another Koch-led private foundation.

In 2014, the foundation reportedly contributed millions of dollars to a $11.25 million overall Koch gift to Wichita State University that will fund a variety of initiatives, including athletics, scholarships and entrepreneurship programming. The foundation is slated submit its 2014 tax return in November.

David H. Koch Charitable Foundation

Reported net assets through Dec. 31, 2013: $5.57 million

Description: Led by David Koch, who personally serves as his eponymous foundation’s president, the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation made a $10 million grant to the City Center of Music and Drama Inc. for a renovation of Lincoln Center’s New York State Theater — in 2008, renamed the David H. Koch Theater. It’s part of a reported $100 million pledge David Koch has made to the facility. Indeed, the David H. Koch Charitable Foundation told the IRS it has approved $45 million in future payments to City Center of Music and Drama Inc., which manages the theater.

Knowledge and Progress Fund

Reported net assets through Dec. 31, 2013: $18.1 million

Description: Charles Koch is a director of the Knowledge and Progress Fund, which in 2013 made a single contribution: $4.85 million to Donors Trust, a Virginia-based charity. Donors Trust is primarily used by conservative foundations and individuals to pass money to a vast network of think tanks and media outlets that push free-market ideology in the states.

Koch Cultural Trust

Reported net assets through Dec. 31, 2013: $16,278

Description: Led by Elizabeth Koch, Charles Koch’s wife, the Koch Cultural Trust received most of its funding in 2013 from the Fred C. & Mary R. Koch Foundation, which itself receives significant funding from Koch Industries.

During 2013, the Koch Cultural Trust provided more than 30 musicians and artists with grants ranging from $1,000 to $5,000 each for musical instruments and studies in music, dance, vocals and other arts.

Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation

Reported net assets through Dec. 31, 2013: $0

Description: The Claude R. Lambe Charitable Foundation terminated itself during 2013 and transferred most of its remaining assets, valued at nearly $2.3 million, to a Fidelity Investments Charitable Gift Fund, through which account holders may make “grant recommendations from their accounts to qualified 501(c) (3) public charities immediately or in the future.” Charles Koch was a director of the foundation.

Charles Koch is also a director of the Charles Koch Institute, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit group that recently split from the Charles Koch Foundation and exists to promote “advancement of liberty and economic freedom by educating students in a classroom.” During 2013, the Charles Koch Institute helped fund internships, fellowships and similar programs that “prepare professionals for careers that improve well-being by advancing free societies.” It reported $270.96 million in net assets through Dec. 31, 2013. The Indiana University Foundation ($30,000) and University of North Carolina ($22,500) received direct Charles Koch Institute grants in 2013.

Sources: Internal Revenue Service tax filings, Center for Public Integrity research

The Koch brothers' foundation network explained | Center for Public Integrity

At NIU: Gov. Bruce Rauner talks business, state budget at DCEDC dinner | Daily Chronicle

 

 

At NIU: Gov. Bruce Rauner talks business, state budget at DCEDC dinner | Daily Chronicle

$6 Billion Railroad Bypass Project Proposed

 

STATELINE (WIFR) – A group of businessmen are looking to construct the largest new set of railroad track in more than 100 years and the historic project could be coming through the Stateline.

Great Lakes Basin headed by Frank Patton wants to build a railroad bypass to get cargo around Chicago’s congestion. The new set of tracks would begin in Northwest Indiana, extending through Illinois and up through Winnebago County, ending in Orfordville, Wisconsin. The five track wide project would free space in the nation’s rail hub and have a big impact on the Stateline.

“Yeah, there’s some kind of bypass that would expedite that and that could be anywhere from the Madison-Janesville area down to here and onto Chicago, even into Milwaukee, so the Chicago-Rockford-Madison-Milwaukee markets so that’s appealing,” said Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen.

Great Lakes Basin will take the next 3-6 months to gather information before presenting the plans to the National Surface Transportation Board. Patton says if the board gives the okay, he hopes the finish the project in 2018.

---

ROCKFORD (WIFR) – A new $6 billion railroad is planned for Northern Illinois and would include the Rockford area. The project is aimed at helping railroads avoid the severe congestion for rail freight which must go through Chicago.

Train traffic heading into Chicago is often worse than the back-up nightmares on the city’s highways and streets. It can take a freight car several days just to get into and then out of Chicago, but that could soon change and mean great things for our area.

“What we did is we tried to design the most encompassing network where there’s something in it for every railroad and together, it’s something that is great for the region,” said Frank Patton.

