Illinois Review

Lake County files suit over state law taking over election board

MUNDELEIN - Within days of Governor Pat Quinn signing into law a bill allowing online voter registration, Lake County officials filed suit Tuesday in reaction to a little-discussed provision in the same law which requires the county to set up a new election commission. The provision in HB 2418 was so under the radar that the two Democrats that sponsored the legislation say they have no idea how it was added in, and who is responsible for the addition.

The Tribune asked House sponsor State Rep. Andre Thapedi and Lake County State Sen. Terry Link about the addition. Thapedi, a Chicago Democrat, said he didn't know how the clause was added. Link, a Democrat from Lake County, said that he supported the idea but again denied he was behind the clause. "And I have zero idea who it was," he said. 

The section of HB 2418 that sets up an election commission and strips authority from longtime Republican Lake County Clerk Willard Helander specifies Lake County indirectly with stipulations only Lake fulfills, stating:

State Rep. Morrison opposes Madigan/Cullerton legislator pay lawsuit

PALATINE - State Rep. Tom Morrison (R-Palatine) said Wednesday he opposed the lawsuit House Speaker Mike Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton filed this weekn challenging the Governor suspending legislators' pay until a pension bill passes the Illinois General Assembly. 

"The complaint alleges that there is no adequate alternative to filing a lawsuit," Morrison said. "Legislators do have an alternative, however, and that is a veto override. Why not go that route? Because the legislature doesn't want to look self-serving."

"In all of this, the legislature is forgetting who it is sworn to serve, and that is the citizens of Illinois," Morrison said.

Wozniak announces for Illinois House District 71 race

ROCK ISLAND - Jim Wozniak, 34, an assistant state’s attorney in the Felony Division of the Rock Island County State’s Attorney’s Office announced his bid Wednesday to be the GOP's 2014 candidate in House District 71. Wozniak will be facing Jeff McKinley of Orion, IL in next March's GOP primary.

In his news release, Wozniak focused on Illinois financial problems among several reasons for throwing his hat in the ring.

As politicians sue to get paid, Illinois workers get lay off notices

As the state's economy continues to slip, and state lawmakers sue for their paychecks, about 400 Illinois workers received notice this month that they could be laid off in the coming weeks, according to filings with the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity.

Companies being forced to layoff workes include Lake Forest-based Grainger Inc., Robert Bosch Tool Corp., Citibank in Danville, Charitable Resource Foundation, KubeTech Custom Molding, Olin Corp., Ball Metal Beverage Packaging, Allstate, Caterpillar, and Pershing.

Judge tosses bid for fast-track of Illinois conceal-carry law

ST. LOUIS - Second Amendment advocates who failed to sway a federal judge into letting Illinois residents immediately carry firearms in public under the state's new concealed-carry law announced Monday they're asking an appeals court to intervene.

The notice of appeal to the Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit of Appeals by Mary Shepard and the Illinois State Rifle Association came three days after U.S. District Judge William Stiehl denied their lawsuit.

The Illinois Legislature passed the last-in-the-nation concealed carry law July 9 against Gov. Pat Quinn's objections. It gives Illinois State Police 180 days to set up a program before accepting applications, plus an additional 90 days to process the forms. ...More HERE

Lt. Governor announces for Illinois comptroller, blames others for state's mess

CHICAGO - Democrat Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon officially announced she's running for Illinois comptroller, ending speculation about which office the politician would seek next.

Simon is likely to face at least one Democratic challenger in the primary: Will County Auditor Duffy Blackburn has mentioned plans to run. Either would face a difficult challenge against Republican Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, a former three-term state treasurer. Along with experience in winning statewide offices, Topinka has a fundraising advantage, reporting more than $805,000 cash on hand at the end of the second quarter, compared with $272,000 for Simon and $25,300 for Blackburn.

In February, Simon abruptly announced her plans not to seek re-election with Gov. Pat Quinn, and was thought to be eyeing the Attorney General spot until current AG, and fellow Democrat, Lisa Madigan decided to run again.

As is common in Illinois, Simon is the child of another politician - the late U.S. Sen. Paul Simon. She has held umerous political jobs and taxpayer-funded positions throughout her career and has no experience in the private sector.

Despite being the Lt. Governor and a member of the majority party, Simon told the Associated Press that "It's a shameful state that we're in. That's something that lawmakers need to pay attention to."

Governor Pat Quinn with his Lt. Governor Shelia Simon

Obama’s New ‘Nudge Squad’ To Secretly Push You to Do His Bidding

By Warner Todd Huston - 

President Obama has failed in many ways to get Americans to follow along with his giant government, Big Brother ways. So, instead of changing his policies to what you want, he’s investing your tax dollars into creating ways to “nudge” you into accepting his extreme policy ideas.

