McHenry County Rep Franks votes “present”

 

 

Above is from:  http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20160525/news/160529204/

Over 10,000 Rally in Illinois, Demanding Governor Rauner Stop His Hostage-Taking

 

 

Over 10,000 Rally in Illinois, Demanding Governor Rauner Stop His Hostage-Taking

by David Kreisman  |  May 26, 2016

Ten thousand rally in Springfield, demand Governor Rauner stop hurting Illinois. (Photo by David Kreisman)

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – More than 10,000 Illinoisans representing 38 unions and some 20 community organizations rallied at the State Capitol to demand Gov. Bruce Rauner drop his harmful demands, and make Illinois work for all.

Illinois is quickly approaching a full year without a state budget because the governor refuses to approve any budget unless legislators enact his anti-worker agenda.  Although an education funding bill has kept K-12 schools open, human services and state universities have been hard hit because of Governor Rauner’s refusal to stray from his extreme agenda.

In addition, construction projects have stalled, child support payments are in jeopardy, and businesses are owed millions for goods and services provided to the state. 

Low-income college students are struggling to stay in school as funding for state student assistance under the Monetary Award Program (MAP) is no longer flowing. More than half of all African-American and Latino college students in Illinois receive MAP funding, with 57 percent of grant recipients being first-generation college students.

With the state not paying its bills, local governments across Illinois are feeling the pinch. In Will County, the health department is laying off dozens of employees (members of AFSCME Local 1028) and cutting programs that are dependent on  state grants.

“Every day I see firsthand the harm the governor is causing,” said JoAnn Washington-Murry, a child welfare specialist from Chicago and AFSCME Local 2081 member. “Because the governor is holding up the budget, treatment programs have had to scale back or shut down. That hurts children and families, because if parents can’t get help to turn their lives around, my only choice is to keep that child in foster care.”

Governor Rauner is taking the same my-way-or-the-highway approach to a new union contract for state employees. Claiming an impasse, he broke off negotiations with AFSCME Council 31 and is asking the state Labor Board to allow him to impose his demands, which include doubling health insurance costs for state workers and a four-year wage freeze.

“We have a message for Governor Rauner: What you’re doing is wrong,” Washington-Murry added. “It’s wrong to destroy social services in order to force lawmakers to do your bidding. It’s wrong to refuse to negotiate and walk away. It’s wrong to hold a state of 13 million people hostage to your political agenda.”

Above is from:  http://www.afscme.org/blog/over-10000-rally-in-illinois-demanding-governor-rauner-stop-his-hostage-taking

Ill. First Lady’s Charity Joins Budget Suit Against Governor

 

An education nonprofit headed by Diana Rauner, the wife of Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, has joined a coalition of charities suing her husband’s administration over failure to pay off state human-service contracts, according to Crain’s Chicago Business. Ms. Rauner is the president of the Ounce of Prevention Fund, which focuses on early-childhood learning and is one of 18 new plaintiffs listed in an amended complaint filed Wednesday by Pay Now Illinois.

More than 60 Illinois human-service nonprofits were already part the coalition when it filed suit in early May. Pay Now Illinois says its members are collectively owed $130 million for programs and services they have provided under contracts that the state has enforced despite Mr. Rauner’s veto of spending bills to fund them. The Republican governor and the Democrat-controlled legislature have been embroiled in a nearly yearlong fight over the state budget. A first hearing on the suit is scheduled for September 1.

Ounce of Prevention received $15.3 million from the state in fiscal year 2015, about 22 percent of its budget.

Above is from:  https://philanthropy.com/article/Ill-First-Lady-s-Charity/236615?cid=cpfd_home

Koch-Backed Group Drops $3 Million Against Democrat In PA Senate Race

 

by Leigh Ann Caldwell

The Charles and David Koch backed super PAC Freedom Partners Action Fund has purchased a $3 million advertising buy targeting the Pennsylvania Senate race. It's a large investment in a Senate race six months before Election Day, signaling that the group is going to aggressively play in races where they are ideologically aligned with the candidate.

Freedom Partners, the main political organization of the conservative billionaire political activists, have indicated they will not get involved in the presidential election this cycle because of their dislike of presumptive Republican nominee Donald Trump.

Instead, the group said it would focus its monetary heft on key Senate races.

This Pennsylvania ad, which attacks Democrat candidate Katie McGinty, who is running against incumbent Republican Sen. Pat Toomey, comes less than two weeks after a $2 million ad purchase in Ohio. which is another state with a highly contested Senate race as Republican incumbent Sen. Rob Portman is trying to hold on to his seat.

With this Pennsylvania purchase, it brings the Koch network's spending in Senate races to $15.4 million, and they are in the process of reserving nearly $30 million worth of advertising, mostly in August and September. In addition to Ohio and Pennsylvania, the group plans to also back Republican candidates in Nevada, Wisconsin and possibly Florida.

