RR STAR’s View: Promises made must be promises kept

• Our View: Promises made must be promises kept

   

• By Register Star Editorial Board

   

• Posted Jul. 19, 2016 at 5:04 PM

  We can't recall a time in recent history when people have had so little trust in government at any level. One reason is that governments too often promise one thing and then ignore that promise when a new batch of officials arrive on the scene.

  Here are some examples:

  Remember 2002? The Winnebago County Jail was crowded with inmates. The county was being sued because of the deplorable conditions inside.

  County leaders asked voters to add 1 percentage point to the sales tax to construct what turned out to be the $140 million Winnebago County Justice Center, complete with a jail to house more than 1,200 people.

  Our Editorial Board was skeptical of the plan because we believed the answer to jail crowding was not tripling capacity but making the justice system efficient and implementing programs to keep ex-offenders from committing more crimes.

  Near the end of the referendum campaign, county leaders added alternative programs to the list of things on which they'd spend the money. These programs would be designed to provide ex-offenders with the tools they needed to join above-ground society.

  That cinched the Editorial Board's support, as well as the backing of prominent black ministers. The referendum passed 60 percent to 40 percent in the city of Rockford and 52 percent to 48 percent in the rest of Winnebago County.

  Since then, county leaders have remained faithful to their promises, even though funding has been cut from the original $3.4 million a year, according to board member Ted Biondo.

  Recently, however, attempts were made to abandon funding for the alternative programs and giving the money to the sheriff. The programs remain in place, but for how long we don't know. It seems not everyone respects or even remembers that 2002 promise.

  More recently, the County Board voted to refinance one of the jail bonds to get $2.6 million, originally to give to the sheriff. Instead, the money may be used to pay off this year's county deficit, which is $1.6 million.

  Next fiscal year, which begins Oct. 1, the county is projected to run a deficit of $7 million.

  In Boone County, a similar situation has dissolved voter trust. In 1999, voters in Boone enacted a half-percentage-point public safety sales tax on the promise that it would be ended in 2018.

  In 2015, the Boone County Board voted 8-4 to remove the 2018 sunset clause so the tax could continue indefinitely. Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg, who voted to continue the tax, made a telling statement.

  "There was a promise made by a few people in support of the referendum (in 1999). You can't impose that on a future body. The board of 2018 will have to make that decision," he said.

  We urge all voters to remember that statement. It means that when politicians promise you something in return for a tax increase, they may mean it.

                  But only at the time they say it

 

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20160719/our-view-promises-made-must-be-promises-kept

IL Gov. Rauner signs Molly's Law, extends statute of limitations on violent crimes

 

MURPHYSBORO, IL (KFVS) -

On Tuesday afternoon, Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner signed House Bill 6083 and House Bill 4715. The bills are known as Molly’s Law. 

He signed the legislation in front of a packed room full of Justice for Molly supporters and members of the media.

The legislation was inspired by Molly Young who was found dead with a gunshot wound to the head in her ex-boyfriend's Carbondale apartment four years ago. 

The initiative will change the statute of limitations to sue for wrongful death and add stiffer financial penalties to the Illinois Freedom of Information Act for non-compliance.

“Today is an important day for Illinois families seeking justice,” Gov. Rauner said. “This bill provides families a longer time frame to bring wrongful death actions against perpetrators of intentional violent crimes and gives families access to the necessary public information to find closure in a loved one’s death.”

Governor Rauner told Molly Young's family and supporters that he would be listening to their concerns. 

Larry Young is asking the Governor to help orchestrate a meeting with the head of the Illinois State Police to see if a new investigation can be conducted.

HB 6083 extends the statute of limitations for wrongful death cases to 5 years, instead of two as in the current law.

The bill allows a maximum fine of $5,000 for public bodies that refuse to turn over documents under the Freedom of Information Act by court order or a binding opinion from the Illinois Attorney General, and adds a fine of $1,000 per day for every day the public agency is not compliant.

The manner of Molly Young's death could not be determined by a coroner's jury.

Molly Young's family remains convinced foul play was a factor in her death.

No criminal charges have ever been filed.

HB 6083 and HB 4715 go into effect on January 1, 2017.

