-By Dan Proft
If the fiscal crisis in Springfield continues we’re going to have to childproof the State Capitol.
Watching Chicago Democrats generically embrace spending cuts is like watching a baby learn how to walk.
They are not clear where to start or where they intend to go and they are in desperate search for affirmation from anxious onlookers that they are doing good.
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Infantilized Illinois”
Americans for Prosperity applauds Governor Quinn for opening an online comment portal offering the general public an opportunity to view and comment on the states budget dilemma.
On March 10, 2010 Governor Quinn will be making his annual budget address. Governor Quinn has made it clear that he believes the only way out of the states financial mess is to raise our taxes.
Americans for Prosperity strongly disagrees!
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Americans for Prosperity: A Message to Governor Quinn”
-By Congressman Peter Roskam (R, Illinois)
Mr. President: Business in Washington doesn’t have to be this way. You need not be pushed to the left and you can work across the aisle like you have in the past.
That is what I told President Obama a few weeks ago at the GOP caucus. He really does have an ability to work in a bipartisan manner. I know because we worked together for years to solve problems in the Illinois Senate.
Today’s health care summit doesn’t have to be a regurgitation of an unpopular health care bill. Nor does the President have to embrace Congressional Democratic leadership, which has systematically stiff-armed Republicans out of any conversation about solutions. Sure, health care is a contentious issue, but President Obama has successfully worked with Republicans under similar parameters.
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Congressman Peter Roskam: Obama’s Bipartisan Past”
CHIGAGO – February 25, 2010 – Four Chicago-based Republican candidates will host a joint fund-raiser on Thursday, March 4 at 6:00 p.m. at The Stretch, 3485 North Clark St. in Chicago. Illinois state hopefuls David Anderson, Adam Robinson and Scott Tucker will join federal candidate David Ratowitz in a mass muster of support for their individual General Election campaigns.
Admission to the event is two-tier: $30 covers cash bar and appetizers; $60 includes appetizers and open bar from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. The public is welcome; no RSVP is required.
Promotional opportunities are available for third-party organizations. Prospective event sponsors are asked to contact Caitlin Huxley, 312-841-0172 or CaitlinHuxley@gmail.com. Co-sponsors currently include Chicago Young Republicans and Illinois Log Cabin Republicans.
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Republican Challengers in Chicago Unite for March 4 Fund-raiser”
From the campaign of Joe Walsh for Congress, 8th District…
Participates in Special Olympics Polar Plunge Charity Event
(Lake Zurich, Illinois) – February 25, 2010 –
Taking a break from his own campaign fund-raising, Joe Walsh, Republican candidate for Congress in the Illinois 8th, will be participating this Sunday in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run Polar Plunge Charity Event to raise funds for the Special Olympics.
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8th District: Joe Walsh Jumps in Fox Lake”
SPRINGFIELD – February 24, 2010. Officials from Governor Pat Quinn’s Administration today announced that, for the first time in Illinois’ history, the public can actively participate in the state’s budgeting process. The Governor’s Office of Management and Budget (GOMB) today launched www.budget.illinois.gov, a Web site that allows Illinois residents to provide feedback that will be used to shape the state’s fiscal year 2011 budget.
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Illinois Budget Now Online, Governor Wants YOUR Comments”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Estimates of voter participation proved that the February primary didn’t garner much interest. With less than 30 percent of registered voters turning out to nominate those that will run in November, moving the primary to February was obviously a bad move. Of course, this year’s primary was moved up to February in a 2007 bill that was meant to give Barack Obama a boost in 2008. But several bills meant to move the primary back to its traditional third Tuesday in March schedule have been introduced in Springfield.
State Rep. Elaine Nekritz (D, Northbrook) wants the primary moved right back to its old date in March and has introduced a bill in the Illinois House to do so.
It was passed the committee unanimously and heads to the full House soon.
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Bill Proposals Move Ill. Primary Back to March”
Students at the University of Illinois are announcing the official formation of a Registered Student Organization, the aim of which is to fumigate the Urbana campus of partisan and corrupt administrators. In reaction to a scandal wrought at the hands of Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs Renee Romano and her staff in the Office of Inclusion and Intercultural Relations (OIIR), ‘I Deserve Better’ is striving for a refreshed administration of integrity and mutual respect so that the campus may finally move beyond an era of clout. The group will advocate for the replacement of Vice Chancellor Renee Romano and Associate Vice Chancellor Anna Gonzalez and will call for a full review of their offices and financial endeavors. Those at ‘I Deserve Better’ believe that in a time of extreme economic hardship, when students and their families are asked to give more and faculty and staff are asked to work for less, that runaway administrative costs and malfeasance are exceptionally intolerable.