But still, the $42 million being allocated is far less than the more than couple hundreds of million the group had budgeted to spend if it engaged in the presidential cycle.

"If a candidate were able to garner support from the public with a positive message in support of the issues we care about, and did not engage in personal attacks and mudslinging, we would consider potentially getting involved. That hasn't happened yet and there is no indication that this will happen given the current tone and tenor of the campaign," Mark Holden, Chairman of the Board of Freedom Partners said in a recent statement.

The ad, titled "Whose Job," charges that McGinty, as head of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection sought subsidies for companies that later paid her after her role in the government ended.

McGinty's Communications Director Sarbina Singh responded to the ad, calling it "desperate."

"Toomey - the best Senator Wall Street and the Koch Brothers ever had - is going to need all the help he can get to hide his abysmal record of putting his special interest allies ahead of Pennsylvania's middle class families," Singh said in a statement.

Above is from:  http://www.nbcnews.com/politics/2016-election/koch-backed-group-drops-3-million-against-democrat-pennsylvania-senate-n580851

Lisa Rodgers’ take on Boone County Board actions on GLB RR

 

 

City of Belvidere sends clear message to Great Lakes Basin Railroad
By Lisa Rodgers
Publisher/Editor The Rhubarb

CITY OF BELVIDERE-This week Belvidere City Council Committee of the Whole met and unanimously approved a resolution to oppose the Great Lakes Basin Railroad. Final approval will take place on June 6 at the regular city council meeting.

"...Even though the tracks do not run though the city, the council knows that many of our families will be negatively impacted by this freight train plan. Hats off to our city officials. Half of the people who live in Boone County live in the city. We truly appreciate their support on this critical issue," said Boone County Board member Cathy Ward in a FaceBook post May 24.

While the City of Belvidere has taken a strong and defining position against the railroad, Boone County Board under the leadership of Chairman Bob Walberg has instead taken a milk toast approach to the very same issue.

On May 19 The Rhubarb spoke with Boone County Board member Cathy Ward and confirmed the Boone County Board had not passed a resolution at the regular county board meeting held May 18. Rather they approved only a letter objecting to the Great Lakes Basin Railroad from the Boone County Board and Community.

It should be noted Chairman Bob Walberg was challenged by Ang Daniels who attended the meeting that the resolution was not on the agendas despite Chairman Walberg saying it would be at the retreat. held on May 12. He denied he had made that statement and she took him to task that in fact he had and that she could prove it. Without the resolution being on the agenda, the board could not take action on a resolution.

Boone County has not followed the example of other governing bodies including other counties that have passed resolutions against Great Lakes Basin Railroad as Chairman Bob Walberg did not want a resolution. According to Ms. Ward, States Attorney Michelle Courier stated that a resolution is more powerful than what was approved by the county board.

According to Ms. Ward a resolution is still on the table and it is to be brought up at upcoming Administrative and Legislative Committee meeting to be held Monday, June 6 at 6:45pm. However, even if approved at committee, unless Boone County Board requests a special Boone County Board meeting, their regular board meeting falls on the STB deadline of June 15. There will not be time to submit the resolution if approved on June 15.

It is worth noting that the efforts of Boone County residents forced the hand of the Boone County Board and discussion occurred in regards to the Great Lakes Basin Railroad despite Chairman Walberg's attempt to railroad discussion on the matter stating there would be no discussion at all at a previous Boone County Board meeting held in April. The public has expressed their concern repeatedly about a conflict of interest with the Chairman as the proposed railroad goes directly through his property and if approved as is, is set to make a substantial amount of money. Many have stated Chairman Walberg should recuse himself from this process due to this conflict.

Below is a link to contact Boone County Board members to voice your concerns. The public is also encouraged to attend the June 6 meeting and speak during public comment. The committee meeting will be held at 1212 Logan Ave., Belvidere, IL 61008.

http://www.boonecountyil.org/page/countyboard

Rauner's approval rating sinks to record low

 

Greg Hinz on Politics

I'd take this one with a pound or two of salt, but a poll that's been following Gov. Bruce Rauner for a while now has him getting his worst job-performance ratings ever.

According to the survey by an out-of-state polling firm for The Insider, a political newsletter, just 33 percent of likely 2016 voters surveyed now approve of the job the Republican governor is doing. A whopping 57 percent disapprove.

As recently as January, Rauner's disapproval rating was only 51.6 percent. So, if the survey's findings are accurate, Rauner's numbers are headed south. He's particularly weak among independents: Just 30 percent approve of the job he's done so far.

