PeoriaStory

Rauner must hate women...the facts

PEORIA, IL -- From a news release:

Illinois National Organization for Women
PO Box 474Springfield, Illinois 62705
Web: www.ilnow.orgEmail: [email protected]

Illinois Budget Cuts Threaten Women’s Lives

 100,000 children will lose care from the Child Care Assistance Program.
This program is vital for low-income parents to keep their jobs and provide a
safe place for the care of their children.
 Enrollment will freeze into CCAP except for a small number of families,
putting 5000 families on waitlist. Studies in other states with waitlists have
shown that up to a third of families either lost their job or were unable to
work while waiting for child care assistance.
 Rauner’s proposed cuts to home healthcare services directly affect senior
women. Of the 104,000 seniors in the Community Care Program, 70% were
women, 61% were people of color, 51% lived alone, 86% had incomes less
than $20,000 annually.
 The average nursing home in Illinois costs approximately $4300 a month or
more than 4 times the cost of providing similar services in the senior’s
home.
 Over 10,000 disabled Illinoisans in the Home Service Program will lose
their home care services. This includes anyone under 60, infants, children,
those with traumatic brain injuries or those receiving services for HIV/AIDS
care.
 The Illinois Breast and Cervical Cancer Program will be cut by 71%. (no
that’s not a typo) The Treatment Act would be eliminated. The Program
detected 727 invasive breast cancers and 1400 cervical cancers and precancerous
lesions between 2007 and 2012. The proposed cut to the Program
will eliminate screening for 14,000 women.
 The IBCCP cut will disproportionately affect African- American women.
The breast cancer mortality rate for African-American women is 40% higher
than the rate for white women.
 $735 million in Medicaid supplemental payments to hospitals will be
completely eliminated. These payments support safety-net hospitals that
provide care to Medicaid and uninsured patients.

 

TAKE ACTION! Contact your State Senator and Representative by visiting them in their home office or contact them by phone or email. Tell them to VOTE AGAINST ANY BUDGET CUTS THAT ENDANGER THE LIVES OF WOMEN IN ILLINOIS

Contact info for your Reps and Senators may be found at www.ilga.gov Click on SENATE or HOUSE, then MEMBERS.

 

MY TAKE:  This is shameful of the governor, when a small sales tax on services over $100 could cure the budget situation. He seems intent on destroying the quality of life in Illinois, and turning it into Mississippi or similar place.

 

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

The truth about financial problems in Illinois

CHICAGO, IL -- As the Illinois Supreme Court deliberates on the pension issue -- whether a state law which cuts benefits can take effect despite language to the contrary in the Illinois Constitution -- we can consider what Ralph Martire, executive director of the Center for Tax and Budget Accountability told the Illinois League of Women Voters at an issues conference on March 7.

Illinois is not broke, he said. To meet pension obligations "all we have to do is refinance the debt and flatten it out."

He continued, "it's a revenue problem."  The tax cuts which went into effect in 2016 benefited the rich, he said. Illinois needs to rework its tax policies to support the quality of life the state has traditionally offered, he said.

Both Martire and John Bouman, president of the Sargent Shriver National Center on Poverty Law attacked Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget proposal.  It's  "disastrous" and "not evidence based," Bouman said. It's not a reform budget and won't fix the state's problems, he said.

People affected need to develop a strong opposition, Bouman said. A group called the Responsible Budget Coalition has formed, he said, to oppose it.

Tom Corfman, assistant managing editor of Crain's Chicago Business, predicted an overtime session in the Illinois General Assembly to deal with the budget.

Illinois is actually a low tax state, he said. "People don't connect the taxes they pay with services. We need a tax increase and voters will accept it if done rationally." 

Well, maybe.

Bouman said a "grand bargain" is needed to fix the fiscal problems in Illinois.

Martire said a sales tax expansion to include consumer services, a tax on retirement income of $50,000 or more, and refinancing the pension debt would cure the fiscal problems in Illinois.