On Tuesday Fox News released areport that revealed Obama’s plan to use psychology and “behavioral insights” to cajole America into accepting his way of thinking.

“The federal government is hiring what it calls a ‘Behavioral Insights Team’ that will look for ways to subtly influence people’s behavior,” Fox reports.

The newser found that these “insights” teams are already fanning out across several government departments to help them fine-tune the message to fool Americans into thinking Obama’s ideas are just what we need to cure our nation’s ills (you know, the ones Obama caused in the first place). ...More HERE

Quinn: Cullerton-Madigan lawsuit is 'just plain wrong'

Gov. Pat Quinn (D) thinks it's "just plain wrong" that Senate President John Cullerton (D) and House Speaker Mike Madigan (D) are more focused on lawaker pay than the pension crisis.

Quinn talked with John Kass and Lauren Cohn on WLS tday saying, "they're putting too much energy, in my opinion, on just trying to get their pay."

See audio below

Quinn went on to say,"my view is, I'm not taking a paycheck and I don't want any members of the legislature - and I don't think the people of Illinois want any members of the legislature - getting payed until they get this $100 billion pension liability out from under us."

When asked if Lisa Madigan will be defending the governor or if she will be siding with her father, Quinn said, "I don't know what the position is gonna be of the attorney general, maybe this morning or today we'll find out more about that."

News ... illustrated: Free the Illinois 177

Rahm crows over absentee reduction at CTA

Rampant absenteeism that costs the CTA $40 million a year — and delayed bus and rail service — is down 22 percent, due to a crackdown that a union leader are calling unfair to the rank and file.

Even with the $10 million savings, the CTA has a $30 million-a-year problem caused by employees who abuse sick time, report frequent injuries on the job or make excessive use of medical leave.

But Mayor Rahm Emanuel and CTA President Forrest Claypool were so proud of the progress made that they held a news conference at a CTA bus garage to talk about it. ...More HERE

June unemployment: Illinoisans across the state still struggling to find work

By John Klingner - 

President Barack Obama visited to Galesburg last week to give a speech in which he said he would refocus on jobs and the economy.

That’s little comfort for the unemployed workers in cities across Illinois. The economic policies the president wishes to enact at the federal level have been at work for years in his home state of Illinois, and they have resulted in a new normal: high unemployment.

The latest seasonally adjusted unemployment numbers from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics for June continue the trend of poor employment for Metropolitan Statistical Areas, or MSAs, revealing a poor job market across Illinois.

For many cities, the last year has been one of scarce job creation. Springfield and the Bloomington-Normal area saw their unemployment rate drop only 0.3 and 0.1 percent respectively over the past year.

ComEd's 2012 outage response fell short of smart grid requirement

Commonwealth Edison last year failed to meet a key reliability standard in the landmark smart grid law, despite experiencing far fewer violent summer storms than the year before and overhauling its response to large storms. But new standards that become enforceable this year mean the utility must restore power on average within 91.5 minutes or less in order to avoid a modest reduction in its rates. ...More HERE

Chicago attorney confirmed to NLRB board

The Senate has confirmed Chicago attorney Philip Miscimarra (photo right) to fill a Republican seat on the National Labor Relations Board. Mr. Miscimarra is a partner at Morgan Lewis and was one of five NLRB nominees — three Democratic and two Republican — the Senate approved. ...More HERE

Pelosi: Obama Most 'Non-Partisan' President To Ever Serve In The White House

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi may have finally fallen completely off her rocker Tuesday as she commended the President and her fellow Democrats in Congress for propelling the Left into a “bipartisan, cooperative alternative” party.

The 73-year-old California Democrat seemed to fan-girl over President Obama during a meeting with USA Today’s editorial board Tuesday, calling him “one of the most practically non-partisans I have seen in the White House.” It seems the Commander-in-Chief has earned this special place in Pelosi’s heart by his apparent willingness to work with Republicans to thwart yet another upcoming fiscal crisis. ...More HERE

Obama: Top Tax Rate Should Be 28% for Corporations, 40% for Small Business

The New York Times reports that President Obama is reviving an old proposal to lower the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 28 percent (and 25 percent for manufacturers). Obama's push to lower the corporate tax rate to 28 percent comes less than a year after he raised the top individual income tax rate, paid by many small businesses, to 39.6 percent.

