Archive for April, 2008
April 9th, 2008
One of our editors asked this morning, “What happened to Jeff Rushing?”
I figured if she missed the story, several of you might have, too. Jeff, 45, who died of a brain aneurysm in late March, was a member of our Voters Panel at the Register Star. He was very outspoken, informed and passionate in his opinions. In the first voters panel meeting in February, Jeff was in a group that was not at all homogeneous in terms of political thought. He was conservative, and he was not shy about it. But he was polite to those with whom he disagreed and he did not monopolize the discussion. One of his colleagues on the voters panel, Don Gugliuzza, said in the “Why We Vote” blog on the RRS website: “In the short time I knew Jeff, I came to realize that this community, this state, this country needs more people like Jeff.”
According to a story in the RRS after his death, Rushing was in sales for an engineering firm in the Chicago suburbs. Married with children, he was a talented musician who played the drums for his church and was a fitness buff. He also “made time to fish in Kentucky and Canada, watch NASCAR and cheer on the Chicago Bears.”
Here’s his obituary for all you who might have missed it:
Jeffery Rushing, 45 (South Beloit)
JEFFERY PAUL RUSHING, 45 SOUTH BELOIT - Jeffery Paul Rushing, 45, of South Beloit died Tuesday, March 25, in University Hospital, Madison, Wis., after a sudden illness. Jeffery was born March 7, 1963, in Rockford, the son of Jerry and Wilma (Newman) Rushing. He graduated from Open Bible Academy in 1981 and attended Rock Valley College. He married Buffy (Boyce) Wallace on May 3, 2006. Jeffery was employed as a sales engineer by Fluid Power Engineering Co., Inc. of Elk Grove Village, since 1992. He was a member of New Life Assembly of God, Janesville, Wis., and the Beloit YMCA. Jeffery played drums with the worship team and blessed many by singing songs with his wonderful voice. He loved softball and was part of the 1990 Regional Class D championship team for Charles Joseph Co. He was chosen to the All City Basketball team and guarded against Walter Payton. He was a big fan of Muhammad Ali, Michael Jordan, Dr. “J”, NASCAR, especially Jeff Gordon, and Da Bears. Jeff loved working out, politics, fishing in Kentucky and Canada, as well as the classic bands, The Eagles and Led Zeppelin. Jeff Rushing is survived by wife, Buffy Rushing of South Beloit; children, Rachel and Aaron Rushing of Machesney Park, stepchildren, Ryann, Devan, Jordan Wallace; parents, Jerry and Wilma Rushing of Thayer, Mo.; brother, Patrick (Marlis) Rushing of Caledonia; nephews, Sean Rushing, Tyler Boyce, Dylan Stout; nieces, Laura Rushing and Ariele Stout; aunts, uncles, other relatives and many friends. Service at noon Friday, March 28, in New Life Assembly of God, 2416 N. Wright Road, Janesville, Wis.; with visitation from 10 a.m. to time of service; Pastors Michael Jackson and Todd Pope will officiate. After a luncheon at the church, burial will be in Sunset Memorial Gardens, Machesney Park. Assisting Jeffery Rushing’s family is Henke-Clarson Funeral Home, Janesville, Wis., 608-741-1713.
April 9th, 2008
The Register Star Editorial Board supports the recall amendment that is working its way through the General Assembly. The Chicago Sun Times and the State Journal Register don’t. Read their opinions and tell us what you think.
April 8th, 2008
Last week the Illinois House took a test vote on a recall amendment. It passed 80-25. Today reps voted on the real thing. Passed again, but not by as much: 75-33.
Although Gov. Rod Blagojevich is the inspiration behind the recall measure, his chief nemesis, Speaker of the House Mike Madigan, voted no.
April 8th, 2008
We’ve commented on this enough. I’ll let the IPA release speak for itself:
SPRINGFIELD – The Illinois High School Association cannot regulate the use of newspaper photos or any other product as a result of a settlement reached Monday with the Illinois Press Association. Nor can the IHSA give preferential access to its own photographers.
“It’s over. They can’t control how we do business. End of story,” said Dave Bennett, executive director of the IPA, which has battled with the IHSA since last summer. Bennett said the court settlement is a binding agreement that is not subject to political or administrative changes.
