Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Boone County considering food fees for non-profits (again)

 

Last time—members of the County Board left the meeting and voted “abstain” so as to defeat the increase.  What are the chances for the proposal this time?

 

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The Rhubarb

2 hrs ·

URGENT NEWS ALERT! If you are a member of a not-for-profit, the Boone County Health Department is at it again wanting to charge you fees. It has not even been a year (September 2016) since their last request. The Rhubarb will be posting articles published last year in the Belvidere Daily Republican on the issue. The Rhubarb wonders if Mr. Hatfield has a another insightful suggestion other than food items? Last September he suggested, "They could sell Popsicle sticks." Below is the explanation Mr. Hatfield provided last September to the Rockford Register Star and republished in the Belvidere Daily Republican. You will also find a post from Boone County Board Member Cathy Ward included in this news alert.

It should also be noted that at yesterday's Boone County Board of Health meeting it was announced that Administrator Cynthia Frank is retiring as of September 1 and Bill Hatfield will be retiring as of December 31, 2016 as he also is retiring.

Two Boone County Board of Health members are running for Boone County Board in November. Dr. Bernard O'Malley Dist. 2 and Marshall Newhouse Dist. 1. Yesterday the health board voted in favor of the fees. Dr. O'Malley voted against the request while Marshall Newhouse voted in favor. Information provided by Bill Pysson who attended the meeting.

"In an article published Sept. 13 in the Rockford Register Star and written by Staff Writer Ben Stanley, BCHD Director of Environmental Services Bill Hatfield provided the following explanation as to the need of the fees for NFP’s.

'One of the things that’s getting overlooked here is this is a user fee,” Hatfield said.

'A not-for-profit is choosing to drive down the food highway, and there’s rules, and inspections. They could choose to drive down a road that is not food. They could sell sports equipment. They could sell Popsicle sticks.

They could do whatever kind of fundraiser they want and not even have to worry about a food permit. But they’re choosing to do food, and the general public needs to have assurance that the food that’s being offered meets the public health code … and there are expenses involved.

Hatfield said the cost of health inspections has risen over the past 40 years as health codes expanded and more stringent rules were put in place.

Posted yesterday on FB by Boone County Board Member Cathy Ward.

"BOONE NOT-FOR-PROFIT -- Red ALERT again. The Boone County Health Board today voted 8-1 to start charging ALL not-for-profit groups food permit fees. This was turned down by the county board a couple months ago, but they won't take no for an answer. Makes no sense to me. These groups are the lifeblood of our county. Board claims they need the money. I claim they need the not-for-profit groups to be healthy far more. Every penny the Health board takes makes it harder for not-for-profit groups to do good in this county. This will come back to the full county board in a few weeks for a final vote. So frustrating. I think they want to slip this in quick."

No agenda posted as of yet on June 28, 2016.
Meeting Type:
Health & Human Services Committee
1212 Logan Ave., Belvidere, IL 61008
Date & Time:
Thu, 07/07/2016 - 6:00pm

Agenda will posted at:  http://www.boonecountyil.org/upcoming-meetings

Saturday, June 25, 2016

Redistricting reform won't save Illinois

RICH MILLER ON SPRINGFIELD

Redistricting reform won't save Illinois

By Rich Miller

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redistricting-reform-wont-save-illinois.jpg

Photo by Crain's/ThinkStock

Illinoisans are undeniably furious about the way their government has been running (or, more accurately, not running). They're looking for solutions, and some are grasping at anything within reach.

A downstate newspaper editorial the other day attempted to pin the blame for just about all of our state's fiscal and economic problems on the way politicians in this state draw legislative district maps.

That's just silly.

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Reforming the process by taking away map-drawing duties from politicians and handing it to a nonpartisan commission is definitely a good idea. But, don't kid yourself that reforming this one process, where politicians choose their voters instead of voters choosing their politicians, will suddenly make Illinois great again, or whatever.

First of all, it may not work like some think it will. When editorial writers and pundits talk about redistricting reform, they usually focus on the man who draws many of the legislative district maps: Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, one of the most disliked politicians in all of Illinois, and the man who is blamed by many for much (or even all) of our problems. Take that power away from him and you'll do away with Madigan, the theory goes.

OK, but take a look at the Illinois Election Data website, which has the 2014 gubernatorial election results by Illinois House district. Those districts were drawn, of course, by Speaker Madigan.

Bruce Rauner won 50.8 percent of the popular vote in 2014. Yet, by my count, Rauner also won 69 of Illinois' 118 House districts that same year, or 58.5 percent.

In other words, the Republican candidate for governor won 22 more House districts than the House Republicans.

That's why Gov. Rauner thinks he has a real shot at picking up some House seats this year. His operation is focusing like a laser on the districts he won.

Why didn't Republican House candidates do as well as Rauner?

Let's step back a couple of years. The House Democrats picked up seats in 2012 after they drew the new map in 2011, but besides creating districts that certainly favored their candidates, the wins were also due to '12 being a hugely favorable (to them) presidential election year. Democrats do much better here in presidential years.

And once people are elected, it's difficult to knock them out. By the time the national GOP wave swept through two years later, in 2014, it ran smack dab into Democratic incumbents who'd been working their new districts hard for two years. That's always something to remember about Madigan. In exchange for his monetary and staff support, he demands rigorous door-to-door work by his candidates. Once they're in, they tend to stay in.

This year, the presidential election means the national trend will likely be the Democrats' friend yet again. If Rauner doesn't net some gains, he'll likely blame Madigan's map, but that won't be totally true.

And just because one party draws the map doesn't mean it has a lock on it. For instance, the Republicans currently control three U.S. House districts that were actually drawn to favor Democrats.

Also, go back to 1991, the last time the Republicans drew the legislative district map. Madigan's Democrats managed to hold on to control in the very next election, when Bill Clinton and Carol Moseley Braun swept the state. But Madigan's Democrats lost the majority two years later in a huge national GOP landslide. Madigan learned some hard lessons in 1994. He regained the majority in 1996, when President Clinton ran again, and managed to hold onto it until he could draw his own map in 2001.

Yet the Senate Republicans held their majority throughout that very same 10-year period.

The lesson here is that getting rid of Madigan, or even clipping his wings, ain't going to be as easy as it looks.

Again, I think that a nonpartisan, independent remap process would be a good thing no matter the Madigan-related outcome. But so would California's open primary system, where the top two vote-getters battle it out in November even if they're from the same party. I'd love to see that brought to Illinois.

There are lots of things we can do to reform the process. But I highly doubt that this one reform will solve all our problems. Don't let anybody tell you otherwise because they're living in an overly simplistic cartoon world. I prefer the real world.

Rich Miller also publishes Capitol Fax, a daily political newsletter, and CapitolFax.com.

Above is from: http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160624/NEWS02/160629877/redistricting-reform-wont-save-illinois

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Rauner lays out his minimum requirements

 

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Rauner lays out his minimum requirements

Tuesday, Jun 21, 2016

* Gov. Rauner was asked yesterday where he stood on the “non-budget” talks. Kim Geiger at the Tribune fills us in

Changes to the rules on civil lawsuits, commonly referred to as “tort reform” is “off the table, for now,” Rauner said.

