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As Illinois government pensions continue to deteriorate, union officials argue that they are not to blame; that the fault lies with politicians who failed to fund pensions. For instance, the union pension lobby group “We Are One Illinois” argues that, “[f]or decades, Illinois politicians shorted or skipped the employer contributions required by law, creating the nation’s largest pension debt. All that time, public employees paid their fair share.”
The change in setting was made following the Boston Marathon
bombings, which occurred April 15, two days after the Illinois GOP announced
that the RNC would be having its meeting in Chicago.
“(The
summer meeting) had been tentatively scheduled for Chicago, but the RNC moved
it to Boston to show our support for the people of Boston after the bombing,”
confirmed Demetra DeMonte, RNC Secretary, in an email.
Perhaps
coincidently, Aug. 14-17 in Boston also marks the dates and setting of the
first actions carried out by the Sons of Liberty in 1765, when the group
protested the Stamp Act by successfully pressuring the acting stamp master to
resign.
Illinois motorists who carry the minimum insurance required by law might find themselves paying more for premiums starting in 2015.
The Illinois House passed legislation over the weekend that would raise the minimum liability coverage -- insurance that helps pay for injuries to others -- to $25,000 for injury or death to one person, up from $20,000. It would also increase minimum coverage to $50,000 for injury or death of two people, up from $40,000.
One legislator estimates that for people currently carrying the minimum amount of liability insurance, it could cost them an extra $75 a year.
SPRINGFIELD - House Speaker Mike Madigan-approved concealed carry bill - SB 2193 - was shot down and buried in the Senate Executive Committee Tuesday afternoon. The bill, considered a compromise bill, was considered by many to be the last chance to pass a concealed carry bill before the end of session and/or the Court's June 9th deadline.
A "shall issue" bill did emerge from the Senate Executive Committee, however, and it is Amendment 4, which will add new fees and more restrictions.
Todd VanderMyde of the National Rifle Association testified in committee that while the NRA was "neutral" on SB 2193, it was "opposed" to Senator Raoul's amendment.
Memorial Day, May 27, 2013, in the Illinois State House will go down in history. Yesterday, the House voted to expand Medicaid in Illinois in accordance with Obamacare. As Representative Chad Hays (R- Danville ) aptly pointed out, “I doubt very many people actually read this bill, just as those in Washington did not read the [Obamacare] bill prior to voting on it."
State Rep. Jeanne Ives spoke out the expansion (below):
Embattled United Neighborhood Organization (UNO) boss Juan Rangel will stay on as CEO as the group tries to get state funding restored after allegations of nepotism and conficts of interest in how contracts were awarded.
Rangel, a key supporter of Mayor Rahm Emanuel, said he will step down from his seat on the city's Public Building Commission because he wants to avoid the appearance of conflicts of interest there.
Illinois’ economic outlook isn’t any brighter than it was last year.
The American Legislative Exchange Council, or ALEC, released its sixth annual Rich States, Poor Statespublication earlier this week. This report showed that Illinois maintained its near dead-last ranking – with the third-worst state economic outlook in the nation.
This news is further confirmation that state lawmakers’ poor policy decisions continue to sap economic activity and ruin opportunities for residents and businesses living and working in Illinois.
ST CLAIR CO - A St. Clair County circuit court judge was accused last week of possessing heroin and a firearm while using illegal controlled substances. Last March, the same judge's 49-year-old colleague died of cocaine overdose while at the judge's family hunting cabin:
St. Clair County Circuit Judge Michael Cook pleaded not guilty to federal counts of possessing heroin and having a firearm while being an illegal user of controlled substances. The criminal complaint alleges those offenses took place Thursday, and that Cook is an addict.
Earlier Friday, the county coroner said toxicology tests showed that Cook's colleague, St. Clair County Circuit Judge Joe Christ, overdosed on cocaine while staying with Cook at the Cook family's 2,500-square-foot cabin near the Mississippi River in western Illinois.
The 49-year-old father of six was found dead in a bathroom at the lodge near Pleasant Hill, about 65 miles from St. Louis, on the evening of March 10 — little more than a week after he was sworn in as a judge.
Has Illinois gone to the dogs? A week ago Monday, Governor Pat Quinn told members of the City Club of Chicago that he would be working night and day on pension reform. With other important legislation pending including concealed carry and the budget, the law makers are talking about dogs.
