Ellingson editorial criticized by MacCloskey

 

 

My View: GOP gives power to the (rich) people

By Kim MacCloskey

Posted Feb. 13, 2016 at 9:00 AM

I respect Don Ellingson and his desire to lend his long life experience to the political discourse of the day. But his recent attempt to channel the spirit of Abraham Lincoln was nothing more than a propaganda piece for his idealized version of the Republican Party.

You could tell his glaring pro-Republican Party bias when he said that one side of the political spectrum thought government was “all things to all people,” and the other faction “strongly disagreed."

No, Mr. Ellingson, the other “faction,” as you called them, is the Republican Party, and it thinks multinational corporations are all things to all people. He actually said that governance should not be decided by a few people in power, yet he backs a political party where a few billionaires decide how to govern, and their shills in the Republican Party and on Fox so-called News just can’t wait to dance to the tune the billionaires play.

ALEC, owned and operated by billionaires, writes the laws Republican politicians submit to state legislatures for approval. Corporate lobbyists do the same in Congress.The Illinois Policy Institute writes weekly propaganda pieces in this newspaper to create public opinion. In short, a few billionaires are deciding what our government should do.

Since 1980, when Ronald Reagan took office, big business interests have worked hard to subjugate our government and bust the unions to increase their power. The Republican Party has been their willing co-conspirator. How else do you explain Mitch McConnell being worth more than $20,000,000 on a salary of less than $200,000 per year?

So, Mr. Ellingson, the Republican Party doesn’t just disagree with government working for the majority of the people, it is actively working to take power from that government for the benefit of a few billionaires. It is nothing short of a hostile takeover.

One has only to look to Flint, Michigan, to see this truth. The governor knew nearly a year ago that people were being poisoned by lead in the water supply and exposed to Legionnaires Disease, but since they were poor, and it would cost money to fix the problem, he ignored it. That is the 21st century Republican way. The Republican Party exists only to enlarge corporate profits. They don’t give a whit for people, unless those people are billionaires.

Why do you think every single Republican Party presidential candidate wants us to get involved in a ground war in Syria? Well, who makes money in a war? Munitions makers, of course. But Republicans won’t even consider raising taxes on those who can afford to pay more to care for the poor people who sacrifice their bodies to conduct those wars.

The simple, obvious fact, is that the only way our government is going to work for the majority of the people is if billionaires pay their fair share in taxes.

But take heart. There is one, and only one, person running for president who has been a consistent voice against the billionaire takeover of our government.

He has been a political independent for 40 years, and has been a mayor, a congressman and a senator. He’s been saying the same things for his entire career. Of course, I’m talking about Bernie Sanders. That is why I support him for president, and why I am running to be a delegate for Sanders to the Democratic Party convention this summer.

If you want to wrest power from the billionaires who are stealing our government, you have a choice in Bernie Sanders.

Kim MacCloskey of Durand is an attorney.

• My View: U.S. should embrace leadership role

• By Don Ellingson

  Posted Feb. 6, 2016 at 6:12 PM

  If Abraham Lincoln were alive today, this is what he might say.

  Twelve score years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal. Today we are engaged in a great civil strife of ideals testing whether that nation or any nation so divided can long endure.

  One faction believes that government is all things to all people — a Supreme Power that is all wise and knows what is best for the country and its citizens, including health, education, jobs, resources and retirement. The other faction strongly disagrees. They think that government is not such an entity. They know that any government is made up of one or more humans whose thoughts and opinions are what is decreed by government. The laws and rules of government all come from people that have maneuvered themselves into a leadership position, sometimes not in an honorable way.

  But in a larger sense, government of the people, by the people and for the people is not decided by a few people in a position of power who are not necessarily the smartest, fairest or most experienced of this nation.

  Since its birth, this country has not only been the envy of the world but also the savior of the world. There have been two terrible world wars. We did not start either of them, but we ended both of them. Then we helped stabilize the rest of the world, including the defeated nations in the most humane way we knew through the Marshall Plan. Many countries looked at us not as conquerors but saviors.

  With the chaos in the Middle East, it appears that the world again is waiting for the United States to bring them hope — not as a bystanding cheerleader, not as an adviser, not as a helper with a minor role, but as a leader. Remember, you are not a leader unless you have followers that support you and physically help you reach your goal.

  We have done this more than once. And the unbelievable patriotism exhibited by this nation after the bombing of Pearl Harbor was something that has never been seen before and should be the envy of the world.

  In closing, let me say this: May this nation, under God, never perish from the earth because of the help and leadership that it has provided to the rest of the world.

