All debts are owed to the candidate, Tricia Smith.
Tricia Smith was a large 2006 contributor to Jim Hursh:
Above is from: http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosure/D2Quarterly.aspx?id=579715
Sunday, August 30, 2015
Campaign Filings for Michelle Courier
All the debts are owed to Chris and Michelle Courier. 8238 Shaw Road, Belvidere, Il
Above is from: http://www.elections.state.il.us/CampaignDisclosure/CommitteeDetail.aspx?id=20252
Here’s Why The Bernie Sanders Iowa Surge Should Terrify The Koch Brothers
The Koch brothers should be terrified by the Bernie Sanders surge in Iowa because it demonstrates that the movement is growing to take the country back from the billionaire class.
According to the latest Des Moines Register poll, Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders is surging in Iowa and attracting new voters.
In a statement, Sanders Campaign Manager Michael Briggs pointed out why the billionaires should be worried:
What this new poll shows is that the more Iowans get to know Bernie the better they like him and what he stands for. We’ve seen the same thing in New Hampshire and across the country.
At a time when the middle class continues to disappear and almost all new wealth and income is going to the top 1 percent, the American people want leadership that is prepared to fight for working families and take on the greed of a billionaire class that has enormous control over our economy, our political life and the media.
The poll does show that the Sanders message is resonating and attracting new voters to the caucus. Bernie Sanders is bringing a fire and energy to the campaign that no other candidate in either party has been able to match.
Donald Trump sucks up media attention, but his speeches are rambling exercises in ego that are full of feelings but contain no policy. A typical Trump statement is that illegal immigrants have got to go, but he never explains how he will accomplish this goal.
In contrast, the speeches of Bernie Sanders are loaded with policy ideas. Sanders goes beyond discussing problems. Sen. Sanders offers solutions. The polls are revealing that the Sanders solutions are gaining in popularity with Democratic voters.
Bernie Sanders is drawing record crowds because he is calling out the billionaires. The Senator from Vermont doesn’t just mention them in passing. He discusses the methods that they are using to buy the government, and how he intends to stop them.
Sen. Sanders is tapping into the feelings that the system is rigged towards the rich. Bernie Sanders is more than a protest vote. The Sanders campaign is a movement.
The Koch brothers and the billionaires can no longer afford to laugh off Bernie Sanders. They should be terrified because Sen. Sanders is storming the Heartland of this country with a message that is calling for their defeat.
Millions of people are rallying behind Sanders. His campaign isn’t some isolated blue state uprising. Sanders is going to red states. He is attracting new supporters in places like Iowa where the Kochs have had recent success.
The Koch brothers have the cash, but Bernie Sanders is building an army of voters. Where ever Sanders speaks, he attracts more supporters. It is a populist revolution. The masses are angry, and they are coming after Charles and David Koch.
Here’s Why The Bernie Sanders Iowa Surge Should Terrify The Koch Brothers
Emails Show Koch Industries Backed Effort to Undermine Renewable Energy in Kansas
Emails and financial documents released by the University of Kansas on Thursday reveal earmarked funding from Koch Industries to develop research used to lobby against the state renewable energy standard.
On November 12, 2013, Art Hall, the director of the university’s Center for Applied Economics, emailed Koch Industries’ Laura Hands to discuss a grant from a Koch-controlled foundation to fund research on the Renewable Portfolio Standard.
Hall is the former chief economist for Koch Companies Public Sector, the lobbying subsidiary of Koch Industries, the largest privately owned company in America with a significant stake in oil refining, pipelines, gas production and coal. Hands is the current community affairs director at Koch Companies Public Sector.
The Koch money was part of an ongoing project Hall described as an effort to develop “intellectual products” to be used “as a tool in economic policy debates.” Hall’s center also provides special classes to teach about the virtues of capitalism. Koch-controlled foundations approved $40,000 for work that included the renewable energy standard, as well as at least $250,000 to the center in 2008 and $100,000 to the center in 2009.
Following his grant request, Hall testified before the Kansas legislature in 2014 in favor of repealing the state renewable energy portfolio, which calls for major utility companies to use an increasing ratio of renewable energy such as wind and solar.
The emails and financial documents were released in response to a Kansas Open Records Act request filed by KU student Schuyler Kraus, the president of Students for a Sustainable Future.