Believe it or not, they passed the "puppy lemon law". Basically if you buy a puppy and it dies, the seller has to replace the dog or refund your money. Last week I wrote about laws banning the sale of shark fin, lion meat, and foie gras; this on top of limiting the use of tanning beds.
CHICAGO - The more that's coming out about the IRS' investigations in to not-for-profit groups, the more obvious it is that ideological viewpoints affected the speed at which IRS tax exempt requests took place. Question after question, notebook after notebook of responses were gathered - especially for groups mentioning Tea Party, patriots, liberties and other conservative viewpoints.
Dennis Byrne writes in the Chicago Tribune the prolife and religious groups that were hassled by the IRS:
The government asking what our religious beliefs are, or asking what and when we are going to protest are just a few of the constitutional and civil rights violations that occurred during the president's administration.
So was it a coincidence that rogue IRS agents just happened to target the president's so-called enemies during his term? Or were they instructed to do so by "midlevel managers?" Senior IRS managers knew of the complaints a couple of years ago; did they neglect to tell their senior Treasury officials who just happened to neglect to inform the president? The choices are not good.
These complaints against the IRS seem to be only from conservative groups applying for tax exempt status - not liberal or Obama-sympathetic groups, Byrne writes:
CHICAGO - Democrat U.S. House Leader Nancy Pelosi will be in Illinois today to raise money for Brad Schneider and to let all Illinois families know that Schneider is her liberal protégé. Unfortunately for Brad Schneider, an endorsement from Nancy Pelosi is likely to go over like a lead balloon in Illinois’ 10th Congressional District.
On Tuesday, Pelosi will be the keynoter at a “Women for Brad” reception at the Hilton Northbrook for freshman Rep. Brad Schneider (D-Ill.), who is heading toward a 10th District rematch in 2014 with former Rep. Bob Dold, a Republican. The chief co-hosts are the four Democratic women in the Illinois delegation: Reps. Jan Schakowsky, Tammy Duckworth, Cheri Bustos and Robin Kelly.
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois State Rifle Association says Senate Democrats are working to weaken the concealed carry bill that passed the House last week, saying SB 2193 was "a good baseline" -
As most of you know, House Speaker Madigan and Rep. Phelps last week hammered out a concealed carry bill (SB2193) that passed the House with 85 votes. Although the bill was not 100% of what law-abiding Illinois gun owners were hoping for, SB 2193 serves as a good baseline for the institution of state-wide personal protection measures.
Senators Cullerton, Kotowski and Raoul are working to make SB 2193 a "no carry" bill, the ISRA says -
Based on what the ISRA has learned, Cullerton-Kotowski-Raoul have come up with a bill of their own that would have so many exemptions that concealed carry permits would be impossible to get.
NEW YORK - Fox News' reporter James Rosen's email account and phone records were supoenaed and inspected via the Department of Justice, and the development has had a chilling effect on news providers. Which correspondents' communications continue to be tapped? Who's probing confidential sources? Why are they allowed to do so? Both Fox News and the Associated Press' constitutional freedoms are now under scrutiny. Being seen as a turning point in the battle to protect freedom of the press, last week, Fox News' CEO Roger Ailes (right) wrote to Fox News' employees about the situation:
SPRINGFIELD - While social conservatives in Illinois are criticized for holding the line on issues like medical marijuana, same sex marriage and abortion, those pushing Illinois to embrace dramatic changes celebrate their progressive efforts. Over 200 phone banks and 70,000 emails have urged lawmakers to pass gay marriage, advocates say.
Medical marijuana cleared the Illinois General Assembly last week, and whether Illinois will succumb to the pressure of cannabis consumers to legalize medical consumption now rests in the governor's hands.
Windy City Times reports gay rights advocates are optimistic that during the last week of session, the Illinois House may have enough votes to legalize same sex marriage.
SPRINGFIELD - While families were focused on remembering, barbecuing and celebrating the annual launch of summer this weekend, Illinois lawmakers were at the Capitol, and in a close vote, passed lowering the state's compulsory school attendance age from 7 to 6 years. SB 1307 now must go back to the Senate for consensus, and then will proceed to the governor.
If a parent does not obey the law and does not force his child to attend school from age 6 to the day the child turns 18, a judge could order the parent to serve jail time and/or be fined by the state. Parents are responsible for their students' school attendance. All House Republicans and several conservative House Democrats opposed SB 1307.
