Archive for June, 2009
June 30th, 2009
Thought I’d share this press release from Dave Winters.
Rep. Winters Calls for Major Accountability Reforms; Redistricting and Recall at Top of AgendaSpringfield, IL…In effort to remove Illinois’ stigma as a culture of corruption, State Representative Dave Winters (R-Rockford) is proposing three Constitutional Amendments that would make elected officials more accountable to the voting public and allow Illinois to achieve significant political reform.
“If we are going to change the way we do business here in Illinois, we must look at the most fundamental problems, the election process and elected officials’ responsibility,” Winters said. “Ensuring members of the General Assembly and statewide office holders are held accountable by the people they represent, and not just acting on behalf of special interests or powerful legislative leaders, will get to the core of what has created one of the most inept and dysfunctional governments in the nation.”
In working with groups such as the Illinois Policy Institute, the League of Women Voters and the Campaign for Political Reform, Rep. Winters has crafted three Constitutional Amendments that go to the heart of Illinois’ political problems; recall and redistricting.
House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 33 would allow for the recall of General Assembly members. If the amendment were added to Illinois’ constitution, this proposal would let citizens of a State Senate or Representative District circulate petitions for the purpose of removing a particular legislator and electing a successor. The legislation sets forth timelines, signature requirements and a special election procedure for a recall initiative. “If this Amendment becomes law, rank and file legislators will be more inclined to support a recall provision that includes all statewide elected officials,” said Winters.
The second piece of legislation, House Joint Resolution Constitutional Amendment 34, would significantly change the composition of the legislature by reinstating cumulative voting. The Illinois House would be reduced to 39 districts, with three representatives elected from each. Each voter would be able to cast three votes for one, two or three candidates.
HJRCA 34 goes on to establish new procedures for drawing legislative maps in order to focus on the three “C’s”: contiguity, competition and compactness. House districts would no longer be required to share all boundaries with Senate districts, thus allowing the state to best meet its’ redistricting goals of drawing contiguous districts equal in population that also reflect minority voting strengths and promote competitive elections. The new district maps would be drawn by the public with information and software provided by the General Assembly. These maps would then be scored by a neutral, computer-based system, with an eight member, bi-partisan commission monitoring the process. Both the House and Senate will select from the top three scoring maps, with each chamber needing to approve their final districts through a three-fifths vote.
By ensuring minority representation throughout the state and increasing the number of competitive districts, the centralized control of the legislative process can be broken. With more competitive districts, citizens can effectively change control of the legislature, as exemplified by the state of Iowa. HJRCA34 would also institute a four year term limit for the Senate President, House Speaker and both Minority Leaders.
For the purpose of discussing alternative proposals and initiating other useful reforms, Rep. Winters has also introduced HJRCA 35. The legislation would form a Unicameral Senate consisting of 177 members, with three senators elected from each of the 59 legislative districts. The senators would be allowed to serve a maximum of twelve years and can only hold leadership positions for a total of four years. The proposal also makes other statutory changes such as eliminating the Governor’s amendatory veto authority and requiring legislation to be posted on the internet for public viewing at least seven days prior to its final vote. This concept is still a work in progress and meetings will continue to be held to further refine the legislation.
“Any or all of these concepts would go a long way toward improving accountability for elected officials, increasing transparency of an otherwise secret process, and reducing the stranglehold of power a select few political leaders have so greatly abused,” Rep. Winters reiterated. “The days of Rod Blagojevich are over, now we must prove to the people of Illinois we are serious about changing the political landscape that has allowed corruption to flourish. These three proposals are the first step toward that goal.”
June 29th, 2009
I’m glad that Bernie Madoff, author of the biggest Ponzi scheme in history, got a 150-year sentence.
But I was a bit surprised when I read that not one person defended Madoff before his sentencing.
I remember distinctly that the man who murdered my brother-in-law 14 years ago received several letters in defense of his character and good work ethic. My brother-in-law was a sheriff’s deputy just doing his job one spring day when this guy hauled off and shot him, once in the head and once in the arm. The man didn’t want to move away from his barn, which was in danger of exploding because of a homemade compressor that had already blown.
And, no, the man wasn’t mentally ill. Just a hothead.
So a man who kills a cop in cold blood still has some friends. but Bernie Madoff has none? Is lost money more valuable than a lost life?
JW, as my daughter would say. Just wondering.
June 26th, 2009
Most of the discussion about the American Clean Energy and Security Act on this site has been opposed. In an effort to bring balance to the conversation, here’s a statement from Max Muller, program director of Environment Illinois.
|
Now Is the Time to Unleash the Power of Clean Energy
“Today, members of Congress have the opportunity to take an historic step toward a new clean energy economy and a healthy future by voting for the American Clean Energy and Security Act.
“Right now, America is hooked on dirty fossil fuel energy sources of the past that threaten the health of our children, cause global warming, and drag down our economy. We need a dramatic shift in energy policy.
“The dire scientific predictions regarding global warming demand that we do more than this bill will do, but the first step is always the hardest and Congress will be applauded for taking it today. We learn to walk before we can run; this historic act by Congress gets us up on our feet and heading toward a clean energy economy.
“It is time to unleash the power of clean energy to transform our economy, protect our environment, put people back to work, and build a sustainable future. We can make our homes and businesses so efficient that they use zero-net energy. We can harness wind and solar power for the energy we do need. We can transport ourselves in American-made plug-in hybrid cars that get 100 miles to the gallon.
