Sunday, March 29, 2015

Chuck Sweeny: Don't hide behind Amtrak's skirts GOP - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

  • Despite what Rep. John Cabello said Wednesday about the future of passenger trains coming to Rockford — that Amtrak told him no at a House Transportation Committee meeting — this is not Amtrak's call. Anyone who went to the Feb. 25 hearing of the Senate Transportation Committee in Rockford knows that.
    And the facts have not changed. This is a matter that legislators, including Cabello, R-Machesney Park, must decide. The ball is in Cabello's court, not Amtrak's.
    As Marc Magliari, Amtrak's Midwest spokesman, told me late Wednesday night to set the record straight:
    "The incoming governor has halted several projects pending further review. This is not a new fact. As we testified in Rockford on Feb. 25 and in Springfield this afternoon, the budget proposed by the governor does not contain sufficient funds for the current service levels elsewhere in the state. The state will decide how much service it will contract with Amtrak to provide. The decision about this route to Rockford rests with the state of Illinois, not Amtrak. That is what we have always said."
    This project is in two phases. First, before any passenger service can be considered, the Union Pacific's track and bridges across the Fox and Rock rivers must be improved and a connecting track built near Elgin to connect the Rockford track with Metra's line. That will cost north of $200 million. That's an Illinois Department of Transportation responsibility that has absolutely nothing to do with Amtrak. It would also enable the UP to add freight customers in Rockford, something the railroad is interested in doing.
    The second phase would be operating the train. That, too, is the state's responsibility. Illinois operates passenger trains on three lines: Chicago to Quincy, Chicago to Carbondale, Chicago to Springfield and St. Louis.
    Gov. Bruce Rauner's proposed budget would cut the $41 million state subsidy for those trains to $26 million, meaning the number of trains will have to be reduced. There's no money for new services, needless to say.
    Again, that depends on the budget that legislators actually approve. At this point, Rauner's budget amounts to a series of suggestions. None of it has been passed by the Legislature.
    I talked to Mayor Larry Morrissey on Friday morning, and he emphasized that what's important is for our legislative team to agitate together for continuation of the track and bridge upgrades — 15 to 20 percent of the engineering has been done — so that we will eventually have good track to connect Rockford, Belvidere and Huntley to Elgin. Oh, and despite a rumor going around, the trip to downtown Chicago will take no more than two hours, not three. The eventual goal is to have fast, frequent commuter trains operating between Chicago and Rockford, bypassing the multiple stops between Chicago and Elgin.
    Page 2 of 2 - This project was part of then-Gov. Pat Quinn's re-election campaign. When Quinn came to Rockford to announce it last April, Republican legislators were caught off guard. I am not convinced that they really supported it, but no one has said so to this point.
    However, this isn't really just a partisan project. Locally, we've been developing plans for rail service since the 1990s, and it was started by leaders in Boone County. Last time I checked, they were Republicans.
    If Republican legislators from the area do not support the train project they need to come out and say so. Have a joint press conference and tell us why this is a bad idea that needs to be scrapped.
    It's a valid position. I don't agree with it, but hey, that's politics. I respect people who are honest with me about their beliefs and positions on issues. I'm sure you do, too.
    Amtrak will run trains if they're compensated for the service. Trains that run 750 miles or less are the responsibility of the states.
    I remind you that all passenger transportation, as well as road and water-borne freight, is heavily subsidized by government, which owns the roads, airports, and locks and dams. Taxes and fees maintain these assets. None dare call it socialism, but that's what it is and always has been. Only the nation's freight railroads build, own and maintain their rights of way. They pay taxes on it, too.
    So, how about it, Republicans. Take responsibility. Show your cards. Tell us where you really stand. Because this project's future depends on YOU, not Amtrak. Are we clear?
    Chuck Sweeny: 815-987-1366; csweeny@rrstar.com; @chucksweeny
  • By Chuck Sweeny
    Rockford Register Star

Chuck Sweeny: Don't hide behind Amtrak's skirts GOP - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Bill pushes for possible municipal bankruptcies in Illinois - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