Above is from:  http://www.kfvs12.com/story/32476088/il-gov-rauner-signs-mollys-law-extends-statute-of-limitations-on-violent-crimes

5 reasons Trump picked Mike Pence as his running mate

Donald Trump named Mike Pence as his running mate Saturday, roughly 48 hours after everyone knew the Indiana governor was his pick. Regardless of the odd timing and zany rollout, there are a lot of reasons to recommend Pence as the best choice Trump could have made from his vice-presidential shortlist. Here are five.

1. Trump needs to reassure the GOP establishment.

For all of his bluster about how he will go it alone if the Republican establishment does not get behind him forcefully enough, it was clear in my conversation with Trump last week that he grasped the need to find a way to placate party leaders — and soon. In that conversation, Trump touted the unifying potential in picking a politician who had the approval of the establishment. He will have that in Pence.(Here’s Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell on rumors of the Pence pick.)

Pence is someone who spent time in the House GOP leadership before returning to Indiana to run for governor in 2012. He was seen as a possible future House speaker. He was widely rumored to be looking at the 2016 presidential race. He was viewed as a major rising star in the party by the establishment until he badly mishandled the debate in his state over what some call religious-freedom issues. His ultimate decision left no one happy with him — or it.

Even so, Pence is the sort of pick McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) — a Pence friend — can easily and enthusiastically get behind. And that’s exactly what Trump needs.

2. Trump needs to reassure social conservatives.

Although Trump carried the evangelical Christian vote in a surprising number of states during the Republican primary process, significant doubt remains about whether he is really one of them — or is even committed to social issues such as abortion and same-sex marriage. Trump’s dismissiveness about his religious beliefs and his past positions on some of those divisive social issues have only stoked concern.

The Fix's Chris Cillizza explains why Gov. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) was the best vice presidential pick of the candidates Donald Trump was considering. The Fix's Chris Cillizza explains why Gov. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) was the best vice presidential pick of the candidates Donald Trump was considering. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

The Fix's Chris Cillizza explains why Gov. Mike Pence (R-Ind.) was the best vice presidential pick of the candidates Donald Trump was considering. (Peter Stevenson/The Washington Post)

In Pence, Trump would be getting someone who is widely regarded as a front-line fighter for social conservatives; Pence often describes himself as a “Christian, a conservative and a Republican, in that order.” He led the 2011 fight to defund Planned Parenthood in the House. (Worth noting: His backtracking on the Religious Freedom Restoration Act made some social conservatives skeptical of him.)

3. Trump needs the industrial Midwest.

If you look at an electoral map of the country, it’s very clear that unless Trump can find a way to make the Rust Belt competitive, he can’t win.Remember that this is what the 2012 map looked liked — when Mitt Romney took just 206 electoral votes.

Without finding a way to put Ohio, Pennsylvania, and maybe even Michigan or Wisconsin in play, Trump would have to run the table of traditional swing states. There would be zero margin for error. Possible, but far from likely.

Putting Pence on the ticket does not suddenly guarantee that Trump wins in the parts of the Midwest that he needs. But putting a son of that region on the ticket should give Trump an effective messenger across that area. Pence can say, “I get it, because I’m one of you,” in Wisconsin or Pennsylvania or Ohio and have real credibility.

4. Trump needs the Koch brothers.

It’s no secret that lots of major Republican donors are sitting on the sidelines of the presidential race, concerned that Trump lacks the message discipline or core conservative beliefs that would make him worth their investment. And it’s also no secret that the two biggest players in Republican money circles are Charles and David Koch.

“We are happy to talk to anybody and hope they understand where we’re coming from, and they will have more constructive positions than they’ve had,” Charles Koch told USA Today ahead of a June meeting with the Trump team.

Freeing up that Koch money — and some other major-dollar donors who would probably follow suit — is of critical importance to Trump, who is being badly outspent by Hillary Clinton and her super PAC allies.

There are few politicians in the country more tied into the Koch world than Pence. Marc Short, Pence’s onetime chief of staff in Congress, is now an uppity-up in the world of the Kochs, and he is one of a number of former Pence staff members who work under the umbrella of the Koch brothers’ organization.

Pence’s close ties to the Kochs give Trump the best shot he is going to have to persuade some of the party’s biggest fundraising wheels to jump onboard. (Worth noting: Matea Gold, The Washington Post’s terrific campaign reporter, talked to a Koch spokesman who said the Koch network still had no plans to get involved in the presidential race.)