Will that happen in a grand bargain?  Unlikely but stay tuned.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Redistricting and open primaries: coming at last?

PEORIA, IL -- Will a redistricting commission and open primaries become realities in the future of Illinois?

A key player said "maybe" at a  League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria event on March 5.

Brad McMillan, who was a top aide to former Cong. Ray LaHood (R-Peoria), is on the state's redistricting committee working to set up another citizen drive to place that issue on the 2016 ballot.  Petitions will be ready May 1, he predicted.

The Peoria League was active in the failed attempt last year, and plans to work hard again to gain signatures. The state League supports the effort.

If that petition drive is successful, and voters then approve it, the next step would be open primaries, like those in California and a few other states, he said. 

Though forms of open primaries can differ, the basic idea is that the top two candidates in a primary compete for the seat in the general election, despite political party affiliation.So two Democrats or two Republicans may compete. Or a Republican and Democrat or a Democrat and a Green party candidate.

McMillan believes that redistricting is necessary before the Illinois General Assembly will place open primaries on the ballot. Unlike redistricting, the open primary issue can be placed on the ballot only by the legislature.

Both redistricting and open primaries were approved by California voters at the same time, he said.  The result is new interest in elections and new candidates being elected, he said.

Redistricting by an independent commission might also mean fewer gerrymandered Congressional districts and polarized candidates, he said.  Redistricting in Illinois applies only to the Illinois General Assembly, not Congressional districts.

The Arizona lawsuit, recently argued in the U.S. Supreme Court, included Congressional districts, he said. But that situation is governed by the U.S. Constitution.

The failed attempt to put a redistricting measure on the 2014 ballot stemmed from opposition from Democrats in Illinois who feared they would lose seats and power. Their operatives examined the petitions and threw out signatures, so the measure could not be placed on the ballot.

This attempt will need 500,000 signatures to be sure enough are valid, McMillan said.

He said he now leans toward being an Independent, not a Republican, and added open primaries would encourage independent voters who now don't want to take a party ballot. Third party candidates also likely would find running for office easier, he said.

Political parties may suffer, as they would lose lists of their voters, he said,

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

The awful election

PEORIA, IL -- I'm blundering through my depression over the election results to post my thoughts, some of which have not been mentioned in the corporate press.

In Illinois, Gov. Quinn lost.  He should never have run for an additional term, as he was blamed for raising taxes.  Politicians who do that lose. 

To make matters worse, he turned on his base, the unions and retirees, going after their pensions and benefits.  Many of them stayed home, enough to give the hedge fund CEO Rauner his margin of victory.

Rauner also outspent Quinn two and one-half to one, according to media reports.

The Democratic ticket should have been headed by Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon, for governor. She's personable, honest, and a hard campaigner.  But that wasn't enough to defeat Judy Barr Topinka for comptroller, a moderate Republican incumbent with great name recognition.

Why did Simon take on Topinka? She evaded the question when I asked her at an event.  But the real reason is likely that the Demo bosses slated Simon that way, perhaps to get rid of her as a losing candidate, who couldn't be bought.

Nationally: the results show that the electorate has lost its mind.  Voters supported raising the minimum wage, and other progressive referendum issues, then voted for the candidates who oppose them. Apparently the majority are too stupid to connect the dots.  This is true in Illinois as well as throughout the USA.

In addition, they're not paying attention; the candidates don't campaign on the issues; and the voters are too dumb to vote on the issues and instead respond to smiling faces, as if they are Hollywood celebrities whose CD they plan to buy or download. Amazing.

Is this the final failure of Democracy? Perhaps, as big money now determines elections, and the rich will run the government as if it's the 17th century in England.  You know what followed that:  civil wars and revolution.

This election also may be the death warrant for civilization as we know it, as the planet reacts to global warming and climate change. Repugs dont believe it or don't care, thinking they will be safe in their enclaves.

They want the Keystone pipeline, which scientists say will hasten the planet's decline from global warming. They now will likely get it, as Obama probably will trade it for something -- immigration reform?  a slightly better tax reform bill? (Is that another reason the Demos lost -- Obama is too conciliatory?)