 

SPRINGFIELD — Stressed by pension debt, other financial issues and the possibility of losing a chunk of their state aid, some Illinois cities want the option to file for bankruptcy.
They’ve found an ally in a Republican, who’s proposed legislation to allow municipalities to follow in the footsteps of Detroit and other cities in restructuring debt and paying back creditors. Opponents, however, say there are less drastic, intermediate steps.
One thing is clear, Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey told senators this month: “If history has proven anything in this state, delay, deferral and denial are not solutions.”
Twelve states authorize cities to file Chapter 9 bankruptcy filings, according to the National Conference of State Legislatures, and another 12 grant conditional ability to file. Twenty-six states either don’t have Chapter 9 authorization or prohibit it.
Rep. Ron Sandack of Downers Grove is sponsoring legislation that would grant authority for communities to file for bankruptcy under Chapter 9 of the federal code. He says House Bill 298 is a “measure of last resort,” especially with Gov. Bruce Rauner’s proposal in next year’s budget to cut in half the local governments’ share of state income taxes by 50 percent.
“It’s just giving time and space to do things right.”
But not even wealthy towns are immune to costs associated with unsustainable pensions and personal and long-term debt, which can make bankruptcy seem like a viable option. Laurence Msall, president of the Civic Federation, a Chicago-based, nonpartisan government research organization, and other critics recommend establishing an authority that can work with the local government before a bankruptcy judge would consider approving a filing.
“Bankruptcy is a very dangerous place for us to be heading,” he said.
Municipal bankruptcies are rare, NCSL data shows. Of 37 local government filings since 2010, eight are cities; the majority were filed by utilities and special districts.
Detroit filed for the nation’s largest municipal bankruptcy in July 2013, looking to restructure $12 billion of debt. Michigan allows Chapter 9 filing when certain conditions are met, and Gov. Rick Synder appointed an emergency manager to handle Detroit’s finances and negotiations with creditors. Late last year, a federal judge approved a plan in which Detroit was able to erase or restructure $7 billion of its debt.

READ THE ENTIRE ARTRICLE BY CLICKING ON THE FOLLOWING:  Bill pushes for possible municipal bankruptcies in Illinois - News - Rockford Register Star - Rockford, IL

Vote April 7: Municipal election and school board election.

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In Person Absentee

For the April 7, 2015, Consolidated Election, In Person Absentee Voting will begin March 16, 2015 and end April 6, 2015.  In Person Absentee voting will be conducted at the Boone County Clerk's Office, 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, Illinois from 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday and Saturday morning April 4, 2015 from 9:00 am until Noon.  Please note that the office will be closed Friday, April 3, 2015, in observance of Good Friday.  For more information about In Person Absentee Voting please contact the Boone County Clerk's Office at (815) 544-3103.

Absentee by Mail

For the April 7, 2015, Consolidated Primary Election, the Boone County Clerk's Office is now accepting applications to vote by mail.  If you wish to vote by mail, click on the attachment below, fill it out, and return to the Boone County Clerk's Office at 1212 Logan Ave, Suite 103, Belvidere, IL 61008.  The last day applications are being accepted is Thursday, April 2, 2015.  If you have any questions please call the County Clerk's Office at (815) 544-3103.

Application for Absentee Ballot 2015_04_07.pdf
128.34 KB

Above is from:  http://www.boonecountyil.org/news/early-and-absentee-voting-information-april-7-2015-consolidated-election

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Municipal election and school board election. 

Based upon past experience less than 300 votes will be cast for some of the alderman races in Belvidere and less than 1500 for District 100 school board candidates.  Please vote.  Remind your neighbors and friends—if they vote it certainly will count a great deal.

For the District 100 election Bill P. is supporting Allison Reid-Niemiec and Holly Houk.

Every voter has three votes:  One for one of the three Belvidere Township candidates.  Two votes for two of the four candidates from the other townships.

The following advertising literature was handed out at the District 100 Candidates Forum on Monday, March 9, 2015.