The agreement between the IHSA and the IPA settles a lawsuit filed last November by the IPA. In the lawsuit, the IPA asserted that the IHSA is a state actor and that public high school competitions are thus public events. As such, the IHSA does not have the right to grant exclusivity for photography and does not have the right to control what newspapers do with their own products, Bennett said.
“I am pleased that the IPA and the IHSA were able to come to an agreement,” said P. Carter Newton, president of the IPA and publisher of The Galena Gazette. “This agreement means that newspapers will continue to cover high school sports as they have for more than a century and, in doing so, provide services that are meaningful to their communities in the coming years. I am also pleased that the staffs of both organizations could work together to reach this settlement.”
“While this issue began over the secondary use of photographs, the settlement encompasses all platforms that newspapers use to distribute their products,” Bennett said. “Throughout our discussions with the IHSA, we were adamant that newspapers have the right to control their products without regard to whether that newspaper product was delivered on newsprint, on a Web site, as streaming video or any other platform,” Bennett said.
The dispute heated up last fall when the IHSA filed a countersuit against the IPA and prohibited photographers from having field access during the state high school football championship games. Photographers also were banned from wrestling and cheerleading competitions.
The IPA then drafted two identical pieces of legislation, which quickly found strong support in both the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Senate bill passed 47–5 on April 1. The House bill has 23 sponsors. The sponsors of both bills have agreed to not move the legislation in light of the court settlement, Bennett said.
“We’re very grateful to the legislators who helped move negotiations along and pushed our bills forward,” Bennett said. “In particular, Sen. [James] DeLeo and Rep. [Joe] Lyons, our lead sponsors, worked hard to move our bills.”
“We had complete confidence in the bills,” Bennett said. “Some of our members would have liked to have passed the legislation. But the settlement agreement really locks down everything we sought.”
Bennett continued, “This is a victory for press freedom and the independent rights of newspapers to cover public events without restriction from government officials.”
April 8th, 2008
I just received this bulletin from the Illinois Press Association:
The Illinois Press Association and the Illinois High School Association have reached an agreement over the dispute regarding the secondary use of visual images used in newspaper products.
An official news release and joint statement will be issued shortly
April 8th, 2008
Story that just moved on the wires has the Energy Department predicting that gas will peak at $3.60 a gallon in June. Energy Department says the high price and weak economy will cut gasoline demand by 0.4 percent.
I’m a lot more aware of prices and how I drive. I find myself going a bit slower, skipping unnecessary trips and trying to do more errands on my bicycle. I’ve already eliminated some of out-of-town activities and will probably spend more time closer to home this summer.
How about you? Has the high price of gasoline made you change how you drive?
April 7th, 2008
Biggest reason to go green, for me, is that you get your refund much faster.
This is from the governor’s office. I guess all the other problems in the state have been solved.
Illinois Department of Revenue says filing electronically saves paper, increases processing efficiencies
CHICAGO – In the final weeks of tax season, Governor Blagojevich encourages Illinois taxpayers to Go Green and file their taxes electronically. When taxpayers file their taxes electronically, the Department of Revenue sees a reduction in paper use throughout the tax process; from the printing of fewer tax booklets to receiving fewer forms in the mail from taxpayers. By saving paper, taxpayers help reduce the amount of trash going into landfills, and also reduce energy use and pollution associated with manufacturing, transporting, and recycling new paper products.
To help illustrate this point, if the 2.7 million electronic IL-1040s that the department received last year were paper IL-1040s stacked one on top of each other, they would reach a height of over 369 feet or ¼ of the height of the Empire State Building. Additionally, if these electronic IL-1040s were paper IL-1040s and put end to end they would start at Springfield, Illinois and end up just outside of San Diego, California.
“Most Illinoisans aren’t necessarily thinking about the environment when they file their taxes,” said Governor Blagojevich. “Every year more Illinoisans file electronically because it is faster and easier. But today we encourage Illinoisans, as they consider their deductions, to Go Green and file electronically.”
In Springfield, Department of Revenue Director Hamer took reporters on a tour of the Willard Ice Building to illustrate how much paper was saved when Illinois taxpayers chose e-filing. Director Hamer highlighted the Department’s paper and mail handling operations which takes in millions of tax forms each year. The Department also sent out about 1.9 million tax booklets to Illinoisans this year, down from past years because more and more filers are filing electronically.