  Don Ellingson is a Poplar Grove resident and longtime dairy farmer

• Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20160206/my-view-us-should-embrace-leadership-role

Obama vows to fill vacancy on Supreme Court, setting up clash with Republicans

President Obama said he would make his third nomination to the Supreme Court to replace the late Justice Antonin Scalia, and called for a “timely vote” in a Senate led by Republicans who have said the choice should be left for the next president.

“I plan to fulfill my constitutional responsibilities to nominate a successor in due time,” Obama told reporters from a hotel in Rancho Mirage, where he is set to host a summit of Asian leaders this week.

 

“These are responsibilities that I take seriously, as should everyone,” he continued. “They are bigger than any one party. They are about our democracy, and they’re about the institution to which Justice Scalia dedicated his professional life, and making sure it continues to function as the beacon of justice that our founders envisioned.”

Scalia’s unexpected passing set up a major confrontation between Obama and the Republican-led Senate over the president’s prerogative to make nominations to executive and judicial posts, a major flashpoint of his second term.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky said in a statement earlier Saturday that “the American people‎ should have a voice” in the process, and the vacancy should be filled by the winner of the November election.

After Obama’s reelection in 2012, Republicans used tactics available to the Senate minority to delay or block consideration of several of the president’s Cabinet, sub-Cabinet and judicial appointments. The then-Democratic majority ultimately invoked the so-called nuclear option to change Senate rules by simple majority vote to essentially end the filibuster power.

That change applied to all nominations except for those to the Supreme Court. Republicans now could simply refuse to even give the president’s nominee a hearing, let alone a vote.

Sen. Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which would consider any pick, said in a statement that it has been “standard practice” for nearly 80 years that presidents not name Supreme Court choices in a presidential election year.

“Given the huge divide in the country, and the fact that this president, above all others, has made no bones about his goal to use the courts to circumvent Congress and push through his own agenda, it only makes sense that we defer to the American people who will elect a new president to select the next Supreme Court justice,” he said.

The president has made two successful Supreme Court nominations: Sonia Sotomayor to replace David Souter in 2009, and Elena Kagan to replace John Paul Stevens in 2010. Both came when the Senate had a sizable Democratic majority.

In his brief statement, Obama spoke warmly of the conservative justice, who died Saturday at age 79, as a “larger-than-life presence on the bench,” and one of the “most consequential judges and thinkers to serve on the Supreme Court.”

He noted that he had invited Scalia as a guest to a state dinner for British Prime Minister David Cameron in 2012.

Follow @mikememoli for more White House coverage.

Above is from:  http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-na-obama-scalia-nomination-20160213-story.html

Pritchard honored by park districts

 

Published: Friday, Feb. 12, 2016 5:30 a.m. CST

 

 

State Rep. Bob Pritchard, R-Hinckley, was one of four individuals named "Legislator of the Year" during the Illinois Association of Park Districts convention for his efforts in supporting park district programs and responding to park district issues.

Others recognized were Rep. Carol Sente, Sen. Christine Radogno and Sen. Thomas Cullerton.

Pritchard, said over the years he has seen how well-run park districts become a major asset for their communities.  

“Parks and their programs attract new residents, engage residents in constructive activities and encourage healthy life styles. I have been impressed by not only park district summer activities for youth, but also their after school, food nutrition, and educational programming throughout the year,” he said in a press release.

“As one concerned about the natural environment, parks provide open space for people in our towns and cities to enjoy the beauty of nature, find inner peace and provide sanctuaries for future generations,” he said in the release.

The legislator said he was fortunate to have a number of outstanding park districts in his area that inform him about issues and give him background that is helpful during legislative debate.

Above is from:  http://www.daily-chronicle.com/2016/02/05/pritchard-honored-by-park-districts/aiuzbby/

Our View: We need a sane chase policy in Winnebago and Boone counties

 

Police chiefs and sheriffs in Winnebago and Boone counties need to meet to come up with a unified policy on car chases in the wake of Joy Lambert's death, caused by a speeding car that had been chased by a sheriff's deputy

y The Editorial Board

Posted Feb. 13, 2016 at 8:00 AM

"My mom touched so many people," Kevin Lambert said Thursday at a candlelight vigil for his mother, Joy Lambert. "One of her favorite (sayings) was 'hope and love.' If there is anything we need, it's hope and love."

Lambert, who was 55, died in a catastrophic car crash Monday morning at the intersection of South Springfield Avenue and Cunningham Road.

She leaves behind a husband and five children and many friends, including those at West Side Church of God in Christ, where she was a member for 40 years.

It wasn't fate that dictated the terms of her untimely death.