“The biggies,” Rauner said, are changes to workers’ compensation, the property tax freeze with collective bargaining provisions and legislation to alleviate the pension problem. Asked if that would be enough for him to strike a deal with Democrats, Rauner said: “Yeah, sure.”

That Rauner has set his sights on those items is no secret. There are working groups of lawmakers debating those topics now, and he’s focused much of his public comments on the three items in recent weeks. Still, it was the first time we’ve heard Rauner say specifically what would satisfy his general call for “reforms” alongside a budget deal that includes spending cuts and tax hikes.

Rauner’s answer might provide more clarity to casual observers of the budget impasse, but it’s unlikely to motivate Democratic lawmakers, who say they’ve lost trust in the governor because of his shifting rhetoric over the past year. Also, many Democrats are opposed to the workers’ compensation and collective bargaining proposals, which they contend would hurt the middle class.

Above is from:  http://capitolfax.com/2016/06/21/rauner-lays-out-his-minimum-requirements/

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Gov. Rauner says he’ll seek reelection in 2018

 

Gov. Rauner says he’ll seek reelection in 2018

 

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    Governor Rauner sounded off on the state budget that never was in a wide ranging interview.

    How dire is the crisis, will Chicago Schools go bankrupt, who's to blame, and will he run again?

    With 10 days left in the fiscal year, the Governor sat down with WGN’s Tahman Bradley.

    Even though he hopes lawmakers soon work out a stop gap spending plan and K-12 education funding, Gov Rauner continues to hammer his chief rival House Speaker Mike Madigan.

    “I think the Speaker is interested in a crisis,” Rauner said.  “At this point there’s a risk that public safety isn’t funded there’s a risk that health care service aren’t funded there’s a risk that our schools don’t open on time. We can’t allow that to happen. That’s not right.”

    And that’s the message the governor has taken on the road.

    All month, he has been traveling from city to city, where he pins the blame for the budget stalemate on Democrats who continue to resist his pro-business, union-weakening agenda.

    “All of us in government are elected to do a job,” Rauner said. “I ran for governor to work for all of the people of the state to change the system so our government works for the people again. We’ve got the highest unfunded pension, hghest debt in America, highest unemployment rate in American, most job losses, worst school funding and the most corruption and cronyism of any state government in America.”

    For Chicago, Gov. Rauner had even harsher words. Recently, the governor said some Chicago Public Schools are like crumbling prisons.

    Chicagoans hit back and hard.  Today, they showed their anger and forced the governor to cancel a Juneteenth celebration at the DuSable Museum.

    With Chicago Public Schools facing a billion dollar budget deficit, Democrats in Springfield are trying to get more money into the district. But the governor’s plan would keep CPS funding at its current level.

    “I care deeply about Chicago Public Schools and the children in those schools,” Rauner said. “Chicago has been mismanaged for years. Our reforms will help them improve the system.”

    In the meantime, the governor is doubling down on his call that the district considers bankruptcy.

    “They could go into a judge and seek court protection and reorganize in bankruptcy under court supervision so that that wouldn’t require any layoffs .  They can redo their contracts, redo their debt and make it more affordable under bankruptcy,” he said.

    Rauner also said he is planning to seek reelection in 2018.

    Above is from:  http://cltv.com/2016/06/20/gov-rauner-says-hell-seek-reelection-in-2018/

    Saturday, June 18, 2016

    Will the county board finally pass the resolution?

    •  

    • Boone County Board expected to pass a resolution against railroad project

      •  

         

    • By Chris Green
      Staff writer

       

    • Posted Jun. 16, 2016 at 8:52 PM
    • BELVIDERE — The Boone County Board is expected to vote and pass a resolution opposed to the construction of the proposed $8 billion Great Lakes Basin Railroad project at a June 29 special board meeting.
      The special meeting was necessitated after the board failed to vote Wednesday on an existing resolution, said board member Cathy Ward.
      She described the new resolution as an "abbreviated" resolution that will be forwarded to the federal Surface Transportation Board, which has the authority to approve or reject the project, or approve it with conditions.
      The 275-mile rail line would cut directly through Boone County and several other communities in Illinois, Wisconsin and Indiana in order to provide quicker freight rail service that bypasses Chicago.
      Many Boone County residents are opposed to the project fearing damage to farmland and lower property values.
      The special meeting will start at 6 p.m. at 1212 Logan Ave.
      Chris Green: 815-987-1241; cgreen@rrstar.com; @chrisfgreen

    Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160616/boone-county-board-expected-to-pass-resolution-against-railroad-project

    Thursday, June 16, 2016

    Advocates for Denial of Climate Change

    Conservative Funders of Climate Denial Are Quietly Spending Millions To Generate More Partisan Journalism

    Graham Readfearn | June 15, 2016

    By Graham Readfearn • Wednesday, June 15, 2016 - 22:33

     

     

     

    Millions of dollars have been pouring into conservative media outlets and student journalism projects from the same groups funding climate science denial, a DeSmog analysis has found.

    Analysis of IRS tax filings shows the funding groups, including some linked to the oil billionaire Koch brothers, are trying to combat a perceived left-wing bias in media with cash to ideologically-aligned projects.

    Many of the funded journalism projects also produce stories that claim human-caused climate change is either a liberal hoax or that policies to mitigate it, such as promotion of renewable energy, are an unnecessary drag on the economy.

    DeSmog found that two linked funds — Donors Trust and Donors Capital Fund — have been a key source of cash for organisations attacking climate science and opposing policies to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

    DCF and DT have been described as the “dark money ATM” of the US conservative movement.

    A DeSmog investigation found that almost $500 million that has flowed into DCF and DT are untraceable.

    The two funds are also being used to channel money into conservative journalism projects.

    In 2014, the Daily Caller News Foundation — the non-profit arm of the Daily Caller website — accepted some $106,248 in two donations from the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation.  Donors Trust also handed the Daily Caller $60,000 in 2014.

    The Daily Caller regularly publishes stories that denigrate climate science while promoting Republican outbursts against cutting fossil fuel emissions.

    Climate science denier and Republican supporter Foster Freiss helped bankroll the Daily Caller with a $3 million donation before it was launched in January 2010.

    Several Daily Caller staff have spent time at the organisations analysed by DeSmog.

    Investigative reporter Katie Watson spent three years at the Franklin Center’s Watchdog project, reporter Connor Wolf was an associate at the Charles Koch Institute, environment writer Michael Bastasch was a Koch intern, editor in chief Christopher Bedford was an associate at the Charles G. Koch Charitable Foundation, and managing editor Paul Connor and reporter Casey Harper both spent time at the Young America’s Foundation’s National Journalism Center (NJC).

    Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity

    The Franklin Center for Government and Public Integrity, one of the biggest beneficiaries of conservative-linked cash, received some $6.8 million from Donors Capital Fund in 2014, according to IRS filings.