SPRINGFIELD - Sunday, State Representative Tom Demmer (R-Dixon) unanimously passed a bill on the House floor that will strengthen school safety. Rep. Demmer joined Senator Tim Bivins (R-Dixon) as the chief sponsor in the House to ensure the safety of students, teachers, and employees.
Senate Bill 1931 is intended to make schools safer by examining the current level of safety in schools and making recommendations for improvement. The School Security and Standards Task Force is being created within the State Board of Education to study the security of schools in this State, to make recommendations and, by setting a minimum standard for safety, to ensure that all students, teachers, and administrators can learn and work in a safe environment.
“Due to recent events across the nation, I find it necessary to create a Task Force to look at Illinois schools. Students, teachers, and all other employees are supposed to be able to feel safe when they go to school, that is why they have always been labeled as 'safe zones,'” said Demmer.
The Heartland Institute and the Competitive Enterprise Institute (CEI) based in Washington, D.C. co-sponsored a movie showing of Leonard Reed's classic essay, I, Pencil, on May 21, at the Union League Club of Chicago.
The co-sponsorship by The Heartland Institute and the CEI was a natural collaboration. Both organizations celebrate and defend free enterprise based on the freedom to prosper if liberty exists to pursue choices to accomplish personal dreams. Without this freedom options are drastically limited, for It is through free enterprise and limited government that society has the freedom and the chance to prosper.
"I, Pencil", published in 1958, was Leonard Reed's most famous essay. Although a few of the manufacturing details and place names in the original story have changed, its principles remain unchanged. Specifically: Not one person, no matter how smart or how many degrees follow his name, could create from scratch a small, everyday pencil, let alone a car, an airplane, or even a tablet of paper.
SPRINGFIELD - The Illinois House voted to add another 600,000 Illinoisans onto the already broken state Medicaid system Monday afternoon. Besides Illinois' Medicaid already being billions of dollars behind in paying service providers, there are estimates it could increase the state's financial burden up to $16 billion.
SB 26 passed 63 to 55 - All GOP House members voted no, and because there were so many House Democrats voting Yes for the Medicaid expansion, several Democrats from conservative or swing districts were allowed to vote No.
UPDATE: After Monday's vote on SB 26, State Rep Barbara Flynn Currie (D-Chicago) filed a motion to reconsider the House vote, and then tabled another vote. Will update with the latest ...
Back in February, the Illinois Senate passed SB 26:
From State Representative Joe Sosnowski's office on the House passage of SB 26 -
SPRINGFIELD – Monday, the Illinois House of Representatives advanced legislation that would expand Medicaid coverage as part of Obamacare implementation in Illinois. State Representative Joe Sosnowski (R-Belvidere), who voted against proposal, says expanding Medicaid in Illinois would be a mistake.
“Expanding Medicaid in Illinois at this time is irresponsible and will only lead to more budget problems down the road,” said Sosnowski. “Over the past decade, Illinois’ Medicaid costs have more than doubled and now account for one third of the general revenue funds. We have the highest budget deficit in the nation and are on track to end the year with $7.5 billion in unpaid bills. This is simply an addition that we cannot afford.”
From Rep. Jim Durkin's office in response to the passage of SB 26 in the Illinois House -
SPRINGFIELD—Illinois Democrats today voted to expand the state’s Medicaid system to include another half-a-million people Illinois cannot afford. State Representative Jim Durkin (R-Western Springs) opposed the bill for one reason-Illinois cannot afford it.
“We worked last year to cut $2.6 billion in Medicaid spending to pay back the state’s unpaid bills. This is the direction we should be moving in and now we are making a detrimental move that will cause Illinois to go further into debt and once again harm the state’s bond rating,” said Durkin.
Each Memorial Day, Americans proudly, and solemnly, display
our flags only at the half-staff position for the morning, not to return them
to the full-staff position until noon. This we do in memory of the million-some casualties whom our nation has
lost in battle since the Founding era.
We hold parades in their honor; we hoist a flag and raise a
toast at city parks and private barbecues. We may wear red, white and blue clothing, or flag lapel pins, or
decorate our homes with bunting. But for
all this show of support, who are we really honoring? Do we know?
On July 4, we celebrate the Founding Fathers, a generation
of giants who won us our independence and designed the greatest system of
government ever attempted. We know their
names, from school and books and popular culture. Our street signs bear their names, as do our
school buildings and even our towns.