No, it was a car chase in which a Winnebago County sheriff's deputy decided to pursue a car that was exceeding the 45 mph speed limit on Springfield. The pursued car sped up, and the deputy kept chasing. Sheriff Gary Caruana said the deputy stopped chasing the car half a mile before the intersection. The speeding car kept speeding.

That car destroyed Lambert's vehicle, killing her instantly. Lambert's death is a great loss, not only to her family, but to Rockford and Winnebago County. Tributes to her fundamental goodness and great faith in God have come from all over.

All she was doing on Monday morning was going to work at BMO Harris Bank, where Lambert was a senior personal banker. She had worked 37 years at the bank, dating to when it was Amcore Bank and before that American Bank.

This should not have happened. The circumstances of Lambert's death are being investigated by State's Attorney Joe Bruscato and the state police. We strongly urge that this investigation be thorough, no matter where it leads.

The sheriff changed his department's chase policy in September from a very restrictive one to something we're calling a Dukes of Hazzard policy. The number of chases has soared.

The new policy is too dangerous. Remember that picture in the paper recently of an SUV upended on the sidewalk in front of City Hall? It happened because of a high-speed chase by a sheriff's deputy. It's a good thing no pedestrians were around.

This is not a critique of Winnebago County only. In 2014, Rockford lawyer Karen Williams died because her car was hit near CherryVale Mall in Cherry Valley. In that incident, Boone County deputies were chasing a car whose occupants were suspected of knocking over a cellphone store in Belvidere.

Was it worth the death of Williams, who probably would have been a future Rockford leader, just to chase some phone store bandits at high speed?

At the other end of the spectrum, we have the Rockford Police Department. They're too timid to chase a kid pedaling his tricycle too fast. That's wrong, too.

This is nuts. Police chiefs and sheriffs in Winnebago and Boone counties should meet and work out a unified chase policy that follows best national practices. Chases should not be ruled out entirely, but they are extremely dangerous and should only be used in a very limited circumstances.

We've simply got to get to a middle ground between "NO" and "Fire up the General Lee.

.ABOVE IS FROM:  http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20160213/our-view-we-need-sane-chase-policy-in-winnebago-and-boone-counties/?Start=2

FBI seizes nearly $300K from former Winnebago County purchasing director's bank accounts

 

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By Isaac Guerrero
Staff writer

Posted Feb. 13, 2016 at 4:50 PM

ROCKFORD — The FBI has seized nearly $300,000 from bank accounts belonging to former Winnebago County Purchasing Director Sally Claassen and her husband as part of an ongoing federal investigation of county spending.

The forfeitures were made on Dec. 11 and were disclosed today on a U.S. Department of Justice website. Agents seized $272,490.08 from Claassen's account at Chase Bank, 401 E. State St. Additionally, $8,126.90 and $11,907.63 was taken from two joint accounts at the same bank belonging to Claassen and her husband.

The scope of the nearly six-month-old FBI investigation is not clear, and no one has been charged with a crime. However, Claassen is accused of spending taxpayer money on personal vacations, gift cards, new cabinets and countertops, furniture, and other appliances for her home, according to a draft insurance claim prepared by county officials.

Claassen's attorney, Chuck Prorok, declined to comment.

News of the FBI forfeiture of Claassen's bank accounts came as a surprise to John Sweeney, the County Board Republican majority leader. The federal investigation has been such a distraction that he and other board members held a news conference last month to reassure the public that they're doing all they can to tighten financial controls and be more transparent about how the county spends taxpayer dollars.

Federal agents have seized county bid documents, financial records and even a sauna that was purchased for an employee wellness program and kept in County Board Chairman Scott Christiansen's home for a year.

The County Board has taken several steps to tighten internal controls. A toll-free hotline was rolled out this week allowing county employees and the public to anonymously report instances of fraud, ethics violations or misappropriation of funds. The board lowered the threshold — from $30,000 to $12,000 — for spending by county department heads without the board's approval, and purchasing card spending limits were lowered for employees who are authorized to use them.

Sweeney, R-16, said he even requested that State's Attorney Joe Bruscato ask the U.S. Attorney's Office whether there are any additional steps that the County Board could take to ensure that more problems don't arise.

Bruscato said he had told Assistant State's Attorney David Kurlinkus to make the call and that “Dave was told by the U.S. Attorney's Office that they cannot discuss an ongoing investigation.”

Not knowing the scope of the FBI probe or how long it will continue understandably provides little peace of mind, Bruscato said, but that's the nature of investigations such as this.

“There's two things I wish could be over — the primary and this investigation,” said County Board member David Boomer, R-4.

Boomer, like Sweeney, faces a challenge in the March 15 primary.