Patton's Great Lakes Basin Railroad would basically be a railroad bypass of the Windy City, traveling from northwest Indiana around Chicago, coming right through the Stateline, and up to Orfordville, Wisconsin. Patton wants to give businesses whose destinations are not Chicago a second option to cut down on travel time and thus saving money.

"That's appealing. This is a global market defined as this area exports more than it imports so the better that we can do with our transportation, that's going to help the whole region out,” says Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen.

The $6 billion project, which is being paid for with 100% private money, could mean big things for Rockford. The plan would e to relocate the downtown Rockford rail yard from its current spot off of South Main.

"That land should get redeveloped into more downtown, urban uses,” said Steve Ernst with the Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Mapping.

The rail yard would then move south of the Chicago International Airport, an ideal location where manufacturers and distributors could tap into the new line.

"The idea of creating a rail facility of some kind out by the airport that the railroads can use in lieu of that is both beneficial to us and beneficial to the railroads. It's a win-win for both of us.”

The 285 mile project may only be in its early stages, but everyone involved seems confident it will be a success and bring hundreds of jobs to Winnebago County.

While the exact route has not yet been determined, early plans show the line heading north along Meridian Road in Western Winnebago County. Patton says beginning next month, his group will start compiling all of the information they need, including maps and studies. Once completed in three to six moths, the information will be turned into the National Surface Transportation Board.

If that board approves the project, an environmental impact study will be completed. Then actual construction on the tracks can begin. Patton is confident his rail building plan an subsequent Winnebago County job building plan will be okayed and hopes to have construction completed in 2018.

$6 Billion Railroad Bypass Project Proposed

Belvidere Veteran's Day Parade Canceled

 

BELVIDERE (WIFR) -- "It made my heart very heavy," that's the response of the Commander of VFW Post 1461, Greg Kelm, after finding out that the Belvidere Veteran's Day Parade is canceled. That's because students in District 100 have school on Veteran's Day.

Kelm went to North Boone High School in the early 1960s, marched in the band, and then in 1970, became a medic in the Vietnam War.

The Commander points out that during his lifetime, the parade has been a tradition; a tradition he has looked forward to year after year.

He says, "I would put on my blue band uniform, my two-foot white plume, grab my trombone, come over, take the bus, and march and see the veterans. And that meant so much to me."

Kelm believes it's a shame students won't get to experience what he did as a kid and learn first hand about the men and women who served our military.

"The children have off Christmas Day, Dr. King's birthday, Columbus Day...all very important people, but it just seemed like such a slap in the face that by holding the students in school, we would not be able to have our veterans day parade," exclaims Kelm.

In a written statement, District 100 Interim Co-Superintendent Cheryl Gieseke says, "We respect the sacrifices made by the men and women in military. Holding school on Veteran's Day is not meant as a sign of disrespect; rather, it's an opportunity to educate our students on the significance of November 11th on the day specifically reserved for this remembrance."

Commander Kelm will go talk to students in Belvidere schools before Veteran's Day and after Veteran's Day, but not on Veteran's Day.

Even though there is no parade, there will still be ceremonies in Belvidere, including at the VFW Post 1461.

Above is from Channel 23 News:  Belvidere Veteran's Day Parade Canceled

 

 

 

Honoring our military

Page Content

With students in session on Veterans Day this year, the District has an opportunity to honor those who have served in the military in a way not previously available.   The Belvidere High School and Belvidere North High School marching bands will still participate in the community celebration, and each school will pay tribute to veterans through classroom lessons and activities, assemblies, and sharing Veterans Day with those who have served.

Caledonia Elementary School - Many of the day's discussions and activities will center around Veterans Day, its importance, and why we celebrate it.  Books will be shared with the students, and the Star Spangled Banner will be the song of the day in music.

Lincoln Elementary School - Pictures of veterans, as well as the names of family and friends who have served, will adorn the walls.  An assembly will take place in the gymnasium.  Veterans will present the Colors and flags from their respective branches of service, and students dressed in red, white, and blue will perform a variety of patriotic songs.  In the classroom, instruction will include stories about Veterans Day, writing projects, and discussions.

Meehan Elementary School - In keeping with tradition, Meehan Elementary School will host a Veterans Day Celebration on November 10.  Representatives from the Illinois National Guard will have on display a variety of military equipment, and a local family will share its replica of a battalion spotter airplane from the Vietnam War era.  Current military personnel will participate in a meet and greet with students in the cafeteria during all lunch periods.  Guest veterans will share photos of airplanes and ships as well as uniforms.  The day will conclude with an all school assembly in the gymnasium with each student waiving a keepsake American flag during their performance of patriotic songs.  On Veterans Day, teachers will share the importance of November 11 through a variety of activities.