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Click on the photocopy to enlarge:

VOTE FOR ONE OF THESE THREE:

DIstrict 100 Candidate  REID

DIstrict 100 Candidate  REID

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Marks 1 of 3

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Marks 2 of 3

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Marks 3 of 3

Current School Board President, Michael Rathbun had no literature.  A statement regarding his candidacy  and the other candidates’ statements are available at: http://district100watchdog.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2015-02-21T15:07:00-06:00&max-results=7

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VOTE FOR TWO OF THESE FOUR

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DIstrict 100 Candidate  Houk

imageDIstrict 100 Candidate  Dnazl-Tauer 1 of 3

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Dnazl-Tauer 2 of 3

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Dnazl-Tauer 3 of 3

imageDIstrict 100 Candidate  Sell-Wick 1 of 3

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Sell-Wick 2 of 2

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Galluzzo 1 of 2

DIstrict 100 Candidate  Galluzzo 2 of 2


















15 things everyone would know if there were a liberal media

 

1. Where the jobs went.

Outsourcing (or offshoring) is a bigger contributor to unemployment in the U.S. than laziness.

Since 2000, U.S. multinationals have cut 2.9 million jobs here while increasing employment overseas by 2.4 million. This is likely just the tip of the iceberg as multinational corporations account for only about 20% of the labor force.

When was the last time you saw a front-page headline about outsourcing?

 photo outsourcing_zps2cf6f1b0.jpg

Source: Wall Street Journal via Think Progress.

2.  Upward wealth redistribution and/or inequality.

In 2010, 20% of the people held approximately 88% of the net worth in the U.S. The top 1% alone held 35% of all net worth.

The bottom 80% of people held only 12% of net worth in 2010. In 1983, the bottom 80% held 18% of net worth.

These statistics are not Democrat or Republican. They are widely available to reporters. Why aren't they discussed in the "liberal" media?

 photo ownership_occupy_poster_zps7879609f.jpg

Source: Occupy Posters

3. ALEC.

If there was a corporate organization that drafted laws and then passed them on to legislators to implement, wouldn't you think the "liberal" media would report on them?

The American Legislative Exchange Council (ALEC) is such an organization. Need legislation drafted? No need to go through a lobbyist to reach state legislatures anymore. Just contact ALEC. Among other things, ALEC is responsible for:

  • Stand Your Ground laws
  • Voter ID laws
  • Right to Work laws
  • Privatizing schools
  • Health savings account bills which benefit health care companies
  • Tobacco industry legislation

Many legislators don’t even change the proposals handed to them by this group of corporations. They simply take the corporate bills and bring them to the legislative floor.

This is the primary reason for so much similar bad legislation in different states. 

Hello ... "liberal media" ... over here!!!

They're meeting in Chicago this weekend. Maybe the "liberal media" will send some reporters.

4. The number of people in prison. 

Which country in the world has the most people in prison?

You might think it would be China (with 1+ billion people and a restrictive government) or former Soviets still imprisoned in Russia.

Wrong. The United States has the most people in prison by far of any country in the world. With 5% of the world’s population, we have 25% of the world’s prisoners – 2.3 million criminals. China with a population 4 times our size is second with 1.6 million people in prison.

In 1972, 350,000 Americans were in imprisoned. In 2010, this number had grown to 2.3 million. Yet from 1988 – 2008, crime rates have declined by 25%.

Isn't anyone in the liberal media interested in why so many people are in prison when crime has dropped? WTF "liberal media"?

 photo incarcerated_americans_zpsb7c891bd.jpg

Source: Wikipedia/Justice Policy Institute Report.

5. The number of black people in prison.

In 2009, non-Hispanic blacks, while only 13.6% of the population, accounted for 39.4% of the total prison and jail population.

In 2011, according to FBI statistics, whites accounted for 69.2% of arrests.

Numbers like these suggest a racial bias in our justice system.

To me, this is a much bigger story than any single incident like Travyon Martin. Or, at the very least, why didn't the "liberal media" ever mention this while covering the Martin story?