    Bankruptcy papers from the biggest coal company in the US, Peabody Energy, also reveal the Franklin Center as one of the “constellation of conservative thinktanks and organisations” to have received money from the coal giant, according to The Guardian.

    The center says it supports and trains “investigative journalists” with two goals in mind. One is to “advance transparency, accountability and fiscal responsibility in local government” which sounds like a worthy and ideology-free cause. 

    But the second goal is to “spotlight free-market, pro-liberty solutions to difficult public policy challenges.”  In other words, the journalists are encouraged to lean a particular way when covering big issues.

    “We offer a megaphone to those with the best free-market, pro-liberty solutions,” the website adds, just in case you were in any doubt.

    “Our reporting shapes narratives, drives conversations, and lays the foundation for long-term change,” says the center’s latest annual report.

    According to the annual report, Franklin now has “75 national and local media partnerships” and boasts their work is used by “Reuters, The New York Times, The Philadelphia Inquirer, The Atlantic, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, The Economist, Huffington Post, Talking Points Memo, PBS NewsHour, ABC News, CBS News, and CNN en EspaƱol”.

    Franklin’s public-facing site is Watchdog, where its energy stories invariably support fossil fuels while finding ways to criticise renewable energy.

    Moulding student journalists

    The Student Free Press Association has been another major recipient of funds travelling through DCF, with $265,650 arriving in 2014 alone.

    The DC-based SFPA says it “opens critical doors for talented young conservative journalists” and its alumni are “counteracting liberal bias in the media, and are reshaping the future of political journalism”.

    According to its website, the SFPA has sent several students to the Daily Caller as interns. The College Fix — the SFPA’s news outlet — also publishes stories disparaging of climate science.

    The Young America’s Foundation says almost 2000 journalists have been through its National Journalism Center since it started in 1977.

    According to its website, the National Journalism Center “provides an opportunity for students and recent graduates to get involved in combating liberal media bias through its press internships.”

    In 2009, YAF accepted $150,000 for its journalism program through DCF.

    NJC alumni include conservative firebrand Ann Coulter. In 2015, Coulter tweeted how she would send money “to any candidate who calls [climate change] bullshit”.

    The Media Research Center accepted an $111,000 grant from DT in 2014. According to its website, MRC’s “sole mission is to expose and neutralize the propaganda arm of the Left: the national news media.”

    MRC helped one of its alumni, Marc Morano, to put together his 2016 climate science denial film Climate Hustle.

    The American Spectator Foundation — which owns the magazine American Spectator — got $15,000 in 2014 from DCF, alongside a $16,470 grant from the Charles G. Koch Foundation.  The American Spectator’s climate coverage is broadly critical of moves to cut greenhouse gas emissions.

    The American Media Institute, a self-described “non-profit investigative news service”,  accepted $524,500 in donations in 2014 from DCF and its sister group, DonorsTrust. The AMI does not appear to have worked on any climate or energy stories.

    One of the central tenets of journalism is to report “without fear or favour”. But the funding of many of these groups from ideologically-aligned sources suggests that on some of the world's most important issues, such as climate change, the funders want journalists to push their inquiries only in certain directions.

    Above is from:  http://www.desmogblog.com/2016/06/16/conservative-funders-climate-denial-are-quietly-spending-millions-create-more-partisan-journalism

    Kankakee River concerned about spills from GLB RR

     

     

    Proposed railway would cause problems for Camp Shaw

    • Robert Themer
      rthemer@daily-journal.com
      815-937-3369

     

    For the 71st summer, 4-H members and others will be enjoying outings at Camp Shaw-wa-nas-see on Rock Creek, adjacent to Kankakee River State Park.

    It's just one facility to grow from a campaign launched in 1945 to establish youth camps in memory of those who served in World War II.

    Now, the proposal by Great Lakes Basin Transportation to build a railroad loop around the Chicago metropolitan area would run freight trains "about every 20 minutes right next to Camp Shaw," Greg LaPlante, the camp's executive director, told the Kankakee River Round Table on Friday.

    "That would be devastating to Camp Shaw," he said. "The Rock Creek watershed would be particularly vulnerable to spills. ... We hear a lot about oil trains."

    Chad Miller, manager of the Kankakee County Farm Bureau, repeated the organization's opposition to the project, which would claim 16,000 acres of Kankakee County farmland — about 1,000 acres for rail line and utility right-of-way and 15,000 acres for a switching and maintenance yard between Manteno and Grant Park.

    Miller emphasized concerns about economic impact in reducing farm income and its impact through the community, plus direct loss of farm jobs, impact on local road patterns and drainage systems and potential spills from hazardous materials handing.

    "A big sticking point for our organization is that eminent domain could be used for private gain," he said.

    "My hope is that one morning, we will wake up and it will be off the drawing board, like the Illiana expressway."

    Comment period extended

    The U.S. Transportation Board's office of environmental analysis has extended the comment period on the Great Lakes Basin Transportation's proposal until July 15. It had been set to end Wednesday.

    The office also announced that no further extension will be granted and that comments previously submitted need not be resubmitted.

    Comments may be sent electronically on the board's here. Refer to Docket No. FD 35952 in all correspondence, including e-filings.

    Project-specific information can be found on the board's website at stb.dot.gov under "Environmental Matters," then click on the "Key Cases" button in the drop down menu and then select "Great Lakes Basin."

    For additional information, visit the board-sponsored project website at GreatLakesBasinRailEIS.com

    Above is from:  http://www.daily-journal.com/news/local/proposed-railway-would-cause-problems-for-camp-shaw/article_020ed186-3c2a-55ee-a54f-097f96126312.html

    Wednesday, June 15, 2016

    DePaul University in Spotlight after controversial speaker and new President is being searched by the school—any connection?

     

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    In recent days, Minster, a freshman and vice president of the DePaul College Republicans, has become accustomed to other labels: “racist,” “white supremacist.”

    The group drew the fury of activists after they invited the conservative online writer Milo Yiannopoulos to speak on May 24. Protesters stormed the stage, ultimately forcing Yiannopoulos and his hosts to abandon the student center’s auditorium, the first time current college administrators could recall such an ending to a campus event.

    Students who attended were furious that security didn’t give the protesters the boot, while others were enraged that Yiannopoulos — who delights in mocking feminists and civil rights activists, among others — was allowed to speak on campus at all.

    In a June 2 email to the entire university community, DePaul President Dennis Holtschneider wrote: “I am deeply sorry for the harm that was unleashed by a speaker whose intent was to ignite racial tensions and demean those most marginalized, both in our society and at DePaul.”

    Holtschneider noted concerns from earlier in the year of black students “growing weary of the racism they found at DePaul.” But the president, promising to put together a task force to look at speech on campus, said “the bar on free speech is extremely high at a university.”

    In its May 31 edition, The DePaulia student newspaper devoted eight of nine news pages to the Yiannopoulos event and the fallout from it, with the paper’s editor in chief, Matthew Paras, describing it as the biggest breaking news story on campus during his five years at the publication.