“The increased energy savings spurred by this legislation will save Americans tens of billions of dollars on their energy bills. The new incentives in the bill for clean, renewable energy such as wind and solar will make our communities more energy independent, and the investments in advanced vehicle technologies will help break our addiction on oil. This bill will set the first ever federal limits on the pollution that causes global warming.
“There are many more steps to be taken on the path to a clean energy economy. We can and we must use dramatically less energy; all the energy we do use needs to come from clean, renewable sources; we need to cut our dependence on oil in half; and we must hold polluters truly accountable for cutting their global warming pollution.
“By passing the American Clean Energy and Security Act today, we can take that pivotal first step toward the clean energy transformation that this nation, and the world, needs. We urge every member of Illinois’s congressional delegation to vote for this bill.
“Tomorrow, we look forward to building even more support for even stronger solutions.”
###
|
June 26th, 2009
Seems like every other rrstar.com blogger has had something to say about Michael Jackson, so I thought I might as well chime in. Unlike the rest, I actually saw Jackson in concert. It was in 1984 at Comiskey Park in Chicago. That was when Jackson still looked like himself. (Note: I refuse to refer to him as MJ. Only MJ in my book is Michael JORDAN).
It was a great show by all accounts, except I was annoyed it started very late and our seats were so far from the stage I might as well have been sitting in the Cubs’ Wrigley Field than the Sox Comiskey. Fans went wild and had a great time. Plenty of neat special effects.
Over the years I’ve been ambivalent, at best, about his music. Just not my style. My favorite Jackson tune was “Thriller,” but that was more because of Vincent Price than Jackson.
As the years went on he just seemed weird to me and I tuned out any news about him. He leaves millions of adoring fans behind. I’m sure in death he’ll be as revered as Elvis has been and just like Elvis, many of his blemishes will be forgotten.
June 23rd, 2009
Others have said this, and I have to agree, that the Blagojeviches’ multiple public appearances are being made to make potential jurors more favorable to their side of the story.
I haven’t watched one second of Patti Blagojevich and “I’m a Celebrity … Get me out of Here,” but from what I’ve read about the show, Patti has taken almost every opportunity to complain about the persecution (prosecution to the rest of us) or her and her husband. I think there’s only two episodes left.
Rod hasn’t just been sitting home with the kids. He made an appearance on The Second City production of “Rod Blagojevvich Superstar” earlier this month.
I only met Patti once, briefly, but I’ve met with Rod a number of times and the guy seems to love attention. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him make a few more television appearances before his trial starts.
Meanwhile, Pat Quinn is trying to clean up the mess Blago left behind. There’s still no responsible budget, but lawmakers are back in Springfield and anything can happen.
June 19th, 2009
While running an errand today, I heard a radio commercial for a fireworks company that said something like “Founding Father (or was it president?) John Adams thought the Fourth of July would be celebrated with fireworks across the country.”
Not quite.
Adams thought July 2 would be the day celebrated with “shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations from one end of this continent to the other from this time forward forever more.”
Why July 2? Because that was the day Congress voted for independence from Great Britain in 1776. The Declaration of Independence was adopted on July 4, but John Hancock was the only person to sign it on that date. The rest of the signatures were obtained by Aug. 2.
June 16th, 2009
Doug Goodman is on Day Three of his Grand Illinois Trails and Parks ride and by the end of the day, he might need some encouragement.
I’ve never attempted a ride as ambitious as the seven day, 350-mile adventure Doug is on, but I’ve put in my share of miles on a bike and know that by the time he reads this, if he does, he’ll be wondering why he signed on for the event. Adrenaline and excitement carry you for the first couple of days, but when you get to the middle of a challenge like this, you and your body start protesting a bit.
Once he gets past days three and four, however, it will be all downhill even if the riding is uphill. Adrenaline will take over again as Doug sees the end of the quest in sight.
After the event I don’t know whether Doug will want to stay off the bike for a while. He does have his drag racing to think about.
June 12th, 2009
You’ve heard the cliche about how news is what the editor sees on his/her way to work. To some of us, news is what we see while we’re at work.
Workers are finishing up the improvements at the National City Bank Building across the river from the News Tower. Today they were painting the wall along the river. It’s a nice beige/tan.
The project involved tearing up the sidewalk along the river, grading the land, laying sod, planting bushes, adding a decorative fence and probably more that I can’t see. It looks quite lovely and peaceful from this vantage point.
The plaza there had been in disrepair for about five years. Former colleague Judy Emerson wrote three or four columns about it hoping that bringing attention to the problem would get it fixed so that we and all those who traveled downtown — especially for On the Waterfront — would have something nice to look at.
A year ago it looked like the site would be used for the long-touted riverwalk project that Rockford Mayor Larry Morrissey has advocated. However, John Taphorn, who owns the building, nixed a 20-year lease plan for “private business reasons.”
The city was going to lease the property for $10 a year and make all the improvements and be responsible for all the upkeep. Sounded like a pretty good deal for Taphorn, but apparently he had better ideas.
In April, when work began, the project was stopped because Taphorn didn’t have the proper permits. I think it took a week or so before work resumed.
It’s nice to look at green grass instead of crumbling concrete.
June 3rd, 2009
State Treasurer Alexi Giannoulias visited the Editorial Board today to pitch the “Bank On” program, but he took a few minutes to update us on his proposal to consolidate pension boards.
You can hear his remarks HERE