6. U.S. health care costs are the highest in the world.

The expenditure per person in the U.S. is $8,233. Norway is second with $5,388.
Total amount of GDP spent on health care is also the highest of any country in the world at 17.6 percent. The next closest country is the Netherlands at 12%.

As a liberal, I’d like to ask why the market isn’t bringing down costs. I’d think a "liberal" media might too.

7. Glass-Steagall.

Glass-Steagall separated risky financial investments from government backed deposits for 66 years.

The idea is simple. Banks were prohibited from using your federally insured savings to make risky investments.

Why is this a good idea?

Risky investments should be risky. If banks can use federally insured funds, there is no risk to them. If they win, they win. If they lose, we cover the cost.

Elizabeth Warren does a great job explaining this to the "liberal news" desk at CNBC:

8. Gerrymandering.

When was the last time you saw a front page headline about gerrymandering?

Before the 2010 election, conservatives launched a plan to win control of state legislatures before the census. The idea was to be in power when national congressional districts were redrawn in order to fix them so Republicans would win a majority of districts.

The Redistricting Majority Project was hugely successful. In 2012, Barack Obama was elected President by nearly 3.5 million votes. In Congressional races, Democrats drew nearly 1.4 million more votes than Republicans yet  Republicans won control of the House 234 seats to 201 seats.

How is this possible?

By pumping $30 million into state races to win the legislatures, Republicans redrew state maps in states such as Arizona, Michigan, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Texas, Florida and Ohio to place all of the Democrats into just a few districts.
In this manner, Democrats win heavily in a couple districts and lose the rest.

In North Carolina, the statewide vote was 51 percent Democrat and 49 percent Republican yet 9 Republicans won and only 4 Democrats.

Where is your coverage of this vote stealing, "liberal media"? You're willing to cover voter ID laws, why can't you cover real vote stealing?

 photo 5459fab1-8d5b-44e5-a728-b31ed72bf00d_zps9a434c5a.jpg

Source: Mother Jones.

9. The number of bills blocked by Republicans in Congress.

The filibuster has been used a record number of time since Obama was elected President. From 2008-2012, 375 bills weren’t even allowed to come to a vote in the Senate because Republicans threatened the filibuster.

In 2013, during the first 6 months, Congress has only passed 15 bills that were signed into law. This is 8 fewer than in the first 6 months of 2012 and 19 fewer than 2011.

Also, until the Senate recently threatened to reform the filibuster, the GOP had succeeded in holding up 79 of President Obama’s picks to the U.S. Circuit Court and Courts of Appeal. They’re blocking these appointments regardless of qualification.

Where's the coverage? Where are the reporters asking why nothing is getting done?

* crickets *

10. The Citizens' United Supreme Court decision

In a 2011 Hart poll, only 22% of those polled had actually heard of the Citizens’ United decision before taking the survey.

If 77% believe that corporations have more control over our political process than people, why isn't the liberal media talking more about the Citizens’ United decision?

11. Nixon’s Southern Strategy.

The Southern Strategy is a strategy for gaining political power by exploiting the greatest number of ethnic prejudices. Kevin Philips, Republican and Nixon campaign strategist, speaking about this strategy in a 1970 interview with the New York Times:

From now on, the Republicans are never going to get more than 10 to 20 percent of the Negro vote and they don't need any more than that...but Republicans would be shortsighted if they weakened enforcement of the Voting Rights Act. The more Negroes who register as Democrats in the South, the sooner the Negrophobe whites will quit the Democrats and become Republicans. That's where the votes are. Without that prodding from the blacks, the whites will backslide into their old comfortable arrangement with the local Democrats.
This strategy has been used since President Johnson and Democrats in Congress passed the Civil Rights Act to build the Republican party.

Examples of this strategy were evident as recently as 2008 and 2012 as Republicans took up their assault on Medicaid, Social Security, labor unions, and Obamacare – programs which, though they benefit more white seniors, retirees, women, and children, have been sold to many Americans as handouts to lazy, undeserving blacks and minorities.