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Students Launch “Illinois Deserves Better” Organization to Combat Partisan Administrators”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Republican Joe Walsh won his party’s nomination for the Illinois 8th District Congressional seat this February. He’ll face Democrat incumbent Melissa Bean in November. But as of right this minute he’s broke.
Mr. Walsh is fond of calling himself the “tea party candidate,” but with his empty campaign coffers this is an excellent time to ask the question: can the tea party groups that endorsed him help him raise money?
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Can Tea Party Help 8th District Candidate?”
-By Warner Todd Huston
Former Representative Tammy Duckworth has told the Illinois Democrat Party that she would rather stay employed at the Veterans Administration than be Lt. Governor.
Can’t say I blame her.
Democrat Duckworth lost her seat in the House of Representatives to Republican Peter Roskam in 2006. In 2009, she accepted the position of Assistant Secretary of Public and Intergovernmental Affairs for the United States Department of Veterans Affairs.
She’s smart to eschew the offer of the powerless and pointless position of Illinois Lt. Gov. If her desire is to help veterans she sure as heck can’t do that as the Lt. Gov.
Smart lady, for sure.
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Tammy Duckworth Says ‘No’ To Dem Offer of Illinois Lt. Gov”
For further info see thesammies.com.
In case you missed it, today’s Wall Street Journal carried an excellent column highlighting the efforts of the Illinois Policy Institute and the Rev. Senator James Meeks to promote a school voucher program—a program that will give families stuck in Chicago’s worst schools a chance for a better education and a safer learning environment.
The venue was a sold-out lunch put on by the Illinois Policy Institute (IPI). The result? Something new in Windy City politics: a powerful black Democrat reaching out to a free-market think tank to force reform on the city’s most hidebound institution—the Chicago public schools…
A few years back, Barack Obama named him someone he looked to for “spiritual counsel.” Now the man they call “the Reverend Senator” has done the unthinkable: He’s introduced a bill to provide vouchers for as many as 42,000 students now languishing in Chicago’s worst public schools. He tells me he thinks he can get enough Democrats on his coalition to get it through.
Illinois School Choice—and the Institute—in the Wall Street Journal”
-By Warner Todd Huston
We are still waiting to find out who the heck will be our Illinois GOP nominee for Governor. Bill Brady still leads Kirk Dillard by 247 votes but it looks like we won’t know for sure until March 5.
One of the sad things abut this election, though, is that only 760,000 Republicans participated in the primary for governor. Unfortunately for the GOP nearly a million voters voted for the Democrat’s gubernatorial candidates (912,695 votes). This tells me that the GOP has less of a chance to win this election just on that basis alone.
So, we still wait.
-By Warner Todd Huston
It’s doomsday, the end of the world… at least that is what our wonderful Illinois politicians are telling us about the state budget. They’re just going to HAVE to raise taxes, they say. Naturally, not a one of these drunken sailors are considering the real solutions: Cut spending and get rid of unions.
An obviously left-wing group calling itself the “Civic Federation” is making news here in Chicago for calling for massive tax hikes to cure the state’s budget woes. Yeah, that’s real “civic” minded of them, isn’t it?
Granted this group claims that they want public employees unions to pay for more of their own undeservedly rich healthcare benefits and they claim that cuts in spending are needed. But by calling for taxes to be raised, this proves these people really don’t care about solving the budget shortfalls, it only shows that they are just another left-wing tax raising group that will, in the end, be willing to look the other way while our criminal Illinois Pols pretend at budget cuts without ever really enacting any. We all know darn well that if these drunken sailors in Springfield get higher taxes their spending will simply increase accordingly.
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It’s a Budget Crisis Says Ill. Government”
-By John Myers of Catalyst Chicago
In Government and Policy A downstate legislator is pushing a proposal to free schools from some of the state’s unfunded mandates as a way to ease the burdens of districts as they grapple with the current fiscal crisis.
HB 4711 would allow districts to ignore regulatory mandates that lack clear funding sources — with several notable exceptions, such as special education and the school lunch programs. One example: Requiring that two-way radios be installed on each school bus.
HB 4711 passed out of the House Education Committee on a bipartisan 13-5 vote Thursday, but it has a long way to go before it becomes law. Desperate district leaders support the idea, but teachers’ unions are wary of it, saying that it is too broad and unclear.
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Unfunded Mandates Bill Part of Larger School Funding Push”
-By Warner Todd Huston
These last weeks have been very busy for Barnet Fagel.
When the Buffalo Grove resident heard his town’s village board was going to discuss the possibility of bringing red light cameras to intersections within the Chicago suburb, he swung into action.
The 66-year old Fagel, a traffic researcher and a highway safety advocate with motorist advocacy group the National Motorists Association, is arguably this state’s number one expert on red light camera enforcement and also the industry’s strongest critic here in Illinois.