Both parties want more free trade to further send jobs overseas and please Wall Street. Lovely.

And here's the worst: According to investigative reporter David Sirota, the real winner in the midterm elections is Wall Street. With the election of Republican governors, Wall Street will gain control over state pensions. See his perceptive article here. 

He writes: "From Illinois to Massachusetts, voters effectively placed more than $100 billion worth of public pension investments under the control of executives-turned-politicians whose firms profit by managing state pension money."

He contines: "In Illinois, Democratic incumbent Pat Quinn was defeated by Republican challenger Bruce Rauner, who made his fortune as one of the namesakes of Golder, Thoma, Cressey & Rauner (GTCR) - a financial firm that manages more than $40 million of the state's $50 billion pension system. Rauner -- who retains an ownership stake in at least 15 separate GTCR entities, according to his financial disclosure forms-- will now be fully in charge of the pension system."

So the fools who voted for him, from resentment over not having their own pensions, since the corporations have already ditched them, just made earning one harder for themselves -- since corporations are less and less likely to offer pensions when the state does not offer an adequate pension.

"Abandon hope all ye who enter here" might as well be the USA's motto now.

 -- Elaine Hopkins 

The Nov. 4 election

PEORIA, IL -- The Nov. 4 election is only days away now, and early voting throughout Illinois has begun.  It will continue through Nov. 4, and allows people to both register and vote, a first for election day. It will be helpful for people who have moved but not reregistered.

So there's no excuse for not voting.

Here are my endorsements:  just vote for the Democrats.They are all way better than their opponents.

Where there is no Democrat on the ballot, skip it or vote for the Republican. 

The race for governor puts megabucks Republican Bruce Rauner against ordinary Democrat and incumbent Pat Quinn.  Yes, Quinn is flawed.  He supported unconstitutional pension cuts for retirees, while giving away millions to corporations through tax loopholes, grants, etc. 

But Rauner is awful:  a hedge fund manager and businessman whose many companies went bankrupt (did he loot them?), while acquiring  nine (9!) homes and stashing money in the Cayman Islands.

He's too risky, will say anything apparently.  In fact he used to vote and fund Democrats. Now he's trying to buy the governor's office, I suppose to push more tax cuts for the rich.

For the Senate, Democrat Dick Durbin has been very effective while his Republican opponent, another businessman, would have no seniority and follow whatever the party wants.

The sad story is Democrat Sheila Simon, who is running against another woman with high name recognition, incumbent Republican Judy Barr Topinka for comptroller.

Simon, who seems very competent and smart every time I have heard her and talked with her, should be running for governor. But alas that was not to be this time. A loss in this race might mean she is out of politics for a while. But maybe not.

The 17th Congressional District pits one term incumbent Democrat Cheri Bustos against the one term Republican she ousted two years ago, Bobby Schilling.  He's another horror:  anti-choice, anti-gay, typical Repug. Bustos has not been as liberal as some of her backers expected, but again she's the lesser of evils. So vote for her, or against Schilling.

In the 18th Congressional District, incumbent Republican Aaron Schock is being challenged by Darrel Miller, who was also a Republican until this election rolled around. He's also anti-choice, anti-gay, so there's little difference between the two. 

Anyway, whatever your choices, it's important to vote, so the politicians know people care and are watching.

-- Elaine Hopkins

 

Those pesky referendums -- here's what I think

PEORIA, IL -- Voters in the Nov. 5 election will face seven referendums on the ballot, two for Peoria County, two that are amendments to the Illinois Constitution, and three that are advisory for the General Assembly. Here are my recommendations.

For Peoria County voters:

1. Shall a board of election commissioners be established for Peoria County?

The situation now is that the Peoria County Clerk, an elected official,  handles the elections outside the city of Peoria, and the Peoria Election Commission handles the voting inside the city.The clerk and commission cooperate on most things, clerk Steve Sonnemaker, a Democrat, said at a meeting of the Peoria County Democratic Women.