This morning I signed onto Facebook and of course, saw many Memorial
Day tributes. The tributes very from the expressions of appreciation for
the sacrifice that has enabled our freedom to the remembrance of Pat
Tillman and suggestions that he was killed by the government to keep its
opium business hidden. This day is one of a handful of days during
which such tributes populate social media, accompanying flags flown
where they would not normally be seen.
Generally speaking, do we honor the sacrifice of those who died in
military service? I'm not questioning the motives behind today's
expressions of sentiment and flag-flying. I am, however, wondering if
the memory is honored by the actions of our government, including those
with popular or "patriotic" support.
Memorial Day is a time to honor those who have given the ultimate sacrifice in the name of Freedom and Liberty. Mere words cannot depict the enormity of their sacrifice or the anguish of the loved ones they left behind. Memorial Day is also a day to remember and pray for our troops who currently stand in harm’s way. And to pray for their families and loved one as they endure the hardship and uncertainty of deployment.
To me, Memorial Day is more than just marching bands and political speeches. It is a day that recognizes how enormously indebted we are to those who have laid down their lives to ensure our that we could live in a country in which we are able to enjoy the Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, the right to vote for our elected leaders, and the many other liberties with which we are blessed. Today, I should be in my district at one of the many ceremonies held in honor of our fallen heroes. My responsibilities as State Representative dictate instead that I must be present when the House is in session today.
“But here is the bottom line — the media shield law, which I am prepared to support, and I know Sen. Graham supports, still leaves an unanswered question, which I have raised many times: What is a journalist today in 2013? We know it’s someone that works for Fox or AP, but does it include a blogger? Does it include someone who is tweeting? Are these people journalists and entitled to constitutional protection? We need to ask 21st century questions about a provision that was written over 200 years ago.” -- U.S. Senator Dick Durbin
Over the weekend, Americans across the country have been gathering with loved ones to celebrate Memorial Day in honor of our nation’s armed forces. We also honor the ultimate sacrifice that hundreds of thousands of Americans have made over our history. These brave service men and women served in the pursuit of liberty, protecting the freedoms we hold dear while defeating tyranny around the world. We must never forget how their service and sacrifice shape every American’s life.
I celebrate my father’s service during the Korean War, and I also won’t ever forget how our lives were changed by another serviceman that we never met. During World War II an American soldier named George Jenkins stormed the beach at Normandy and paid the ultimate sacrifice on those foreign sands. His tragic death in 1944 is deeply personal to me and influenced my life greatly. George’s mother and father, Roy and Ella Jenkins, decided to take his life insurance money and choose a young man who happens to be my father, Swede Roskam, and pluck him out of adversity, and pluck him out of a bad situation. They paid his tuition, room, board, books, fees, spending money and they even bought him a class ring that I wear on my hand today.
"I have no illusions about what little I can add now to the silent testimony of those who gave their lives willingly for their country. Words are even more feeble on this Memorial Day, for the sight before us is that of a strong and good nation that stands in silence and remembers those who were loved and who, in return, loved their countrymen enough to die for them. Yet, we must try to honor them -- not for their sakes alone, but for our own. And if words cannot repay the debt we owe these men, surely with our actions we must strive to keep faith with them and with the vision that led them to battle and to final sacrifice. Our first obligation to them and ourselves is plain enough: The United States and the freedom for which it stands, the freedom for which they died, must endure and prosper. Their lives remind us that freedom is not bought cheaply. It has a cost; it imposes a burden. ... The willingness of some to give their lives so that others might live never fails to evoke in us a sense of wonder and mystery. One gets that feeling here on this hallowed ground, and I have known that same poignant feeling as I looked out across the rows of white crosses and Stars of David in Europe, in the Philippines, and the military cemeteries here in our own land. Each one marks the resting place of an American hero and, in my lifetime, the heroes of World War I, the Doughboys, the GI's of World War II or Korea or Vietnam. They span several generations of young Americans, all different and yet all alike, like the markers above their resting places, all alike in a truly meaningful way. ... As we honor their memory today, let us pledge that their lives, their sacrifices, their valor shall be justified and remembered for as long as God gives life to this nation." --Ronald Reagan
Regarding your targeting of conservatives before the presidential election, I found last week's testimony by your former commissioner to be very reassuring. As he explained it, what appeared to be your intentional and politically motivated punitive, totalitarian, and chilling measures against conservative groups and individuals in a clandestine effort to affect the outcome of the election were, in fact, simply the inadvertent consequences of "horrible customer service" provided by a bunch of flunkies in Cincinnati. What a relief!
