Archive for June, 2009
June 19th, 2009
Today I have an example of how a perfectly sensible discussion has been blown way out of proportion as it has made the rounds of the talk radio circuit.
For some time now, there’s been serious discussion among urbanologists that some of our older, industrial cities should be downsized.
The poster child of this phenomenon is Flint, Michigan, birthplace of General Motors. Up until the 1980s, Flint was humming with multiple auto plants, GM’s engineering institute, Fisher Body and a host of GM-related industries. It was perhaps the wealthiest, happiest blue collar city in America. The population topped out at just short of 200,000.
Flint has been shrinking ever since; now there are just two GM plants left. The population is down to about 110,000, with no sign of recovery.
As a result, entire neighborhoods are abandoned because there simply are no people to live there. Rather than wish for happy days of old, serious discussion is taking place about bulldozing those vacant areas — about 40 percent of the city — and putting them in a land bank, as Flint is re-purposed for a largely post-industrial future.
The story made the media rounds last week, and Rush Limbaugh picked up on it as proof the big government liberalism has failed. He suggested all of Flint be bulldozed and said President Obama has enlisted Genessee County Land Bank Chairman Daniel Kildee for advice on plans to shrink 50 other cities.
Not exactly true, Kildee said in an article in the Flint Journal. The land banking concept first attracted the interest of the George W. Bush administration, Kildee pointed out in the Journal story.
My point? Rush, whom I listen to frequently, is probably the best radio broadcaster in the business, and he has an entertaining show. But I try to be a smart listener, because I know that Rush, a neo-conservative, tends to leave out facts that get in the way of his good stories.
June 18th, 2009
Bobby Jindal, Louisiana’s conservative governor, and liberal almost president Al Gore, are working together to bring a factory to that state that produces energy-efficient cars. Read it here
June 18th, 2009
I’ve been depressed lately, thinking how sturdy Illinois’ system of corrupt, pay-to-play politics really is. Even the dethronement of a sitting governor and a blue ribbon reform commission did nothing to unseat this entrenched corruption of ours. The reams of newsprint, the hours of airtime, the blogs, the bleeps, the twits, the tweets, nothing so far has been able to undermine the full-fledged kleptocracy that is Illinois.
It’s not just here, either. This provocative op-ed piece in The Guardian has a world-wide take on how difficult it is for people to make dents in corrupt political systems:
June 13th, 2009
So much for the idea that Iran has democratic elections. The votes probably were not even counted. Millions of yount Iranians, tired of religious rule from absolutist ayatollahs, thought they could shape a new Iran by voting for Hossein Mousavi,the chief opponent of the d apocalyptic and Holocaust-denying president, Ahmedinejad.
The race was close, and initially, both candidates’ campaigns declared victory. Then, the ayatollah-run government took control, declaring their guy, Ahmedinejad, the victor in a landslide. Now, chaos has broken out in Teheran. Good.
Read about it in The Guardian:
June 11th, 2009
As the health care debate swings into high gear on Capitol Hill, the medical/insurance establishment is preparing to Swift Boat any meaningful reform plan. You’ll hear and see thousands of commercials warning you about the danger of socialist medicine, which is not what Obama will propose. But no matter, smear campaigns work. You won’t hear that most Canadians consistently tell poll takers they wouldn’t trade their single-payer system for ours, or that Canadians live longer, have a much lower infant mortality rate, and live longer than Americans. Their health care system emphasizes wellness; ours is based on the auto mechanic shop model. Your body gets broken, we charge you parts and labor to fix it. Wellness is antithetical to our model, because people who aren’t sick can’t be charged.
Anyway, here’s a good column in today’s NYTimes that’s related to this topic:
June 10th, 2009
LaVonne Sheffield isn’t even officially working for the Rockford School District yet (she starts July 1) but I’m very, very impressed with her Cabinet choices, specifically the appointment of Patrick Hardy as Chief Academic Officer.
I’ve had opportunities over the years to talk with Hardy about his educational philosophy and his intense passion for improving opportunities for all kids to learn. Is he impatient? Yes, but you need to be to get anything done. Hardy was an assistant principal at Auburn High School when I first talked with him, and I knew he was frustrated that he was being called on way too often to do disciplinary chores, when what he really wanted to do was help kids learn.
As Ellis School principal he turned around a school in chaos and got it on the road to excellence. He left the school district to join Heartland Community Church as a youth leader, and from there came the springboard to the Sigma Beta Charter School, which is designed to foster an intense learning environment for kids, mostly minority, mostly males, who otherwise fall through the cracks of the mostly white teaching establishment.
Although he won’t be able to lead Sigma Beta, in his new role he’ll be able to apply his knowledge and enthusiasm to all schools in the Rockford district.
Great choice, Dr. Sheffield. Congratulations, Dr. Hardy.
June 9th, 2009
This is fresh from U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo’s office:
Manzullo Cosponsors Bill to Reverse Forced Closures of GM
and Chrysler Dealers, Save Thousands of American Jobs
WASHINGTON – As the deadline nears for Chrysler and GM to strip thousands of auto dealers of their franchises and put tens of thousands of Americans on the unemployment lines, U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) has cosponsored a bill that would reinstate the franchise agreements for those dealers that would like to stay in business.