This referendum, which is binding, would in effect expand the city commission to the whole county. It might cut down voter confusion, and might save money, advocates argue. The League of Women Voters of Greater Peoria voted to support it.

But -- this is a step back from democracy, as the chief judge would appoint some of the five commissioners split between the city and the county.  The county clerk is said to have some fiscal oversight.

The state statute allowing this commission is vague, Sonnemaker said. 

I believe in checks and balances and democracy, and oppose this referendum.

2.  Shall the office of Recorder of Deeds be eliminated and the duties of that position merged into the office of the County Clerk?

This is not a policy making office, and I support this referendum.

The two Constitutional amendments:  The first expands the right to vote, and I support that.  The second  is a crime victims bill of rights. That may, in my opinion, undermine the criminal justice system, and I oppose it.

The three advisory referendums: the first would raise the state's minimum wage to $10 an hour. It's now $8.25.  This is a no brainer and the answer is 'yes.'

The next would require any health insurance plan in Illlinois providing prescription drug coverage to cover prescription birth control.  Again a no brainer, and 'yes.'

Finally a 'millionaire's tax' for education would add a 3 percent tax on millionaires, and could raise $1 billion, earmarked for education.  This is a difficult decision, as it might drive the wealthy out of the state, and the money might be wasted in various ways. Still -- a weak 'yes' from me.

Absentee voting is now underway.  A phone call to the election office will bring an application in the mail, and if that if filled out properly, a ballot will be mailed to you.  Yes, a paper ballot.  This computer-free way to vote is trouble free.

Early voting begins Oct. 20.  Grace period voting, where you can register and vote at the same time, begins Oct. 7.

There's really no excuse for not voting in this election.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Thrown out of a Rauner event

PEORIA, IL -- Here's a lovely first person account by writer Burt Raabe:

    While on a long bike ride on the Rock Island Trail recently, I saw a notice on a bulletin board in Wyoming that Bruce Rauner would be in Toulon on August 16, Saturday. I looked at his website but there was no indication of any campaign stops so I assumed he was doing a tour of rural areas. On Saturday morning I drove out to Toulon to satisfy my curiosity.

            Arriving in Toulon, I saw the county sheriff's car with its lights flashing in front of a cafe so I assumed this must be the place. As I went in, I noticed that this was a venue for supporters of Rauner rather than a town meeting or a press conference. Everyone was wearing Rauner shirts or buttons and bearing gifts or notes for the candidate. I stood inconspicuously in a corner and tried to be unnoticed.

            Soon state Sen. Darin LaHood (R-Peoria) approached me and greeted me saying he was surprised to see me there. I told him I was curious and would have gone to the Peoria event if I had known beforehand and that I am not really a Rauner supporter.

            In a few minutes a young man stood in front of me.

            “Darin LaHood said you are with the Democrats. We are asking not to record.”

            “I am not with anybody. I am a registered voter in Illinois. As a matter of fact, I voted Republican in the primary.” I replied.

            “We still request that you not record and if you do, you must leave.”

            I was standing there with a notebook and no recording device. People around me were taking movies on their iphones or other devices. But they were wearing Rauner campaign materials.

            “I think I have the right to do what I want in here. Rauner is running for governor of Illinois.” I said.

            As I noticed others recording the candidate, I pulled out my flip phone. It does not have the capability to “record” anything, only take a photo. At this point, the young man went to get the owner of the cafe, who is the only one who could throw me out. A small lady holding a pot of coffee came along with a larger man. She told me to leave and the man escorted me to the door.

            I didn't see much of Rauner. He worked the room, shaking hands with elderly folks. I heard standard phrases like “shake up Springfield," “Chicago,” “Madigan” and other dog whistles that have different meanings for different constituencies.

            I probably could have stayed had I not challenged the rule that out of all the people in the room, I was the only one not allowed to record even though I had no device anyway. Maybe they are afraid of Rauner making a “49%” gaffe. But I felt challenged myself.