Which brings me to the purpose of this letter. As you may recall, my business is being audited for reporting gross annual income of $12,125 when, as your revenue agents have so snarkily noted, the actual figure is closer to $9.75 million. As I have repeatedly explained, though I signed the tax return as CEO, this regrettable mistake is attributable to Trixie, our bookkeeper who forgot to disclose in her job interview that she had failed arithmetic for seven straight years before dropping out of grade school and joining an outlaw biker gang.
U.S. Senator Mark Kirk (R-IL) this past week joined Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) in introducing Democrat Commerce Secretary-designate Penny Pritzker at her confirmation hearing before the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee.
“I have seen her as a voice for business that the President will have to heed," Senator Kirk said. "She started successful new companies from the ground up and, based on her extensive business experience, I am confident she will put jobs and economic growth first. My hope is she will become our next Commerce Secretary, and I will be encouraging my colleagues to support her nomination.”
For a second year in a row, Illinois State Senator Kimberly Lightford (D-Chicago) has introduced a bill, SB 1307, to lower the mandatory age for school attendance in Illinois from 7 to 5 years-of-age. This year, Senator Lightford amended her bill to lower the mandatory age for school attendance from 7 to 6 instead to gain more support. This bill passed the Illinois Senate last week and is now being considered in the Illinois House, where the chief sponsor of the bill is State Representative La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago).
“The last thing we need in Illinois is more government control and influence in our lives and this is especially true for our young and impressionable children,” said David E. Smith, IFI Executive Director, in response to this legislation. "We all need to wake up and realize how much indoctrination is going on in our public schools, including the promotion of man-made global warming, Darwinism, LGBT affirmation, population control, feminism, reproductive ‘choice’ and other social and political issues.”
As we approach Memorial Day, we honor those who wore the uniform and defended our freedom. We salute these heroes who made the ultimate sacrifice in the line of duty, and we honor those returning service men and women who traveled across the world to keep our nation safe.
I know you agree that our veterans should have the best possible access to care and assistance when they return home. It is unacceptable that Illinois veterans are forced to wait an average of 465 days to process a disability claim. This is one of the longest waits in the nation.
To confront the veterans disability benefits backlog, I have joined with several senators to understand why veterans are forced to wait so long and how we can end the problem. Last week, I met with Secretary of Veterans Affairs (VA) Eric Shinseki and Secretary of Defense (DoD) Chuck Hagel to discuss how to seamlessly combine DoD and VA medical records to cut down on claim wait times. As your Senator, I will work to honor my fellow veterans by reducing this backlog. This problem has become a bureaucratic nightmare for our veterans and will require a coordinated and ongoing solution until our veterans get the benefits they deserve.
On Monday, flags will fly at half-staff across the nation in memory of those who sacrificed everything to make this country great. Let us join together to show our appreciation for all who serve and remember those courageous Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice to keep us safe.
It is an honor to represent you in the U.S. Senate.
SPRINGFIELD – With interest rates on the most popular federal student loans scheduled to double on July 1, State Representative Darlene Senger (R-Naperville) introduced a resolution calling on congress to take actions necessary to stop the rate increase.
“Unless federal legislation is passed to stop the rate hike, the interest rate on the most popular student loan is set to double from 3.4 percent to 6.8 percent,” explained Senger. “At a time when the cost of college has never been higher, we need to do everything we can to keep interest rates low so that more Americans can afford to get an education.”
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.
With the Legislature entering its
final week before a scheduled May 31 adjournment deadline, several major issues
yet to be resolved continue to hang over the General Assembly.
Despite state government’s
one-party control, the Governor and his House and Senate allies have yet to
move the ball forward on almost every major issue. To date, no state budget
draft has been produced, fostering concerns that a spending plan will be
dropped on legislators at the last minute. Senate President John
Cullerton has indicated we will get our first look on Monday or Tuesday.The
state continues to accumulate pension debt while the Senate President, House
Speaker and Governor all appear deadlocked over competing reform plans.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
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.
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"
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.
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.
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."
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.