In a speech delivered Tuesday afternoon, Obama did not explain why he thinks it's a sound economic idea to raise the top marginal tax rate on small businesses but lower it for corporations. ...More HERE

Reick to challenge Franks in 63rd Illinois House District

Harvard attorney and Republican Precinct Committeeman Steven Reick (photo right) has announced he's running for the Illinois General Assembly in District 63. The seat is currently held by Democrat Jack Franks, an 8-term incumbent.

“Jack Franks tells us how he’s fought the special interests in Springfield and stood up for the values of the people of McHenry County, yet has voted 8 times for Mike Madigan as Speaker of the Illinois House,” Reick said. “He’s been unwilling or unable to resist the one special interest that Illinois can no longer afford.”

Reick says his major issues are pension reform, the elimination of the Common Core Standards of curriculum now being taught in our schools, as well as Medicaid and tax reform.

“Jobs are the common thread that tie all of these issues together; how the State handles these issues will determine Illinois’ future,” Reick noted. “The people of Illinois are going on strike. They aren’t picketing or making demands, they’re leaving the state. ...The responsibility falls squarely on the Madigan machine and those, like Jack Franks, who enable it with their votes.”

Dissecting the paradox of hatred

By Irene F. Starkehaus -

It seems a little weird defending one's right to hate, doesn't it? It ranks right up there with defending the right to be overweight or the right to chew tobacco but in spite of the negative images that these civil liberties bring to our mind, they all fall under that big umbrella known as unalienable rights. We all know hate holds a negative connotation and here in America we're supposed to be nice people who never experience any unsanctioned bad thought or feeling – homogenous, milquetoast and utterly devoid of the individuality that occasionally brings about animosity.

And I suppose that even that description is not quite accurate because hate, hate speech and hate crimes are commonly permissible if the hater is the right kind of hater. Such avant-garde rogues of cliché are sanctioned to hate on anyone or anything they want and may act on that hate in any manner they choose so long as they are affiliated with the Democrat Party and its progressive agenda…in which case, the more vile and hyperbolic they can be the better they serve their comrades and their glorious cause. Constraint for me but not for thee so it would seem.

As abhorrent as it may be, the truth is that hate is not only a much maligned and misapplied word these days, we really undervalue hate as a necessary emotion in the drive for social and spiritual change. It can act as a vice, no doubt. But it can also be a virtue in the impetus for positive change depending on how it's used.

Black Conservative Summit aims to unite community, discuss key issues

By Joe Kaiser - 

Freedom’s Journal Institute will hold the Black Conservative Summit Aug. 29-31 at the Pheasant Run Resort in St. Charles, IL, with the tagline for the summit being “Defending the Natural Family: R.I.S.E to Rebuild the Foundation of Black America.” R.I.S.E. is an acronym for responsible government, individual liberty & fidelity, strong family values and economic empowerment.

Confirmed speakers to the summit include Republican Rep. Peter Roskam (IL-6), former Cincinnati mayor and Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Ben Kinchlow, Star Parker, Armstrong Williams and various church and community leaders, among others. 

Dr. Eric Wallace, the Editor-in-Chief and publisher of Freedom’s Journal Magazine, said the purpose of the summit is to unite black conservatives and discuss issues affecting the black community.

“(Black conservatives) are a minority of the black community, but we are also a minority of the white conservative movement,” Wallace said. “The idea to do this is bringing black conservatives together.”

Wallace named out of wedlock birth, black on black crime, abortion and low high school graduation rates as some of the major problems in the black community, which he said are often ignored by leaders in both parties, including black leaders.

The summit will have multiple seminars designed to address many of these issues, particularly many on marriage and family and their importance in the black community. Wallace highlighted in particular a few seminars on the second day: “What is the Role of government in the 21st century?” Public Policy and why it matters to you, your family and community” and a round table with church leaders toward the end of the night.

Wallace said the emphasis on social issues at the summit is linked to economic concerns as well.

“You can’t divorce (social and economic issues),” he said. “When the social issues fall apart, that’s when the government steps in economically.”

Obama: Pay gap ‘morally wrong’

President Obama is changing gears on the economy, highlighting income inequality as a growing problem in advance of pitched fall battles with congressional Republicans over funding the government and raising the debt ceiling.

The focus is intended to make it easier for Obama to argue that new taxes on the rich — and not cuts to social spending — should be imposed to lower the deficit.

It also dovetails with Obama’s call for Congress to raise the federal $7.25 minimum wage and to end the automatic spending cuts known as sequestration. ...More HERE

DuPage County chairman accepts resignation from Metra board member

WHEATON, IL - DuPage County Chairman Dan Cronin said today he's accepted the resignation of Metra Board of Directors member Paul Darley (photo right).

