With friends like this …

1 comment September 11th, 2008

Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich says Democrats are making a mistake by belittling Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin’s experience. He says he supports Obama, but his remarks would seem to indicate that he thinks Palin is more qualified.

Or is he just trying to boast of his own decision-making prowess?

Today’s agenda

1 comment September 11th, 2008

The Editorial Board meets today and we have quite a bit to talk about. The top item is how we want to handle endorsement interviews this year. We will endorse, but how we bring in candidates and the format we will use to quiz them about the offices they seek are likely to change.

We’re also going to revisit the sales tax for schools initiative.

Other topics include charter schools, the lottery lease plan that was approved by the House yesterday, more on ethics reform, the plan to cut down on wait times for Rockford school registration, teen drivers, water bills and the prospects of a Rockford casino.

That should keep us pretty busy.

Another thought

Add comment September 10th, 2008

Imagine how different things might have been if Winnebago County voters cast their ballots differently in 2002.

That was when 73 percent of county Democrats outside of Rockford voted for Rod Blagojevich in the primary for governor.

Think there’d be a special session today if those votes went to say, Paul Vallas?

Bike symbols painted

Add comment September 10th, 2008

The bicycle lane symbol was painted on Morsay Drive on Monday. Rockton Avenue between Halsted and Riverside is next. All striping is expected to be finished by next week if the weather cooperates. The city will have a ribbon-cutting ceremony Sept. 19. I plan to be there because this is an issue I’ve been pushing for at least seven years.

An avid bicyclist once wrote to me and said that he thought the bike lane striping would be done when the Morrissey re-election signs went up. Well, striping will soon be done and the mayor will announce his re-election campaign today.

I never considered bicyclists as a voting bloc, but perhaps we are.

If the shoe fits

Add comment September 9th, 2008

I’ve never heard of these folks. I thought I’d post their news release and see what your reaction is.

 Wall Street Journal Calls on Congress to Eliminate the Shoe Tax

The Affordable Footwear Initiative Coalition commends an editorial from this weekend’s Wall Street Journal to you.  At issue is a regressive footwear tariff that protects no U.S. industry and artificially drives up the price of shoes, particularly on lower-priced footwear, thus penalizing lower and middle income families the most.

A bipartisan group in the U.S. Senate and House, led by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) and Congressmen Joe Crowley (D-NY) and Kevin Brady (R-TX) seek to repeal much of the tariff with their legislation, The Affordable Footwear Act (S. 2372 and H.R. 3834).

The Affordable Footwear Act (AFA) was carefully crafted to eliminate the most regressive footwear tariffs; it will maintain duties on imported footwear that competes with the small amount of footwear still manufactured in the United States.  The legislation would eliminate about $600 million in duties – saving consumers nearly $2 billion.

Follow this link to the Wall Street Journal editorial, “Shot in the Foot.”

The Affordable Footwear Initiative is a coalition dedicated to eliminating the hidden, regressive and high import tariffs on lower- to moderately-priced footwear and children’s shoes.  Coalition members include the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), Outdoor Industry Association (OLA), National Retail Federation (NRF), and many of the individual member companies represented by these associations.

For more information call 101 Strategy Partners – Michael Klein at (202) 742-4439 or John Feehery (202) 742-4493

Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America – Peter Mangione at (202) 737-5660

American Apparel & Footwear Association – Dawn Van Dyke at (703) 797-9056

or visit www.endtheshoetax.org

 September 5, 2008

Affordable Footwear Initiative Coalition

Shoe Tax Hurts Working Families

When Congress reconvenes next week it will take up many important issues – not the least of which is helping American families in this time of economic uncertainty.  Eliminating the footwear tariff should be at the top of the list.

In the 1930s, the United State Congress enacted high tariffs meant to protect domestic manufacturing industries.  History has shown this to have been a terrible mistake and most of those tariffs have been scrapped.  One of the remaining tariffs is a huge tax on imported shoes – in some cases as high as 67.5 percent!

Ninety-nine percent of shoes sold in the U.S. are imported, so the footwear tariff does not protect U.S. jobs.  Yet, this tariff impacts virtually every American household.  Because of the way the tariff was designed, the lower the value of the shoe, the higher the tax.  Relief is especially needed by lower and middle income consumers and families, who pay a disproportionately higher percentage of their income for this consumer necessity.

The Footwear Tariff-at-a-Glance

• Enacted in the 1930s, the tariff now serves no purpose other than to needlessly drive up the price of shoes.  Domestic footwear production is small and comprises niche markets – less than 2 percent of the total footwear market.  The Affordable Footwear Act, (H.R. 3934/S. 2372), would not eliminate or reduce tariffs on products still manufactured in the United States. 

• Ironically, the tariff adds much more to the cost of lower-value, budget footwear, and relatively little to the cost of high-end, expensive shoes.  The people who can least afford it – working class families, single mothers, and students – are hit hardest.

• The tariff can be as high as 67.5 percent for some shoes, and in a typical $15 pair of children’s shoes – up to $4.50 of the price could be the result of the tariff.

• The Affordable Footwear Act introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives Joe Crowley (D-NY), Kevin Brady (R-TX), and Nancy Boyda (D-KS) and by Senators Maria Cantwell (D-WA) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) in the U.S. Senate, would eliminate much of the footwear tariff, saving America’s families literally millions of dollars each year.