Perry Elementary School - Veterans will eat lunch with students, many of whom have a special connection to Perry families. They will share stories prior lunch, and students will participate in Veterans Day-related classroom activities.

Seth Whitman Elementary School - The morning will begin with a flag raising ceremony courtesy of the Boy Scouts.  Throughout the day students at all grade levels will engage in discussions and complete projects relative to the meaning of Veterans Day including read alouds, videos tied to activities, interviewing a veteran, wiring cards and letters to those who have served, and guest speakers.

Washington Academy - Grade-level activities have been planned for the entire school.  Activities include patriotic-themed poetry in writing journals, the creation of a slide show honoring veterans, writing letters, singing patriotic songs, and spending time with active and veteran military personnel at 11:15 a.m.  Photos of family and friends that have served in the military will also be on display on the Veteran Wall of Fame board.

Belvidere Central Middle School - Guest speakers will share their experiences with individual classrooms, and students will participate in a variety of Veterans Day-related activities.

Belvidere South  Middle School - Grade level activities will include writing thank you notes and letters, sharing knowledge learned from family and friends who have served, a video and discussion about Arlington Cemetery, and an informational video about the history and importance of Veterans Day.

Belvidere High School - The District's very own Peter Betke will share his military experiences with students, including the year and a half he was called up from the reserves and stationed in Afghanistan.  Mr. Betke is a math teacher at Belvidere High School and took a leave of absence from the classroom to fulfill his military duties.  The school will also host a reception and assembly honoring our local veterans at 10:45 a.m. in the wood gymnasium.

Belvidere North High School - Students will attend a Veterans Day assembly at 2 p.m. in the gymnasium.  Classroom activities throughout the day will be focused around November 11, its history, and its importance.

Thank you to all of the men and women who have served in the military
to protect us as individuals, as a country, and to protect our freedom.

Marengo moves forward with plans to develop quarry | Northwest Herald

Appears that Marengo’s major motivation maybe sales tax.  There is a similar request  in Belvidere by Plote.  Plote’s request is for a pre-annexation agreement.  Would Belvidere actually have to annex the pit to get sales tax?  Does Belvidere get sales tax from Rockford Blacktop which already has a pre-annexation agreement?

Marengo moves forward with plans to develop quarry | Northwest Herald

CT News Junkie | OP-ED | Time to Speak Truth to Power

OP-ED | Time to Speak Truth to Power

by Lori Pelletier | Oct 28, 2015 8:30pm
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LORI PELLETIER

A recent report issued by the conservative Yankee Institute claimed that Connecticut state employees are much better compensated than private-sector employees doing similar work.

Considering the agenda-setting, far right-wing nature of the Yankee Institute, their claim is not surprising and it’s also demonstrably false. The report’s methodology is so is so full of errors and disinformation that Machiavelli himself would be ashamed to use it.

Keep in mind, the Yankee Institute is not a neutral academic policy institute but a right wing propaganda machine part of the $83 million “State Policy Network” and connected to the Koch Brothers and other billionaires of the far right.

What’s more disturbing is that propaganda like this is treated as legitimate research and news by the main stream media.

So that leaves us to speak truth to the dangerous power these groups represent.

The author of the report works for the American Enterprise Institute, a long time multi-national business controlled “think tank” that was reported by the Guardian Newspaper as “offering scientists and economists $10,000 each” to issue papers casting doubt on global warming. To refute the plethora of disinformation in the Yankee Institute study would take more space than is available here.

But as one example, the study’s author takes a pension plan that costs the state approximately 5 percent of payroll, and counts it as “at least 26 percent” through a series of mathematical contortions that would do Houdini proud. That alone accounts for almost all the alleged “overpayment” of state employees, not to mention numerous convenient mistakes in calculating salaries and comparative benefits.

For more than three decades, policies of billionaires like the Koch Brothers and their mouthpieces like the Yankee Institute have encouraged economic growth benefiting the top 1% in our country. Meanwhile, middle class and working families have been stagnant or moving backwards even as productivity has more than doubled.

These policies have gone hand in hand with attacks on institutions that bring ordinary Americans a voice in the process and a chance at economic security; organizations like unions or safety net mechanisms like defined benefit plans that helped build a strong American middle class. New research shows that the decline in union membership correlates with a weakening middle class and growing income inequality.

So what the Yankee Institute’s vision of “smaller government based on free market principles” really means is freedom for the billionaires and multinational corporations to do whatever they want however they want to do it at the expense of the American middle class — the backbone of our country — without the interference of pesky things like unions trying to lift the middle class or elected officials trying to raise the minimum wage.

