Illinois Review

Kansas governor, Sam Brownback, reveals blueprint for success at luncheon

By Nancy Thorner - 

An announcement received from the Illinois Policy Institute early in May spoke of an invitation to join the Illinois Policy Institute for a luncheon on Monday, May 20, featuring Governor Sam Brownback.

The announcement went on to explain that Sam Brownback, serving his first term as Governor of Kansas, is proving to be an innovative reformer seeking to expand liberty in the Sunflower State. Before taking over in Topeka, Governor Brownback represented Kansas in the U.S. Senate from 1996 - 2011 and in the House from 1995 - 1996.

Specially lauded in the announcement was how Governor Brownback has aggressively taken on Kansas' tax model, most notably, by enacting the largest income tax cut in Kansas' history and seeking, as part of a broader package of reforms, to reduce it even further.

2007: U.S. Senator Obama called on Attorney General Gonzalez to step down

In March 2007, then-U.S.Senator Barack Obama called on Attorney General Alberto Gonzalez to resign because Obama said Gonzalez acted as President Bush's attorney rather than the role of the people's attorney. What a difference six years later - imagine what Obama would have said had Gonzales ordered the Department of Justice to secretly obtain the phone records of a major television news source or the Associated Press.

Nearly 10,000 Illinois Public Sector Pensioners Make $100K A Year or More

By Ulysses Arn - 

Illinois is broke, and an analysis of the states pensions by Taxpayers United of America shows us why - 9,900 public sector pensioners make $100,000 a year or more.

Taxpayers United of America (TUA) today released the results of its annual study of the top government pensions in the State of Illinois.

“Illinois House Speaker, Michael Madigan (D), and Senate Majority Leader, John Cullerton (D), continue their political charade of pension reform while the number of six-figure pensioners grows 47% in one year to 9,900”, according to TUA president, Jim Tobin.

Stanek testifies before Congress to ban abortions after 20 weeks (video)

WASHINGTON DC - At the nation's capitol this week, Illinois Review contributer and prolife leader Jill Stanek testified before the U.S. House Judiciary Committee for a bill that would ban abortions after 20 weeks gestation.

As an ob gyn nurse at Christ Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois, Jill held a 20 week old baby that lived for 45 minutes after being born alive his mother was induced into labor to abort him in 1999. Since that time, she's testified in Springfield and in DC of her experience. This week's testimony:

Characters Come Back to Life at The Annual Meeting of The Illinois State Society

By Mark Rhoads - 

Silent movie star Agnes Ayers was born in Carbondale, Illinois in 1898.  She played what was considered for that era to be a steamy love scene with "The Latin Lover," Rudolph Valnentino, in The Shiek in 1921. Even though Agnes died in 1940, Congressman Aron Shock of Peoria and 100 other members of The Illinois State Society had a chance to "meet" Agnes Ayers last Wedneday night at The Army and Navy Club in Washington, DC.

Dirty little secret: collective bargaining doesn't take a hiatus

Paul Kersey - 

In governments all across the country, there’s a need to open up collective bargaining to more public scrutiny. Union contracts in particular need to be released to the public before they are ratified. But even when you have the contract in hand, you don’t necessarily know everything you need to know. 

The dirty little secret of collective bargaining is it doesn’t take a hiatus between contracts – any new contract still has to be implemented. And sometimes there are little arrangements that occur in the middle of a contract implementation, such as the Memorandum of Understanding that Springfield Police Chief Robert Williams made with Local 5 of the Policemen’s Benevolent Labor Committee last month. Roberts and the union agreed between themselves that police disciplinary reports, which under the existing contract were supposed to remain on file for five years, could be removed and destroyed. The Springfield Journal-Register reported that 30 disciplinary files were destroyed. It appears there was a Freedom of Information Act request on file that called for the production of some of the documents in the destroyed files.

Mary Frances Bragiel moves from WLS to State Treasurer's Office

 Illinois State Treasurer Dan Rutherford announced he has hired Mary Frances Bragiel as communications director, based in the Chicago office. Bragiel most recently worked as an anchor/reporter for WLS-AM 890, Chicago. Prior to that, she worked as a reporter for WBBM-AM 780 and Tribune-owned CLTV News.

“I look forward to having Mary Frances as my communications director,” said Rutherford. “I have always admired her work as a journalist, and I am confident she will bring the same integrity to my office.” Bragiel begins her job at the treasurer’s office on June 3, 2013.

“I am honored to be working alongside Treasurer Rutherford and the rest of his staff, and look forward to taking my professional background in a different direction,” said Bragiel.

Chicago Tribune's Scott Stantis: "What Buck?"

