Archive for March, 2009
March 30th, 2009
Is this Don Manzullo’s big chance? In his tough talk Monday about the government’s intervention in GM and Chrysler, President Obama said he’s willing to consider ideas that have been promoted by congressmen to encourage people to buy automobiles.
Specifically, he talked about a so-called “clunker” bill:
“Finally, several members of Congress have proposed an even more ambitious incentive program to increase car sales while modernizing our auto fleet. Such fleet modernization programs, which provide a generous credit to consumers who turn in old, less fuel efficient cars and purchase cleaner cars have been successful in boosting auto sales in a number of European countries. I want to work with Congress to identify parts of the Recovery Act that could be trimmed to fund such a program, and make it retroactive starting today. ”
That’s not quite what Congressman Manzullo has in mind, but I think it is close enough that he should go full tilt in promoting his plan to the president.
Manzullo’s plan would have the government pay for $5,000 vouchers to anyone buying a new car. The voucher would be applied by the dealer at the point of sale. Don’s plan doesn’t talk about clunker trade-ins, but it’s in the same ballpark.
March 30th, 2009
It was close but the Rockford City Council seems to have come up with a balanced budget without too much wailing and gnashing of teeth.The mayor gave some — the education czar job is gone –and the firefighters union flexed its muscle with aldermen to get them to keep the four firefighters on a truck rule intact, paid for by soaking folks needing an ambulance.
The $112.6 million general fund budget relies on furloughs for nonunion workers.
There were some anticipating a donneybrook, but aldermen, facing election next week, probably figured they needed to appear adult-like.
Anyway, congratulations.
March 27th, 2009
In what’s becoming somewhat of a pattern, U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo, R-Egan, let Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner have a piece of hiw wrath Thursday, live, on national TV. Earlier in the week he raged on TV to Federal Reserve chief Ben Bernanke, and a few years ago he unleashed his temper on former Fed Chief Alan Greenspan. And there’s the YouTube sensation of Don giving the what-for to that guy in charge of the the Troubled Assets Relief money.
Here’s how the Washington Post reported Thursday’s tempest:
Rep. Manzullo to Geithner: Your Plan Is ‘Radical’
In testimony before the House Financial Services committee that just adjourned, Treasury Secretary Tim Geithner just had to defend his institutional takeover plan against charges of radicalism.
“Do you realize how radical your proposal is?” Rep. Donald Manzullo (R-Ill.) asked.
“It’s not radical. . .” Geither began, before Manzullo interrupted him.
“You’re talking about seizing private businesses and you don’t consider that radical?” Manzullo replied, his voice rising.
Manzullo is trying to get Geithner to give details of the plan — that’s where Geithner got stung before — but Geithner doesn’t have them yet.
If the plan were not radical, Manzullo said to Geithner, “you would have answers to some of my questions, such as, what size business would be subject to this?”
March 26th, 2009
After years of soldiering on despite a series of chronic conditions including severe arthritis he’d had since his East High School days, David F. “Davey” Johnson died this morning. He was 65.
Davey was as fine a public servant as I’ve known. He started out as 8th ward alderman, was elected city clerk in the early 1970s, (the final election for that office) and then served as 4th ward aldermen before running in 2002 for Winnebago County Clerk. He served one term there and retired.
Although a Republican through and through, Davey was never a hyper-partisan office-holder. He knew that city problems didn’t have a Republican or Democratic solution, but rather they required a “Rockford” solution. So, Davey worked closely with other aldermen across the aisle, and with mayors such as Charles Box, to get things done for Rockford.
Davey was always proud of the fact that early in his career, he discovered that garbage trucks weren’t being weighed when they entered the landfill, costing the city literally “tons of money.” He solved the problem, saving the city hundreds of thousands of dollars.
I knew Davey both through my newspaper jobs at the Rockford Journal and the Rockford Register Star, and personally.
My son was intensely interested in fishing, but I was a terrible fisherman. The solution was Davey, because he was “Professor Bass.” He taught fishing courses at Rock Valley College and was a good friend of the famous Minnesota fishing entrepreneur Babe Winkelman, who made TV commercials for Davey when he ran for county clerk. He was a true expert at the art of catching lots of fish by trolling the shorelines of northern lakes and knowing precisely where to cast.
Davey taught my son to be a good fisherman. We went on quite a few fishing trips with Davey, to many lakes in central and northern Wisconsin, the Upper Peninsula of Michigan, and closer to home at West Lake, Rock Cut, and Rock Lake (Lake Mills) in southern Wisconsin. I never caught many fish, but my son did. My main job was at the end of each trip, backing Davey’s SUV and boat trailer into the lake so Davey could get the boat out of the water.