    The incident has dramatically raised the profile of an organization that sometimes has difficulty filling a small college classroom for its weekly meetings.

    “We typically get a lot of people who come in and out,” Minster, who is studying economics, said during a chat at the student center.

    “Or they just don’t want to be seen with us,” joked Nicole Been, 21, president of the Republican group.

    Perhaps even less so now.

    Been, who is from Orland Park and calls herself a strong Donald Trump supporter, said she’s been getting a lot of “mean looks” on campus.

    “Just a few days ago, me and my friend were walking . . . and people started following us and yelling, ‘white supremacist,’ ‘racist,’ ” said Been, an education major. “People started following me to the quad. I was not looking my best that day, and I was surprised they recognized me.”

    Been and Minster said they expected protesters when their group invited Yiannopoulos to speak. At the DePaul event, after the protesters, mostly African-Americans, took over the stage, Yiannopoulos, who is gay, said: “I worked out why there are so many black girls here. I think it’s because I f—– their brothers.”

    But Minster and Been expected the campus security to remove the protesters, which didn’t happened.

    The DePaul Republicans say they chose Yiannopoulos, in part, because they’d had limited success with past on-campus events.

    “People would come, but they’d be on their phones,” Been said. “They weren’t real excited about it.”

    Former U.S. senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum drew about 100 people last week. About 550 people came to hear Yiannopoulos, Minster said.

    “We don’t support racism, period,” Minster said. “But we do support interesting arguments that sort of challenge the norms that people think about every day at this school. DePaul prides itself on social justice, diversity and multiculturalism and all those things. So we thought it would be interesting to bring someone who is directly against all those things.”

    Mario Morrow Jr., president of DePaul’s Black Student Union, said Yiannopolous clearly crosses the line: “He is promoting hate speech, making it seem OK to everyone that this is acceptable language to use, especially on a college campus built on diversity.”

    Neither Minster nor Been said they plan to avoid controversial speakers for future events. They do plan to make sure they have sufficient security.

    Does either have regrets about attending a college where perhaps a majority of the students don’t share their political leanings?

    Both say no. They have opportunities at DePaul that they might not have at a more traditionally conservative school.

    “Gov. Rauner’s people came to me and we’re like, we need to start this thing up and get him elected,” Been said. “[U.S. Sen.] Mark Kirk’s people have been reaching out to us. Opportunities are endless here because there are so few of us. So everything is at our fingertips.”

    Said Minster: “I’m not looking to go to a school that might tell me exactly what I might already know. I would prefer if DePaul had a little bit more of a conservative lean than where we are now.”

    “Or even just like a moderate lean,” Been added.

    In recent days, Minster, a freshman and vice president of the DePaul College Republicans, has become accustomed to other labels: “racist,” “white supremacist.”

    The group drew the fury of activists after they invited the conservative online writer Milo Yiannopoulos to speak on May 24. Protesters stormed the stage, ultimately forcing Yiannopoulos and his hosts to abandon the student center’s auditorium, the first time current college administrators could recall such an ending to a campus event.

    Students who attended were furious that security didn’t give the protesters the boot, while others were enraged that Yiannopoulos — who delights in mocking feminists and civil rights activists, among others — was allowed to speak on campus at all.

    In a June 2 email to the entire university community, DePaul President Dennis Holtschneider wrote: “I am deeply sorry for the harm that was unleashed by a speaker whose intent was to ignite racial tensions and demean those most marginalized, both in our society and at DePaul.”

    Holtschneider noted concerns from earlier in the year of black students “growing weary of the racism they found at DePaul.” But the president, promising to put together a task force to look at speech on campus, said “the bar on free speech is extremely high at a university.”

    In its May 31 edition, The DePaulia student newspaper devoted eight of nine news pages to the Yiannopoulos event and the fallout from it, with the paper’s editor in chief, Matthew Paras, describing it as the biggest breaking news story on campus during his five years at the publication.

    The incident has dramatically raised the profile of an organization that sometimes has difficulty filling a small college classroom for its weekly meetings.

    “We typically get a lot of people who come in and out,” Minster, who is studying economics, said during a chat at the student center.

    “Or they just don’t want to be seen with us,” joked Nicole Been, 21, president of the Republican group.

    Perhaps even less so now.

    Been, who is from Orland Park and calls herself a strong Donald Trump supporter, said she’s been getting a lot of “mean looks” on campus.

    “Just a few days ago, me and my friend were walking . . . and people started following us and yelling, ‘white supremacist,’ ‘racist,’ ” said Been, an education major. “People started following me to the quad. I was not looking my best that day, and I was surprised they recognized me.”

    Been and Minster said they expected protesters when their group invited Yiannopoulos to speak. At the DePaul event, after the protesters, mostly African-Americans, took over the stage, Yiannopoulos, who is gay, said: “I worked out why there are so many black girls here. I think it’s because I f—– their brothers.”

    But Minster and Been expected the campus security to remove the protesters, which didn’t happened.

    The DePaul Republicans say they chose Yiannopoulos, in part, because they’d had limited success with past on-campus events.

    “People would come, but they’d be on their phones,” Been said. “They weren’t real excited about it.”

    Former U.S. senator and presidential candidate Rick Santorum drew about 100 people last week. About 550 people came to hear Yiannopoulos, Minster said.

    “We don’t support racism, period,” Minster said. “But we do support interesting arguments that sort of challenge the norms that people think about every day at this school. DePaul prides itself on social justice, diversity and multiculturalism and all those things. So we thought it would be interesting to bring someone who is directly against all those things.”

    Mario Morrow Jr., president of DePaul’s Black Student Union, said Yiannopolous clearly crosses the line: “He is promoting hate speech, making it seem OK to everyone that this is acceptable language to use, especially on a college campus built on diversity.”

    Neither Minster nor Been said they plan to avoid controversial speakers for future events. They do plan to make sure they have sufficient security.

    Does either have regrets about attending a college where perhaps a majority of the students don’t share their political leanings?

    Both say no. They have opportunities at DePaul that they might not have at a more traditionally conservative school.

    “Gov. Rauner’s people came to me and we’re like, we need to start this thing up and get him elected,” Been said. “[U.S. Sen.] Mark Kirk’s people have been reaching out to us. Opportunities are endless here because there are so few of us. So everything is at our fingertips.”

    Said Minster: “I’m not looking to go to a school that might tell me exactly what I might already know. I would prefer if DePaul had a little bit more of a conservative lean than where we are now.”

    “Or even just like a moderate lean,” Been added.

    Above is from:  http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/depaul-republicans-spotlight-controversial-speaker/

     

    *****************************************

    DePaul University

    Dear DePaul Alumni,


    Yesterday, I informed the Board of Trustees that I would be stepping down as president of DePaul University at the end of the 2016-17 academic year. You are a key part of the DePaul family, and I wanted to write you as well.