That level of honesty, however, doesn’t make good politics. Whether it’s ALEC and their member groups like the Yankee Institute’s plan to hijack state governments, or the Koch Brother’s announced plan to spend $900 million to buy the presidency, they are doomed to failure if their intention to benefit the 1% at the expense of everyone else is exposed. So they use their money and propaganda machines to divide public worker from private worker, small business owners from working families, not to mention black from white, native born from immigrant, men from women.

The extremists want to con you into supporting their efforts to take money out of the state employees’ pockets and put it into theirs. Let them get away with it and your pockets will be emptied next. That’s because, for them, the easy profits have gone overseas. The next mother lode is in your paycheck.

We must speak truth to power. We fight for a state and a country which returns to its founding teachings that in a democracy power needs to be balanced. Checks and balances is what every American school child learns — Congress checks the President (and vice versa), and the Supreme Court checks them both, and democratic elections and the Bill of Rights are supposed to check the government. Who is checking the billionaires and multinational corporations and their anonymously funded propaganda machines?

What will our democracy look like if they eliminate all unions, and defined pensions, and any government powerful enough to challenge them? What will our chance be to rebuild the American dream where everyone able and willing to work can support their families, live a decent life, and enjoy a secure retirement? Ask yourself that, and you won’t let nonsense like the Yankee Institute’s most recent “study” distract you from the real fight to save American democracy.

Lori Pelletier is Executive Secretary Treasurer of the over 200,000-member Connecticut AFL-CIO.

Above is from:  CT News Junkie | OP-ED | Time to Speak Truth to Power

Gov. Rauner is minimizing the next state budget meeting | WEEK News 25 - News, Sports, Weather - Peoria, Illinois | Political

 

By WEEK Producer

October 28, 2015Updated Oct 28, 2015 at 10:33 AM CDT

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. -- Don't look for much progress in the Illinois budget battle.

Already, one of the key players is downplaying the next scheduled meeting.

He's certainly busy though.

Gov. Bruce Rauner attended a ceremony Monday to honor the army vet who stopped a knife attack in a Morton library earlier this month. News 25 tried to ask the governor about getting something done in Springfield.

"No politics today," he said.

Earlier Monday, he heard from frustrated constituents during a stop at a Rock Island bar.

He is set to meet with lawmakers Nov. 18.

"I don't think they're going to offer compromises or creative solutions in front of a media negotiation. I just don't think that's likely," said Rauner.

The governor says he's been meeting with House Speaker Mike Madigan almost every week.

Gov. Rauner is minimizing the next state budget meeting | WEEK News 25 - News, Sports, Weather - Peoria, Illinois | Political

Congress OKs deadline extension for rail safety system, averts shutdown - Chicago Tribune

 

Metra riders can breathe a sigh of relief with the Congressional action Wednesday to extend a safety system deadline and avert a threatened Jan. 1 railroad shutdown.

The Senate approved a House-passed measure that gives railroads an additional three years, to Dec. 31, 2018, to install the safety system known as Positive Train Control. The measure, part of a larger transportation funding bill, now goes to President Barack Obama for his signature.

"Today's action will ultimately enable us to avoid a shutdown of Metra commuter rail service on January 1, 2016," Metra Executive Director/CEO Don Orseno said in a statement.

"This news can finally put the minds of our customers and employees at ease, knowing that Metra's trains will continue operating in January. As always, Metra remains committed to implementing PTC as quickly and safely as we can."

If Congress had not acted, Metra and other commuter and freight railroads across the country said they would have to shut down by Dec. 31 because they have not had enough time to install the complex system that uses GPS, radios and other equipment to slow or stop speeding trains and override human error.

The Association of American Railroads, which represents the railroad industry, also hailed the action.

"Members of the House and Senate are to be commended for taking the responsible action to extend the PTC deadline. This provides the certainty American industries and businesses need to serve the millions of Americans who rely on rail every day," said AAR president and CEO Edward Hamberger.

"The extension means freight and passenger railroads can continue moving forward with the ongoing development, installation, real-world testing and validation of this complex technology," he said.

Congress OKs deadline extension for rail safety system, averts shutdown - Chicago Tribune

NIU students plan rally around Rauner visit Thursday | DeKalb County Online

 

On Thursday, October 29, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner is scheduled to appear at the Holmes Student Center on NIU’s DeKalb campus. Rauner will be the keynote speaker at the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation’s annual dinner and State of the County program, scheduled from 5 to 8:30 p.m. in the Duke Ellington Ballroom, inside the student center. Tickets are required for admission to the event.