• This non-controversial, bipartisan bill enjoys the support of conservatives and liberals alike, with 156 co-sponsors in the House and 14 in the Senate. 

• The bill permanently eliminates much of the current footwear tariffs, primarily those imposed on low-priced footwear (typically under $20 at retail) and children’s products.

• As National Public Radio’s Adam Davidson pointed out in a story last year, “Nobody set out to tax the poor more than the rich.  It happened by accident.”¹   But it has happened, and Congress should fix the problem now.

The Affordable Footwear Initiative is a coalition dedicated to eliminating the hidden, regressive and high import tariffs on lower- to moderately-priced footwear and children’s shoes.  Coalition members include the American Apparel & Footwear Association (AAFA), Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America (FDRA), Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA), Outdoor Industry Association (OIA), National Retail Federation (NRF) and many of the individual member companies represented by these associations. 

For more information call 101 Strategy Partners - Michael Klein at (202) 742-4485 or John Feehery (202) 742-4493

Footwear Distributors and Retailers of America – Peter Mangione at (202) 737-5660

American Apparel & Footwear Association Dawn Van Dyke at (703) 797-9056

¹“U.S. Tariffs On Shoes Favor Well-Heeled Buyers” All Things Considered, June 12, 2007

Time for charter schools

1 comment September 8th, 2008

This morning, members of the Rockford Charter Schools Initiative visited with members of the Editorial Board. We were outnumbered. There are a lot of people who are working diligently to bring a charter school here.

RCSI exists to “to facilitate the development and successful authorization of charter schools in Rockford.”

Charter schools are public schools and are open to anyone who wants to attend. In Chicago, they’ve been pretty successful. Illinois law caps the number of charter schools allowed in the state at 60. Most are in the Chicago area.

There are 7 downstate charter schools. Only 8 spots remain.

Charter schools will not cure all our educational ills, but they are another tool. Charter schools have been discussed in Rockford since the 1990s, but the effort hasn’t had much success. We’ve had a couple of different groups come to talk to us about the value of charters. Editorially, we supported the concept, but have been leery of the details.

The RCSI folks have been working with established charter school operators with track records.

Chuck Sweeny will have more about charter schools in his Tuesday column.

Just a thought

1 comment September 4th, 2008

What if the reason the economy is slowing is because people have realized they have enough stuff? How many cars, big screen TVs and other gadgets do you really need? Do you really need another pair of shoes or another shirt? Have the baby boomers decided they have enough worldly wealth? What if people have decided they’ve had enough of this world and are preparing for the next?

These are just questions to start a discussion. What do you think?

My presidential moment

2 comments September 3rd, 2008

Michael Hakanson, vice president of Gambino Homes, is at the Republican Convention. He’ll be filing reports all week. Here’s the latest.

The convention really hit its stride last, with fred thompson, joe lieberman, president bush and a host of other speakers delivering their messages of trust and belief in john mccain and sarah palin.

I had the chance to meet Newt Gingrich and speak with him for a minute. He was surrounded by people and handlers and his wife (who calls hime “newtie”(!) told him to give this nice young man (me) a minute before he left! He got a big smile on his face when he found I was running for office and I was from “manzullo country”.

He had some nice words and told me to “keep telling people the truth and always do the right thing, regardless of political fallout. ” I told him I would continue to do those things and he said I should be fine in this election. Not sure how well he knows winnebago county, but it sure was nice to hear.

Something cool happened to me on the floor while fred thompson was speaking. I was walking in front of the box president bush and his wife barbra were sitting in. I looked up at them, he looked directly at me, smiled and gave me a slow deliberate salute. I couldn’t have been more 6 feet from him! It was pretty cool having a president of the united states of america acknowledge and greet me. Definitely my “goober” moment.

I shared a shuttle ride with a gentleman and his wife who were part of the “friends and family” contingency. Friends for 39 years with john mccain and knew general borling, without ever having met him, only through taps on the wall of the hanoi hilton. He’s an amazing character and absolutely overwhelmed with the idea that one of his best friends could be president in a few months. I hope to talk to him again today.

Joe Lieberman was greeted with a rousing round of applause and loud cheers. I was quite curious as to his reception and 95 percent was warmly recieved. It was pretty amusing when he start to describe how president clinton was a great collaborator as opposed to barack obama, who “has achieved no legislation of any significance. He has no record of getting anything done by working across the aisle.” People were ready to hear about obama’s lack of record, but not praise for bill clinton. You could’ve heard a pin drop! Pretty interesting.

Tonight it’s SARAH! She’s moved into first name only stature around here. It should be great!

Good idea or too much government?

Add comment September 2nd, 2008

Yes, it’s a distraction to talk on a cell phone while driving, but do we need a law to legislate common sense? Marshfield (population 18,848) is not the first, nor will it be the last, to take this action.

Marshfield outlaws cell phones while driving

MARSHFIELD, Wis. (AP) — If you’re driving through Marshfield, you had better not talk on your cell phone.

The city is banning cell phones while driving. (Ban started Monday.)

The ban states any drivers caught talking on their cell phones within city limits will be fined $64.90.

It does offer exceptions for drivers with hands-free headsets, C.B. radios, or those making 911 calls.

Message to the governor

Add comment September 2nd, 2008

This T-shirt is great.  Wonder how you can order one.