    My twelve years at DePaul have been blessed ones. Much of what we set out to do more than a decade ago has been accomplished. We have built or renovated facilities for all ten of DePaul's colleges, our library and many of our athletic teams. We have established over 75 new academic programs, including new colleges of Communication and Science/Health, as well as schools of hospitality and film. Every year, DePaul is becoming more of a national university instead of a regional one. Through all the change, we have stayed true to our mission of assisting those of modest means to access a life-changing education.


    While there is always more to do, the current strategic plan is coming to an end. All of the buildings on the master plan have been built or are currently in construction. The campaign to fund these plans was concluded successfully. 2017 will be a natural moment in the university's life to seek new leadership and define the next set of ambitions, so I have decided to step aside so this transition can happen now.

    While there has been some speculation in the press that the timing of my announcement was related to a controversial speaker that was on campus at the end of the spring quarter, in fact, my religious superior approved this decision in January, the board leadership was informed in early March and a search firm was contracted in early May. The two are entirely unrelated.


    I know I will look back on my years leading DePaul with overflowing gratitude. It has been my privilege to meet thousands of alumni, and I am continually impressed with your passion for and dedication to DePaul. As an important university constituency, alumni will have an opportunity to express their views as to the desired qualities of DePaul's next president. Graduates may contribute their thoughts to the following dedicated email account: presidentsearch@depaul.edu. In your message, please indicate that you are an alumnus/a.

    For more information, please see the press release issued by our board chair (http://depaulne.ws/pres). Thank you for all you have done for the university and will continue to do in the years to come. We are a stronger university because you, our alumni, love this university and support us in so many ways.

    God bless you,
    Rev. Dennis H. Holtschneider, C.M.
    President

    Sunday, June 12, 2016

    My View: Blame game won't break budget stalemate

     

     

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    By Steve Stadelman

    Posted Jun. 11, 2016 at 4:06 PM

    As legendary radio commentator Paul Harvey always said, here’s the rest of the story.
    Gov. Bruce Rauner recently stopped in Rockford as part of a statewide tour to blast Democrats and twist arms to support a six-month stopgap budget.
    He could have saved the state some gas money.
    I’m sure many Democrats would support a temporary solution to the ongoing stalemate that has left Illinois dysfunctional and less attractive to businesses.
    In fact, Senate Democrats suggested the idea first, but the governor and Republican leaders rejected it. Suddenly, two days later, on the last day of session, the governor held a news conference to pitch the stopgap measure. He demanded the General Assembly approve a spending plan that same day, even though the bills that were introduced needed at least three days to pass both chambers.
    But, hey, that’s politics.
    Having covered politicians for many years as a news reporter and now holding elected office myself, I realize trying to shape public perception is part of the process.
    Here’s what else the governor didn’t mention:
    — Senate Democrats, myself included, voted against House Speaker Michael Madigan’s budget, which the governor says was unbalanced.
    — Republicans and Democrats in the Senate and House unanimously passed a stopgap bill to provide an immediate lifeline to struggling businesses that are owed money for providing needed social services to seniors, the disabled and those coping with mental illness. That bill sits on the governor’s desk a month later.
    No matter your political viewpoint, the reality is Democrats need to work with the governor to end this impasse.
    There are parts of his so-called “turnaround agenda” I can support: property tax relief, government consolidation, redistricting reform and continued efforts to lower workers’ compensation costs for businesses.
    I have philosophical differences with the governor in how the state can best promote economic development. I believe a strong education system and qualified workers are key to keeping and attracting businesses. I don’t believe taking away employees’ collective bargaining rights and policies that lower wages lead to economic growth.
    But we live in a time of divided government. That means the only way out of this mess is to compromise and find middle ground. Both sides aren’t going to get everything they want and will have to accept some things they don’t want. Divided government can be healthy by forcing moderation.

    The governor likes to pin the state’s financial problems over the past 30 years on Democrats. But Illinois has had Republican governors for 18 of those years, and it was a Republican-controlled Senate and House that approved a pension payment plan that’s squeezing our budget today. The bottom line is: Both parties are clearly accountable.

    So let’s stop the name-calling and finger-pointing. Attacking those on the other side of the bargaining table generally doesn’t make it easier to reach a deal. Instead of focusing on the November election, we need to work on getting a budget now.
    State Sen. Steve Stadelman, D-Rockford, represents the 34th district.

    The above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20160611/my-view-blame-game-wont-break-budget-stalemate

    My View: War on Drugs claims another victim

     

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    By Kim MacCloskey

    Posted Jun. 11, 2016 at 4:08 PM

    A recent article reported that a 38-year-old man was sentenced to 10 years in prison for his part in a conspiracy to grow marijuana in an old factory building on 11th Street. It sounds like it was a sophisticated operation, capable of growing more than 1,000 plants.
    For all intents and purposes, this person’s productive life is over. After 10 years in the federal penitentiary, what kind of job will he be able to get? When he gets out, depending on where he lives, he may not be able to vote ever again. Assuming he had a wife and family, what’s going to happen to them?
    Apparently he couldn’t find a job good enough to make the marijuana operation not worth the risk. Would this be true if our Congress had passed a jobs bill to repair our crumbling infrastructure, which would have created millions of $20 and $30 per hour jobs?
    And isn’t a 10-year sentence a bit harsh for growing a plant that several states have completely legalized? Whatever happened to letting the punishment fit the crime?
    Our whole “War on Drugs” was the brainchild of President Richard Nixon, who in 1968 decided that he needed a way to deal with his “political enemies," the anti-war protesters (epitomized by the hippies) and African-Americans.
    One of his chief advisors, John Ehrlichman, admitted in 1994 that “we knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities. We could arrest their leaders, raid their homes, break up their meetings and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did.”
    Yet the War on Drugs continues, and another person’s life has now been effectively ruined.
    The United States accounts for 5 percent of the world’s population, yet has 25 percent of the world’s prison population. We have more people in prison than Russia, China, Iran or North Korea. Our per capita rate of people incarcerated is also the highest in the world, and nearly seven times as high as China, according to the BBC.
    In the last 40 years, our country has spent a trillion dollars on its War on Drugs, and all we have to show for it is more incarcerated people than anywhere else, this in the “land of the free." We are currently having an epidemic of heroin and accidental overdoses on other opioids. Clearly our war has been an epic failure.

    It is time our country tries a new approach. Many countries around the world have other ways of dealing with drugs, including outright legalization (which allows addicts to get medical help for their addiction) to decriminalization and others. We should look to these other countries to see what they are doing. Arrogantly claiming we are the best country in the world and refusing to learn from others is just ignorant.

    - How many more people’s lives are going to be sacrificed for Dick Nixon’s political dirty trick?
    Kim MacCloskey is a Durand resident.