According to the NIU Alumni Newsletter, NIU students, led by the NIU Student Association, plan to rally in the Martin Luther King Jr. Commons, the public area directly outside the Holmes Student Center, beginning at 4:30 p.m. Thursday. The Student Association has invited students from other colleges and universities in the region, including Northeastern, DePaul, and Kishwaukee, to join them. The rally is scheduled to include a voter registration drive and petition drive, and state legislators have been invited to attend and meet with those attending the rally.

The NIU Alumni Association invites alumni to attend the rally as well in a show of support for NIU.

Student Rally
Thursday, Oct. 29, 4:30 p.m.
Martin Luther King Jr. Commons, NIU

Rally Topics

• The impact of MAP funding on NIU and on individual students
• The effect of the budget impasse on DeKalb County
• The effect of the budget impasse on local social services
• How the budget impasse has affected construction on NIU’s Stevens Annex
• How other schools have been affected by the state budget
• Response from state legislators

NIU Fast Facts

• NIU has seven degree-granting colleges, 56 undergraduate majors, and 80 graduate programs.
• NIU enrolls more than 20,000 students, including 1,211 international students representing nearly 80 nations.
• NIU has more than 230,000 alumni living worldwide, including nearly 150,000 in the Chicagoland region alone.

NIU students plan rally around Rauner visit Thursday | DeKalb County Online

House passes budget deal, Senate expected to act soon - The Washington Post

 

Congress on Wednesday moved a step closer to clearing a bipartisan budget deal that would boost spending for domestic and defense programs over two years while suspending the debt limit into 2017.

The House passed the bill on a 266 to 167 vote late Wednesday and Senate leaders have promised to quickly move it through the upper chamber.

The agreement would essentially end the often contentious budget battles between congressional Republicans and President Obama by pushing the next round of fiscal decision making past the 2016 election when there will be a new Congress and White House occupant.

House Republican leaders unveiled the proposal earlier this week and immediately faced challenges from conservatives upset over both the secretive negotiations that led to the agreement as well as the policies contained in the bill.

Some of this discontent was dealt with after a change was made to the bill late Tuesday night to ensure that the full cost of the $80 billion in new discretionary spending was offset by an equal amount of mandatory spending cuts and increased revenue.

Some Republicans raised concerns  earlier Tuesday that the bill fell about $4 billion short of this goal, but the Congressional Budget Office on Wednesday reported that the changes to the legislation had closed this gap.

Senior Republicans came forward ahead of the vote to support the legislation and encourage others to join them. House Armed Services Committee Chairman Mac Thornberry (R-Texas) said the bill would benefit the military and prevent the threat of another shutdown.

“It stops the cuts in defense, it increases the money going to our troops and it prevents them from being used as a bargaining chip in the future,” Thornberry said. “I think that is the sort of stability and predictability they need and that they deserve.”

Still, many House Republicans remained opposed to the deal and only 79 voted in favor of the deal while 187  Democrats supported the bill on the floor.

The agreement would lift the so-called sequester spending caps to increase discretionary spending by about $80 billion over two years, an amount that would be split equally among defense and domestic programs. To offset this cost, negotiators tapped a number of sources, including by making changes to Medicare and Social Security, auctioning off spectrum controlled by the government, selling crude oil from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve and tightening tax rules for business partnerships.

In addition, the legislation would limit a historic premium increase for Medicare Part B beneficiaries set to go into effect next year for services like hospital care and doctor visits. The agreement also would prevent a potential 20 percent across-the-board cut to Social Security Disability Insurance benefits that is also set to take place next year, by transferring some funding from the main Social Security fund and making changes to the program. These cost-saving changes include allowing some recipients who can still work to receive partial payments while earning outside income and expanding a program requiring a second medical expert to weigh in on whether an applicant is truly disabled.

Senate leaders want to move the bill quickly — the Treasury Department estimates the deadline for raising the debt ceiling is Nov. 3 — and a tax bill that already passed the House is being used as the vehicle for the agreement in order to speed up the procedural process in the upper chamber.

Presidential candidate Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) said Tuesday that he plans to filibuster the bill, but his chances of slowing down passage are limited.

The agreement will have to clear one procedural hurdle with at least 60 votes before it can be approved by a simple majority. At most Paul could briefly delay the final vote by refusing to allow leaders to cut off debate before the maximum 30 hours allowed under Senate rules have expired.

The final Senate vote could come as early as this week.

Attempts to do away with two of the thorniest problems facing the House GOP — setting spending levels and raising the debt ceiling — come as Republicans on Wednesday nominated Rep. Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to replace John Boehner (R-Ohio), who is resigning from Congress this week, as speaker of the House.