Hall also helped craft unprecedented tax cuts signed into law by Gov. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., and backed by Koch’s local political network. The tax cuts have been viewed roundly as a historic flop, resulting in a downgrade of the state bond rating and drastic education cuts that forced public schools to close early this year. Critics argue that the tax cut and ensuing budget chaos may have hurt employment as bordering states such as Missouri are quickly outpacing Kansas on job growth.
President Barack Obama recently criticized Koch Industries owners Charles and David Koch, scolding the billionaires for “pushing for new laws to roll back renewable energy standards.” In response, Charles Koch said he is opposed to “crony capitalism” in all forms.
Though the Koch Industries chief executive has said that he opposes corporate subsidies or mandates of any kind, the Koch political network has carefully singled out renewable energy while working to preserve government support for fossil fuels. Groups founded and funded by the Koch political network regard repealing oil and gas subsidies as a “tax hike” while deriding renewable energy subsidies as “a textbook case of corporate welfare.” Moreover, Koch’s lobbying campaign to distort climate science and prevent government action on greenhouse gas emissions transfers costs from the company, a major polluter, to the public.
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Emails Show Koch Industries Backed Effort to Undermine Renewable Energy in Kansas
Scott Walker wants to build a wall — with Canada - MarketWatch
Now Canada is a problem for the U.S. too?
Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker, one of the 17 Republican candidates running for president, says building a wall along the U.S. border with Canada is a “legitimate issue to look at.”
Speaking in an interview aired Sunday with NBC’s “Meet the Press,” Walker said he’s been asked about it by some New Hampshire voters.
“Some people have asked us about that in New Hampshire,” he said. “They raised some very legitimate concerns, including some law enforcement folks that brought that up to me at one of our town hall meetings about a week and a half ago. So that is a legitimate issue for us to look at.”
In the interview, he spoke broadly about securing the border against dangers. Catch his remarks on the issue around the 10:30 mark.
In tweets later Sunday, he called a secure border “a legitimate concern for the safety of our nation,” although he didn’t mention Canada. He added:
Until now, Republicans have focused their calls for a wall on the U.S.’s southern border — with Mexico. Illegal immigration from Mexico has been a particular focus of frontrunner Donald Trump, who has broadly characterized Mexican immigrants as criminals. Trump wants Mexico to pay for the construction of that wall.
The length of the U.S.-Canada border, excluding Alaska, is about 3,987 miles across 12 states, according to the U.S. Geological Survey. Another 1,538 miles run along the border with Alaska.
The U.S. border with Mexico is estimated at 1,933 miles across four states, the U.S. Geological survey says.
Meanwhile, Chris Christie, another Republican candidate, wants to use FedEx Corp. FDX, -0.35% package-tracking technology to keep tabs on those who overstay their U.S. visas, The Wall Street Journal reported.
Scott Walker wants to build a wall — with Canada - MarketWatch
General Assembly health benefits cost taxpayers $1.2 million; Rauner “ticked off,” Franks: State should pay Lottery penalty; and more from INN Radio – Illinois News Network
Legislators’ health benefits cost taxpayers $1.2 million
Nearly one-fifth of the Illinois General Assembly are refusing to accept health insurance benefits from the state as Illinois taxpayers spent $1.23 million last year to provide the perk. Republican Representative David McSweeney, who joins 33 other lawmakers in refusing to accept the offered health insurance benefits, says there’s no reason for the benefits at a time when the state is hurting financially. McSweeney says the perk should at least be scaled back, if not eliminated. The perk is so generous it is considered a “Cadillac plan” under the Affordable Care Act and in 2018 the state could begin paying an excise tax to the federal government for the benefits. Longtime Democratic Representative Mary Flowers, who makes over $78,000 a year and receives the health insurance benefit, says she couldn’t afford to buy insurance on her own. An Illinois News Network analysis of legislator insurance benefits found that the 143 lawmakers who get the benefit contributed a combined $251,000 toward their premiums while taxpayers paid the rest to the tune of over $1.2 million.Rauner “ticked off” no budget in place
The frustration levels for Illinois’ Republican Governor are up with the absence of a state budget. Joining a live WMAY Springfield broadcast to raise money for the American Red Cross serving South Central Illinois Thursday Governor Bruce Rauner addressed his irritation that lawmakers still do not have a balanced spending plan.“I am so ticked off we don’t have a budget I can’t tell ya. But we need reforms, we can’t just raise taxes on everybody, we need structural reforms so we can grow. But we’re working hard.”