House members respond to conceal carry bill passage

SPRINGFIELD - In response to the Illinois House passing a conceal and carry bill Friday, State Rep. Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere) said:

“We are finally giving the good guys the ability to defend their families and their property from violent criminals,” said Sosnowski. “While today’s vote is a significant step forward, the fight is not over. Until the plan passes the Senate and is signed into law by the Governor, Illinois will remain the only state in the nation without any form of concealed carry for the law-abiding public. It’s about time we resolve this issue and provide full rights to upstanding gun owners.”

From State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton):

"While this was not the bill I had hoped for, Rep. Phelps’ bill did receive my votes for the following reasons: 

• This is a “Shall Issue” bill.  Must issue the permit unless preponderance of evidence shows individual does not qualify under other provisions of the bill
• There is no home rule exemption - it will set one statewide standard and invalidate inconsistent local regulations
• Licensees will require no special endorsement to carry within the City of Chicago"

Illinoisans paying $4.06 per gallon of gas — $0.40 more than the national average

Hilary Gowins - 

For the last several years, gas prices have remained stubbornly high at $3 or more a gallon nationwide — and customers have felt the pinch.

Though prices remain high throughout the nation, they’ve mostly held steady since last year. The national average price per gallon decreased by $0.02 from this time last year, and now sits at $3.66 a gallon.

But Illinoisans consistently pay much more than the national average.

Stimulus money at work: I5 bridge collapse

MOUNT VERNON, WA - Despite spending nearly $1 trillion in taxpayer stimulus money, which was supposed to repair the nation's aging infrastructure, three people were sent to the hospital today after a portion of an Interstate 5 highway bridge in Mount Vernon, Wash., collapsed, dumping two vehicles and a travel trailer into the icy water (see below).

The bridge, built in 1955, was not considered by the government to be structurally deficient, but was listed as "functionally obsolete" according to a database compiled by the federal government's Highway Administration.

Which Dem is more powerful: Quinn, Madigan or Emanuel? Gun bill showdown ahead

Responses are coming in about the concealed carry bill that passed the Illinois House today. The National Rifle Association was neutral on SB 2193, and Governor Quinn and Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel voiced disapproval of a bill House Speaker and Illinois Democratic Party chairman Mike Madigan supports.

Who's more powerful and influential in Illinois - Madigan, Quinn or Emanuel?

Governor Quinn says SB 2193 is "wrong for Illinois," promises to work against in Senate:  “This legislation is wrong for Illinois. The principle of home rule is an important one. As written, this legislation is a massive overreach that would repeal critical gun safety ordinances in Chicago, Cook County, and across Illinois. We need strong gun safety laws that protect the people of our state. Instead, this measure puts public safety at risk. I will not support this bill and I will work with members of the Illinois Senate to stop it in its tracks."

Mayor Emanuel and Senate President John Cullerton are both opposed to SB 2193. 

Speaker Madigan urged an "aye" vote on SB 2193:

SB 2193 will proceed to the Senate for possible hearing next week before the session adjourns May 31st. House roll call is below the fold:

Atheists Disappointed with Boy Scouts’ "Continued Discrimination Policy"

The Boy Scouts' troubles are not over yet by opening their organization's doors to gay Scouts. Atheists say Boy Scouts discriminate against them and complain that they should lift their ban against boys that don't believe in God as well as those that are gay. The Secular Coalition for America put out this press release Friday spelling out their arguments - 

WASHINGTON, DC - The Secular Coalition for America today said the Boy Scouts’ recent decision to allow openly gay boys is a positive step in the right direction, but does not go far enough. The SCA expressed disappointment that the Boy Scouts of America (BSA) has decided to continue its policy of discrimination against atheists and gay Scout leaders.

On Thursday, Boy Scouts leaders voted to open their ranks to openly gay boys for the first time. However, the Scouts’ longstanding ban on atheists and gay adults remains.

Edwina Rogers, executive director of the Secular Coalition for America said the Coalition is pleased that the Scouts have decided to allow  openly gay youth, but that it’s not enough.

Concealed Carry bill passes Illinois House 85 - 30

SPRINGFIELD -With the words "the court mandates that we do this," ringing in their ears time and time again during debate, the 85 Illinois House members voted to pass a compromise concealed carry bill sponsored by State Rep. Brandon Phelps and other vocal gun rights advocates. SB 2193 now goes back to the Senate for consensus with House amendments. See here what's in SB 2193.

Discussion on the floor was colorful at times - State Rep. Ed Acevedo spoke against SB 2193:

The following is the updated executive summary for SB 2193 via State Rep. Jeanne Ives (R-Wheaton)

Does truth prevail in Rubio's immigration reform ad?