5. Trump needs some message discipline.

Trump is one of the least on-message politicians in modern political history. Pence is his exact opposite: relentlessly on message at all times, to the point of boredom and frustration. Pence is also deeply cautious (watch his brutally tepid endorsement of Sen. Ted Cruz before the Indiana primary) and almost always looks (and looks) before he leaps.

Pence’s precision and caution will not fundamentally alter Trump’s I-do-what-I-feel-like approach to politics. But think about the alternative — as in former House speaker Newt Gingrich or New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie. Both men have built political careers on their willingness to go off-script, to freelance, to “tell it like it is.”

Trump does not need another one of those on the ticket with him. He has enough of that trait himself to last a lifetime.

Above is from:  https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/5-reasons-pence-is-probably-trumps-best-pick-for-running-mate/2016/07/17/7c97a28e-4c27-11e6-820d-efdef6663357_story.html

Commander Kelm’s view of Boone County Health Department

By Greg Kelm

Posted Jul. 17, 2016 at 10:00 AM

The Boone County Health Department recently wrote a check for $2,485 to the VFW/Boone County Veterans Club for food-service permit fees with which they had been wrongly charged since 2008.

Now, the Health Department again wants to charge all of the nonprofits in Boone County.

About eight weeks ago, I asked for the last three years of wrongly charged food-service permit fees, totaling $1,260 ($470, $395 and $395) to end this matter. Sherry Branson, a board member for the Boone County Board and the Boone County Health Department, countered with $412 to settle it.

At the last Health Department board meeting, I firmly asked the board to pay what it owed the club — $2,485 — or the club would hire counsel. And if it won, members would ask for not only the $2,485 since 2008, but for attorney fees and court costs. I was contacted later that day and told that a check for $2,485 would soon be in the VFW's hands. When countered, the Health Department board topples like a house of cards. At our VFW Post meeting June 13, the VFW decided it will donate the $2,485 back to the nonprofits in the community within the next 90 days.

Since 2006, our food permit fees at the VFW have increased more than 522 percent. The VFW paid $450 for a food permit in 2015; McDonald's & Burger King paid $205 per year; Belvidere Ace, $120; Subway Gateway, $205; The Brick, $240; Buchanan Street Pub, $140; Buchanan Street Bar and Grill, $450; Tropical Oasis, $260; Pizza Hut, $240; Maria's Pizza, $450; Arby's, $450; and Starbucks, $240. The fees are all over the place with no rhyme or reason.

When I asked the Health Department why there was a more than 100 percent difference in fees between the VFW and McDonald's, I was told that the VFW was considered “high risk.” Again, I would like to point out that the McDonald's fee is $205 and Belvidere Ace is $120. One sells food 24/7 (McDonald's), the other sells soda and candy bars and gives away popped popcorn (Ace Hardware).

Now, the Health Department wants all nonprofits to pay fees. The sky is falling and the Health Department says, "We are in the red. We need more money. We need more fees, now!"

My concern is, if you have budget problems, why, in 2013, did you, the Health Department, give your staff $56,000 in wage increases? In three years, that raise has grown to more than $168,000. It is reported that Cindy Frank gave herself a 55 percent pay increase. I am curious if this was really true? I know we all dream of a “cushy” lifetime, an 8-to-5 government job with most weekends and all major holidays off, and raises to our own pay whenever we can. But in the real world outside of government that does not happen.

The Health Department now proposes hiring an administrator for $90,675 in 2017. Boone County Health Department, hello, have you ever heard of truly working to have a balanced budget in place? Maybe you need to combine some jobs or have some layoffs so you can then be in the black. All of your money comes from local, state or federal taxes, (grants) our money.

Maybe everyone needs a 10 percent pay decrease at the Health Department. But please leave the churches, the granges, youth baseball and all of the volunteer organizations of Boone County alone. They give so much back into our county.

The 2015 annual report stated that the Health Department had a budget of more than $1.1 million dollars. Eighty-eight percent was used for salaries and benefits for staff. Again I say, hello? Is anybody out there?

Health Department: Is it true that year after year you have more than $500,000 in untapped grant money? Are you keeping this for future pay increases?