Now, Insider publisher David Ormsby is a former aide to House Speaker Mike Madigan, Rauner's bitter foe. And as Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly says, "Polls go up and polls go down. Gov. Rauner is 100 percent focused on working with both parties to get a grand compromise that will produce a balanced budget along with significant structural reforms that will put Illinois back on a path to prosperity."

I'd also add that every poll I've heard of that asks about Madigan finds him at least as far in the red.

But the problem is, Madigan's name never appears on the ballot outside of his own Southwest Side district, while Rauner's does. And more than one Springfield hand believes that the longer the budget standoff continues, the greater the odds that voters will blame the guy at the top.

Some sources say they may be making a little progress in Springfield, especially on a patchwork plan to fund grade and high schools. But others say it's a fake, and after today there are just seven days left before the Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 31.

The aforementioned poll had a margin of error of plus or minus 3.75 percent.

The Insider's latest survey was conducted by an out-of-state polling firm. A previous version of this post had reported that the survey was handled by Ogden & Fry, a Chicago-based pollster.

Above is from:  http://www.chicagobusiness.com/article/20160524/BLOGS02/160529936/rauners-approval-rating-sinks-to-record-low

House Republicans moving forward with impeachment gambit

 

05/24/16 10:00 AM—Updated 05/24/16 03:02 PM

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By Steve Benen

If you’ve been waiting for cooler heads to prevail, and for House Republicans to give up on its ridiculous impeachment crusade, you’re going to be disappointed by today’s developments.

When the House Judiciary Committee convenes on Tuesday to consider the alleged misdeeds of the Internal Revenue Service commissioner, John Koskinen, it will contemplate action that has not been taken in more than 140 years, and that in some respects has never been pursued: the impeachment of an agency head of Mr. Koskinen’s rank.

Tuesday’s hearing on accusations by House Republicans that Mr. Koskinen lied under oath to Congress and defied a congressional subpoena is a remarkable moment, even for a Washington long fractured by partisanship.

Koskinen has decided not to appear at the “misconduct” hearing, at which GOP lawmakers will lay out its case for impeachment, insisting he hasn’t had enough time to prepare a defense against allegations that obviously have no merit.

Of course, even if Koskinen had agreed to participate in the charade, the end result would be the same. Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah), the far-right chairman of the House Oversight Committee, hasn’t exactly been subtle about his intentions: “My foremost goal is impeachment and I’m not letting go of it.”

Do the allegations against the IRS commissioner have merit? No. The IRS “scandal” was discredited years ago – Koskinen wasn’t even at the tax agency when the imaginary controversy unfolded – and as Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-Md.) documented this morning, charges that Koskinen was part of some kind of after-the-fact cover-up don’t make any sense.

Will the impeachment push succeed anyway? Not in its ultimate goal. House Republicans will likely get a simple majority to impeach Koskinen, but to remove Koskinen from office, they’ll need a two-thirds majority in the Senate. Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah) has said that’s not going to happen. “[F]or the most part he’s been very cooperative with us,” the Utah Republican conceded last week.*

All of which raises the question of why in the world the far-right House majority is so desperate to pursue such an absurd course, targeting a dedicated public servant who’ll leave his post at the end of the year anyway.

The real scandal here is not Koskinen’s actions, but rather, the way in which House Republicans are conducting themselves.

I continue to believe many House Republicans want to impeach someone, anyone, just for the sake of being able to say they impeached someone. It appears GOP lawmakers have a partisan itch, and going through the motions on impeachment is their way of scratching it.

As we discussed last week, congressional Republicans have spent years talking up the idea of impeaching President Obama. At various times, GOP lawmakers have also considered impeaching then-Attorney General Eric Holder, Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson, and EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy. In October, one Republican congressman said he’s eager to impeach Hillary Clinton, and she hasn’t even been elected.

The partisan frustration is understandable: Republican investigations into Benghazi and other manufactured “scandals,” including the IRS matter itself, have effectively evaporated into nothing. That’s deeply unsatisfying to GOP hardliners, who remain convinced there’s Obama administration wrongdoing lurking right around the corner, even if they can’t see it, find it, prove it, or substantiate it any way.

Unwilling to move on empty handed, impeaching the IRS chief will, if nothing else, make Republican lawmakers feel better about themselves.

But that doesn’t change the fact that this partisan tantrum is indefensible. Koskinen took on the job of improving the IRS out of a sense of duty – the president asked this veteran public official to tackle a thankless task, and Koskinen reluctantly agreed. For his trouble, Republicans want to impeach him, for reasons even they’ve struggled to explain.

As for the history, which Rachel referenced in last night’s show, it’s been 140 years since Congress impeached an appointed executive branch official, but Congress has literally never impeached an executive branch official below the cabinet level.

Then again, Americans have arguably never seen a radicalized political party take control of the House and Senate comparable to today’s Republican majority.

* Correction: I misstated one of the details of the House impeachment process. The above text has been corrected.