By Nancy J. Thorner - 

The biggest stumbling block to immigration reform is no longer politics but how to market the deal to conservatives.  Both the House and the Senate now have their own "deals."  What is left in the wake is how pro-immigration reform Republicans will make the case, especially to conservatives, that toughness against undocumented immigrants is not just a misleading ploy to push through an extremely questionable immigration reform package.

The House version features a "hard trigger" that blocks citizenship if the government does not implement electronic verification through E-Verify that would allow employers to check on the immigration status of workers.  The House bill likewise bans all entitlement benefits. 

Both of the stated House proposals, however, will be hard sells to the Democrat base, while conservatives demand such tough assurances from their fellow Republican immigration reform proponents.   Another stumbling block for pro-reform Republicans is how to convince their base that the passing of an immigration bill will not be perceived as a victory for Democrats while a non-starter for Republicans.

Minimum Wage Hike Will Cause Job Loss, Hurt Struggling Economy

By Kim Clarke Maisch - 

In his State of the State address this year, Governor Pat Quinn called for lawmakers to raise Illinois’ minimum wage from $8.25 to $10 per hour. Senate Bill 68, currently pending before the legislature would do just that, catapulting Illinois into the highest minimum wage in the country. Supporters say raising the minimum wage would help the working poor keep up with the cost of living. However a higher wage doesn’t mean much if you lose your job or have your hours cut, which is what will happen if employers are forced to raise their labor costs.

The truth is, an arbitrary increase in the cost of the minimum wage inevitably hurts the people it is meant to help -- young people, first-time workers and those with no or limited skills. Numerous studies have found that raising the minimum wage doesn’t actually help the working poor. Most of the people earning minimum wage aren’t family breadwinners, and most aren’t poor. Roughly nine out of 10 workers who benefited from the last increase in the federal minimum wage lived in households with incomes that were at least two times greater than poverty line. However, while raising the minimum wage won’t really help the poor, it would hurt Illinois’ job creators, its small businesses.

Sen. Raoul's postcard has all the hallmarks of a hoax

Left-wing blogger Rich Miller is writing about "a couple of postcards" State Sen. Kwame Raoul (D-Chicago) received and shared with him. The seemingly pro-gun postcards are laced with racial and anti-Semitic "hate speech" and have no return address. They were reportedly mailed to Raoul this month and disseminated to the public via Miller today as conceal carry legislation is being debated in the General Assembly.

The Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA) read the "timely" revelation as implying they were behind the hate mail and strongly denounced Miller in his comment section.

Mail like this is not new. It has been a fundraising and political pressure tactic for quite some time; and there have been many instances of fakes and hoaxes. Just a few examples: 

Man sentenced in fake hate-mail campaign

Reported conservative hate crime on Colorado Democrat HQ a hoax

Democrats/Media fabricate fictional account of racial slurs and spitting

Racial threat at Trinity International University in Deerfield, IL determined to be hoax

Assistant Professor at Claremont McKenna College caught applying racist epithets to her own car

Iowa man fakes gay hate crime

GWU student journalist admits hate crime hoax

Left-wing group fakes conservative hate crime at GWU

Chicago woman fakes hate crime in extortion scheme

Palin leaker outs himself...and turns out to be a hoaxer

Highland Park teacher resigns online in frustration, citing Common Core testing

HIGHLAND PARK - "Negative environment" is blamed for the sudden, involuntary transfer of four North Shore District 112 teachers this week. One of those moved to a new school, fourth-grade teacher Ellie Rubenstein, made her side of the story public with a YouTube that's being viewed by thousands. In Rubenstein 10 minute video, now viewed by over 162,000, she blames her sudden transfer to her resistance curriculum changes and burdensome testing. "I'm not a yes man," and that teaching is no longer meaningful. "I have to get out!" Rubenstein says.

North Shore District 112's administration adopted the Common Core curriculum, as every other Illinois school district did when the state passed a resolution opening the way for the Obama Administration' national standards curriculum. The district's website says on a page entitled "Shifting Towards the Common Core at North Shore Schools": 

The Common Core Learning Standards (CCLS) are a set of rigorous, internationally benchmarked standards aligned with work and post-secondary expectations which have been adopted by most of the states in the country.  These standards serve as a consistent set of expectations for what students should learn and be able to do, so that we can ensure that every student is on track for college and career readiness.  The grades 3-8 Math and ELA assessments will be aligned to the CCLS starting in spring 2013.

At North Shore, teachers and administrators are working diligently to ensure that curriculum, instruction, and assessment are aligned with the instructional shifts demanded by the CCLS.  