“Once the investigation and the primary are over, then the board can go on about its business and just focus on our jobs as County Board members,” Boomer said. “What I fear, though, is that whatever comes of this investigation, it's going to tarnish the image of the board for years. That's the bad part about all of this.”

Auditor Bill Crowley and Finance Director Bryan Cutler audited five years of county transactions associated with Claassen and submitted their findings to the FBI. The auditor and finance offices also reviewed 2015 spending of the county's 1 percent public safety sales tax fund, searching specifically for transactions "charged incorrectly" by Claassen.

The internal investigation revealed that Claassen had falsified purchasing invoices, though county officials have declined to say how the documents were falsified. The findings were given to the FBI. The county's auditing firm, Sikich LLP, is performing additional tests of the county's checks and balances on spending.

Isaac Guerrero:

ABOVE IS FROM:  http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160213/fbi-seizes-nearly-300k-from-former-winnebago-county-purchasing-directors-bank-accounts/?Start=2

Michigan Governor Snyder ordered DEQ to withhold Flint lead test results, emails claim

Snyder ordered DEQ (Dept of Environmental Quality) to withhold Flint lead test results, emails claim

By Gary Ridley | gridley@mlive.com The Flint Journal
Follow on Twitter
on February 10, 2016 at 6:43 PM, updated February 12, 2016 at 12:21 PM

 

This story has been updated to include additional comment from the governor's office.

FLINT, MI – Gov. Rick Snyder and other state officials allegedly withheld lead testing results from county health officials while they worked to find ways to present the information to the public, according to emails obtained by The Flint Journal.

Local health officials say the governor and the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality withheld lead testing results, including results from a Flint elementary school, while the agency discussed the best way to present the information to the public.

But, Snyder's office said Wednesday, Feb. 10, that information was shared quickly after testing and denied withholding any information

Emails obtained this week from the Genesee County Health Department through the Freedom of Information Act show growing frustration on the county's part as it attempted to obtain information from the DEQ.

"MDEQ explained that the Governor prohibited releasing all Genesee County lead results until after the press conference," wrote Jim Henry,Genesee County's environmental health supervisor.

Henry, in an interview Wednesday, said county officials didn't learn of the test results until they were distributed following a news conference.

"They should have alerted the schools and they didn't," Henry said.

Gov. Rick Snyder announced Oct. 8 during a news conference that three buildings within the Flint School District tested above the federal limits for lead in the drinking water, including results of more than six times the federally allowable level at Freeman Elementary School.

The announcement included a plan to buy nine months of water from the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department to end the city's reliance on the Flint River as its drinking water source.

An additional $4 million was requested for efforts to address immediate lead issues, including further testing of children in Flint school buildings where the high lead rates were discovered.

Following the announcement, a meeting was held Oct. 16 with DEQ officials, including then drinking water chief Liane Shekter Smith, and Henry, according to the emails.

According to an Oct. 18 email Henry wrote to county Health Officer Mark Valacak summarizing the meeting, DEQ apologized for not releasing school lead results in a timely manner and claimed they were ordered by Snyder to delay the release.

The governor's office, when asked Wednesday, denied they ordered the DEQ to delay releasing any information, but said the start of testing and announcement were only six days apart. 

"The email seems to reflect someone summarizing a discussion at a meeting, and we are unsure what actually was said there," Snyder Press Secretary Dave Murray said. "We do know that the testing began on Oct. 2, it took some time to test 13 buildings, action was taken immediately and the Governor held a press conference in Flint to discuss the results on Oct. 8. There was no delay during that time period.

"People were quickly informed of the results in the schools, and that action on the fixtures with elevated levels was taken immediately."

The DEQ announced three days after the meeting that Shekter Smith was being reassigned. She was eventually suspended and ultimately fired Feb. 5.

However, the emails allege that the delays in test results didn't end there. Further testing was conducted at Freeman Elementary during the last week of October.

Henry emailed the DEQ's Laboratory Director George Krisztian on Nov. 3 and requested all lead testing results for water at Freeman Elementary. He added that his request should be treated as a FOIA request.

Krisztian declined the request, saying the samples collected from the school Oct. 24 presented an "incomplete picture of the plumbing system" and that samples collected Oct. 31 wouldn't be ready until Nov. 4, according to the emails.

"I am hoping to either have a conference call or a meeting in Flint with all the partners to review the results and discuss how we will present the information to the public," Krisztian wrote.

On Nov. 6, Henry again emailed Valacak, claiming he had talked with Krisztian and that Krisztian told him he had been instructed to withhold the information until the FOIA deadline of Dec. 2.