Darley sent Cronin his resignation letter on Tuesday. In it, Darley cites calls from many asking for Metra board members to resign.

The commuter rail agency has been embroiled in legal problems since ousted CEO Alex Clifford left with a $718,000 separation agreement, saying he was forced out of the agency for resisting pressure from Democrat House Speaker Michael Madigan and others over jobs and construction contracts.

Darley says he supports a comprehensive investigation and that Illinois taxpayers "have a right to know everything that took place at Metra."

Liberals Freaking Out Because Food Stamp Recipients To See $20 Reduction…

Regardless of whether Republicans succeed in cutting food stamps this year, the 22 million American households relying on the program will see their benefits drop in November.

The looming reduction has received little attention since lawmakers set it in motion years ago. The average household’s monthly benefit from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program will drop by $20 or $25, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, a liberal Washington think tank.

“The general public doesn’t realize it,” Celia Cole, CEO of the Texas Food Bank Network, told The Huffington Post on Monday. “We certainly know the low income people on SNAP don’t know the cut is coming.” ...More HERE

Madness? Climatism the 'Greatest Global Delusion' (video)

Is the earth on a collision course with environmental catastrophe? Illinois-based researcher Steve Goreham says that belief is the greatest global delusion in history.

Rauner: Springfield politicians "afraid to take on union bosses"

GOP gubernatorial candidate Bruce Rauner distributed the following statement in response to House Speaker Michael Madigan's and Senate President John Cullterton's lawsuit to overturn Gov. Pat Quinn's legislator pay stoppage:

"Springfield has never looked more dysfunctional, and the people of Illinois deserve better. Instead of showing leadership and solving the pension crisis, the politicians running Springfield are once again pointing fingers at each other and are afraid to take on the government union bosses. This is why we need to shake Springfield to its core."

There was no statement from fellow GOP candidates Kirk Dillard, Dan Rutherford, or Bill Brady.

Obama encouraged to pick Sheila Jackson Lee for Homeland Security secretary

The Congressional Black Caucus wants Rep. Sheila Jackson Lee of Texas to be the next Secretary of Homeland Security, now that former Sec. Janet Napolitano has resigned to become president of the University of California System.

The Houston Chronicle reported that CBC Chairwoman Marcia Fudge sent a letter to President Barack Obama last week to “encourage [him] to strongly consider” Jackson Lee for the Cabinet post.

“Representative Jackson Lee would serve as an effective DHS Secretary because she understands the importance of increasing border security and maintaining homeland safety,” the letter says. ...More HERE

Illinois Democrat leaders sue each other to get paid while doing nothing

Democrat leaders of the Illinois House and Senate sued fellow Democrat Gov. Pat Quinn on Tuesday over what they called a "purely political and unconstitutional" move to hold lawmaker paychecks because of inaction on the state's nearly $100 billion pension crisis.

Less than 48 hours before the first affected payday, House Speaker Michael Madigan and Senate President John Cullerton filed the 12-page complaint in Cook County circuit court.

"This matter is of fundamental constitutional importance, as Governor Quinn's action threatens the independence of each branch of government," Cullerton and Madigan said in a joint news release. "The Illinois Constitution protects the salaries of members of the judiciary, the legislature, and the executive branch."

Last week Illinois Comptroller Judy Baar Topinka, who is named as a defendant in Tuesday's suit, said she had no choice but to withhold lawmaker paychecks, citing a previous court case.

Topinka spokesman Brad Hahn said Tuesday the comptroller was reviewing the suit and "will hold off on further comment." Topinka has, in recent weeks, said she would welcome additional guidance from the courts.

Illinois has unprecedented pension debt, which accrued over the last two decades of near total Democrat rule during which lawmakers skipped or shorted payments to the state's five retirement systems. ...More HERE

Black Conservative Summit to be held in Chicago area (video)

Freedom's Journal Institute will hold The Black Conservative Summit in St. Charles Illinois just outside of Chicago August 29th-31st. The Theme for the Summit is Defending the Natural Family: R.I.S.E. to Rebuild The Foundation of Black America.

Cardinal George defends church on immigrant group's gay marriage stance

CHICAGO - Cardinal Francis George (photo right) defended the decision to halt Catholic Church funding for illegal alien groups that support gay marriage.

WBBM Newsradio’s Terry Keshner reported the Catholic Campaign for Human Development – the Catholic Church’s anti-poverty program in the U.S. – has withdrawn financial support for the Illinois Coalition for Immigrant and Refugee Rights, after the group voiced its support for same-sex marriage.

The cardinal responded to a letter from a group of Catholic elected officials and community leaders, pressuring the church to reverse that decision.