House passes budget deal, Senate expected to act soon - The Washington Post

FACEBOOK: Cathy Ward’s comments on the ZBA’s decision to approve a change in the wind tower ordinance

 

Cathy Ward

18 hrs ·

BOONE COUNTY AND WIND FARMS - Zoning Board of Appeals here voted unanimously a few minutes ago to approve a much longer set back - 8 football fields away from a property line - that will essentially eliminate all wind towers in the county. It is possible that someone could give a waiver, but never heard of any. Expect the county PZB will do the same next week and the county board is likely to vote the same way. No surprise, just so disappointing for the thousands of people in our county who believe in green energy and don't believe wind farms have horrible health and safety effects. Expect a lawsuit soon. The company who wants to bring wind towers and then millions of dollars to our county consider this a ban, which they say is unconstitutional. Supporters of wind energy here believe all boards have been stacked with opponents of wind farms. Looks that way. So sad for so many for lots of reasons.

Paul Ryan adds corporate lobbyist to his new team | MSNBC

 

House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) has been so cozy with corporate lobbyists in recent years, they’ve effectively had a seat at the table for every major policy dispute. When Congress worked on Wall Street reform, Boehner huddled with financial-industry lobbyists. When Congress worked on health care reform, he huddled with insurance lobbyists. When Congress worked on climate change, Boehner huddled with energy lobbyists.

We’ll learn soon enough whether his successor will pursue a similar course, but the Washington Post reported over the weekend on Paul Ryan’s new chief of staff.

Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) has selected David Hoppe, a former adviser to Republican congressional leaders and a longtime Washington lobbyist, to serve as his chief of staff, should Ryan be elected House speaker this week, as is widely expected.

The hiring was finalized after Hoppe and Ryan, both Wisconsin natives and proteges of the late New York congressman Jack Kemp, had conversations about Ryan’s desire to staff the speaker’s office with seasoned aides who are also deeply familiar with conservatism, according to people briefed on the talks.

In a written statement, the incoming Speaker said of Hoppe, “Dave has been a foot soldier in the conservative movement, and he is a good friend. His decades of experience fighting for the cause and his passionate commitment to conservative principles are just what I’m looking for to create a new kind of speakership.”

For those who are concerned about corporate lobbyists already having outsized influence over Capitol Hill policymaking, Paul Ryan’s first big hire probably isn’t encouraging news. And to be sure, Hoppe has had success on K Street, coming to the incoming Speaker’s office from Squire Patton Boggs, a powerhouse D.C. firm, after having worked at Quinn Gillespie & Associates, as well as his own Hoppe Strategies.

His client list includes some very familiar, very lucrative names: Delta, AT&T, Ford, Cayman Finance, and Amazon, among others.

But Hoppe is also a former vice president at the Heritage Foundation, and a long-time congressional staffer for a variety of prominent Republicans.

Lee Drutman made the case late yesterday that one of the more important takeaways from this story is the fact that “the most experienced and qualified people” up for congressional jobs are often found in the private sector, because that’s where insiders “make the real money in Washington.”

“If we don’t like the idea of individuals jumping between the public and private sector, we need to take the idea of investing in government more seriously, so that somebody like Hoppe might make a career as a public servant and not get mixed up with corporate clients to send his kids to college and pay his mortgage,” Drutman added. “Instead, after decades of stagnating congressional staffing levels, it’s no wonder that Ryan, like many other congressional leaders, turned to the private sector. That’s where the majority of experienced policy and political talent works. And that’s the real problem.”

As for the incoming Republican leader’s priorities, I also found it interesting that Ryan stressed ideological credentials. The Wisconsin congressman wanted someone “familiar with conservatism,” a “foot soldier in the conservative movement,” someone with “experience fighting for the cause,” and a “passionate commitment to conservative principles.”

Note, Ryan made no reference to policymaking or governing, emphasizing Hoppe’s ideology – and nothing else.

Paul Ryan adds corporate lobbyist to his new team | MSNBC

Belvidere, Boone County officials engaged in 'full-court press' to keep Evac North America - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

Posted Oct. 27, 2015 at 5:59 PM

BELVIDERE — A local wastewater collection and treatment company that employs more than 40 people in Boone County is considering moving to Beloit, Wisconsin, to expand its operations. City and county leaders have engaged in what Growth Dimensions Executive Director Jarid Funderburg called a "full-court press" to entice the company to stay put.