One one such sojourn, Davey took the boat around to the place in a northern lake where Mayor Box had caught his first muskie. Davey said that trip was a real rainbow coalition — Johnson, Box and Sunil Puri.
I’ll never forget one special expedition to northern Michigan. We were at a remote, rather large laker without many homes around it. We’d been out in the boat for about an hour and a half, and we weren’t catching anything on the warm, summer day.
There was an island with tall pines in the middle of the lake. In one of the trees was a huge eagle’s nest and two, immature eagles sitting in it. The parents weren’t there, and Davey said they were probably out fishing for the kids’ dinner.
There was no wind that day, and no other boats, so it was quiet. From behind our boat I began to hear a flapping sound, whap, whap, whap, whap.
All of a sudden, an eagle swooped out of the air about 25 feet from our boat. It coasted just inches above the water’s surface and grabbed a big bass with its talons. “Kerchunk,” is the best way I can describe the sound.
Then, with squirming fish in its firm grip, up went the eagle, whap, whap, whap, straining under the weight of the fish to carry the food home to the young eagles in the nest.
Davey, who was in the front of the boat, turned around and, with a toothpick in the side of his mouth, said dryly:
“Eagles one, humans nothin’.”
Thanks for the memories, Davey.
March 26th, 2009
You’ll note in my column today that Republican mayoral candidate John Harmon has no campaign contributions, meaning that he has no real campaign.
I believe that Harmon is in the race merely to try to get 10 percent of the vote from diehard Republicans to either help elect Doug Block or dilute Larry Morrissey’s victory margin. With a Block mayoralty or a weakened Morrissey, the stage would then be set for a Dave Syverson mayoral candidacy in 2013. By then, Dave, a Republican state senator since 1993, will be fully vested in his pension. As a GOP member in a Democratic Senate, he has no clout and is looking around for a new gig. Harmon is a member of Syverson’s army.
March 26th, 2009
The new federal courthouse going up in downtown Rockford has officially been named for retired federal judge Stan Roszkowski. Here’s the release from Sen. Dick Durbin, D-IL.
DURBIN ANNOUNCES CONGRESSIONAL APPROVAL OF LEGISLATION TO NAME ROCKFORD COURTHOUSE AFTER JUDGE ROSZKOWSKI
First Durbin authored bill sent to President Obama for his signature
[WASHINGTON, D.C.] – Assistant Senate Majority Leader Dick Durbin (D-IL) today announced the passage of legislation by both the House and the Senate to name the United States District Courthouse in Rockford, Illinois after Stanley J. Roszkowski, former Federal Judge in the Northern District of Illinois. Roszkowski, who served in combat as a member of a bomber crew in World War II, played an integral role in bringing a new federal courthouse to Rockford. This legislation is the first bill authored by Durbin that will be sent to President Obama for his signature.
“Stanley Roszkowski has dedicated his life to serving his country,” said Durbin. “During his time as a judge, Roszkowski worked tirelessly to establish a permanent courthouse in Rockford. Soon after, he began advocating for a new courthouse when the current building was no longer adequate to handle the growing caseload. It is with great pride that I join my colleagues in sending this fitting tribute to President Obama for his signature.”
Stanley J. Roszkowski was raised in Royalton in southern Illinois, one of fifteen children. During World War II, he volunteered for the Army Air Corps and served as a nose gunner on a B26 bomber, flying over 35 missions in Italy and Germany. After the war he went on to earn his B.A. from the University of Illinois and then his law degree, working as an appliance salesman to pay for school and meeting his wife Catherine.
When he moved to Rockford, he opened up a successful law practice and became involved in his community. He gave up this practice when President Carter appointed him to the bench, serving for the next twenty years as a Federal Judge in the Northern District of Illinois. He became known for running a business-like but relaxed courtroom, and was praised by his peers for being extremely knowledgeable, fair and objective, and a gentlemen at all times, with a wide breadth of experience and an uncommon sense of decency.
Representatives Jerry Costello (D-IL) and Don Manzullo (R-IL) worked to see that this legislation was passed in the House of Representatives earlier today. Durbin and Manzullo succeeded in securing the federal funds necessary to construct the new Rockford courthouse – a total of more than $99 million. The existing Rockford courthouse was built more than 25 years ago. It is filled to capacity and has structural problems that would be prohibitively expensive to repair, impeding efficient functioning of the court. In addition, the lack of a separate prisoner entrance compromises security at the facility.
-30-
March 26th, 2009
I’m late in commenting on Col. (Ret.) Jim Powers’ life, but I want to add my thoughts to those of many of you who knew him.
I knew him from the days when he had just retired from City Hall, where he developed an effective anti-graffiti program that was copied by other cities.