    Above is from:: http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20160611/my-view-war-on-drugs-claims-another-victim

    Bernard Schoenburg: Rauner cash a big factor in November election

     

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    • Posted Jun. 11, 2016 at 8:10 PM
      Updated at 8:47 PM

      It’s not new that politicians are keeping an eye toward the next election as they battle each other over policy.
      Of course, the fact that Illinois hasn’t had a full state budget in nearly a year creates great pressure — or at least it should — for agreement soon to keep not only government and schools, but social service agencies operating.
      But in addition to saying he wants elements of his pro-business, union-weakening "turnaround agenda" passed by a Democratic legislature before he will agree to more state revenue, Gov. BRUCE RAUNER has also changed the political landscape with his wallet.
      As an example, on May 4, Citizens for Rauner, the governor’s political fund, donated $5 million to the Illinois Republican Party.
      Six days later, the state GOP donated $2 million to the House Republican Organization, which helps GOP House incumbents and candidates.
      Because he poured $27 million of his own money into what turned out to be his $65 million campaign for governor in 2014, we might be getting immune to big numbers.
      But it has not been typical in pre-Rauner years for any state committee to so easily get multiple millions. The former venture capitalist is worth hundreds of millions of dollars, and his family income in 2014 was $57.5 million, his tax return showed.
      KENT REDFIELD, professor emeritus of political science at the University of Illinois Springfield, has long watched campaign finance issues in the state.
      Big transfers to party committees, perhaps from funds run by legislative leaders, in the past might reach $1 million or $1.5 million, he said. But Rauner alone can generate “a much bigger number.”
      “He really does dominate the money on the Republican side, and we assume there’s more where that came from,” Redfield said.
      Redfield said targeted House and Senate races in 2014 involved spending of perhaps $25 million.
      This fall, Redfield said, “We’re probably going to have about the same number of targeted races, and the spending could double.”
      He said spending in a couple of primaries in March in which the governor had an interest broke records from earlier general elections. The spending in those races included independent expenditures, like the more than $3 million spent by Liberty Principles PAC in an attempt to have Illinois State Police Trooper BRYCE BENTON of Springfield defeat state Sen. SAM McCANN, R-Plainview, who voted counter to the governor on a union arbitration bill the governor opposed. McCann won in a race with total spending of about $4 million.
      A Democratic state representative, KEN DUNKIN, D-Chicago, sided with Rauner on some issues and was defeated by JULIANA STRATTON in a primary that Redfield said involved $6 million in spending.
      • Of course, Democrats are also raising money. The Democratic Party of Illinois had $2.4 million in the bank as of March 31. Since then, several donations have been reported, including $25,000 from the Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters.
        House Speaker MICHAEL MADIGAN, D-Chicago, chairs the state Democratic Party. And his Friends of Michael J. Madigan committee had nearly $1.4 million in the bank as of the end of March.
        But Citizens for Rauner had more than $20 million on hand at that time.
        At the end of 2014, after Rauner defeated former Democratic Gov. PAT QUINN, Rauner put $10 million in his own campaign fund; Chicago billionaire KEN GRIFFIN, CEO of the hedge fund Citadel put in $8 million; and RICHARD UIHLEIN, CEO of Uline Corp., added $2 million.
        NICK KLITZING, executive director of the Illinois Republican Party, said about the Rauner money: “Mike Madigan drew the legislative maps and has a seemingly endless supply of special interest money, so we hope to raise the resources to stay on a level playing field with Madigan’s Chicago machine.”
        STEVE BROWN, spokesman for Madigan, said later that the map was not drawn by Madigan alone but by the legislature in compliance with the Voting Rights Act.
        And about campaign money, Brown said, “Democrats expect to be outspent by Rauner and the 1 percenters.”
        As he has seesawed in recent weeks from asking Democrats for cooperation to get at least a short-term budget and attacking their plans as a Chicago bailout, Rauner hasn’t talked much in public about the political side.
        But at the state GOP convention in Peoria in late May, Rauner told delegates that government is “not working for you, the people of Illinois. It’s working for special interests, lobbyists, cronies, patronage workers, folks who make money from the government” and “take your hard-earned tax dollars.”
        “We’re gonna bring in the resources and put together the biggest ground game that’s ever been done for legislative races in Illinois history, and we are gonna pick up seats against the corrupt Chicago machine and Madigan’s Democrats.” He said he wants to bring back government that “works for people not special interests.”
        He often refers to government unions as special interests.
        Brown said he doesn’t like to make election predictions, but said, “We’re hopeful that the message of what we’re trying to do — to protect working families, to not take the state back into the early '80s as it relates to worker rights — will be a good message. Time will tell.”
         

     

    Above is from:  http://www.sj-r.com/opinion/20160611/bernard-schoenburg-rauner-cash-big-factor-in-november-election

    Saturday, June 11, 2016

    State budget: Brinksmanship over operations

     

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    Brinksmanship over operations

    Friday, Jun 10, 2016

    * As we’ve discussed before, the governor is accusing Speaker Madigan of creating a crisis in order to leverage a budget deal (and a resulting tax hike). Madigan’s path to this crisis is withholding approval of any appropriations to fund government operations. So, when Team Rauner claimed that the human services stop gap bill had “drafting errors” because the legislation didn’t appropriate any money to administer programs, the HDems countered by saying they had done it deliberately.

    The bill overwhelmingly passed both chambers and Madigan wants Gov. Rauner to sign it

    Madigan said of a bill that is sitting on Rauner’s desk and would provide a stopgap measure to fund social services. “He refuses to sign that bill because he continues seeking a state of crisis in Illinois.”

    Rauner on Wednesday defended his decision not to sign that bill, saying it doesn’t have “essential services in it.”

    “That bill is designed to still create a government crisis,” Rauner said.

    The measure, approved by both the Illinois House and Senate would have authorized spending about $450 million from a human services fund, and another $250 million from special funds to be spent on items such as foreclosure prevention, and affordable housing.

    * Along those lines, Illinois Department of Corrections Director John Baldwin recently penned an op-ed about his agency’s rapidly approaching crisis

    Without a budget, the Corrections Department will be hard pressed to continue with critical reforms that improve operations and outcomes, increase safety, and enhance programs aimed at helping offenders be successful once they return to communities across this state. Furthermore, we will be severely challenged to meet our legal obligation to provide constitutionally adequate care to the men and women in our custody who have been diagnosed with mental illness.

    Lack of a balanced budget or stopgap budget will impact the department’s ability to feed offenders, keep the lights on, run water and fulfill other day-to-day duties. Our vendors, including many mom-and-pop businesses, that provide food supplies, fire equipment examination services, building repair parts and maintenance services, depend on our payments. These local businesses will continue to suffer without payment and will eventually have to pull their services. That could cripple the department in a matter of days.

    As subscribers know, the Rauner administration has been trying to pry loose a stopgap for DOC and some other agencies since April. No luck so far.

    I figure a federal judge will probably have to step in if DOC can’t feed its prisoners, or if water, sewer or lights are shut off.