According to city leaders, Evac North America Inc., located between Belvidere and Cherry Valley in the Huntwood Business Park, is being courted by economic development leaders in Beloit. The company wants to expand at its current location and add as many as 10 employees, Funderburg said, but electrical issues with ComEd, and the fact that Evac would miss out on certain tax incentives since its building is not currently included in the Belvidere-Boone County enterprise zone, caused company leaders to start looking at other options.

The Huntwood Business Park is located south of U.S. 20 and east of Wheeler Road off Huntwood Drive.

In response, city and county leaders introduced ordinances that would amend the current enterprise zone to include the Huntwood Business Park and began meeting with Evac and ComEd representatives to set up a more efficient electrical configuration.

A representative from Evac was not immediately available for comment.

"They are looking to expand and they're going to go to Beloit (otherwise)," Funderburg said. "We want to give them every opportunity to stay here with their 40-plus jobs and the new creation of property tax revenue for the county."

Parcels of land northwest of Huntwood recently purchased by Ceroni Piping near the intersection of U.S. 20 and Interstate 90 for a planned expansion and business park would also be included if the enterprise zone is amended.

Businesses located within enterprise zones can qualify for several expansion incentives from state and local governments. From the state, businesses can obtain tax credits for buying building materials, hiring local workers and for various equipment purchases. Locally, businesses in the zone can qualify for property tax abatement and reduced permit fees.

The two locations to be included in the enterprise zone if the ordinances are passed by Belvidere City Council and Boone County Board are outside Belvidere and Cherry Valley city limits

"What it does do is allow a local business to stay in the area and it indirectly benefits the city both through people driving through town, plus, let's face it, if the county loses out on real-estate tax dollars, that's services that all our residents can't get as well."

Since the Belvidere-Boone County enterprise zone was formed through an intergovernmental agreement with the city and the county, both governments must amend ordinances to expand its borders.

"We looked at this as our challenge," said Belvidere Mayor Mike Chamberlain. "Somehow, these areas got left out of the enterprise zone some time ago. We're resolving that as fast as we can."

Ben Stanley: 815-987-1369; bstanley@rrstar.com; @ben_j_stanley

Belvidere, Boone County officials engaged in 'full-court press' to keep Evac North America - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Letter: I support Michelle Courier - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

As a State Rep. serving multiple counties, I meet numerous state’s attorneys. Michelle Courier is one of the most effective state’s attorneys and Boone County residents benefit. Michelle is hard working, innovative and dedicated to improving public safety. She is a native of the county with an understanding of the needs, expectations and values of its citizens. Michelle has a record of fair treatment and a goal for making the county a better place in which to live and work; she already has the knowledge and experience needed in the office. Join me supporting the re-election of Michelle Courier as Boone County state’s attorney.

— Bob Pritchard, State Rep., R-70th District

Letter: I support Michelle Courier - Opinion - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

TV ad praising North Carolina leaders for tax reductions - News-Talk 1110 WBT

 

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- A conservative group is running a television ad praising Gov. Pat McCrory and legislators who passed more tax cuts in this year's state budget.

American for Prosperity said Monday the group is airing commercials over the next three weeks in the state's six major TV markets.

The ad highlights $2.2 billion in net tax revenue reductions projected over the next five years, largely through individual and corporate income tax changes. The standard deduction is also higher for individual income tax filers.

"People all across North Carolina are smiling a little more. Why? Because Gov. McCrory and the General Assembly cut income taxes again," the ad's narrator says, adding the lower taxes also help with job creation: "North Carolina is on the right track."

The group's North Carolina Director Donald Bryson would not provide the cost for the ads except to say it's in six figures. The ad began airing Sunday.

The state budget also expanded the sales tax to cover more services. Bryson says elected officials produced an overall net tax cut.

The ad comes as McCrory, a Republican, is likely to soon begin his 2016 re-election campaign. At least two Democrats -- Attorney General Roy Cooper and Durham lawyer Ken Spaulding -- want to unseat him.

American Bridge 21st Century, a super PAC favoring Democratic candidates, said the state budget signed by McCrory could have spent more on public education, but Republicans chose instead to cut taxes that benefit the wealthiest the most. Americans for Prosperity is backed by billionaire brothers Charles and David Koch.

"The only people smiling are the millionaires and billionaires like the Koch brothers who are benefiting from the tax cuts at the expense of public schools," American Bridge said in a release.

TV ad praising North Carolina leaders for tax reductions - News-Talk 1110 WBT

How and Why the Freedom Caucus Killed 350 American Jobs

Thom Hartmann

Just twenty-two months ago, the Waukesha, Wisconsin General Electric factory was flourishing. It was churning out gas engines on the regular and putting hundreds of American machinists to work.