The video "In Pursuit of Happiness" ends with Rubenstein's resignation:

Common Core curriculum opponents to conference via phone Friday

CHICAGO - Over the last few months, the Obama Administration's Common Core State Standards in education is facing growing attention from various sides. Advocates say the standards raise Illinois' education bar. Critics say Common Core is inundated comes with detrimental trade-offs.

Which is it? Friday at noon, anyone interested in finding out more is invited join a 90-minute discussion call that will address Common Core State Standards. Respected educational policy experts from several well-known organizations will be on the phone to present valuable information and respond to questions.

The discussion call will begin at noon Friday. Call 805-399-1000 Code: 662912. Topics will include:

• What is Common Core?
• What will Common Core cost taxpayers of IL?
• How Common Core will affect private and homeschools?
• What is the P20 Data tracking associated with Race to the Top?

It's been 400 days since Gov. Quinn said he "was put on earth" to fix Illinois pensions

By John Ruberry - 

On April 20, 2012, Illinois' Governor Pat Quinn said this about the nation's worst-funded public pension system.

But I’m here to solve it. I know that I was put on earth to get this done.

That was 400 days ago. Quinn was obviously wrong. Illinois' pension problem remains unresolved.

What has happened in the last 400 days? ...More HERE

Executive Summary of Illinois Conceal Carry Bill

The following is the Executive Summary of the Concealed Carry Bill that looks like it will be presented to the House - possibly tomorrow:

SB 2193 (Forby/Phelps): House Concealed Carry Proposal

• Statewide shall-issue licensing standard;
• Strictly preempts authority of local governments to regulate firearms;
• No special "endorsement" or permit required for licensee to carry in Chicago or Cook County;
  • Grants licensee broad right to carry in a vehicle, including within a vehicle in the parking lot of a prohibited area;
• License to be issued by State Police;
• $150 Fee;
• 5-year license;
• 16 hours of training (Including Live Fire Exercise)

CPS school closings: district spares some schools, but problems still persist

By Josh Dwyer -

The big news from the Chicago Public Schools school board meeting is that Ericson, Garvey, Jackson and Manierre schools will remain open.

Still, 50 other schools are on the chopping block. Forty-eight schools will close in June. Canter Elementary will get a one-year reprieve and Attucks Elementary will close at the end of the 2014-2015 school year.

These actions followed a contentious eight-month process, where CPS and the Chicago Teachers Union have each made a number of missteps.

Shark fin, lion meat, and foie gras: Illinois Law makers Hard at Work

By Mark Weyermuller -

This week at the City Club of Chicago, Governor Pat Quinn said he would be working night and day on pension reform. The story is different in Springfield with the Illinois Legislature. At the the beginning of 2013, Illinois banned the sale of shark fin, a delicacy at many Chinese Restaurants. Currently, the Illinois House is considering banning "Lion Meat", another delicacy served at a few high end restaurants.

In Chicago, a few years ago the city council banned Foie gras, yet another delicacy only to reverse their decision. What will be next, banning frog legs, lobster tails, and turtle soup?

Failed “Amazon.com tax” heads to Illinois Supreme Court

Illinois Supreme Court justices appeared skeptical Wednesday when an attorney representing the state argued the constitutionality of a two-year-old state law designed to force certain Internet retailers to collect sales taxes.

Before the law was passed, companies such as Sears and Wal-Mart collected the state sales tax on their Internet transactions with Illinois customers. They did this because they had stores in Illinois, which constitutes a legal presence, or nexus, in the state.

But companies such as Amazon didn’t have to collect the tax because they did not have a physical presence in Illinois.

In order to draw more tax revenue and end an advantage some Internet retailers have over others, legislators in Illinois redefined the term “physical presence” to include marketing affiliates based in Illinois – typically coupon or deal websites whose operators earn commissions for driving shopping traffic to an online retailer. ...More HERE

Chicago's Penny Pritzker: Obama's Worst Insult to His Left-Wing Base

By Joel Pollak -

In a crowded field, Chicago billionaire, bundler, sub-prime banker and union buster Penny Pritzker is clearly the worst nominee that President Barack Obama has chosen for his second term cabinet.

Though the position for which she has been nominated, Secretary of Commerce, often goes to a presidential crony or political insider, Pritzker would exceed all her predecessors and peers with her shocking record of cronyism and failure.

Pritzker ran Superior Bank into the ground by dealing in sub-prime mortgages. As Breitbart News noted recently, the bank's depositors lost $6000, on average, and the taxpayers got fleeced--but the investors got paid out first. Pritzker recently served on the board of the Chicago Public Schools during a period of abject educational failure, and earned a bad reputation with labor unions both there and at her family's Hyatt hotel chain. ...More HERE