“You can’t play off the pastoral concern of the church for the poor against the church’s teaching,” George said. “That’s exactly what was done, that’s a cynical move, and I’m sorry that it was done.” ...More HERE

Illinois Will End up Like Detroit if It Does Not Change Course

By Matt Besler - 

Detroit was once the greatest city of the modern world. Automobiles were the cutting edge of technology in the first half of the twentieth century. Talent and genius flocked to Detroit. Innovators in engineering, technology, design, finance, marketing, and management created a concentration of economic dynamism and creativity unlike anything the world had yet seen. Detroit was the Silicon Valley of its day, except its products were made of tangible metal, rubber, and glass.

The auto industry transformed America into a land of mobility and personal freedom beyond the dreams of earlier generations. Henry Ford said, “History is bunk.” He meant the old limits could be blown away, and ordinary people could have a better life than they had ever dreamed of before. Ford,Alfred Sloan of General Motors, Walter Chrysler, and countless thousands of people in and around Detroit—and millions of suppliers and customers all over the world—made that happen. They made modern America.

Detroit was where the action was. Detroit was the future… But, somehow, it all went wrong.

Higgins: Brief Answers to Marriage Questions: Part 2

By Laurie Higgins - 

Why is the government involved in marriage? Is the government involved in marriage to affirm love or to provide benefits to unions because of their love? Why shouldn’t platonic friends, two brothers, or five people of assorted genders be permitted to marry?

Although those seeking to marry may have a deep investment in the love they feel for one another, the government has no interest whatsoever in whether those seeking to marry love each other and no vested interest in the public affirmation of love between two (or more) people.

The government is involved in marriage in order to link parents to each other and to any children their sexual union may produce. This isn’t to say that the government makes or should make any attempt to ascertain fertility or compel procreation. It means that the government recognizes and regulates the typeof union (i.e., two people, one from each sex) that naturally produces children.

Governor "no show"

Illinois Review welcomes our newest contributor Scott Reeder. See Scott's bio below.

By Scott Reeder - 

SPRINGFIELD – During the last year, Gov. Pat Quinn spent less than 14 percent of his time actually working in Springfield.

In fact, the governor spent almost as much time on trips outside of Illinois as he did in the state’s capital.

From July 1, 2012, through June 30, 2013, Quinn spent 50 days doing at least some work in Springfield according to his personal schedule, which I obtained through the Illinois Freedom of Information Act. 

By way of comparison, he spent 48 days traveling outside the Land of Lincoln. Among his stops during the year: Mexico, Brazil and Germany.

I wasn’t surprised by the findings.

After all, it’s pretty obvious to any statehouse observer that he doesn’t spend much time in the city where the state is actually governed.

More than 100,000 Illinois Medicaid enrollees found ineligible for the program

By Jonathan Ingram - 

Illinois law has long required that the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, or HFS, perform annual eligibility checks to ensure that those receiving Medicaid benefits were actually eligible for the program. After years of HFS failing to adequately perform these annual eligibility checks, lawmakers enacted 305 ILCS 5/11-5.2, which allowed HFS to bring in independent experts to verify income, residency and identity eligibility for all Medicaid applicants.

Medicaid is a prime target for wasteful spending, winding up on the U.S. Government Accountability Office's list of high-risk programs. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or HHS, estimates that nearly 10 percent of total Medicaid spending is improper. That means that, nationwide, up to $40 billion in annual Medicaid spending is wasteful and/or fraudulent. HHS officials indicate that eligibility determination errors account for most of that waste.

HFS contracted with Maximus, an independent vendor that specializes in this type of work, to launch the enhanced verification program in January. So far, the vendor has reviewed eligibility for more than 195,000 individuals currently enrolled in Medicaid.

Of those, they identified more than 101,000 who were ineligible for benefits. Another 23,000 individuals were eligible for some benefits, but enrolled in the wrong program. For example, some individuals enrolled in Medicaid may only qualify for programs with greater cost-sharing. That means that of the 195,000 case files reviewed so far, nearly 64 percent had eligibility errors.

Art Bell returns to radio to discuss the paranormal -- perfect for Illinois pols

Art Bell, radio's master of the paranormal, will return to the microphone on Sept. 16 with a new nighttime show on Sirius XM Radio.

Bell was one of radio's top syndicated voices in the 1990s before walking away from his nightly show. "I missed it terribly," said Bell, 68, whose weeknight show will air live from 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. ET.