In fact, the factory was doing do so well that President Obama came to town to praise it as an example of how American manufacturing was finally bouncing back after the Great Recession. But then in September of this year, GE suddenly announced that it was closing the Waukesha facility and moving its 350 jobs across the border to Canada. That’s right, Canada!

Which raises the question: Why would a proud American company like GE move one of its most famous factories, one that the President publicly praised, to, you know, Canada?

The answer to that question is actually pretty easy.

GE moved its factory Canada because Republicans killed the Export-Import bank. Formed in 1934 to help finance and subsidize American trade abroad, the Export-Import bank was, for most of its history, pretty uncontroversial. And for good reason too. Since it gave money to foreign companies to help them buy American products, the Bank helped support hundreds of thousands of good American jobs.

And since the money that it gave out came in the form of loans, so those countries had to pay us interest to buy our manufactured goods, it also made a $1 billion profit for Treasury Department. So, help make American companies more competitive abroad, support jobs at home, and make money for the government — sounds like a win-win for everyone involved, right?

Not according to the Tea Party.

This year hard-right Tea Party members of the Republican caucus in the House of Representatives successfully blocked the reauthorization of the Export-Import Bank, on the grounds that it was “corporate welfare” and “crony capitalism.” And so, on July 1 of this year, the 81-year-old bank’s charter expired, leaving its future in limbo. This left the United States pretty much alone in the developed world as a country without a functioning export bank, so companies started moving their American factories to countries that do have export-import banks.

One of those companies was General Electric, which decided to move that Waukesha, Wisconsin factory to Canada because Canada, like most developed countries, has an Export-Import Bank-like institution. If this whole saga were a murder mystery, the Tea Party or House Freedom Caucus would be the guilty villain.

It let the Export-Import Bank expire, and, in doing so, killed the Waukesha, Wisconsin GE factory and its 350 jobs. But like all good murder mysteries, the story of who killed the Waukesha, Wisconsin GE factory has a twist. And that twist is the fact is the fact that the Tea Party and House Freedom Caucus were apparently acting as hit men for a much bigger interested party: the Koch brothers.

How do we know this? Well, for one, we now know, thanks to Politico, that the House Freedom Caucus is pretty much wholly owned by the Kochs.

The two leading donors to the so-called Freedom Caucus are Koch Industries itself and the Club for Growth, a major Koch-affiliated group, so anything the House Freedom Caucus does will, presumably, in some way or another, benefit the Koch brothers and their fossil fuel empire.

So that’s the Koch connection, but what’s the motive?

Why did the Kochs apparently order the House Freedom Caucus to kill the Export-Import Bank? Could it be because the bank cuts into the domestic fossil fuel industry's — which presumably includes Koch Industries — bottom line?

As The New York Times reported over the weekend, two scholars from the Koch-backed Mercatus Center recently put out a study that looked at the largest buyers of exports supported by Export-Import Bank financing and found that the top 10 were all either foreign oil companies or airlines. The [Koch-funded] authors singled out the subsidies to foreign oil companies: “The federal government,” the report said, “doubly disadvantages U.S. energy firms — through Washington’s excessive regulation and Ex-Im Bank subsidies to U.S. firms’ foreign competitors.” In other words, the Export-Import bank makes rival fossil fuel companies like Shell and BP more profitable than Koch Industries. So there you have it, Sherlock.

It looks like the Kochs had the House Freedom Caucus take out the Export-Import Bank to slightly increase the profitability or competitiveness of their own fossil fuel empire, American jobs be damned.

Another neat little trick courtesy of the Koch-Freedom Caucus is shutting down the Land and Water Conservation Fund, which supports parks, beaches, bike paths, playgrounds, and all sorts of other public areas. It turns out that the Land and Water Conservation fund — as Timothy Egan points out in the New York Times — is funded by a very tiny tax on oil pumped out of the ground from public lands. It's how domestic oil companies pay us all for their ability to extract oil from public lands we all own.

And, surprise, Republican congressman Rob Bishop — who has the oil and gas industry as his largest contributor according to Open Secrets — has pretty much singlehandedly killed the fund. No more tiny tax on fossil fuel dynasties in America.

If you want to know what the Koch-Freedom Caucus cartel is up to next, just ask what would be of greatest benefit to the Koch Brothers and their company. And, if the reporting in the New York Times and other outlets is true, just for clarity, shouldn't we be calling it the "Koch Caucus"? Or at least, the “Koch's Freedom Caucus”?

It's high time to bring some sunlight to the activities of those Republicans in congress who are largely owned by, and serving on a daily basis, billionaires and their businesses, instead of average working Americans.

How and Why the Freedom Caucus Killed 350 American Jobs