            I was born and raised in Illinois. I am not a hardcore Democrat although I vote and work for Democratic candidates whom I believe in. I also collected signatures for the fair map amendment, something the official Democrats opposed. I was upset when I left because I am not usually confronted like that.

            Driving home, I had WCBU on the radio and listened to the entertainment oriented programs. They are getting more and more shallow and banterish. Outside of Princeville, I was able to pick up 90.7. The in depth program was about a proposed open pit iron mine in Wisconsin. Governor Walker's administration has dismantled environmental regulations in Wisconsin that would protect the area around the proposed mine. Rauner has expressed his admiration of Walker and he may have done that today, but not on record.

            I would like to ask our candidates questions about environment, taxes, term limits, and jobs. Unfortunately, the parties resemble gangs more than they do public servants.

    Burt Raabe

 

 Here's what the Journal Star wrote about the event:

http://www.pjstar.com/article/20140816/News/140819316           

 

Simon Speaks on Accountability

PEORIA, IL -- Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon was the featured speaker at the annual dinner of the Peoria County Democratic Women, on May 4. 

She's a good speaker, and has a compelling message.  It's a shame she's not running for governor.

Simon, a Democrat, is seeking the office of Illinois Comptroller, now held Republican Judy Barr Topinka, who has good name recognition.  She's one of the few sane Republicans on their ticket, so it's also two bad that these worthy women are running against each other, when either one would be better in the governor's chair or as Lt. Gov. But that's the way it turned out in the slating meetings behind closed doors.

Simon called for more accountability in state government, and said: "there is so much more that could be done with that office than is being done now."

Illinois is paying bills late, then pays interest on the late payments.  It would be more efficient to take out low interest loans to pay the bills, to avoid high interest rates on late payments, she said.

In addition, some state vendors call the state to beg to jump the line to get paid, she said. Some are successful, some not. "There's no transparency on how these decisions are made," she said. 

There should be guidelines, so that a policy is set up that works "whether you know somebody or not."

The comptroller's office gets financial reports from every local government except school districts.  But the data is not analysed in a way that allows for easy comparison, she said.  "The Comptroller could show comparative figures" which might have alerted Dixon, IL residents that thefts were taking place, she said.

Accountability matters, she said, because the public needs to trust that public officials are operating fairly and in the public interest.

She addressed the 2014 election in November, where a low turnout is expected, a situation that may not favor Democratic candidates. "It's going to take energy to get people to turn out and vote," she said.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

"The Wolf of Sesame Street"

PEORIA, IL --  In a fabulous investigative report, David Sirota reveals that PBS has been co-opted by the corporate line on pensions, by accepting funds for supposedly objective reporting from a billionaire who wants public pensions slashed.

Read the entire piece here:

It's long but worth it. Illinois is included.

This situation also violates PBS's own policies on conflicts of interest, he says.

NPR is not innocent either, he says.

It's so sad that these news outlets have fallen for money over truth.

From now on, beware of their news coverage.

 -- Elaine Hopkins

 

Democrats in the 13th Congressional District of Illinois: one has 'issues'

PEORIA, IL -- Who would have guessed that a political contest in the 13th Congressional District of Illinois reaches all the way to a situation in St. Louis, Mo., involving a Macomb artist!*

The Democratic primary fight to run for Republican Rodney Davis’s seat in the 13th District involves three candidates, one of whom has strong ties to St. Louis, and a situation involving the artist.

The three Democratic candidates are George Gollin and David Green, both of Champaign, and the party’s favorite, Ann Callis of Edwardsville. All are social liberals, but they apparently differ on economic issues.

The Illinois 13th involves parts of Bloomington, Springfield, Champaign, Urbana, and stretches all the way to Madison County, next to St. Louis, Mo. It’s considered a swing district.

Green has said he’s the most progressive of the trio, but he also has little funding. He holds a doctorate and works in educational policy at the University of Illinois at Urbana.

Gollin is a science professor at the University with a strong record of public service.