Image released by SiriusXM shows Art Bell his home studio in Pahrump, Nev. (Art Bell)

Illinois taxpayer contributions to state pensions skyrocket

By Ted Dabrowski & John Klingner - 

Detroit’s recent bankruptcy is sending cities and states a warning: taxpayers shouldn’t be taken for granted. Unfortunately, Illinois’ long-term pension plan does exactly that.

Springfield still believes that taxpayers are passive sources of revenue. While state worker contributions to Illinois’ five pension systems have gone up by 75 percent since 1998, taxpayer contributions have gone up by 427 percent over the same period. In 2012 alone, Illinois taxpayers contributed more than $3.5 billion more to the pension systems than state workers did.

Under the current system, Springfield expects taxpayers to contribute $385 billion over the next 30 years. That’s nearly $81,000 per household and more than four times what state workers are expected to contribute.

Illinois taxpayers bear brunt of increasing pension costs
Taxpayer vs. employee pension contributions, 1998-2045

Republican Elites DID Seek to Keep Federal Oversight on State Elections

By Warner Todd Huston - 

Last week PJ Media posted a short story that reported that certain operatives in the Republican Party establishment wanted to buck the Supreme Court of the United States of America and look to ways to re-instate federal oversight over elections and redistricting in southern states. The Republican National Committee immediately denied the report and said they absolutely were not looking to re-impose federal oversight on the states.

In June the Supreme Court (SCOTUS) struck down part of the voting rights law and returned oversight of redistricting and elections back to the several southern states. Since 1965 these states had to plead to the federal government to get approval for such things all due to civil rights violations during the days of Jim Crow.

Huebert: For real reform, Illinois should repeal campaign contribution limits

By Jacob Huebert - 

Illinois’ limits on campaign contributions are anticompetitive and unconstitutional – and the bill Gov. Pat Quinn just signed enacting sweeping changes to the state’s election code only makes the system more arbitrary and unfair.

The biggest problem with Illinois’ existing campaign finance law is that it limits how much money a person can give to candidates for state office – but these limits do not apply to political party leaders. That means, for example, that House Speaker Mike Madigan can give as much money as he wants to the candidates he prefers, but ordinary citizens can’t.

The result: more power for politicians who are already powerful and a deck that’s stacked against citizens who would challenge the status quo.

The bill Quinn just signed only adds more arbitrary exceptions to the rules.

Beware: GRA rises again, this time in California. Illinois next?

Could government mandated guaranteed retirement accounts (GRAs) be in Illinois' future?

By Nancy Thorner and Jane Keill - 

Disturbing information that could one day affect all private sector employees was discussed recently on Fox’s Neil Cavuto (w/Stewart Varney) and later in the day on Special Report with Bret Baier:

The California state legislature is pushing a new plan, called ‘Secure Choice Retirement Savings Program’, which will require private-sector employers to extract 2 percent of every employees' paycheck and send it to the state coffers, even though the employee may choose not to participate.

The money would be put into a state fund with a guarantee – Oh, we Promise, Promise, Promise! – that all funds will be invested and you will get your money, plus gains, back at your retirement age. 

Simon to announce campaign plans Wednesday

SPRINGFIELD - Lt. Gov. Sheila Simon is telling the media she will announce her plans for the 2014 campaign season Wednesday during a day-long fly-around starting in Chicago and ending in Carbondale.

As reported here, Simon has expressed an interest in running for comptroller, which is currently held by Republican Judy Baar Topinka. “I will be announcing some very exciting news about the next step in my campaign on Wednesday...” Simon noted in an email send to supporters Monday evening.

Bill Daley to make his campaign for Governor official today

Bill Daley (photo right) says he is finished exploring. His campaign is filing papers this morning with the Illinois State Board of Elections that “tears the exploratory label” off his committee.

Having a well-deserved reputation for teasing about public office, Daley said he wants to convey that he’s not waffling; he’s committed to running for governor - which is important to major Democrat donors who were shocked by Lisa Madigan's decision not to run.

Gov. Pat Quinn has said he will run for reelection. But some strategist believe that with Madigan's withdrawal, Dailey may have the edge...at least north of I80.

U.S. says JP Morgan manipulated Midwest power prices

WASHINGTON (AP) - U.S. energy regulators are accusing JPMorgan Chase & Co. of manipulating electricity prices in California and the Midwest in 2010 and 2011.

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission said in an enforcement notice Monday that the bank used improper bidding strategies to squeeze excessive payments from the agencies that run the power grids in California and the Midwest.