The legislation, “The Automobile Dealer Economic Restoration Act (HR 2743),” was introduced late Monday and would restore the economic rights GM and Chrysler dealers enjoyed before the auto manufacturers’ bankruptcies. Because the forced closures of more than 2,000 Chrysler and GM dealers will not save the manufacturers significant amounts of money, reinstatement of the franchises will not affect their planned emergence from bankruptcies. The forced closures of the dealers was agreed to by GM, Chrysler and the President’s auto task force prior to bankruptcies as part of the Administration’s decision to fund the automakers’ debts with more than $60 billion in taxpayer funds.
“The misguided decision of GM, Chrysler and the President’s auto task force to close more than 2,000 dealerships in the United States will do nothing to improve the finances of the automakers because the dealers pay their own costs and actually purchase cars from the automakers. Many of these dealers represent several generations of hard-working small business owners who have given so much to their employees and their communities over decades of service only to be stripped of their franchises and forced to shutter their businesses in a matter of weeks,” Manzullo said. “This legislation will bring some common sense back to the industry and restore the franchise agreements to the dealers who want to keep operating without threatening the plans for both GM and Chrysler to emerge stronger from their bankruptcies.”
Manzullo, who has been working with several local auto dealers scheduled for closure, sent previous letters to the President and the automakers seeking a reconsideration of the forced closures as well as a delay and more transparency in their decisions. Many of the dealers slated for closure are profitable and have no idea why they are targeted for closure.
In addition, Manzullo will vote later today for a “cash for clunkers” bill that will bolster auto manufacturing and sales by providing vouchers up to $4,500 to anyone who trades in a vehicle made after 1984 that gets less than 18 mpg and purchases a new vehicle, costing less than $45,000, that gets at least 4 mpg more. The legislation is expected to bolster auto sales by 1 million vehicles.
Manzullo authored alternative legislation (HR 1606) that would have provided a $5,000 voucher to anyone who purchases a vehicle – no strings attached – that would have covered the sale of 15 million new cars. While the “cash for clunkers” bill will not have nearly the boost to auto manufacturing and sales as Manzullo’s bill, Manzullo still supports the cash for clunkers bill because it will help the industry. He will continue to push for his bill that would have a much greater impact on American manufacturing.
Every one million in new vehicle sales has the following impact on the economy:
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- Creates 60,000 jobs (10,000 at vehicle assembly plants; 50,000 at suppliers, auto dealers, and other businesses).
- Provides $750 million in tax revenue to the federal government.
- Provides $1.4 billion in sales tax revenue to states.
- Saves federal government over $1.8 billion in unemployment payments, COBRA health care subsidies, job retraining assistance, and food stamps.
The automobile industry and its suppliers account for 13 million American jobs, 20 percent of all U.S. retail sales, and billions of dollars in state and local sales taxes. The drop in U.S. vehicle sales from 16 million in 2007 to 13 million in 2008 to a projected 9 million in 2009 has been one of the leading causes of America’s economic downturn and huge job losses.
June 9th, 2009
If you’ve been driving in downtown Rockford you’ve encountered street rebuilding projects funded, as the signs say, by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act,” aka the $787 billion Obama stimulus package.
Ald. Doug Mark, R-3rd, represents downtown and he’s irate that the Illinois Department of Transportation is not repaving the parking lanes, just the driving lanes, on these stimulus projects.
It’s most apparent on West Jefferson Street. He made a point of his disapproval at Monday’s City Council meeting.
Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, provided me an explanation..
The state normally scrapes off and repaves the entire road surface, including the parking lanes, in an intergovernmental agreement with the city. But the stimulus funds had to be spent quickly and there was no time to ink such an agreement, Syverson said.
Also, Syverson said, IDOT can pave more high-traffic driving lanes by ignoring the lightly-traveled parking lanes.
Mark says what the state is doing just pospones work that could have been done all at once.
“Instead of two, half- fixes, we could have one whole fix that makes sense. I think it’s great they’resurfacing Church and Jefferson streets. But what are we going to do when the water and salt seeps into the joints? Ultimately it will cost us more money. Is the state willing to come back and spend more money in three years? Will it last 5 years?” Mark said.
June 7th, 2009
If Rockford is ever going to return passenger rail service to the area, there must be an organized effort from Dubuque, Iowa to Boone County. Currently, that doesn’t exist. It’s time to take a lesson from the Quad City folks, who have a Quad Cities Rail Coalition with an executive director. They are actively lobbying senators and congressmen in Iowa and Illinois. The Chicago-QC route is one of two priorities for the state of Illinois — the other is the Black Hawk Route between Chicago and Dubuque, Ia., which features Rockford, Belvidere, Freeport and Galena stops.
See their website here
June 5th, 2009
Illinois’ thousands of local governments duplicate services and operate inefficiently. But trying to consolidate government services is like pulling teeth because the local politicians like things the way they are, with thousands of special service taxing districts and townships. There’s no need for nearly 1,000 school districts, but we still have ‘em. Townships once were necessary, but they no longer are. But township governments are a convenient parking place for political flunkies, has-beens and never-will be’s, so we still have them.
With declining tax revenue and a recession that’s getting deeper, we can’t afford all this local government! It’s time for Illinois lawmakers to cut the size of local government by passing a consolidation bill that allows local taxing districts to consolidate easily.
Incredibly, New York State is leading the way. NY, with 10,000 local taxing districts, is even more overburdened with inefficient local governments than Illinois, which has more than 7,000. So, the Empire State’s lawmakers have passed a bill that streamlines the process for local consolidation. Read about it in this NYTimes editorial.
It will become law — assuming Gov. David Paterson signs it.
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