In retirement, Jim helped found the Greater Rockord Transportation Committee to promote rail, air and road projects and especially to jump start the airport out of several years of lethargy at the hands of a director who did not want to have passenger service and worked to make sure it went away, which in 2001 it did. It wasn’t all that director’s fault, he was just following orders of city and state legislative leaders who wanted to downplay our airport, and succeeded!
Anyway, Jim helped lead the effort that brought about a great transformation of the airport into a hub of economic activity for northern Illinois, an airport now called Chicago Rockford International Airport.
Jim also was active in neighborhood improvement projects in the north side. And, he was an active e-mailer, sending me comments on columns I wrote in the paper and e-mailing pertinent info on transport and political issues. Mostly his comments were in agreement with what I’d written, but sometimes Jim thought I was dead wrong and was not afraid to say so! I appreciated everything he sent me, and I responded to every one of his e-mails.
That’s how much I respected his knowledge and wisdom.
There’s another Powers connection: Jim’s mother, Mrs. Harold Powers, was my third grade teacher at St. Patrick’s School. She was a stern but thoroughly competent and challenging teacher, and sometimes I got into trouble in her class because I was as smart alecky then as I am today. As I look back on my school days all these years later, I realize that Mrs. Powers was perhaps the best teacher I ever had. Every once in awhile I’d hear from her in my adult years, and she’d tell me she was proud of what I’d accomplished. I appreciated that immensely.
Godspeed, Col. Jim! I’m sure you founded a block club in Heaven by now.
March 25th, 2009
It’s always great to debate at the Coronado. Thanks to WQRF-Fox 39 , the Rockford Chamber of Commerce and the Rockford Register Star, I got a chance to ask questions of the Rockford mayoral candidates Wednesday night. The event was televised live on Fox-39. I shared question-asking duties with Steve Stadelman of WTVO-TV17 and Einar Forsman CEO of the Rockford Chamber of Commerce.
The hour went by quickly, and we each got in just 4 questions — I’d prepared 29 just to be prepared!
I’m not sure I got any good answers, for there was a lot of posturing by all candidates. John Harmon, the Republican, did say that balancing the city budget, which has a $8.6 million hole, would require a reduction in force. Doug Block, the Democrat, deflected my question about requiring police and fire fighters, 60 percent of whom live outside the city, to move in. He presented a scenario against it, citing a hypothetical situation in which a Rockford cop and Loves Park cop are married. Where do they live if each city has a residency requirement
I asked Mayor Morrissey about Home Rule, and he said he is in favor of putting it on the next possible ballot. Block said he used to be for Home Rule but now is against it.
I asked Green Party candidate Jesus Correa VII, who says he is an artist and comedian, whether in fact his campaign is in reality an act of “performance art.” He said no. While he knows he won’t win, he’s still serious about his candidacy.
There were about 200 people in the audience, many of them Block supporters carrying signs. Organizers of the debate made them put away the signs for the duration. The audience was polite and there were no outbursts.
Did any of you see it on TV? How’d it come across?
March 24th, 2009
For years I’ve rolled my eyes as Rockford politicians — and a certain state senator — have whined about
“Chicago getting all the money.” And I’ve always reminded them, sometimes politely, that it just isn’t true. Now, however, it may become true.
The Daily Herald reported in its March 21 edition that state Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, said it’s about time District One of the Dept. of Transportation gets its fair share of state road funding. District One includes Cook, DuPage, Lake, McHenry and Will counties. That’s where 80 percent of the state’s people live, Cullerton said, but the area gets just 45 percent of the state’s road money.
We who live in Rockfish are in IDOT’s District Two, headquartered in Dixon. Why Dixon? Because Rockfish lawmakers have no clout to move it to Rockfish, where it really should be.
March 20th, 2009
Shame on the House of Representatives! The congressmen passed a blatantly unconstitutional measure Thursday designed to calm the people with pitchforks demanding the heads of AIG execs who are divvying up $165 million in bonus payments. The U.S. government now owns 80 percent of AIG, thanks to billions in bailout money that saved their sorry assets.
The House members voted 328 to 93 — Don Manzullo voted yes — to slap a 90 percent tax on the executive bonuses.
This violates the Article I of the U.S. Constitution, which specifically bans bills of attainder and ex post facto laws.
A bill of attainder singles out a person or group for punishment without trial. Congress is seeking to punish AIG execs. Tomorrow it may want to single out scuba divers or people with purple hair.
An ex post facto law is one that makes illegal something that was legal when enacted. The bonuses paid were legal. Congress cannot make them retroactively illegal or, by extrapolation, enact a punitive 90 percent tax on them.
This bill is expected to die in the Senate. Stop monkeying with our Constitution, congressmen.
Previous Posts