American Idol contestants cry racism

Recently, 10 former American Idol contestants filed a suit claiming that they were eliminated from the show, not because of their lackluster talent, but because of their race (Every member of the 'Idol 10' is black). The group, which includes former contestants Corey Clark and Ju'Not Joyner, claim that the show used the contestants' past arrest records to make them appear to be "violent criminals, liars and sexual deviants." Furthermore, their lawyer contends that only black contestants' pasts were investigated and white contestants were universally exempt. Each of the former contestants is suing for at least$25 million...each.

Preckwinkle fires ethics official who took on nepotism

Cook County Board President Toni Preckwinkle (photo right) has fired a top county ethics official who was trying to punish Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios for putting relatives on his payroll, according to the Sun-Times. MaryNic Foster was quietly dumped from her $110,355-a-year post in May after five years as executive director of the county's Board of Ethics.

Despite ban, Metra boss O'Halloran got two government checks

Metra Chairman Brad O'Halloran received nearly $22,000 for his service as an elected trustee in Orland Park despite a state law banning Metra board members from receiving a paycheck from any other government post, writes the Chicago Tribune. Mr. O'Halloran did not move to repay the money until after the $718,000 severance deal given to Metra ex-CEO Alex Clifford had unfolded into a political spectacle entangling powerbrokers including Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan.

DuPage heavyweights contend for GOP treasurer nomination

By Joe Kaiser - 

Only two Republicans have been elected Illinois State Treasurer in the last 46 years - Judy Baar Topinka and Dan Rutherford. Topinka gave up the seat after three terms to run for governor in 2006, and Rutherford is now doing the same after one term, leaving the seat open for the third consecutive election.

A pair of DuPage County Republicans are now looking to fill the position. DuPage County Auditor Bob Grogan and former DuPage County Chairman Bob Schillerstrom are both vying for the office and touting their respective financial accomplishments.

Schillerstrom (photo right), who briefly sought the GOP nomination for governor in 2010, served as DuPage County Board Chairman from 1998-2010, and said he believes his record in office makes a strong case for his candidacy for treasurer.

“I have a financial background, and the most pressing issues facing the state of Illinois are financial,” Schillerstrom, 61, said. “We have given the Democrats a chance to run the state, and they haven’t done a good job in doing it. I have some ideas that have been tested and tried in DuPage County. I want to bring a different opinion to the state of Illinois.” 

Schillerstrom stresses the need for state lawmakers to say “no” more often to excess spending and the growth of government. “We have to stop spending more money than we bring in,” he said. “We can’t throw money at all problems. We need to have some fiscal discipline. That’s what we did in DuPage County.”

Grogan, 45, (photo right) also has his own DuPage County credentials to promote, though. Serving as DuPage County Auditor since 2008, Grogan, if elected, would actually be the first certified public accountant to be treasurer in Illinois.

“People really start to warm to the fact that I have a resume that says I understand money,” Grogan said. “Honestly, the treasurer’s office shouldn’t be run by people who don’t understand money.” 

Like Schillerstrom, Grogan also stressed the need for more fiscal discipline in Springfield, citing the pension crisis as one of the biggest areas where lawmakers need to buckle down.

Another area where the two agree concerns the potential merger of the treasurer and comptroller offices, something both Rutherford and Comprtoller Topinka support now. The merger of the two offices requires a constitutional amendment, which passed the senate unanimously in 2011 with co-sponsors from both parties but was blocked by House Speaker Mike Madigan.

Obama: I Delayed the Employer Mandate Because I Could. What Are You Gonna Do About it?

Via Hot Air and Byron York, Barack Obama has crossed the constitutional Rubicon. He realizes as much, and is daring Congress to stop him. From the New York Times.

NYT: People questioned your legal and constitutional authority to do that unilaterally — to delay the employer mandate. Did you consult with your lawyer?

MR. OBAMA: Jackie, if you heard me on stage today, what I said was that I will seize any opportunity I can find to work with Congress to strengthen the middle class, improve their prospects, improve their security –

NYT: No, but specifically –

MR. OBAMA: — but where Congress is unwilling to act, I will take whatever administrative steps that I can in order to do right by the American people.

And if Congress thinks that what I’ve done is inappropriate or wrong in some fashion, they’re free to make that case…

He continues, delivering his usual boilerplate about how he’s the only one who cares about the three-letter word called “jobs” and the Republicans are just saying “no” to everything. Then he hits them on their credentials to criticize.

But ultimately, I’m not concerned about their opinions — very few of them, by the way, are lawyers, much less constitutional lawyers.

Nice, coming from a once part-time adjunct professor. One of his fiercest critics, by the way, is Sen. Ted Cruz, who was a state solicitor general and has argued and won cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Can President Jumpshot claim as much?

