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October 22nd, 2009
Gov. Pat Quinn was supposed to stop at Chicago Rockford International Airport late Thursday afternoon on his airborne trip around the state to announce his candidacy for governor.
We got the word in the News Tower from a veteran Democratic official, not from Quinn’s campaign. We waited for something from the Quinn campaign.
Thursday morning, nothing had come, so I called the veteran Democratic official again (OK, it’s Doug Aurand,) and he said Quinn was not coming to Rockford.
Oh, Quinn did do a nine-city fly-around, but Rockford was not on the flight plan.
I am disappointed. But I am not surprised. This is generally the way Rockford has been treated by Springfield politicians — for generations. It can be summed up in this oft-repeated quote from former Senate President Emil Jones, D-Chicago: “Rockford? Where’s Rockford?”
If only we could secede from Illinois and join the Badger State maybe we could get some respect.
October 21st, 2009
One year ago Derek Bergsten was a fire captain on Engine Co. 2. On Nov. 14, he was transformed into Rockford’s fire chief, overseeing a $37 million budget and a full-time emergency response force that includes 270 sworn members, 255 of whom staff the city’s 11 fire stations around the clock.
In his short tenure, Bergsten, 39, has had to deal with budget crises, layoffs, union negotiations and callbacks. But he’s not complaining.
“This is one of the things I’ve always wanted to do,” Bergsten says. “I enjoy the challenge. This is a wonderful group of people with a passion for what they do. Everybody here likes what they do.”
Tight times mean the department has left positions vacant when people move on. Six firefighter recruits were laid off, only to be rehired a week later when firefighters and City Hall agreed on a contract. The sworn staff is down 10 positions from its authorized strength. There’s little money to buy new equipment.
The city needs to add at least one, maybe two ambulances if Bergsten can find money to buy them at $180,000 a pop. The need is great because the city’s population is aging and getting poorer. More than three-fourths of the fire department’s 23,635 calls in 2008 were for medical emergencies. The vehicle fleet doesn’t reflect that ratio. Rockford has 13 working fire engines of various types, and five working ambulances. The similarly sized cities of Naperville, Aurora and Elgin have six to seven ambulances each.
Bergsten says the department can’t cut fire engines because Rockford ranks second only to Chicago in the number of fires. The department also needs to update the fire engine fleet, but a new, basic fire engine costs $270,000.
A better deal would be to buy used engines from Madison, Wis., which replaces them after 10 years and buys top-of-the line Pierce trucks made in Osh Kosh, Wis. Rockford could buy used Madison trucks for $25,000 to $30,000 a piece.
I asked the chief why Rockford dispatches a fire engine to medical emergencies before sending an ambulance. The result is five or six people and two vehicles responding to Grandma’s “I’m having trouble breathing” call.
That’s on purpose, Bergsten says. Engines respond from the nearest fire station and usually arrive within four minutes. Today’s firefighters are either EMTs or paramedics with a higher level of training. (All firefighters on board more than three months are EMTs. They then must train to be paramedics.)
So, when the firefighters arrive, they’re bringing a mobile emergency room with them into the home. They perform life-saving procedures and transmit complex, computerized information to the receiving hospital so that doctors will know exactly what protocol to follow when the patient is delivered, Bergsten says.
The department still performs fire safety inspections on homes, and you can call 815-987-5660 to request one. If you don’t have a smoke detector, you can get one free, through a grant program. The department also inspects homes when it makes emergency calls — 18,000 were done last year.
Bergsten knows from experience that this kind of routine safety check saves lives.
“I went on a medical call, and we noticed the house didn’t have a smoke detector, We put one in. Four months later we had fire call from that house. A child had been lighting matches. The smoke detector saved the people’s lives.”One year ago Derek Bergsten was a fire captain on Engine Co. 2. On Nov. 14, he was transformed into Rockford’s fire chief, overseeing a $37 million budget and a full-time emergency response force that includes 270 sworn members, 255 of whom staff the city’s 11 fire stations around the clock.
In his short tenure, Bergsten, 39, has had to deal with budget crises, layoffs, union negotiations and callbacks. But he’s not complaining.
“This is one of the things I’ve always wanted to do,” Bergsten says. “I enjoy the challenge. This is a wonderful group of people with a passion for what they do. Everybody here likes what they do.”