Callis is a lawyer and recently retired judge, and is connected to the St. Louis, Mo. establishment and the Pulitzer - Grand Center mess there. The Sept.18 PeoriaStory blog post on these issues, which involve the Macomb native, artist, lawyer and designer Paul Guzzardo, makes an interesting read on the Grand Center development.

Callis is from a politically connected family. Her father’s law firm and Callis’s husband’s law firm are linked to that St. Louis-Grand Center situation.

Ann Callis’s father is Lance Callis. Her husband is James Holloran.
John Papa was Guzzardo’s former attorney and runs Lance Callis’s law office.
Holloran is Sung Ho Kim’s attorney. Sung Ho Kim replaced Guzzardo in Grand Center projects. Grand Center and Kim are Pulitzer’s "Etch a Sketch Pad," Guzzardo joked.

Meanwhile the Grand Center situation is getting worse. In a Jan. 6 Urban Reviews blog, by Steve Patterson, which is entitled "Dirty Laundry:
Grand Center, Emily Pulitzer, Etc." there’s an incredible exchange between Patterson and Vince Schoemehl, the ex St. Louis mayor who now is the CEO of Grand Center.

I earlier reported that Guzzardo had noted that several members of the St. Louis elite community were no longer on the boards of the redevelopment corporations behind Grand Center. Here’s what Patterson learned:

Patterson: I’m curious why community leaders like Tom Reeves, Peg Weathers, Emily Pulitzer, etc were directors of two redevelopment corporations for many years but not 2011 and later. A disagreement?

Schoemehl: The state required social security numbers after 2010 and lawyers advised against our limiting the sharing of such info to the smallest number of people possible; liability issues. Thus I am a sole direct.

Patterson: Thanks for the quick reply, but I’m confused. I’ve never had to submit my social security number to the SoS. It seems everything submitted by corporations is public record — no ss #s. Also many of these people are still on the Grand Center board. Can you clarify so that I can understand?

Schoemehl: Let me check with Will Zorn, our lawyer.

Patterson writes: “I’ve not yet heard back on a more logical reason why these individuals are no longer serving as directors of the two redevelopment corporations, many are still directors on Grand Center’s board.”

In an email, Guzzardo stated: “Not only does Schoemehl short the spelling of the word “director” but he shorts the bottom line. Does anybody in St. Louis’s Grand Center have a clue that there’s such a thing as corporate governance, or corporate statutes? Grand Center looks more like a play-pen for moneyed souls.

“The problem is that this play-pen is not just a problem for me, but it could turn into a real headache for the Democratic voters here in Illinois. It could be an obstacle to Democrats taking back Rodney Davis’s congressional seat. And I think there are a lot of us who want to do that, and not have the Koch brothers and the Tea Party goons lead us by the nose.”

Guzzardo continued: “And this Grand Center mess up just keeps getting worse. Note that Schoemehl says that he’s “a sole direct”. The problem here is that the St. Louis City ordinance that created the Grand Center TIF district says that there has to be eight directors to do business.

“In St. Louis City Ordinance 65035, there is an eight director requirement for Grand Center's VSRC Urban Development Corporation, that’s upped from the usual three. And there’s no eight directors anymore. The eight jumped ship shortly after I filed my complaint with the Office of the Chief Disciplinary Counsel against the Chief Disciplinary Counsel Alan Pratzel.”

This situation does not auger well for Illinois Democrats if Callis gets the primary nod. The last thing that Illinois Democrats need going into a Congressional election is Emily Pulitzer and municipal bond baggage. Or a candidate tied (by family) to a questionable development in St. Louis.

Anyone closely following the Chris Christi bridgegate story now knows that lucrative development contracts meant for political cronies are connected with the bridge closing, the intimidation of mayors and other issues in New Jersey.
Illinois doesn’t need any more of that taking place.

  -- Elaine Hopkins

* Note: Guzzardo said he bristles at being called an artist. He refers to himself as a cartographer. From his point of view the word “artist” is devolving into a vapid sock-puppet buzzword. See Guzzardo’s Hackerspace book.