In the past two weeks, in between promoting and participating in a Valentine’s Day red light camera protest in Chicago, and multiple media appearances, Fagel has been busy preparing his fight against Buffalo Grove’s RLCs….
Read the rest at The Expired Meter.com
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Buffalo Grove Ponders Red Light Cameras Monday”
Every time the government gets bigger, someone’s getting rich…but it certainly isn’t taxpayers, entrepreneurs, and consumers. Goldman Sachs, GE, Pfizer, the United Auto Workers—the same “special interests” Barack Obama lambasted on the campaign trail—are profiting handsomely from the big government policies now dominating Washington.
Join us on Wednesday, February 24 for an evening with Tim Carney, Washington Examiner columnist and author of “Obamanomics: How Barack Obama Is Bankrupting You and Enriching His Wall Street Friends, Corporate Lobbyists, and Union Bosses.”
Date: Wednesday, February 24
Time: 5:30-7:30 pm
Place: 190 South LaSalle Street, 40th Floor, Chicago
Cost: $30 per ticket (includes drinks and appetizers)
LA Times columnist and bestselling author Jonah Goldberg calls Obamanomics “an indispensable field guide to the Obama years.” Join us on the 24th to learn more. Books will be available for sale and signing at the event.
For more information or to RSVP, contact Katie Truesdell at 312-346-5700, ext. 207 or katie@illinoispolicy.org.
Sam Adams Alliance is proud to announce that we will be hosting the Sammies April 16, 2010, at the Chicago Cultural Center with special guest Andrew Breitbart.
The last year has been one of the most active and visible for citizen leaders who support free markets and individual liberty. Join us for dinner, drinks, and conversation as we honor the very best at our third-annual awards show in downtown Chicago. Purchase your tickets today: http://thesammies.com/attend/.
WHAT: The Sammies
WHEN: Friday, April 16, 2010
WHERE: The Chicago Cultural Center / 78 E. Washington Street, Chicago, IL
WHO: Andrew Breitbart, and all of this year’s Sammies winners
PURCHASE TICKETS: http://bit.ly/csL0YQ
From the David Ratowitz for 5th District Congressional campaign…
“It’s time that we made the Chicago Machine fight – and lose – on its own home turf.”
WASHINGTON – February 20, 2010 – U.S. House candidate David Ratowitz this week proclaimed his high-profile Illinois District 5 a bellwether of Republican success nationwide and his organization in ideal position to focus opposition resources close to home to limit Democrat victories elsewhere. “A win in Illinois 5,” Ratowitz said of the infamous district formerly represented by Rahm Emanuel and indicted Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, “is a win for Republicans nationwide.”
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David Ratowitz: A Win in Illinois’ 5th CD Is a Win for Republicans Nationwide”
From the Joe Walsh for 8th District Congressional campaign…
Republican Responds to Rep. Bean’s Daily Herald Interview
(Lake Zurich, Illinois) – February 20, 2010 – Joe Walsh, Republican candidate for Congress in the Illinois 8th, today said “Melissa Bean is amazingly out-of-touch with her constituents. She arrogantly dismissed the economic hardships most of her constituents are going through right now and she dismisses their anger and activism at speaking up against this government’s spending,” in response to Beans’ comments published Feb. 19 in the Daily Herald.
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Walsh: Wow, Bean just doesn’t get it”
Something extraordinary happened yesterday. The Democrat controlled State Senate led by Democrat John Cullerton discussed our state fiscal crisis. What was extraordinary about it is that they met in secret and locked out the press, the cameras and the public. You read that right, they dealt with state business (and likely their massive tax increase plans) in a backroom.
Despite our Constitution requiring the Senate to meet in the open and the intent of the Open Meetings Act to require it, they discussed the mess they caused and how they’ll take more of our money behind closed doors. They have no shame.
Democrat called it a “joint caucus” meeting, so he says it’s ok. I could put on a black cape and run circles under the rotunda and call myself Batman, that doesn’t make it true. But Democrats like Cullerton get away with word games because they have *complete* power in the legislature. So does Mike Madigan, and that is the problem.
How do you deal with a problem like Mike Madigan?
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Put Back Amendment: Support the Mike Madigan Retirement Act of 2010″
-By Warner Todd Huston
A new study has been released by the University of Illinois in conjunction with the Better Government Association that details Cook County’s disgusting history of political neer-do-wells calling it a true “culture of corruption.” (Download .pdf of report)
“More than 140 people have been convicted of corruption in county-related cases since 1970,” the study finds.
Featured are tales of bribes, ghost payrolls, sweetheart deals, rip-offs, and the “wholesale subversion of the judicial system.”