Yet you never hear the "liberal media" (at least since the 1970 NY Times) talking about the use of this strategy. At least not like this:

"P (President) emphasized that you have to face the fact that the whole problem is really the blacks. The key is to devise a system that recognizes this while not appearing to." - H.R. Haldeman's diary, President Richard Nixon’s White House Chief of Staff
12. Tax cuts primarily benefit the wealthy.

A progressive tax program is designed to tax people very little as they are starting out and progressively increase their rates as they do better.

Republican plans seem designed to do exactly the opposite: shift the tax burden off of the wealthy and onto working people.

Take the repeal of the estate tax. In Ohio this was recently repealed by Republicans. The benefit is only realized by people with estates larger than $338,000 (as the first $338k was exempt) and realized most by people with even wealthier estates.

This also explains why Republicans want to shift the system from income taxes to consumption taxes. Consumption taxes are paid most by those at the bottom as basic consumption remains the same regardless of income.

It also explains why capital gain taxes are so low. Income through capital gains is only taxed at 20% (increased from 15% in 2012) instead of at the rate of other income (closer to 35%).

It also explains why Republicans were so willing to let the payroll tax cut expire. The payroll tax cut benefited people who were getting paid, not those issuing the paychecks. How much fight did you see to save this tax cut?

While tax cuts are sold to us as benefiting everyone, they really benefit a select few at the very top.

If everyone knew who tax cuts really benefit, would so many people vote for them?

13. What's happening to the bees?

40-50% of commercial U.S. bee hives were lost this year to colony collapse disorder.

This seems like an odd one to include, why is this important?

The Agriculture Department says a quarter of the American diet depends on pollination by honeybees.

Dating from 2006, colony collapse disorder is a relatively new problem. More "liberal media" coverage might push the urgency of the issue.

Instead here's a typical media story about bees: Thousands of Bees Attack Texas Couple, Kill Horses.

14. The impact of temporary workers on our economy.

The number of temporary workers has grown by more than 50 percent since the recession ended to nearly 2.7 million.

If freelancers, contract workers, and consultants are included, the number is nearly 17 million workers not directly employed by the companies who hire them. This equals 12 percent of the workforce.

What's the impact of a "just in time" workforce on workers and our economy? How about that for a story "liberal media"?

15. Media consolidation

Six corporations - Time Warner, Disney, News Corporation, Viacom, Comcast, and CBS - control roughly 90% of the media in the U.S.

These companies are in business to make a profit.

This is why you'll find plenty of advertisements in the media. Entertainment? Check. Sports? Definitely. Weather? Yep.

You'll also find plenty of "if it bleeds, it leads" stories designed to hook you in. Vendors, witnesses recall Venice hit-and-run horror. Fort Hood trial turns bizarre as shooter grills witnesses.

There's also plenty of political bickering: Democrats said this, Republicans said that. We let you decide (but we never weigh in with any facts or fact-checking).

What won't you hear? You won't hear the "liberal media" discuss the corporate media.

What to make of this

If the media were "liberal," it would serve the public interest and shine a light on issues like the ones above.

More people would also have a better understanding of global warming, peak oil, population growth, political lobbying, government's role in a functioning economy, how much we spend on the military, and countless other issues.

What you’re more likely to see in the media, however, are stories designed to get you to buy their paper, or watch their show, or listen to their radio station. If it bleeds, it ledes. This is why the media is concerned with scandal, celebrities, gossip, and fear.

If anything, our news consists of paid advertisements and outlets too scared of offending anyone to publish much of substance. Investigative journalism is also expensive; entertainment is cheap.

The way this corporate media behaves may not be surprising. I apologize if you feel any of this is beating you over the head.

This Buzzfeed-style list wasn't intended to introduce this idea as new (others have done a much better job), but rather to highlight the sheer absurdity of a "liberal media" for an audience who may not see it.

One way to approach the topic is to simply ask: If we have a "liberal media," where are the liberal stories?

---

The Little Book of Revolution
David Akadjian is the author of The Little Book of Revolution: A Distributive Strategy for Democracy.