The Illinois Department of Revenue projects that for the first time ever, more filers will chose to file electronically than file by paper. In addition to making the filing process faster and more convenient for taxpayers, the E-filing option provides a significant cost savings to the state. Since the beginning of the 2008 tax season, electronic filers have saved the state $2.4 million in paper processing costs and postage.
The Department of Revenue has also made strides in electronic filing methods offered to business, which are on track to increase electronic filing by 55.4 percent or around 550,000 returns. Electronic filing programs offered by the department are on target to receive a combined total of 4.8 million returns and applications this fiscal year. Beginning in fiscal year 2008, electronic filing offerings were expanded to include additional excise tax applications.
The Illinois Department of Revenue has enjoyed a consistent increase in electronic filers since the program began in 1991. So far this year, more than 2 million returns have been filed electronically which is a 15 percent increase over this time last year. Over 1.1 million taxpayers have taken advantage of the direct deposit option, an increase of over 19 percent from this time last year. IDOR continues to encourage taxpayers to file electronically on its website tax.illinois.gov or ask about E-Filing when they visit their tax preparer.
“This year we have identified yet another reason Illinois taxpayers should take advantage of filing their Illinois taxes electronically. It cuts down on a mountain of paper,” said Director Hamer. “For those last-minute filers who have yet to file – we encourage you to go green and file electronically.”
“With only two weeks remaining before the tax filing deadline, we’re encouraging taxpayers to e-file their tax returns,” said Otis Damron, IRS Outreach Manager for Illinois. “E-filing offers many benefits including faster refunds, more accurate returns and paperless return filing. For those with adjusted gross incomes of $54,000 or less, free federal tax return preparation and e-filing is available through the IRS Free File program. Free File is available on the IRS Web site at IRS.gov.”
Nearly all Illinois taxpayers can file for free on the department’s web site at www.tax.illinois.gov, and many can also file their federal taxes online at www.irs.gov.
April 7th, 2008
Here’s an op/ed I thought I’d share.
By J. Matt Barber
There’s a shakeup in the cult of neo-Darwinist pseudo-science, and that endearing, monotone high school teacher of “Ferris Bueller” fame is doing the shaking.
With his new feature documentary, “Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed” (opening in theaters April 18), Ben Stein — actor, economist, presidential speechwriter and all around really smart guy — squares off with some of the world’s most prominent anti-theist elites as he gets to the heart of the question, “Who are we, and how did we get here?”
This is not your father’s documentary. “Expelled” rocks the house both literally and figuratively. It’s gripping, music-packed, comically wry and always entertaining. But its entertainment value is yet surpassed by its educational merit. Throughout the film, Stein boldly shines a light of honest inquiry, revealing time and again that Evolution’s Emperor has no clothes. In his trademark deadpan fashion, Stein skillfully debunks the dogmatic neo-Darwinist programming we’ve all had relentlessly rammed down our throats ever since “Big Science” went bananas over that cute little Scopes Monkey.
Unlike Michael Moore’s anti-Bush propaganda flick “Fahrenheit 911” — which sold us a lemon with deceptive editing techniques and staged confrontations — “Expelled” is intellectually honest, cerebrally stimulating and delectably provocative.
Nonetheless, there are those who won’t like it, not one little bit.
Enter Richard Dawkins. Dawkins, a prominent evolutionist, outspoken atheist and the best-selling author of “The God Delusion,” is featured throughout the film. In one segment, he sits down with Stein for a heart-to-heart. After dancing around several pointed questions about how life began, Dawkins finds himself at a logical impasse with no surplus of sci-fi rhetoric. He’s finally forced to concede that, indeed, an intelligent being may have created life on earth. However, that being could not have been “God,” but rather, it must have been some organic, alien life form. Of course, that alien life form has to have been a product of “Darwinian evolution.”
Through tears of wild laughter, audience members watch as Dawkins — apparently grasping the dizzying nature of his own circular argument — turns three shades of red and becomes purply tight-lipped.