"MDEQ reminds me of a stubborn 2yr old child," Henry wrote. "Instead of doing what is right, they'll willfully take another spanking just to be defiant."

However, emails show county health officials didn't wait for the results before taking action.

Henry, in his Nov. 6 email, said he was directing county health staff to visit Flint schools, meet with administrators and ensure that water wasn't being consumed on the campuses in order to reduce the risk to students.

Flint Community Schools eventually released the results Nov. 9 in a news release after being informed of them by the DEQ.

"The Michigan Department of Environmental Quality informed Flint Community Schools that of 31 samples taken at the school on Oct. 24, samples from nine fixtures indicated water with lead exceeding 15 parts per billion, the threshold considered safe by the federal government," the district wrote in its news release. "The MDEQ informed FCS that the high lead levels were not detected in plumbing, but only in nine faucets and heads of drinking fountains."

The district had been under a self-imposed do-not-drink order for its water since late September.

DEQ officials said they still regularly work with other agencies on the city's water crisis and work to have positive relationships.

"The state DEQ is committed to having a good working relationship with the county and all partners at the local, state and federal level who are collaborating to ensure safe drinking water for the residents of Flint," DEQ spokeswoman Mel Brown said. 

The city is in the national spotlight after elevated blood lead levels were discovered in some Flint children after the city changed its water source from Lake Huron water purchased from the Detroit water system to the Flint River in April 2014, a decision made while the city was being run by a state-appointed emergency manager.

State regulators never required that the river water be treated to make it less corrosive, causing lead from plumbing and pipes to leach into the water supply.

Even though the city reconnected to the Detroit water system in October, local and state officials have warned pregnant women and young children against using the water unless it has been tested because lead levels continue to exceed what can be handled by a filter.

ABOVE IS FROM:  http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2016/02/snyder_ordered_deq_to_withhold.html

The rath of Rauner?

 

Above is from:  http://www.sj-r.com/article/20160212/NEWS/160219854

 

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

As expected, Rauner endorses McCann opponent

Friday, Feb 12, 2016

* Gov. Rauner said the other day that he wasn’t focused at all on politics. He can’t say that now. From a press release…

Governor Bruce Rauner has announced his endorsement of Bryce Benton, Republican candidate for State Senate in the 50th District, this evening at the Sangamon County Lincoln Day Dinner.

“I am proud to announce that I support Bryce Benton for State Senate in the 50th District,” said Rauner. “Bryce Benton serves the citizens of Illinois as a State Trooper. He makes sacrifices for the people of Illinois every day. He serves others, not himself. He has the utmost integrity and can’t be controlled by the special interests.”

“I’m asking you to join me in supporting Bryce Benton for State Senate,” said Rauner. “We have to send a message to the special interests – that their days of controlling Illinois are over. Illinois needs people like Bryce Benton who will serve our state with integrity and honor. We can’t afford to elect politicians who serve themselves and the special interests.”

“It’s an incredible honor to receive the support of Governor Rauner,” said Benton. “Governor Rauner wasn’t elected to maintain the status quo. Voters all over Central Illinois sent him to Springfield to turn our state around, and now he needs more allies in the Senate. The Governor has endorsed me because he knows that I won’t bow to the demands of special interests and will fight for all of Central Illinois.”

* The endorsement video…

* That video was part of a longer video played last night at the Sangamon County Lincoln Day Dinner. The county party has endorsed McCann. Here’s an e-mail last night from a longtime reader, who sent it moments after the announcement…

At Sangamon County GOP Lincoln Day Dinner. Governor Rauner had a pre taped message. Mentioned all representatives of Sangamon County including State Senator Bill Brady. Excluded McCann.

Proceeded to rail about Special interests and Madigan. He glowed about Rosemarie Long and her great leadership. Went on for a little about her.

Then went on to say he had a special announcement. Said he was announcing he was endorsing Benton. Sam was in the room. Very uncomfortable silence with only Bryce’s table cheering.

Wow.

Weird that he sent a video and didn’t show in person, but whatevs.

* Meanwhile, here’s Sen. McCann’s new TV ad, which was recorded with a phone off a television screen because his campaign hasn’t sent it to me yet…

It’s a pretty darned good spot for a general. Not so sure about a GOP primary, but we’ll see.

* Related…

* Ingraham at Sangamon GOP Dinner: It’s a great time to be a Republican

* Bernard Schoenburg: State GOP past $250,000 in support for Rep. Avery Bourne

- Posted by Rich Miller

ABOVE IS FROM:  http://capitolfax.com/2016/02/12/as-expected-rauner-endorses-mccann-opponent/