    - Posted by Rich Miller

    Above is from:  http://capitolfax.com/2016/06/10/brinksmanship-over-operations/

    Friday, June 10, 2016

    GLB RR: Notice of Extension of Comment Period for the Draft Scope of Study to July 15

    45270

    OEA                                     

    SERVICE DATE - JUNE 10, 2016

    SURFACE TRANSPORTATION BOARD NOTICE STB Docket No. FD 35952

    GREAT LAKES BASIN TRANSPORTATION, INC - AUTHORITY TO CONSTRUCT AND OPERATE A RAIL LINE IN INDIANA, ILLINOIS AND WISCONSIN

    Decided: June 10, 2016

    Notice of Extension of Comment Period for the Draft Scope of Study

    The Surface Transportation Board's (Board) Office of Environmental Analysis (OEA) issued a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement (EIS), a Draft Scope of Study, and a notice of scoping meetings in the above-captioned proceeding on March 18, 2016 and published it in the Federal Register on the same day. In the NOI, OEA invited public comments on the Draft Scope of Study, potential alternative routes for the proposed rail line, and environmental issues and concerns by May 16, 2016. In response to a number of comments and the extensive scope of the proposed construction, OEA issued a Notice on April 8, 2016 to advise the public and all interested parties that the comment period would be extended until June 15, 2016. OEA has received a number of requests for a further extension of the comment period and is issuing today's Notice to advise the public and all interested parties that the comment period will be extended again an additional 30 days. Comments are now due by July 15, 2016. No further extensions of time will be granted.

    OEA will issue a Final Scope of Study for the EIS after the close of the scoping comment period. Any comments previously submitted on the NOI and Draft Scope of Study need not be resubmitted.

    Scoping comments may be submitted electronically on the Board's website, www.stb.dot.gov by clicking on the "E-FILING"link on the homepage and then selecting "Environmental Comments." Please refer to Docket No. FD 35952 in all correspondence, including e-filings, addressed to the Board. Scoping comments are now due by July 15, 2016.

    Project specific information may be found on the Board's website at www.stb.dot.govunder "Environmental Matters," then click on the "Key Cases" button in the dropdown menu and then select "Great Lakes Basin." For additional information about the Board's environmental review process and this EIS, you may also visit a Board-sponsored project website at www.GreatLakesBasinRailEIS.com.The website for the Board is www.stb.dot.gov.

    By the Board, Victoria Rutson, Director, Office of Environmental Analysis.

    The actual decision is available at:  http://www.greatlakesbasinraileis.com/documents/OEA_Decision_45270_GLB_Comment_Period_Extension_06102016.pdf

    RMAP drafts letter in support of Great Lakes Basin Railroad

     

    What is the position of Boone County on the Great Lake Basis RR?  It appears that Chairman Walberg wants to “eat his cake and have it too”.

    To see the actual RMAP letter go to:  http://www.boarddocs.com/il/boone/Board.nsf/files/AASMCE5570B5/$file/RMAP%20Great%20Lakes%20Basin%20Railroad%20Letter_201606100948.pdf

     

     

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    By Adam Poulisse
    Staff writer

    Posted Jun. 10, 2016 at 7:58 PM

    ROCKFORD — A regional planning organization has put its support behind the proposed Great Lakes Basin Railroad, but says more information on the project is needed.
    Rockford Metropolitan Agency for Planning, better known as RMAP, voted 5-0-1 Thursday to send a letter to the Surface Transportation Board that supports the rail line.
    "We agree with the project concept," the two-page letter drafter today reads, "but do not have enough information from GLBRR to fully understand how the current route will affect the existing transportation, agricultural land use, and environmental asset-mapping plans for the region."
    Belvidere Mayor Mike Chamberlain, Machesney Park Village President Jerry Bolin, Loves Park Mayor Darryl Lindberg, Winnebago County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen and Rockfort City Administrator Jim Ryan — in Mayor Larry Morrissey's stead — all approved the letter. Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg abstained.
    The two-page letter states that the 278-mile railroad, which would transport cargo around Chicago traffic and include a spur to the Chicago Rockford International Airport, would address key economic development needs in the region.
    It also states the agency is "particularly interested in discussing adjustments to the proposed route that garner the largest cross-section of public support."
    "We believe the final route needs to take into account the many interests that benefit from and can be affected by a project of this scale," the letter reads.
    Though Walberg voted to approve a letter of opposition during a Boone County Board meeting last month, he abstained from Thursday's vote because the letter was more opinion-based, whereas the County Board's opposition was based on research and a series of meetings that collected public input, he said.
    "I felt it's what I should do," Walberg said. "I'm real sensitive about it and wouldn't want to abuse my position being chairman of the County Board."
    The railroad, in its current incarnation, would cut directly through Boone County and disrupt personal property and farmland. It's received staunch opposition from officials and citizens alike, some of whom have banded together to let their voice be heard.
    Cathy Ward, a District 2 board member, said she disagreed with RMAP drafting the letter without having all the information.
    "I am very concerned that RMAP ... would vote to support this railroad even though they need more information. If they need more information, why not wait until they had all the information to vote on this."
    Morrissey, who was out of town, said his administration generally "favors a route through Winnebago County, as opposed to the proposed Boone County route."

    "We believe this would create better economic opportunities for our area as it would more directly connect with our airport and other industrial opportunities," he said via email.

     

    Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160610/rmap-drafts-letter-in-support-of-great-lakes-basin-railroad

    House Democrats committed to compromise, but question Rauner’s refusal to fund vital needs

     

    SPRINGFIELD, Ill. –(ENEWSPF)–June 8, 2016.  House Speaker Michael Madigan released a statement following Gov. Bruce Rauner’s press conference Wednesday on the state budget:

    “While Governor Rauner continues his campaign-style tour, laden with personal attacks against those with whom he says he wants to work cooperatively, we remain committed to finding a solution to the state budget crisis, including a temporary budget to ensure schools open on time.

    “There are very real concerns within our caucus about the governor’s proposal that need to be answered. By not funding many critical programs and services, the governor is putting office supplies ahead of cancer prevention. He refuses to fund grants for college students in financial need, which would kick many students out of school. In his plan, the governor refuses to fund life-saving breast cancer screenings for women and programs for domestic violence and sexual assault victims. The governor’s plan fails to fund programs that provide care to frail elderly residents.

    “The governor wants to fund many operations of state government, including the state’s vehicle fleet and office supplies instead of providing life-saving services for Illinoisans. We, and the people of Illinois that we serve, have very serious concerns with the governor refusing to fund these programs in his proposal. We are committed to negotiating with the governor to fund these programs within the temporary budget, but many questions remain.”

    Source: Speaker Madigan’s Office

    Above is from:  http://enewspf.com/2016/06/09/house-speaker-michael-madigan-governor-rauner-chooses-office-supplies-over-life-saving-services-in-temporary-budget/

    Thursday, June 9, 2016

    How much did it cost Rauner to be governor

     

    It appears that the number is $40,000,000 BUT WHAT IS THAT TO A BILLIONAIRE.  see “Donations & Expenditures”

    Note that Alpine Bancorporation  WAS THE 15TH HIGHEST CONTRIBUTOR, donating $223.599.50.

     

     

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    Above information is fromhttp://illinoissunshine.org/committees/citizens-for-rauner-inc-25185/ This site also has available all expenses and contributions arranged by date.