Tight times mean the department has left positions vacant when people move on. Six firefighter recruits were laid off, only to be rehired a week later when firefighters and City Hall agreed on a contract. The sworn staff is down 10 positions from its authorized strength. There’s little money to buy new equipment.
The city needs to add at least one, maybe two ambulances if Bergsten can find money to buy them at $180,000 a pop. The need is great because the city’s population is aging and getting poorer. More than three-fourths of the fire department’s 23,635 calls in 2008 were for medical emergencies. The vehicle fleet doesn’t reflect that ratio. Rockford has 13 working fire engines of various types, and five working ambulances. The similarly sized cities of Naperville, Aurora and Elgin have six to seven ambulances each.
Bergsten says the department can’t cut fire engines because Rockford ranks second only to Chicago in the number of fires. The department also needs to update the fire engine fleet, but a new, basic fire engine costs $270,000.
A better deal would be to buy used engines from Madison, Wis., which replaces them after 10 years and buys top-of-the line Pierce trucks made in Osh Kosh, Wis. Rockford could buy used Madison trucks for $25,000 to $30,000 a piece.
I asked the chief why Rockford dispatches a fire engine to medical emergencies before sending an ambulance. The result is five or six people and two vehicles responding to Grandma’s “I’m having trouble breathing” call.
That’s on purpose, Bergsten says. Engines respond from the nearest fire station and usually arrive within four minutes. Today’s firefighters are either EMTs or paramedics with a higher level of training. (All firefighters on board more than three months are EMTs. They then must train to be paramedics.)
So, when the firefighters arrive, they’re bringing a mobile emergency room with them into the home. They perform life-saving procedures and transmit complex, computerized information to the receiving hospital so that doctors will know exactly what protocol to follow when the patient is delivered, Bergsten says.
The department still performs fire safety inspections on homes, and you can call 815-987-5660 to request one. If you don’t have a smoke detector, you can get one free, through a grant program. The department also inspects homes when it makes emergency calls — 18,000 were done last year.
Bergsten knows from experience that this kind of routine safety check saves lives.
“I went on a medical call, and we noticed the house didn’t have a smoke detector, We put one in. Four months later we had fire call from that house. A child had been lighting matches. The smoke detector saved the people’s lives.”
October 13th, 2009
Rich Carter, U.S. Rep. Don Manzullo’s press secretary, sent along this man-bites-dog news story from AP — Democratic unions opposing the Max Baucus health are plan that passed the Senate Finance Committee this morning on a 14-9 vote:
Says Carter: “The Baucus bill is supposed to be the one that mostly closely matches the President’s principles.”
Unions will oppose Baucus bill unless it’s changed
WASHINGTON (AP) — A top labor lobbyist says about 30 unions will run a full-page ad in newspapers Wednesday announcing their opposition to the Senate Finance Committee’s health overhaul bill.
The ad says that unless the bill brought to the Senate floor makes substantial progress to address the concerns of working men and women, unions will oppose it.
The legislative director of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees, Chuck Loveless, says unions are unhappy that the legislation lacks a publicly run insurance plan and would tax insurers that provide expensive coverage.
Sponsors included the AFL-CIO and the Communications Workers of America. The ad will run in The Washington Post, USA Today and Capitol Hill newspapers.
An update: The powerful American Federation of Teachers has just weighed in on the Baucus bill:
WASHINGTON—The U.S. Senate Finance Committee’s healthcare reform bill was developed with good intentions, but it has serious defects that could jeopardize insurance affordability for both the insured and the uninsured. The only way to truly reform our healthcare system and strengthen our economy is to make health insurance affordable so it is accessible. The Finance Committee’s failure to include a robust national public plan to provide competition to private insurers makes achieving this goal difficult, if not impossible.
The subsidies available in the bill’s health insurance exchanges for the uninsured are inadequate, making the cost of health insurance out of reach for many families and individuals. But affordability doesn’t just affect the uninsured. It also affects the more than 160 million workers and their families, who through negotiations or otherwise, have employer-provided coverage. Over $1,000 from the premium of each family plan—paid by employers and employees—actually subsidizes the cost of the uninsured. The Finance Committee’s bill’s health insurance tax increases will add to these costs and become, in effect, a tax on the middle class.
The mark of true health care reform is that it is affordable, accessible and encourages—not discourages—good and continued coverage for the already insured. These goals cannot be achieved without a public option, nor can they be achieved by increasing the tax burden on middle-class workers with employer-provided coverage.