Greg Kelm has been the commander of VFW Post 1461 Belvidere since 2006; president of the Boone County Veteran's Club since 2006; and commissioner of the Veteran's Assistance Commission of Boone County recognized 12-12-12 by Attorney General Lisa Madigan. Please feel free to contact him at gkelm@vfw1461.com.

 

 

Above is from:  http://www.rrstar.com/opinion/20160717/my-view-boone-county-health-department-in-dire-need-of-balanced-budget

The Koch brothers are Pence fans, but not enough to support Trump

The Koch brothers are Pence fans, but not enough to support Trump

Politics Peter Overby · NPR · Jul 15, 2016

Mike Pence, newly chosen as Donald Trump's running mate, has a strong following among social conservatives for his stands on Planned Parenthood, gay marriage and other hot-button issues.

Less noticed are his ties to low-taxes, small-government conservatives. Pence has well-established connections to the politically powerful armada of tax-exempt groups led by the billionaires David and Charles Koch.

The ties are deep. But so far, they don't seem likely to bring badly needed Koch money into the presidential race.

Two years ago, Pence made a one-day trip to Dallas, for two quick appearances at the Defending The American Dream Summit, the annual grassroots convention organized by Americans For Prosperity. AFP is the primary front-line group in the Koch network, and this was just one of several appearances Pence has made at AFP events.

"The reason I got on that airplane and am standing before all of you today ... is to simply say thanks," he said in Dallas. When his tax-cut proposal stalled in the Indiana legislature, he said, "AFP of Indiana at a critical moment in that debate came alongside our administration and informed the people of Indiana. And we put together an income tax cut and a tax cut package that was the largest state tax cut in Indiana history. And AFP made a difference."

There's something of a revolving door between Pence's office and Koch offices. When Pence was in Congress, his chief of staff was Marc Short, who later became president of Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce. Freedom Partners serves a central office of the Koch network. Pence's congressional press aide, Matt Lloyd, went on to become communications director for Koch Industries. Then Lloyd returned to Gov. Pence as a deputy chief of staff.

These connections have roots. Pence and the Kochs have inhabited the same political world since at least 1991, when he became president of the newly organized Indiana Policy Review Foundation. It was one of many state-level conservative think tanks, in a national network funded in part by Koch family foundations.

None of this, however, seems likely to help the woefully underfinanced Trump-Pence campaign.

The Koch network once expected to spend nearly $900 million in the election cycle. Not anymore. Most significantly, David and Charles Koch refused to back Trump for president. Instead, Koch network money and energy are going to protect the Republicans' vulnerable Senate majority.

When the Trump campaign confirmed that Pence would be the VP pick, there was speculation that he could yet pry loose some of the Koch millions. Freedom Partners spokesman James Davis cut off the speculation with a terse email statement: "We are not engaging in the presidential. Our focus will remain on the Senate."

Above is from:  http://www.mprnews.org/story/2016/07/16/the-koch-brothers-are-pence-fans-but-not-enough-to-support-trump

Fiat Chrysler's Belvidere plant gets $350M, 300 jobs to retool for Jeep Cherokee

By Adam Poulisse
Staff writer

By Brian Leaf
Staff writer

Posted Jul. 14, 2016 at 4:18 PM
Updated Jul 14, 2016 at 8:45 PM

 

BELVIDERE — A $350 million investment and 300 new jobs are coming to Fiat Chrysler Automobile’s plant here as the company retools for Jeep Cherokee production.

Fiat Chrysler made the announcement at 4 p.m. today.

The plant now produces Dodge Dart, Jeep Compass and Jeep Patriot models. Production of Darts will end in September, and Compass and Patriot production will cease in December.

Speculation that the Jeep Cherokee would move to Belvidere started last fall. Automotive News reported that Cherokee production would be phased out at a plant in Toledo, Ohio. In May, Fiat Chrysler CEO Sergio Marchionne said in Turin, Italy, that the hot-selling Cherokee would be made in Belvidere.

Fiat Chrysler is betting that gas prices remain low in coming years. So it is investing in trucks and SUV production instead of smaller vehicles. Last year 220,000 Jeep Cherokees were sold. Marchionne said in May that he chose Belvidere because he needed a plant that could produce 300,000 cars a year.