Secular Media Spins Pope Francis

By Mark Rhoads - 

Secular media is making much of the remark by Pope Francis in Rome on Monday that he would not "judge" gays in the church. But as usual, the secular media spins this very simple reference to avoid judging found in Matthew 7:1 for two centuries as somehow a new shift in church policy. They choose to ignore the fact that withholding judgment of an individual is not the same thing as approving the behavior of an individual who fails to follow church teaching. Christians are often advised to "hate the sin but love the sinner." Of course Christians teach that God loves all His creatures and He is willing to forgive sin, but that never means that sin itself does not exist or should be promoted.

Court orders Chicago Teamsters to stop harassing grieving families in funeral dispute

CHICAGO - Last Wednesday, the Appellate Court of Illinois, First Judicial District, granted a temporary restraining order against the Teamsters Local 727 and its leadership. The order calls for picketers to "refrain from conveying any actual or veiled threats against any person, also, refrain from obstructing, hindering, impeding or blocking any person's entry to or exit from any funeral site or any facility containing a funeral site."

Teamsters Local 727 workers called a strike on funeral services provider Service Corporations International July 1st, and set up pickets at 18 affiliated funeral home in the Chicago area. SCI filed a complaint against strikers for harassing and intimidating grieving families.

According to a SCI press release, some of the incidents cited in the complaint include:

• During the service of a young child who had passed away from cancer, picketers laughed, smiled and joked as they created a disturbance within the immediate vicinity of the only public entrance to the funeral home. They were asked to move by a police officer who had been called – then moved back immediately in front of the building and its entrance after the officer left.
• While escorting a woman and her father who were attempting to plan her recently deceased mother’s funeral, an employee escorting them was taunted and called names, the three of them were taunted with a bullhorn and siren sound, and intimidated by an unleashed German Shepherd.

Chicago's WLS radio dropping Limbaugh and Hannity at the end of the year

Photos: AP

According to Politico, Cumulus Media, which owns Chicago's 89 WLS, is planning to drop both Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity from its stations at the end of the year.

The decision comes after negotiations between Cumulus and Premiere Networks, the division of Clear Channel that distributes Limbaugh and Hannity's shows, broke down due to disagreements over the cost of the distribution rights. Cumulus is known to drive a hard bargain on costs, and Clear Channel is known to seek top dollar for big names.

Cumulus and Clear Channel have come to the brink before during contract negotiations only to resume talks. But industry insiders say Clear Channel is unlikely to reduce the cost for distribution rights to a level that would satisfy Cumulus.

Limbaugh reacted to the story on his show today, telling his listeners not to worry about Cumulus. He assured his audience that they'll still be able to find him on numerous stations throughout the country.

The conservative talk radio shakeup may give WLS competitor AM 560 WIND an opportunity to pick up the two show's large listening audiences.

Illinois House GOP leader in fight to keep his job

SPRINGFIELD - Illinois House Republican leader Tom Cross (photo right) gambled and lost on a potential run for attorney general and now finds himself trying to fend off attempts by rank-and-file lawmakers looking to take away the job he's got.

Cross, who has led the long-out-of-power House GOP for 10 years, had a promotion in mind at the end of spring session in late May, telling his members he'd likely run for the state's chief legal office if Democratic Attorney General Lisa Madigan pursued a run for governor. Instead, Madigan opted to seek a fourth term. Cross, wanting no part of the politically formidable Madigan, decided he wanted to stay on as legislative leader.

"We have to keep our eye on the ball," said Rep. Jim Durkin, a Western Springs Republican who is among those setting his sights on taking over Cross' leadership position. "Let's call it like it is. Since May through this (month), Rep. Tom Cross was focused on one thing: That was becoming attorney general of the state of Illinois."

Besides Durkin, Reps. Raymond Poe of Springfield and Dwight Kay (photo right) of Glen Carbon near St. Louis have offered themselves as Downstate alternatives and are working on building support to dump Cross of Oswego. ...More HERE

Walsh: Boehner and Illinois delegation want me to stay away from Washington

By Ulysses Arn - 

On Sunday fromer congressman Joe Walsh spoke to over 200 of his supporters in Wauconda as he laid out the future of his Walsh Freedom effort. During his remarks Walsh said that he has spoken with Speaker of the House John Boehner and the members of Illinois' congressional delegation about the possibility of Joe running again for Congress. Their response is very telling, they want him to stay away from Washington.

Illinois National Guard welcomes Stanley Cup

SPRINGFIELD - The prized Stanley Cup won by Chicago Blackhawks last month is making its way throughout Illinois, and Monday, members of Illinois National Guard welcomed the visit to the Springfield headquarters, and Governor Pat Quinn was on hand.