15 things everyone would know if there were a liberal media

Canadian-born Ted Cruz getting birther meds from left and right

 

Canadian-born Ted Cruz getting birther meds from left and right

byEgberto Willies

Ted Cruz is getting some of his tea party's own medicine. To be clear, Ted Cruz is a US citizen. He is born of an American mother and a Cuban father. He was born in Calgary, Canada. US statute says the following:

A child born abroad to one U.S. citizen parent and one alien parent acquires U.S. citizenship at birth under Section 301(g) of the INA provided the U.S. citizen parent was physically present in the United States or one of its outlying possessions for the time period required by the law applicable at the time of the child's birth. (For birth on or after November 14, 1986, a period of five years physical presence, two after the age of fourteen, is required. For birth between December 24, 1952 and November 13, 1986, a period of ten years, five after the age of fourteen, is required for physical presence in the United States or one of its outlying possessions to transmit U.S. citizenship to the child.) The U.S. citizen parent must be the genetic or the gestational parent and the legal parent of the child under local law at the time and place of the child’s birth to transmit U.S. citizenship.
The hypocrisy of the right on this issue is astounding. President Obama was born in Hawaii. It is understood that many are geographically challenged in believing Hawaii is not the USA. But everyone knew the president's mother was born in Wichita, Kansas. One cannot get more American than that. At least the same statute that applies to Ted Cruz applied to President Obama. Yet many in the media gave the birther's stories traction and a platform.

What is ironic is that Ted Cruz's journey to "natural born citizen" is pretty dubious if one wanted to be crass about it. Head below the fold for more on this story.

The Salon article"Ted Cruz's ironic birther predicament" is spot on:

Cruz’s official Canadian birth certificate, as posted by the Dallas Morning News, shows that Rafael Edward Cruz was born in Calgary, Alberta, on December 22, 1970. Oddly, however, the birth was not registered until December 31, leaving an unexplained gap of nine days. But where was baby Ted over Christmas, an astute birther might ask. Donald Trump could build a casino in a hole that size.

Still, the birth certificate does state that Cruz’s mother, Eleanor Elizabeth Wilson, was born in Wilmington, Delaware. As Cruz has often said, that made him a U.S. citizen at birth, and therefore eligible to be president – but only if the birth certificate is accurate. The Canadian officials would have had no reason to question Cruz’s mother about her native country, nor would they have demanded any proof. Her word alone was good enough for Canadian purposes. Why would they care about the baby’s future qualification for the U.S. presidency?

President Obama did not have to produce any documents if he did not want to. Again, he was born in the United States of America. He was born on US land, not a Canal Zone in Panama like John McCain or Canada soil like Ted Cruz. It seems Ted Cruz may be missing some papers. Will the tea party start requesting these? As the Salon article continues:
Which brings us – or rather, which ought to bring the birthers – to the documents Cruz has not produced. Where, for example, is the Consular Report of Birth Abroad, which Cruz’s parents could have obtained at the U.S. consulate in Calgary? That would at least establish their intention to register him as an American citizen while they were living in Canada. For that matter, where is Eleanor Wilson’s own birth certificate? I mean, anyone can claim to have been born in Delaware, and everyone (including this dual citizen of the United States and Canada) knows that Canadians are too polite to ask tough questions. Birthers will have no such qualms. Will they require documentary proof?

Of course, even a sheaf of birth certificates would still leave Cruz’s citizenship technically open to question. Under the law in effect in 1970, Cruz would only have acquired U.S. citizenship if his mother had been “physically present” in the United States for ten years prior to his birth, including five years after she reached the age of fourteen. Neither Cruz’s birth certificate, nor his mother’s, nor the Consular Report could irrefutably establish Eleanor Wilson’s residence for the necessary length of time. For all birthers know, she might have been living in Kenya.

Poetic justice is wonderful. Ted Cruz, the present day politician channeling McCarthy will likely have his McCarthy deflation moment sooner than later.
Originally posted to ProgressiveLiberal on Tue Mar 24, 2015 at 09:19 AM PDT.
Also republished by TexKos-Messing with Texas with Nothing but Love for Texans.

Canadian-born Ted Cruz getting birther meds from left and right