The AFT will continue to fight for true healthcare reform, and we urge members of Congress to vote only for a bill that provides it.
October 13th, 2009
BELVIDERE — State Rep. Ron Wait, R-69th, who has been in the House for all but two years since 1983, is stepping down from that job and will instead run for the newly-created position of Boone County judge.
Wait’s exit clears the field for a new representative in the district that takes in all of Boone County, a small part of DeKalb County and a wide swath of Winnebago County. Already, there are two Rockford-based candidates for the seat, Ald. Joe Sosnowski, R-1, and Michele Corirossi. No Democratic candidates have surfaced.
The district, which will be redrawn after the 2010 census, has been safe for most Republicans, although Democrat Barb Giolitto dethroned Wait in 1992 in what was widely interpreted as a reaction to Wait’s perceived inaction in the House. Wait took back the seat in 1994.
Wait, who made his campaign announcement at the Boone County Courthouse, said he welcomes the new challenge.
“As one great experience comes to an end, another opportunity arises. It is with a very heavy heart that I inform you that I will not be seeking reelection to represent the people of the 69th Legislative District. Yet I am excited for the new horizon ahead and I know I can further serve the people by being their next judge,” Wait said.
Wait, 65, has been a teacher, lawyer, farmer, and accountant. In the House he served on the Criminal Law and Civil Law committees for over a decade.
“A vast majority of the types of laws a Circuit Judge would have to rule upon come through these two committees. Civil law deals with divorce, child support and custody, contracts, torts (accidents), and many other types of issues,” Wait’s campaign announcement said.
Wait said he believes in law and order, “as seen through my passage of laws isolating gang members. As judge, I will not let my personal feelings or past experiences sway my judgment. If a person breaks the law, then they will be punished accordingly. To me, this is just common sense and that is how I plan to rule if I was so honored to be elected as your Resident Circuit Judge of Boone County.”
Wait is the first announced candidate to enter the judge race.
October 9th, 2009
Barack Obama has won the Nobel Peace Prize. Although initially at a loss for words about why this could or should be, I’ve thought of something.
As the dying Captain Tom Miller said to Private Ryan, “Earn this.”
October 8th, 2009
The owners of Road Ranger Stadium are seeking a tax break from local taxing districts on their ballpark. They should not get one. In this economy, such an idea is unthinkable. No bailouts for ballparks.
The ballpark owners took a risk and moved from the Park District’s Marinelli Field, which they said was perceived to be on the wrong side of town, the south side of Rockford, because they were convinced Riverside Boulevard in Loves Park was a better location, I guess meaning it was on the right side side of town. They were hoping fans would stream to the new location.
Evidently not enough fans have done that. Well, that was a risk they took.
And just in case anyone’s thinking of approaching the Rockford Park District to take over the facility — NO. ABSOLUTLEY NOT.
The Park District already has a perfectly good stadium — built with a state grant garnered by former state Rep. John Hallock, and maintained by local taxpayers. It’s just sitting there vacant most of the time. If push comes to shove, the River Hawks can just go back to the wrong side of town and play at Marinelli.
October 6th, 2009
I knew that sooner or later the Democrats in Congress would propose sweeping new taxes to pay for increased government spending.
THE HILL reports that Nancy Pelosi, the speaker of the House, is considering a European-style VAT. Read it and weep.
October 6th, 2009
Does Pres. Obama understand the dire straits Americans are in? NYTimes columnist Bob Herbert says no.
I found it interesting and sobering reading. See what you think by clicking HERE:
October 6th, 2009
I hate to break it to you, but the U.S. is no longer the essential nation — the world is learning to do without us. This ominous story in the (UK) Independent points out how Middle Eastern, European and Asian nations plan to drop the U.S. dollar when dealing in oil, in favor of a “basket” of currencies.
Read it here
October 1st, 2009
It’s nice to see that NOW, the National Organization for Women, is taking to task its Hollywood allies in the feminist movement for defending the despicable child rapist Roman Polanski, who is guilty of drugging and raping a 13 year old girl at Jack Nicholson house. Planski fled the U.S. for Europe in 1978, evanding his pending sentencing.
Swiss police arrested him Saturday and he is in jail awaiting extradition to the U.S.
A wide range of Hollywood glitterati have come out in support of Polanski — did I mention he’s a famous Oscar-winning film director? NOW takes them to task in a stinging rebuke to people who are usually its friends. READ IT HERE:
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