The announcement "sounds extremely significant," Boone County Administrator Ken Terrinoni said, and it's "most appreciated having that kind of investment in the community."

Fiat Chrysler says the 5 million-square-foot Belvidere plant employs 4,500 people.

Companies that supply parts and components for the Belvidere plant, clustered in commercial spaces in and around the plant, employ hundreds more. They operate in warehouses that schedule parts shipment to coincide with vehicle production.

The model change will mean a change in the supplier base and a scramble for real estate for inbound suppliers.

"There has been a lot of interest in Boone County and the Belvidere area from companies that normally supply Fiat Chrysler US," said Jarid Funderburg, executive director of Growth Dimensions, the economic development agency for Belvidere and Boone County.

"I think that is anticipated with any line change."

Funderburg said much of the real estate shopping has been done by site selectors hired by companies to find them property or buildings or both.

"If they can’t find a good home in Belvidere, I sure hope they find it as close as possible in Winnebago County," he said.

The auto assembly plant is a regional economic powerhouse.

Jimsi Kuborn, vice president of investor relations for the Rockford Area Economic Development Council, said a government study found that for every 100 jobs created at the Belvidere plant, 46 additional second- and third-tier jobs are created. And every $1 million in output at the plant results in $322,000 output by other industries in the region

"It’s a great win for Belvidere and Boone County," said Kuborn, who noted 55 percent of plant employees live in Winnebago County.

 

- Boone County Board Chairman Bob Walberg said he's looking forward to what Chrysler's investment will bring to the county and region.

"Typically, all the (employees) don't reside in Belvidere or Boone County. We should get a significant portion of (them)," Walberg said. "It'll certainly add to our community. They'll be bringing paychecks home to spend in our community."

Above is from: http://www.rrstar.com/news/20160714/fiat-chryslers-belvidere-plant-gets-350m-300-jobs-to-retool-for-jeep-cherokee?utm_source=Boomtrain&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=rrstar-newsletter

New interesting fact regarding GLB RR’s main railyard

 

 

SOAPBOX: 'A profit-making scheme at the expense of taxpayers and landowners'

• Jason Kokos
• Updated 13 hrs ago
• 0

There is a looming threat to our county that many are unaware of. It would mean the destruction of the community of Sumner Township in Kankakee County.

Residents would be forced from their homes and their land. A church, two cemeteries, and 15,056 acres of farmland and homes would be taken, and we aren't even being told what that 15,056 acres would be used for.

The Great Lakes Basin Railroad is a private speculative project that has no proven need or benefit to Illinois. Frank Patton, GLB spokesman, Frank Patton says the group will take land through quick take eminent domain and they want more than 15,000 acres in Sumner Township.

The proposal to build a railway from Janesville, Wis., to LaPorte, Ind. is a profit-making scheme at the expense of taxpayers and landowners. Various Chicago rail groups say it is not needed.

Patton, the voice of the project, says the proposed rail line would take a nearly 5- by 4.5-mile rail yard but refuses to explain why the project would need that much land. Something is being kept secret, considering the largest railyard in this country is fewer than 3,000 acres. This would make GLB's railyard more than five times the size of the largest yard in all of North America.

What are they planning to put in Kankakee County? We cannot afford to let a private group of investors take a major part of our county and use it for their profit at our expense. This time it is Sumner Township, but the next private group of investors may choose your township for a scheme.

One thing is for certain — they have dollars in their eyes, not the best interest of our community.

More than 2,750 petition signatures of concerned citizens have been given to Kankakee County Board members and our state and federal representatives. They also have been provided with research regarding GLB and a copy of *Great Lakes Basin Rail: News and Views."

A second edition of News and Views is available and was published sharing GLB project information in

a newspaper format. The website blockglb.com also contains information as well as the "Kankakee County Block GLB" Facebook page.

The GLB is trying to rush this project through so it won't be scrutinized at the state and local levels. We must educate and protect ourselves and the people who represent us must work to educate themselves and stop this pillaging of private land.

Above is from:  http://www.mywebtimes.com/news/editorial/soapbox-a-profit-making-scheme-at-the-expense-of-taxpayers/article_d1b5b590-bbb7-5b8a-aec4-18bb60408ea0.html