It’s now Day 60 of the new fiscal year with no budget in place. The Governor says he’s continuing to meet with lawmakers to find a budget solution but said there must be structural reforms instead of only tax increases. Meanwhile the Governor’s Office of Management and Budget says the look forward to continued advice from their outgoing budget advisor. Donna Arduin was on contract to work on the budget and GOMB says she helped engineer the elimination of an inherited $1.5 billion budget deficit from the previous fiscal year without a tax increase.
Franks: State should pay penalty to waiting big lotto winners
Big winners of the Illinois Lottery are out of luck until a full state budget is in place and one state lawmaker says that means the state should pay winners a penalty in what’s become the latest fallout of the state not having a fully balanced budget. A statement from the Illinois Lottery says that winners of prizes $600 or less can claim their cash at lottery retailers. If a winner’s take is under $25,000, the prize can be claimed at one of Lottery’s prize centers located in Chicago, Des Plaines, Rockford, Fairview Heights or Springfield. Anything over $25,000 is on hold. A spokesperson for Illinois Lottery says all winners will get paid in full once the Illinois Comptroller has the legislative authority to do so. Democratic Representative Jack Franks says selling tickets and not paying is tantamount to a fraud and that the state should have to pay the waiting winners penalties for the late payments.“If you owe the state some money we’re not going to say ‘wait, we’re going to hold off until you get your budget taken care of at home and then just give us a call and then you can pay us.’ Because that’s not how it works in the real world. And the Lottery ought to be paying penalties to these folks who are owed money.”
Franks puts the blame on the Governor saying he didn’t have to veto the appropriation for the Lottery. The Comptroller’s office says they are not allowed by law to pay anything during the budget impasses without a continuing appropriation, court order or consent decree. The Comptroller’s office also says they do not have any vouchers from the lottery currently in their system.
IDES to distribute $16 million credit among nearly 13,000 businesses
The State of Illinois plans to credit nearly 13,000 businesses a total of $16 million because of difficult wage reporting rules. The Illinois Department of Employment Security says rules implemented in 2013 as part of a Medicaid reform law required employers with 25 or more employees to file wage reports electronically but many Illinois employers had problems with the transition and incurred penalties and interest charges for late reports. New rules adopted in 2014 removed the penalties and retroactively waved up to the first two quarters of the penalties for late monthly reports. The state says they have already credited $1.5 million to around 4,000 employers with the remaining $14.5 million in credits expected by the end of the 4th quarter. IDES Director Jeff Mays says the Department will continue to explore ways to enhance wage reporting systems to prevent unemployment insurance benefit fraud.Ives pleads for building to be named after U.S. Army Staff Sgt., not Brueder
A state representative is pleading with a public community college to not name any buildings after a disgraced former college president. In an open letter to the College of DuPage Republican Representative Jeanne Ives says the college should ensure that no building at the school bears the name of Robert Breuder. Most importantly, Ives says the colleges’ Homeland Security Education Center should not be named after the former president. Ives’ letter requests the building be named after U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Robert James Miller who was killed in Afghanistan back in 2008. Brueder was dismissed from the College of DuPage after questions surrounding various perks and a three-quarters of a million dollars severance package agreed to behind closed doors.Rauner encourages business to prepare for emergency
Illinois’ Governor is putting the call out to businesses around the state to prepare for emergencies. Beginning this week the Illinois National Guard and other first responders are conducting drills simulating a 7.7 magnitude earthquake called the Prairie Assurance Exercise. During a fundraiser for the American Red Cross serving South Central Illinois on WMAY Springfield Governor Bruce Rauner highlighted the importance for businesses to be ready for disasters.“Business folks, some of them understand how important this is, others are so busy with their head down that they don’t look. We need everybody to stay conscious of the fact we’ve got a lot of challenges and the potential disasters that could hit us, we need to think about it and talk about and communicate with the National Guard to be ready for it.”
The Governor also says that every summer he’ll be working with the Illinois National Guard on every issue that could come about like storms, floods and even dirty bombs.
“We’ve got to be worried. There are a lot of bad people out there trying to hurt American citizens and we’ve got to be ready for the eventuality”
Meanwhile the Governor applauded the work the Red Cross does in helping families in times of need like fires and other disasters. The Rauner Family Foundation has been a major contributor to the American Red Cross for years.
The Illinois News Network is an independent project of the Illinois Policy Institute.
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