    Rauner delivers one school message in Chicago, another Downstate

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    Tina Sfondeles

    @TinaSfon | email

    Fran Spielman

    @fspielman | email

      A week after legislators left Springfield with no budget and no plan to fund education, Gov. Bruce Rauner began his Monday morning in Chicago, where he likened some of Chicago Public Schools to “crumbling prisons.”

    By mid-day, the governor made his way to Ottawa — his third of three planned stops — where he again chose to pit Chicago against the rest of the state. There he reminded taxpayers to dial up their state representative —State Rep. Andy Skoog, a Democrat targeted by Republicans — to have him stand up against the “Chicago political machine

    “They want your tax dollars to bail out Chicago,” Rauner said at an Ottawa courthouse. “That’s not right. It’s not fair to the people of LaSalle County or any other county in the state of Illinois. So we cannot allow that to happen. It’s not fair. But the super majority Democrats have said, publicly said, they want to hold up school funding. They want your schools not to open as leverage to try to force you to bail out the city of Chicago.”

    The governor was met by dozens of union protesters, which forced a venue change in the town of about 18,500.

    “I’m not anti-union. I’m pro-job creation, and I’m pro-taxpayer,” Rauner told the crowd, while reminding them his grandfather was a dairy farmer and union member.

    It was a day of disparate messages for Rauner, who had set out to advocate for an education funding bill and a stopgap budget, but found himself calling Mayor Rahm Emanuel the “one major disappointment” during his 18-month term as governor, and also added “woeful” and “tragic” to his description of some CPS schools.

    “The simple fact is that when you look objectively at the state of Chicago Public Schools, many of them are inadequate. Many of them are woeful, and some are just tragic. Many of them are basically almost crumbling prisons. They’re not a place a young person should be educated,” Rauner said.

    The comments sparked outrage on Twitter, where CPS parents and students began a #notaprison campaign, detailing accomplishments at their schools.

    It also brought out another Donald Trump comparison from Emanuel. Last week, Emanuel likened Rauner to the presumptive Republican presidential and condemned Rauner’s blame-game tour of the state.

    On Monday, the mayor responded to Rauner comparing some CPS schools to “crumbling prisons” by escalating the war of words with his old friend, former business associate and vacation companion.

    “Last week, I said his rhetoric of division and divisiveness — of targeting [and pitting] one group of people against another — was Trump-like. Now, it sounds like he’s auditioning to be Donald Trump’s running mate,” the mayor said.

    Emanuel said Rauner “may have a stereotype that plays to his political philosophy, but those are not the results” in Chicago Public Schools under the mayor’s five-year watch.

    “I would just say to him, ‘This is not about right-wing ideology. It’s about results.’”

    “Now, I know you’re gonna try to play a political game and some rhetoric. [But] I ask all of you to do the responsible thing and put the data out about what the results are. It’s a University of Chicago report that talks about graduation rates, college attendance that are hitting remarkable highs,” the mayor said. The Sun-Times first reported the results Monday.

    During his Chicago stop at technology hub 1871, Rauner talked about the failure of the General Assembly to pass a budget and said he is “deeply concerned” that schools might not open on time this fall.

    While Rauner has said he’d put his “Turnaround Agenda” aside to fund education and get the state running, albeit temporary, he’s still advocating for changes in collective bargaining and workers compensation. Democrats say that will hurt the middle class. And Rauner has consistently said he won’t support a tax hike to balance the budget unless some of his favored reforms are attached.

    Meanwhile, Democrats are trying to find a way to fund education and have long favored a complete reworking of the school funding formula. But for now, Rauner is pushing support for a bill to keep the doors open this fall that doesn’t include an overhaul of the formula.

    Above is from:  http://chicago.suntimes.com/news/gov-rauner-calls-some-cps-schools-are-like-crumbling-prisons/

    Crucial points to remember about Illinois budget impasse

     

    Wednesday, Jun 8, 2016

    * Voices for Illinois Children…

    The legislative session is over, and Illinois is about to enter its second year without a budget. Where does all of this leave the state?

    Voices for Illinois Children’s Fiscal Policy Center offers eight takeaways to put matters in perspective and lead the way to a solution that gets Illinois back to making the public investments needed for the state to flourish.

      1) Illinois is Dismantling the Foundations of a Prosperous, Compassionate State. As the Fiscal Policy Center has chronicled, the lack of a fully-funded state budget is causing our higher education system to fall apart, service providers to shut down, and our safety net to collapse.

      2) Public Safety is Jeopardized. At a time when Illinois needs a coordinated, public health-centered approach to violence that plagues many communities, we are going in the opposite direction, cutting mental health and substance abuse treatment, after-school opportunities for youth, and programs like Redeploy that rehabilitate youth in their communities.

      3) Lack of Resources Drives This Crisis. The real problem is Illinois doesn’t have the money it takes to meet public needs. After last year’s 25-percent tax cut, Illinois needs more than $7 billion in new revenue a year to return to the level of services of the 2015 fiscal year — the last year with a full budget.

      4) Delay In Raising Revenue Means More Debt. Illinois is racking up debt even with deep cuts in spending, because the state must still pay for a variety of things mandated under state and federal law. Every day lawmakers and Governor Rauner fail to agree on raising critically needed revenue, Illinois’ finances worsen.

      5) Debt = Less Investment in Future. Increasing the state’s backlog of unpaid bills not only means unfair payment delays to people providing goods and services. It also restricts what Illinois can do in the future. Debt must be repaid using future revenue, taking resources away from schools, transportation, public safety, and other building blocks of broad prosperity.

      6) Without More Revenue, Increases to Public School Funding Crowds Out Other Investments. Without new revenue, the large proposed increases to public school funding mean that Illinois will further increase its debt and be forced to cut a range of services for children and families that support children’s healthy growth and development. We cannot continue to pit education against human services — children and families need both to succeed.

      7) Short-Term “Emergency” Budget is Not a Solution. At best, a six-month emergency budget to get elected officials past the November elections only slows the deterioration of our higher education system and our social safety net. Much of any emergency six-month budget would likely just fill existing holes and would not sustain critical services into next fiscal year.

      8) Governor Rauner Has Bill on His Desk that is Part of His Desired Six-Month Budget. The legislature passed by large bipartisan majorities Senate Bill 2038 to provide urgently needed funds to service providers owed $700 million by the state. The money sits in state accounts, unable to be spent until Governor Rauner signs the legislation he received nearly three weeks ago. More than 220 organizations, including Voices, have urged him to sign this bill.

    To avoid further damage to our state, lawmakers and Governor Rauner must come together to enact a fully funded budget that raises billions of dollars in new revenue to support critical services and public investment in Illinois’ future. Anything else falls far short of strengthening our state.

    - Posted by Rich Miller

    Above is from:  http://capitolfax.com/2016/06/08/8-crucial-points-to-remember-about-the-impasse/

    The condition of welfare payments to poor in us and Illinois

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    To download the complete national report go to the address shown below

    Above is from:  http://features.marketplace.org/yourstateonwelfare/

     

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    Above Illinois information is from:  http://features.marketplace.org/yourstateonwelfare/illinois.html