“This rogue’s gallery of corrupt individuals is just the tip of the iceberg,” said the BGA’s Andy Shaw, “because, for every one of those convicted, there may be a dozen or more people who narrowly escape the justice system, not to mention all the clout-related conflicts of interest. It is truly a ‘culture of corruption.’”
Sadly, it doesn’t seem to be getting any better but kudos to the BGA for publishing the study. It goes to show how much of a failure our county government is.
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Chicago’s Corruption Tax”
From the folks at Truth in Accounting:
Pew Study Confirms Urgent Need For Truth in Accounting Act
Contact: Darlene Porteus 847-835-5200 – dporteus@truthinaccounting.org
February 18, 2010 — On February 3rd State Representative Mike Tryon (IL-64th District) introduced the Truth in Accounting Act of 2010. The proposed legislation, which was written with the help of the Institute for Truth in Accounting, calls for increased disclosure during the state budgeting process.
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Legislation Calls For An End To Budget Shenanigans”
-By Warner Todd Huston
The NYT had a nice write up on Chicago’s own American Liberty Alliance and its leader Eric Odom. This piece also discusses several other conservative efforts in and around Chicago. Groups like Hartland Institute, the Sam Adams Alliance, and Ed Lasky’s American Thinker also based out of Chicago.
It is interesting to note that some very strong conservative ideas are coming out of this bluest of blue states where politics is rough and disassociated from any control by voters. Odom makes that point, too, when discussing his move here from Nevada.
“You come from Nevada, where you have the entire Legislature on your cellphone,” Mr. Odom said. “It is a small government compared to here, where it is all union-run and it is a huge bureaucracy, and there is no way you’re going to get meetings with anybody.”
But there is hope, folks. With people like Ed Laskey, Odom and groups like the ALA, Sam Adams Alliance, Illinois Policy Institute, Illinois Alliance for Growth, and The Heartland Institute, as well as the local chapter of Americans for Growth we do have a fighting chance.
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NYT Article: Tea Partying in Chicago”
From Illinois Students for Life
Illinois FOCA is Back! HB 6205
Once again, the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) has introduced the “Reproductive Health and Access Act”, better known as the “Illinois FOCA”, into the General Assembly.
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Stop the IL FOCA – Call Your Reps!”
-By Warner Todd Huston
If you’ll recall, just last week I spoke of fake Republican Angelo “Skip” Saviano, State Rep from Elmwood Park. Well, Skippy has again proven his complete lack of Republican credentials with his latest apostasy. With this vote Skippy has once again proven to be a RINO (Republican In Name Only) that we’d be better off to be rid of in Illinois.
With his no vote on HB 4744, ol’ Skippy has not only voted to allow a governor, any governor, to sell state properties without prior approval of the people’s representatives, but he’s also basically given Democrat Governor Quinn the go ahead to sell the Thomson State Correctional facility to the federal government in order to allow terrorist to come live amongst us there.
That’s right, Skippy Saviano pretends to be a Republican but has voted to allow a Democrat to bring terrorists to live here.
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This GOP Fakir Votes For Terrorists in Illinois”
-By Warner Todd Huston
According to the Pew Center on the States, Illinois’ public employee’s pension system is in the worst shape of all states. The Associated Press reported that pensions in Illinois are underfunded and over promised.
Illinois was rated the most troubled pension system during the study period, with a 54 percent funding level and a total liability of more than $54 billion.
Proof once again that public employee unions are antithetical to good government. The reasons these pensions are in such poor shape are twofold. One is that they are far, far too generous (fault: unions) and two is that even when the money does go into these accounts the state legislature raids the funds for general usage (fault: politicians). Both reasons are failures of government.
What this state needs to do first thing is to start a two tiered system. Since the pensions are protected by law, we need to accept that we are saddled with current pensions. But any new employee and all employees not yet vested should have their undeserved benefits massively cut.
The state should also look to offer as many buyouts at lower costs as it can. Early retirements might help the bottom line, too.
But taking care that future benefits are not so undeservedly high is the most important thing here.
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Pension Failure in Illinois Worst in Country”
Alexi Giannoulias has a very shady past yet the Illinois Democrat Party is still running him for the Senate. But the Illinois GOP has a few question for the nominee…
"Voters want to know about his role in his family’s struggling Broadway Bank, and Giannoulias promised he’d provide those details after the Feb. 2 primary election. "If I’m fortunate enough to make it out of the primary, we can have that conversation," he said. His plan now seems to be to stonewall until November." – Chicago Tribune Editorial, February 12, 2010
CHICAGO – Today marks the 20th day of Alexi Giannoulias’ silence since promising reporters he would answer questions surrounding his role in the near-collapse of his family’s Broadway Bank.
Ill. GOP Says: Put Alexi on the Phone!”