Dawkins? … Dawkins? …
But apart from space aliens, the general consensus among the evolutionary scientists interviewed was that all life, including human life, likely began when lightening struck a mud puddle (you know, like Frankenstein but without all the prefab body parts). This was then followed by a series of unexplainable, unprovable and totally random events that occurred over umpteen million years, eventually resulting in … you.
Although “Expelled” indirectly makes a strong case for the scientific theory of intelligent design, its primary message drives home the need for academic freedom, intellectual honesty and open debate on all scientific fronts.
As the movie masterfully illustrates, we live in a cultural climate where secular elitists in academia, the media and the courts chew up and spit out anyone who dares to question the gospel according to Charles Darwin. They’re absolutely terrified to follow the scientific evidence wherever it may lead.
They don’t want to upset the morally relative applecart, which is loosely held together by the notion that we’re all just a bunch of monkeys with an instinctive, biological excuse for all our behavioral choices. To them, life’s a whole lot easier under the theory of evolution. Without a sovereign Creator to answer to, we get to scoot along and party hearty, free from accountability.
Consequently, it’s no wonder “Expelled” has Darwin’s disciples scurrying for the shadows. Those secular humanist one-trick-ponies in the media, throughout academia, on the blogosphere and elsewhere are in full damage control. They’re doing everything possible to discredit the film before it even opens. It’s even been reported that two major networks are refusing to cover the movie. (Gotta love that journalistic objectivity.)
So, if you happen to be one of those evolutionary fundamentalists who were “randomly selected” to evolve with a built-in blindfold and earplugs, and you’re comfy with your very limited worldview, be afraid of this film — be very afraid. However, if you’re willing to have your eyes opened and are interested in looking at all the evidence, then suck it up, wipe away that Darwinian Kool-Aid mustache and hang out with Ben Stein for a night. What do you have to lose?
For everyone else, “Expelled” is a must-see. If you’re already a person of faith, prepare to have your faith strengthened. And even if you’re not, you can’t possibly walk away without at least admitting that the debate over who we are and how we got here is far from over.
So hold on to your hat. “Expelled” is nothing short of earthshaking. And, as the scientific community clearly recognizes, its tremors may be felt for some years to come.
Matt Barber is one of the “like-minded men” with Concerned Women for America. He is an attorney concentrating in constitutional law and serves as CWA’s policy director for cultural issues.
April 4th, 2008
I was just about drifting off to sleep last night reading the Wall Street Journal when I stumbled across an article about a woman who has more than 100 pairs of shoes and how she organizes them in her tiny Manhattan apartment. (She is a former marketing consultant to an investment-banking outfit. Good she walked on THAT industry.)
The article refers to a Consumer Reports poll and its finding that the average woman has 19 pairs of shoes, not counting sneakers. (Do you count flip-flops?) Anyway, I was so shocked at the number that I did groggy mental math: The reddish brown backless MaryJanes that are too narrow in the toes. The dark brown pilgrim shoes that are too ugly and slip on the hallways in the News Tower. And — ugghhhh! — must I consider the LL Bean hikers that don’t look a thing like Uggs?
To make a long story short, I do have 19 pairs. It’s just that I wear only about 3 or 4 of them regularly. In this economy, it feels criminal to have 19 pairs of shoes. But there it is. At least I don’t hang my stilettos on a 9-foot ladder in the foyer like the Manhattan lady does. Things are scary enough around my house with a 16-year-old nearly-licensed driver.
April 4th, 2008
Gov. Rod Blagojevich is on record as saying he favors voters having a choice to recall elected officials. The fact that people are clamoring for the ability to recall elected officials because of the way Blagojevich has operated doesn’t seem to worry him.
There’s a measure working its way through the General Assembly that would put a constitutional amendment on the ballot that would allow you to get rid of inept lawmakers. The House voted 80-25 during a test vote this week. (More like a pop quiz, I’d say). A real vote could happen as early as next week.
The problem will come in the Senate where Blagojevich ally Emil Jones controls what’s going on. Jones could just sit on the legislation and never let senators vote. Jones wife and son have cushy state jobs thanks to this administration so Jones may want to protect the governor from losing his job.
I’d like to think that this legislation is too high profile to be ignored, but I will be pleasantly surprised if it is voted on in the Senate.
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